"Samurai" Bandits

Flame in the Mist
By Renee Ahdieh

Mariko finds herself in heaps of trouble when she is betrothed to the Prince's brother and on the way is attached by bandits. With thorough smarts and a willingness to adapt, she manages to join the bandits in the attempt to destroy them from the inside out.

Sold to me as a Mulan retelling, I can comfortably say this is NOT. It's closer to the 47 Ronin story - the Japanese setting, the disgraced Samurai, and a fight against the throne.

The writing is smooth and poetic. Always in the right places, staying away from bogging down action in any form. Ahdieh finds her moments of peace well. A Japanese-inspired fantasy (I'm pretty sure this is supposed to be that) lends well to gentle poetry.

Mariko as the main character: thorough, logical, adaptable. These three traits help her to analyze and assess situations before jumping headfirst in. It is refreshing to have a character that you get to read their thinking through actions first.

There is a romance. Only know that it was a good, slow build with a cliff-hanger on their status. 

The story was lacking for me. There was no spark. I love me some Japanese culture. This felt a little too much like a checklist: kimono - check, samurai - check, hot springs - check, geisha - check, etc. Which makes me wonder if she termed it a "fantasy" in order to escape criticism for lack of research. She could pick and choose what parts of the culture she wanted and made up the rest. The only part that read like 'fantasy' was the hints at something sinister...

The only part that I sat up straighter while reading was the itty-bitty interjections of magic. *gasp* what?! Magic?! Yes, but very slight. And I was hanging onto every bit. Sadly, it left as soon as it appeared.

If you want a Japanese-inspired "fantasy", an analytical main character, and poetic writing, definitely give this a read.

3/5 STARS