Aleena's Reviews > Reflection

Reflection is a "What if" scenario written by Elizabeth Lim, based on on of my favourite Disney movies: Mulan.

Plot
If you have seen the film, you will know the iconic sequence on the mountains, where the Hun army is about to attack Shang's soldiers. Mulan, using her intuition, starts an avalanche, saving their lives and wiping out a huge portion of their enemies. From there, the book digresses away from the film. Shang becomes mortally wounded, nearing death. To save him, Mulan travels to the underworld, Diyu. Here she must combat demons, lies and come to terms with who she really is.

The first third and final third of the book are wonderfully written. The world of Diyu is masterfully painted and, as a reader, you get a deep sense of the mythology surrounding the book. The climax expertly incorporates the title of the book, Reflection, which is also a song in the original film.

The book's biggest flaw is the middle third. In this section it just felt that she was fighting demon after demon, with no respite. This made the plot a little repetitive and I would have preferred if it went in a different direction.

Characters
The main characters are Mulan, Shang and his guardian ShiShi. Mulan and Shang are accurate renditions of the film and it felt as though we were following a natural continuation of their characterisation. I would argue that Shang's relationship with Mulan is actually better developed in the book and that we get to know him on a deeper level.

ShiShi is a brand new character. His pride and superiority makes him look down at Mulan at the start. As the book progresses it was great to read his unfolding relationship Mulan and Shang.

For Mushu fans, sorry to disappoint. He only plays a minor role in the book, but the parts he is in are solidly written.



Other characters include King Yama and Meng Po. After a quick Google search, I found that these are actual figures in Chinese mythology. They were fascinating to read about and Reflection has left me wanting more.

Writing
Lim's prose was beautiful, painting a tapestry of the Underworld. Exposition was naturally handled (perhaps aided by the fact that this was based on a film).

At times it did feel like there were some plot conveniences happening, but these were few and far between.

Overall
A great companion to the original Disney film (and certainly better than the travesty that was Mulan II). You don't necessarily have to watch the film, but your enjoyment for the book and rooting for the characters will significantly increase if you have.