Reflection

This is such a fun read and a great alternate storyline from the movie! The attention to detail and abundance of Chinese folklore just enriches the story even more. I can't wait to read more of these What If stories.

I was already a huge fan of the Twisted Tales series before I read this book and what this book has done has made me an even bigger fan!

In this retelling of Disney's “Mulan”, the story picks up right after Shan Yu has started to attack Mulan and her troop on the mountain side. With no more ammo and time running out, Mulan bravely takes their last cannon and shoots it at the mountain, creating an avalanche, covering the Huns in it's path. Shan Yu, leader of the Huns, manages to get one blow in before he's covered, aiming for Mulan but getting her leader and friend Li Shang instead.

Once the snow clears, Li Shang is on the verge of death and Mulan takes it upon herself to save him. Little did she know that praying to her ancestors would bring her Shang's guardian, a lion named Shi Shi, that arrives to take her to Diyu, the underworld. There, she negotiates with the king of the underworld in an attempt to bring her friend back home - he's not ready to die. He still has a lot to do for China.

Battling through 99 levels of the underworld proves to be difficult not only because of the trials the team faces but also because of the spirits that are there to misguide them along the way. It's a thriller in every sense of the word.

You know what I love about this book? It was unpredictable. I thought I knew what was going to happen and found myself with my jaw dropped on several occasions. The twists and turns remind me a lot of one of my favorite TV shows, “Once Upon a Time”, which is also in the Disney franchise and intertwines stories and characters in such a way that is so impressive you could die.

I also loved that I learned more about the Chinese culture, especially their thoughts on honoring your ancestors and what happens in the afterlife. Learning that some spirits wait forever in a place, waiting for their turn to go to heaven, and some never making it there was sad but informative. I also learned that some people are reincarnated while others have debts to pay before they can move on.

If you are a fan of fairy tales, Disney princesses, or thrilling adventures, then this book is for you. I would recommend you check out the other Twisted Tales and be on the lookout for the newest one “Part of Your World” coming out in September.

wow Wow WOW!!!!!! That was FANTASTIC!!!! I LOVED Elizabeth Lim's writing style!!!! And the added character of Shi Shi was AMAZING!!!! I Loved this SO MUCH!!!! And while I won't give anything away, some parts of this book touched me personally!!!! Overall such a PHENOMENAL book, and it's tied for my top fav of the Twisted Tales series so far (Only because I have a soft spot for Tale as Old as Time, the Beauty and the Beast retelling)!!!!

Overall, this read like mediocre fanfiction, but it had its moments.

Basically, Li Shang gets injured by Shang Yu on the mountain. As a result, he almost dies from his injuries. Shang's father appears as a ghost and Mulan promises to bring Shang's soul back from Diyu, the Underworld. He sends ShiShi, the Li family guardian, a lion, to help her. Together, they travel to Diyu and rescue Shang. Mulan strikes a deal with King Yama to save Shang's soul before sunrise, otherwise she's stuck there forever.

The beginning is boring. Mushu and Crickey are basically backdrops. Their plot potential is completely wasted in this story as they are left behind. When they are there, they don't do much. It's pretty lousy honestly.

We are introduced to Shishi, who is an arrogant lion and prideful. He's ok. There is a part in the story where Mulan mourns him when he stays behind to fight demons so she and Shang could get away, but the scene fell flat with me as I knew he wouldn't die. He's a guardian! Plus, he's not a character you come to love, he's quite forgettable unfortunately. More wasted potential.

Where this story shines is the interaction between Mulan and Shang. Shang was very much in character. He was stubborn, and his reaction to finding out that Mulan was a woman was perfect. Once he accepts the truth, the relationship really blossoms. One scene in particular, which was my favorite, was when he asked Mulan if his guardian was a man, and if he slept in her tent, to which she replied, yes, he's a dragon, and he sleeps in my tent, lol. (Ch22)

I really like Shang's father too. He made the story interesting in the beginning. He also accepts Mulan fairly quickly.

In terms of what I would change, I wish we could have seen more interesting obstacles in Diyu. They were kind of boring. It also would have been nice to see Mushu and Shishi interacting in Diyu. Speaking of interactions, I would have liked for Shang and his guardian to have hit it off. Honestly, Shang‘s reaction when he met Shishi was lukewarm at best, which is surprising since this is his father‘s guardian, and Shang worships the ground his father walks on. When Shishi “died“, mulan was more upset about it than Shang! It was sad because Shishi was very excited to meet Shang.

The ending was cute though. The author also incorporated lines from the movie in cute ways. One was at the end between Mulan and Shang. When Shang asked Mulan if Her parents would mind him passing by the house, she replies “would they mind? They won't let you leave!“ This was a clever use of incorporating her grandmother‘s reaction in the movie when she tells Shang “would you like to stay forever?“

So yeah, a lot of wasted potential, but the story was interesting enough for me to finish as it had some gems sprinkled here and there. Honestly, though, someone on AO3 could have done a better job writing this story.