Flame in the Mist by Renée Ahdieh

Flame in the Mist #1

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: May 16th, 2017

Rating: 4 Stars

Source: Emma @ missprint's ARC Adoption

Format: Physical ARC

Pages: 368

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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 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.

Review:

I feel like it has been so long since I've written a review for my blog that I don't even remember how to do it! So please bear with me as I attempt to put my thoughts about this book into words!

I loved The Wrath and the Dawn when I read it (I haven't gotten around to reading The Rose and the Dagger yet, oops!), so when I heard about Flame in the Mist, I was super excited! Especially since it's inspired by Mulan and set in Feudal Japan! I could definitely see how this was inspired by the Disney movie and it was so much fun to read!

The book starts out with Mariko on her way to the imperial city to be married to the emperor's oldest son. Her group is attacked by who she believes to be the Black Clan and she is the only survivor. She then sets out on a quest to figure out who hired the Black Clan to kill her and why.

Her entire purpose for setting out on this quest to find out who wanted her dead was because the fact that she was stranded alone in the forest, the sole survivor of an attack that killed everyone with her, with all the thieves and unsavory people there, would dishonor her family. So I think she wants to figure this out to stop the dishonor on her family?? But I'm not entirely sure how spending even more time out there with them, up close and personal even, would stop her family from being dishonored if just being out there a short time had already done it????

The book is mostly told from Mariko's point of view. I really enjoyed Mariko as a character. I thought that she was realistic. Like, she ends up in these awful circumstances and she doesn't just jump into this adventure with all the confidence of a seasoned hero like some main characters seem to do even if they are COMPLETELY out of their element. She's scared, she's unsure of what she's doing, but she is determined to prove her value beyond being a bride. I loved her!

There are also a few chapters from Mariko's twin brother, Kenshin's, point of view. Kenshin is a warrior, called the Dragon of Kai because of his experience in battle. He is an incredibly talented tracker and very shortly after Mariko's group is attacked in the forest, he is already tracking her, to bring her safely home. You can tell how much he loves and cares for his sister and it's sweet, but he isn't so kind with other people.

There are also a few chapters from like the emperor's point of view and I think maybe one from his wife? These chapters were really few and far between and I don't fully remember exactly who's point of view they were from. They weren't the most exciting chapters, but they definitely showed that there was some scheming and betrayal going on in this story.

The rest of the main characters in this story are the members of the Black Clan. I really enjoyed reading about them! There are just too many of them that I liked and I don't want to spend the rest of my life writing about all of them. So you'll just have to read the book to meet the Black Clan and I'm preeeetty sure that you won't regret it.

There is a bit of romance in this book. I wasn't always 100% sure who I thought that Mariko was going to find herself with, but I really happy with who she did end up with! I have a couple questions about the romance, but I feel like they'd be a smidge spoilery so I will not be discussing them here!

While I did really enjoy this book, I had a couple super minor problems. One of them I mentioned above about Mariko dishonoring her family. I just don't really understand the logic behind that part of the story unless I was just not reading as closely as I thought I was and I'm making all of that up.

The other problem I had was that the beginning of this book felt rather slow to me. Partially because of the chapters that weren't in Mariko's point of view, which I definitely could have done without. The scheming aspect of this book kind of reminded me of And I Darken, which had a LOT of scheming and made the book feel like it absolutely dragged by for me. If you felt the same about And I Darken, this book did NOT feel anywhere near as slow as that one, but it just kind of proves to me that I am not a fan of a lot of on page scheming.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! I loved the setting, I loved the characters, I loved Mariko. I loved the bit of Mulan that I could see here and there in the story. If you are a fan of Mulan or And I Darken, I think you will probably like this book. I would definitely recommend this one!

Have you read Flame in the Mist yet? Let me know what you thought of it! Did it give you a strong urge to rewatch Mulan?

Waiting on Wednesday (#17)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

  This week I'm waiting on...

The Rose and the Dagger by Renée Ahdieh

The Wrath and the Dawn #2

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

Publication Date: May 3, 2016

Pages:

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Summary (from Goodreads):

The much anticipated sequel to the breathtaking The Wrath and the Dawn, lauded by Publishers Weekly as "a potent page-turner of intrigue and romance."
I am surrounded on all sides by a desert. A guest, in a prison of sand and sun. My family is here. And I do not know whom I can trust.
In a land on the brink of war, Shahrzad has been torn from the love of her husband Khalid, the Caliph of Khorasan. She once believed him a monster, but his secrets revealed a man tormented by guilt and a powerful curse—one that might keep them apart forever. Reunited with her family, who have taken refuge with enemies of Khalid, and Tariq, her childhood sweetheart, she should be happy. But Tariq now commands forces set on destroying Khalid's empire. Shahrzad is almost a prisoner caught between loyalties to people she loves. But she refuses to be a pawn and devises a plan.

