I am going to say immediately that this did not work for me. I loved the concept and was immediately interested in reading it when I found out it's set in feudal Japan. It had a lot of potential that, in my opinion, wasn't used. Mainly I wanted more of the world - I think the world has so much potential but unfortunately it was a bit lacking. The characters, while relatively interesting, were also pretty cliched and predictable. They are also quite frustrating alot of the time. Mariko had a lot of potential but I found her to be annoying and I question most of her decisions. The plot was entirely predictable and the romance was so cringe-worthy, as well as being predictable. The romance was definitely the main weakness, in my opinion. The writing is OK, although I did find it overly dramatic at times. Overall this had potential, but it did not work for me.

I should have loved this book. By my reckoning this should have been one of those books that I devour in a day and then read again the next. I'm not suggesting that this book wasn't enjoyable. It was a really good YA novel with a really cool main character just for some reason I didn't connect with it in the same way as I have done other fantasy novels.

I wonder if, when the series continues, I'll grow to love it more, in fact the more I write the more I realise how daft I'm being. Of course I liked the book! I think the problem for me was that I heard quite a few people talking about how this was in some way like Mulan. Now I in no way mind that it was not. Because other than the part where she dresses as a boy/man...the story is almost entirely different. You could just as easily have said it was similar to Twelfth Night (or a lot of other Shakespeare) because the story of 'Woman dresses as man for own safety' is not actually unique to Mulan. So are we just comparing the two because they are both set in Asia despite the fact that Mulan is a character from Chinese history and Flame in the Mist is set in Japan? I can understand why it makes sense to compare the two...but I think my enjoyment of the book was a little bit spoiled by the fact that I kept trying to see more Mulan connections than there actually were.

*rant about marketing over*

Mariko (our main character) was actually really cool. I know some people have made comments on how sometimes her actions seem a little illogical but I kind of identified with that, I tend to act a bit irrationally at times too. She seemed like a cool person whose story I got pretty invested in and I think I'll continue to like her as the series continues.

The romance was actually pretty darn tolerable, which I wasn't expecting. Even for a teenager obsessing over the tall dark handsome etc. Mariko didn't make me cross or wanting to punch anyone/thing at any point. I won't delve to far at the risk of spoilers but trust that the romance is ok.

What was interesting to me is that the fantasy elements of the book were sort of underplayed. I thought there was going to be a whole lot more fantasy in this book and for the most part (other than the fact that it isn't a real story-duh) this was pretty realistic. If I could make one request for the sequel Renee Ahdieh, could we get even more magical? It would bring me joy.

All in all, as I say, I wasn't as obsessed with this book as I thought I was going to be, but I think that was a product of me going in with my expectations set way too high rather than a fault of the book itself.

My Rating : 4.5/5 stars (only because I wanted more fantasy)

By the way: I received a digital advanced review copy of Flame in the Mist from the publisher (Hodder & Stoughton) via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, all my opinions are my own and I wouldn’t recommend this if I didn’t think it was worth reading.

I really enjoyed this book, it is definitely a 5 star read. It's been sold as a Mulan re-telling but really other than the girl disguising herself as a boy that's as close as it gets. The Japanese setting is amazing and I adored the descriptions. Mariko, our heroine, is a smart girl who feels constrained by being a woman. It was really good to see her come to find her own strength and realise that she could be strong and a woman and others would simply have to accept it. The romance was sweet and subtle and I adored the back and forth between the two characters. The book does end on a cliffhanger so be warned, I am now desperate to read the next one!

Advanced copy received via NetGalley in exchange for honest review.

The reason I haven’t rated this higher than a 4 stars despite not being able to put it down for the second half was because I didn’t really get along with either of the two main characters. I really didn’t like how they relished being accomplished liars and I thought some of their actions were not consistent with the characteristics they were supposed to have. I was also confused at certain points too. There were multiple pov/settings within some of the same chapters and so it wasn’t always immediately clear who we were following from one paragraph to the next.

However on the whole I really enjoyed it, it was fast paced and intriguing from the start. The writing was beautiful, the world building was vivid and the plot had a focus other than romance which was great. Of course there was some romance but it certainly wasn’t overly done. But that said I also wasn’t very convinced by the love story either, but I guess you might get that if the characters aren’t honest with each other or themselves. For half the book I wondered who actually would be the love interest so it would have been nice to see some pov from certain characters to clarify this maybe.

