Flame in the Mist

By: Renée Ahdieh

Narrated by: Nancy Wu

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Wrath and the Dawn, comes a sweeping, action-packed YA adventure set against the backdrop of Feudal Japan where Mulan meets Throne of Glass.

“[A] fun feudal samurai drama. . .action-packed and well-paced.”—The Washington Post

“If you live for books that have lush worlds, swoony romance and non-stop action, you’ll want to read this.”—Paste Magazine

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 Black Clan and track 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.

A good, enjoyable story

This story can be added nicely to a collection of girl in boys clothes stories. It bit more of a stretch, though, due to the age of Mariko and her lack of real-world experience. This is my first book written by Ahdieh and look forward to reading more. But, as soon as we hit Mariko's first encounter with the Black Clan, the Robin Hood twist and eventual love-plot seemed obvious. Typical "oh, we were the bad guys" revelation. As we listen in on Mariko's inner dialog, I wondered if it wasn't a bit Westernized and modernized. Kind of like finding a "convini" 7-11 in the village market.

Enchanting

Renee Ahdeih has a knack of showing a new world filled with magic, mystery, love and action all rolled into one!

Great!

I really liked this book! The narrator did a graet job, I do however wish that there were multiple narrators but that is just personal preference.

Moments of Poetry

This was both surprising and entertaining. Well read and so looking forward to reading the next book in the series. Yes, there’s a cliffhanger, so that’ll have you wanting more. This is the 3rd book I’ve listened to from this author.

Really great!!!!

It's my first time reading anything by Renée Ahdieh. And what a book!
I must say that I do love retelings, but until I knew about this book I never had seen Mulan, so I went to see it and I loved, of course!
This book delivered and I'm really excited to know what happens next.
In the beginning it was kinda difficult to read the names of people and things, so I bought the audiobook and began to read and listen at the same time. Much better! (Eventually I dumped the book, because I was practicing brush lettering 😂).
Anyway, I totally recommend this book. One of the best reads of this year! I'm on a good streak, thank God! 😃