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For She Is Wrath
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Young Adult Fantasy (2024)Three hundred and sixty-four days.
Framed for a crime she didn't commit, Dania counts down her days in prison until she can exact revenge on Mazin, the boy responsible for her downfall, the boy she once loved—and still can't forget. When she discovers a fellow prisoner may have the key to exacting that vengeance--a stolen djinn treasure--they execute a daring escape together and search for the hidden treasure.
Armed with dark magic and a new identity, Dania enacts a plan to bring down those who betrayed her and her family, even though Mazin stands in her way. But seeking revenge becomes a complicated game of cat and mouse, especially when an undeniable fire still burns between them, and the power to destroy her enemies has a price. As Dania falls deeper into her web of traps and lies, she risks losing her humanity to her fight for vengeance--and her heart to the only boy she's ever loved.
Framed for a crime she didn't commit, Dania counts down her days in prison until she can exact revenge on Mazin, the boy responsible for her downfall, the boy she once loved—and still can't forget. When she discovers a fellow prisoner may have the key to exacting that vengeance--a stolen djinn treasure--they execute a daring escape together and search for the hidden treasure.
Armed with dark magic and a new identity, Dania enacts a plan to bring down those who betrayed her and her family, even though Mazin stands in her way. But seeking revenge becomes a complicated game of cat and mouse, especially when an undeniable fire still burns between them, and the power to destroy her enemies has a price. As Dania falls deeper into her web of traps and lies, she risks losing her humanity to her fight for vengeance--and her heart to the only boy she's ever loved.
383 pages, Hardcover
First published October 29, 2024
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November 2, 2024
4.25!
“We had become intertwined, we were part of each other, and with him, I felt at home.”
This book had enemies to lovers to enemies and back to lovers (?) and it ATE!
It's been a while since I have enjoyed a book so much! especially a YA book and to see a book where I could relate to so much and understand the cultural references made me feel really good. I would say the writing was really good. It was fun, well written and so easy to read. I was hooked like I was flying through the pages and it was so good to sit and read and love a book. I was a little hesitant seeing how a pakistani retelling would work but it did not disappoint I was having fun reading it and if that wasnt enough the way she carried the plot and the romance as a sub plot was so enjoyable, they were so heavily intertwined which had me at the edge of my seat AND giggling at the same time lol
Dani, after reading a really shitty dark romance I needed an FMC who could stand up for herself and was somewhat in the morally grey area and she delivered, she was ruthless and a soldier, her past story was so interesting to and read and you would feel what happened to her to be honest. It was done so well, her relationship with her father was so cute and the one vision had me sobbing. Dani really stood out to me, she was driven by revenge and allowed that to cloud her moral believes so it was fun to read that lol. Noor, She was Dani's morality because without her Dania would have been lost, I liked her role as well she alongside Dania escaped prison with the goal of revenge but she didnt let her hatred cloud her judgement or made decisions based around that so she was more of a smarter character. Mazin, Okay look I grew to hate him with how well Emily wrote Dania's hatred for him so I was definitely not fond of him but I needed to know his motives and his character was more mysterious like Dania would be thinking of trapping him under her spell but you'd know that he had something else under his fingers, it was interesting to read but I didnt really like him.
The romance, This was enemies to lovers done right!! I needed this and it quite literally consumed, some scenes had me fanning myself. I loved the before chapters and how they transitioned into the lovers state and even in the present timeline, they fit so well together and I absolutely loved it BUT yk what I loved more? The best friend relationship what dani and noor had honestly!! it was so fun to read a friendship like that and the way they stood up to each other for each others mistake and didnt really let things slide but yeah this book delivered on that for sure.
The plot, was very closely based on revenge and it was well planned out, I liked how it was drawn and how the things were slowly unravelling and the final plot twist had me shooketh I did not expect that at all and yeah I had to sit back and think on what I read lmaoo but yeah I would definitely recommend this book because it was amazing!!
Read it if you like An ember in the ashes, we hunt the flame or the wrath and the dawn.
___
A fantasy Pakistani retelling of the Count of Monte Cristo?? Sign me tf up! (The years I spent there better make this worth it)
-Started this a while ago and im loving it so far!
*Thank you to Netgalley for giving me an arc of this book*
“We had become intertwined, we were part of each other, and with him, I felt at home.”
This book had enemies to lovers to enemies and back to lovers (?) and it ATE!
