Review: Flame in the Mist by Renée Ahdieh

Flame in the Mist (Flame in the Mist) by Renée Ahdieh
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Released: 18th May 2017
My Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Find it on Goodreads

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. (from Goodreads)

Flame in the Mist was a strong start to a new series, and I’m looking forward to seeing what Renée Ahdieh has in store for us next.

So this book has been marketed as a retelling of Mulan, but it really isn’t. I’m sure Mulan inspired it in a lot of ways but it’s not a retelling, and once you get over that, it’s much easier to appreciate the story for what it actually is.

Mariko, our main character, was on her way to marry the son of the Emperor (a deal forged by her father) when she and her company were attacked. Her loyal maidservant, Chiyo, was killed, and Mariko barely escaped with her life. Instead of returning home however, to be cleaned up and sent back out again to a loveless marriage, Mariko decided to take matters in her own hands to try and find out who attempted to murder her, and why. Mariko was a fairly likeable character, and I think she was pretty brave to dress up a boy and join a gang of thieves potentially responsible for the attack on her. In Mariko’s world, women had very little power, and for once, she wanted to do what she wanted without worrying about the consequences it would have. However, having lived an extremely privileged life, she was painfully naïve at times, and I was honestly surprised no-one in the Black Clan suspected her much earlier on. She may have been book smart and strategic, but she knew nothing about the lives regular people led, and it showed. However, she did face every challenge she met, and she didn’t back down, despite her lack of experience.

The other two main characters in this book were Ranmaru and Okami, and I really liked them both. Also, just to say, there’s no love triangle in this book! So yay! Anyway, Ranmaru was a ronin, a son of a disgraced samurai, and he and Okami had a deep connection that went back to their childhood. They were extremely loyal to each other, and while Ranmaru was the leader of the Black Clan, he trusted Okami implicitly and always valued his opinion. I really loved the dynamic between these two and enjoyed reading about them and learning about their backstories. Ranmaru was especially intriguing because I always got the feeling he was plotting something, but I never knew what. Okami was different in the sense that he didn’t want to lead, but was happy to follow orders. He also had an interesting power which we didn’t learn much about, but which I hope will be explored in the next book. He was responsible for Mariko once she joined the Black Clan and was one of few who thought there was something strange about her. I really liked reading about his thoughts on Mariko before he found out she was a girl, and while I think his acceptance of the truth was just a bit too quick, I generally liked his relationship with Mariko, and I’m especially curious to see how things will turn out for them, after the way this book ended.

Plot-wise, there was some parts of this book that I saw coming, but I was really surprised by the ending and overall, found Flame in the Mist to be a really exciting and compelling read. I loved the way the story flowed, and how Mariko’s loyalty began to be torn after spending time with the Black Clan. I also really enjoyed the parts about the Emperor and learning more about his previous actions and the consequences they had. Mariko changed a lot in this book and I am really looking forward to what she does in book two. She used to be so close to her brother Kenshin, who spent the whole of this book trying to find her, but now…I wonder what will happen between them. And after the ending, I really just can’t wait to read book two!

To conclude, Flame in the Mist was an excellent read, and I loved the world-building and getting to know all of the characters. Recommended.

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Waiting on Wednesday #45: Renegades by Marissa Meyer

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week, I'm waiting on...

Renegades by Marissa Meyer 

Hardcover, 416 pages
Expected publication: November 7th 2017 Publisher: Feiwel & Friend 

Genre: YA - Fantasy

Secret Identities.
Extraordinary Powers.
She wants vengeance. He wants justice.

The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies—humans with extraordinary abilities—who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone...except the villains they once overthrew.Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice—and in Nova. But Nova's allegiance is to a villain who has the power to end them both.  

I'm so excited to read another series my one of my very favorite authors!! Who else is excited about RENEGADES?!

So what book(s) are YOU waiting on this Wednesday?
Leave us a comment. I'd love to know. :)

 

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Review: Never Say Die by Anthony Horowitz

Never Say Die (Alex Rider #11) by Anthony Horowitz
Publisher: Walker Books
Released: 1st June 2017
My Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Find it on Goodreads

The world's greatest teen spy is back in action in a thrilling new mission: destroy once and for all the terrorist organization SCORPIA.

Following the events of Scorpia Rising, Alex relocates to San Francisco as he slowly recovers from the tragic death of his best friend and caregiver, Jack Starbright, at the hands of terrorists working for SCORPIA. With Jack gone, Alex feels lost and alone, but then, out of the blue, he receives a cryptic email--just three words long, but enough to make Alex believe that Jack may be alive. Armed with this shred of hope, Alex boards a flight bound for Egypt and embarks on a dubious quest to track Jack down.

