Very good.  I enjoyed this more than Wrath and the Dawn.  Sequel please!

Flame in the Mist has to be one of the most hyped books of 2017, with all the aggressive promotional efforts of bloggers and bookstagrammers, it definitely has a huge presence amongst readers everywhere. I received an electronic arc of this book but only got to review it now - and that definitely says a lot about it already. Despite me being busy with life, I always found a way to review books, and this one, I simply forgot. Frankly, I didn’t like it. I didn’t enjoy the whole time I was reading it. It was simply too cliché of a book to me and it felt like I’ve seen all these characters and plot twists somewhere in mangas or anime out there. Like, you know, the brooding warrior brother, smart but socially and politically helpless girl, and the two guy best friends that went through hell together and have a deadly secret between them. The world building was vague and the various magical elements that were supposed to add onto the story, only served to confuse me. They were unnecessary to the plot and were only incorporated into the story near the end in an attempt to make a foundation for a sequel. And me being the magic-crazed girl that I am, was very disappointed of the treatment that it got.
Another thing that I’d like to talk about was the romance. People have constantly been raving about it had no romance whatsoever, when in fact, it had. I’ve discussed this with a fellow reader before, and I want to say that I really don’t like it when a girl falls in love with a supposedly evil guy, she struggles with it for a while, and when she finally acknowledges the horrific truth of it, in comes the plot device that rescues the guy and shows that he is not actually evil, only misunderstood. I think it’s very unrealistic and sends an ugly message that it’s okay because there might be some good in him. It’s a rescue fantasy, and that to me is not good. I mean, what if he is exactly what everyone says?
Anyway, if there’s anything good I have to say, it’s that I admire Mariko very much. She is a thinker. She isn’t your typical strong female character that plunges headfirst into conflict without thinking. I’m not saying many female characters don’t think, it’s just that I loved reading through her thoughts, her musings, and her plans to get what she wanted. She fought a different sort of battle and she definitely slayed it. 
That is all I guess.

Note: Review will go live on July 21, 2017

Right off the bat, there were several things going for this book when I first saw that it was coming out. First and foremost, I had very much liked Abdieh's previous YA fantasy duology, a re-telling of "One Thousand and One Nights, "The Wrath and the Dawn" and "The Rose and the Dagger." Together they made up a unique re-telling of one of the few remaining fairytales that hasn't been beaten into the ground (this coming from an avid fan of fairytale re-tellings), and the style of writing appealed to me with its lyrical quality. "Flame in the Mist" had the same elements. To its detriment.

I want to applaud the author, however, for sticking to her guns in choosing lesser known stories and focusing her world-building and characters on non-European/western settings and cultures. Here we have what is essentially a "Mulan" re-telling set in a proto-Asian setting. I don't have a wealth of knowledge of Chinese/Japanese/etc cultures, so I can't speak to those aspects of the book (similar to my lack of knowledge of the "realism" of the Middle Eastern setting used in her previous duology). However, both that series and this are set in fantasy worlds, for all their similarities, so outside of blatant issues (which there were none that I could tell), there was a lot of free reign to build a completely new world order/culture with this story. This was one aspect of the story that I really enjoyed. It was refreshing to read a fantasy setting that takes place in an eastern setting. This left not only the fantasy elements to learn and to explore, but also the immersive quality of being quite outside my own culture, while still having threads to tie back to what little I do already know of the regions of the world that this stories draws from. Full marks for world building.

Unfortunately, that leads me to the rest of the story, all of which I had more issues with. First off, I feel as if, as a reader, I would have been better served having this book not presented to me as a "Mulan" re-telling. For better or worse, my knowledge of that story is pretty well tied up with the Disney version. I know the story is based on a traditional Chinese fairytale of a young woman who dresses and fights as a man, but I haven't read it and couldn't even speak to the accuracy of Mulan. So...Disney's all I've got with this one. 