It's been a while since I have enjoyed a book so much! especially a YA book and to see a book where I could relate to so much and understand the cultural references made me feel really good. I would say the writing was really good. It was fun, well written and so easy to read. I was hooked like I was flying through the pages and it was so good to sit and read and love a book. I was a little hesitant seeing how a pakistani retelling would work but it did not disappoint I was having fun reading it and if that wasnt enough the way she carried the plot and the romance as a sub plot was so enjoyable, they were so heavily intertwined which had me at the edge of my seat AND giggling at the same time lol
Dani, after reading a really shitty dark romance I needed an FMC who could stand up for herself and was somewhat in the morally grey area and she delivered, she was ruthless and a soldier, her past story was so interesting to and read and you would feel what happened to her to be honest. It was done so well, her relationship with her father was so cute and the one vision had me sobbing. Dani really stood out to me, she was driven by revenge and allowed that to cloud her moral believes so it was fun to read that lol. Noor, She was Dani's morality because without her Dania would have been lost, I liked her role as well she alongside Dania escaped prison with the goal of revenge but she didnt let her hatred cloud her judgement or made decisions based around that so she was more of a smarter character. Mazin, Okay look I grew to hate him with how well Emily wrote Dania's hatred for him so I was definitely not fond of him but I needed to know his motives and his character was more mysterious like Dania would be thinking of trapping him under her spell but you'd know that he had something else under his fingers, it was interesting to read but I didnt really like him.
The romance, This was enemies to lovers done right!! I needed this and it quite literally consumed, some scenes had me fanning myself. I loved the before chapters and how they transitioned into the lovers state and even in the present timeline, they fit so well together and I absolutely loved it BUT yk what I loved more? The best friend relationship what dani and noor had honestly!! it was so fun to read a friendship like that and the way they stood up to each other for each others mistake and didnt really let things slide but yeah this book delivered on that for sure.
The plot, was very closely based on revenge and it was well planned out, I liked how it was drawn and how the things were slowly unravelling and the final plot twist had me shooketh I did not expect that at all and yeah I had to sit back and think on what I read lmaoo but yeah I would definitely recommend this book because it was amazing!!
Read it if you like An ember in the ashes, we hunt the flame or the wrath and the dawn.
___
A fantasy Pakistani retelling of the Count of Monte Cristo?? Sign me tf up! (The years I spent there better make this worth it)
-Started this a while ago and im loving it so far!
*Thank you to Netgalley for giving me an arc of this book*
March 13, 2025
Pakistani retelling of Dumas’ masterpiece classic “The Count of Monte Cristo” couldn’t have been executed better! I enjoyed every part of it: the action-packed fighting scenes, prison escape sequences, mind-blowing revenge plans, scheming, betrayal, and high-chemistry romance with feminism and girl power vibes blended with Islamic horror, cultural elements, and supernatural phenomena, making the reading experience more enjoyable than most fantasy novels.
Dania is definitely the heroine you love to root for: tough, skilled fighter, survivor, determined, and behind her rough facade, she’s still caring and vulnerable for her loved ones. Being neglected from kind human touch makes her even more resilient.
Betrayed by the boy she loved and trapped in a prison cell for 364 days for a crime she didn’t commit, Dania faces torture by the notorious prison guard Touffsa, a vindictive, greedy, and merciless woman. She harbors revenge against the traitor guard Darbaran and her lover Mazin, who is also the right hand of Emperor Vahid, the first reason for putting blame on her.
When she hears scratching sounds in her cell and discovers a young prisoner girl named Noor attempting to escape, she realizes they can be partners to speed up the process. Noor knows how to raise and blend zoraat, a special vegetation that grants power and wealth to the empire. Together, they plan to use the zoraat’s powers to disguise themselves, create enough funds, and overthrow the emperor.
As unexpected events unfold and Noor is put in the infirmary, giving them a chance to escape and work on their plan, Dania must fight against the darkness slowly consuming her body and find a way to get revenge from Mazin, even as her feelings for him continue to ache her heart.
Can two young women defeat the most powerful emperor and his bloodthirsty guards, burning the empire to the ground while also fighting against more dangerous demons? Can Dania resist the Djinn powers seeking dark revenge?
Overall, it’s a fast-paced, exciting, and well-developed fantasy that I truly enjoyed. The romantic parts are also enjoyable, especially the palpable chemistry between Mazin and Dania. It’s one of the best retellings I highly recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for sharing this unputdownable YA fantasy novel’s digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.
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Dania is definitely the heroine you love to root for: tough, skilled fighter, survivor, determined, and behind her rough facade, she’s still caring and vulnerable for her loved ones. Being neglected from kind human touch makes her even more resilient.
