- Pages: 416
- Age Suggestion: 14+
- Genre: Young Adult Fiction; Romance, Historical Fiction, Fantasy
- Published 5-16-2017, by Penguin Young Readers Group
Summary
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Wrath and the Dawn, comes a sweeping, action-packed YA adventure set against the backdrop of Feudal Japan where Mulan meets Throne of Glass.
The daughter of a prominent samurai, Mariko has long known her place—she may be an accomplished alchemist, whose cunning rivals that of her brother Kenshin, but because she is not a boy, her future has always been out of her hands. At just seventeen years old, Mariko is promised to Minamoto Raiden, the son of the emperor's favorite consort—a political marriage that will elevate her family's standing. But en route to the imperial city of Inako, Mariko narrowly escapes a bloody ambush by a dangerous gang of bandits known as the Black Clan, who she learns has been hired to kill her before she reaches the palace.
Dressed as a peasant boy, Mariko sets out to infiltrate the Black Clan and track down those responsible for the target on her back. Once she's within their ranks, though, Mariko finds for the first time she's appreciated for her intellect and abilities. She even finds herself falling in love—a love that will force her to question everything she's ever known about her family, her purpose, and her deepest desires.
The daughter of a prominent samurai, Mariko has long known her place—she may be an accomplished alchemist, whose cunning rivals that of her brother Kenshin, but because she is not a boy, her future has always been out of her hands. At just seventeen years old, Mariko is promised to Minamoto Raiden, the son of the emperor's favorite consort—a political marriage that will elevate her family's standing. But en route to the imperial city of Inako, Mariko narrowly escapes a bloody ambush by a dangerous gang of bandits known as the Black Clan, who she learns has been hired to kill her before she reaches the palace.
Dressed as a peasant boy, Mariko sets out to infiltrate the Black Clan and track down those responsible for the target on her back. Once she's within their ranks, though, Mariko finds for the first time she's appreciated for her intellect and abilities. She even finds herself falling in love—a love that will force her to question everything she's ever known about her family, her purpose, and her deepest desires.
Quotes from the Book
The darkness that had recently become her refuge would also likely bring about her ruin.
She was beginning to realize that honor did not serve her well in a den of thieves.
Time would soon reveal truth.
The touch of true strength is as light as a feather.
Fear kept her alert. She would always let it feed her. Never let it consume her.
The only power any man has over you is the power you give him.
There are so many wise, inspirational, and down right true things said in this book I had to make a whole new post for them. And you can find even more here
Review
This book is almost equal in positive and negative aspects. Luckily, the good things overweigh the bad.
Lets get the negative things out of the ways first (just because I'm a pessimist, and I find it easier to think about these things). So, anyway, there were multiple times in the beginning that I thought was boring. Mainly because, in the beginning, it moves so slow. It gets better, though. Like I said, Adieh writes beautifully, but sometimes she takes way to long to describe the main characters surroundings. Also, alchemist? What alchemist? The main character shows talent with plants and things she can make concoctions with, but there was nothing magical or anything out of the ordinary.
Okay, so on the positive side I really liked the main character Mariko. She is determined and always stubborn, but not in an obnoxious way. All of the characters were intriguing, especially Okami, and I want to know more about them. I liked the plot pretty well. If you don't like Disney's Mulan then I don't think you will like this book, but, hey you never know. The ending is a bit different from Mulan, though. The ending was like "oooh, that makes so much sense". I liked the overall feeling of this book. Also I'm a bit of a history geek, so I really liked the rich history and culture that is incorporated in the story.
The perspective is in the third person and Adieh moves from person to person which is something that I thought both added and took away from the story. Like I have already stated this story kind of takes a while to get going. Which is a part of that story telling feeling. It's a good thing because it does make the story richer and gives it a sort of wiser feeling to it. It's a "bad" thing because it feels a lot slower than what I'm, and probably a lot other people, are used to.
I liked that a culture is strongly incorporated into this story. But, just like with any culture there are a many problems. In this story two things are brought into the light more than others. The first is something Mariko's family is a part of. The injustice of the rich taking from the poor. There was definite juxtaposition in that aspect. The second and strongest problem that is addressed is the mistreating of women. This is a culture that sees women as objects, something to merely be claimed, and nothing more. This book in general, but especially with strong main character, empowers women and should be a favorite for all feminist out there.
If your feeling like going on an beautiful, historical, and mysterious adventure then this is the book for you.
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