“I am Fa Mulan, a girl who would sacrifice her life for her family and for China. I am a girl who journeyed into the Underworld to save her friend from dying. I am a girl who has fought battle after battle to finally recognize herself in the mirror. And now I do.”
- Title: Reflection
- Author: Elizabeth Lim
- Genre: YA Fiction
- Pages: 408 pages
- Publication date: March 27, 2018
- Publisher: Disney Press
Growing up, one of my favorite Disney princesses was Mulan. I connected with her on too many levels. But when I saw the question “What if Mulan had to travel to the underworld,” I knew I had to read the book.
The book starts off toward the end of Disney’s movie when Mulan grabs the cannon and aims it at the mountain. But instead of her taking the hit from Shan Yu, Shang takes a fatal sword blow. To save Shang’s life, Mulan has to travel to the underworld.
The book kept true to the characters. Mulan and Shang all acted the same while introducing some new characters along the way. There is also moments where certain lines from the movie – even though the book travels on a different path – stays the same. It brings into perspective that we cannot escape some things no matter what path we take.
The only major downside to this book was that it was a bit predictable. What happened next wasn’t expected, but rather where the story would go was. It is a Disney book.
Overall, the story is unpredictable. You never know exactly what was going to happen next in the underworld. The book also sticks to Chinese traditions well, which is a nice touch. It’s a good fast paced read with a lot of action. I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to see more Mulan.
Score: 8.5/10
Average rating on Goodreads: 4.02/5
Robin LeeAnn 