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Hagenheim #9
The Warrior Maiden
She knows women are expected to marry, cook, and have children, not go to war. Can she manage to stay alive, save her mother, and keep the handsome son of a duke from discovering her secret?
When Mulan takes her father's place in battle against the besieging Teutonic Knights, she realizes she has been preparing for this journey her whole life—and that her life, and her mother's, depends on her success. As the adopted daughter of poor parents, Mulan has little power in the world. If she can't prove herself on the battlefield, she could face death—or, perhaps worse, marriage to the village butcher.
Disguised as a young man, Mulan meets the German duke's son, Wolfgang, who is determined to save his people even if it means fighting against his own brother. Wolfgang is exasperated by the new soldier who seems to be one step away from disaster at all times—or showing him up in embarrassing ways. From rivals to reluctant friends, Mulan and Wolfgang begin to share secrets.
But war is an uncertain time and dreams can die as quickly as they are born. When Mulan receives word of danger back home, she must make the ultimate choice. Can she be the son her bitter father never had? Or will she become the strong young woman she was created to be?
This fresh reimagining of the classic tale takes us fifteenth-century Lithuania where both love and war challenge the strongest of heroes.
When Mulan takes her father's place in battle against the besieging Teutonic Knights, she realizes she has been preparing for this journey her whole life—and that her life, and her mother's, depends on her success. As the adopted daughter of poor parents, Mulan has little power in the world. If she can't prove herself on the battlefield, she could face death—or, perhaps worse, marriage to the village butcher.
Disguised as a young man, Mulan meets the German duke's son, Wolfgang, who is determined to save his people even if it means fighting against his own brother. Wolfgang is exasperated by the new soldier who seems to be one step away from disaster at all times—or showing him up in embarrassing ways. From rivals to reluctant friends, Mulan and Wolfgang begin to share secrets.
But war is an uncertain time and dreams can die as quickly as they are born. When Mulan receives word of danger back home, she must make the ultimate choice. Can she be the son her bitter father never had? Or will she become the strong young woman she was created to be?
This fresh reimagining of the classic tale takes us fifteenth-century Lithuania where both love and war challenge the strongest of heroes.
314 pages, Hardcover
First published February 5, 2019
About the author
Melanie Dickerson
36 books5,466 followersMelanie 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 585 reviews
January 31, 2019
4.5 stars
Oh my goodness, this book was absolutely amazing! I have been looking forward to this ever since the author said that she’d be writing a Mulan retelling, and it definitely lived up to my expectations.
The Warrior Maiden follows the story of Mulan and Wolfgang. This book is action packed and keeps you reading to find out what happens next. It has a lot of similarities to the Mulan movie, but the author also adds her own twists to it which I loved. How do you write a romance novel when the guy MC thinks the girl MC is also a guy? You’ll have to find out. 😉
Honestly I could rave about this author for hours. She is one of my absolute favorite authors. I don’t know what exactly it is about her writing style but I am just in love with it. She writes the most beautiful retellings. This series will forever be one of my favorites!
This book was just beautiful and one of my favorites by this author! Definitely recommend it.
“I received a free copy of this book from BookLook Bloggers in exchange of my honest review. All thoughts are my own.”
Oh my goodness, this book was absolutely amazing! I have been looking forward to this ever since the author said that she’d be writing a Mulan retelling, and it definitely lived up to my expectations.
The Warrior Maiden follows the story of Mulan and Wolfgang. This book is action packed and keeps you reading to find out what happens next. It has a lot of similarities to the Mulan movie, but the author also adds her own twists to it which I loved. How do you write a romance novel when the guy MC thinks the girl MC is also a guy? You’ll have to find out. 😉
Honestly I could rave about this author for hours. She is one of my absolute favorite authors. I don’t know what exactly it is about her writing style but I am just in love with it. She writes the most beautiful retellings. This series will forever be one of my favorites!
This book was just beautiful and one of my favorites by this author! Definitely recommend it.
“I received a free copy of this book from BookLook Bloggers in exchange of my honest review. All thoughts are my own.”
February 1, 2019
About this book:
“She knows women are expected to marry, cook, and have children, not go to war. Can she manage to stay alive, save her mother, and keep the handsome son of a duke from discovering her secret?
When Mulan takes her father’s place in battle against the besieging Teutonic Knights, she realizes she has been preparing for this journey her whole life—and that her life, and her mother’s, depends on her success. As the adopted daughter of poor parents, Mulan has little power in the world. If she can’t prove herself on the battlefield, she could face death—or, perhaps worse, marriage to the village butcher.
Disguised as a young man, Mulan meets the German duke’s son, Wolfgang, who is determined to save his people even if it means fighting against his own brother. Wolfgang is exasperated by the new soldier who seems to be one step away from disaster at all times—or showing him up in embarrassing ways.
From rivals to reluctant friends, Mulan and Wolfgang begin to share secrets. But war is an uncertain time and dreams can die as quickly as they are born. When Mulan receives word of danger back home, she must make the ultimate choice. Can she be the son her bitter father never had? Or will she become the strong young woman she was created to be?
This fresh reimagining of the classic tale takes us to fifteenth-century Lithuania where both love and war challenge the strongest of hearts.”
Series: Book #9 in the “Hagenheim” series. {Reviews of #1 Here, #2 Here, #3 Here, #4 Here, #5 Here!, #6 Here!, #7 Here!, and #8 Here!} {You do not have to read this series in order to understand them, but I highly recommend that you do read them in order.}
Spiritual Content- Scriptures are mentioned, read, quoted, & discussed; Many Prayers, Crossing, & Thanking God; Talks about God, His will, & forgiveness; ‘H’s are capitalized when referring to God; Many mentions of God & forgiveness; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of Christians & faiths; Mentions of Bibles; Mentions of chapels & crucifixes; Mentions of miracles; Mentions of blessings & being blessed; Mentions of prophecies & priests; Mentions of monks & monastery; Mentions of Church laws & excommunication; Mention of people thinking they’re doing something for God (taking other people’s land by force) & them using the Church as an excuse; Mentions of pagans; A few mentions of those & events in the Bible; A few mentions of the pope; A few mentions of sins; A couple mentions of Heaven; A couple mentions of crossing; A mention of the Holy Lands; A mention of someone’s religious zeal; A mention of guardian angels; A mention of a stained glass;
*Note: Many mentions of evil sorcery, pagan magic, witchcraft, & demonic trickery (including laws against it & the punishment of being burned at the stake); Mentions of evil people & evil actions; Mentions of a man thinking women are the devil’s favorite instrument for doing evil and working pagan magic; A few mentions of a demon-possessed man & his demons visibly leaving him; A mention of Satan’s tactic; A mention of a man looking like the devil himself; A mention of the devil’s schemes; A mention of asking if the devil is powerful in a land.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a form of ‘shut up’; A bit of sarcasm & eye rolling; Lots of Fighting in a war & Causing pain and injuries (Mulan does struggle with all of this & remembering, up to semi-detailed); Being shot, Pain, Injuries, & Blood/Bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Fires (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of battles, fighting, killing, deaths, bodies, injuries, & blood/bleeding (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a death & the body (from a sickness); Mentions of the death of a little boy from his father beating him; Mentions of executions & women being burned alive for witchcraft (whether they do it or not, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a plan to murder a duke & the attempt (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of fires & an enemy’s plan to burn people and their horses alive; Mentions of people & horses being killed in battles (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of beatings/torture, being left to die, injuries, blood/bleeding, & missing body parts (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of sword fights, injuries, & blood/bleeding; Mentions of violence & being threatened; Mentions of being choked; Mentions of Steffan’s harden heart & him mentioning that he’ll kill his family who are on the opposing side of the battle; Mentions of hatred; Mentions of lying, lies, & liars; Mentions of alcohol (wine & beer), drinking, & drunks; Mentions of Mulan being teased/bullied for looking different; A few mentions of a man being killed (barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of slitting throats; A few mentions of sheep being chased off a cliff and dying; A few mentions of a butcher preparing meat (barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of a man’s hatred for women; A few mentions of rumors; A couple mentions of a fight with a bear & injuries (Book #8); A couple mentions of a man smelling like bloody meat; A couple mentions of human waste & animal manure; A mention of an accident death; A mention of thinking someone had drowned;
*Note: A couple mentions of men using the bathroom at a tree.
Sexual Content- seven hand kisses (some barely-above-not-detailed), two cheek kisses, two forehead kisses, six not-detailed kisses, three barely-above-not-detailed kisses, and four semi-detailed kisses (one in a dream); Remembering a kiss & embrace (barely-above-not-detailed); Wanting to kiss & Staring at lips (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches & Embraces (barely-above-not-detailed); Wanting to touch & embrace (barely-above-not-detailed); Noticing, Nearness, Smelling, & Being flustered; A man tries to hit to Mulan about getting together (he touches her knee and she pulls out a knife on him); Mentions of Mulan being conceived out of wedlock while her biological father was fighting in a foreign land (an affair); Mentions of kisses & kissing; A few mentions of other illegitimate births; A few mentions of a vow of chastity & men never knowing a woman; A few mentions of wondering about being kissed & held in a man’s arms; A couple mentions of a man not taking advantage of a girl; A couple mentions of temptation; A couple mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of blushing; A mention of a man’s mother embracing many lovers; A mention of a less noble reason why a man would keep a girl around (not true, said in meanness); A mention of the possibility of crude men doing worse thing to a woman; A mention of being warned about a type of men; A mention of men’s coarse talk; A mention of a married couple kissing; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
*Note: A few mentions of hiding Mulan’s “things” (breasts) & her not being well-endowed; A couple mentions of Mulan’s curves; A couple mentions of infants dying at a young age; A couple mentions of a wife only giving birth to stillborns.
-Mulan, age 18
-Wolfgang Gerstenberg
P.O.V. switches between them & Steffan (x6)
Set in 1423
303 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- One Star
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Four Stars
My personal Rating- Four Stars
The book I’ve been anticipating for over two years.
Was it everything I hoped? Yes and no.