One of the things that made Disney!Mulan's story appealing were the noble and, most importantly in this case, understandable reasons for why she does what she does. Her hand is quite literally forced, for love of her father and nothing more. Sure, she feels out of place in her own skin and that she is letting her family down, but she never contemplates abandoning home until the situation with her father being called to war comes to play. Not so with Mariko.

For all intents and purposes, Mariko is quite acceptable as a daughter. Sure she's frustrated and angered by the fact that she is being traded away in marriage, but alas, such is the life she was born to lead. In the short introduction we are given to her character before the action sets in, we are given every reason to think that Mariko is above all a practical and dutiful daughter. These are traits she prides herself in. But then her caravan is attacked, her guards and maid killed, and she finds herself wandering around in the woods alone. And this is where I first knew there were going to be issues for me with this book. Mariko rightly worries that her situation is going to be problematic for her family to explain; when/if she returns home, her virtue could be called into question due to this, and through this, her family's honor. What is to be done? Obviously, running away, disguising herself as a boy, and tracking down those who attacked her so that she can save her virtue. Somehow.

I'm a fantasy reader, I'm more than happy to turn my brain off and go on many a adventure where implausible things happen. But only so far as the world allows. This type of blatant, plot-serving faulty logic drives me bonkers. How in the world could dressing up as a boy and hanging out with a bunch of (male!) thieves improve her chances of retaining her family's honor and her own virtue? Nothing about it makes sense. And unfortunately, this type of backwards thinking continues for Mariko throughout the story. She sometimes even made the right decision, but made it for such the wrong reason that I couldn't even give her credit for it.

Beyond this, I've found that in this, the third book I've read by this author, the writing is starting to get on my nerves. What came off as lyrical and appropriate in the previous duology, read as strained and forced here. Perhaps the focus on storytelling that was at the center of the other two books simply lent itself better to this type of writing, and now, removed from that topic, it simply felt awkward. It's hard to even describe, really, as sentence-by-sentence there's nothing wrong with the writing. But as I kept reading, it just kind of built up as an annoyance, and enough of one that I repeatedly found myself putting the book down.

"The Flame in the Mist" was not for me. I could never get behind Mariko as a main character with her blatantly contradictory thought process and decision making, and the more dramatic and lyrical writing style seemed to rub uncomfortably with this more action-oriented tale. For those looking for a good woman/warrior story, pull out the classic "Alanna" series instead. Or, hey, check out the "Bloodbond" series that I recently finished up and loved.

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.

I was so incredibly pleased with this book and this story! It is a new favorite and it will definitely appear on my list of Best Books of 2017 list at the end of the year! It is a 5/5 stars for me, and I want to recommend this book to everybody and make you read it!

Plot:
It has been going around that Flame in the Mist is a Mulan retelling, and it is not. First of all, it is set in feudal Japan, while Mulan is set in China, and second, the only element that resembles Mulan in any way was (not a spoiler, it is in the synopsis) the fact that she dressed up as a boy after they attacked her family’s convoy.

Even though a Mulan retelling would have been AMAZING, this was not it at all. So if you wanted to go into this book because of that, you will not find it exactly. But I still encourage you to pick it up if you were thinking about it!
I thought this book was so engaging and thrilling in all of its aspects. While the pacing for the first entire half of the book was slow, the characters were so interesting and what was going on with each of their lives and their current affairs were so intriguing that it didn’t matter AT ALL to me.

I was so interested in learning more, and I felt like I could continue reading this book forever until eternity and never get bored. This book was all about lies, betrayals, bloodshed, honor, and secrets that have not even been yet disclosed to the reader.

Characters:
I am dying to talk about these characters! They were one of the main and most important components of this story because even though there was a lot of action and stuff going on throughout this book that had me at the edge of my seat, it is still a very character-driven story.
Mariko, the main character, was such a wonderful person to read about. She was a very head-strong girl, and she had a strange and twisted, but cunning, mind. She was not smart all of the time, she made many stupid decisions throughout the book without really stopping to think about what she was doing. She messed up a lot. But still, she was a character that was extremely observant and paid attention to every detail. She was still very analytical of persons and her surroundings, and one of her biggest strengths was the fact that she was really good at reading people and their emotions, as well as the potential she had and creativity.
 