Betrayed by the boy she loved and trapped in a prison cell for 364 days for a crime she didn’t commit, Dania faces torture by the notorious prison guard Touffsa, a vindictive, greedy, and merciless woman. She harbors revenge against the traitor guard Darbaran and her lover Mazin, who is also the right hand of Emperor Vahid, the first reason for putting blame on her.
When she hears scratching sounds in her cell and discovers a young prisoner girl named Noor attempting to escape, she realizes they can be partners to speed up the process. Noor knows how to raise and blend zoraat, a special vegetation that grants power and wealth to the empire. Together, they plan to use the zoraat’s powers to disguise themselves, create enough funds, and overthrow the emperor.
As unexpected events unfold and Noor is put in the infirmary, giving them a chance to escape and work on their plan, Dania must fight against the darkness slowly consuming her body and find a way to get revenge from Mazin, even as her feelings for him continue to ache her heart.
Can two young women defeat the most powerful emperor and his bloodthirsty guards, burning the empire to the ground while also fighting against more dangerous demons? Can Dania resist the Djinn powers seeking dark revenge?
Overall, it’s a fast-paced, exciting, and well-developed fantasy that I truly enjoyed. The romantic parts are also enjoyable, especially the palpable chemistry between Mazin and Dania. It’s one of the best retellings I highly recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for sharing this unputdownable YA fantasy novel’s digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.
medium blog
July 20, 2025
✩ 3.4 stars ✩
What to Expect:
➼ Revenge/Betrayal
➼ Feminine Rage
➼ Djinn Magic
➼ Second Chance Enemies-to-Lovers
➼ Friendship
➼ Morally Gray FMC
➼ Dual Timeline
➼ Count of Monte Cristo Retelling
➼ YA Fantasy
➼ First Person POV
The more I think about this book, the less I like it. I was originally planning to bump this up to 4 stars, but I’m giving it 3. I think it’s the title that’s really killing it for me. She WAS wrath, for like 2 seconds until she laid eyes on her betraying ex and then she was mostly just conflicted. Sure, she keeps saying she’s going to get her revenge, but she spends the whole book mooning at him even though it’s very clear there’s no mistake. He did in fact get her imprisoned with no real plan to help her escape. This was supposedly an inescapable prison after all (aren’t they all 😜). If that had really been the case, it seems like death would have been a kinder fate.
This is a retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo which I haven’t yet read or watched. I can’t say how closely the romance was modeled off that story, but at least in this book, it really didn’t work for me. Granted, I wouldn’t have wanted there to be no romance either… The plot definitely needed a focus other than her revenge, but I would have preferred another character to have been introduced as the love interest. Maybe a prison guard who drops a digging spoon into her cell or something. Anything but this really. 😅
This was alright though really. The writing was decent enough, and if I was more into revenge plots, this likely would have kept its 4th star. To an extent I think this one just wasn’t for me. I’d still recommend this to the right person.
✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼
Pre-read: Revenge plots don’t usually work for me, but I own the Fairyloot copy so I’m giving this one a shot! I honestly might like the original cover better which is a real shame… I think Fairyloot might be slipping a little. 🙃
≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫
Connect with me on Instagram
What to Expect:
➼ Revenge/Betrayal
➼ Feminine Rage
➼ Djinn Magic
➼ Second Chance Enemies-to-Lovers
➼ Friendship
➼ Morally Gray FMC
➼ Dual Timeline
➼ Count of Monte Cristo Retelling
➼ YA Fantasy
➼ First Person POV
The more I think about this book, the less I like it. I was originally planning to bump this up to 4 stars, but I’m giving it 3. I think it’s the title that’s really killing it for me. She WAS wrath, for like 2 seconds until she laid eyes on her betraying ex and then she was mostly just conflicted. Sure, she keeps saying she’s going to get her revenge, but she spends the whole book mooning at him even though it’s very clear there’s no mistake. He did in fact get her imprisoned with no real plan to help her escape. This was supposedly an inescapable prison after all (aren’t they all 😜). If that had really been the case, it seems like death would have been a kinder fate.
This is a retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo which I haven’t yet read or watched. I can’t say how closely the romance was modeled off that story, but at least in this book, it really didn’t work for me. Granted, I wouldn’t have wanted there to be no romance either… The plot definitely needed a focus other than her revenge, but I would have preferred another character to have been introduced as the love interest. Maybe a prison guard who drops a digging spoon into her cell or something. Anything but this really. 😅
This was alright though really. The writing was decent enough, and if I was more into revenge plots, this likely would have kept its 4th star. To an extent I think this one just wasn’t for me. I’d still recommend this to the right person.
✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼
Pre-read: Revenge plots don’t usually work for me, but I own the Fairyloot copy so I’m giving this one a shot! I honestly might like the original cover better which is a real shame… I think Fairyloot might be slipping a little. 🙃
≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫
Connect with me on Instagram
July 17, 2024
➸ 4 stars
Thank you to NetGalley for the arc!
In this Pakistani romantasy retelling, Dania, a fierce and strong swordswoman, was framed for a crime she didn’t commit by one person she thought loved her. Counting down the days in prison while plotting revenge, she unexpectedly meets Noor, who has a key to the vengeance she seeks...
̩̩͙⊱ lovers to ememies
̩̩͙⊱ female rage/vengeance
̩̩͙⊱ swordswoman fmc
̩̩͙⊱ magic
̩̩͙⊱ secret identity
This book had me hooked from the very first chapter, the story was intriguing, the characters were complex and was overall a very fast paced book that I could not put down!
· · ────────── ·𖥸· ────────── · ·
“With swords in my hands, I was invincible.”
➺ dania - a strong, fierce, and stabby fmc that knows how to wield a sword? I absolutely loved her character! she knew what she wanted and was determined to see it through! I enjoyed reading this book through her point of view so much!
“I didn’t usually have the kind of comforting words others did, and never managed to say the right thing to provide reassurance.”
THIS QUOTE. I related so much to it and just felt so SEEN and it just made me like her so much more!
“The problem when someone you loved betrayed you, was that you had a lifetime of good memories with them that you had to examine in a different light.“
SHE WAS GOING THROUGH IT so many things made my sad for her and I even started tearing up at a certain thing that happened because I didn’t expect it at all and she didn’t deserve that! I completely understand why she chose to go down the path towards revenge; the complexity of trying to stay true to who she is and not turn into what she despises most was such an intriguing thing to read about, at times I was rooting for her and at others I was hoping she wouldn’t do certain things!
“Digging the wrong way and ending up in your cell was the best thing that ever happened to me, you know?”
“Me too.”
➺ noor & dania - I LOVED NOOR I WISH THERE WAS MORE OF HER! I LOVED the friendship these two had and how they found each other, connected, understood, and formed a such a strong bond together! I loved the care that started to form and how they would always help each other with everything since they went through similar things! (I <3 found family so much)
· · ────────── ·𖥸· ────────── · ·
“You know I’d follow you anywhere, Dani.”
“I’d follow you anywhere.”
BEFOFE
“We’d help each other heal them, but it was more than the outside scars. We’d been two lonely people who had been given solace in each other.”
➺ dania & mazin - I LOVED their before chapters! seeing how they first met and disliked each other to slowly being with each other all the time, connecting, and becoming each others person was fun to read about!
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“How am I looking at you?”
“Either like you want to kiss me or stab me. I can’t always tell with you, but for some reason they are both equally as exciting.”
their banter was amazing and I loved reading about them training together it was so cute!
“You don’t care about who my family was, I don’t have to overcome something about myself that I can never change. With you, I feel like I can be myself.”
“With you I feel like I can be myself too, I feel free.”
the thing I loved most about them was how WELL they new each other! knowing when something is wrong, the little things! even the things they didn’t have to say out loud! AND THEM MEMORIZING EACH OTHERS SCARS!!!! AND THE MOMENTS OF WHEN THEY HAPPENED, HOW IT HAPPENED AND WHAT HAPPENED AFTERWARDS UGHHHH! LOVED IT. that type of bond is one I always enjoy reading about!
“We had become intertwined, we were part of each other, and with him, I felt at home.”
NOW
I loved Dania having a secret identity, it created so much tension between her and Mazin! It also gave me so much anxiety out of fear for her lol; here’s a quote I loved between them:
“I can’t read you as I would wish.”
“And how would you wish to read me?”
“I would read you like a novel. From cover to cover, learning everything about you.”
“Leisurely, only taking me out when you felt like it?”
“Is that how you read your novels, Mazin? How uninspiring. No, I mean in a fierce frenzy, by candlelight, devouring you until I finished every page and committed it to memory, and then I’d flip right back to the front and start again from the beginning.”
THE YEARNING THE DESPERATION UGHHH SO GOOD!
SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT GOING FOWARD!!!