First off, the parts I really liked:
~Mulan.Obviously. I’ve been sharing how excited I am about more diversity finally coming to the Christian YA market with this book and I just adore that we have Mulan of Asian descent in our fairytale retelling world. This counts for a lot in my eyes.
~It was different from the Disney ‘Mulan’. Now, don’t get me wrong, along with ‘Sleeping Beauty’ and ‘Frozen’, ‘Mulan’ and the sequel are some of my favorite Disney movies. However, I liked that this novel had its own take on the classic story. The Mushu-like character was very minor, and I would have liked seeing a bit more…he could have lightened the book up a little.
~Hearing about all the prior characters from this series. That was a bit bittersweet, though, just because this series seems to have only one book left now.
~I know this book is being promoted as a loose retelling of Mulan, but I would say it’s like the story of Mulan meets Joan of Arc (without the tragic ending of the last one).
~The great faith content. Mulan was a wonderful character who wanted to know about God due to what a couple priests told her when she was young. I also loved how quick she was to pray in the battle, as that is something I often feel is forgotten most of the time in Christian Fiction.
For the parts I wasn’t so thrilled on:
~Mainly, it was all the kisses towards the end and all the emotions happening quicker than I was expecting. If you’re okay with more kisses, than you should be fine, but I personally do think it got to be a bit much at one scene. Wolfgang was respectable towards Mulan, even after her secret was revealed (as he should as a fictional hero), so while that raised my view of him, he did seem a little meek-ish at times when he was with Steffan. (Which, side-note, I understand that completely because it’s an older sibling, but there were times I wished Wolfgang would be a little more blunt with his brother…then again, his way worked too for this plot.)
~The fighting. I was very appreciative that nothing went above semi-detailed, but since this was set during battles and fighting, there was quite obviously lots of fighting scenes. For my personal comfort level, I was okay with all of these parts, but those sensitive to such things might be warned.
~*~
So, while yes, I was disappointed with all the kissing towards the end, I love the fact that we’re seeing more diversity in our Christian YA. I do look forward to reading Steffan’s story in “The Piper’s Pursuit” releasing December 2019.
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
*I received this book for free from the Publisher (Thomas Nelson) for this honest review.
“She knows women are expected to marry, cook, and have children, not go to war. Can she manage to stay alive, save her mother, and keep the handsome son of a duke from discovering her secret?
When Mulan takes her father’s place in battle against the besieging Teutonic Knights, she realizes she has been preparing for this journey her whole life—and that her life, and her mother’s, depends on her success. As the adopted daughter of poor parents, Mulan has little power in the world. If she can’t prove herself on the battlefield, she could face death—or, perhaps worse, marriage to the village butcher.
Disguised as a young man, Mulan meets the German duke’s son, Wolfgang, who is determined to save his people even if it means fighting against his own brother. Wolfgang is exasperated by the new soldier who seems to be one step away from disaster at all times—or showing him up in embarrassing ways.
From rivals to reluctant friends, Mulan and Wolfgang begin to share secrets. But war is an uncertain time and dreams can die as quickly as they are born. When Mulan receives word of danger back home, she must make the ultimate choice. Can she be the son her bitter father never had? Or will she become the strong young woman she was created to be?
This fresh reimagining of the classic tale takes us to fifteenth-century Lithuania where both love and war challenge the strongest of hearts.”
Series: Book #9 in the “Hagenheim” series. {Reviews of #1 Here, #2 Here, #3 Here, #4 Here, #5 Here!, #6 Here!, #7 Here!, and #8 Here!} {You do not have to read this series in order to understand them, but I highly recommend that you do read them in order.}
Spiritual Content- Scriptures are mentioned, read, quoted, & discussed; Many Prayers, Crossing, & Thanking God; Talks about God, His will, & forgiveness; ‘H’s are capitalized when referring to God; Many mentions of God & forgiveness; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of Christians & faiths; Mentions of Bibles; Mentions of chapels & crucifixes; Mentions of miracles; Mentions of blessings & being blessed; Mentions of prophecies & priests; Mentions of monks & monastery; Mentions of Church laws & excommunication; Mention of people thinking they’re doing something for God (taking other people’s land by force) & them using the Church as an excuse; Mentions of pagans; A few mentions of those & events in the Bible; A few mentions of the pope; A few mentions of sins; A couple mentions of Heaven; A couple mentions of crossing; A mention of the Holy Lands; A mention of someone’s religious zeal; A mention of guardian angels; A mention of a stained glass;
*Note: Many mentions of evil sorcery, pagan magic, witchcraft, & demonic trickery (including laws against it & the punishment of being burned at the stake); Mentions of evil people & evil actions; Mentions of a man thinking women are the devil’s favorite instrument for doing evil and working pagan magic; A few mentions of a demon-possessed man & his demons visibly leaving him; A mention of Satan’s tactic; A mention of a man looking like the devil himself; A mention of the devil’s schemes; A mention of asking if the devil is powerful in a land.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a form of ‘shut up’; A bit of sarcasm & eye rolling; Lots of Fighting in a war & Causing pain and injuries (Mulan does struggle with all of this & remembering, up to semi-detailed); Being shot, Pain, Injuries, & Blood/Bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Fires (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of battles, fighting, killing, deaths, bodies, injuries, & blood/bleeding (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a death & the body (from a sickness); Mentions of the death of a little boy from his father beating him; Mentions of executions & women being burned alive for witchcraft (whether they do it or not, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a plan to murder a duke & the attempt (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of fires & an enemy’s plan to burn people and their horses alive; Mentions of people & horses being killed in battles (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of beatings/torture, being left to die, injuries, blood/bleeding, & missing body parts (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of sword fights, injuries, & blood/bleeding; Mentions of violence & being threatened; Mentions of being choked; Mentions of Steffan’s harden heart & him mentioning that he’ll kill his family who are on the opposing side of the battle; Mentions of hatred; Mentions of lying, lies, & liars; Mentions of alcohol (wine & beer), drinking, & drunks; Mentions of Mulan being teased/bullied for looking different; A few mentions of a man being killed (barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of slitting throats; A few mentions of sheep being chased off a cliff and dying; A few mentions of a butcher preparing meat (barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of a man’s hatred for women; A few mentions of rumors; A couple mentions of a fight with a bear & injuries (Book #8); A couple mentions of a man smelling like bloody meat; A couple mentions of human waste & animal manure; A mention of an accident death; A mention of thinking someone had drowned;
*Note: A couple mentions of men using the bathroom at a tree.
Sexual Content- seven hand kisses (some barely-above-not-detailed), two cheek kisses, two forehead kisses, six not-detailed kisses, three barely-above-not-detailed kisses, and four semi-detailed kisses (one in a dream); Remembering a kiss & embrace (barely-above-not-detailed); Wanting to kiss & Staring at lips (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches & Embraces (barely-above-not-detailed); Wanting to touch & embrace (barely-above-not-detailed); Noticing, Nearness, Smelling, & Being flustered; A man tries to hit to Mulan about getting together (he touches her knee and she pulls out a knife on him); Mentions of Mulan being conceived out of wedlock while her biological father was fighting in a foreign land (an affair); Mentions of kisses & kissing; A few mentions of other illegitimate births; A few mentions of a vow of chastity & men never knowing a woman; A few mentions of wondering about being kissed & held in a man’s arms; A couple mentions of a man not taking advantage of a girl; A couple mentions of temptation; A couple mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of blushing; A mention of a man’s mother embracing many lovers; A mention of a less noble reason why a man would keep a girl around (not true, said in meanness); A mention of the possibility of crude men doing worse thing to a woman; A mention of being warned about a type of men; A mention of men’s coarse talk; A mention of a married couple kissing; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
*Note: A few mentions of hiding Mulan’s “things” (breasts) & her not being well-endowed; A couple mentions of Mulan’s curves; A couple mentions of infants dying at a young age; A couple mentions of a wife only giving birth to stillborns.
-Mulan, age 18
-Wolfgang Gerstenberg
P.O.V. switches between them & Steffan (x6)
Set in 1423
303 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- One Star
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Four Stars
My personal Rating- Four Stars
The book I’ve been anticipating for over two years.
Was it everything I hoped? Yes and no.
First off, the parts I really liked:
~Mulan.
~It was different from the Disney ‘Mulan’. Now, don’t get me wrong, along with ‘Sleeping Beauty’ and ‘Frozen’, ‘Mulan’ and the sequel are some of my favorite Disney movies. However, I liked that this novel had its own take on the classic story. The Mushu-like character was very minor, and I would have liked seeing a bit more…he could have lightened the book up a little.
~Hearing about all the prior characters from this series. That was a bit bittersweet, though, just because this series seems to have only one book left now.
~I know this book is being promoted as a loose retelling of Mulan, but I would say it’s like the story of Mulan meets Joan of Arc (without the tragic ending of the last one).
~The great faith content. Mulan was a wonderful character who wanted to know about God due to what a couple priests told her when she was young. I also loved how quick she was to pray in the battle, as that is something I often feel is forgotten most of the time in Christian Fiction.
For the parts I wasn’t so thrilled on:
~Mainly, it was all the kisses towards the end and all the emotions happening quicker than I was expecting. If you’re okay with more kisses, than you should be fine, but I personally do think it got to be a bit much at one scene. Wolfgang was respectable towards Mulan, even after her secret was revealed (as he should as a fictional hero), so while that raised my view of him, he did seem a little meek-ish at times when he was with Steffan. (Which, side-note, I understand that completely because it’s an older sibling, but there were times I wished Wolfgang would be a little more blunt with his brother…then again, his way worked too for this plot.)
~The fighting. I was very appreciative that nothing went above semi-detailed, but since this was set during battles and fighting, there was quite obviously lots of fighting scenes. For my personal comfort level, I was okay with all of these parts, but those sensitive to such things might be warned.
~*~
So, while yes, I was disappointed with all the kissing towards the end, I love the fact that we’re seeing more diversity in our Christian YA. I do look forward to reading Steffan’s story in “The Piper’s Pursuit” releasing December 2019.
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
*I received this book for free from the Publisher (Thomas Nelson) for this honest review.
January 28, 2019
4.5 stars.
