Book Review: Flame in the Mist by Renée Ahdieh (Flame in the Mist #1)

 

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Genre: Fantasy

This is exactly what I needed to get out of my book slump! I’m totally in love with this Mulan-inspired story, it was so much fun! I need to pick up more asian-based fantasies, they are totally underrated!

Continue reading for more details.

Synopsis:

The only daughter of a prominent samurai, Mariko has always known she’d been raised for one purpose and one purpose only: to marry. Never mind her cunning, which rivals that of her twin brother, Kenshin, or her skills as an accomplished alchemist. Since Mariko was not born a boy, her fate was sealed the moment she drew her first breath.

So, at just seventeen years old, Mariko is sent to the imperial palace to meet her betrothed, a man she did not choose, for the very first time. But the journey is cut short when Mariko’s convoy is viciously attacked by the Black Clan, a dangerous group of bandits who’ve been hired to kill Mariko before she reaches the palace.

The lone survivor, Mariko narrowly escapes to the woods, where she plots her revenge. Dressed as a peasant boy, she sets out to infiltrate the Black Clan and hunt down those responsible for the target on her back. Once she’s within their ranks, though, Mariko finds for the first time she’s appreciated for her intellect and abilities. She even finds herself falling in love—a love that will force her to question everything she’s ever known about her family, her purpose, and her deepest desires.

Review:

Mariko is a strong main character and very strong-willed and driven. If she puts her mind to it, she’ll do her complete best to accomplish it and I love that! Infiltrating the dangerous Black Clan was one thing, but the way she held herself when within their ranks was really impressive. She held her ground and didn’t let herself be pushed around by reminding herself to be brave like a warrior even though she did indeed feel fear like any other person would in her spot. I kept on wondering throughout the whole thing how she kept up the boy voice especially with all the times she’d get caught off guard, I would 100% screw up! She represented female empowerment of the time period and it wasn’t portrayed in a way that made the character feel like a “pick-me” but rather it was implemented in a really nice way and only added to Mariko’s character. Though I wasn’t fully obsessed with Mariko for some reason, she was a pretty solid main character.

“The only power any man has over you is the power you give him.”

Okami’s personality/character being portrayed as a wolf definitely let the character come to life. His initial portrayal had me far from interested but as Makiro and Okami had more interactions, I got really intrigued. Okami really felt like a wolf with him being mysterious and sly and his style of talking. I really did come around to really looking forward to their interactions. And the big reveal of Mariko’s real identity was so much better and different than I had imagined it to go down. These two’s chemistry are off the charts and I absolutely live for the banter.

“Be as swift as the wind. As silent as the forest. As fierce as the fire. As unshakable as the mountain. And you can do anything...”

The plot was a grey area for me. I wasn’t really bored at any point to a large extent, but the plot wasn’t really super fast-paced or gripping. The people who don’t mind the world-building and setting up of the plot being the majority of the book, then they won’t get bored but if so this book might be a bit difficult to get into. I enjoyed the character interactions a lot and in general just loved all the main and side characters so I had an easy time getting through the book. The side characters were each so unique and different, it was fun to learn about each of their traits and how they acted with Mariko while she was undercover.

“I believe the stars align so souls can find one another. Whether they are meant to be souls in love or souls in life remains to be seen.”

The rich Japanese culture and setting of the book allowed me to really enjoy the book as I haven’t read much about it so it was really intriguing. It’s not confusing at all to understand and follow even though I was worried it would be prior to reading. The history or backstory of the Okami and leader of the Black Clan was also itnresting, giving the characters more depth and adding to the plot and understanding of the story and its events. Overall, this book was really enjoyable with the characters, culture, and history. 

“If I am marching to my death, then I will march to it as a girl. Without fear.”

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