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.
The Review
Flame in the Mist seemed to check all of my boxes for a great book, but for some reason I just didn't like it. The story is set in Feudal Japan, a period of history I wish more books were based in. It's an interesting time and place that always seems fascinating to me and has so much potential to be an excellent backdrop to any fantasy. It has everything I want out of a setting: superstition, valiant warriors and a complicated monarchy. The story is about a girl who is betrothed to the emperor's son, yet while traveling to the capital city, Inako, she survives an assassination attempt. When she realizes that her virtue is questionable and her family will be shamed for it, she joins the bandit group who attacked her in an effort to weasel out the real identity of the person who put a price on her head. Ahdieh's writing is always stunning and it was just as beautiful in The Flame in the Mist. I just didn't like the pacing, I didn't like any of the characters, but my biggest issue was Mariko, the protagonist. She annoyed the crap out of me and I was left feeling like her personality was just a novelty. She was meant to be this quirky, analytical and logical girl, but she was just about as dense as the Jukai Forest. I could almost forgive it for the poetic writing, but ultimately Mariko was distractingly obnoxious. The good: I caught myself laughing out loud at some scenes and I really do love Ahdieh's writing, this just wasn't a book for me.