Yet SCORPIA knows Alex's weakness. And the question of whether Jack is alive soon takes a backseat to a chilling new terrorist plot-one that will determine the lives of many.

From Egypt to France to Wales, from luxury yachts to abandoned coal mines, Alex traverses a minefield of dangers and cryptic clues as he fights to discover the truth. (from Goodreads)

As a huge fan of the Alex Rider series when I was younger, I was both very excited and very concerned when I heard there was going to be a new book. While I did think Scorpia Rising had quite an open ending, I was also so afraid that one of my favourite childhood series would be ruined! Luckily, this was not the case and I ended up really enjoying Never Say Die.

The book started four weeks after the end of Scorpia Rising. Alex was living with the Pleasures and adjusting to life without Jack, but anyone could see he wasn’t doing well. He was withdrawn and quiet, his grades were slipping and didn’t feel like there was any place he fit in. I felt for him because it was obvious he missed Jack and was going through a really hard time without her. The Alex of the previous books was always witty and clever; despite spending so much time out of school, he was always a good student. Seeing him stop caring about his education and friends was sad as a result. Then, something happened to give Alex reason to believe Jack wasn’t dead. And just like that, he was back to his old antics trying to find her, against the advice of everyone he knew, including Mrs Jones who didn’t believe Jack was alive.

I have to admit, going into this book as an older reader, rather than the intended audience, meant having to have a little more suspension of disbelief than I used to when reading this series. I also think things with the Pleasure could have been wrapped up a bit more, but overall, I was impressed. Alex really felt like Alex; his character didn’t undergo any strange personality changes or turnarounds like can sometimes happen when authors return to series they haven’t written for a while. I have always been fascinated by the way Alex thinks and gets himself out of difficult situations, and I think that was just as present as it has ever been in this book.

In terms of the actual story, I did guess some parts but I thought it was interesting where it ended up, especially the ending (sneaky old Mrs Jones, I knew she had something she was hiding). While I missed characters like Smithers (the gadgets!) and wished Sabina had been in a bit more, I really really enjoyed this book as a whole and I’m honestly ready for the next one (there will be a next one, right?).

If you’re a fan of the series, read this book. If you’re new, well you’re going to have a lot of fun catching up.

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Rarity from the Hollow by Robert Eggleton || Guest Post and Giveaway!

Hello everyone and welcome to a guest post and giveaway 

for Rarity from the Hollow by Robert Eggleton!

Today you will be able to learn all about the book as well as read a great guest post from the author. 

Robert has also offered to giveaway 6 ebook copies of his novel here today. Hope you all enjoy this post and please enter the giveaway at the bottom. :)

Rarity from the Hollow by Robert Eggleton

Paperback: 284 pages

Publisher: Dog Horn Publishing

Genre: YA - Fantasy 

ISBN-10: 190713395X

ISBN-13: 978-1907133954

Lacy Dawn's father relives the Gulf War, her mother's teeth are rotting out, and her best friend is murdered by the meanest daddy on Earth. Life in the hollow is hard. She has one advantage -- an android was inserted into her life and is working with her to cure her parents. But, he wants something in exchange. It's up to her to save the Universe. Lacy Dawn doesn't mind saving the universe, but her family and friends come first.

Rarity from the Hollow is adult literary science fiction filled with tragedy, comedy and satire. A Children's Story. For Adults.

Purchase at: Amazon & Doghornpublishing

“The most enjoyable science fiction novel I have read in years.”

—Temple Emmet Williams, Author, former editor for Reader’s Digest

“Quirky, profane, disturbing… In the space between a few lines we go from hardscrabble realism to pure sci-fi/fantasy. It’s quite a trip.”