I think if you loved Renee’s The Wrath and the Dawn then you will love this one too. Definitely worth a read.

“Never forget, Sanada Takeo: in this forest, there is no place to hide.”


*shivers*

This book was just pure enjoyment from start to finish. Japanese mythology, samurai, crossdressing female warriors, secrets, lies AND just the right amount of sexiness. Sure, it's not a perfect book, but somewhere along the way I forgot to care.

Flame in the Mist is set in feudal Japan. I keep seeing "Mulan retelling" floating around, but even if you ignore the fact that this is set in Japan, not China, it's a bit of a stretch. Mariko doesn't go to war, for herself or for anyone else. She is travelling to the imperial city of Inako when her litter is attacked by a gang known as "The Black Clan".

Mariko survives the attack and devises a plan to infiltrate The Black Clan, disguised as a boy. However, things don't turn out exactly how she hoped they would, and Mariko finds herself a prisoner-turned-reluctant-ally. Meanwhile, Mariko's brother and badass samurai soldier, Kenshin, is determined to prove his sister is still alive, and find the criminals responsible for the attack.

There's some bloodsucking Jubokko trees and forest spirits, plenty of action and bloodshed, even more secrets and betrayals. The more I read, the more I started to feel like no one is as they first seem, and everyone - from the emperor's royal consort to The Black Clan's leader Takeda Ranmaru - is hiding something.

For the most part, this book is far less romantic than Ahdieh's The Wrath & the Dawn. Which was fine by me. And the romance that did surface was... perfection. I won't spoil anything but I'll just say it's one of those rare occasions where I almost felt myself swooning. Look, there's just something sexy about the whole wolf thing, 'kay? Yes, I know, I have problems.

"A word of warning..." He bent closer. The scent of warm stone and wood smoke emanated form his skin.
Mariko blinked.
"Don't bare your neck to a wolf."


See what I mean? Problems.

All of the characters were interesting to me. All of them. Even side characters like Yumi, Ren and Yoshi added something important to the story. I especially loved the complexity of Kenshin's character - he is resourceful and cares deeply for his sister and Amaya, but is also a cruel warrior. I like multifaceted characters; it keeps things interesting. And I appreciated the author's decision to put the emphasis on Mariko's smarts over her strength. I like it when female heroines have skills that real world girls can relate to, and realistically aspire to.

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:

Inako.
A city of a hundred arched bridges and a thousand cherry trees. A city of mud and sweat and sewage. A city of golden cranes and amber sunsets.
A city of secrets.


I did say this wasn't a perfect book, so I'll talk about the few negatives. Mariko makes some decisions throughout that were - to put it nicely - stupid. I didn't always understand why she did things. (view spoiler) And would you really bring a potentially powerful weapon to a fight when you’d “never had an opportunity to test it”? For at least the first half of the book, I felt like Mariko's intelligence was all tell, no show. Though, admittedly, she did seem to show some ingenuity later on.

But, you know, whatever. I enjoyed this book so much. I’ve come to the conclusion that Ahdieh just has that special something that draws me in, that special storytelling charisma that you can’t get from a writing class. You can learn sentence structure; you can learn metaphor; but I don't think you can learn charm. And this author just charms my pants off.




I mean, not literally.





Well, maybe literally. She does look quite attractive in her photo.





I'll shut up now.

