The Twisted Tale of A Familiar Story

As a Disney girl from heart, this series has really taken hold of me! I love seeing how each story could have ended differently and this one was just as good as the rest. Growing up, Mulan was definitely a role model to me because of how she defied the norms to save her father and China. Reading how her story changed and her falling in love again with Shang was part of what made me enjoy this book so much.

What if Mulan had to travel to the Underworld? When Captain Shang is mortally wounded by Shan Yu in battle, Mulan must travel to the Underworld, Diyu, in order to save him from certain death. But King Yama, the ruler of Diyu, is not willing to give Shang up easily. With the help of Shang’s great lion guardian ShiShi, Mulan must traverse Diyu to find Shang’s spirit, face harrowing obstacles and leave by sunrise, or become King Yama’s prisoner forever. Moreover, Mulan is still disguised as the soldier called Ping, wrestling with the decision to reveal her true identity to her closest friend. Will Mulan be able to save Shang before it’s too late? Will he ever be able to trust her again? Or will she lose him and be lost in the Underworld forever?

As much as I truly enjoyed visiting a new side to Mulan, this book was not my favorite in the series. It felt really wrong for Shang to die so easily and for him to not want to return to finish the battle for China. There were some new characters that I did not enjoy so much either, as they continued to pop up and just drag the book on even more.

That said, the book still had plenty of moments of adventure, cultural mythology and that familiar spark between Mulan and Shang. I enjoyed the exploration of Diyu and the way the author wove Chinese culture into the tale. It gave the store a darker, more mature edge than the original Disney version, making this book even more fun for me now as a young adult.

Overall, this book was still a cute read and I will continue to finish the what if series of classic Disney tales. The next one is The Little Mermaid so I am beyond excited to delve into this story. The plot is, "what if Ariel never defeated Ursula?" Ursula was super creepy as a kid so I cannot wait to see how else she can be more villainous.