Her character and strengths were often contrasted to her brother and how he did not pay much attention to the small things, nor did he understand people’s motives very well sometimes. But he was really physically strong and outstanding in the battlefield. He was a tracker and a loyal warrior, but he disregarded other things Mariko concentrated a lot on.
 
The rest of the characters I had a really hard time figuring out. I thought I was meant to hate many characters that, no matter how much I tried, couldn't help but like. Some of them grew on me, and I fell in love with them despite Mariko’s and my own first impressions.
 
OKAMI. That boy made my damned heart flutter. What an annoying, but beautiful, bastard.

They were cunning and much smarter than Mariko, at times. But they were all so mysterious and enigmatic, and I couldn’t seem to understand their true motives. As the story progressed, however, many new details were revealed about them which helped me understand everything much more.
 
The romance was PERFECTION in Flame in the Mist. It was not the main focus of the book, but it was present just in the right amount and developed in a perfect way. I love the main character, I love Okami with all of my heart, I love Ranmaru, Yumi, and EVERYBODY ELSE. 
Except for ———. Because the end of this book was really wretched and scary. Some of the other characters REALLY scared me.
 
I think something really interesting about Mariko was that she was really strong in the mind and analyzed everything around her. Even though she messed up and did stupid, reckless things, she still had a really great understanding of people and could read emotions really well simply by paying close attention to them, their actions and choice of words.
In that sense, I saw myself reflected on Mariko because she really put a lot of thought into the things people said, even when they did not think every single word, and that gave her a pretty good understanding of what they were like and what principles they followed.
 
“Bravery did not come to her naturally. She spent too much time weighing her options to be brave. Too much time calculating the many paths before her. But Mariko knew it was time to do more. Time to be more. She would not die a coward.” 
 
Also, a theme that was really important was how one can listen to what society in general and people say, that you can pay attention to their every single word, but still disagree with what they convey because you’ve got a really strong idea of what you believe in and what you think is right.

World Building:
The setting of Flame in the Mist, like I said before, was feudal Japan. I thought Renee Ahdieh did an excellent job at capturing the essence of this period in time and the Japanese settings and write it down in such a flawless way. The setting descriptions were beautifully done because of how the author represented each of the features of the places.
I learned so much about feudal Japan with this book, and it was AMAZING!
 
One of the reasons why I was completely relaxed while reading this book was because of the writing style and how it made me feel so immersed in the world. I could picture everything, from the cities and the forest to the Hattori Province and the clothes the characters wore. The world felt so real and complete, and it added so much to my experience.
 
I would highly recommend reading this book in a silent environment to appreciate it the most, or while listening to a Piano playlist. The music I chose to listen while reading this book could not have been more accurate. I had some songs on my playlist that were mysterious and enigmatic, just like how the characters felt to me most of the time. And then there were some piano modern songs that soothed me to the extent that I was completely at peace with myself, and it filled me with joy.
 
The audiobook was excellent as well, and I listened to some of it while following the narration with my gaze. It is not the most outstanding audiobook, and there are not any great sound effects for epicness. But the narrator was so accurate for this book, and her voice made me feel a thousand times more relaxed. You should go listen to an excerpt of it over here. Click on the "listen" button.
 
I made up this playlist (check it out in the original post) that you can check out and listen to while reading this book. It was vital for making me feel as relaxed as I was, and I HIGHLY recommend it if you want to calm yourself down a bit.
 
These songs + Renee Ahdieh’s writing = peacefulness and perfection! 

Rating Report:
Cover: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 stars
Plot:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 stars
World Building:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 stars
Writing:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 stars (more like a THOUSAND stars!)
Characters:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 stars
Pace:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars
 
Notes on the pacing:
The first half was SLOW. I loved it still, but it may be difficult for some other people. But please, if you are finding it difficult to GET INTO IT, push through. It gets infinitely better and the pacing picks up a lot! PLEASE JUST CONTINUE!

