Flame in the Mist

Hat ein bisschen was von Mulan, allerdings nur dezent. Sollte man beachten, da das Buch oft als Mulan Retelling vermarktet bzw. beworben wird und das ist es echt nur minimal. Das Buch hat mich jetzt nicht vom Hocker gerissen, alles schonmal so gesehen und gelesen, nur dieses Mal eben im Japan Setting. Kleine süße Romance, Rebellen vs. Samurai und eine Prise Verrat und Betrug. Werde die Reihe nicht weiter lesen, dafür hats mich nicht stark genug gefesselt.

First, I should maybe explain why it took me so long to read this book. June was incredibly stressful (uni wise and some private issues occured) and I literally did not read one single page in June, and the first week of July. It was NOT because I didn't enjoy the first half of the book. On the contrary. Once I picked the book up again though, I couldn't put it down anymore (as is often the case with Rene's books). I loved it so much! For the entirety of the book I thought that this was going to be a standalone. So y'all can imagine how frustrated I was when I finished the book. It couldn't end like this, I didn't want to leave these characters, nor this world. It seems like I was just too stupid to notice that there is actually going to be a second book (I assume it's going to be a duology? idk?). ANYWAY: I loved this book. It is different from anything I have read before, which I really did appreciate. Yeah, there were some scenes I thought to be typically YA, but it didn't bother me as much as it might in other books since the world was so different. I have never read anything that was set in Japan before, and I loved how the author weaves Japanese expressions into the story. I feel like that this just makes the whole experience so much more unique. I loved the characters. Each and every one of them is so unique and lovable (most of them of least) that you just can't help but fall in love with them. However, I feel as though the relationships between the characters were a little rushed at times, and some scenes were just confusing since I didn't understand the way the characters behaved, or why they reacted the way they did. Another thing that was kind of confusing for me (maybe I read it tok quickly) was the magic that happened in the book. After finishing the book I couldn't tell you exactly what the magic system was, or what it was able to do. Everything seemed so ... out of the blue? I do not know how to describe it, but maybe that was exactly the intention the author had. Maybe we will learn more about it in the second book? All in all, this was a fantastic and action-packed read. Rene's beautiful writinf goes so well with the story and the places we visited are still so vivid in my imagination that it hurts to know that I have to let go of them now, at least until the next book comes out! 4/5 stars

3.5 Stars