➺ mazin - I liked him in the before chapters, but I couldn’t get past his reasoning for doing what he did, it was pretty stupid everything could’ve honestly been avoided had he SAID something!
“Did you think I wouldn’t know you? I’d know you with any face. Any skin. Any hair. A thousand djinn could disguise you from me and I’d still be able to find you just by the sound of your breath.”
PLEASE I DROPPED TO THE FLOOR WHEN THIS HAPPENED THE WAY HE IMMEDIATELY KNEW OH MY GOSH!!!! My jaw DROPPED and then all the little details I noticed started to make sense!
“Follow me then.”
“Dani, you know I’d follow you anywhere.”
“I know.”
“The ones closest to you betray you the most”
Thank you to NetGalley for the arc!
In this Pakistani romantasy retelling, Dania, a fierce and strong swordswoman, was framed for a crime she didn’t commit by one person she thought loved her. Counting down the days in prison while plotting revenge, she unexpectedly meets Noor, who has a key to the vengeance she seeks...
̩̩͙⊱ lovers to ememies
̩̩͙⊱ female rage/vengeance
̩̩͙⊱ swordswoman fmc
̩̩͙⊱ magic
̩̩͙⊱ secret identity
This book had me hooked from the very first chapter, the story was intriguing, the characters were complex and was overall a very fast paced book that I could not put down!
· · ────────── ·𖥸· ────────── · ·
“With swords in my hands, I was invincible.”
➺ dania - a strong, fierce, and stabby fmc that knows how to wield a sword? I absolutely loved her character! she knew what she wanted and was determined to see it through! I enjoyed reading this book through her point of view so much!
“I didn’t usually have the kind of comforting words others did, and never managed to say the right thing to provide reassurance.”
THIS QUOTE. I related so much to it and just felt so SEEN and it just made me like her so much more!
“The problem when someone you loved betrayed you, was that you had a lifetime of good memories with them that you had to examine in a different light.“
SHE WAS GOING THROUGH IT so many things made my sad for her and I even started tearing up at a certain thing that happened because I didn’t expect it at all and she didn’t deserve that! I completely understand why she chose to go down the path towards revenge; the complexity of trying to stay true to who she is and not turn into what she despises most was such an intriguing thing to read about, at times I was rooting for her and at others I was hoping she wouldn’t do certain things!
“Digging the wrong way and ending up in your cell was the best thing that ever happened to me, you know?”
“Me too.”
➺ noor & dania - I LOVED NOOR I WISH THERE WAS MORE OF HER! I LOVED the friendship these two had and how they found each other, connected, understood, and formed a such a strong bond together! I loved the care that started to form and how they would always help each other with everything since they went through similar things! (I <3 found family so much)
· · ────────── ·𖥸· ────────── · ·
“You know I’d follow you anywhere, Dani.”
“I’d follow you anywhere.”
BEFOFE
“We’d help each other heal them, but it was more than the outside scars. We’d been two lonely people who had been given solace in each other.”
➺ dania & mazin - I LOVED their before chapters! seeing how they first met and disliked each other to slowly being with each other all the time, connecting, and becoming each others person was fun to read about!
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“How am I looking at you?”
“Either like you want to kiss me or stab me. I can’t always tell with you, but for some reason they are both equally as exciting.”
their banter was amazing and I loved reading about them training together it was so cute!
“You don’t care about who my family was, I don’t have to overcome something about myself that I can never change. With you, I feel like I can be myself.”
“With you I feel like I can be myself too, I feel free.”
the thing I loved most about them was how WELL they new each other! knowing when something is wrong, the little things! even the things they didn’t have to say out loud! AND THEM MEMORIZING EACH OTHERS SCARS!!!! AND THE MOMENTS OF WHEN THEY HAPPENED, HOW IT HAPPENED AND WHAT HAPPENED AFTERWARDS UGHHHH! LOVED IT. that type of bond is one I always enjoy reading about!
“We had become intertwined, we were part of each other, and with him, I felt at home.”
NOW
I loved Dania having a secret identity, it created so much tension between her and Mazin! It also gave me so much anxiety out of fear for her lol; here’s a quote I loved between them:
“I can’t read you as I would wish.”
“And how would you wish to read me?”
“I would read you like a novel. From cover to cover, learning everything about you.”
“Leisurely, only taking me out when you felt like it?”
“Is that how you read your novels, Mazin? How uninspiring. No, I mean in a fierce frenzy, by candlelight, devouring you until I finished every page and committed it to memory, and then I’d flip right back to the front and start again from the beginning.”
