Hi friends, happy Wednesday! I hope you’re all doing well. Today I’m posting my review of Renée Ahdieh’s novel, Flame in the Mist.

Flame in the Mist by: Renée Ahdieh: When Mariko was born, the only daughter of well-known samurai, her fate had been sealed for her; to get married. Now, at seventeen she is sent to the palace to meet her future husband, when the group she is travelling with is attacked and killed by the Black Clan; a group who have been hired to kill her. Managing to survive, she dresses as a peasant boy and joins the Black Clan to plot her revenge. But the more time she spends with these men, the more she’s appreciated for her talents and regarded as something and being someone, which has her questioning everything she’s ever known. This was such a compelling and engaging novel. At first, it took a bit of time to get into, but once the reader really started to immerse themselves in the world, it was such a fascinating journey. The world building was so rich and expansive; the reader could visualize what was happening and everything was described really well. It also helped that Ahdieh’s writing was so beautiful and poetic; there were so many quotable moments because the writing was that good. The plots were very action packed and fast-paced, but there were also slower moments too that held everything together and kept the story well-rounded. Not only was this such a fun and high staked story, but the characters were also really well created and developed. They had so many layers to them; they were never all one thing but a mix of everything and it really brought life to the story and made for such an interesting read. The reader never knew exactly what the characters were going to do which kept them on their toes and excited to read more. The journey that each of these characters went on was captivating and really brought out who they were, which was a good way to get to know them. The fact that this is a duology, the reader can’t wait to see what is to come next, even if this ended in a bit of a confusing way, the reader can’t wait to see what comes next.