​Flame in the Mist is about 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.
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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 ranks of the Black Clan, determined to track down the person responsible for the target on her back. But she’s quickly captured and taken to the Black Clan’s secret hideout, where she meets their leader, the rebel ronin Takeda Ranmaru, and his second-in-command, his best friend Okami. Still believing her to be a boy, Ranmaru and Okami eventually warm to Mariko, impressed by her intellect and ingenuity. As Mariko gets closer to the Black Clan, she uncovers a dark history of secrets, of betrayal and murder, which will force her to question everything she’s ever known.
-summary from Penguin Random House
 
Honestly this is the book your read that after you finish it you can’t pick up another book right away. Like this might be might favorite book of the year. I actually listened to the first part of this book on my drive up to college and then I finished the book that night because it was so good and I just had to know what happened.
This book is a reimaging of Mulan and she is one of my favorite Disney princess and I am all about girl power. I really like how this story was told and it was really interesting to be in the head of a girl trying to act like a boy. She has thoughts that every girl has had at one time trying to understand boys. Renee writing has the ability to keep us guessing and every point.
Though what I did not like about this book is that she a had theses chapters every few chapters that complete switched point of views and I had absolutely no idea what was going on. I understand that they are supposed to be like that and we are not supposed to figure out what is going on because it adds to the story background plot but I just did not like them. And then the actual book ended in one of these chapters and it was one of my least favorite endings.
I would recommend The Flame in the Mist to people who like Mulan and for people who like stories where the underdog becomes the hero.