Flame in the Mist by Renée Ahdieh
Synopsis (from Goodreads)
"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
I received this book in my May FairyLoot box.
I'm conflicted. I liked lots of aspects but the overall book was... Meh.
LOVED the setting in feudal Japan! I really enjoy stories that aren't set in the cliche medieval western Europe and delve into other mythologies and customs. The lush descriptions of the kimonos and tea houses and palaces and the forests! It made me want to book a trip to Japan like RIGHT NOW.
This book was promoted as a retelling of Mulan, which it loosely is, in that a girl dresses up as a guy and learns to fight. Other than that, nope, not so much. Mulan is way cooler.
Mariko.... Ugh, not my favorite character at all. We're told she's so smart and clever like a bajillion times and yet she does nothing to show it except apparently invent throwing stars and grenades? But common sense-wise she definitely lacks. She putts around the Black Clan camp and then screws up every mission and yet they just keep her on because she's special for some reason? She just annoyed me the whole time.
The secondary characters were soooo much more interesting. Kenshin, Mariko's brother, Okima and Ren... Their character backgrounds and arcs are soooo much better than Mariko's! If you cut out Mariko and focused on them then the story would be fabulous. Also I wanted more Yuki and the tea house. She was only in two scenes but I liked her way more than Mariko.
The pacing started off really good. The first few chapters are full of action and suspense and then towards the middle it kind of slacks off and then at the end there's some action but it's also super "huh??" I felt like this whole book was just a big set up for the next book. There could have been a lot more going on and what was there could have been condensed. Big questions and mysteries were raised and nothing was really answered in this book, except for the one big reveal right at the end. There were a few plot lines moving along, and we'll see them converge in the sequel. The bigger plot arc was very interesting and I wanted more of that.
The biggest problem for me was Ahdieh's writing style. It was really distracting for me. Every single line sounds like it's a big reveal or cliffhanger. It feels exaggerated and hyperbolic and took me out of the story.
So in summary, Mariko and writing style = boo. Awesome samurai characters and Japanese-inspired world plus intriguing storyline = yay. I'll read the sequel though.
Rating
I give this book 3 stars.
Details
Genre: YA, Fantasy.
Language: Mild.
Sex: None, some intense kissing.
Violence: Some, mild.
Synopsis (from Goodreads)
"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
I received this book in my May FairyLoot box.
I'm conflicted. I liked lots of aspects but the overall book was... Meh.
LOVED the setting in feudal Japan! I really enjoy stories that aren't set in the cliche medieval western Europe and delve into other mythologies and customs. The lush descriptions of the kimonos and tea houses and palaces and the forests! It made me want to book a trip to Japan like RIGHT NOW.
This book was promoted as a retelling of Mulan, which it loosely is, in that a girl dresses up as a guy and learns to fight. Other than that, nope, not so much. Mulan is way cooler.
Mariko.... Ugh, not my favorite character at all. We're told she's so smart and clever like a bajillion times and yet she does nothing to show it except apparently invent throwing stars and grenades? But common sense-wise she definitely lacks. She putts around the Black Clan camp and then screws up every mission and yet they just keep her on because she's special for some reason? She just annoyed me the whole time.
The secondary characters were soooo much more interesting. Kenshin, Mariko's brother, Okima and Ren... Their character backgrounds and arcs are soooo much better than Mariko's! If you cut out Mariko and focused on them then the story would be fabulous. Also I wanted more Yuki and the tea house. She was only in two scenes but I liked her way more than Mariko.
The pacing started off really good. The first few chapters are full of action and suspense and then towards the middle it kind of slacks off and then at the end there's some action but it's also super "huh??" I felt like this whole book was just a big set up for the next book. There could have been a lot more going on and what was there could have been condensed. Big questions and mysteries were raised and nothing was really answered in this book, except for the one big reveal right at the end. There were a few plot lines moving along, and we'll see them converge in the sequel. The bigger plot arc was very interesting and I wanted more of that.
The biggest problem for me was Ahdieh's writing style. It was really distracting for me. Every single line sounds like it's a big reveal or cliffhanger. It feels exaggerated and hyperbolic and took me out of the story.
So in summary, Mariko and writing style = boo. Awesome samurai characters and Japanese-inspired world plus intriguing storyline = yay. I'll read the sequel though.
Rating
I give this book 3 stars.
Details
Genre: YA, Fantasy.
Language: Mild.
Sex: None, some intense kissing.
Violence: Some, mild.
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