While her father, Jahandar, continues to play with magical forces he doesn't yet understand, Shahrzad tries to uncover powers that may lie dormant within her. With the help of a tattered old carpet and a tempestuous but sage young man, Shahrzad will attempt to break the curse and reunite with her one true love.

SO EXCITED FOR THIS BOOK!!!

Review: The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

The Wrath and the Dawn #1

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: May 12, 2015

Rating: 5 Stars

Source: Purchase

Summary (from the back of the book):

“One life to one dawn.

In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new ride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad’s dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph’s reign of terror once and for all.

Night after night, Shahrzad beguiles Khalid, weaving stories that enchant, ensuring her survival, though she knows each dawn could be her last. But something she never expected begins to happen: Khalid is nothing like what she’d imagined him to be. This monster is a boy with a tormented heart. Incredibly, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love. How is that possible? It’s an unforgivable betrayal. Still, Shahrzad has come to understand all is not as it seems in this palace of marble and stone. She resolves to uncover whatever secrets lurk and, despite her love, be ready to take Khalid’s life as retribution for the many lives he’s stolen. Can their love survive this world of stories and secrets?

Inspired by A THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS, THE WRATH AND THE DAWN is a sumptuous and enthralling read from beginning to end.”

First of all, I don't know if I can fully articulate what I felt for this book! It was so completely amazing! What finally got me to pick this book up was a tweet I saw that compared it to Beauty and the Beast. That is my all time favorite movie so of course I had to pick it up after that! :) So the next time I was in a bookstore I made my boyfriend buy it for me. Best decision ever!!

I loved Shahrzad and Khalid. I loved how strong and brave Shazi was. She volunteered to be the bride of a man who was almost certainly going to kill her in order to avenge the death of her best friend and also the deaths of the countless other girls who were murdered. She managed to stay alive day after day and survive a few close calls. But she must have been doing something right because Khalid was smitten with her and wanted her alive. Which, you'd think, would make her goal of killing him easier.

Khalid.. I just loved him. I kinda felt like a dirtbag for liking him at first because you know, he's a cold, seemingly heartless killer. So that's not really a turn on, ya know? But I liked how he became so protective of her. He really grew to care for her, despite the circumstances, and wanted to stop all the senseless killing, no matter what it meant for him. I really wanted a Khalid of my own after reading this book. ;)

I loved that this wasn't insta love that they had. Shahrzad really didn't like him at first and truly wanted him dead. And then she started to see that he wasn't the awful monster that she was expecting and slowly began to care for him. She was really conflicted in her feelings for him because, of course she was betraying her best friend by falling in love with her murderer! And because the only things that Khalid seemed to keep closer to him than her were his secrets. I wish you could have seen more of why he felt the way he did for her, but I don't care, I love their love!

I was also pleased that there was no love triangle in this book! I feel that there could have been, but I'm so happy there wasn't. I didn't care all that much for Tariq. Probably because I just wanted him and his unrequited love for Shahrzad to go away and let her and Khalid be cute and happy together. But in his defense, he doesn't know what's going on. He thinks that Shahrzad still loves him. He doesn't know what kinds of feelings she's developing. He just thinks she's there to take him out. Buuut I felt like he was kind of possessive (something that she didn't tolerate from Khalid when he tried it out). Like just because they had been in love since they were kids, that doesn't entitle him to just blow into the palace with his screaming bird and whisk her away into the sunset on his fancy sounding horse without giving her any say in the matter. Not gonna fly, my friend.

As for other important characters, I don't think I liked Shahrzad's father, Jahandar.. He came off as kind of a creep to me and I think he's up to some shady business.

Other things I liked about this book:

Jalal and his loyalty to Khalid. I think I love anyone titled as Captain of the Guard.

Despina and her attitude.

The Rajput. He really grew on me as Shahrzad grew on him!

The setting! I've never read anything set in the middle east before! And everything just sounds like it was probably so lovely!

THE FEELINGS THE END OF THIS BOOK GAVE ME!!!!!

Things that I can think of that I disliked:

At the very beginning, I had a bit of a problem keeping characters straight, but I quickly got it figured out and I know who is who now.

THE FEELINGS THE END OF THIS BOOK GAVE ME!!!!! What has this book done to my feelings?!

The next book isn't out yet!!!!

Things I wish to see in the next one:
More stuff on the magic aspect.
KHALID AND SHAHRZAD LOVEY DOVEY MOMENTS!
Jalal and Despina being a thing!

If you like Beauty and the Beast, I think you'll definitely like this one! I would HIGHLY recommend this book, it was so very good! I can't wait for the next book!