THE YEARNING THE DESPERATION UGHHH SO GOOD!
SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT GOING FOWARD!!!
➺ mazin - I liked him in the before chapters, but I couldn’t get past his reasoning for doing what he did, it was pretty stupid everything could’ve honestly been avoided had he SAID something!
“Did you think I wouldn’t know you? I’d know you with any face. Any skin. Any hair. A thousand djinn could disguise you from me and I’d still be able to find you just by the sound of your breath.”
PLEASE I DROPPED TO THE FLOOR WHEN THIS HAPPENED THE WAY HE IMMEDIATELY KNEW OH MY GOSH!!!! My jaw DROPPED and then all the little details I noticed started to make sense!
“Follow me then.”
“Dani, you know I’d follow you anywhere.”
“I know.”
February 22, 2024
These two girls are fucking dumbasses.
^ I wrote the above as soon as I DNF'ed the book at 90% in. I just couldn't take it anymore.
I'd like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this before publication.
I'm going to be absolutely upfront - if you are a fan of the original novel this was based off of, prepare to be insulted. As most of us know, the original novel had to do with a man getting well-thoroughly fucked over by three men each with different desires of intent. The man, Edmond Dantes is kept for 15 years in a prison with no knowledge of what he has done. He befriends a man, who teaches him and listens to him for years and takes his chance on escaping in the man's stead when he dies. He then has a couple adventures, becomes wealthy, gains prestige under a new name and takes down those who fucked him over.
I was very interested in this book because it was a female retelling. Unfortunately, from chapter one, I realized we were going to have issues. The prose is half-baked and the reason for why she is in there isn't quite gleamed and the author uses flashbacks without really identifying they are flashbacks until you're halfway through the first page of the flashbacks.
The role of the man / priest that our heroine would meet up with is watered down to that of a girl who was digging her way out but found her way into the cell of our main character. It is there the two scheme to get out, and which you find out that the girl has only been in the prison for one year. Not 20 years, not fifteen, but one year... okay. A year is a long time, but girl, Edmond spent 15+ years in his prison being tortured and you complain about a year. Then, there is mention of magic - djinn magic, which comes from (what looks like to me) 90's bath gels that you ingest. Too much of them causes you to go dark and psycho.
This is where I started to get really frustrated. The story of The Count of Monte Cristo is like a chess game, where Edmond has to take down each of the opponents one by one. Though he is hurting over his rejection or betrayal (so he thinks) for Mercades, he cannot stray, he cannot falter, he has to stick to the plan because... he spent 15+ years thinking of nothing but hate. Our female lead? She strays so many fucking times from the agenda, her hate, etc. over this man-boy (of course, she only spent a year in prison thinking she knew what hate was). I expected some kick ass female mentality from her. No. None of that. I can't tell you that when she finally saw her 'man' how many times she had to complement how he looked, how he fit in his clothes, how she fucked him etc. etc. etc.
That djinn bath gel magic? It allows her to change her face. It lasts a month, but in her time as her alt. persona, she really doesn't do anything spectacular. She has these plans or things she does only for them to blow up in her face or in the face of her friend / co-conspirator. Which is another issue. This girl, Noor? Girl is literally an echo chamber written as a person for our main character to bounce her thoughts, ideas, her crush-obsessions off of. She has no personality and is literally used as the 'tool' that makes things work. Girl says she wants to kill the emperor because he killed someone important to her. I made it through 90% of the book and she still never got her chance nor had any time setting the plot up. It was all a really bad focus romantasy on the female lead and the male.
Then there is a plot twist that comes out around the 85% mark that I just had to go 'what? are you serious?' because it was so dumb and pretty much tried to explain away why this girl was whiny and hate driven through he whole novel.
Maybe someone who has never read the original book that this was based off of would enjoy it? But honestly, if I didn't, I think it's a poor novel with half-baked ideas, a whiny protagonist, and a echo chamber friend.
^ I wrote the above as soon as I DNF'ed the book at 90% in. I just couldn't take it anymore.
I'd like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this before publication.
I'm going to be absolutely upfront - if you are a fan of the original novel this was based off of, prepare to be insulted. As most of us know, the original novel had to do with a man getting well-thoroughly fucked over by three men each with different desires of intent. The man, Edmond Dantes is kept for 15 years in a prison with no knowledge of what he has done. He befriends a man, who teaches him and listens to him for years and takes his chance on escaping in the man's stead when he dies. He then has a couple adventures, becomes wealthy, gains prestige under a new name and takes down those who fucked him over.
