Initial Impressions 5/27/17 and full review as posted on The Book Addict's Guide 7/19/17: 2.5 - 3 stars 
 Welp. The hype got this one for me. I actually went in with an open mind because I had no idea what to expect and despite not totally loving THE WRATH AND THE DAWN, I wanted to go into a new series with no reservations. I still ended up hitting some of the same issues that I encountered with WRATH though without even realizing it until I was done with the book. 
 FLAME IN THE MIST turned out to be a much slower-paced fantasy than I thought. I don't mind slower pace BUT I didn't feel like there was enough character development to create that sense of a character-driven novel when plot isn't action-packed. The story was moving forward and things were happening but it wasn't a whole lot to actually continuously keep the plot engaging. I don't need all action, all the time, to enjoy a book but when action slows down, that's where characters shine and it didn't feel like there was a lot of dialogue to really get to know the characters or interact with them. 
 Most of the book took place in the first chapter and the last 25%. I feel like I barely got to know the main characters at all and most of the things I knew about them, I was told instead of actually seeing. The relationships were confusing until the romance was clearly outlined because there was a little tension with a few people until the romance finally started developing into what it was. The plot could have used some cleaning up and there wasn't a really clear focus for a while. Aside from Mariko surviving the attack in the first few chapters (not a spoiler - it's literally in the synopsis and happens in the first chapter), I wasn't sure what her motivation was or what the point of the book was. Revenge? That's it? Which is fine, but the reader can tell that more political motivations will also be involved, being the daughter of an important family, and I just wanted to explore more of that right off the bat. Instead of something being introduced and working it into the story throughout the book, it seemed like a concept was introduced and had to be expanded upon right away instead of letting the story naturally unfold over time. 
 The whole book felt a little too... open. Like I always say, I don't need things clearly spelled out for me but I would like a better feel of what the book is, where it's going, and who these characters are. I just didn't feel like enough was developed. I got bored waiting for something to catch me and this just didn't do it for me. Who else is not surprised I'm a black sheep on this book? Sigh.