This review will be found published on my blog "Books Like Wolves" from July 14th onwards.

It has a really good story and magic system, the writing is beautiful as always, but the characters felt too similar to Ahdieh’s previous books which distract me from truly enjoying the story. I'd love to know more about the magic and how the conflict will be resolved!

I really enjoyed this story, how strong and smart Mariko is and how she grows as a person. It is set up really well for the next book and I got very involved with the characters and their pasts. Well done overall and I loved the feminist tone.

I received this book through NetGalley as a granted wish by the publisher Penguin Group & Putnam Juvenile. I also got it in exchange for an honest review. I’m thanking NetGalley, Penguin Group and Putnam Juvenile for granting me the wish and providing me with the copy of this book.

“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…”

When I got the e-mail from NetGalley telling me I got approved to get an ARC of this book I was really, really happy!!

I really wanted to read it before publication and I managed to do that. I tried to review it before publication, but there I did not manage…

This was my first read from Renée Ahdieh, and it did not disappoint me at all!! I really liked the book. I had to get used to it in the beginning, but now I can’t wait for the sequel!!!!!

It was really fun to read another story set in Asia… Don’t read many books with Asian influence, but they’re gaining ground in the book market.. [read Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee and A Mortal Song by Megan Crewe last year] I really love to read about different cultures. Culture in common intrigues me, but I really like Samurai culture.

Mariko is a very strong character. Raised to be obedient and pretty, but stubborn and a survivalist. Her story in this book is amazing. I really loved her part and how she handled the world. The way she thinks in a place where she was taught not to think for herself is pretty amazing. She handles situations, tricks dangerous people and survives a dangerous game she started. But she’s not the only strong female in this book… And I like how Renée gives strength to other female characters. But not only the female characters are given strength and personality. I admire her gift of creating characters.

I won’t spoil the story, but if you’ve read it, you will probably agree with me. About Mariko and the other females and about male characters like Ranmaru, Okami and her brother the Dragon of Kai. But in retrospect, there are weak characters in the book. I will not call names, but read and decide for yourself ;]

It was a really good book with an interesting story. I did feel like waiting forever for the obvious romance growing in this story hihi…. But it’s real cute and not as obvious as I thought before ;] Like I said can’t wait for the second book, and will probably read The Wrath & the Dawn series sooner than I thought =]

Mariko is traveling to the imperial palace to meet the man she is betrothed to.  She did not choose him, but since she is the daughter of a samurai of high standing, it is her destiny.  It doesn’t matter that she is as smart as her twin brother and is a great alchemist.  She was not born a boy and this is her fate.  Unfortunately, Mariko doesn’t make it to the palace because her convoy is attacked by the Black Clan.  She is the only survivor and is now planning her revenge.  Will Mariko’s plan to infiltrate the Black Clan work?  If she falls in love along the way will she be able to accept the truths she had been taught?

Flame in the Mist is the first book in a series by the name title.  The adventure begins quickly with Mariko’s entire caravan being slaughtered and her running for her life.  Ahdieh has created a story that is rich in characters and culture without spending endless pages on world building.  Readers will want to follow Mariko on her journey and will not be satisfied until they have all their questions answered.   Flame is the Mist will please both male and female readers and is recommended for anyone who enjoys a good adventure, especially if they appreciate the samurai culture.

This epic fantasy, with allusions to Mulan, is richly told in a beautifully drawn feudal Japan. It tells the story of the daughter of a prominent samurai, who disguises herself as a boy in order to survive - one of my favorite tropes, and it;s done so well. If you were a fan of Ahdieh's other work, "The Wrath and the Dawn", this is just as filled with adventure, romance, and lush prose. I adored Mariko as nobility-turned-warrior, and her chemistry with Okami was so much fun to read.

That ending though? I need the sequel NOW.

I’m so glad I was approved for this book on Netgalley! I loved The Wrath and the Dawn duology, so even though I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this one, I knew the writing would be fantastic, and I was so right about that.

This book is told through several perspectives, but the main one is definitly Mariko’s perspective. As this was an ARC, I found it confusing when the POVs changed, because I had no indication or tab letting me know that the change was happening. Still, Ahdieh did a great job with the different voices, even though the book is told in the third person.

I will admit that it took me a little bit to really get into this story, because I found the beginning of the book sort of slow, and I’m still slightly confused about some of the events of this book. With that said, I did fall in love with the story pretty easily, and I honestly just needed the second book STAT, so my questions would be answered right away. Seriously guys, I need to know some things urgently.

The characters are amazing, I loved Mariko and her strength and determination, and how much she grew to accept herself through this book. Okami and all the Black Can were such a nice surprise. And Yumi! I love Yumi and I want to see much more of her in the following books. Some characters surprised me in a positive way, while I’m still on the fence about some of them, but I do have high hopes for Kenshin.

There were so many twists, and the one thing that bothered me was the lack of answers. This is a book that clearly does not stand on its own, and the second one will be imperative to answer some MAJOR things in the plot, so yeah… I need book 2. The romance is sweet and amazing, and it doesn’t take away from the story, it adds to it. There is such a great amount of respect between the two, and I’m a fan, I SHIP IT!

GUYS, IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THIS ONE YET, DO IT NOW.
IT’S DETAILED AND INTRICATE AND BEAUTIFUL, WITH A KICK-ASS JAPANESE GIRL AS THE MAIN CHARACTER.
ALSO, YOU KNOW THIS IS SORT OF BASED ON MULAN, RIGHT? SO, READ IT.

This was beautiful storytelling. The cities and palaces and dynasties were described so vividly that it felt like the story was about real people. I absolutely loved the writing. I could picture everything perfectly.

Mulan retelling and feudal Japan? Uhm. YES PLEASE.

I honestly LOVED everything about Flame in the Mist. I admit the beginning was a bit slow-paced for me but the further I read, the better it got. I've read only one other series that centers around Japanese mythology (Red Winter by Annette Marie) and so far it has yet to disappoint me.
I think one of the reasons why I liked this book so much was because of how alike Mariko and Shazi was. They may not be as good as other kickass heroines in wielding swords but they're thinkers with an unyielding determination to stand firm with what they believe in. They get themselves out of difficult situations because of their intelligence, resourcefulness and ingenuity. And I greatly admired that.

Now I can't say much about the romance other than it was definitely slow burn. And who wouldn't love that?! 
And I can't say much about The Black Clan. Because... I really don't know much about them. I think that's the one thing that really disappointed me about the book. Mariko was kidnapped and is living in the midst of this infamous band of mercenaries and I know zilch about them. How were they formed? What is their true purpose? How many of them are there? Where did they all come from? How did they gain such a scary reputation? Because they weren't all that scary to me. Seriously.

Overall Flame in the Mist is an amazing read! I devoured it in one sitting and now am dying to get my hands on book two. Because that ending? That ending was an absolute torture.

Oh and just so it's clear. The only reason I'm not giving this five stars is because I didn't obsess over it like I did with The Wrath and the Dawn. Because when it comes to Renee Ahdieh? The only other author you can compare Renee Ahdieh to is Renee Ahdieh. 

I received an e-arc to read and review.

"Be as swift as the wind. As silent as the forest. As fierce as the fire. As unshakable as the mountain."



Flame In The Mist was one of my most anticipated releases of 2017. I mean, it’s a Mulan retelling. How often do you come across that? On top of that, it sounded as though the protagonist was really badass, and I’ve always been fascinated by Japanese culture, so I loved that aspect as well.

