8 Reasons To Read Renée Ahdieh’s Flame in the Mist

Dressed as a boy, Mariko renames herself Takeo. The Black Clan puts her to work immediately, doing mindless chores in their camp. She has never so much as boiled water in her life, but she works her way through their ranks. Every day and night she keeps in mind the revenge she’s plotting. Her mantra is “Follow orders. Engender trust”…then strike. But Mariko/Takeo learns more than how to live in an encampment of smelly thieves. She learns that they listen to her. She makes herself valuable. She recognizes she’s more than a bride to be sold. She’s her own person, and for the first time, she can be herself.
But not everyone in the Clan is ready to trust her. Her greatest threat is Ōkami, who will forever be known as BAE. Ōkami has the antihero role down pat, and though she’s dressed as a boy, he can’t deny there’s something about the new recruit that gets under his skin. As Mariko discovers the layers of the Black Clan, her loyalty is torn between admiration for her found family and loyalty to the one she ran away from.
Here are eight more reasons you need to read Flame in the Mist. Spoiler-free, of course.
1. A heroine with agency
After Mariko is attacked, she uses her wits to save herself. This is a survival story that forces the main character to fight or fly. Mariko chooses to fight. She can’t return home, even if she wanted to: the attack on her convoy en route to marry the emperor’s son would only be seen as bad luck and a source of shame. She hates, but understands, her place as a young woman and what it means for her. The only way to find answers is to take matters into her own hands.
2. A Gryffinclaw through and through
It takes courage to do what Mariko is doing. Cutting off her hair and binding her breasts is one thing, but putting herself in the line of danger is another. She has no idea what she’ll encounter. She has no idea if the Black Clan will even let her live. But she approaches her task with sheer bravery. In an interview with Bustle Books, Ahdieh said Mariko was inspired by her sister and by Hermione Granger. Hermione was a hatstall, because she could’ve belonged to either Gryffindor or Ravenclaw. Mariko’s Ravenclaw traits include her nonstop curiosity and question asking, which makes for excellent banter among the men. Mariko dabbles with some inventions, and her clever tongue gets her in and out of plenty of situations.

3.The food descriptions
While there are slightly fewer food descriptions than in The Wrath and the Dawn, it’s safe to say you shouldn’t read this book on an empty stomach.
4. Smash the patriarchy
For a girl like Mariko, there’s freedom in disguising herself as a boy. There’s a moment when she revels in simply being able to hold another man’s eye, and another when she walks around the capital streets without the need to be protected. We discover she rebelled against her parents in small ways to try to keep her autonomy. It was her way of choosing things for herself, while the major things (like her marriage) were out of her hands. Ahdieh writes well-rounded female characters and shows us not all displays of strength have to be physical and masculine. It’s a beautiful thing.
5. Trope smashing while we’re at it
Ahdieh takes the gender-bending trope and makes it her own. Unlike Twelfth Night, this isn’t a comedy of errors. Mariko’s choice to take the guise of a boy is for survival. It adds an exciting layer of tension for readers wondering how long she can maintain her ruse, especially when she starts to develop feelings for one of her Black Clan mates. Mariko’s inexperience is more likely to get her into a bind than her behavior as a boy. But she’s a quick learner and keeps readers on their toes.
6. All about the ensemble cast
The Black Clan is full of colorful characters, and Mariko’s learns they’re full of surprises. Many were outcasts, young men with dark pasts. The leader, Ranmaru, and his best friend, Ōkami, are rōnin, or masterless samurai. Ranmaru is hella charming, cool, and confident, balancing his brooding best friend. Every scene in which Ōkami and Mariko are together simply shines.
7. Page 270
The slow burn is worth it to get to this chapter, and the romance just keeps rolling after that. #ŌkamiIsBae
8. That ending
Mariko’s journey isn’t over, and the ending will have you begging for book two. We know we’ll be first in line.