Flame In The Mist: Flame In The Mist | Renee Ahdieh
Published by: Hodder&Stoughton, May 18th 2017
Genre: Fantasy, Diverse
Pages: 400
Format: Ebook
Source: Hodder&Stoughton, via Netgalley
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 ranks of the Black Clan, determined to track down the person responsible for the target on her back. But she's quickly captured and taken to the Black Clan’s secret hideout, where she meets their leader, the rebel ronin Takeda Ranmaru, and his second-in-command, his best friend Okami. Still believing her to be a boy, Ranmaru and Okami eventually warm to Mariko, impressed by her intellect and ingenuity. As Mariko gets closer to the Black Clan, she uncovers a dark history of secrets, of betrayal and murder, which will force her to question everything she's ever known.
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 ranks of the Black Clan, determined to track down the person responsible for the target on her back. But she's quickly captured and taken to the Black Clan’s secret hideout, where she meets their leader, the rebel ronin Takeda Ranmaru, and his second-in-command, his best friend Okami. Still believing her to be a boy, Ranmaru and Okami eventually warm to Mariko, impressed by her intellect and ingenuity. As Mariko gets closer to the Black Clan, she uncovers a dark history of secrets, of betrayal and murder, which will force her to question everything she's ever known.
I have to admit, I wasn't sure about this at first. Okami and Ranmaru are pretty horrible to Mariko (and even though they think she's a boy, drugging and hitting and abducting her is Not Okay) and it was my worst nightmare that Mariko and Ranmaru would end up as a couple when he'd hit her. But that wasn't a thing, thankfully, and I did end up loving the romantic interest, Okami, my sad tortured liar.
It's pretty slow paced, but I still enjoyed it because of Mariko's fearlessness and her drive to find out why the Black Clan want her dead. Plus it picks up toward the end and there's one hell of a plot twist which is always fun. I also love the trope of Mariko appearing as male to infiltrate a gang, and this book did it so well. And it doesn't shy away from the reasons Mariko wouldn't be safe to do so appearing female, and it's scathing and fierce as hell. Feminist AF. I really do love this book.
A rich, romantic fantasy with a heroine on a mission to find the truth, Flame In The Mist shines an unforgiving light on gender roles and the patriarchy. Eagerly awaiting book 2!
Characters ★★★★★
Setting/world ★★★★★
Writing ★★★★★
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