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I have to be very honest with you. I was extremely excited when I heard about this book. Supposedly, it has similar themes to Mulan in that our heroine dresses up as a boy.
When I finally got around to reading it….uhmm I was in a for a slight let down. It’s not what I expected at all. I thought there would be more action but instead, I got a lot of Mariko’s internal musings. Again, it was okay but the story didn’t blow me away.
In fact, the middle was a snooze. Unfortunately.
Fortunately, there were things that intrigued me. Like Kenshin and Amaya (not sure about the spelling since I listened to the audio), Ranmaru, and Okami! However, the heroine, Mariko was just too bland for me! Gaaah! Sure she was a little bit kick-ass, but it wasn’t enough fo me to actually enjoy the book as much as I wanted to.
Oh don’t get me wrong, Ahdieh writes amazingly. Only, this didn’t live up to my expectations.
This ISN’T a Mulan retelling!
I have read almost everywhere, prior to the release of Flame in the Mist that this was a Mulan retelling. Not only is it not a Mulan retelling, it didn’t even have the excitement that I expected to enjoy. Also, I kept thinking of the movie 47 Ronin and Memoirs of a Geisha.
The romance wasn’t that much, too! Other than the behind closed doors sex scene, there were no sparks between Mariko and Okami! In fact, I wanted to read more about Kenshin and Amaya (?) and their forbidden romance!
Despite my initial let down, I still enjoyed Flame in the Mist. The ending alone was an amazing teaser of what would happen in the next and final book!
Also, this is my first Renee Ahdieh book. I know I haven’t read her The Wrath and the Dawn duology and I think I should.
One good thing about Flame in the Mist is that I listened to the audiobook. Nancy Wu is a fantastic narrator! I liked that she didn’t really use a very pronounced accent for this book because her reading was perfect. Pacing and tone were perfect and did not distract me from following the story.
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Have you read The Wrath and the Dawn? What do you think? Should I add it to my TBR pile?
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Great review, Zeee! It’s a shame it didn’t live up to your expectations! I always hate it when I read a hyped book and it falls flat for me. I’m still yet to read Flames in the Mist – I’m excited for it, but also wary; I loved The Wrath & the Dawn, but I felt disappointed by The Rose & the Dagger, so I’m nervous about starting another duology, loving it, only to be let down by the ending again. But Ahdieh does write beautifully, so I’m excited for her writing at least.
She does write beautifully, Jo. But I thought she was also just checking all the boxes to appease the general YA readers. Also, the middle part was a little boring. sigh*
Bah, that’s definitely too bad it wasn’t a Mulan retelling or at least as action packed! I’ve been debating picking this up, but I might leave it for now. I know lots of people love Ahdieh’s The Wrath and the Dawn, I thought it was good but didn’t blow me away. Glad the audio book was good and that overall you enjoyed it!
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