I was very interested in this book because it was a female retelling. Unfortunately, from chapter one, I realized we were going to have issues. The prose is half-baked and the reason for why she is in there isn't quite gleamed and the author uses flashbacks without really identifying they are flashbacks until you're halfway through the first page of the flashbacks.
The role of the man / priest that our heroine would meet up with is watered down to that of a girl who was digging her way out but found her way into the cell of our main character. It is there the two scheme to get out, and which you find out that the girl has only been in the prison for one year. Not 20 years, not fifteen, but one year... okay. A year is a long time, but girl, Edmond spent 15+ years in his prison being tortured and you complain about a year. Then, there is mention of magic - djinn magic, which comes from (what looks like to me) 90's bath gels that you ingest. Too much of them causes you to go dark and psycho.
This is where I started to get really frustrated. The story of The Count of Monte Cristo is like a chess game, where Edmond has to take down each of the opponents one by one. Though he is hurting over his rejection or betrayal (so he thinks) for Mercades, he cannot stray, he cannot falter, he has to stick to the plan because... he spent 15+ years thinking of nothing but hate. Our female lead? She strays so many fucking times from the agenda, her hate, etc. over this man-boy (of course, she only spent a year in prison thinking she knew what hate was). I expected some kick ass female mentality from her. No. None of that. I can't tell you that when she finally saw her 'man' how many times she had to complement how he looked, how he fit in his clothes, how she fucked him etc. etc. etc.
That djinn bath gel magic? It allows her to change her face. It lasts a month, but in her time as her alt. persona, she really doesn't do anything spectacular. She has these plans or things she does only for them to blow up in her face or in the face of her friend / co-conspirator. Which is another issue. This girl, Noor? Girl is literally an echo chamber written as a person for our main character to bounce her thoughts, ideas, her crush-obsessions off of. She has no personality and is literally used as the 'tool' that makes things work. Girl says she wants to kill the emperor because he killed someone important to her. I made it through 90% of the book and she still never got her chance nor had any time setting the plot up. It was all a really bad focus romantasy on the female lead and the male.
Then there is a plot twist that comes out around the 85% mark that I just had to go 'what? are you serious?' because it was so dumb and pretty much tried to explain away why this girl was whiny and hate driven through he whole novel.
Maybe someone who has never read the original book that this was based off of would enjoy it? But honestly, if I didn't, I think it's a poor novel with half-baked ideas, a whiny protagonist, and a echo chamber friend.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 18, 2024
Sometimes enemies to lovers should remain enemies to enemies
April 18, 2025
This was okay 🤓
October 30, 2024
Happy pub-day! I cannot wait to read this one again. ✨🖤
“A sweeping, Pakistani romantic fantasy reimagining of The Count of Monte Cristo, where one girl seeks revenge against those who betrayed her—including the boy she used to love.”
I fell in love with this story and its characters. I did not want it to end! To say I was blown away is an understatement.
This is one of those books that I felt instantly connected to. I was drawn in and transported to this world from the very first page. I could not put this book down. The magical elements fascinated me, and there were so many little twists along the way. I’m obsessed. I cannot wait for publication day so the rest of the world can experience this one.
This book alone has made me a fan—I will read every book this author writes. Emily Varga has been added to my list of author/book soulmates 😂
You must add this one to your TBR list. You will not be disappointed (and if you are, don’t tell me). October 29, 2024, cannot come soon enough!
I loved this book. It will be a classic for me and my library!!
🧝♀️⚔️🌾🔥✨
Thank you to the author, St. Martin’s Press, and Wednesday Books for this ARC!!! Pub Date: October 29, 2024.
As always, all thoughts my own. 🥰
“A sweeping, Pakistani romantic fantasy reimagining of The Count of Monte Cristo, where one girl seeks revenge against those who betrayed her—including the boy she used to love.”
I fell in love with this story and its characters. I did not want it to end! To say I was blown away is an understatement.
This is one of those books that I felt instantly connected to. I was drawn in and transported to this world from the very first page. I could not put this book down. The magical elements fascinated me, and there were so many little twists along the way. I’m obsessed. I cannot wait for publication day so the rest of the world can experience this one.
This book alone has made me a fan—I will read every book this author writes. Emily Varga has been added to my list of author/book soulmates 😂
You must add this one to your TBR list. You will not be disappointed (and if you are, don’t tell me). October 29, 2024, cannot come soon enough!
I loved this book. It will be a classic for me and my library!!
