The worldbuilding in this is fascinating. An Earth scraped clear of metals, with the oceans boiled away and much of life taking to the sky. A culture of creating and trading gods, where women on ships bring good luck.

Pacing varied, but when there were airship battles I was all in.

If there is a word for this book, it's "subtle".

Part of it because you could call the main narrator unreliable. She's 4, and grieving, and the plot and relationships and political posturing of the adults around her are hard for her to notice and understand. And when we read from her uncle's POV we are only getting glimpses of ongoing events.

So this was a lot more active read than I expecting, putting together clues about motivations and plot and histories based on a little detail here, a single line there. That type of reading is not for everyone, but I found it a nice change of pace from hard, fast, dramatic YA reads. Though, honestly, 1/2 my book club was comparing notes and realizing we hadn't all been on the same pages about things. But I found that fun, sorta like supporting your fandom headcanons before the new season comes out.

I wish there had been a touch more worldbuilding; while I had picked things up while reading I know others who only had things click after reading the glossary at the end. And the history and structure and culture I just want to understand/be clarified.

The uncle in this story is aromantic and his off-screen attempts at dealing with a crushing co-worker are interesting. His best friend is a married lesbian, so there's that rep too.

Review forthcoming - let see what the book club has to say about this first

This was exactly the book I was hoping it would be. Fun, quick, and a dive into Mulan's character.

All admit, some of this felt rehashed from the movie, but that's to be expected as this book is essentially an alternative ending. Still, I adored the exploration of Chinese mythology and downright loved the ability to get into Mulan's head a bit more.

How much her secret weighs on her, unintended consequences of keeping it, and a better resolution of it's reveal between Mulan and Shang. Plus, a more in-depth look at her own personal journey to find out who she is, diving into all the reasons she left and how deeply committed she is to her family.

A personal journey of self-confidence and self-worth, completely independent of others? (Because her judgment of herself is harmed by how she imagines Shang and her family would react but at the core its her own thoughts that matter.) That's my jam. The stuff I throw money at. And the stories I come back to again and again and again.

I probably won't reread this as often as I watch the movie, it takes a little more than twice as long, but I'm proud to have it on my shelf and will probably read it again in the coming years.

This was an incredible read. Easy to access, full of stories that make me really feel the times. I feel like I kept bringing up what I was reading to everyone I meet. Sometimes more than once depending on what part of the book I was currently on. Definitely a book to read and then discuss with people.