Flame in the Mist, by Renee Ahdieh

Flame in the Mist was a great novel by one of my personal favorite authors, Renee Ahdieh. It was one of those books that I couldn't put down, no matter how hard I tried. Once I started reading, I couldn't stop. I didn't even think about the time!

Have you ever had one of those books? The plot is constantly interesting, and there are twists in it everywhere? Have you read a book where the main character's feelings are not as they seem, and the role of antagonist seems to fluctuate between characters? Flame in the Mist was one of those books.

Flame in the Mist is set in feudal Japan, and is about a girl named Mariko, the daughter of a daimyo lord and the sister of a renowned samurai. On her way to meet her betrothed, the son of the Emperor, who she herself has never met, her procession is attacked by a group of ronin called the Black Clan. The only survivor, Mariko disguises herself as a boy and infiltrates the Black Clan, aiming to gain their trust and destroy them from inside. However, she finds herself conflicted as she realizes that the Black Clan are the only ones who value her skill as an alchemist and intellectual, befriends some of its members, and even grows to love one of them. Even as this occurs, her brother searches for her, confident that she is alive and determined to bring her to her betrothed.

Flame in the Mist was a miraculous novel, a happy mix of historical fiction and supernatural. With ninjas (the Black Clan) and samurai, it is definitely action-packed, with the expected plot changing so many times that it keeps you enthralled. You can feel Mariko develop in your bones, and you can watch as things unfold around her, deepening the story. I loved its use of the Japanese culture (which is personally one of my favorites), and how everything is not originally as it seems.