Smoke in the Sun (Flame in the Mist, #2)

by Renée Ahdieh

The highly anticipated sequel to New York Times bestselling Flame in the Mist--an addictive, sumptuous finale that will leave readers breathless from the bestselling author of The Wrath and the Dawn.

After Okami is captured in the Jukai forest, Mariko has no choice--to rescue him, she must return to Inako and face the dangers that have been waiting for her in the Heian Castle. She tricks her brother, Kenshin, and betrothed, Raiden, into thinking she was being held by the Black Clan against her will, playing the part of the dutiful bride-to-be to infiltrate the emperor's ranks and uncover the truth behind the betrayal that almost left her dead.

With the wedding plans already underway, Mariko pretends to be consumed with her upcoming nuptials, all the while using her royal standing to peel back the layers of lies and deception surrounding the imperial court. But each secret she unfurls gives way to the next, ensnaring Mariko and Okami in a political scheme that threatens their honor, their love and the very safety of the empire.

• ISBN10: 152473814X
• ISBN13: 9781524738143
• Publish Date: 5 June 2018
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Nancy Paulsen Books
• Format: Hardcover (Deckle Edge)
• Pages: 432
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9781524738143

Reviews

[Kim Deister]

This was equally as beautiful a novel as the first book in the duology, Flame in the Mist. The lush descriptions of the setting, a fantasyesque feudal Japan, are absolutely stunning. The world of these stories becomes real and visual, a magical air lent to each scene, even when that scene is perfectly mundane.

Smoke in the Sun contains less romance than the first book, which feels appropriate for the plot of this novel. The relationship between Mariko and Okami was well established in Flame in the Mist, allowing this book to focus more on the intrigue and action. In this one, Mariko is in the castle, playing the part of a dutiful bride to the sovereign’s brother, Raiden, even as she tries to find away to free Okami and help the Black Clan. Her place is tenuous at best, as she navigates two worlds she inhabits, made all the more dangerous by Emperor Roku. who is becoming ever more violent and unhinged every day.

The perspectives often included those of secondary characters, which I really enjoyed as it created depth and layers to the story. At times, those secondary characters were more engaging than the primary two, showing that those who first to appear to be the villains later are shown to be far more complex than that.

One of the things I love most about this duology is the way female and male power is played out. It is the men who openly battle for supremacy, but it is the strong women behind the scenes that make the difference.

Why is everything suddenly solved? ... ugh
No consistent characters and the ending is not realistic in my opinion.

[alindstadtcorbeax]

Star Rating: —> 5 Stars

Um. If the first book had me SHOOK, this rendered me GDSHOOKETH.

RTC

buddy read with Darce my OTP BUDDY READING BESTIE!

[jeannamichel]

4.5 stars! Dare I say, I liked this a little more than Flame in the Mist. I flew through it! As always, Ahdieh's writing is so fantastic- I will read any and everything she writes. As much as I loved the disguised as a man trope in Flame in the Mist, I think we got a bit more romance in this one and a lot more development between the characters which was stunning to see on the page. Mariko is one of most clever characters ever and being able to witness her brain in action was so cool! The plans she came up with were so calculating and thought-out. Smoke in the Sun was such a great conclusion to the duology!

[Bianca]

If you allow a monster to destroy everything in its path, then you are no better than the monster.

— So good. Mind games, scheming characters + some magic all rolled into a thrilling plot. Mostly I really loved the smart and strong-willed female characters, villainous or not.

[liz089]

I really love Renee Ahdieh, her stories are amazing and she has a beautiful writingstyle. This was no exception to that, the plot was very intruiging and I loved Mariko and the others. Raiden really grew on me and Yumi is just kick-ass ! So many great characters... I'm sad it is over. Can't we get a spin-off ? I am very curious what she is coming with next !!

[emruth13]

I liked this book. I did kind of feel like the ending was a bit rushed because when I had about 20 pages left, I'm going, "This is the last book, right? How does everything get wrapped up?" However it was done in a way that didn't bother me a lot and I am ultimately satisfied with the ending.

[nightingalereads]

3.75 stars

Once again, Renee Ahdieh totally stole my heart with Smoke in the Sun. I love that we got to see more of Tsuneoki in this sequel, since he was one of my favorite characters in Flame in the Mist. I think I loved Okami even more in this installment (if that's even possible), and I was backing Mariko 100% throughout the entire novel. Her relationship with Prince Raiden in particular kept me on the edge of my seat. This book also confirmed how seriously messed up Roku is. He's beyond twisted, and the way Renee wrote him was so beautiful and eerie that he really gave me the creeps. My only qualm with Smoke in the Sun is that the ending wrapped up a little too quickly. Honestly, I think this series could've easily been a trilogy. A third book would've allowed the plot to breathe a bit, and would've given us more time to explore the characters, who I feel like we were just getting attached to.