Melanie Dickerson books tend to be a hit or miss with me, but I am pleased to say that this one was most certainly a hit! I figured it would be, I love Mulan and even if this story didn't have Mushu, I still enjoyed it so much!
The characters were great. Wolfgang was awesome. He was a tough and fearless warrior, but don't let that fool you. Wolf was just a soft little squishy sensitive spring roll. He was absolutely adorable. Mulan was kick butt without even trying. She did what she needed to do and she did it awesomely. Nothing about her character seemed forced as I have found that these "kick butt" heroines tend to be. She was honest and shy and not ruthless, but still able to do what she had to do. And her mother was just an all around awesome human being.
The battle scenes and medieval detail really drew me in. Dickerson has certainly become a master at crafting these worlds. The fighting was so tense that I actually jumped when my dog started barking while I was reading one scene. I half thought I was going to get shot with arrows!
This book has VERY strong Christian elements. I think that it might have been a little bit too forced, but I know that many of my other Christian friends will probably enjoy that aspect most of all.
My only other complaint is that I'm not quite pleased about Mulan's identity being discovered so early in the story. I laughed so hard at the mistaken identity scenes and I really felt like it could have lasted longer.
But still, I enjoyed the story and I look forward to more books in this series. Is the next book going to be a retelling of the Pied Piper??? I am SO curious.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, all opinions, however, are my own.
Melanie Dickerson books tend to be a hit or miss with me, but I am pleased to say that this one was most certainly a hit! I figured it would be, I love Mulan and even if this story didn't have Mushu, I still enjoyed it so much!
The characters were great. Wolfgang was awesome. He was a tough and fearless warrior, but don't let that fool you. Wolf was just a soft little squishy sensitive spring roll. He was absolutely adorable. Mulan was kick butt without even trying. She did what she needed to do and she did it awesomely. Nothing about her character seemed forced as I have found that these "kick butt" heroines tend to be. She was honest and shy and not ruthless, but still able to do what she had to do. And her mother was just an all around awesome human being.
The battle scenes and medieval detail really drew me in. Dickerson has certainly become a master at crafting these worlds. The fighting was so tense that I actually jumped when my dog started barking while I was reading one scene. I half thought I was going to get shot with arrows!
This book has VERY strong Christian elements. I think that it might have been a little bit too forced, but I know that many of my other Christian friends will probably enjoy that aspect most of all.
My only other complaint is that I'm not quite pleased about Mulan's identity being discovered so early in the story. I laughed so hard at the mistaken identity scenes and I really felt like it could have lasted longer.
But still, I enjoyed the story and I look forward to more books in this series. Is the next book going to be a retelling of the Pied Piper??? I am SO curious.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, all opinions, however, are my own.
October 23, 2018
Do you remember that part in Mulan where she gets locked away so the white guy can save the day and she can’t stay mad because he’s such a good kisser? Yeah me either.
“The Warrior Maiden” sees Mulan desperate to escape the future laid out for her simply because she is a woman and hungry for a future filled with adventure and the chance to be something greater than a wife when war comes knocking and she takes her late fathers place in the army. With men’s clothes hiding her secret she sets off to prove her worth as a soldier but complications arise and she must work with the Duke’s son to end the war and save the people she loves.
Okay so I should start by saying when I received this arc I had no idea it was part of a larger world but I was happy to see that it’s separate fairy tales for each book so I would miss some references but overall it shouldn’t hinder my reading.
That being said I really would love to hear how the other books play out because this was not Mulan’s story at all. We hit some of the classic beats from the original but the rest is altered to fit the new narrative going as far as to sideline our supposed heroine for the climax. Also apart from her appearance there is zero influence of Asian culture which is such an important component when retelling this myth, though I realize this takes place somewhere else where a majority of the population is Polish and Lithuanian I still think that the culture needed to be included somehow.
There was a lot of religion thrown in here as well and again I’m not sure if that’s a staple of this series but wow I felt like I was in Sunday school daydreaming about a badass heroine in battle only to get snapped out of it by sermons. And I know to make a strong female character they shouldn’t be one dimensional but this reimagining of the infamous character leaned way too heavily into the romance side which lead directly to her being discarded for the final showdown in favor of the male lead and that’s never going to work for me.
This was a huge disappointment and all I could think about were the rumors of Hollywood taking these kinds of liberties with the plot and the character of Mulan herself and I couldn’t be more horrified if that came to be. If you’re looking for a retelling of this classic story look anywhere else and save yourself the trouble of whatever this was.
**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**
“The Warrior Maiden” sees Mulan desperate to escape the future laid out for her simply because she is a woman and hungry for a future filled with adventure and the chance to be something greater than a wife when war comes knocking and she takes her late fathers place in the army. With men’s clothes hiding her secret she sets off to prove her worth as a soldier but complications arise and she must work with the Duke’s son to end the war and save the people she loves.
Okay so I should start by saying when I received this arc I had no idea it was part of a larger world but I was happy to see that it’s separate fairy tales for each book so I would miss some references but overall it shouldn’t hinder my reading.
That being said I really would love to hear how the other books play out because this was not Mulan’s story at all. We hit some of the classic beats from the original but the rest is altered to fit the new narrative going as far as to sideline our supposed heroine for the climax. Also apart from her appearance there is zero influence of Asian culture which is such an important component when retelling this myth, though I realize this takes place somewhere else where a majority of the population is Polish and Lithuanian I still think that the culture needed to be included somehow.
There was a lot of religion thrown in here as well and again I’m not sure if that’s a staple of this series but wow I felt like I was in Sunday school daydreaming about a badass heroine in battle only to get snapped out of it by sermons. And I know to make a strong female character they shouldn’t be one dimensional but this reimagining of the infamous character leaned way too heavily into the romance side which lead directly to her being discarded for the final showdown in favor of the male lead and that’s never going to work for me.
This was a huge disappointment and all I could think about were the rumors of Hollywood taking these kinds of liberties with the plot and the character of Mulan herself and I couldn’t be more horrified if that came to be. If you’re looking for a retelling of this classic story look anywhere else and save yourself the trouble of whatever this was.
**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**
February 24, 2019
I received a complimentary copy of this book from THOMAS NELSON through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I was a big Disney movie fan as a child. Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, The Aristocats, The Rescuers Down Under etc. I was the kid that insisted that my dog always had to be there for a viewing of Lady and the Tramp. I even went as Belle one Halloween and my mother made over an old bridesmaid dress that was yellow just like Belle. I lived in a small Canadian village, my mother had French roots, and my nose was always stuck in a book. It was like Disney was telling my life story. Sadly there are no castles in New Brunswick, so at best I was hoping to be locked away in a lighthouse by a spoiled rich guy( maybe a McCain or an Irving) and gradually fall in love with him. But as of yet that hasn't happened.
Fast forward to 1998, I am 16 and Disney decides to set the scene in China and tell the story of this great character named Mulan. Although it had its share of criticism, it was still enjoyed and hands down my favorite song "I'll make a Man Out of You" song by the very non Asian Donny Osmond is only one of two Disney songs( Part of Your WORLD from The Little Mermaid being the other) that is on my Spotify list as of 2019.
So, The Warrior Maiden is a Mulan retelling set in medieval Lithuania. Mulan is half-Asian in this one, but that's about it as far as that cultural connection. Mulan does masquerade as a man in this one too and soon finds herself attracted to Wolfgang, a Duke 's son that fights alongside Mulan. The enemy is the Teutonic Knights and there is a very superficial vein of Christianity interwoven in the story. Basically, the characters drop the big guy in the sky a sweet line or two every number of pages. Then there's the love story...
This book is part of a very well established series and it has a legion of fans that no doubt will enjoy the latest chapter. It didn't hold my attention and so I give it a 2 star. I think if 12 or 13 year old me read this book, I would have devoured it and recommended it to all. Adult me.... well, I just wanted it to end.
I was a big Disney movie fan as a child. Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, The Aristocats, The Rescuers Down Under etc. I was the kid that insisted that my dog always had to be there for a viewing of Lady and the Tramp. I even went as Belle one Halloween and my mother made over an old bridesmaid dress that was yellow just like Belle. I lived in a small Canadian village, my mother had French roots, and my nose was always stuck in a book. It was like Disney was telling my life story. Sadly there are no castles in New Brunswick, so at best I was hoping to be locked away in a lighthouse by a spoiled rich guy( maybe a McCain or an Irving) and gradually fall in love with him. But as of yet that hasn't happened.
Fast forward to 1998, I am 16 and Disney decides to set the scene in China and tell the story of this great character named Mulan. Although it had its share of criticism, it was still enjoyed and hands down my favorite song "I'll make a Man Out of You" song by the very non Asian Donny Osmond is only one of two Disney songs( Part of Your WORLD from The Little Mermaid being the other) that is on my Spotify list as of 2019.
So, The Warrior Maiden is a Mulan retelling set in medieval Lithuania. Mulan is half-Asian in this one, but that's about it as far as that cultural connection. Mulan does masquerade as a man in this one too and soon finds herself attracted to Wolfgang, a Duke 's son that fights alongside Mulan. The enemy is the Teutonic Knights and there is a very superficial vein of Christianity interwoven in the story. Basically, the characters drop the big guy in the sky a sweet line or two every number of pages. Then there's the love story...
This book is part of a very well established series and it has a legion of fans that no doubt will enjoy the latest chapter. It didn't hold my attention and so I give it a 2 star. I think if 12 or 13 year old me read this book, I would have devoured it and recommended it to all. Adult me.... well, I just wanted it to end.
November 20, 2018
I don't think I have ever said this about a book before, but I truly believe that people are being to hard on this book.
They object to Mulan being Chinese and being "dropped" into Mrs. Dickerson's Hagenheim world. First of all, that's just it. It's HER world and she can't drop everything and jump to an entirely different place totally unconnected with her series and tell a story. I thought her adaption was tastefully done. She gave good reason and background for Mulan's presence in Lithuania (which, by the way, I really appreciated Lithuania because it gave more of a feel/atmosphere similar to the original Mulan story while still creating something new). It was a bit awkward at points because of her different ethnicity and her being dropped into such a different environment, but here's the real question: how couldn't it be? I appreciate how Mrs. Dickerson brought this story to life, yet I would have been more upset if she hadn't preserved Mulan's ethnicity or if she had made it entirely normal for Mulan to be present in a society where she would have stood out so much.
