Wild Orchid: A Retelling of the Ballad of Mulan (Once Upon a Time Series) Book

Hua Mulan's tale is renowned among my people. I am of Singaporean nationality and of Chinese race, and therefore it is a part of our culture and tradition. Where I grew up, every child will undoubtedly come to know of the fearless, brave female warrior who disguised herself as a boy and went to war in her father's place, ultimately saving all of China.

Mulan's story is a gem, a diamond in the rough, especially in this patriarchal society where women are believed to be less capable than men. Yet there have not been many Mulan retellings. I would literally sell my soul for Mulan completely reimagined by a diverse author, bringing out key aspects of the tale while adding some unique touches.

For this book I didn't exactly get the Mulan "retelling" I wanted - it was more of the exact story all over again. But then, I've already read one other retelling by Cameron Dokey, so I know her works are simple and follow the original tale word for word, and are perhaps targeted at a younger audience. Fortunately, this book was a quick read, which meant that the story didn't drag, preventing me from getting bored too easily. It's not a particular chore to get through it, nor is there anything remotely terrible about the book, but it's rather bland and has nothing special to make it stand out at all.