**3.5-stars rounded up**

Feather and Flame is the second installment in Disney's The Queen Council series.

If you are unaware, this series imagines what happened post-happily ever after for some of our favorite Disney Princesses. Each book is the story of a different heroine written by a different author.



This story follows Mulan after her victory on the battlefield at the end of the animated film.

As the story begins, Mulan is living a quiet life at home. Well, quiet if you consider training her own female militia quiet. But China is at peace and it is a good feeling.



When Shang arrives with an invitation to the Imperial City, Mulan has no idea that her entire life is about to be flipped on its head. Again.

Once there, Mulan is treated to a private counsel with the ailing Emperor. He tells her he has a plan for his succession and it is her. She will be named his heir to the throne.



Unfortunately, the transition occurs more quickly than Mulan would have preferred. She is terrified, but must do what she can to rule her country to the best of her abilities.

With enemies lurking around every corner and the Huns sensing weakness, will Mulan's reign be doomed from the start?



Mulan is filled with doubt and she's scared. She feels alone. What if she can't do this? There's so much at stake.

Luckily, the Queen's Council is there to help Mulan find her true destiny. What is the Queen's Council, you may be asking?

I don't want to give anything away, so let's just call it Mulan's Spirit Advisor. Not spiritual advisor, mind you, SPIRIT advisor.



I had a lot of fun reading this story. It was great to be back with Mulan and to get an extension of her story that I think was greatly needed.

I have always loved Mulan as a character. She has such a quiet grace about her. She is humble, strong and determined in the face of danger. I was so happy to see that she kept all of these wonderful characteristics throughout this story.



This is a highly political story, so for those of you who maybe don't enjoy a lot of political maneuverings in your stories, you have been forewarned.

For me, I love political fantasy, so this worked for me. I would have been happy with a bit more depth, but overall, I was quite pleased with this one!



Thank you so much to the publisher, Disney Books. I look forward to getting the next installment of this series!arcs-read119 s Emma TheriaultAuthor 2 books251

I might be biased but I loved this book so much! Here's my official blurb: “Vivid and gripping, Feather and Flame richly blends Chinese history, folklore, and magic to tell the next chapter of Mulan’s epic story. With elegant prose and meticulous attention to detail, Blackburne weaves a tale of strength and sacrifice that will enchant readers.”27 s Livia BlackburneAuthor 14 books1,296 Read

We have a cover!books-by-me17 s mads534 504

ARC provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

TW: ghosts, kidnapping, sexism.

Yes, yes, YES.

This is how you write a Disney spin-off novel. I love Mulan and I absolutely loved the way the author handled her story and the what if's of the "Happily Ever After", especially considering Mulan got less of one than most.
(It also had Li Shang and he was perfectly in character, so HECK YES)

There was so much to love about this story! I went into it wary, because I wasn't the biggest fan of the previous installment in this series and because I love Mulan so much. However, I had nothing to be concerned about.

This was a celebration of femininity, loyalty, and the importance of believing in yourself. It held true to the messages of the beloved classic, while improving upon some of the lesser aspects and proving as a valuable story for readers of all ages.

Overall, while it wasn't perfect, it did make me happy almost the whole way through and that's a complete win in my book. 2021-releases arcs reviewed-2021 ...more6 s Alicia20

DNF at 57%
The whole book feels a joke. I get that it's supposed to be a sequel to the movie, and the movie is not 100% historically accurate either, but I feel most of the stuff could be found with a little bit of research. When Mulan is crowned the empress, she is paraded down the street and gives a speech to the commoners. I'm pretty sure that's how western imperialism works. Commoners in ancient China weren't even allowed to look straight at the emperor when they meet him, let alone have a parade.
The plot also feels very forced. The emperor mentions that none of his three daughters could be his successors because they all married commoners, he doesn't want any of the ministers to become the emperor because they are power-hungry and the people don't them. The reason he picked Mulan is that she is a hero and well-received by the people. I don't necessarily have a degree in Chinese history, but I have read and seen enough to know that no emperor would go through his entire reign without trying to produce an heir to his throne (produce as in also including teaching how to rule the country). It just seems way too absurd to me that the emperor literally has no one in mind before Mulan showed up to be his successor.
The book also seems to stress a lot of the strict "palace manners" Mulan and the others have to follow and then completely disregard it in other places.
Mulan also sometimes comes off as one of those quirky "I'm not the other girls" characters.
Overall it was a really uncomfortable read for me as someone who is Chinese. I understand that this was not meant to be 100% historically accurate, but I still wish that the author did more research so that the mistakes weren't so blatant.This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review5 s1 comment Sarah Ryder707 135

****Actual Rating 3.5****

As a fan of Disney’s animated Mulan movies, I was curious about this take on a more historical sequel to her story. (plus that cover is BEAUTIFUL!!! How could I not read it after seeing that?
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