Book Blurb
The only daughter of a prominent samurai, Mariko has always known she’d been raised for one purpose and one purpose only: to marry. Never mind her cunning, which rivals that of her twin brother, Kenshin, or her skills as an accomplished alchemist. Since Mariko was not born a boy, her fate was sealed the moment she drew her first breath.
So, at just seventeen years old, Mariko is sent to the imperial palace to meet her betrothed, a man she did not choose, for the very first time. But the journey is cut short when Mariko’s convoy is viciously attacked by the Black Clan, a dangerous group of bandits who’ve been hired to kill Mariko before she reaches the palace.
The lone survivor, Mariko narrowly escapes to the woods, where she plots her revenge. Dressed as a peasant boy, she sets out to infiltrate the Black Clan and hunt 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.
So, at just seventeen years old, Mariko is sent to the imperial palace to meet her betrothed, a man she did not choose, for the very first time. But the journey is cut short when Mariko’s convoy is viciously attacked by the Black Clan, a dangerous group of bandits who’ve been hired to kill Mariko before she reaches the palace.
The lone survivor, Mariko narrowly escapes to the woods, where she plots her revenge. Dressed as a peasant boy, she sets out to infiltrate the Black Clan and hunt 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.
Flame in the Mist follows a seventeen year old girl named Mariko who's father has arranged for her to marry one the the Emperor sons. On her way to her new betrothed her journey is attacked by the infamous black clan. After managing to escape the attack she decides instead of heading back home to set out and discover who had attempted to kill her and exact her own revenge.
I absolutely love Meriko she's smart, cunning and discovers her own courage during her adventure. She could have easily given up gone back home and let her brother Kenshin find her attempted killer for her, but she also knew this was her only chance to find her own freedom even if for a short while. Without giving anything away, I found her ability to accept the fact that everything she ever known may not be try and acknowledging everything wrong and choosing to do what is right rather then what is easy.
Dislikes
- The pacing at times was slow
- It was about 1/3 into the book until I got really into the book
- Cliffhanger
Warnings
The book starts with a suicide (or Seppuku sometimes metathesized as harakiri "abdomen/belly cutting" which is a native Japanese kun reading, is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai) at the beginning of the book. If you don't wish to read this you can skip to page 6. The book does a god job of explaining the scene but not its graphic manner.
Likes
- Meriko
- Okami even if he is a pain sometimes
- Kenshin despite the mistakes he made.
- The Japanese mythology
I enjoyed this book so much and I can not wait for the second book to come out hopefully sometime next year. I have to find out what happens to Meriko and her new friends.
I like how to stated the likes and dislikes. I just started this book and I'm not very hooked but I'll continue reading because the overall plot seems interesting.
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