Words I Write Crazy: Week 40 Reviews: Ōkami, Yumi, Smoke in the Sun

Saturday, October 3, 2020

Week 40 Reviews: Ōkami, Yumi, Smoke in the Sun

From Goodreads:
At the close of Flame in the Mist, to end a bloodbath between the Black Clan and imperial soldiers, Ōkami allows himself to be taken prisoner by Prince Raiden, Mariko's betrothed. For someone who doesn't believe in heroes, it's a surprising choice: to trade his life for the lives of his friends and the one he loves. For he will surely be killed when he arrives in the Imperial City. But he decides if his life is the cost of love, it may not be too high a price after all.

From Goodreads:
When Yumi receives word of the battle led against her brother and the Black Clan by Prince Raiden and the Dragon of Kai, and of Ōkami's sacrifice, she resents the bars of her gilded cage all the more. She's tired of being a sheltered bird, protected in the Hanami. What Yumi really wants is to strike a blow against all the forces that control her life. The time has come.

From Goodreads:
After Okami is captured in the Jukai forest, Mariko has no choice--to rescue him, she must return to Inako and face the dangers that have been waiting for her in the Heian Castle. She tricks her brother, Kenshin, and betrothed, Raiden, into thinking she was being held by the Black Clan against her will, playing the part of the dutiful bride-to-be to infiltrate the emperor's ranks and uncover the truth behind the betrayal that almost left her dead.

With the wedding plans already underway, Mariko pretends to be consumed with her upcoming nuptials, all the while using her royal standing to peel back the layers of lies and deception surrounding the imperial court. But each secret she unfurls gives way to the next, ensnaring Mariko and Okami in a political scheme that threatens their honor, their love and the very safety of the empire.

My Review:
Yeah, it was really great to continue-and finish-this series! I loved Flame in the Mist, and it was really great to be in this world with these characters again! Loved seeing their further adventures, and now that secrets are out, there's

I really enjoyed reading Ōkami and Yumi, I really enjoyed getting to be in their heads, and it gave some set up leading into Smoke in the Sun, and I wanted to see what was going to happen next to these characters. They were really great to read!

Smoke in the Sun was a more political book than the first, because while we saw glimpses of the court in the first book through Mariko's brother, in this book, Mariko is there, and she has to navigate that den of snakes. And with the murder of the Emperor in the previous book, there's a lot of turmoil and scheming which was thoroughly entertaining to read!

That ending was so amazing to read. After all that they had gone through, all that they had faced, I'm so glad that they got that ending, it was so satisfying! There was some really great action, and they got endings that they fought for, and I had a great time reading it!

Loved reading these stories, and I can't wait to read more by Renée Ahdieh!

Author: Renée Ahdieh
Series: Flame in the Mist #1.25, 1.75, 2
Read: September 30th, 30th, 30th, 2020
Source: Ebook.bike, Own
Reason Why: Love her writing and they sounded really good! And they're Historical Fiction 2020 Books and Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2020 Books! And Smoke in the Sun is a End of Series 2020 Book!
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons, G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Published: April 24th 2018, May 15th 2018, June 5th 2018

Ōkami: