{Review} Smoke in the Sun (Flame in the Mist #2) by Renee Ahdieh

Posted by Donna
Release Date: June 5th, 2018
Finished Date: May 20th, 2018

Publishers: Hodder & Soughton
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Romance
Source: For Review
Format: ARC

Pages: 432
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo 

 

The highly anticipated sequel to Flame in the Mist—an addictive, sumptuous finale that will leave readers breathless from the bestselling author of The Wrath and the Dawn.

After Okami is captured in the Jukai forest, Mariko has no choice—to rescue him, she must return to Inako and face the dangers that have been waiting for her in the Heian Castle. She tricks her brother, Kenshin, and betrothed, Raiden, into thinking she was being held by the Black Clan against her will, playing the part of the dutiful bride-to-be to infiltrate the emperor's ranks and uncover the truth behind the betrayal that almost left her dead. 

With the wedding plans already underway, Mariko pretends to be consumed with her upcoming nuptials, all the while using her royal standing to peel back the layers of lies and deception surrounding the imperial court. But each secret she unfurls gives way to the next, ensnaring Mariko and Okami in a political scheme that threatens their honor, their love and very the safety of the empire.

The Review: Smoke in the Sun is the finale in the Flame in the Mist series by author Renee Adhieh and while I really enjoyed Flame in the Mist along with the free novellas, I didn’t quite think Smoke in the Sun lived up to my expectations but it was still a pleasant conclusion to the series. 

After the nail-biting cliff-hanger in Flame in the Mist, Mariko and Okami are now headed to the Heian Castle after Okami is captured by Mariko’s betrothed and brother. However what they do not know is that Mariko didn’t need rescuing and she was with Okami and his clan of her own free will. Now she will do anything to protect Okami from being killed even if that means heading into the lion’s den herself to free him.

I couldn’t wait to start this book knowing that Mariko Okami were both heading to the same place even though one was a prisoner. I was eager to see how the story would play out and of course I was looking forward to more special moments between my two favourite characters. But the characters hardly had any time together which was disappointing. I could understand the difficult situation the characters were in but I was hoping we’d get more time of them together than we actually did. 

While I did enjoy some parts of the story such a Mariko’s character development, Okami realising who is really is along with the pleasant ending, I still felt like something was missing from the story. It was very slow paced with not much happening plot wise until the very end. I was expecting for Mariko to do more than she actually did to help saving Okami which unfortunately was very little. She didn’t have enough power at the Heian Castle to be able to do more which was frustrating. And while I enjoyed the story, I will admit there are plenty of plot holes that have left a few unanswered questions. 

In all, although the series doesn’t quite live up to The Wrath and the Dawn series, I’m still glad I’ve read it and I will continue to read more books by Adhieh in the future. 

Thank you to Hodder & Soughton for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.