While FITM wasn’t perfect and had some things that annoyed me, I did really enjoy it. I especially loved the Black Clan and its band of mischievous boys. Their Clan has this really dark reputation of killing everyone in their path, but they were truly my favourite characters.
"My life has been filled with death and lies and loose women." Okami pushed back a fall of black hair, meeting her gaze. Holding her there. Rapt. "I regret everything else." He smiled, his hooded, heavy-lidded eyes brimming with mockery.
Truly he was hopeless.

I loved reading about them, and about Mariko's mission to infiltrate their ranks disguised as a boy.

While the writing was really vibrant and beautiful, sometimes it became a bit too much. Like the author was trying too hard to be clever. I would also like someone to look up how often the words "liar" and "lying" are used. I swear half of the dialogue between Mariko and Okami is just:
"You lie."
"No I don't."
"You're a liar. You're lying."
"No I'm not."
Which got really frustrating after a while.

However, I found the world-building to be really rich and intriguing, and I loved how none of the characters were 100% black or white - their personalities all had shades of grey.

And with that ending, you bet your butt that I'm going to be anticipating the sequel, too. There are so many questions left unanswered, and I can't wait to see how Ahdieh spins this yarn.
"Fear kept her alert. She would always let it feed her. Never let it consume her."

I thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy

Spoilerfrei.

„Flame in the Mist“ ist der Auftakt einer soweit als Zweiteiler angekündigten Reihe. Öfters hört man, dass die Autorin Renée Ahdieh, die bereits die auf das Märchen „1001 Nacht“ basierende Dilogie „Zorn und Morgenröte“ und „Rache und Rosenblüte“ geschrieben hat, sich dieses Mal der Geschichte von Mulan  (z.B. bekannt aus der Disney-Adaption) bedient hat. Ich würde es allerdings nur als leichte Inspiration sehen, viele Parallelen weisen die Geschichten nicht auf. Das Element, welches den Vergleich anheizt, wäre das Verkleiden einer jungen Frau als Mann und wie es ihr damit ergeht (kein Spoiler, passiert auf den ersten paar Seiten und bildet eine Grundthematik der Geschichte).

Bei „Flame in the Mist“ befinden wir uns inmitten von japanischen Traditionen anstatt chinesischen und auch kann die Zeit, zu der „Flame in the Mist“ spielt, um einiges später angesiedelt werden als das Volksmärchen Mulan. 

Dieser Roman wurde im Mai 2017 auf Originalsprache Englisch veröffentlicht und wie ihr sehen könnt, konnte ich es kaum erwarten, das neue Abenteuer aus der Feder Ahdiehs zu lesen. Obwohl ich wegen Band 2 der „Zorn und Morgenröte“-Dilogie etwas enttäuscht zurückgelassen wurde, konnte mit die Autorin mit ihrem Schreibstil überzeugen und ich wollte mir ihre wunderbaren Umschreibungen nicht entgehen lassen. Ich wurde auch keineswegs enttäuscht, denn zusammenfassen kann ich schon einmal verraten, dass mit „Flame in the Mist“ sehr gut gefallen hat. Jetzt muss noch der zweite Teil, der wohl 2018 rauskommen wird, anknüpfen können und ich bin zufrieden. 
Die ersten Seiten des Buchen beginnen so: Mariko, die Protagonistin und die Tochter eines Kaisers, soll einen Sohn eines anderen Reiches für Einflussgewinnung heiraten, auf dem Weg dorthin wird Mariko und ihr Geleitzug angegriffen. Mariko schafft es zu flüchten und muss sich von dahin weg ihren Weg bahnen.

Mariko thematisiert immer wieder die Stellung der Frau, welche Rolle Frauen spielen (müssen), wie sie selbst sein oder gesehen werden möchte. Diese Konflikte fand ich gut platziert, interessant zu folgen und verleiht dem Buch eine gewisse Note an Ernsthaftigkeit. 

