{"schema_version":"bf_book_companion_v1","release_id":"20261010T034321Z-reviewed-full-unique-works","book":{"amazon_purchase_url":"https://www.amazon.com/dp/1620148048?tag=bookfrontie00-20","asin":"1620148048","authors":["Sherry Thomas"],"book_id":"9781620148044","canonical_url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/the-magnolia-sword-a-ballad-of-mulan-9781620148044","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781620148044.jpg?v=63c1827fe332b71e","description":"Bestselling writer Sherry Thomas weaves an enthralling retelling of a story that has thrilled readers for centuries: the ballad of Mulan. CHINA, 484 A.D. 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.","forthcoming":false,"isbn13":"9781620148044","publication_date":"20190910","publisher":"Lee & Low Books","slug":"the-magnolia-sword-a-ballad-of-mulan","subtitle":"A Ballad of Mulan","title":"The Magnolia Sword: a Ballad of Mulan"},"discovery":{"categories":{"all":[{"bisac_code":"YAF024030","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Historical YA - Asia","score":0.7817,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"YAF046030","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Asia for Teens","score":0.764,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"YAF017010","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Fairy Tale Adaptations for Teens","score":0.7489,"source":"bisac_hint_model"}],"hint":[{"bisac_code":"YAF024030","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Historical YA - Asia","score":0.7817,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"YAF046030","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Asia for Teens","score":0.764,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"YAF017010","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Fairy Tale Adaptations for Teens","score":0.7489,"source":"bisac_hint_model"}],"publisher":[{"bisac_code":"YAF024030","confidence_band":"high","label":"Historical YA - Asia","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"},{"bisac_code":"YAF024100","confidence_band":"high","label":"War & Military YA","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"}]},"genres":[{"label":"Historical YA - Asia","score":0.7817,"slug":"historical-ya-asia"},{"label":"Asia for Teens","score":0.764,"slug":"asia-for-teens"},{"label":"Fairy Tale Adaptations for Teens","score":0.7489,"slug":"fairy-tale-adaptations-for-teens"}],"reader_fit":["Readers drawn to wuxia-inspired martial-arts adventures","Good for fans of romantic retellings of Mulan"],"related_lists":[],"series":null,"similar_books":[{"authors":["Cameron Dokey"],"book_id":"9781416971689","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781416971689.jpg?v=225621bb38f757cf","score":0.7868,"title":"Wild Orchid","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781416971689"},{"authors":["Amber Chen"],"book_id":"9780593622759","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780593622759.jpg?v=8532222ede09fc68","score":0.7214,"title":"Of Jade and Dragons","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780593622759"},{"authors":["Dori Jones Yang"],"book_id":"9780385739245","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780385739245.jpg?v=021c4ea0d883dab6","score":0.7205,"title":"Daughter of Xanadu","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780385739245"},{"authors":["Elizabeth Lim"],"book_id":"9781484781296","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781484781296.jpg?v=9335f53799392a62","score":0.717,"title":"Reflection","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781484781296"},{"authors":["Adeline Yen Mah"],"book_id":"9780060567354","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780060567354.jpg?v=90e91400a353bf28","score":0.7115,"title":"Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780060567354"},{"authors":["Shen Tao"],"book_id":"9781250406811","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781250406811.jpg?v=e33aa00a70ac6ea3","score":0.7097,"title":"The Poet Empress","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781250406811"},{"authors":["Elizabeth Lim"],"book_id":"9780593126028","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780593126028.jpg?v=7c86116f09b91330","score":0.6923,"title":"Spin the Dawn","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780593126028"},{"authors":["Rebecca Kim Wells"],"book_id":"9781534488427","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781534488427.jpg?v=8670083b5a310629","score":0.6799,"title":"Briar Girls","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781534488427"}],"topics":[{"evidence_refs":["keyword:young adult"],"label":"Young","score":0.303,"slug":"young"},{"evidence_refs":["keyword:historical"],"label":"Historical","score":0.1137,"slug":"historical"}],"what_you_get":["Themes: Family duty and revenge, War and invasion, Identity and disguise.","Pacing: fast, momentum-driven storytelling.","Story elements: Warrior in disguise, A princeling with secrets, Unmasking a traitor."]},"llm_signals":{"confidence":0.92,"pacing":"fast","reader_fit":["Readers drawn to wuxia-inspired martial-arts adventures","Fans of romantic retellings of Mulan"],"themes":["Family duty and revenge","War and invasion","Identity and disguise"],"tropes":["Warrior in disguise","A princeling with secrets","Unmasking a traitor"]},"source_presence":{"amazon":true,"book_detail":true,"goodreads":true,"llm_signals":true,"similarity_seed":true},"stats":{"amazon_ratings_count":403,"goodreads_ratings_count":4317,"goodreads_reviews_count":821,"quality_score":0.9628}}