Book review
Title: Flame in the Mist
Author: Renee Ahdieh
Genre: Retelling/Fantasy/Romance
Rating: *****
Review: After reading The wrath & the dawn and The rose & the dagger I was extremely excited to see what Renee Ahdieh had in store for us next with this retelling of The Ballad of Mulan. The opening of Flame in the Mist was amazing, we see a traditional ritual called seppuku which is meant to provide an honourable death for disgraced samurai where a young boy watches his father's death and is intrigued by a young girl passing. Then we suddenly jump to ten years later where we meet Mariko who is travelling to meet the second son of the Emperor; her future husband. One thing that is key in this novel is a decent understanding of Eastern culture and traditions at the time this novel is supposed to be set. On her way to meet the Emperor she is attacked and left for dead but rather than go home she transforms herself in order to find out who ordered the attack and keep her family's honour safe.
As we approach the 1/4 mark in the novel, we see Kenshin, Marikos brother learn of her survival from the attack and we get a small insight in the life of the Emperor and what challenges the Black Clans attack will present. I also liked the varied perspectives in this novel as we can see a event from many different angles and get a full sense of what everything means. It is in her search for the Black Clan she meets Takeda Ranmaru: the leader whom she remembers from her childhood. She learns that Ranmaru is a Ronin: a mercenary of samurai lineage, now the opening scene tires in with the rest of the story. As we cross the 1/4 mark in the novel we see Mariko taken to the Black Clans encampment with Kenshin following her trail especially after he realizes she is hiding under the guise of a man. Mariko is also learning how men think and act, she also has to curb he curious nature and tendencies in order to remain undiscovered until she can escape their clutches.
As we approach the half way mark in the novel Mariko begins to learn more about the Black Clan; their members and their mysterious ways and though she sympathizes with them she refuses to allow this to disrupt her plans. She eventually find purpose within the group with her intelligence on forging new weapons. Ranmaru also knows "he" is from a sheltered life where he has never had to fend for himself but remain intrigued by the possibilities he presents. Both brother and sister seek to unravel the mystery surrounding the attack on Mariko, we also begin see Marikos and Kenshins storylines converge. As we cross into the second half of the novel, I was very surprised to see Mariko and Okami becoming closer, close enough for Mariko to develop an emotional attachment to him. We also see Kenshin and the imperial princes getting closer, tracking Mariko down, she does narrowly escape from them but she may not be so lucky next time.
As we approach the 3/4 mark of the novel, Okami discovers Marikos secret although he doesn't know who she is but agrees to keep her secrets for now. We also see a massive web of lies and deceit being spun from inside the imperial palace itself and I believe that Mariko is the key to unraveling it. We also see Mariko's and Okami's relationship become deeper and therefore more dangerous. As we cross into the final section of the novel, the truth about Mariko's family is revealed to her as are the Black Clans plan now all that is left is for Mariko to decide whether she will side with her family or the Clan. When Mariko's choice is made she now stands by it free of fear as a proud woman surrounded by her brothers.
The final pages of this novel, we heart breaking and wonderfully beautiful all at once especially when we see where Mariko's true loyalties lie and the ending was sublime and leaves a perfect opening for a sequel. Overall, I absolutely loved this novel and Renee Ahdieh's writing style and story telling. I highly recommend this novel to all.

5 stars

So, ‘Flame in the Mist’ had been one of my most anticipated reads of this year ever since it was announced. That’s a lot to live up to and I was both excited and nervous when I received an ARC copy, wondering whether it could live up to my expectations.

Thankfully, I adored this book…

Characters

Mariko, our protagonist is more interested in inventing things, whether they be objects that explode or those more practical, than being a Daimyō‘s daughter. The funny thing is that she’s actually kind of useless at first in the society of the Black Clan. She can’t cook, can’t cut fire wood, has pretty terrible upper body strength, and manages to make an enemy of pretty much everyone she meets. Maybe sometimes overestimating her own cunning and making chaos of situations, she’s a nightmare and I loved her.

Her twin brother, Kenshin, also known as the Dragon of Kai, is already a greatly revered Samurai warrior. He is equally as fierce as his sister and deeply protective of her, sometimes struggling with tenents of Bushidō relating to self control. One thing I couldn’t work out during the book is whether Kenshin actually has some magic of his own, mages are rare in the book but destruction seems to come to him far too easily. Fear for his sister, the complex political wranglings of the Imperial Court and having to lead a band of Samurai almost twice his age seem to push Kenshin to the brink and I’m pretty curious and worried to see how the next book works out for him.

Okami is, unsurprisingly, one of my favourite characters. Seemingly a little lazy and unkempt, the actually rather dangerous and dark-magic-wielding second in command of the Black Clan has some of the best lines in the book:

‘My life has been filled with death and lies and loose women…I regret everything else.’

Like, what am I supposed to do with that? Witty and a dashing facial scar? He almost comes with a sticker on his head saying ‘this one is going to be your favourite character‘. I also enjoyed just how infuriating he found Mariko in her guise as a young man, seeing her as little more than a burden and a risk to the Black Clan.

Ah, hate to love, isn’t it glorious?

