4.5/5 Stars 
 I went into this book with high expectations, and I was not disappointed! I absolutely loved this story. Renee Ahdieh's writing and world-building was just as exquisite as it was in The Wrath and the Dawn duology, and the character development was on point. Flame in the Mist was a unique take on Mulan, and went in a different direction than I was expecting and took me completely by surprise. 
 Mariko was a great main character, and I loved her journey. Her voice was poignant and perfect for the narration. The other characters in the Black Clan were also very well-developed, and I really enjoyed Mariko's interactions with them, especially her relationship with Okami. My favorite character was definitely Ranmaru, he intrigued me from the beginning and his big reveal at the end of the story was so wild! I was also interested in Yumi and her relationship with Ranmaru, it was only briefly mentioned but they clearly had a history. I hope it's touched upon in the next book! It would be neat if Ranmaru had perspective chapters, especially because he will be separated from Mariko and Okami. 
 As much as I loved the Black Clan members, I couldn't really bring myself to care about Kenshin that much. He was okay, but his storyline hunting Mariko wasn't very interesting to me. I get why it was included but I sometimes found myself skimming his chapters because I just wanted to get back to Mariko. However, the characters like the emperor and the royal family will no doubt play a bigger role in the next book. 
 Overall, I really enjoyed this book almost as much as I did The Wrath and the Dawn! Renee Ahdieh is becoming an auto-buy author for me, I'll read pretty much anything she writes. The ending of this book had me on the edge of my seat and the cliffhanger left me desperately wanting more. I can't wait for book 2!