AUTHOR: Renee Ahdieh
PUBLISHER: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
PUBLISHING DATE: May 16, 2017
FROM GOODREADS: The only daughter of a prominent samurai, Marikop has always known she been raised for one purpose and one purpose only: to marry. Never mind her cunning, which rivals that of her twin brother, Kenshin, or her skills as an accomplished alchemist. Since Mariko was not born a boy, her fate was sealed the moment she drew her first breath.
So, at just seventeen years old, Mariko is sent to the imperial palace to meet her betrothed, a moan she did not choose, for the very first time. But the journey is cut short when Mariko's convoy is viciously attacked by the Black Clan, a dangerous group of bandits who've been hired to kill Mariki before she reaches the palace.
The lone survivor, Mariko narrowly escapes to the woods, where she plots her revenge. Dressed as a peasant boy, she sets out to infiltrate the Black Clan and hunt down this 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.
MY THOUGHTS: I gave this book the old college try. I love the cover and think it's one of the best I've seen this year. In addition, I was really interested in the first few chapters of this book because the action started right away and the cultural aspects were very interesting. However, I quickly bored and I found myself actually avoiding reading because I didn't want to pick up this book. I read about 145 pages into it and since there was still quite a bit to go, I decided it was best for me to move on. Had I not done so, I'd probably STILL be avoiding reading and there are too many good looking books on my shelf to do so. I didn't really connect with the characters and I found myself not really caring what happened. I don't know if I will ever pick this book back up some day. I've seen some people really love it and I've seen some who have struggled like I did. It's probably a good book for many readers out there, but it just wasn't for me.
RATING: None since I don't feel it's fair because I didn't finish it.