—    Evelyn Somers, The Missouri Review

. "…a hillbilly version of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy…what I would have thought impossible; taken serious subjects like poverty, ignorance, abuse…tongue-in-cheek humor without trivializing them…profound…a funny book that most sci-fi fans will thoroughly enjoy." -- Awesome Indies (Gold Medal)

“…sneaks up you and, before you know it, you are either laughing like crazy or crying in despair, but the one thing you won’t be is unmoved…a brilliant writer.” --Readers’ Favorite (Gold Medal)

“Rarity from the Hollow is an original and interesting story of a backwoods girl who saves the Universe in her fashion. Not for the prudish.” —Piers Anthony, New York Times bestselling author

“…Good satire is hard to find and science fiction satire is even harder to find.” -- The Baryon Review

Prevention and Treatment

Child Maltreatment: Current and Futuristic Technologies

Rarity from the Hollow, my debut novel, is best classified as adult literary fiction with a science fiction genre backdrop. However, much of the content is more real than not, and the story is based upon real-life personal experiences. I’ve worked in the field of children’s advocacy for over forty years. In 2002, I accepted a job as a children’s psychotherapist for our local mental health center. It was an intensive day treatment program that served kids with serious mental health issues. Many of them had been abused, some sexually. It was during one of those therapy sessions that I met my protagonist, Lacy Dawn, a skinny eleven year old who presented resiliency so powerfully that it inspired other victims toward recovery and empowerment.  

During my career, one of the most frustrating attitudes that I’ve encountered, held by professionals and the public alike, has been that nothing can be done to prevent child abuse. This is simply not true. If somebody would have listened to Lacy Dawn’s pleas for help earlier, her family might have been stabilized before she went through a world of hurt.  https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/childmaltreatment/prevention.html The mission of Rarity from the Hollow is to sensitize readers to the huge social problem of child maltreatment through a comical and satiric science fiction adventure.

Yes, child welfare funding is inadequate. I’ve never heard anybody disagree. Most of the funding, however, is spent on after-the-fact out-of-home placements, such as foster care and group homes. https://www.openminds.com/market-intelligence/executive-briefings/how-are-states-spending-child-welfare/ As evidenced by research, it is nineteen times less expensive to prevent child maltreatment than to incur the financial costs of its impact. https://msu.edu/user/bob/cost.html Half of author proceeds from Rarity from the Hollow are donated to the prevention of child maltreatment. http://www.childhswv.org/

I know that it sounds weird, but I modeled the flow of my story after a mental health treatment episode involving a traumatized child: harsh and difficult to read scenes in the beginning of the story similar to how, in treatment, therapeutic relationships must first be established before very difficult disclosures are made; cathartic and more relaxed scenes in middle chapters as detailed disclosures are less painful; and, increasingly satiric and comical toward the end through an understanding that it is “silly” to live in the past, that demons, no matter how scary, can be evicted, and that nothing controls our lives more so than the decisions that we make ourselves.

Perhaps it sounds even weirder, but as I wrote my novel I imagined a therapeutic impact – that those of us who had experienced child maltreatment benefiting from having read Rarity from the Hollow. That’s a giant target audience. So, the story had to be hopeful, to inspire. While prevalence rate is difficult to come up with and there is no estimate of how many read novels, approximately one quarter of all adults believe that they were maltreated as children – physically, sexually, or psychologically. Internationally, forty million children are abused each year: http://arkofhopeforchildren.org/child-abuse/child-abuse-statistics-info.

So far, eight of ninety-eight independent book blog reviewers have privately disclosed to me that they were victims of childhood maltreatment and that they had benefited having read my story. One of these reviewers publicly disclosed: “…soon I found myself immersed in the bizarre world… weeping for the victim and standing up to the oppressor…solace and healing in the power of love, laughing at the often comical thoughts… marveling at ancient alien encounters… As a rape survivor… found myself relating easily to Lacy Dawn… style of writing which I would describe as beautifully honest. Rarity from the Hollow is different from anything I have ever read, and in today’s world of cookie-cutter cloned books, that’s pretty refreshing… whimsical and endearing world of Appalachian Science Fiction, taking you on a wild ride you won’t soon forget….” http://kyliejude.com/2015/11/book-review-rarity-from-the-hollow/

Here’s another very touching review of Rarity from the Hollow that included public disclosure of child maltreatment by a book blogger: “…I enjoyed the book so much that a few months after reading it I just picked it up again…reminded me of stuff in the past but somehow it also made me feel less alone. It made me realize that there are so many children in this world getting abused, going through the stuff I have been through…. The fact that there’s sci-fi/fantasy in it (such as genderless alien DotCom) kinda makes the book easier to read, less heavy on some moments… I highly recommend this book to anyone who’s 18+ but do keep in mind it’s a very heavy book to read yet so worth it.” https://booksoverhumans.com/…/rarity-from-the-hallow-by-ro…/

