Talk about a book I really liked! There were a few moments I wasn’t sure where The Night Ends with Fire was going, but that ending?! This story will take you places you might expect and then places you definitely won’t. Keep reading this book review of The Night Ends with Fire for my full thoughts.
Summary
The Three Kingdoms are at war, but Meilin’s father refuses to answer the imperial draft. Trapped by his opium addiction, he plans to sell Meilin for her dowry. But when Meilin discovers her husband-to-be is another violent, ill-tempered man, she realizes that nothing will change for her unless she takes matters into her own hands.
The very next day, she disguises herself as a boy and enlists in her father’s place.
In the army, Meilin’s relentless hard work brings her recognition, friendship—and a growing closeness with Sky, a prince turned training partner. But has she simply exchanged one prison for another? As her kingdom barrels toward destruction, Meilin begins to have visions of a sea dragon spirit that offers her true power and freedom, but with a deadly price.
With the future of the Three Kingdoms hanging in the balance, Meilin will need to decide whom to trust—Sky, who inspires her loyalty and love; the sea dragon spirit, who has his own murky agenda; or an infuriating enemy prince who makes her question everything she once knew—about her kingdom and about her own heart.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Inspired by the legend of Mulan, The Night Ends with Fire balances elements you’ll be familiar with and those which will shock you. For fans of the legend and the adaptations, there will be scenes you’ll chuckle at. A few of them are definitely fan favorites! But where I enjoyed this book most were the departures and pieces I wasn’t expecting. While the beginning feels a bit abrupt, by the end you can tell that the story is just getting started.
Much like the legend, The Night Ends with Fire explores duty, love, country, and family. It also explores whether if we have the power to stop something, to change an outcome, to save a person, do we have to? Are we duty bound to make that choice? And if we are, how do we navigate the fears surrounding that which hold us back? The Night Ends with Fire is full of spirit and human realms playing with each other and exchanging flaming arrows.
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Where The Night Ends with Fire begins to depart is the ways in which it truly explores the good and the bad of our loyalty. How loyal must we remain to a country to people who have treated us badly? And at what point do we leave that feeling of necessity behind? It reminds me a bit of “Mad Woman” and this image we see of a woman who is fighting so hard to be taken seriously, to be respected as an equal, but what happens when she might not be? This story delves into gender and whether or not the perceptions and expectations of our society permeate into ourselves.
The Night Ends with Fire totally captivated me at the ending and I cannot wait for book two! Find The Night Ends with Fire on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.