The story itself? I loved it! I loved how she approached the relationship between Wolfgang and Mulan. It was sweet and good. Furthermore, and most importantly to me, it wasn't weird. As in, Wolfgang and Mulan somehow liking each other before Wolfgang knew she was actually a girl. I truly appreciated the lines she drew between them and the distance she held between them a while after Wolfgang discovered the truth of her gender to make absolutely clear that he was not attracted to her when he thought she was a boy.
As to the kissing, which some have downplayed, I was under the impression from some reviews that there wouldn't be a single kiss. I was wrong. There were quite a few, but they were a good number and, I thought, a good quality. Sweet and fulfilling and good. Not the kind that leaves you with a pit in your stomach and a bunch of unsatisfied angst.
Thank you for such a wonderful book, Mrs. Dickerson!
They object to Mulan being Chinese and being "dropped" into Mrs. Dickerson's Hagenheim world. First of all, that's just it. It's HER world and she can't drop everything and jump to an entirely different place totally unconnected with her series and tell a story. I thought her adaption was tastefully done. She gave good reason and background for Mulan's presence in Lithuania (which, by the way, I really appreciated Lithuania because it gave more of a feel/atmosphere similar to the original Mulan story while still creating something new). It was a bit awkward at points because of her different ethnicity and her being dropped into such a different environment, but here's the real question: how couldn't it be? I appreciate how Mrs. Dickerson brought this story to life, yet I would have been more upset if she hadn't preserved Mulan's ethnicity or if she had made it entirely normal for Mulan to be present in a society where she would have stood out so much.
The story itself? I loved it! I loved how she approached the relationship between Wolfgang and Mulan. It was sweet and good. Furthermore, and most importantly to me, it wasn't weird. As in, Wolfgang and Mulan somehow liking each other before Wolfgang knew she was actually a girl. I truly appreciated the lines she drew between them and the distance she held between them a while after Wolfgang discovered the truth of her gender to make absolutely clear that he was not attracted to her when he thought she was a boy.
As to the kissing, which some have downplayed, I was under the impression from some reviews that there wouldn't be a single kiss. I was wrong. There were quite a few, but they were a good number and, I thought, a good quality. Sweet and fulfilling and good. Not the kind that leaves you with a pit in your stomach and a bunch of unsatisfied angst.
Thank you for such a wonderful book, Mrs. Dickerson!
November 17, 2018
Right, this wasn't for me. If you already love the author's other works, let's leave it at that and agree to disagree. If you want to know why this book wasn't for me, read on at your own peril.
First of all, I get that the series is retelling beloved fairytales through a Medieval European lens. It's an interesting idea. However, the cultural appropriation of Mulan doesn't sit quite right with me. The author could have left the name "Mulan" right out of the book, and we would all still have recognized the tale. After all, the story of a girl who disguises herself as a man to go to war and protect her family and country isn't unique to Asia. But because we're doing the whole "fairytale" thing, we have an Asian girl who was rescued from the battlefield and brought up as a Lithuanian. I feel like that because the author was working to shove Mulan into an Eastern European context, the rest of the story was just weird (considering the whole racial tension that would have overshadowed the cross-dressing issues).
Second, I did not know that this was a work of Christian fiction. I'm of a Christian faith myself, but I found all the prayers in italics quite distracting and maybe even a little artificial. It would have made more sense to me if the novel had been written in first person. But perhaps that's my preference, and due to me not being familiar with this genre.
Finally, I just thought the prose was a bit...juvenile? Like someone abused a thesaurus. But now my inner snark is leaking. Maybe I'm still angry over Mulan being dragged across a continent to serve as a series-linking plot device.
Again, if you loved this book, I'm happy for you. Let's just disagree amicably.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
First of all, I get that the series is retelling beloved fairytales through a Medieval European lens. It's an interesting idea. However, the cultural appropriation of Mulan doesn't sit quite right with me. The author could have left the name "Mulan" right out of the book, and we would all still have recognized the tale. After all, the story of a girl who disguises herself as a man to go to war and protect her family and country isn't unique to Asia. But because we're doing the whole "fairytale" thing, we have an Asian girl who was rescued from the battlefield and brought up as a Lithuanian. I feel like that because the author was working to shove Mulan into an Eastern European context, the rest of the story was just weird (considering the whole racial tension that would have overshadowed the cross-dressing issues).
Second, I did not know that this was a work of Christian fiction. I'm of a Christian faith myself, but I found all the prayers in italics quite distracting and maybe even a little artificial. It would have made more sense to me if the novel had been written in first person. But perhaps that's my preference, and due to me not being familiar with this genre.
Finally, I just thought the prose was a bit...juvenile? Like someone abused a thesaurus. But now my inner snark is leaking. Maybe I'm still angry over Mulan being dragged across a continent to serve as a series-linking plot device.
Again, if you loved this book, I'm happy for you. Let's just disagree amicably.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
February 3, 2019
I have been reading Melanie Dickerson's books since 2010. And though I have not LOVED all of the books I have read by her, I always add her YA fairy tale retellings to my TBR.
Her newest it a light retelling of Mulan. Did I LOVE it? Hm, I say not LOVE. But I enjoyed it and think it is one of my most loved out of all her books to date.
This book had so many twists. A summary of my mental musings about these twists: "Like, wow, did not see that coming.... Whoah, what happened? Eeeek! Poor characters! GET TOGETHER ALREADY!!!!!"
Another thing I liked is that it also lightly touched on the damaging effects of racism. Mulan, the only girl of Mongolian decent in her village, suffered unjustly because she did not look like everyone else. Total reminder that we should not treat people badly because they are different. *looks at rude villagers* Not cool, guys.
As someone who is facinated in Asian cultures, I would have loved there to be more of a Mongolian feel to the book. Yet I understand why Dickerson did not do so in this tale. The book is part of series that follow European characters. She wanted to include a Mulan story in her series of fairy tale retellings, and she did BUT in a subtle way. (I guess this might throw off some readers looking for a purely Asian-set retelling, so if that is what you are looking for, this is not the book for you.) So, though it could have been better, it was still okay for me that she chose this route for this retelling.
Story negatives...
Okay, so maybe it is because I read an ARC, but I felt like Mulan's character had a major flip from clumsy to warrior. In the beginning, she is portrayed to be a struggling clumsy maiden (lol, like me!), but when she becomes a warrior it just goes away. Totally threw me off a bit. Maybe her confidence took over, but I feel that, realistically, she would still struggle some with her lack of gracefulness despite becoming a soldier.
And...yeah.
With a few nods to the Disney film mixed with a whole lot of faith, this book is sure to take Dickerson's fans on an exciting journey that they will be able to enjoy far from the danger of battles.
I give "The Warrior Maiden" a rating of four. No, you do not have to read the books before this one to enjoy it, but you will totally be missing the full experience if you don't read them first. It releases early 2019, so...
*Thanks to the publisher through Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. Not required to write a positive review.
Her newest it a light retelling of Mulan. Did I LOVE it? Hm, I say not LOVE. But I enjoyed it and think it is one of my most loved out of all her books to date.
This book had so many twists. A summary of my mental musings about these twists: "Like, wow, did not see that coming.... Whoah, what happened? Eeeek! Poor characters! GET TOGETHER ALREADY!!!!!"
Another thing I liked is that it also lightly touched on the damaging effects of racism. Mulan, the only girl of Mongolian decent in her village, suffered unjustly because she did not look like everyone else. Total reminder that we should not treat people badly because they are different. *looks at rude villagers* Not cool, guys.
As someone who is facinated in Asian cultures, I would have loved there to be more of a Mongolian feel to the book. Yet I understand why Dickerson did not do so in this tale. The book is part of series that follow European characters. She wanted to include a Mulan story in her series of fairy tale retellings, and she did BUT in a subtle way. (I guess this might throw off some readers looking for a purely Asian-set retelling, so if that is what you are looking for, this is not the book for you.) So, though it could have been better, it was still okay for me that she chose this route for this retelling.
Story negatives...
Okay, so maybe it is because I read an ARC, but I felt like Mulan's character had a major flip from clumsy to warrior. In the beginning, she is portrayed to be a struggling clumsy maiden (lol, like me!), but when she becomes a warrior it just goes away. Totally threw me off a bit. Maybe her confidence took over, but I feel that, realistically, she would still struggle some with her lack of gracefulness despite becoming a soldier.
And...yeah.
With a few nods to the Disney film mixed with a whole lot of faith, this book is sure to take Dickerson's fans on an exciting journey that they will be able to enjoy far from the danger of battles.
I give "The Warrior Maiden" a rating of four. No, you do not have to read the books before this one to enjoy it, but you will totally be missing the full experience if you don't read them first. It releases early 2019, so...
*Thanks to the publisher through Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. Not required to write a positive review.
February 3, 2019
At first I thought this book would follow the story of Mulan close to the Disney version, but I soon realized that this retelling would take new twists and turns that brought a new life and energy to the story. I loved the different backstory to Mulan and her family, and the interesting political dynamics between the different powers of the region that are embroiled in conflict. The ugliness of war is realistically portrayed without being overly graphic, but it made me grateful for how times and society has changed, especially in attitudes toward women. I was glad that there was plenty of story before Wolfgang discovers Mulan is female, and also plenty of story after. They had great chemistry first as brief rivals, then as friends, then as more. The pacing was well-balanced with the exciting action and moments of reflection and connection between Mulan and those around her. Family dynamics are a strong theme with Wolfgang's struggles with his brother, and Mulan's loyalty to her mother and complicated relationship with her father. I admired Mulan's faith, courage, and determination as she fought for her country's allies and learned more about herself and what she wants out of life. Highly recommend to fans of clean romance, fairy tale retellings, or medieval fiction.
(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)
(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)
January 26, 2019
Check out more reviews @ Perspective of a Writer...
