Title Yumi
Author Reneé Ahdieh
Description from Amazon
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.
Mini Review
Since this is a novella and a super short one, I wanted to do a smaller version of my usual review. I really enjoyed this story. Yumi is an interesting character that I wish we saw more of in Flame in the Mist and Smoke in the Sun. I would read a full length spin-off novel about her.
I would recommend reading this after Flame in the Mist and before Smoke in the Sun as there are spoilers for the first book.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Recommendations for Further Reading
- Defy by Sara B. Larson – if you liked the concept of a girl disguising herself as a boy to survive, check out this series by Sara B. Larson. Alex is much more capable than Mariko from the jump, but the stories are very similar.
- The Magnolia Sword: A Ballad of Mulan by Sherry Thomas – if you are looking for an action packed Mulan retelling – give this book a try.
- Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim – again, if you want Mulan vibes with an alternate setting and other cultures mixed in, do yourself a favor and read Spin the Dawn.
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