I want to begin by thanking the Fantastic Flying Book Club for organizing this tour. I really love being a part of Fantastic Flying Book Club tours, they do a fantastic job organizing everything and are a joy to work with. Obviously, I am not the only stop on this tour so be sure to follow the other posts by clicking the image below.
If you have followed my current reads lately, you can tell I have been reading a large number of retellings. I have a soft spot for retellings of classic tales. Do you enjoy reading retellings? What is your favorite? It takes great skill to start with a classic story and make it into something entirely new and exciting. My love of Asain culture had me giddy when I saw this was based on Mulan. I knew I just had to get my hands on a copy and join this fantastic blog tour.
The Warrior Maiden (Hagenheim #9)
Author: Melanie Dickerson
Published: February 5th, 2019
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Book Length: 320 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction (YA), Romance, Christain Fiction, Retellings
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Buy the book: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository (Use my referral ID: TheBibliophagist)
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion and review.
From New York Times bestselling author Melanie Dickerson comes a fresh reimagining of the classic Mulan tale.
Mulan isn’t afraid to pretend to be a son and assume her father’s soldier duties in war. But what happens when the handsome son of a duke discovers her secret?
Mulan is trying to resign herself to marrying the village butcher for the good of her family, but her adventurous spirit just can’t stand the thought. At the last minute, she pretends to be the son her father never had, assumes his duties as a soldier, and rides off to join the fight to protect the castle of her liege lord’s ally from the besieging Teutonic Knights.
Wolfgang and his brother Steffan leave Hagenheim with several other soldiers to help their father’s ally in Poland. When they arrive, Wolfgang is exasperated by the young soldier Mikolai who seems to either always be one step away from disaster . . . or showing Wolfgang up in embarrassing ways.
When Wolfgang discovers his former rival and reluctant friend Mikolai is actually a girl, he is determined to protect her. But battle is a dangerous place where anything can happen—and usually does.
When Mulan receives word that her mother has been accused of practicing witchcraft through her healing herbs and skills, Mulan’s only thought is of defending her. Will she be able to trust Wolfgang to help? Or will sacrificing her own life be the only way to save her mother?
Like every other little girl, I loved reading a nice fairytale. This one was among my favorites and to know there is a new twist, a retelling, had me excited beyond belief.
Now, we all want to learn more about this book and I know you are all waiting to see what I have to say if you have not scrolled ahead already. If you have, shame on you! Just kidding…but really. Be patient and read everything I have to say. Before we learn more about the author, here is an official sneak peek of The Warrior Maiden.
About the Author
Melanie Dickerson is a New York Times bestselling author, a two-time Christy Award finalist, two-time Maggie Award winner, Carol Award winner, two-time winner of the Christian Retailing’s Best award, and her book, The Healer’s Apprentice, won the National Readers Choice Award for Best First Book. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and Romance Writers of America (RWA). Melanie earned a bachelors degree in special education of the hearing impaired from The University of Alabama and has worked as a teacher in Georgia, Tennessee, and Ukraine. She lives with her husband and two children in Huntsville, Alabama.
Review and Favorite Quotes
The story of Mulan is one of feminine power and us women are just as capable to do things men do. I always clung to this tale not only for that reason but because of the culture. Asian culture has always fascinated me and I knew I was going to enjoy this book. The cover is a beautiful mountain scenery with Mulan standing in front of it, bow in one hand and sword in another…ready to fight. Her hair cut short, red uniform…she is ready for battle. The intricate design overlay is simply gorgeous and extends throughout the book on each new chapter page. This is a small detail that really shows the amount of care put into the story. Such a simple thing but it always brought me back to the cover each time I started a new chapter.
I want to preface this review by saying that I was not aware that this was the 9th book in a series. I feel that if I had read the previous 8 that my review might have had a slightly higher star rating. This does make me want to look into the other books though. It can be read as a standalone and it does not really feel like it is missing anything.
When I first began reading this novel, I was really confused. The writing style seemed to switch between first and third person in the same paragraph. It took a lot for me to move past that. Eventually, I was able to see that Mulan’s mother was referred to as ‘mother’ rather than by name, as was Wolfgang’s father. The use of those broad terms rather than their names made it seem as if the POV switched and it just pulled me out of the story, but I pushed through. Chapters switched POV between Mulan, Wolfgang, and Steffan. It was not always easy to jump into which POV you were reading from. However, after a few lines, it was easy to differentiate them.