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? We enter the romantic world of Hagenheim to explore the 9th romance to be had as Wolfgang and his brother Steffan head off to help their father’s ally in Poland. Wolfgang is exasperated by young soldier Mikolai who isn't what he seems... Sure enough he's a she and Mulan is totally ready for adventure with her trusty stead and her father's war attendant at her side...
The short review...
Take a look at that cover! It's gorgeous... is it not?! I am always leery of historical fiction though I'm not adverse to reading them at times. That cover totally convinced me and I don't regret it for a second. I read The Warrior Maiden in almost one sitting and I really enjoyed every minute of it. This book is unapologetically a romance set in a medieval Europe with a family that is large and loving. I was surprised at how historically accurate the story was for such an outrageous premise.
This can certainly be said to be a Mulan retelling but I really enjoyed how it was set in Dickerson's already established Medieval series so that it wasn't such a literal retelling as we typically get in YA. The characters, the easy reading and the quick pace definitely sold me on The Warrior Maiden and Dickerson's world building. There is quite a bit of religion mentioned in the second half of the book... it didn't bother me but might you if you aren’t Christian. This is a comfort, cozy read that would get ANYONE out of a reading slump...
Cover & Title grade -> A+
I admit I was totally swayed to give this a go due to the excellent cover! It's a realistic representation of a totally fantastical idea of a girl dressing up as a boy and going off to war... and that is exactly the story we got! Its so perfect and since the story matches the cover it makes me want to run off and read the first 8 books I missed...
Why should you jump into the Hagenheim world by reading The Warrior Maiden?
-Mulan in Poland?!
One of the funnest parts of the book is the fact that this Asian girl is in the middle of Europe fighting for a Lithuanian Lord with a German Lord's son. And Dickerson makes it work so well and doesn't compromise with Mulan's female empowerment and belief in her own abilities to fight. It's different and fun and rather believable! And the love is so adorable and modern...
-A Brother's Love...
Besides the romance there is also Wolfgang's relationship with his brother, Steffan. I was quite tense wondering if Stephen could really follow through with his choices. My heart broke for Wolfgang who experienced the same things as Steffan but chose a different route to dealing with them. I love when authors add in other relationships than just the romance!! This one really paid off too.
-Paul von Rusdorf, real historical figure!
Afterwards the author talks about Paul and I loved that she worked with a real historical figure in the story. She used the medieval time to great effect as he would have been totally unreasonable like it shows in the book... but there is this great modern spin to how the women react to him... This makes for a great villain, relatable females and yet a historical accuracy that I applaud.
As a Writer...
When putting together a retelling I firmly believe that mixing it up is the best policy... sure there is the risk for the story to get a little weird and too much for a reader but cohesifying to story through realism is a great way to capture the reader. And Dickerson did that in spades in The Warrior Maiden!
It was super smart to pull Mulan into an already established world and make her fit in that world. This seems to be an idea that is popular (though I have just stumbled on these series) and I think can be as different as the authors involved! More the merrier... I love retellings, romance and fantasy worlds!!
I quite enjoyed The Warrior Maiden and the Mulan retelling and the stories setting so much... I found the premise executed so well that it felt quite believable despite such an outrageous idea to dress and fight as a man. If you need a quick read that is sure to seduce you out of a reading slump then you ought to pick up one of Melanie Dickerson's Hagenheim series...
⋆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Authenticity
⋆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Writing Style
⋆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Plot & Pacing
⋆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ World Building
Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. It has not influenced my opinions.
______________________
You can find this review and many others on my book blog @ Perspective of a Writer. See my special perspective at the bottom of my reviews under the typewriter...
Please like this review if you enjoyed it! *bow* *bow* It helps me out a ton!!
January 18, 2019
'God knew you were brave and fierce. And that you would give Him the glory.'
I have long been a fan of Melanie Dickerson and her faith based retelling of fairy tales. Because I think you're never too old for fairy tales! I love how she fleshes them out and adds the spiritual element. I had never heard the story of Mulan, so this was new to me. Mulan was such a brave and fearless warrior. I truly enjoyed this installment from Dickerson's pen.
*My thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishers a copy of this book via Net Galley. The opinion stated here is entirely my own..
I have long been a fan of Melanie Dickerson and her faith based retelling of fairy tales. Because I think you're never too old for fairy tales! I love how she fleshes them out and adds the spiritual element. I had never heard the story of Mulan, so this was new to me. Mulan was such a brave and fearless warrior. I truly enjoyed this installment from Dickerson's pen.
*My thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishers a copy of this book via Net Galley. The opinion stated here is entirely my own..
May 31, 2019
I can't believe this is the ninth book in the Hagenheim series. It seems only yesterday I was glued to my kindle with 'The Healer's Apprentice' starving for more stories. For those who are not familiar with the series, each of these books retells a fairytale and can absolutely be read as standalone. I had religiously followed them until book five . . . well, then life intervened, as usual, directing me to other pursuits. But now, I am finally reunited with one of my favourite series and this time we have the story of Mulan.
Time for a confession. I started the novel without any idea whatsoever of the story of Mulan. Ok, I know it's about a girl who disguises as a boy but obviously, I am one of those few who missed the Disney remake. Still, that was not a problem as Melanie's able hands will pull you to the story whether you know the premise or not. Her writing is beautiful as always, but sadly not the best. Nothing has so far topped the first book in the series for me. I need a slightly better dose of mystery and angst to give five stars.
That being said, this is still a good one for all fairytale enthusiasts. War, intrigue, rumours of sorcery . . . oh, the plot thickens with every page. It is not always we come across a retelling of Mulan; as a matter of fact, this is my first one. So if you love fairytale retellings, don't miss this amazing series.
Time for a confession. I started the novel without any idea whatsoever of the story of Mulan. Ok, I know it's about a girl who disguises as a boy but obviously, I am one of those few who missed the Disney remake. Still, that was not a problem as Melanie's able hands will pull you to the story whether you know the premise or not. Her writing is beautiful as always, but sadly not the best. Nothing has so far topped the first book in the series for me. I need a slightly better dose of mystery and angst to give five stars.
That being said, this is still a good one for all fairytale enthusiasts. War, intrigue, rumours of sorcery . . . oh, the plot thickens with every page. It is not always we come across a retelling of Mulan; as a matter of fact, this is my first one. So if you love fairytale retellings, don't miss this amazing series.
October 26, 2018
The Hagenheim series is, as I understand it, a collection of retold fairy tales set in medieval Europe. While Hua Mulan is broadly considered to be a fictional character (some people dispute this), it seems highly inappropriate to recreate this character (including her name and Asian ancestry) and plunk her down in Lithuania. Erasing an ethnic character's ethnic identity except for occasional exotic/othering references with little follow through or consideration is a form of whitewashing and it is, I feel, absolutely unacceptable. Dickerson should keep to Grimm fairy tales and not try to shove the folk heroes of other cultures into her distinctly white European fantasy mash-up.
ARC via NetGalley
ARC via NetGalley
September 19, 2020
Avoid this appropriative mess and read Asian authors
Also why the hell is Mulan's love interest white and (presumably) Christian??? No thanks
Also why the hell is Mulan's love interest white and (presumably) Christian??? No thanks
February 24, 2019
4.5 stars.
•••
EEEEPPPPSSSSS this book was darling!!
•••
EEEEPPPPSSSSS this book was darling!!
February 14, 2019
“The Warrior Maiden” by Melanie Dickerson has it all! Action, adventure, romance, faith and girl power! This is a Mulan retelling that takes place primarily in medieval Lithuania and Poland. I love this time period and Ms. Dickerson does a wonderful job incorporating the culture of the time into her story.
I really love the main character in this story, Mulan. She is a kick-butt heroine, but she’s also not obnoxious and in your face. I love how she grows personally throughout the story and in her relationship with God. She learns that God can indeed be trusted. Mulan gives credit to God for her abilities and victories and knows that God made her brave and fierce for a purpose. I also love the romance with Wolfgang.
During this time period, it is seen as witchcraft when a woman fights or dresses as a man. This story stresses seeing women as an equal. I love all the ways Mulan is able to prove herself and show that she is often just as capable as a man.
Mulan’s story really touched me, because as Christians, God calls us to be warriors for Him. Sometimes we have to do brave and hard things. It really inspired me to step out and trust that God will help me.
This is a wonderful book that is appropriate and entertaining for the whole family!
Content: This is a clean read with some minor content. I give it a PG rating. Some examples of the content are: mention of alcohol and a person being drunk; allusion to a woman’s chest; a child is born out of wedlock and a man has a mistress; mention of the devil; innuendos.
Rating: I give this book 5 stars!
Genre: Christian fiction; Fairy tale retelling; Romance
I want to thank Melanie Dickerson and Thomas Nelson Publishing for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255.
I really love the main character in this story, Mulan. She is a kick-butt heroine, but she’s also not obnoxious and in your face. I love how she grows personally throughout the story and in her relationship with God. She learns that God can indeed be trusted. Mulan gives credit to God for her abilities and victories and knows that God made her brave and fierce for a purpose. I also love the romance with Wolfgang.
During this time period, it is seen as witchcraft when a woman fights or dresses as a man. This story stresses seeing women as an equal. I love all the ways Mulan is able to prove herself and show that she is often just as capable as a man.
Mulan’s story really touched me, because as Christians, God calls us to be warriors for Him. Sometimes we have to do brave and hard things. It really inspired me to step out and trust that God will help me.
This is a wonderful book that is appropriate and entertaining for the whole family!
Content: This is a clean read with some minor content. I give it a PG rating. Some examples of the content are: mention of alcohol and a person being drunk; allusion to a woman’s chest; a child is born out of wedlock and a man has a mistress; mention of the devil; innuendos.
Rating: I give this book 5 stars!
Genre: Christian fiction; Fairy tale retelling; Romance
I want to thank Melanie Dickerson and Thomas Nelson Publishing for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255.
February 16, 2019
Oh my word, this book was AMAZING!!!! This is probably one of my favorites by Melanie Dickerson. The action, adventure, plot, romance, faith, everything in this beautiful gorgeous book was to die for!
I have always loved the Disney movie Mulan and this book only grew my love for the story of Mulan.
