Reviewed by nightingalereads on
Flame in the Mist was a great read. Renée Ahdieh writes beautiful prose, and I was thoroughly engaged throughout the entire story. She's also particularly gifted at creating atmosphere in her novels. You just feel like you're there, experiencing everything alongside the main character. I really enjoyed the characters in Flame in the Mist - especially Ranmaru, who ended up getting less of a spotlight than I'd initially hoped for. Though focused on Mariko, there's multiple perspectives throughout the novel. Okami, or "The Wolf", was a great addition, but I did find his characterization to be slightly predictable at times. Mariko's brother, Kenshin, was also a reoccurring perspective. I was surprised to find him very interesting, and perhaps the most complexly drawn of the bunch. Honestly, Mariko herself (the heroine) was one of the characters I was least impressed with. Don't get me wrong; I didn't dislike her at all. But the way she was written came off a little bland, and her thinking often felt contrived.
To sum up, I didn't love this book the way that I did Ahdieh's The Wrath & the Dawn duology, but it was certainly enjoyable. I'll definitely be continuing on with this series/duology(?).
Reading updates
- Started reading
- Finished reading
- 9 August, 2016: Reviewed