Feather and Flame by Livia Blackburne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
**3.5-stars rounded up**
Feather and Flame is the second book is Disney’s The Queen Council series.
If you are unaware, this series imagines what happened post-happily ever after for some of our favorite Disney Princesses. Each book is the story of a different heroine written by a different author.
This story follows Mulan after her victory on the battlefield at the end of the animated film.
As the story begins, Mulan is living a quiet life at home. Well, quiet if you consider training her own female militia quiet. But China is at peace and it is a good feeling.
When Shang arrives with an invitation to the Imperial City, Mulan has no idea that her entire life is about to be flipped on its head. Again.
Once there, Mulan is treated to a private counsel with the ailing Emperor. He tells her he has a plan for his succession and it is her. She will be named his heir to the throne.
Unfortunately, the transition occurs more quickly than Mulan would have preferred. She is terrified, but must do what she can to rule her country to the best of her abilities.
With enemies lurking around every corner and the Huns sensing weakness, will Mulan’s reign be doomed from the start?
Mulan is filled with doubt and she’s scared. She feels alone. What if she can’t do this? There’s so much at stake.
Luckily, the Queen’s Council is there to help Mulan find her true destiny. What is the Queen’s Council, you may be asking?
I don’t want to give anything away, so let’s just call it Mulan’s Spirit Advisor. Not spiritual advisor, mind you, SPIRIT advisor.
I had a lot of fun reading this story. It was great to be back with Mulan and to get an extension of her story that I think was greatly needed.
I have always loved Mulan as a character. She has such a quiet grace about her. She is humble, strong and determined in the face of danger. I was so happy to see that she kept all of these wonderful characteristics throughout this story.
This is a highly political story, so for those of you who maybe don’t enjoy a lot of political maneuverings in your stories, you have been forewarned.
For me, I love political fantasy, so this worked for me. I would have been happy with a bit more depth, but overall, I was quite pleased with this one!
Thank you so much to the publisher, Disney Books. I look forward to getting the next installment of this series!