Aside from the confusing start, this book took me on an enjoyable journey. Mulan, as we all know, took the place of her father in battle. She hides the fact that she is a woman but I was a little disappointed that her true identity was discovered so soon. I was hoping for a longer story with her hiding her identify but despite that fact, her story did not disappoint. It brought with it many more plot twists at the most opportune times. Right when I began to get bored with the story… BAM! Something big happened and it pulled me back into the story. The secret being revealed early also allowed us to see the romance between her and Wolfgang really grow and blossom.
One aspect that bothered me though was the ‘in your face’ religion. It was as if the book tried too hard to be a Christain fiction based novel. At every opportunity, the story made sure that readers knew they were fighting in the name of God. I am not a religious person, nor do I hold anything against them. I just prefer not to have it shoved in my face every chapter of a book. I understood they were fighting for the greater good, for God, without needing to revisit the fact.
The love of a good woman is God’s blessing and not to be taken lightly
“There is no crying in war.”
Mulan pushed back a strand of hair. “Then I’ll be sure not to cry.”
This book was full of great characters and I cannot say enough about them. But for the sake of this blog’s length, I will discuss the three main characters.
Mulan: Even in this new retelling, Mulan holds on to the classic tale. She is strong and powerful, not afraid to fight for what she thinks is right. There were times that I found my self yelling at the men in the book because she was the only one brave enough to step up and defend herself and those around her. She was such an amazing character, always doing what was needed to help others before caring for herself. I suppose in that regard, I see myself in her. That might be why I love her character so much.
This time she didn’t avert her gaze but smiled-a ghost of a smile, but it lit up her eyes. His breath rushed out of him.
She was beautiful.
Wolfgang: This man was a great character. I really liked how he acted toward Mulan when he discovered her identity. Despite being the German Duke’s son, he seems really modest and down to earth. Someone that I would have loved to befriend and fight beside. I would trust him with my life. He is strong and loyal, unmoving despite the distractions amongst him. He fights for what is right and gives others the chance to change. I also was given the impression that he was attractive so that only helps him int hat regard…kind, strong, and handsome…I’m sold.
He doesn’t want to think about what we did, so he blames others, raging inside so he doesn’t feel the pain. Meanwhile, ou’re trying to make up for what you did by being the perfect soilder, the perfect son, protecting and rescuing, to feel better about…
Steffan: Refusing to come to terms with his past, he is always full of anger. I see him as someone who runs from his problems but when he finally faces them…he can become someone new. A more caring person, more…compassionate. To me, I saw that part of us that never wants to face difficult times. Sometimes it seems easier to allow anger to take over, to hide from our difficulties rather than facing them.
I was a little disappointed by the lack of Chinese influence in the story. Mulan is a tale inspired by Asain culture and I just did not feel that here. The meshing of Asain and European cultures just did not work for me. She was the only Asain person in an entire kingdom of Europeans. It just felt wrong…unbalanced. I understand that this idea might have stemmed from the attempt to make it a success story for not only women, but people of color as well, but it just did not sit well with me.
Many times the details failed to really pull me in and show me the events, they told me what was happening but I did not feel it, see it. I was left outside the pages, reading the story when I prefer to live within the pages, alongside the characters. I will say that for what it is worth, there were some scenes that showed amazing imagery. I could see the forest around them, the mountains, etc. Some battles were detailed where others were not. It lacked consistency.
Overall, this was a good story and I did enjoy it but there were some things that did not sit well with me. The biggest one was the fact that in the end, a man saved the day. This was a retelling of Mulan…the powerful woman. It just did not seem fitting for this tale. Also, the story being stripped of much of the culture was saddening. It felt wrong to place Mulan in a European setting, making her fight not only against the fact that she was a woman among men but that she was not European either. The religion was very preachy at times, distracting from the overall storyline. But, the characters were fantastic and I really bonded with them. The slow burn romance was refreshing, seeing two people really get to know one another. The plot was engaging and twists were put in at the right times.
If you have read the other books in the series, it might seem better. I have no idea what those are about. I do know that in the end, this was a decent book. Not something I would buy, but something I would borrow from the library.
Giveaway
Thank you for making it through my review and all the way to the end! Now here is a special prize!! Well, a chance to win a prize. If you are in the US, you have a chance to win a finished physical copy of The Warrior Maiden. Don’t fret if you live internationally, you have the chance to win a free e-copy! Be sure to get those entries in and don’t miss the chance to read this unique take on Mulan.
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