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xavierprice's review against another edition
4.0
What do you get when you mix Mulan and 47 Ronin? You got Flame in the Mist. Now, this book was super hyped before it was released, but then when the book dropped it was like it disappeared off the face of the planet. I mean no one was talking about this book, which was odd. But now I can see why. Flame in the Mist could have been so much better. It had so much wasted potential that it was disappointing. It wasn't a bad book. It was a decent read. I have nothing really bad or good to say about it.
missfatima's review against another edition
2.0
this book caught me off guard. I picked it up cause I heard it was a mulan retelling, and off the bat it is not, it has similar plot lines but it very different.
first of all, the love interest plot threw me for a loop and i felt as if their relationship came out of left field. There was absolutely no development of their relationship and suddenly when he finds out she’s a girl, he’s suddenly all nice and caring.
the female character reminds me of juliette from shatter me (need i say more). her choices are stupid and she risks her whole plan to kiss a guy that she hasn’t interacted enough for us to be all invested in their relationship.
the idea i got from this story is that men always want to be the savior, they think they can save you from all your problems. before the love plot, this book was good, the writing really pulls you into the world of feudal japan. I will say the ending did pick up, and if i ignored the weird interactions between the main characters, i enjoyed it. I did not expect the plot twist and there’s definitely a set up for the second book but i think I’m going to pass.
edit: i think the reason why i don’t like this is that it’s Stockholm syndrome, the main female character gets “kidnapped” by these men but she wants to learn more about them, but she interacts with this one guy and then suddenly falls in love with him ????
first of all, the love interest plot threw me for a loop and i felt as if their relationship came out of left field. There was absolutely no development of their relationship and suddenly when he finds out she’s a girl, he’s suddenly all nice and caring.
the female character reminds me of juliette from shatter me (need i say more). her choices are stupid and she risks her whole plan to kiss a guy that she hasn’t interacted enough for us to be all invested in their relationship.
the idea i got from this story is that men always want to be the savior, they think they can save you from all your problems. before the love plot, this book was good, the writing really pulls you into the world of feudal japan. I will say the ending did pick up, and if i ignored the weird interactions between the main characters, i enjoyed it. I did not expect the plot twist and there’s definitely a set up for the second book but i think I’m going to pass.
edit: i think the reason why i don’t like this is that it’s Stockholm syndrome, the main female character gets “kidnapped” by these men but she wants to learn more about them, but she interacts with this one guy and then suddenly falls in love with him ????
lionessramping's review against another edition
1.0
Painfully redundant for the first two-thirds. Then stupid with the usual inexplicable YA romance. Then I have no idea if it ended well or not, it was just too damn late to care.
cinnamonrollxthundercloud's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
tonayo's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars. This book was not particularly deep, but it was original (Mulan comparisons aside), fresh, well-written, well-paced, and extraordinarily entertaining. I loved Mariko and the backdrop of feudal-era Japan, as well as the commentary on being a woman, and all the challenges that come with that. I read this in about a day and it was a fun ride (but there's sorta a nasty cliffhanger, be warned). Can't wait for book two!
rosesinthemist's review against another edition
3.0
I loved this book when I read it the first time several years ago, but this time it just didn’t get me as much. That might have been because i had to put it down for a large stretch of time in the middle, but for some reason rereading it didn’t absorb me the way it did the first time. I still think teen readers who like plucky heroines and girls disguised as boys would like this though.
robotnik's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I honestly thought this book was going to begin a streak of me reading good books after this year being such a flop so far. The first few chapters of this book are really good. And then, it waffled off into being boring for pretty much the rest of the book. It was such a shame, really.
I'll level with you. Mariko's annoying. The book keeps telling you how smart and strong she is with absolutely nothing to back it up. She's honestly an idiot through most of the book. She's also a huge contradiction, as she's lived a spoiled and pampered life but somehow she thinks the best solution after her retinue is attacked and killed and only she survives is for her to sneak after the would-be assassins and discover their identity and maybe deal with them herself. Like, wtf, no. Mariko fumbles her way through this book and then is a ninja by the end, or something. The "strong female" narrative is wasted on Mariko, who is anything but that.
Okami is a fail of a love interest, as he does absolutely nothing to endear himself to Mariko but she's suddenly into him. He's not very interesting. There's also something that comes across as biphobic with his character, considering his discovery of Mariko's identity and how he's suddenly desiring her and madly in love, but neither of these things are acknowledged when he thinks she's a boy. It just comes across as iffy to me.
The switching POVs was unexpected, and I don't think they enhanced the story in any way. It might have been better if told entirely from Mariko's perspective.
Really, this book is an extremely generic and slightly below average young adult novel that tries masking its average-ness beneath a Japanese setting but the world building is awkward and doesn't do its job of enhancing the story. There's magic in this book that's very weaky and wishywashy, and the crossdressing subplot isn't very well done.
This book would be an one star if not for the first few chapters. I was just really bored reading anything past them.
Overall, just another example of "interesting premise, boring execution". I will be skipping the next book and moving on.
I'll level with you. Mariko's annoying. The book keeps telling you how smart and strong she is with absolutely nothing to back it up. She's honestly an idiot through most of the book. She's also a huge contradiction, as she's lived a spoiled and pampered life but somehow she thinks the best solution after her retinue is attacked and killed and only she survives is for her to sneak after the would-be assassins and discover their identity and maybe deal with them herself. Like, wtf, no. Mariko fumbles her way through this book and then is a ninja by the end, or something. The "strong female" narrative is wasted on Mariko, who is anything but that.
Okami is a fail of a love interest, as he does absolutely nothing to endear himself to Mariko but she's suddenly into him. He's not very interesting. There's also something that comes across as biphobic with his character, considering his discovery of Mariko's identity and how he's suddenly desiring her and madly in love, but neither of these things are acknowledged when he thinks she's a boy. It just comes across as iffy to me.
The switching POVs was unexpected, and I don't think they enhanced the story in any way. It might have been better if told entirely from Mariko's perspective.
Really, this book is an extremely generic and slightly below average young adult novel that tries masking its average-ness beneath a Japanese setting but the world building is awkward and doesn't do its job of enhancing the story. There's magic in this book that's very weaky and wishywashy, and the crossdressing subplot isn't very well done.
This book would be an one star if not for the first few chapters. I was just really bored reading anything past them.
Overall, just another example of "interesting premise, boring execution". I will be skipping the next book and moving on.
hillaryperkins's review against another edition
5.0
This book hooked me immediately! I loved the setting, ancient Japan (but with a fantastical twist), and all that came with it, Samurais, gender structures, political mystique within the emperor and elite. And what a cliff hanger!