The Magnolia Sword

A Ballad of Mulan

By: Sherry Thomas

Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller

Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's Summary

China, AD 484.

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.

©2019 Sherry Thomas (P)2019 Listening Library

Deep and insightful but pleasant read

The narration was lovely, with well done variation in voices and accurate pronunciation. The story itself tackled such topics as honor, service, family and cultural bias. topics which were handled tactfully, with a depth and insightfulness that was at once not heavy.

Most certainly, one of my favorite historical fiction pieces of the last decade.

the historical footnotes and afterward are also a delight!

In short, this retelling of Mulan, is the one I wish I had heard as a child.

One of my favorite books of all time!

This book is fantastic! The writing is beautifully done and paints a clear picture in your mind. The action sequences and sword fighting sequences are very well done. The story line is very interesting and moves along nicely. Mulan is officially my hero! Buy this book you will not regret it!

Great story or honor, adventure, friendship

After watching the live action Mulan movie a few times I read through the credits and found the movie as an interpretation of the Ballad of Mulan. I was intrigued, and found this version. I kept an open mind knowing it would be a different interpretation. This story delivered to say the least. I am very happy this version by Sherry Thomas. It was rich with cultural experience. Her version provides a look into different layers of hierarchy and how honor is at the core of each layer. Friendships are formed by honor and adventures are encountered between friends. I was won over.

Captivating

Sherry Thomas can seem to do no wrong. I enjoy her forays into different genres, and this one was particularly fun. The well known ballad of Mulan gets a fresh re-telling, and Emily Woo Zeller does a stellar job with her performance. Fast paced, intriguing, I couldn't stop listening.

A beautiful retelling

This book is wonderful. It takes a story that I was familiar with and makes it something so much better. I lived both the story and the way it was told. Sherry Thomas’ writing style is lovely and Emily Woo Zeller brings the it to life perfectly. Definitely recommend.

Listen to the historical notes and afterward

I really like both this book and the narrator. I found that the historical notes and the afterward enriched the story. I appreciate the author’s attention to the theme of Chinese literature and themes — that I did not know about.

Enjoyable Adventure

I am honestly shocked that I really enjoyed this book, I came in with very low expectations but the story and the adventure was so enjoyable and I felt like I was watching a mini chinese drama
I liked the chemistry between Mulan and Kei and together they were a great team
If you are not familiar with the story of Mulan it's about a girl who dresses up as a boy to go to war instead of her father and there she encounters all sorts of trouble, specially when she falls in love with her commander
I liked this book and hope to read other Mulan retellings that are this good

The narration was average, but her voice had that sleepiness into it that didn't fit the war theme of the book

Fantastic!

I’ve never watched the Disney version of Mulan, so I only had a passing acquaintance with the story, but I am a Sherry Thomas fan. She did not disappoint. I was enthralled!

loved

it was amazing, told a story I have heard many times in many ways in a new way. using history and some imagination it has created an amazing story to listen to.

Fascinating and OUTSTANDING!

Quick paced and thoroughly fascinating. Loved this story and the narration.

Very original.

Thanks Sherry!