Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh - Book Review

* I received an e-ARC of this book from Penguin Young Readers Group via NetGalley in an exchange for an honest review. As always, I only every write my true thoughts * 

Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh
Publication date: May 16, 2017
My rating: 3 stars

I'm disappointed.

Not the first words I wanted to write.
Not the first words I wanted to be read. 

But they also bring comfort. Because for one to be truly disappointed with something or someone one must care enough in the first place.
And I truly do care - about Renee Ahdieh's stories, about her characters, about her words and worlds. I knew it from the moment I read The Wrath & The Dawn and I know it now despite my disappointment. 

First things first, a few details about Flame in the Mist:

• This is not really a Mulan retelling.
  Now, now, I don't mean it in a bad way, just as a statement. Since everyone say it's a Mulan retelling everyone who love Mulan (myself included) go into it with a lot of certain expectations. But aside from the fact that it's a story about a girl who disguises herself as a boy at a time where women are not treated fairly nor taken seriously, there are no other similarities to Mulan. Honestly speaking, I wouldn't even have thought of Mulan, reading this story, if it hadn't been for the people saying it's a retelling. So no, this story stands on its own with no deep connections to Mulan.
  Certainly, it could be very loosely inspired by the infamous Mulan, but no more than that.  
• The story follows Mariko, the daughter of a Samurai, as she infiltrates the ranks of a group known as The Black Clan. Shortly after her convoy was attacked on her way to her arranged marriage to prince Raiden, Mariko sets on a journey of self-discovery and self-worth to prove herself capable of undermining the people behind the attempt on her life. Needless to say, things do not go well and Mariko soon finds herself in much deeper trouble then she realizes.
  
• There's romance, which was sweet yet confused me (no insta-love or love triangle).
  
• This story is very different from The Wrath & The Dawn. For starters, I found it much harder to get into. It didn't... flow like The Wrath & The Dawn did for me. It was rather - well, rather a lot - descriptive. In terms of places, characters, scenes... I found a lot of the descriptions too hard to follow and even to the point where they interfered with some of the enjoyment in the book. They were beautiful and unique, but hard to get into. I could see the beauty in them, but they didn't tug at my heart, didn't make me feel as though they were necessary for me. This might very well be a matter of taste, since I'm not all that fond of overly-descriptive books and complicated metaphors. I found myself craving more dialouge, less descriptions. More activity, less thoughts.
  
• Most of the story is from Mariko's POV, but there are multiple POV's (out of those most of them are from Mariko's brother POV).
  In that sense, it was very much like the trouble I had with The Wrath & The Dawn. At first, the multiple POV's were interesting. Quickly enough they wore out on me and I couldn't find why they were even necessary to the progression of the story. All I wanted was to get back to Mariko and her love interest (whose name I won't say since it's all the fun figuring this out on your own *wink*).
  
• It takes place in ancient Japan, which I loved (Japanese obsessed over here) - we're definitely lacking in books that take place in Japan.
  When writing a story that takes place in a place like Japan, it's important to do your research. And I felt like Renee Ahdieh did it extremely well. Maybe too well, though, since it felt like it had a lot to do with the over-descriptive problem I've been having with it.
  

My problems with Flame in the Mist: 

We barely get anything our of everything.

No, seriously, I read an entire book just here and yet I feel like I learned nothing.
I feel like stuff happened without even the reader realizing how they happened.
Like the romance - it just sort of happened with no development. Like one minute it wasn't and the next... it was. 
The development of their relationship (from enemies to lovers) was lacking in a way I had a hard time believing came from the author who wrote such a complex and engaging love story in The Wrath & The Dawn.
And while I did find myself rooting for those two, I couldn't shake my disappointment and need for something more... for more interaction. Development. Dialouge. Something. 

The relationship between Mariko and Kenshin (her twin brother) - we are told how much they love each other yet we don't really see it.

Yes, I think this is the biggest problem of all.
We're told more than we're shown.
Trust me, I'm a great believer in the power of words. Without them, we're nothing. But just being told something repeatedly, with no action or visual whatsoever to support it... just feels fake and empty, if you know what I mean.
Actions speak louder than words, are they not? (said the writer).

That's how I felt during the story, with almost everything.
We're told about the great and unbreakable bond between Ranmaru and Okami - That's great! I love strong friendships. So then what do we have to support it? Nothing, really.

We're told about the great trust and love between Kenshin and Mariko - what do we have to support it? Nothing really.

It seems like I'm asking for proof here but it's not proof it's... action. engagement. Something this book was clearly lacking. 

So yes, I enjoyed it enough to keep on reading.
But no, I didn't get this book. It confused me greatly. And I kept on wanting more out of it.  

"What did you do now, woman?" He seethed, his face wan, the color in constract to his eyes.  

"Nothing you need concern yourself with, boy," Mariko retorted. 

But wait just a second.
Despite my reservations, I did rate this book 3 stars. Which means, despite having my problems with it, I did enjoy it. I didn't DNF it.
Especially by the end of it, I seemed to have gathered more affection towards the cast of characters and the place the story was going. 

"If I'm marching to my death, then I will march to it as a girl. Without fear." 

I also loved how, despite everything, Mariko never gave up.
She was weak but she kept on fighting.
She was scared but she kept on going.
So yes, maybe I still don't get Mariko at all. Maybe I still don't understand what makes her a character I can care for but... she deserves applause just for her strong sense of self-worth and feminism. 

Did I enjoy this book? Quite.
Will I read the next one? Yes.
Do I hope for it to get better? Very much. Please let me see and feel more next time.  

Something Wild - Lindsey Stirling

Hatred served no purpose, except to plague its bearer.