Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh (Flame in the Mist #1)
Published by GP Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers on May 16th, 2017
Genres: Historical Fantasy, YA
Page Length: 393 pages
How I got my copy: Publisher
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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.
Note: I received an advanced copy of Flame in the Mist from the publisher. Some things may have changed in the final version.
Thoughts:
Solid story, cool world/magic, good pacing, sweet romance. I was a black sheep with Ahdieh’s previous books (didn’t hate them but didn’t love them), but I could see the potential if she wrote a storyline that I was more interested in. I’m happy that proved true. I really enjoyed Flame in the Mist, including the romance.
I had been nervous that there wouldn’t be magic; have no fear, there is magic and lots of it, and inspired by Japanese mythology. However, our heroine does not have magic and instead saves the day with science! She is a nerd and she is awesome.
While this is a girl-disguised-as-boy plotline and there is a hair cutting scene, that is where the similarities with Mulan end, so don’t worry about that. This is clearly a new and unique story set in feudal Japan (as opposed to Mulan which is Chinese) and is no more similar to Mulan than any other girl-dressed-as-boy story.
Have you read this one? What did you think? Are you excited for it if you haven’t gotten to it yet?
– Anya
Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh
© 2017, Anya. All rights reserved.