Feather and Flame (The Queen's Council, #2) by Livia Blackburne Pages: 336
Published by Disney-Hyperion on June 14, 2022
Series: The Queen's Council #2
Genres: Fairy Tale re-telling, Young Adult
Source: Finished Hardcover from Publisher
She brought honor on the battlefield. Now comes a new kind of war...
The war is over. Now a renowned hero, Mulan spends her days in her home village, training a militia of female warriors. The peace is a welcome one, and she knows it must be protected.
When Shang arrives with an invitation to the Imperial City, Mulan’s relatively peaceful life is upended once more. The aging emperor decrees that Mulan will be his heir to the throne. Such unimagined power and responsibility terrifies her, but who can say no to the Emperor?
As Mulan ascends into the halls of power, it becomes clear that not everyone is on her side. Her ministers undermine her, and the Huns sense a weakness in the throne. When hints of treachery appear even amongst those she considers friends, Mulan has no idea whom she can trust.
But the Queen’s Council helps Mulan uncover her true destiny. With renewed strength and the wisdom of those that came before her, Mulan will own her power, save her country, and prove once again that, crown or helmet, she was always meant to lead. This fierce reimagining of the girl who became a warrior blends fairy-tale lore and real history with a Disney twist.
Feather and Flame is the second book in the Queen’s Council series, and it is written by Livia Blackburne. Each of the books in the Queen’s Council series is written by a different author and each tells the story of what happens after the Disney “happily ever after” for a different Disney princess. This was Mulan’s next chapter reimagined, and I really enjoyed it. I find this idea super interesting. It is similar to Disney’s twisted tales series, which I also really enjoy but this series has a different spin on it. Here we are not tweaking the original but rather we are telling the next chapter of the Disney Princess’ story.
Here we join Mulan at home after she has prevailed on the battlefield. Mulan is happy at home training female warriors, but her happiness is soon interrupted when she is invited to the imperial city. There she learns that she has been named as the next heir to the throne! (insert the Queen’s Council here) I found this to be such a cool next chapter for Mulan and obviously it is filled with all kinds of new obstacles for her to overcome. Honestly, I would love for this book to be made into a movie. I think it would a fantastic sequel for Mulan! I will say that I did want a bit more romance between Mulan and Shang. I was hoping that we would see some progression on that front, but it felt like they were a bit stagnant. I did like the romance that I got to see from the two of them, but it wasn’t a ton.
Overall, I enjoyed this story quite a bit. Each of the books in the series can be read as a standalone , and in any order. This is the first book of the series that I have read, but I am super excited to go back and read the first book (Belles story) and a can’t wait for the next book, which will feature Jasmine. If you are a fan of Mulan, or of Disney Princesses in general, Feather and Flame is a must read book. I am loving all of these Disney spin offs and reimagining’s.
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Week One:
| 6/1/2022 | The Reading Devil | Excerpt |
| 6/2/2022 | Kait Plus Books | Excerpt |
| 6/3/2022 | BookHounds YA | Excerpt |
| 6/4/2022 | Rajiv’s Reviews | Review |
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| 6/5/2022 | More Books Please blog | Review |
| 6/6/2022 | BookishConnoisseur | Review |
| 6/7/2022 | A Backwards Story | Review |
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| 6/11/2022 | Karen Dee’s Book Reviews | Review |
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| 6/12/2022 | Book-Keeping | Review |
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| 6/14/2022 | The Book Review Crew | Review |
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| 6/19/2022 | The Girl Who Reads | Review |
| 6/20/2022 | Don’t Judge, Read | Review |
| 6/21/2022 | Laura’s Bookish Corner | Review |
| 6/22/2022 | Bookwyrming Thoughts | Review |
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About Livia Blackburne
New York Times best-selling author LIVIA BLACKBURNE has a PhD in neuroscience from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she conducted research on the neural correlates of reading. She still blogs on the intersection of writing and brain science, and she now lives in Los Angeles with her family. Livia is also the author of Midnight Thief, an Indies Introduce New Voices selection, and its sequel, Daughter of Dusk.
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