Review | Flame In The Mist #1 Renée Ahdieh

Summary

Summary from Goodreads

The daughter of a prominent samurai, Mariko has long known her place - she may be an accomplished alchemist, whose cunning rivals that of her brother Kenshin, but because she is not a boy, her future has always been out of her hands. At just seventeen years old, Mariko is promised to Minamoto Raiden, the son of the emperor's favorite consort - a political marriage that will elevate her family's standing. But en route to the imperial city of Inako, Mariko narrowly escapes a bloody ambush by a dangerous gang of bandits known as the Black Clan, who she learns has been hired to kill her before she reaches the palace.

Dressed as a peasant boy, Mariko sets out to infiltrate the Black Clan and track down those responsible for the target on her back. Once 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

The moment I found out Renée Ahdieh was going to write MORE, I freaked out. Renée is easily my favourite author EVER! When I found out it was going to be a mashup of MULAN and 47 Ronin, I flipped my shit. They are the best movies ever, making me want to go Japan even more. When I found out the rights had been sold to publish Renée's books in the UK, that too, Hodder - I cried, because a) Hodder are amazing and b) bout time us UK folks got dem books!

Flame In The Mist follows young Hattori Mariko as she sets off to Inako - Heign Castle, to get married to the Emperor's favourite consorts son. But things don't go as planned as her 'people' get attacked supposedly by the Black Clan. Mariko sets off on a journey of self discover and to find the truth - why the Black Clan wanted her dead. The entire story, plot was so well paced and luring. I was intrigued and captivated by the Black Clan because just as Mariko was about to find out - nothing is what it seems.

The characters were so amazing and different. I instantly liked and connected to Mariko, headstrong and never one to bow down in the face of fear. She was on a journey to find herself, not as the daughter of the Hattori clan, not even as the betrothed of royalty, but as a person and a strong female. The Black Clan are lethal, an enigma and the unraveling of the truth behind them was stunning. As Mariko builds their trust, she finds something beneath them all, could she possibly see them as her enemies?

Renée has simply blown me away. I really liked that I could recognize a few rituals and traditions and it was so nice to see such intricate and beautiful names. Japan is stunning and one day I hope to travel there. The plot twist at the end was amazing, though I saw it coming - the build up was hella awesome, it was shocking and I need more. 

Flame In The Mist will capture your heart and soul, make you fall in love with all that Japan has to offer, make you wish you were right in the heart of it all. But above all, make you crave the next chapter in this captivating and imaginative novel.

★★★★★