Review – Reflection by Elizabeth Lim

Title Reflection

Author Elizabeth Lim

Description from Amazon

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?

Initial Thoughts

I absolutely adored Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim and I love Mulan in general. Another one of my favorite Disney movies is Hercules and the synopsis of this book seemed to combine some parts of both of those stories (so, obviously, I had to read it).

Favorite Character

Shi Shi – as much as I missed Mushu in this retelling, I loved Shi Shi. I’d love to see a sequel where we get to see Shi Shi and Mushu meet.

Some Things I Liked

• Chinese Mythology – I loved that this story was focused on King Yama and legends of the underworld. While the original story about the Mongols invading China was also super interesting, I loved that this story got away from that.
• Shi Shi the Lion of the Shang Family – he was just an amazing edition to the cast of characters.
• All the references to the original story. There were quotes and little hints and I just loved all of them. Especially the magnolia flower references.

One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy About

• I wish there had been a bit more romance between Mulan and Shang. However, I will say that the amount we did get was totally true to the original story.

Series Value

I’d love to see a sequel to this book. There was a second Mulan movie and I’d love to see that story re-imagined by Elizabeth Lim.

Final Thoughts

I loved this book. The story was great, it combined the stories of some of my favorite Disney movies, and it gave me a chance to learn more about Chinese Mythology. Elizabeth Lim is a masterful storyteller and I would read anything she writes.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Recommendations for Further Reading

• Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim – if you like Elizabeth Lim’s writing and the story of Mulan – YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK.
• Defy by Sara B. Larson – if you liked the elements of a girl disguising herself as a boy check out the Defy series.
• The Traitor’s Kiss by Erin Beaty – this is another story that has a ton of Mulan vibes.  Give this series a try if you liked the Mulan element of Reflection.