The Night Ends with Fire

A troubled young woman fights for her freedom in this ambitious if flawed reimagining from Song (An Echo in the City) of the Mulan legend. Hai Meilin’s mother was driven to kill herself by the spirits in her head, leaving Meilin with her abusive, opium-addicted father. When he orders her to wed a wealthy, violent man, Meilin decides she would rather risk death than wind up trapped in an arranged marriage and escapes by disguising herself as a boy to secretly take her father’s place in the army. Training for battle is brutal, but help comes from dashing and dutiful Prince Liu, who privately coaches her at night, and the voice in her head, the sea dragon spirit Qinglong, who serves as her spirit guide. Through Qinglong, Meilin discovers a great but dangerous power that could either turn the tides of war or, if she isn’t careful, destroy her. Though determined Meilin proves a worthy heroine and the Mulan parallels make for a strong initial hook, as the plot veers from the source material, the continued references become gimmicky and feel shoehorned in. Indeed, Song’s original subplots are far stronger than the loose fairy tale framework. The result is a novel that feels like it can’t commit to what it wants to be. Agent: Peter Knapp, Park & Fine Literary and Media. (July)