While sticking close to the mission of sensitizing readers to the huge social problem of child maltreatment, I wanted to produce a story that readers would enjoy: “…a hillbilly version of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, only instead of the earth being destroyed to make way for a hyperspace bypass, Lacy Dawn must…The author has managed to do what I would have thought impossible; taken serious subjects like poverty, ignorance, abuse, and written about them with tongue-in-cheek humor without trivializing them…Eggleton sucks you into the Hollow, dunks you in the creek, rolls you in the mud, and splays you in the sun to dry off. Tucked between the folds of humor are some profound observations on human nature and modern society that you have to read to appreciate…it’s a funny book that most sci-fi fans will thoroughly enjoy.” http://awesomeindies.net/ai-approved-review-of-rarity-from-the-holly-by-robert-eggleton/

“…Full of cranky characters and crazy situations, Rarity From the Hollow sneaks up you and, before you know it, you are either laughing like crazy or crying in despair, but the one thing you won’t be is unmoved… Robert Eggleton is a brilliant writer whose work is better read on several levels. I appreciated this story on all of them.” https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/rarity-from-the-hollow

I retired from direct practice over a year ago and have been working very hard to tell the world about my novel. It’s a traditional small press publication and doesn’t have a high dollar marketing budget behind it. The final version paperback was released to Amazon on November 3, 2016, and the eBook was released on December 5, 2016. Both are currently on sale. As an Advance Reading Copy and final, Rarity from the Hollow has received considerable praise. Yes, my ego is stroked when the story receives a glowing book review, especially ones that indicate that my work might outlive me: “… Brilliant satires such as this are genius works of literature in the same class as Orwell’s Animal Farm. I can picture American Lit professors sometime in the distant future placing this masterpiece on their reading list.” https://marcha2014.wordpress.com/2017/01/06/5-stars-for-rarity-from-the-hollowby-robert-eggleton/. “…It feels timeless, classic and mature in way that would ensure its longevity if more people knew about it… a distinctive approach to the adult-fairytale/modern-retelling sub-genre…I would even say it could be read in a college setting both for the craft itself and its unique brand of storytelling. The premise is brilliant." https://taylaroi.wordpress.com/2017/04/04/rarity-from-the-hollow-by-robert-eggleton-a-revised-book-review/.

All things considered, however, especially as we face potential federal budget cuts for U.S. domestic spending and international aid under the Trump administration, reductions that would adversely affect needful children, what would really make me feel good would be to raise a little money to help out kids. Children’s Home Society of West Virginia is a nonprofit child welfare agency established in 1893 that now serves over 13,000 families and children each year in a most impoverished state with inadequate funding to deliver effective social services. I used to work there in the early ‘80s and stand behind its good work. Some of the ways that this agency helps to prevent child maltreatment are:  

• Adoption, including pregnancy counseling and assistance with legal services;  
• Birth to Three, which assists families care for children who exhibit developmental delays and strengthens the families’ abilities to care for their children at home;
• Comprehensive Assessment and Planning for children and families involved with child protective services to ensure the appropriateness of services and safety of the children;
• Child Advocacy Centers within which children suspected of having been maltreated can be interviewed in a supportive environment by all involved parties (police, social workers, medical staff, defense, etc.), including video recordings, so as to prevent the children from further trauma by exposure adversarial courtroom proceedings;
• Parenting Education for parents involved in divorce proceedings;
• In-Home Child and Family Services to keep families intact when there is no imminent danger to the child but supportive services, such as case management or transportation is needed;
• Exceptional Youth Emergency shelters serving youth with disabilities;
• Foster Care in private family homes that sometimes adopt the children initially placed there if freed for adoption through legal proceedings;
• One mid-town youth center that focuses on after-school and summer academics, delinquency prevention, and parental development;
• Right from the Start which targets high risk birth mothers and high risk infants to ensure that proper medical, economic, and social service needs are met;
• Emergency Shelters (9) for youth in crisis (this was where Robert worked as the Director of Shelter Care – He started 5 of these family-like settings but the network has since expanded);
• We Can, a program that recruits volunteers to augment services provided by child protective services workers;
• And, a Youth Services program in an under-served part of WV that turns around mostly younger teens who are heading in the wrong direction.