Story

Often touted as a combination of the Chinese story of Mulan and the Japanese tales of the 47 Rōnin, I will say that, plotwise, it takes a lot more from the latter. It is a Mulan retelling to the extent that Mariko disguises herself as a man and in some aspects of the romance, but the actual story is much closer to the Japanese stories of the rōnin, leaderless samurai, seeking revenge for the death of their daimyō.

It’s a slow story, but I’m glad that was the case. Ahdieh’s descriptions and character building take time and space, she has a wonderful way with words that often made me want to read the story aloud. Likewise, she takes time to allow character relationships to blossom, often leaving the exact feelings of characters towards one another as confused or amorphous, which, let’s be honest, is often exactly how close bonds form.

One thing I have, unfortunately, found over my years of reading is that it’s really difficult to find fantasy set in a Feudal Japanese setting that doesn’t make my eyes roll out of my head. Between painful tropes, fetishization and a basic misunderstanding of Japanese cultural identity, finding good books has really been luck of the draw. This book was a breath of fresh air in that respect.

‘Flame in the Mist‘ is a sensitive portrayal of a fantasy feudal Japan. The story could not be told without its setting, it’s much more than scenic window-dressing, with Ahdieh addressing the political and cultural implications of Bushidō, ‘the way of the warrior’, as one of the central pillarstones of the story. It explores the duality of a fantasy Edo period and shogunate culture, where warriors such as the Samurai lived by the laws of Bushidō, including benevolence, integrity, loyalty and honour, but the structure of society enforced strict hierarchies with little or no social mobility. Ahdieh does a good job of explaining some more unfamiliar concepts in text, especially the omnipresent Bushidō code and the political importance of Geiko and the tea ceremonies.

It’s a story about revolution and social change, which, let’s be honest, is incredibly relevant right now. It asks questions about the status quo, about why it should be allowed to persist, whether it is even ethical for it continue in the way it is. Okami, for example, is vocally critical of the way of the Samurai and what he sees as unquestioning loyalty to an underserving upper echelon of society. I’m really excited to see how Ahdieh tackles some of those issues in the next book!

Note

I have seen one or two people comment that the use of Japanese in text is confusing or distracting for them. I would say that a) there’s a glossary at the back, b) the words are pretty easy to understand from context and cultural osmosis, and c) you’d probably just accept it if it was a fantasy novel. If you come from a martial arts background like me (Kendo), then you will probably have no problem with the words at all.

Conclusion

It was amazing, I read it too fast and now I’m going to have to wait painfully for book two. If you’re looking for a YA fantasy set in feudal Japan then this is the book for you; it’s beautifully written, sensitive to culture, has a perfect romance and is just, genuinely, everything that I wanted it to be.

Many thanks to Hodder and Stoughton for a copy in return for an honest review.

First of all, I'd like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

For me, this book had truly infuriating amounts of unfulfilled potential. From the summary alone, it seemed like practically the perfect book for me, but the execution felt clumsy in almost every possible way.

Firstly, the characters: there wasn't a single one who felt like more than the sketch of a character. Every now and again, there was a passage that flirted with the idea of giving one character or another the semblance of a real personality, but it never really got beyond that. The relationships between the characters suffered from the same problem, in no small part because the author has a real issue with telling instead of showing - there are constant descriptions of the characters' personality traits, and how the protagonist feels about the other characters, but the characters' actions never quite gel with those descriptions. Their motivations also tend to either be shrouded in truly unnecessary levels of mystery, or fall somewhere on the scale between mildly convoluted and downright incomprehensible.

In fact, the writing style grated on me quite a bit in general. The prose was very over-stylised, with sentences that tended to be very short, but dripping with forced lyricism that felt totally out of sync with the book's fast pace. The entire book seemed to be written in a style more suited to a single quiet, emotionally charged scene - not a bad style in and of itself, but totally jarring in the context of a whole novel.

Lastly, the plot itself was a bit disjointed, bordering on incoherent towards the end, when several new plot threads appeared at once and promptly tied themselves into knots. Also, the magic system is touched on very briefly, multiple times, but never explained whatsoever??? I was hoping for a bit more of an explanation towards the end, but no dice.

