Flame in the Mist

Ahdieh, Renée. Flame in the Mist. Book 1 of the Flame in the Mist series. 2017. 392p. ISBN 978-0-399-17163-5. Available at FIC AHD on the library shelves.

Mariko is on her way to the imperial capital to marry the eldest son of the Emperor. She resent this trip and her upcoming nuptials to a man she has never met. She resents her father for forcing her into this arranged marriage that will benefit him. But most of all, she resents having been born a girl and be bound by customs and traditions, instead of having been born a boy like her twin brother Kenshin. She wishes she had every opportunity available, including becoming a samurai and enjoy the way of bushido, the code of honor that joins every warrior. She has extensively studied the art of alchemy, and prides herself in noticing everything around her.

Near the edge of a forest reputed to be haunted, her heavily guarded convoy is ambushed by brigands of the Black Clan, and all of her guards are slaughtered. When it is clear that the bandits are not here to steal but rather to kill her, Mariko manages to escape in the forest, but becomes hopelessly lost. Found by a ruffian intend on either trading her back to the Black Clan or claiming her as his consort, Mariko kills a man for the first time, steals his clothes, and heads deeper in the forest.

Notified of the attack on the convoy, her brother Kenshin, the Dragon of Ki and one of the best samurai of the Empire, cannot believe that his twin sister is dead. He begins tracking her down, and when he finds the site of the ambush he discovers enough clues to reveal that his sister has escaped.

Now dressed as a boy, Mariko devises a plan of action. She will infiltrate the Black Clan, and take down those who were responsible for the killings of her convoy. Finally locating the Clan on the outskirts of the forest, she is taken prisoner and brought to their camp. Still able to hide her gender, Mariko is dubbed Lord Lackbeard, and is forced to do many of the menial tasks of the camp. She quickly realizes, however, that the Clan's leader, and the man ultimately responsible for her capture, is intent on training her and letting her join. Finally valued for her ideas and her abilities more than just for her gender, Mariko now finds herself thorn between seeking revenge, and pursuing a growing sense of finally belonging somewhere.

But with her brother hot on her trails, and with the Wolf, second in command of the Clan keeping a close eye on her, Mariko will need all of her wits to survive this subterfuge and the deadly game she became involved in the day the convoy left her father's palace.