Mir gefielen die japanischen Beschreibungen und die dadurch entstehende Atmosphäre gut, es werden auch japanische Wörter verwendet, vor allem für Dinge wie Kleidung oder Waffen. Diese werden aber oft gleich darauf umschrieben, sodass man versteht, was damit gemeint ist.
(Beispiel: „He rested his Bō in the earth between them. Fresh blood stained one end oft he wooden staff.“ Pos. 261)

Ansonsten gibt es im Anhang ein Glossar, wo alle im Roman kursiv geschriebene Wörter erläutert werden, ansonsten hat auch Wikipedia viele Begriffe sofort erkannt. Ich denke, dass dieses Stilmittel entweder zur Stimmung beitragen kann oder es nett ist, den ein oder anderen Begriff mal gehört zu haben, aber auch nicht besonders stört, falls man das nicht unbedingt bräuchte. 
Die Entwicklung der Geschichte fand ich gut ausgearbeitet und spannend, vor allem auch plausibler als z.B. bei Ahdiehs Vorgängerwerk „Rache und Rosenblüte“ (ich komme nicht herum, ihre Arbeiten zu vergleichen). Bei „Flame in the Mist“ ergibt es mehr Sinn, dass und inwiefern sich die agierenden Charaktere und Parteien kennen. 

Leider wurden mir die Plottwists, die zum Ende des Romans gelüftet wurden, zu verwirrend und ich bin mir nicht sicher, ob ich etwas überlesen habe (was ich nicht glaube, weil ich langsam und konzentriert las) oder ob es daran lag, dass Englisch nicht meine Erstsprache ist. Hoffentlich wird „der Stand der Dinge“ am Anfang vom Nachfolgerband noch einmal aufgegriffen.
Zu der einen Vewirrung ging mir eine Entwicklung und Abhandlung  etwas zu schnell, aber selbst da konnte ich das Lesen sehr genießen. Alles in allem bin ich dem Roman äußerst wohlwollend eingestimmt und freue mich auf den Nachfolgeband.  


Fazit: Mit „Flame in the Mist“ legte Renée Ahdieh einen gelungenen Auftakt ihrer neuen Dilogie hin. 
Spannende Szenen, eingebettet in fernöstliche Atmosphäre und wundervoller Sprache (mit ein paar Kraftausdrücken, die hier aber passten und demnach nicht negativ ins Gewicht fallen). 
Hoffentlich gelingt der Übergang von diesem ersten Teil zu Teil 2 gut und kann mich abholen, das wäre großartig. 

Ich empfehle dieses Buch Lesenden, die ein Jugendbuch suchen, wo eine starke Protagonistin ihren Weg geht und ihre Stellung als Frau reflektiert. Aufmerksamen LeserInnen, die Lust haben auf eine konfliktbehaftete, aber auch romantische Geschichte mit japanischen Vibes mit einem Touch „Mulan“.

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year. I’m super disappointed that I didn't enjoy it. I read around 60% and I’m pretty sure that nothing happened in that time. There was a little bit of action at the beginning. That got me interested, but then….nothing after that. I was bored to tears. Things might have been picking up around the time I set it aside, but by that point I was pretty uninterested. I feel a little guilty for setting it aside. I loved The Wrath and the Dawn, so I had some high hopes for this one. It wasn’t wasn’t delivering. There was a lot of things that didn’t make sense or were brushed aside and that annoyed me too. Plus, the MC did some really dumb stuff for someone so ‘smart’. I'm sad to say that this book wasn't for me.

I would like to give a huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Penguin Young Readers Group, for providing me with a copy of Flame in the Mist in exchange for an honest review.

I was really excited about reading Flame in the Mist because the setting is based around Japanese culture, samurais, etc. I was smiling and jumping with joy after finding out I was given the chance to read and review the novel. I was still in Japan then. Maybe the kami-sama heard my prayers. 

