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The Magnolia Sword (a Ballad of Mulan): A Ballad of Mulan

by Sherry Thomas

A Mulan retelling shaped by family duty and wartime intrigue

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AlbakiReads Editorial

A Mulan retelling shaped by family duty and wartime intrigue

Set in China in 484 A.D., this retelling gives Mulan two linked obligations: a family duel tied to heirloom swords and her father’s injury, and the imperial call for soldiers to face the Rouran. Disguised as a man, she joins the army and is selected for an elite team led by a princeling whose secrets complicate their journey. The story combines Mulan’s martial training with a campaign beyond the Great Wall, where the characters must contend with a traitor and the invasion’s plans. Its framework draws on the traditional ballad while also taking inspiration from wuxia martial-arts dramas.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Teens and young adults interested in historical fiction set in China.
  • Readers seeking a retelling of the Mulan ballad with martial-arts elements.
  • Readers interested in stories combining family obligations, disguise, and military intrigue.

Themes

Family dutyDisguise and identityWar and loyaltyMartial artsSecrets and betrayal

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

Bestselling writer Sherry Thomas weaves an enthralling retelling of a story that has thrilled readers for centuries: the ballad of Mulan.

CHINA, 484 A.D.

A Warrior in Disguise
All her life, Mulan has trained for one purpose: to win the duel that every generation in her family must fight. If she prevails, she can reunite a pair of priceless heirloom swords separated decades earlier, and avenge her father, who was paralyzed in his own duel.

Then a messenger from the Emperor arrives, demanding that all families send one soldier to fight the Rouran invaders in the north. Mulan's father cannot go. Her brother is just a child. So she ties up her hair, takes up her sword, and joins the army as a man.

A War for a Dynasty
Thanks to her martial arts skills, Mulan is chosen for an elite team under the command of the princeling--the royal duke's son, who is also the handsomest man she's ever seen. But the princeling has secrets of his own, which explode into Mulan's life and shake up everything she knows. As they cross the Great Wall to face the enemy beyond, Mulan and the princeling must find a way to unwind their past, unmask a traitor, and uncover the plans for the Rouran invasion ... before it's too late.

Inspired by wuxia martial-arts dramas as well as the centuries-old ballad of Mulan, The Magnolia Sword is perfect for fans of Renee Ahdieh, Marie Lu, or Kristin Cashore--a thrilling, romantic, and sharp-edged novel that lives up to its beloved heroine.

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