A review by nicolenikonetz
Flame in the Mist by Renée Ahdieh
3.0
This one has caused me more indecision than I care to admit. While I originally gave it a four-star rating, it's been bugging me and nagging at me, and after looking at some of my other three-star ratings and other four-star ratings, I just think it fits in better with three stars.
Directly after reading it, I had wanted to like it so badly, that I feel like I was more forgiving about some elements of the book that simply weren't as good as I would have liked. And while there were strong points (For instance, I still like the romance as well as the relationships between Mariko and the other members of the Black Clan), there are also some weaker points as well.
For example, the world-building is pretty simplistic; both social forces and individual characters were done more in black and white, bad and good, than in grey. Grey is always more interesting. The idea that their society thinks women are weaker and that Mariko's father thinks her only worth is in marriage is an overdone, old idea that doesn't really hold any of my interest. It just felt like another tool to show that Mariko was different because she was smart and curious rather than docile. While she may be different from what women are expected to be in that world, it didn't make any sense to me that she would be literally the only person to question it. If she has grown up in this sort of place, what happened to her that made her think differently? Why and how has she come to recognize the injustice in her society, and, knowing this injustice, why does she think that her family will recognize her worth beyond marriage if she infiltrates a dangerous gang? If anything, wouldn't her family just disown the un-lady-like behaviour? The premise there felt weak, just an excuse to get her to join the Black Clan.
While that did bother me, I did appreciate her intellect and the fact that she wasn't one training montage away from being super badass. She does have to face her privilege and question herself as she gets further into the world of the Black Clan. I also liked that she wasn't some ultra-chaste ultra-innocent girl, and wasn't afraid to go after what she wanted. While her banter with the other members of the Black Clan did feel very forced in the beginning (why would so many criminals talk about so much philosophy???) their relationships did grow into something I would consider a strong point in the book.
Her brother Kenshin, however, was not something I would consider a strong point. He felt so distant and static, and I really didn't see any reason to like him very much. So duty bound and boring.
The plot is rather slow for the most part, and I feel like Ahdieh relied a lot on using Japanese words to create the feeling of being in a Japanese-themed world. It never really took on a life of it's own. It does pick up nearer to the end, though, and I became more invested as time went on. But sadly, I don't think it was enough to really warrant a 4 star review.
It wasn't horrible, but it also wasn't amazing. It was really just okay. And the problems I had with it - the simplistic and flat world building, plot and pacing, and certain aspects of the characters - didn't outweigh the positives. Just kind of . . . balanced them out. So a 3 star review makes much more sense, I think.
Directly after reading it, I had wanted to like it so badly, that I feel like I was more forgiving about some elements of the book that simply weren't as good as I would have liked. And while there were strong points (For instance, I still like the romance as well as the relationships between Mariko and the other members of the Black Clan), there are also some weaker points as well.
For example, the world-building is pretty simplistic; both social forces and individual characters were done more in black and white, bad and good, than in grey. Grey is always more interesting. The idea that their society thinks women are weaker and that Mariko's father thinks her only worth is in marriage is an overdone, old idea that doesn't really hold any of my interest. It just felt like another tool to show that Mariko was different because she was smart and curious rather than docile. While she may be different from what women are expected to be in that world, it didn't make any sense to me that she would be literally the only person to question it. If she has grown up in this sort of place, what happened to her that made her think differently? Why and how has she come to recognize the injustice in her society, and, knowing this injustice, why does she think that her family will recognize her worth beyond marriage if she infiltrates a dangerous gang? If anything, wouldn't her family just disown the un-lady-like behaviour? The premise there felt weak, just an excuse to get her to join the Black Clan.
Spoiler
Which, ironically, wasn't even the group set out to kill her anyways!While that did bother me, I did appreciate her intellect and the fact that she wasn't one training montage away from being super badass. She does have to face her privilege and question herself as she gets further into the world of the Black Clan. I also liked that she wasn't some ultra-chaste ultra-innocent girl, and wasn't afraid to go after what she wanted. While her banter with the other members of the Black Clan did feel very forced in the beginning (why would so many criminals talk about so much philosophy???) their relationships did grow into something I would consider a strong point in the book.
Her brother Kenshin, however, was not something I would consider a strong point. He felt so distant and static, and I really didn't see any reason to like him very much. So duty bound and boring.
The plot is rather slow for the most part, and I feel like Ahdieh relied a lot on using Japanese words to create the feeling of being in a Japanese-themed world. It never really took on a life of it's own. It does pick up nearer to the end, though, and I became more invested as time went on. But sadly, I don't think it was enough to really warrant a 4 star review.
It wasn't horrible, but it also wasn't amazing. It was really just okay. And the problems I had with it - the simplistic and flat world building, plot and pacing, and certain aspects of the characters - didn't outweigh the positives. Just kind of . . . balanced them out. So a 3 star review makes much more sense, I think.