So, yes, prevention works, but what about the butt holes that hurt kids? Can they be “fixed” so that they stop their maltreatment of others? As a professional and personal opinion, I would never trust treatment alone to cure a pedophile. I believe in accountability, punishment, and ongoing monitoring to protect us all from that worst type of human. At the same time, it has been my experience with other types of child maltreators, present in all countries, religions, cultures, socioeconomic classes…, that many abused children still love their biological parents and that some abusive parents dearly love their children. This was the situation in Rarity from the Hollow. Lacy Dawn, more than anything in the universe, wanted for her parents to be cured of their mental health problems that contributed to the maltreatment. The father is a war damaged Vet suffering from PTSD, night terrors, and anger outbursts, who was raised in a subculture that respected the value: “spare the rod and spoil the child.” I see posts by proponents of this value every now and then on Facebook.

Yes, access to mental health and substance abuse treatment, psychotherapy and medical models that exist today are evidenced based – they work, and decrease the occurrence of child maltreatment because if a parent is “messed up” it’s a correlate. The problem appears to be access to treatment. https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/25/looking-for-evidence-that-therapy-works/?_r=0 Antipoverty, job training, employment and similar economic development programs, social issues included in Rarity from the Hollow, can also reduce child maltreatment. I live in West Virginia, the state with the poorest economic outlook in the U.S. http://business.wvu.edu/centers/bureau-of-business-and-economic-research And, the state with the highest overdose death rate in the nation. https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/data/statedeaths.html In Chapter Two, “Recess” in my story, Lacy Dawn counsel peers at school whose parents have lost jobs because of the coal mines shutting down, an issue that has risen to national prominence and one reported basis for the U.S. pulling out of the Paris Accords on the environment, now a controversial news item. It seems like a lot of stuff in life in general in one way or another affects child maltreatment rates because children are the most vulnerable. Part of the treatment of the father in my story involved job training and gainful employment.  

In Rarity from the Hollow, what appeared to be fantastical means implemented by an alien who was sent to Earth were used to treat the mental health problems of the parents that contributed to the maltreatment of Lacy Dawn. In a nutshell, her genetic spawn had been manipulated for millennia as the best hope for becoming the savior of the universe. The alien, named DotCom, a recurring pun in the story, lived in a spaceship hidden in a cave behind Lacy’s house and his mission was to recruit and train her. Lacy didn’t mind saving the universe, but her family and friends came first – as a prerequisite to accepting the job that the alien offered was that her parents had to be “fixed.”   

While I’ve appreciated compliments by book reviewers who have spoken about my wild imagination, for the first time publicly, I want to confess that the fantastical means employed by the alien in my story to treat the parents were based on today’s medical reality. I’ve already mentioned that in the beginning of Rarity from the Hollow, Dwayne, the abusive father was a war damaged Vet experiencing anger outbursts and night terrors. The mother was a downtrodden victim of domestic violence who had lost hope of ever getting her G.E.D. or driver's license, or of protecting her daughter. Diagnosis and treatment of these concerns affecting the parents, as representative of many similarly situated, was based on emerging technologies presented at the 2015 World Medical Innovation Forum: https://worldmedicalinnovation.org/ . Yes, in real life, like in my story, patients have been hooked up to computer technology for medial diagnosis and treatment.

Additional exciting research was presented at that Forum and may one day may revolutionize psychiatric treatment. Most relevant to my story were: (1) smart brain prosthetics, wireless devises being tested for potential to relieve depression, PTSD, Bipolar Disorder…neural engineering to manipulate brain signals; (2) sophisticated imaging systems that are minimally invasive to brain circuitry for diagnosis (3) and, healing the brain with neuromodulation and electroceuticals to treat depression and schizophrenia. http://hitconsultant.net/2015/04/30/tech-revolutionize-neurological-psychiatric-care/

The question, it seems, is not whether child maltreatment can be prevented and treated, but instead: Are we adults willing to invest in the future by protecting kids? The next Lacy Dawn Adventure is Ivy. Also comedic and satiric, an alien invasion set in an almost forgotten town used as the command center to get humans so egocentrically addicted to a substance that they forget all about their children, a potential demise of our planet so that it can be exploited for mineral content. Anything that you can do to assist this project would be appreciated. I am available if anybody has any questions or wants addition info: Website / Facebook / Twitter

Robert Eggleton has served as a children's advocate in an impoverished state for over forty years. Locally, he is best known for his nonfiction about children’s programs and issues, much of which was published by the West Virginia Supreme Court where he worked from1982 through 1997. Today, he is a retired children's psychotherapist from the mental health center in Charleston, West Virginia, where he specialized in helping victims cope with and overcome maltreatment and other mental health concerns. Rarity from the Hollow is his debut novel. Its release followed publication of three short Lacy Dawn Adventures in magazines. Author proceeds support the prevention of child maltreatment.

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