But I'm giving it two stars, instead of one, because even though I did think that the writing was mediocre for most of the book and downright bad towards the end, I did love the general premise... and, let's face it, because of the one-legged cook and a line towards the end that reminded me too much of a particular Cervantes quote to be coincidence.

Flame in the Mist is a fantasy YA novel set in historic Japan. The heroine, Mariko, is the daughter of a feudal lord, betrothed to the son of the Emporer. Her story is partly based on that of Mulan. She tries to be a dutiful daughter, and accepting her arranged marriage is part of that duty, but when she is attacked, and her entire entourage, Mariko disguises herself as a boy and seeks to uncover the identity of the person that wanted her dead. She infiltrates the group of outlaws known as the Black Clan, who she believes responsible for the attempt on her life in order to find out more, but as she adapts to life with the Black Clan, she finds her own inner strength, and comes to question her previously held beliefs.

Flame in the Mist is a novel packed with adventure, excitement, intrigue, and a really cute romance between Mariko and one of the other Clan members. I found that I read through this book really quickly after starting it, as it was so fast-paced and enjoyable. I really look forward to reading future books in this series.

Since childhood, Hattori Mariko has always been regarded as a bit odd: too curious, too inventive for a girl of her high station. But even oddness can’t protect her from fate. As she travels by litter from her parents’ home towards the imperial city of Inako, she feels no different from any other well-born young woman, being forced into a marriage not of her choosing. Far away in Inako, in the enchanted precincts of Heian Castle, her betrothed waits: Minamoto Raiden, son of the emperor himself. But between the Hattori lands and Inako lies Jukai Forest, the haunt of ghosts, spirits and desperate men. And Mariko’s entourage, having entered the Forest, will never emerge.


A band of ruthless bandits attack the convoy, killing everyone and torching the litter. The only survivor is Mariko, left for dead, who manages to pull herself to safety. She’s certain that she knows who the culprits are: the Black Clan, a band of lawless ronin. But it’s clear that this wasn’t a random attack. These weren’t opportunistic thieves, but assassins. So why would the Black Clan come after a young woman? Who could possibly want Mariko dead? She has two options. She can run home, to be comforted by her parents and sent off again, in another litter, to the same fate. Or she can take charge of her own future, adapt to her new freedom, and find out the answers for herself. Disguising herself as a boy, Mariko sets off on a mission to infiltrate the Black Clan and discover the truth.

Yet the Clan are not what Mariko expects. They are, after all, ronin rather than common murderers: masterless samurai, bound together by loyalty and honour. At their head is Takeda Ranmaru, the son of the last shogun, dispossessed of his birthright after his father’s forced suicide ten years before, and simmering with the desire for revenge. And at his side is his closest friend, the enigmatic Ōkami, called the Wolf, whose fighting skills verge on the miraculous. Mariko is determined to hate these men but, the more she learns, the more she begins to become dangerously fascinated by them. Can they really be responsible for the attack on her convoy? What do they really want? And how can she protect them from her brother, Hattori Kenshin, the Dragon of Kai – fearsome warrior, fierce samurai and best tracker in the land – who will already be out searching for her?

I came to this book absolutely blind, knowing nothing about it or the author, and found it very enjoyable, if a touch too adolescent in places. There are lots of moments where Character A dwells on the feelings she’d have for Character B if she didn’t absolutely hate him, of course, and Character B comes across as less like a lawless brigand and more like a brooding high-school student. But that seems to be common in most of the romance novels I’ve read, where supposedly sensible characters are (to paraphrase Shakespeare’s Benedick) transformed into oysters. Mariko is an appealing, capable heroine, although aspects of her successful masquerade as a boy did stretch credulity (I’m amazed at how many disguised women manage to avoid having their periods). What I liked about this book was the setting: feudal Japan, with its code of bushidō, its courtly politics and its geiko houses. There are touches of the supernatural – not spells or wizards, but Asian-style magic, such as shadow-warriors, spirits or ninja powers. And Adhieh writes well, with plenty of dramatic tension and mystery to keep us engaged until the finale.

This wears its credentials as a young adult novel on its sleeve, but it’s perfectly diverting even for fully-grown readers who fancy a spritz of romance tinged with the fantastical. It’s clearly only the first part of a longer story and I’d certainly like to see how it ends.

For the review, please see my blog:
https://theidlewoman.net/2017/04/08/flame-in-the-mist-renee-ahdieh/