Flame in the Mist was better than Smoke in the Sun . I had so much hope for the ending of the duology. It was a good start but the characters became 2D versions of themselves and the plot was very basic. The characters were all either good or bad, where is the realistic human portrayal?! Where are the morally grey characters?! The ending was happy and quick. I wanted more dramatic, and more real-life qualities to be in the work. I think maybe the YA genre is not for me anymore because it always disappoints me. It was a poor wrap-up to a great start to what should have been a wonderful series.