237 ratings | 188 reviews | avg rating:3.71

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Maliha’s Year In Books

Maliha’s 2025 Year in Books

Take a look at Maliha’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

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Maliha Rao’s Followers (25)

Maliha’s Bookshelves

to-read (171)
currently-reading (2)
read (237)
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Maliha’s Friends (280)

Maricella Larson

1,903 books | 897 friends

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2026 Reading Challenge

2026

READING

CHALLENGE

Maliha Rao has read 16 of 40 books.

40%

Maliha Rao

Goodreads Author

Born

in Karachi, Pakistan

September 09

Website

http://maliharao.com/

Twitter

https://twitter.com/unrealmaliha

Genre

Fantasy, Horror, Young Adult

Influences

neil gaiman terry pratchet Brandon sanderson ...more

Member Since

April 2013

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/maliharao

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Maliha Rao is a dark fantasy and horror writer whose stories live at the eerie crossroads of South Asian folklore and the fantastically weird. Her fiction conjures ghosts with grudges, jinn with existential crises, and monsters that giggle as they bite. With a deep love for the uncanny and the folkloric, Maliha crafts tales that are both bone-chilling and whimsically strange because horror doesn’t always have to scream; sometimes, it wears a crooked smile and dances.
Born and based in Karachi, Pakistan, Maliha is also a seasoned digital communication expert with two decades of experience in creative strategy, copywriting, and brand storytelling. When she’s not building digital narratives, she’s building fictional worlds. Her short horror sto ...more

2 posts
Maliha Rao's Blog

Crafting Memorable Characters for Fantasy Fiction Novels

All novels rely on exciting characters, but fantasy novels, with their fantastical settings and high stakes, require exceptional character development. Characters that stand out captivate readers, propel the storyline, and give life to your fantastical settings. To create memorable characters, follow these steps:

1. Cultivate Distinct Characteristics
It would be great if each character had a unique Read more of this blog post »

1 like · Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on May 20, 2024 03:36 • Tags: crafting-characters, fantasy-characters, fiction-writing, writing-tips

View all 2 posts »

Combine Editions
Maliha Rao’s books

Average rating: 4.28 · 40 ratings · 18 reviews · 4 distinct works • Similar authors

	Dark Tales of Wonder 4.04 avg rating — 28 ratings — published 2025 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Twilight in Darkness by Maliha Rao (Goodreads Author), Armaghan, Ayesha Eman Niazi 4.71 avg rating — 7 ratings — published 2023	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dreams & Delusions by Armaghan, Emaan Mehmood, Hafsa Fawad it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 5 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Tough Day by Maliha Rao (Goodreads Author) (Co-Author), Alveena Eman (Co-Author), Ayesha Irfan (Co-Author) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — published 2024	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

Maliha is Currently Reading

Maliha Rao is currently reading

The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth, #1)

by N.K. Jemisin (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Apr 12, 2026 10:46AM

Maliha Rao is currently reading

Hemlock & Silver

by T. Kingfisher

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Mar 30, 2026 12:17PM

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Maliha’s Recent Updates

Maliha Rao made a comment on Arooma ’s review of Dark Tales of Wonder " Thank you for the honest review "
Apr 30, 2026 10:28AM · see review
Maliha Rao and 1 other person liked Arooma 's review of Dark Tales of Wonder: "solid prose, as in it's properly written, enjoyed quite a bit of the tales, characterization is vvv flat and I don't think I can tell characters apart from the various stories, but considering it's the first work, it's fine. looking forward to what's" Read more of this review »
Apr 30, 2026 10:28AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Dark Tales of Wonder by Maliha Rao. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Dark Tales of Wonder by Maliha Rao <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Maliha Rao rated a book it was amazing King Sorrow by Joe Hill (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I CRIED SO MUCH IN THE LAST 20% Such a brilliant book.
Apr 25, 2026 04:12PM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of King Sorrow by Joe Hill. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — King Sorrow by Joe Hill <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Maliha Rao is 88% done with King Sorrow King Sorrow by Joe Hill (Goodreads Author) progress:	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 25, 2026 04:11PM · like · see status · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of King Sorrow by Joe Hill. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — King Sorrow by Joe Hill <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Maliha Rao wants to read The Heart of the Nhaga (The Bird That Drinks Tears, #1) by Yeong-Do Lee	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 18, 2026 02:02AM · like
Maliha Rao started reading King Sorrow by Joe Hill (Goodreads Author) Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee in Readers' Favorite Fantasy	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 12, 2026 10:46AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of King Sorrow by Joe Hill. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — King Sorrow by Joe Hill <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Maliha Rao started reading The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth, #1) by N.K. Jemisin (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 12, 2026 10:46AM · like
Maliha Rao wants to read Bound by Wishes (Enchanted Deceptions Book 1) by Jessica Spruill (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 12, 2026 10:46AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Bound by Wishes by Jessica Spruill. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Bound by Wishes by Jessica Spruill <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Maliha Rao wants to read The Mean Ones by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 12, 2026 10:45AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Mean Ones by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Mean Ones by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Maliha Rao rated a book liked it The Wedding People by Alison Espach	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3.5 It was relatable and fun and so real. I enjoyed reading it and the only reason it gets 3.5 is because it's not an original plot and feels too familiar but it's still a good book. ...more
Apr 11, 2026 07:50AM · like · see review

More of Maliha's books…

Maliha’s Quotes

“Besides this earth, and besides the race of men, there is an invisible world and a kingdom of spirits: that world is around us, for it is everywhere.”
― Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

tags: spirit

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