Wow. I had a blast reading this novel. There is something with Renee Aldieh’s writing and storytelling that make Flame in the Mist so captivating that I couldn’t put the novel down after I started reading it. Needless to say, I finished the novel in just one day. On the side note, Flame in the Mist might be a novel that is easy to get into but as the story progresses, there were instances where I found it hard to understand or grasped the sentence structure or words in the passages. Since the novel consists of Japanese words, I had to look up some of the unfamiliar terms on the internet. There were times where I had to re-read some sentences 2 to 3 times in order to understand what was happening and I started to get frustrated.

I love every single character in Flame in the Mist. Every character is so unique and different and each of them has a role to play in the novel. It came down to the point where in the event that a character was to be taken out of the story, it would be equivalent to an incomplete story. Almost like a missing puzzle piece. The plot on its own is interesting but the characters are the ones which bring out the charm in the story. This is relatable to cooking a soup. The soup on its own tastes nice but it is the addition of spices which bring out the flavours in the broth. In addition to Renee Aldieh’s amazing storytelling skill, this is another reason why I love her stories.

Mariko is an adorable and extreme strong girl. It is pretty rare to find young adult novels which portray a strong female lead and this is my first time reading one. I expected Mariko to be a pampered and spoiled princess as she was brought up behind the walls of the castle. Naturally, she wouldn’t be given a chance to see or experience life outside her comfort zone, i.e the castle. With that in mind, I didn’t expect her to be able to survive on her own after her convoy was attacked and killed by the black clan. Much less, attempting to seek out the black clan and join their ranks. For Mariko to be able to withstand the harsh environment of the black clan despite being a royalty, she has definitely earned my respect.

I’m really glad that the romance in this novel isn’t one of those instant love. You could tell that the two characters started developing feelings for one another way before they actually got together. The novel also addressed the dark side of politics. How a person in power is willing to abandon his/her subjects or treat them like slaves in order to gain more wealth and power.

Flame in the Mist was one of my most awaited publication in 2017 because I adore Renee Ahdieh's previous books so much. Sadly, this one was nowhere near The Wrath in the Dawn :( the writing was as dreamy and magical. The romance was so steamy and had so much potential, but unfortunately it lacked connection. It seemed to come out of nowhere and just be there for the sake of having a romance. Could have been a lot better though. 

I feel the same about the characters. Everyone, especially the two leads Mariko and Okami, had the potential to be amazing but the execution was a bit flat. It was more telling than showing. Case in point, we were told repeatedly of how smart Mariko really is but we only got a glimpse of her supposed cleverness in action. Another thing I felt was lacking is the setting. It was set in Japan but I just... didn't feel it? There are so many Japanese references in the book and there are a lot of terms I was unfamiliar with so it was a bit difficult to picture. There was no glossary in the ARC, I could have googled though. 

But at the end of the day, I somehow still enjoyed this a lot and I can't wait to read the next book!

I cannot wait for the follow-up novel!  While the first couple chapters took a while to grab me, in the long run, I couldn't put the book down. 

Mariko is a clever young woman who is often seen as odd by her family.  Her story begins when her convoy is attacked on the way to her wedding, in the imperial city, by the "Black Clan".  Mariko wants to know why she was attacked and she knows that if she returns home her family will just resend her to the imperial city. So, she decides to find and infiltrate the clan while disguised as a man.  While with the clan Mariko reluctantly finds herself caring for the others and valued for her cleverness.  The members of the "Black Clan", which we meet, all have very different personalities and seem to have their own secrets. Meanwhile her brother, Kenshin "The dragon of Kai" is convinced that his sister is alive and is determined to find her.  Mariko, the Black Clan, and Kenshin clash throughout the story which comes to a head in a heated confrontation.  Additionally there ate hints of magic and supernatural creatures woven into the story which becomes more distinct towards the climax.

The story is very engaging and has many underlying plot lines which are waiting to be resolved in the next novel.

I'm not sure what to think of this, honestly.

I didn't dislike it. actually, I love the setting, the characters and even the overall plot (although some of the biggest plot points were a bit confusing) but this is just so damn slow. and so repetitive. at times I was bored, which totally sucks.