This book was over 500 pages, and yet when it was over my gut reaction was that I wanted to read more. The world-building was rich, the characters were compelling, and the themes present throughout this story were very beautifully explored. I was caught off guard at first because the writing is in second perspective, I was quickly able to adjust and appreciate how this stylistic choice made the reading experience even more immersive and emotional. 

This was a really quick read and I liked the character development of the main character but I'm not sure how memorable it will be in the long run.

I think I'll give this author one more try, because the actual writing style was enjoyable and it could be that I just didn't connect with this group of characters. The character motivations and main "misunderstanding" that was preventing the two lead characters from getting together felt too flimsy. Brendan as a side character continued to irritate me throughout the story, making me glad I chose to skip his book. Even each of the main characters' individual arcs felt surface-level and just there to serve the story instead of feeling authentic to the characters.

I was nervous about being disappointed by the sequel after enjoying the first book so much, but this was just as good, honestly maybe even better. I would love to see more of the characters but I am completely satisfied by how things wrapped up. 

The story did start to feel a little bloated after a while, and I wish the stories of characters felt a little more interconnected.

This was a fun take on what the story of a young Mulan would be like. Apparently the character of the

Red Fox

is the backstory of the witch character of the live adaptation but you don't need to have watched that to enjoy the book. 

This is actually my second time attempting to read this book, and I think the reason I wasn't able to finish it the first time was because I was caught off guard by the tone of the writing. This time around, I was better prepared for the cheesy, silly, and unserious vibes of the story and was just able to have more fun with it.

Quick read, easy to get through but I didn't feel like I had enough time to get invested in the characters since this was a novella.

Very fun, genuinely hilarious at times, and the "third-act break up" felt authentic to the characters' growth and not just thrown in the book for no reason.

This book really was not for me, and I don't think this author is for me either.