Wolfgang has to be one of my favorite male leads from Melanie Dickerson's books. I loved everything about him. Sure in the beginning he was a little rough around the edges but the more I got to know him, the more I fell in love with him. His love for his brother is what made me love him even more.
Mulan was the kick butt girl who was Mongolian and Lithuania. She had so much courage and her feelings were so real. I was really happy with how Melanie wrote her character.
Their romance though guys! Ugh!! It was perfect!!!!! I loved it. Well if I'm being honest, I loved everything about this book. 😂
I cannot wait to read Piper's Pursuit later this year!! Melanie Dickerson, just like with all her other books, confirmed why I love her so much. She brings such clean Christian romance into the world that it makes my romantic heart happy.
If you love fairy tales, romance, Christian themes, and action.....I would highly recommend this book and series!
*I received this book from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for my honest review. I was not prompted to write a positive review.
I have always loved the Disney movie Mulan and this book only grew my love for the story of Mulan.
Wolfgang has to be one of my favorite male leads from Melanie Dickerson's books. I loved everything about him. Sure in the beginning he was a little rough around the edges but the more I got to know him, the more I fell in love with him. His love for his brother is what made me love him even more.
Mulan was the kick butt girl who was Mongolian and Lithuania. She had so much courage and her feelings were so real. I was really happy with how Melanie wrote her character.
Their romance though guys! Ugh!! It was perfect!!!!! I loved it. Well if I'm being honest, I loved everything about this book. 😂
I cannot wait to read Piper's Pursuit later this year!! Melanie Dickerson, just like with all her other books, confirmed why I love her so much. She brings such clean Christian romance into the world that it makes my romantic heart happy.
If you love fairy tales, romance, Christian themes, and action.....I would highly recommend this book and series!
*I received this book from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for my honest review. I was not prompted to write a positive review.
February 5, 2019
To be honest, I’m not really sure what to say about this book. xP I’m not a huge movie watcher, but one of the first movies I remember watching EVER was Mulan, and it’s definitely a fond memory (plus, gotta have that diversity in storytelling). So you can probably tell… I was real excited to read The Warrior Maiden.
Melanie Dickerson’s books tend to be a hit or miss for me, and I think The Warrior Maiden was right in the middle. Why? Well (okay I know I’m super picky but these things really bothered me, okay? xD), the main one: a lot of the events that occurred were extreeemely unrealistic (like Mulan gets 3 perfect shots with her bow & arrow? she was a fairly good archeress but not expect and I think it’s just plain silly that she’d get 3 perfect shots right when she needed it). From what I can tell / have researched, these events actually happened in the true story, so it would be natural for Melanie to write them in. However, I do think they could have been done with a bit more tact and skill, which I know Melanie has (having read a couple of her other books).
I really enjoyed the romance as it bloomed between Mulan and Wolfgang, though. That was sweet. I felt like the first couple of chapters where Wolfgang was bashing Mikolai were a bit… well, awkward. xD But other than that, I love the brotherly relationship between them. AND THE REFERENCES TO KIRSTYN AND ALADDIN. *faints away* ❤
Overall, I enjoyed the read, but I didn’t love it and I probably wouldn’t reread it again because the book felt too rushed and unnatural, and the dialogue stilted and flat. I do love Melanie’s books normally though so I’ll definitely read all the other Hagenheim books. 3 stars.
Oh, and I received a complimentary copy of this book through BookLook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Melanie Dickerson’s books tend to be a hit or miss for me, and I think The Warrior Maiden was right in the middle. Why? Well (okay I know I’m super picky but these things really bothered me, okay? xD), the main one: a lot of the events that occurred were extreeemely unrealistic (like Mulan gets 3 perfect shots with her bow & arrow? she was a fairly good archeress but not expect and I think it’s just plain silly that she’d get 3 perfect shots right when she needed it). From what I can tell / have researched, these events actually happened in the true story, so it would be natural for Melanie to write them in. However, I do think they could have been done with a bit more tact and skill, which I know Melanie has (having read a couple of her other books).
I really enjoyed the romance as it bloomed between Mulan and Wolfgang, though. That was sweet. I felt like the first couple of chapters where Wolfgang was bashing Mikolai were a bit… well, awkward. xD But other than that, I love the brotherly relationship between them. AND THE REFERENCES TO KIRSTYN AND ALADDIN. *faints away* ❤
Overall, I enjoyed the read, but I didn’t love it and I probably wouldn’t reread it again because the book felt too rushed and unnatural, and the dialogue stilted and flat. I do love Melanie’s books normally though so I’ll definitely read all the other Hagenheim books. 3 stars.
Oh, and I received a complimentary copy of this book through BookLook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
March 2, 2019
***4.5 stars***
I love fairy-tale retellings when they are well done. This book was very well done! I wasn't sure how the story of Mulan would be told in a German/Polish setting. The only similarities to the story that I am familiar with are that Mulan is Asian and that she fights in her father's place because he is unable to.
This really was a fresh and unique take. Mulan is amazing. Really, who doesn't love a woman warrior in a time when women were basically oppressed? Wolfgang is an unlikely romantic interest for her. He is the son of a Duke and a warrior. He always thought that he would be the typical male defender of his home, not fighting as an equal partner, but he overcame his preconceived notions to fall in love with Mulan, sigh.
There is a lot of great story from the beginning to the end, I don't think anything I have mentioned would be a spoiler because we expect a happily-ever-after from a good retelling. This story has action and adventure, it also has descriptions of the time and the political climate. I have read a few of the stories in this series and realize that I have a lot of catching up to do.
This book contains kissing and non-graphic war violence.
Source: I requested a review copy using Netgalley. My thanks to Thomas Nelson for the ebook copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
I love fairy-tale retellings when they are well done. This book was very well done! I wasn't sure how the story of Mulan would be told in a German/Polish setting. The only similarities to the story that I am familiar with are that Mulan is Asian and that she fights in her father's place because he is unable to.
This really was a fresh and unique take. Mulan is amazing. Really, who doesn't love a woman warrior in a time when women were basically oppressed? Wolfgang is an unlikely romantic interest for her. He is the son of a Duke and a warrior. He always thought that he would be the typical male defender of his home, not fighting as an equal partner, but he overcame his preconceived notions to fall in love with Mulan, sigh.
There is a lot of great story from the beginning to the end, I don't think anything I have mentioned would be a spoiler because we expect a happily-ever-after from a good retelling. This story has action and adventure, it also has descriptions of the time and the political climate. I have read a few of the stories in this series and realize that I have a lot of catching up to do.
This book contains kissing and non-graphic war violence.
Source: I requested a review copy using Netgalley. My thanks to Thomas Nelson for the ebook copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
October 25, 2018
I was pretty excited when I found out this was a retelling of Mulan, which was one of my favorite Disney characters. I didn't like it very much.- It just didn't sit right with me. An Asian girl, being plopped down in and Eastern European town. It was awkward and uncomfortable- that's pretty much how I felt the whole time I was reading it. The dialogue is awkward too and sometimes I felt bad for the characters.
I didn't like the Christian tones of the book, either. It felt like the book was trying too hard to be a "christian faith" novel. It didn't have to keep italicizing it's faith; It made the book to chaste, like you can't even give us a good heated kiss? It has to be super awkward.
The story of Mulan is surrounded by the Chinese culture, that I don't think meshes with the Eastern European culture. The Original Mulan is based of an ancient Chinese Ballad, and I would have like to see homage to the origin.
With all that being said,I am super excited to read other books in this series though, I want to see how the European filter works with other classics. I think the idea was great, but not with this particular fairy tale.
2.5/5
**I received an arc of this novel, in exchange for an honest review from the publisher, Thomas Nelson**
I didn't like the Christian tones of the book, either. It felt like the book was trying too hard to be a "christian faith" novel. It didn't have to keep italicizing it's faith; It made the book to chaste, like you can't even give us a good heated kiss? It has to be super awkward.
The story of Mulan is surrounded by the Chinese culture, that I don't think meshes with the Eastern European culture. The Original Mulan is based of an ancient Chinese Ballad, and I would have like to see homage to the origin.
With all that being said,I am super excited to read other books in this series though, I want to see how the European filter works with other classics. I think the idea was great, but not with this particular fairy tale.
2.5/5
**I received an arc of this novel, in exchange for an honest review from the publisher, Thomas Nelson**
January 9, 2019
This is one of my most anticipated reads of the year, Christian YA retelling of MULAN!!! Loved it from the moment I started and there were twists in the story that were brilliantly written.
EVERY part of battle and culture written felt authentic and tangible in the story. It's obvious the author does her research for certain detailed scenes and it made the story even better than I expected. Mulan's father is a cruel and distant man in this version, giving her the impression that she alone must fight to save her and her mom because no one else will the way women are treated.
Andrei was such a great character and a true friend to Mulan, he isn't Mushu but still a treasure to the story!
Wolfgang was a wonderfully flawed hero in this one who only wants to do the honorable thing all the while trying to help his misled older brother. Really enjoyed reading about his family and previous characters from other books in this series I have loved.
I couldn't stop cheering Mulan every time she is victorious, I need to watch the movie after reading this book. AND OH MY TO THAT COVER!!!
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All comments and opinions are my own.
EVERY part of battle and culture written felt authentic and tangible in the story. It's obvious the author does her research for certain detailed scenes and it made the story even better than I expected. Mulan's father is a cruel and distant man in this version, giving her the impression that she alone must fight to save her and her mom because no one else will the way women are treated.
Andrei was such a great character and a true friend to Mulan, he isn't Mushu but still a treasure to the story!
Wolfgang was a wonderfully flawed hero in this one who only wants to do the honorable thing all the while trying to help his misled older brother. Really enjoyed reading about his family and previous characters from other books in this series I have loved.
I couldn't stop cheering Mulan every time she is victorious, I need to watch the movie after reading this book. AND OH MY TO THAT COVER!!!
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All comments and opinions are my own.
November 2, 2018
How did no one think that the concept of plopping Mulan in the middle of Eastern Europe surrounded by white people wasn't weird?
There was no element of Chinese culture in this book — barely any mentions of Buddhism, her language, her traditions — nothing!!!! I get that this was set in Europe but this is Mulan. Why bother writing a "retelling" if her identity is just going to be erased? It felt more like a Christian book than a Mulan book to me, and apparently to many reviewers as well.
