Livia Blackburne

"Mulan goes from a celebrated war hero to a reluctant Empress and must once again rise above expectations and prove she doesn't have to be anyone but herself to save China"--

The Queen's Council #2 Feather and Flame

Seher Mohsin

Feather and Flame is the second book in the Queen’s Council series. Each book in this series can be read as a standalone and is by a different author. Each book is a reimagining of our favourite princesses as young rulers off their lands, aided by a mystical group of women called the Queen’s Council, whose job it is to advise queens throughout history.

The book came out on the 14th of June and was published by Disney-Hyperion. It’s a YA novel, but also comes under more specific categories such as retellings, historical fiction and fantasy, and asian literature. This is not Livia Blackburne‘s first book, she’s got a few short stories and 2 series published on amazon, and based on Feather and Flame I’m surprised that she doesn’t have more of a following.

Feather and Flame starts off with Mulan being declared the next emperor of China. She doesn’t believe herself worthy of the role and it doesn’t get any better as the emperor passes away soon after and her advisors pressure her to accept a marriage offer from the huns. When she’s betrayed by men who cannot fathom that a woman can rule, and rule well at that, Mulan has to struggle to reach home and help keep her people safe from another war.

Firstly, Livia Blackburne is a solid writer. When you start reading Feather and Flame you’ll forget the time. Mulan is pretty much everyone’s favourite princess; she’s the one who reminded us that women could be capable of everything at a time when almost every other princess was more passive. If you mess up with Mulan, then I’m pretty sure people will go for blood. But Livia Blackburne was up to the task. Feather and Flame has all the magic from the movie and does justice to her character. Mulan is strong, but she also questions herself, she trusted her advisors but was also quick to pick up on their deception. While her grandmother who guides her, Mulan is capable of taking action and getting things done; of being strategic and tactical, but also kind with those who need it. She’s intelligent, and even though the queens council helps her, there is no doubt that Mulan could have saved China a second time without them.

Once again, I find that the more I like a book, the worse the quality of my review! Long story short, this was a fantastic book and I am so glad I read it!

The Queen's Council #2 Feather and Flame

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