![]() Cassidy Serhienko REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS because we need to talk people. I have been waiting for this sequel since Flame in the Mist came out last May. I stayed up until 2 in the morning to finish this book and it was everything I wanted it to be: tense, fast-paced and action packed. However, compared to the perfection that was Flame in the Mist this sequel fell short in some very important places. Ahdieh just seems to have a problem with sequels, Smoke in the Sun simply doesn’t compare to the absolute perfection of Flame in the Mist, just like Rose in the Dagger doesn’t compare to Wrath and the Dawn. My main issues with this book are mainly with Mariko’s badassery (or lack thereof), her relationship with Okami and the development of the secondary characters. Mariko is supposed to be this super gifted alchemist and strategist but when you really look at the plot of this book, she accomplished almost nothing. Sure she snuck in and out of the palace occasionally but that’s honestly pretty much it. She was such a baller in the first book but in this sequel she just didn’t seem to have her shit together. Then we get to her relationship with Okami, which was super sexy and believable in the first book and just felt dull in this one. The author kept telling us how in love they were instead of showing it. They only interacted 3 or 4 times in the whole book and each rendezvous resulted in a whole lot of nothing. And I get that Okami is supposed to be all woke and shit, but you’re telling me that he’s SO IN LOVE with this girl but when he’s told that she’s going to stay at the palace to marry some guy that they believe is a violent little twerp so that she could maybe, possibly do something for the Black Clan, his reaction is essentially “YAAASSS GIRL GET AFTER IT!” *cartwheels* (I know that was a hella long run on sentence, don’t @ me). It’s not consistent with his character and is honestly just complete and utter crap. Being a feminist doesn’t mean he can’t argue or disagree with any of her decisions, it means that he respects her right to make her own and doesn’t try to control her. It felt like the author was trying way too hard to make Okami a feminist that it sometimes felt fake. That being said, I’d rather read a book that tries too hard and sometimes misses the mark than one that doesn’t try at all. I really appreciate the way Ahdieh’s writing is all about smart, complicated and strong women. One of the best things about Flame in the Mist was the secondary characters, but in this sequel they were more or less ignored. Sure Raiden and his psycho brother were cool to read about and all, but the members of the Black Clan were just abandoned or given two lines and killed off (why you gotta do Ren like that Renee?). But my major issue with the entire book is courtesy of ___. Ahdieh revealed that he was gay and in love with Okami but didn’t follow through with it at all. He never even mentioned it himself, it was only brought up TWICE in the whole book courtesy of his sister Yumi. The first time she only implied it and then it was never brought up for so long that I thought maybe I had misinterpreted what I’d read and eventually forgot about it. Eons later, Yumi mentions it to Mariko who is all “ah cool, makes sense” and then the entire thing is abandoned. I’m all for diversity and I would have absolutely loved if this plotline was explored. The leader of the Black Clan is secretly in love with his co-leader who is in love with a lady? DRAMA! INTRIGUE! Sign me the hell up! But don’t throw it out there in a half-assed attempt to win points for diversity if you’re not going to give it the attention it deserves. It did absolutely nothing for the story because it wasn’t legitimately incorporated into the story BECAUSE ___ DOESN’T EVEN MENTION IT HIMSELF. Despite this rant, I really did enjoy this sequel. Ahdieh built an interesting and complicated world in Flame in the Mist and this book gave readers further insight into the politics and complex inner workings of that world. Honestly Renee Ahdieh is an amazing writer who could make anything captivating and gripping. If you haven’t read her books then you are missing out on some of the best fantasy YA has to offer.
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