As the old saying goes, “If you can’t beat them, join them.” And for Fa Mulan, the best way to do both is to steal your father’s armor, run away from home, impersonate a soldier, and then master martial arts in a butt-kicking musical montage sung by Donny Osmond. As one does. So, in honor of our favorite sword-wielding Disney princess, let’s get down to business, to defeat the Huns to share some book recs featuring the “Heroine Disguises Herself as a Boy” trope.
Books Where The Heroine Disguises Herself as a Boy
Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim
If you love YA Fantasy books and haven’t at least heard of this one, then dishonor. Dishonor on your whole family.
Okay, not really. I just really wanted to use that GIF because Mushu is an iconic drama queen (or should I say, “drama dragon”). In all seriousness though, Spin the Dawn was one of my most anticipated releases of 2019, and here’s a Cri-Kee-sized list of reasons why:
✨It was pitched as Project Runway meets Mulan, and um, HELLO???? DOES THAT NOT SOUND AMAZING?
✨It has magical scissors, a life-or-death sewing contest, and an epic quest to forge three enchanted dresses, and um, HELLO???? DOES THAT NOT SOUND AMAZING?
✨That cover tho. Need I say more? No. No, I don’t think I do.
📖 RELATED POST: In which I share my thoughts about Spin the Dawn
The Flame in the Mist by Renée Ahdieh
All her life, Mariko has been taught to fulfill her duties, calmly and respectfully. She knows to reflect before she snacks acts! This shall bring her family honor and glory. So when Mariko is betrothed to the son of the Emperor, she understands that it is her duty to marry him, despite the fact she doesn’t want to.
But her impending nuptials go up in smoke like a certain matchmaker when her palanquin is viciously attacked by a dangerous group of bandits. Determined to hunt down those responsible for her botched murder attempt, Mariko does the only logical thing: she contacts the authorities.
Okay, no. She doesn’t do that. What she actually does is this: she disguises herself as a boy and secretly infiltrates the bandits’ ranks. Because yup, that’s definitely the only logical course of action here, folks. But you gotta love all the heart-pounding suspense (and equally heart-pounding romance) that ensues.
📖 RELATED POST: What did I think of The Flame in the Mist’s sequel?
Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto
Phoenixes? Check.
Giant phoenixes? Double check.
Giant phoenixes you can ride into battle? Triple check.
As Mulan’s Grandmother put it:
The only drawback about all of this? You’ve got to be a boy to ride said giant phoenixes. Well, Veronyka’s decision to disguise herself as a boy is making a whole lot more sense to me now. I would probably do the same thing if it meant I could fly on a gosh-darn-freaking phoenix. A PHOENIX, I SAY!
Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee
♪ Home, home on the range. Where the deer and the fugitives play. ♪
The year is 1849. Samantha and Annamae have been roped into playing an unfortunate game of tag with the law, and now they’re on the run from it. Together, they must either face prison bars or the perils of the Oregon Trail, and the only thing that can save them is each other. And, of course, a healthy amount of male masquerading.
📖 RELATED POST: Read my full review of Under a Painted Sky
This book slayed me with its heart-wrenchingly beautiful writing only to bring me back to life again with its depiction of female friendships. BECAUSE YES, FEMALE FRIENDSHIPS ARE SO POWERFUL, THEY CAN RESURRECT THE DEAD.
To Best the Boys by Mary Weber
I don’t know about you, but I need more female characters who are as swift as a coursing river, who have all the force of a great typhoon, who have all the strength of a raging fire, and I’ll be darned if Rhen Tullur from To Best the Boys doesn’t fit that bill. She’s smart, she’s brave, she’s fearless, and what’s more, she’s determined to prove it by entering a boys-only scholarship contest that might or might not kill her. #hardcore
(Also, if you didn’t at least hum those lines – YOU KNOW THE ONES – then do not pass go. Do not collect $200. In fact, go back and read them again because the sole purpose of this post is to get “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” stuck in your head for the next 10,000 years. Give or take.)
📖 RELATED POST: What did I think of To Best the Boys?
Are you excited about the upcoming Mulan live action movie?
What other books have the ‘heroine disguises herself as a boy’ trope?
Who is your favorite Disney princess?
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Welp, this post has achieved its purpose – you’ll find me singing I’ll Make a Man Out of You for the rest of the year at least. 😂
As soon as I saw this list I knew To Best the Boys would be on it, but I completely forgot Spin the Dawn features this trope too! I want to read it even more now.
I was a lot more excited for the live action Mulan before I found out it won’t have any songs in it. Why would they do that?? It’s one of the best Disney musicals!
