The Wild Orchid: A Retelling of The Ballad of Mulan in Into the Forest

Oct 10, 2009 Cara rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fairy-tales, fantasy

Now I am an "official" I guess you could say fan now. I've read a substantial amount of these books, and now I have to read them all. Dokey is the author that writes most of these retellings and for a good reason. She's excellent at setting the stage but for some reason at the climax you just want more, but I'm happy to report that this one felt totally satisfying.

Here we have the story of Mulan. I thought that it was an interesting idea to put this in the fairy tale category. I wouldn't have th Now I am an "official" I guess you could say fan now. I've read a substantial amount of these books, and now I have to read them all. Dokey is the author that writes most of these retellings and for a good reason. She's excellent at setting the stage but for some reason at the climax you just want more, but I'm happy to report that this one felt totally satisfying.

Here we have the story of Mulan. I thought that it was an interesting idea to put this in the fairy tale category. I wouldn't have thought of it myself but it does fit oddly enough. Unfortunately I don't have much background of the original tale. All my information prior to reading this book came from the Disney version. No worries it isn't a repeat and definitely gives the movie a run for its money.

Mulan never has meet her mother or father. Her mother died in childbirth and her father is a a highly respected general in the Chinese army. General Hua is heart broken when he hears the awful news because he got to marry for love, which was unheard of. He just can't face his daughter until one day he has to. Mulan is not like any girl in China. This annoyed me a little because I mean China is a HUGE country with billions of people, not one of them could be like her? Really? That aside you do see that Mulan is one of a kind because she has this yearning to be herself. She can sew, embroider, shoot an arrow, ride a horse, read, write and wield a sword. And because of all her skills and passion she will become a true hero of China.

This one is one of my favorites. Dokey captured the Chinese culture well. You sense how much respect they show for others and the importance of honor. Li Po (her childhood friend) teaches all she knows and I could see what was going to happen to him in the end. There is so much more action (not that much but a lot more than the others) and I appreciate that Mulan and Prince Jian are not physical knockouts but their characters are so bright. I loved it and that's all I can say without giving away too much. ...more

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Jan 12, 2011 Fairlita rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: adaptation-or-retelling, history-or-historical, china-or-chinese, folklore-fairytale_mythology_fable, period-ancient-china, easy-comfort-reads, ya, once-upon-a-time-series, covers-comparison, 2011_reads

Much more enjoyable than the Disney film version, but I also would love to see the 2011-release 3D version with Zhang Ziyi as Hua Mulan, or
2009 one with Vicky Zhao Wei.

The only drawback is the name "China" itself. I'm not an expert when it comes to the history of China, but in my opinion, the country and its inhabitants were not referred as "China" and "Chinese" during the period of the story.

Book cover: Horrible! How is it possible that a Chinese girl, whose biological mother and father are bo ...more

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Mar 14, 2013 Melanti rated it it was ok

Shelves: fairy-tales-folklore-and-mythology, 2013, young-adult, library

I really should have read the three stories in this anthology individually - but I read them all in a rush, since there's an enormous waiting list at the library and I wanted to get it on to the next patron as soon as I possibly could.

Unfortunately, the flaws in Dokey's writing become more apparent when you read them together, because it's the same flaws in all three.

There's almost no conflict in these. Mulan fits in just fine among the soldiers. Cinderella is friends with her step sister. The " ...more

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Jul 22, 2012 Moriah rated it really liked it · review of another edition

“Wild Orchid" is the retelling of Mulan. Mulan? Really? What more can be said that hasn't already by Disney? Those were my FIRST thoughts. As I read this book it seemed to soar up and down, twisting and turning, all wrapped up in a beautifully written tale of how a motherless girl won the love of her father, a prince, and an Empire! ...more

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Dec 03, 2010 Anna Ivanova rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: once-upon-a-time-novel-series, fairy-tales, 2009, mulan

3 stars...hmmm. This story was a bit harder to get into then the previous books I read in the series. I might have to re-read to enjoy it more fully.

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Oct 21, 2008 JS rated it liked it

Shelves: ya, fairy-tales, fantasy, romance

Beauty Sleep and Storyteller's Daughter are still the best Cameron Dokey books, but I enjoyed this one fairly well too. ...more

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Apr 17, 2009 Danielle The Book Huntress marked it as to-read

Shelves: fairy-tale-theme, owned-copy, young-adult

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Jul 02, 2009 Ginny rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fairy-tales, wishlist

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Aug 23, 2009 Reem marked it as to-read

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Sep 01, 2009 Gaijinmama marked it as to-read

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Mar 27, 2010 Emily rated it it was amazing

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Apr 21, 2010 Melanie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, owned, spitfire-heroines, misunderstandings-mistaken-or-secre, have-in-nyc, legends, adventure, fairy-tales, war, asian-setting-characters

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