“Be as swift as the wind. As silent as the forest. As fierce as the fire. As unshakable as the mountain.”
✘ PLOT
Mariko is reluctantly on her way to meet her betrothed – the emperor’s son, who she’s been sold off to marry by her family – when her party is attacked by masked assailants and she is forced to escape alone into the night. When she comes to the conclusion that the infamous Black Clan, a group of miscreants and thieves, must be responsible for the deaths of her friends, she infiltrates their group under pretense of a lost young boy, determined to gain their trust and then get the revenge she so desperately desires.
✘ WRITING
While there were some seriously slow moments here and there, for the most part, I was captivated by the story and eager to see what would happen next to Mariko and the members of the Black Clan. I thought Renee Ahdieh did a fine job of switching perspectives from one character to the next, but this story would have benefited tremendously from a first-person narrative. I had a hard time emotionally connecting to Mariko and the situations she found herself in, and I think that would have been rectified with a first-person writing choice.
✘ FIGHTING/MAGIC
There are all sorts of subsets to fantasy, if you read enough of the genre – you’ve got your action fantasy, romantic fantasy, etc., and this one was definitely an “action fantasy”. There are quite a few fight scenes, and a bit of magic usage (though the system definitely never got the fleshing-out I wanted from it). I thought they were pretty decent, but as someone who really likes training sequences and battle scenes in books, I was left wanting more most of the time.
✘ MARIKO
I really loved Mariko’s character at first; she comes out of the gate as this spunky, feminist badass who wants nothing to do with traditional gender roles. She wants to fight, protect herself, and outwit everyone while doing so.
“I am not a girl.” The rage collected in her chest. “I am Hattori Mariko. And you will die for this. By my hand.” I swear it.
Unfortunately, as the book progressed, she became slightly less likable for me. The constant lies were frustrating; I understand that she wanted to protect herself, but damn, girl, if you’re that bad at lying, maybe you should stop doing it every time you open your mouth? I also grew weary quickly of the repetition of her constant internal monologue consisting of nothing more than, “How will this help me get revenge?” “Do they know about my plot for revenge?” “I’ll find a way to get revenge!” You get the point. It got old fast.
✘ OKAMI
Okami was my favorite part of this entire book (besides Yoshi, the chef). He’s your typical stoic, brooding YA love interest, but I’m a sucker for that trope, so it drew me right in. He’s shrouded in more than a few mysterious, and while some of them were a little predictable, others actually kept me on my toes. Once he warmed up to Mariko towards the end of the book, I really enjoyed the banter, and there were some tender moments from him that definitely melted me a little.
I also really appreciated the lack of insta-love. When Okami finds out Mariko isn’t actually a boy, rather than suddenly falling madly in love with her, he actually acknowledges that he had “indescribable” feelings for her long before the reveal. He goes on to say that it had caused him to question some things about himself (presumably implying that he was questioning his sexuality, without it being anything he is ashamed of), which felt like a realistic touch and a pleasant surprise.
✘ FINAL VERDICT
Before reading this, a lot of people warned me that they expected I would hate it, and I was a little worried. Thankfully, those people were wrong. It wasn’t a perfect read, but I’ll definitely continue the series. If you like fantasy stories that are light on romance and humor, but heavy on action and fighting, I’d recommend giving this one a try!
Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers for the ARC! All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
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ericarobyn
August 18, 2017I glad you enjoyed this one! I personally couldn’t look past the writing style. Just not for me 🙂 I look forward to reading your thoughts on the series! 🙂
Erica | Erica Robyn Reads
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
August 18, 2017That’s understandable! I probably won’t rush out and pre-order the second book or anything, but I will definitely continue the series eventually, at least. ?
Amber
August 18, 2017Aaagh, I love the cover of this one so much, I’m so excited to read it. I’m really glad you enjoyed it more than folks thought you would!
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
August 18, 2017Isn’t it pretty? That’s what originally drew me in. I’m hoping BookOutlet will get the hardcover of it at some point so I can pick up an inexpensive physical copy, lol!
yasminereads
August 18, 2017I totally agree with you! I enjoyed the book too even though there totally was some emotional disconnection. I wasn’t able to put that into words for some reason when I wrote my review, but I definitely see where a first-person POV would would have helped!
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
August 18, 2017I’m glad I wasn’t the only one feeling that way!
Chelsea (lostamongthepages)
August 18, 2017Ugh! I was SO excited about this until ARCs went out and people started not liking it as much. I do still plan on giving this a shot, I just don’t know what I am going to expect. That cover though…. That is enough for me to buy it. Haha!!
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
August 18, 2017I don’t blame you! I requested this a few months before it released, when I hadn’t heard ANYTHING about it. The release date came and went and my request was still pending, but I thought, “Maybe I dodged a bullet!” because of all the negative reviews I saw… and then like, two months after it released, I got an email saying it was approved lmao. Whoops.
Elise @ Roaming Reader
August 19, 2017This cover is so eye catching! I’m curious to see what you think about the rest of this series when it comes out
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
August 20, 2017It really is! I’ll definitely post reviews as I go.