Mission accomplished haha ✨✨✨But seriously, it’s a bit of a downer that the live action won’t have songs (“I’ll Make a Man Out of You” is SUCH A JAM), but at the same time I’m excited that they’re trying to be a bit more creative with it. I was slightly disappointed that the live action remake of Beauty and the Beast was almost a copy-and-paste version of the original. But that’s just me *shrugs*
And yes!!! Spin the Dawn does feature this trope! I hope that you end up enjoying it when you finally get around to picking it up! Anyways, thanks so much for such a lovely comment 💛
So many amazing recommendations, all of them are on my TBR, I should prioritise them
I’m glad that you loved the recommendations 💛I can’t wait to hear what you think of these books when you finally get around to reading them. 💛
😊😊😊
Great list! In Queen of Assassin too heroin dressed as boy for 3-4 chapters.
this post was so amazing!! i’ve never read any of these, but most of them are on my TBR and i desparately need to read them soon. ;) all the covers are also stunning! awesome post <3
Thanks so much, Ash! 💛It was a really fun post to write! I’m a classic Disney nerd, so I really enjoyed sneaking in as many movie references as possible haha. But I hope that you end up liking these books if you ever get around to reading them 💛Thanks for the comment!! 💛
Thankfully, dishonor shall not be on my family since I’ve read Spin the Dawn 😂😂 And now I’ve also got the song stuck in my head lol. I believe I have Under a Painted Sky on my TBR and I’m super excited especially since I loved the author’s other book. I think I had To Best the Boys on my TBR too, but then someone I know was super disappointed by it, so I kind of lost interest. I might check it out again! And Crown of Feathers sounds awesome!!!
Wonderful post 💖
Yay for not having dishonor on our families haha!! I picked up Under a Painted Sky for the exact same reason! I loved The Downstairs Girl so much I wanted to read more of the author’s work. I don’t think I would have picked it up otherwise!
Anyways, thanks so much for your lovely comment, Rukky!! 💛
OMG I love this post. Also…I cannot get this song out of my head.
I’m so glad that you enjoyed reading this! 💛Also, mission accomplished haha ;)
I. LOVE. THIS. POST. SO. MUCH. AAAAAAAAA
kat, your blogging brilliance knows no bounds ugh i loved reading this post so much!! spin the dawn is the first thing that comes to mind with this trope (and it did a freaking good job at it too) and YESSSSS FLAME IN THE MIST!!! so glad to see that on this list, i loved the first book and the reveals it gave (we don’t talk about the second book)
i want to read crown of feathers SO BADLY, it sounds like everything i will love and i never heard of ‘to best the boys’ but you best believe that i’m ADDING IT TO MY TBR !!! ugh love this!!
UGHHHH MAY YOU GONNA MAKE ME CRY (but like, the good kind of cry, not the bad one).😭😭😭YOU ARE TOO GOOD TO ME. This comment made my day :)
And so funny that you don’t like the sequel to Flame in the Mist because I feel like I didn’t like the first one that much, but thought the second was a bit better???? Derp.
And YES, I want to read Crown of Feathers so much too! I keep side-eyeing it on Overdrive, but somehow manage to always get distracted by the more new releases. The curse of being easily distracted *oh look a butterfly* haha. Anyways, thanks again for a lovely comment 💛
Omg, I LOVE Flame In the Mist (I feel like it’s not talked about enough???) Mariko is so kick-ass, and I defs got major Mulan vibes from the book 😍 I’m SO excited to read Spin the Dawn – it’s sitting on my TBR shelf right now, staring me down 😂
💛 Ngoc
This is honestly the BEST trope ever?!! *flails* I especially love it when the love interest knows it the whole time… Looking at you, StD. 😍💛
It is SUCH a fun trope, isn’t it!!??? I honestly can’t get enough of it. Anyways, thanks for your lovely comment, Charis! 💛💛
I LOVE MULAN! From this list I’ve only read To Best the Boys, which I liked, but it feels a little forgettable :( Another book that comes to my mind is Rebel Wing, by Tracy Banghart. It’s AMAZING. The heroine signs up for the military too, pretending to be a man, but… chasing after her crush. It’s a trilogy, and what I loved was that she grows so much. She evolves to become an incredible soldier and finds what she really wants to do with her life.
I agree, Mulan is AWESOME! And yes, To Best The Boys was fun, but sort of forgettable. And oooooohhhh Rebel Wing sounds awesome! *hurries off to add it to my already crushing TBR* Thanks for the recommendation! 💛
AH WHAT an amazing post ahhhh. I haven’t read any of these books here, but I am SO excited to read Spin the Dawn sometime, as well as Under A Painted Sky and anything by Stacey Lee. I only read The Secret of a Heart Note by her, but fell in love with it can’t WAIT to read more of her stories :)
MARIIIEEE 💛💛💛It makes me so happy to hear that you loved this post! I honestly think you would like both of those books – especially Under a Painted Sky. I’ve read two of Stacey Lee’s books now, and I really enjoyed both of them. I’ll have to pick up The Secret of a Heart Note next!
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I absolutely love that trope, it’s so much fun when it’s well written ! Since I read and loved Spin the dawn, I now have 4 new books to add to my TBR, so thank you very much for the recommendations 😊