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This book follows a story of seventeen years old Mariko, whose life is suffocating her with rules and confines of being a proper lady, meant for only one purpose: to be a prize sold into a political marriage that will benefit her father. So when on her way to her future husbands, Mariko is almost killed and is presumed dead for the rest of the world, she seizes the opportunity to finally become her own person and follows her dreams. Many of you already know, this book is a loose retelling of Mulan, featuring a strong-minded heroine and her adventures in feudal Japan. Japanese culture is, alas, a rare guest in YA literature these days, and one of the reasons I was willing to give Renee Ahdieh another chance was this unique setting, and, plus, you know, who can say no to Mulan, right? I must say, to the extent of my knowledge, which is really not big, and judging by the feelings I had during the reading process, I absolutely loved the setting in this book. It really felt like I was reading a book about Japanese culture and had this ghostly feeling of being present in a world of samurais and ronins; I felt bushido – the way of the warrior - the heroine and other characters were following.
As in Renee's other books, you can expect incredible descriptions of food and clothing and people and scenery--all the lush writing that makes you feel like you are living the story. The research that went into this book was intense, and it shows. I genuinely felt like I had been dropped into Mariko's world. The pacing is non-stop--I tore through this. But my FAVORITE part of the book was the romance. Insert all the fire emojis here.
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I love YA fantasy novels, I love retellings and I absolutely love Disney’s Mulan. Soooo you can imagine how excited I was to finally read Flame in the Mist by Renée Ahdieh, which combines all of these. But did this mix work? Here’s my review of Flame in the Mist! However, when I look more closely, I realize that no matter how much appreciate these things, it's not enough. There were many things I didn't like. At all. You'll notice btw a great amount of which reminds me in this review. What happens when a Slytherpuff and a Gryffindor (with Slytherin traits, Gryfferin?) decide to read a book together? The romance and the discovery of Mariko’s gender are two things that go hand in hand in the book, and it’s something that bothered me endlessly. The way Mariko was finally found out was so over-used and unimaginative that I just couldn’t believe my eyes. There was a lot of potential there and it just vanished within half a scene. I’m so disappointed and pissed. The fact that the person (Ōkami) who finds out she’s a girl does so by actually seeing her boobs is incredibly boring and slightly problematic if you ask me (I won’t go as far as to say it’s transphobic because I feel like I’m not the right person to call out on that, but I’ll just leave that here). How nice would it have been if he had slowly realized it not by seeing her body but by somehow sensing it? Because he saw past her appearances? Oh, I’m so sad. And pissed.
With] Flame in the Mist, Ahdieh has gifted us a new series to obsess over. If you live for books that have lush worlds, swoony romance and non-stop action, you’ll want to read this.”— Paste Magazine Clearly this is a Rune Word aimed at Sorceress players, with the +65% Faster Cast Rate, but I could honestly see other classes using it to farm with, with all of that bonus Vitality, the Increase Max Life, the Mana regen, the big boost on Resistances and all that extra gold and Magic Item drop chance. First off, the fact that Renee wrote this book is an instant 10 point. She absolutely slayed me with The Wrath and the Dawn ((I love Khalid sm, my sweet child)) and while there are many parallels that can be linked between the two books, I found this one to have such a passionate charm. Another general positive-- The use of setting was fantastic. Ahdieh captured the setting well in her previous novels, and she does it again here. I personally think many authors underestimate the atmospheric power of place. Things like this: This is often called a Mulan retelling (I mean, I did so too in my introduction), but it’s actually set in feudal Japan instead of China. And she doesn’t go to war. But yeah, it’s Asian-inspired and our main character pretends to be a boy. And then she meets A Guy. This is not a spoiler, because *of course* there’s a love story here.
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I TOTALLY LOVED THE ROMANCE. THIS IS THE KIND OF ROMANCE THAT I LOVE TO READ. It is enemy-to-lover and for me, it didn't feel rushed or forced to happen. It was sweet and romantic and IT WAS SLOW BURN AND NO LOVE TRIANGLES. THIS IS THE KIND OF ROMANCE THAT I ALWAYS LOOK FOR IN BOOKS.
I'll be honest. The first part of this book is kinda slow. There is just a lot of haning around, not doing much in the woods. But once you prevail into the last part, everything becomes worth it.Rich in magical realism and cultural nuance of feudal Japan, Ahdieh’s series starter begins with a girl-power bang. . . . A wonderful choice for YA shelves, especially where lush fantasy is popular.”— School Library Journal We should probably be thinking oh Mariko is so smart. She is taking care of herself. Now she did have a couple badass moments, but these were so far and few between. We kept being told how smart she is. And I mean consistently by not only Mariko but her brother Kenshin as well. I still feel we never saw this. Overall, Flame in the Mist is definitely a book worth reading if only for the Japanese setting and Eastern wisdom. But if you weren’t a fan of the author’s previous works, don’t expect to fall in love with this one, because it follows a lot of the same tropes TWATD had. And, on the contrary, if you were a fan, it is highly positive you will love this book as well. For me it was a 50/50 case, some things I liked a lot, some made me roll my eyes a lot. But I am definitely reading book 2 (by the way, is it a duology or trilogy?), and am looking forward to more book space for my new book boyfriends and secondary romances. Also, the plot was quite engaging, and a couple of questions that are left make me highly curious as for how things will work out in the sequel. This is the other old Rune Word that was never implemented before patch 2.4. Plague is a sword Rune Word, and it’s got a lot going on. She didn't annoy me (believe me, it's something). She was likable and I liked how she always wanted to be someone more than her society allowed her to.
I also wanted to mention the relationship between Mariko and her brother. I absolutely love seeing positive relationships between siblings: Ranmaru’s broad lips spread into an easy smile. “I believe the stars align so that souls can find one another. Whether they are meant to be souls in love or souls in life remains to be seen.” Reading the rest of the romantic plot I felt like I had to turn a blind eye to the fact that I hated the way it developed. Again, there were a couple more nice quotes, Ahdieh is one of the most beautiful writers in YA fantasy at the moment. The only writer that exceeds her is Laini Taylor. There isn't much else to say prose-wise. It was a delight to read.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.
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