*I was provided an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
There was no element of Chinese culture in this book — barely any mentions of Buddhism, her language, her traditions — nothing!!!! I get that this was set in Europe but this is Mulan. Why bother writing a "retelling" if her identity is just going to be erased? It felt more like a Christian book than a Mulan book to me, and apparently to many reviewers as well.
*I was provided an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
July 26, 2019
3.5 / 5 stars
I really liked this! I wasn't sure how the Mulan story would translate in a Medieval setting, but it ended up working out really well. Mulan and Wolfgang are definitely one of my favorite couples in the Hagenheim series, and I think this book is one of my favorites as well. Just a really cute story with some awesome girl power during a time when that wasn't accepted at all!
I really liked this! I wasn't sure how the Mulan story would translate in a Medieval setting, but it ended up working out really well. Mulan and Wolfgang are definitely one of my favorite couples in the Hagenheim series, and I think this book is one of my favorites as well. Just a really cute story with some awesome girl power during a time when that wasn't accepted at all!
February 17, 2019
4.5 stars
I admit I haven’t watched or read anything about Mulan, so Melanie Dickerson’s retelling was completely new to me. But Dickerson’s story was great.
Mulan is a likable character with her quiet manner, courage, commitment to her mother, and faith in God. Strong, competent Wolfgang makes an excellent complement to her.
Dickerson expertly balances strained family relationships, political contentions, battlefield action, and a sweet and steady romance, giving readers an engaging, exciting, and thoroughly fulfilling story.
As hard as it is to choose just one, The Warrior Maiden may be my favorite of Dickerson’s retellings yet.
Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
I admit I haven’t watched or read anything about Mulan, so Melanie Dickerson’s retelling was completely new to me. But Dickerson’s story was great.
Mulan is a likable character with her quiet manner, courage, commitment to her mother, and faith in God. Strong, competent Wolfgang makes an excellent complement to her.
Dickerson expertly balances strained family relationships, political contentions, battlefield action, and a sweet and steady romance, giving readers an engaging, exciting, and thoroughly fulfilling story.
As hard as it is to choose just one, The Warrior Maiden may be my favorite of Dickerson’s retellings yet.
Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
February 24, 2020
3 stars
First I would like to say that Mulan was one of my favorite Disney movies as a child, so I saw this book on Scribd and I had to read it (or in this case listen to it).
The thing is, there was nothing impressive about this book. It was all just ok.
Nothing was surprising (and I have to say this is one of those cases I think the summary gives to much away), I didn't feel that attached to the characters and I felt that the story dragged in some places.
I wanted more and it didn't deliver.
It's not a bad book at all... it's just average.
First I would like to say that Mulan was one of my favorite Disney movies as a child, so I saw this book on Scribd and I had to read it (or in this case listen to it).
The thing is, there was nothing impressive about this book. It was all just ok.
Nothing was surprising (and I have to say this is one of those cases I think the summary gives to much away), I didn't feel that attached to the characters and I felt that the story dragged in some places.
I wanted more and it didn't deliver.
It's not a bad book at all... it's just average.
January 21, 2020
I'm so sad to give this book such a low rating when I was looking foward to it so much!
I think the main problem was that I was expecting something way different, when I read the synopsis I thought we would get a fictional war story with some love going on (that's how I pictured a Mulan retelling to be like) but instead we got all romance with a few minor battles that didn't get to wow me.
That was really dissapointing because it wasn't what I was looking for but once I got over that (100 pages before the ending), I actually kind of enjoyed the love story even though again it didn't blow my mind.
The romance was kind of sweet but for some reason I couldn't stop comparing them with my OTPs, there were a lot of things that my favorite couples would have never done to each other. I'm not going to say any spoilers but there's a scene that's almost the exact same as ACOMAF when Tamlin does something bad to Feyre but Mulan did not act as Feyre did and I couldn't deal with it.
Another thing that bother me was that for the first few pages Mulan was really powerful (she was throughout the novel) and everyone saw her as that but once Wolfgang discovers she's a girl, he starts trying to protect her like she couldn't do it herself and Mulan lets him, everytime that happened it would make me roll my eyes.
On the other hand, Wolfgang was okey but I didn't see the appealed, Steffan (his brother) was far more interesting and I'd read a book with him as the main character, he had a lot more depth and still a lot of growing to do so I think it would be interesting to see that.
Something that seemed off too was that we didn't get to see any other character unless they were neccesary to keep the plot moving. When they weren't needed, they would just magically disappear until the next time they had to do something. And now thinking back, I don't remember them having a single full conversation with anyone that wasn't each other.
Lastly, at halfpoint it started to deal a lot with God. I recieved this book as an e-arc a year ago and when I requested it, it didn't say it was a Christian book. Now, that I'm writing this review I can see that it is listed as one so that explains a lot but I would have liked to know before requesting it because I'm not really a religious person.
I think the main problem was that I was expecting something way different, when I read the synopsis I thought we would get a fictional war story with some love going on (that's how I pictured a Mulan retelling to be like) but instead we got all romance with a few minor battles that didn't get to wow me.
That was really dissapointing because it wasn't what I was looking for but once I got over that (100 pages before the ending), I actually kind of enjoyed the love story even though again it didn't blow my mind.
The romance was kind of sweet but for some reason I couldn't stop comparing them with my OTPs, there were a lot of things that my favorite couples would have never done to each other. I'm not going to say any spoilers but there's a scene that's almost the exact same as ACOMAF when Tamlin does something bad to Feyre but Mulan did not act as Feyre did and I couldn't deal with it.
Another thing that bother me was that for the first few pages Mulan was really powerful (she was throughout the novel) and everyone saw her as that but once Wolfgang discovers she's a girl, he starts trying to protect her like she couldn't do it herself and Mulan lets him, everytime that happened it would make me roll my eyes.
On the other hand, Wolfgang was okey but I didn't see the appealed, Steffan (his brother) was far more interesting and I'd read a book with him as the main character, he had a lot more depth and still a lot of growing to do so I think it would be interesting to see that.
Something that seemed off too was that we didn't get to see any other character unless they were neccesary to keep the plot moving. When they weren't needed, they would just magically disappear until the next time they had to do something. And now thinking back, I don't remember them having a single full conversation with anyone that wasn't each other.
Lastly, at halfpoint it started to deal a lot with God. I recieved this book as an e-arc a year ago and when I requested it, it didn't say it was a Christian book. Now, that I'm writing this review I can see that it is listed as one so that explains a lot but I would have liked to know before requesting it because I'm not really a religious person.
April 23, 2022
This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance
This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.
The Warriors Maiden is part of the pretty popular fairy tale retelling inspirational series. I don’t know about you, but I have seen these books all over my Libby app and I do adore a good fairytale retelling. I am doing the fairytale retelling reading challenge this year and this book here is part of that reading challenge as the theme for the month is “Mulan” and there just aren’t that many romance retellings featuring this retelling and I do wish that there was more. But it was also a good reason for me to pick up this author which I have been wanting to for a while. She tends to tackle the fairytales and not just the popular ones used in romance like Cinderella or Beauty and the Beast, but the retellings we don’t see used very much in fiction. I was so pleasantly surprised by this book. It is pretty close to the retelling of Disney’s Mulan (animated version). What we have in this setup, is it takes place in eastern Europe, and there is a war going to be happening soon. Our heroine, Mulan, was adopted by this European family in Lithuania, her adopted father was of little use and very emotionally abusive and a drunk at times. But her mother taught her everything that she knew. When war is called upon them, and Mulan realizes if she doesn’t go, they could lose their home as her adopted father is of little use to them now. So she cuts her hair, dresses in the warrior tunic and goes into the training where she meets Wolfgang, who is the son of a German Duke. There is a close friendship that forms between Mulan and Wolfgang, but it’s revealed early on that Mulan is a woman but she is a capable fighter and Wolfgang can’t seem to let her go home as he knows that she should. Because a woman fighting in a war is unheard of. As Wolfgang and Mulan and their warriors work together to defeat the armies out to destroy them, it will also build a beautiful love between the young pair.
I will be honest, I didn’t know what to feel about this book. I did listen to this one as an audiobook and while I enjoyed the narration, i just had a hard time really wanting to be invested in the story. I think maybe because it’s more fade to black type of steam, I honestly wasn’t expecting. I didn’t really look into the author or this series that much. So I really went into this one pretty blind. And I just wasn’t prepared for such a light on the steam type of read and I guess its also YA (which I had no clue haha) but granted most historical’s if written realistically, could be categorized as young adult instead of adult as most women got married really young But I was intrigued by this story, I had a fun time with the connection to the Disney tale of Mulan, and seeing how the author developed this story. Even though it doesn’t take place in China, I was so intrigued by this and the romance just seemed so much more authentic. But I had a difficult time connecting with the chemistry between the two here. It just felt like an adventure between friends at least till the end of the book, I didn’t really feel much intimacy being grown here. (and yes you can grow an intimate romance without sex in it). So I just wasn’t fully prepared for this writing style. It’s not bad at all, I just don’t think I was prepared for it, I didn’t do my due diligence in doing the research that needed to be done here so that I could go into the story with a better mindset. So part of this is my fault, however, I do think if you enjoy inspirational romance with a fairytale retelling, and don’t mind a more YA/NA feel to the audience, then you definitely will get a kick out of this one. I do plan on delving further into this series though and exploring more of this author’s work.
Trigger Warnings:
Bullying, Reference to torture and pain, violence and death. Reference to Religious practices.
This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.
