Hardcover: forthcomingCHINA, 484 A.D.A Warrior in DisguiseAll her life, Mulan has trained for one purpose: to win the duel that every generation in her family must fight. If she prevails, she can reunite a pair of priceless heirloom swords separated decades earlier, and avenge her father, who was paralyzed in his own duel.Then a messenger from the Emperor arrives, demanding that all families send … demanding that all families send one soldier to fight the Rouran invaders in the north. Mulan’s father cannot go. Her brother is just a child. So she ties up her hair, takes up her sword, and joins the army as a man.
A War for a Dynasty
Thanks to her martial arts skills, Mulan is chosen for an elite team under the command of the princeling—the royal duke’s son, who is also the handsomest man she’s ever seen. But the princeling has secrets of his own, which explode into Mulan’s life and shake up everything she knows. As they cross the Great Wall to face the enemy beyond, Mulan and the princeling must find a way to unwind their past, unmask a traitor, and uncover the plans for the Rouran invasion . . . before it’s too late.
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The Magnolia Sword digs deep into the story of Mulan, weaving a world of imperial intrigue and martial arts honor culture around the famous legend. This version of the tale centers around a feud between two families that spans generations. The setup evokes the feel of an classic wuxia adventure and immediately you can sense this is a much larger story — one that revolves around family and country. Thomas draws a vivid picture of the Chinese frontier along the Great Wall and its complex mix of history and culture. It’s a story that builds and builds up to one of the most satisfying showdowns I’ve read in a long time. Highly recommend for lovers of Asian historical fantasy and action-adventure.
The best book I’ve read all year. Ms. Thomas’s prose is lyrical without being florid. Her storytelling is affecting. She should teach a course on how to utilize the senses in writing because she’s an expert on the topic.
Action and emotion melded perfectly to bring about an epic story. Mulan and Kai are wonderful characters who will linger in my mind for a long time.
This was a joy to read.
This is divine. Buy it for the young woman in your life for Christmas, ages 12+. Or for anyone, anytime!
It is supposedly for YA but I loved it and was so glad I read it
I loved every bit of this story. If you’re a fan of Mulan, don’t miss Sherry Thomas’s take on the ballad of Mulan.
Sherry Thomas never disappoints but The Magnolia Sword, a young adult book about the story of Mulan, is inspired. The cadence of the story fits the plot and the action scenes, even for one who isn’t generally attracted to such descriptions, flow so smoothly that one is caught up before one quite knows it. Not just for the young, but neither was her series on Elementals (also gripping). Ms Thomas captures the mood of the era (well, I wasn’t there, but it rings true) faultlessly. Gorgeous book.
Entertaining for middle grade to adult readers, this is a great retelling of the Mulan story. Clearly the author has done her research and woven interesting historical elements into the narrative. I love how Ms. Thomas brings Mulan to life. She is a heroine worth role modeling.
I picked this up at lunch and came up for air hours later. What a delightful reading experience! Friendship, honor, courage, martial arts, intrigue, Chinese history and romance all combined into one wonderful volume.
Yuan Kai and Mulan Hua have spent their lives knowing they’d have to fight a duel for their families’ honor and to reclaim a pair of matched swords, now divided between their two families. But war interferes and when the emperor demands a male from each household, Mulan goes in place of her crippled father.
It’s an old tale but Thomas buts a new spin on it with fresh characters, fast action, martial arts sequences that would look right at home in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. It’s a great story and in the hands of a master storyteller it comes alive. I loved it from start to finish!