The Warriors Maiden is part of the pretty popular fairy tale retelling inspirational series. I don’t know about you, but I have seen these books all over my Libby app and I do adore a good fairytale retelling. I am doing the fairytale retelling reading challenge this year and this book here is part of that reading challenge as the theme for the month is “Mulan” and there just aren’t that many romance retellings featuring this retelling and I do wish that there was more. But it was also a good reason for me to pick up this author which I have been wanting to for a while. She tends to tackle the fairytales and not just the popular ones used in romance like Cinderella or Beauty and the Beast, but the retellings we don’t see used very much in fiction. I was so pleasantly surprised by this book. It is pretty close to the retelling of Disney’s Mulan (animated version). What we have in this setup, is it takes place in eastern Europe, and there is a war going to be happening soon. Our heroine, Mulan, was adopted by this European family in Lithuania, her adopted father was of little use and very emotionally abusive and a drunk at times. But her mother taught her everything that she knew. When war is called upon them, and Mulan realizes if she doesn’t go, they could lose their home as her adopted father is of little use to them now. So she cuts her hair, dresses in the warrior tunic and goes into the training where she meets Wolfgang, who is the son of a German Duke. There is a close friendship that forms between Mulan and Wolfgang, but it’s revealed early on that Mulan is a woman but she is a capable fighter and Wolfgang can’t seem to let her go home as he knows that she should. Because a woman fighting in a war is unheard of. As Wolfgang and Mulan and their warriors work together to defeat the armies out to destroy them, it will also build a beautiful love between the young pair.
I will be honest, I didn’t know what to feel about this book. I did listen to this one as an audiobook and while I enjoyed the narration, i just had a hard time really wanting to be invested in the story. I think maybe because it’s more fade to black type of steam, I honestly wasn’t expecting. I didn’t really look into the author or this series that much. So I really went into this one pretty blind. And I just wasn’t prepared for such a light on the steam type of read and I guess its also YA (which I had no clue haha) but granted most historical’s if written realistically, could be categorized as young adult instead of adult as most women got married really young But I was intrigued by this story, I had a fun time with the connection to the Disney tale of Mulan, and seeing how the author developed this story. Even though it doesn’t take place in China, I was so intrigued by this and the romance just seemed so much more authentic. But I had a difficult time connecting with the chemistry between the two here. It just felt like an adventure between friends at least till the end of the book, I didn’t really feel much intimacy being grown here. (and yes you can grow an intimate romance without sex in it). So I just wasn’t fully prepared for this writing style. It’s not bad at all, I just don’t think I was prepared for it, I didn’t do my due diligence in doing the research that needed to be done here so that I could go into the story with a better mindset. So part of this is my fault, however, I do think if you enjoy inspirational romance with a fairytale retelling, and don’t mind a more YA/NA feel to the audience, then you definitely will get a kick out of this one. I do plan on delving further into this series though and exploring more of this author’s work.
Trigger Warnings:
Bullying, Reference to torture and pain, violence and death. Reference to Religious practices.
January 17, 2019
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
There have been many retellings of Mulan recently, but I haven’t read any of them and thought it was time. Thanks to NetGalley I was able to read the new book. Now I went into this read knowing very little about the book (I find this best with retellings) except that it was a part of a larger series.
Unlike many Mulan versions, this novel was set in Lithuania in medieval times. I found the setting very odd, some might find it a breath of fresh air, but I found it strange like the author was attempting to force all these fairy tale characters into one location (numerous famous characters had their stories take place in Lithuania). I admit I know the bare minimum of Poland during this period and perhaps that affects how I view some of the events of the story.
After Mulan’s abusive, drunk father dies of sickness, Mulan pretends to be his son to serve as a soldier and allow her mother to keep their house. With the help of her younger friend Andre, her father’s assistant, she becomes a soldier for the local Duke Konrad to fight the invading Teutonic Knights. Meanwhile, Wolfgang and Steffen, (young men related to Aladdin by marriage) set off to do the same, but Steffen deserts, joining the Knights instead in hopes of finding glory and becoming a knight.
The characters were one dimensional, having only one goal and every little emotion. A few emotions were raised in the conflict but overcome with ease, more like a side thought to make things seem better motivated. As with the classic Mulan story, the skilled soldier, Wolfgang, falls for Mulan and she for him yet believed she could not to be with him. There was no real emotional connection between the two, they were good soldiers and the main characters, therefore, they must fall in love, but it can’t be too easy, so the writer made her hesitant to be with him. The secondary characters were few and far between, with no wants of their own (besides Steffen) and offered little to the story. The dialogue, just like the characters, was flat, dull and very scripted making the story even less exciting.
The writing style was dull, relying on telling instead of showing. This slowed down the action and failed to engage me as a reader. Along with this, the theme was very Christian preaching, stating that God will solve everything, God has a plan, etc. This also made the action less enticing; if God will solve it, why would there be any risk to Mulan? I am not religious and quickly became tired of the preachiness. Perhaps this made me the wrong audience for this book.
The villains of the story, Rusdorf and his Teutonic Knights, had little reason to do their diabolical acts apart from the story needing the conflict. They said they were doing God’s work, but their emotion and conflict were lacking, making them one dimensional. During the battles, there was no real threat to Mulan nor were they difficult for her. It made the story lack any hook and, added together with the one-dimensional characters, made the novel predictable. Why bother reading if you already know what will happen?
I found this novel slow with flat characters and dialogue, dull conflict and tiresome religious themes. Trying to force every fairy tale character into one location (a location very different from where they’re originally from) didn’t seem natural, very obviously a desire by the author for a series in the same place. The story failed to engage me, and I give it 2/5.
There have been many retellings of Mulan recently, but I haven’t read any of them and thought it was time. Thanks to NetGalley I was able to read the new book. Now I went into this read knowing very little about the book (I find this best with retellings) except that it was a part of a larger series.
Unlike many Mulan versions, this novel was set in Lithuania in medieval times. I found the setting very odd, some might find it a breath of fresh air, but I found it strange like the author was attempting to force all these fairy tale characters into one location (numerous famous characters had their stories take place in Lithuania). I admit I know the bare minimum of Poland during this period and perhaps that affects how I view some of the events of the story.
After Mulan’s abusive, drunk father dies of sickness, Mulan pretends to be his son to serve as a soldier and allow her mother to keep their house. With the help of her younger friend Andre, her father’s assistant, she becomes a soldier for the local Duke Konrad to fight the invading Teutonic Knights. Meanwhile, Wolfgang and Steffen, (young men related to Aladdin by marriage) set off to do the same, but Steffen deserts, joining the Knights instead in hopes of finding glory and becoming a knight.
The characters were one dimensional, having only one goal and every little emotion. A few emotions were raised in the conflict but overcome with ease, more like a side thought to make things seem better motivated. As with the classic Mulan story, the skilled soldier, Wolfgang, falls for Mulan and she for him yet believed she could not to be with him. There was no real emotional connection between the two, they were good soldiers and the main characters, therefore, they must fall in love, but it can’t be too easy, so the writer made her hesitant to be with him. The secondary characters were few and far between, with no wants of their own (besides Steffen) and offered little to the story. The dialogue, just like the characters, was flat, dull and very scripted making the story even less exciting.
The writing style was dull, relying on telling instead of showing. This slowed down the action and failed to engage me as a reader. Along with this, the theme was very Christian preaching, stating that God will solve everything, God has a plan, etc. This also made the action less enticing; if God will solve it, why would there be any risk to Mulan? I am not religious and quickly became tired of the preachiness. Perhaps this made me the wrong audience for this book.
The villains of the story, Rusdorf and his Teutonic Knights, had little reason to do their diabolical acts apart from the story needing the conflict. They said they were doing God’s work, but their emotion and conflict were lacking, making them one dimensional. During the battles, there was no real threat to Mulan nor were they difficult for her. It made the story lack any hook and, added together with the one-dimensional characters, made the novel predictable. Why bother reading if you already know what will happen?
I found this novel slow with flat characters and dialogue, dull conflict and tiresome religious themes. Trying to force every fairy tale character into one location (a location very different from where they’re originally from) didn’t seem natural, very obviously a desire by the author for a series in the same place. The story failed to engage me, and I give it 2/5.
January 23, 2019
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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?
I was so exited to read The Warrior Maiden by Melanie Dickerson when I was approved for it via NetGalley. I'm usually ready for anything involving my favorite Disney (and legendary) character Mulan, and the description of this novel sounded fantastic. Unfortunately, now that I've read it I can say that this novel just didn't work for me. Firstly, I had no idea that this novel was actually the ninth book in the Hagenheim series. Obviously, I felt a little lost from the get-go. Secondly, so much of what I love about Mulan as a character (and story) are gone - her identity has been stripped away. Thirdly, I knew that it was a Christian YA book going in which is fine, but sometimes I felt like I was reading a sermon rather than anything else. Overall, Dickerson's newest novel just wasn't what I was hoping it would be. I might have felt differently about it if I had read the first eight books in the series, but then again this version of Mulan wasn't exactly to my liking. Thanks, but no thanks, NetGalley.
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?
I was so exited to read The Warrior Maiden by Melanie Dickerson when I was approved for it via NetGalley. I'm usually ready for anything involving my favorite Disney (and legendary) character Mulan, and the description of this novel sounded fantastic. Unfortunately, now that I've read it I can say that this novel just didn't work for me. Firstly, I had no idea that this novel was actually the ninth book in the Hagenheim series. Obviously, I felt a little lost from the get-go. Secondly, so much of what I love about Mulan as a character (and story) are gone - her identity has been stripped away. Thirdly, I knew that it was a Christian YA book going in which is fine, but sometimes I felt like I was reading a sermon rather than anything else. Overall, Dickerson's newest novel just wasn't what I was hoping it would be. I might have felt differently about it if I had read the first eight books in the series, but then again this version of Mulan wasn't exactly to my liking. Thanks, but no thanks, NetGalley.
August 29, 2020
3.5 rounding up to four stars
I have enjoyed many of Dickerson’s Hagenheim stories. Although I have enjoyed some much more than others, I can happily say that this is one of the better ones! The plot was tighter, and I really liked the honesty and open communication expressed by Mulan and Wolfgang. The faith content was also well done and carried a nice message, that through God, all things are possible. For a YA read, I thought it was a fun read/audio.
I have enjoyed many of Dickerson’s Hagenheim stories. Although I have enjoyed some much more than others, I can happily say that this is one of the better ones! The plot was tighter, and I really liked the honesty and open communication expressed by Mulan and Wolfgang. The faith content was also well done and carried a nice message, that through God, all things are possible. For a YA read, I thought it was a fun read/audio.
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