🧝♀️⚔️🌾🔥✨
Thank you to the author, St. Martin’s Press, and Wednesday Books for this ARC!!! Pub Date: October 29, 2024.
As always, all thoughts my own. 🥰
July 12, 2024
4 ☆
“a thousand djin could disguise you from me and I’d still be able to find you, just by the sound of your breath.”
➴ lovers to enemies
➴ classic retelling
➴ magic and romance
➴ knives
🏵️ ꒱ my thoughts:
let me just super original and unique when I say omg that was so good! (yes ik I say that every time. BUT IT WAS!) I’ve never read the Count of Monte Cristo, but I’m always down for a retelling. Anyways, the plot was unique when it mattered, I loved Noor (she should’ve been the fmc, tbh), and the romance was freakin amazing! like I can’t describe how perfect they were!!! I’m definitely buying this when it comes out!
thank you to net galley for an arc in exchange for an honest review!
“a thousand djin could disguise you from me and I’d still be able to find you, just by the sound of your breath.”
➴ lovers to enemies
➴ classic retelling
➴ magic and romance
➴ knives
🏵️ ꒱ my thoughts:
let me just super original and unique when I say omg that was so good! (yes ik I say that every time. BUT IT WAS!) I’ve never read the Count of Monte Cristo, but I’m always down for a retelling. Anyways, the plot was unique when it mattered, I loved Noor (she should’ve been the fmc, tbh), and the romance was freakin amazing! like I can’t describe how perfect they were!!! I’m definitely buying this when it comes out!
thank you to net galley for an arc in exchange for an honest review!
December 29, 2024
*+:｡.｡“𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓸𝓷𝓮𝓼 𝓬𝓵𝓸𝓼𝓮𝓼𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓫𝓮𝓽𝓻𝓪𝔂 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓶𝓸𝓼𝓽,”｡.｡:+*
The book started really strong and went downhill from there it's really fast-paced but that made the story flat and superficial also the characters lack depth
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖗𝖊𝖈𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆
𝘔𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯 (𝑀𝐿): I have one thing to say about him: ONCE A TRAITOR ALWAYS A TRAITOR. If anyone did to me what Mazin did to Dania I'll never in a million years forgive them
𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘢 (𝐹𝐿): She's driven by her revenge and blinded by her love; she's also so naïve; she forgave her traitor with only a few words!!! To me, she's really dumb but she's a good friend
𝘕𝘰𝘰𝘳 (2𝘯𝘥 𝘍𝘓): She's THE ONLY person that has a good head on her shoulder, she's sassy and witty and kind; she's really the best friend Dania could ever wish for
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𝕿𝖗𝖔𝖕𝖊𝖘˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆
🌸 𝙵𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙽𝙳𝚂 𝚃𝙾 𝙻𝙾𝚅𝙴𝚁𝚂 𝚃𝙾 𝙴𝙽𝙴𝙼𝙸𝙴𝚂 𝚃𝙾 𝙻𝙾𝚅𝙴𝚁𝚂
🌸 𝙵𝙴𝙼𝙰𝙻𝙴 𝚁𝙰𝙶𝙴
🌸 𝚁𝙴𝚅𝙴𝙽𝙶𝙴
🌸 𝚂𝚃𝚁𝙾𝙽𝙶 𝙵𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙽𝙳𝚂𝙷𝙸𝙿
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𝕱𝖆𝖛 𝕼𝖚𝖔𝖙𝖊𝖘˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𝕻𝖗𝖊-𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆
Buddy reading with my besties Yusra , Madiha , Chloe and Yanah in the Nocturnes' book club 🥰🥰
The book started really strong and went downhill from there it's really fast-paced but that made the story flat and superficial also the characters lack depth
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖗𝖊𝖈𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆
𝘔𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯 (𝑀𝐿): I have one thing to say about him: ONCE A TRAITOR ALWAYS A TRAITOR. If anyone did to me what Mazin did to Dania I'll never in a million years forgive them
𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘢 (𝐹𝐿): She's driven by her revenge and blinded by her love; she's also so naïve; she forgave her traitor with only a few words!!! To me, she's really dumb but she's a good friend
𝘕𝘰𝘰𝘳 (2𝘯𝘥 𝘍𝘓): She's THE ONLY person that has a good head on her shoulder, she's sassy and witty and kind; she's really the best friend Dania could ever wish for
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𝕿𝖗𝖔𝖕𝖊𝖘˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆
🌸 𝙵𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙽𝙳𝚂 𝚃𝙾 𝙻𝙾𝚅𝙴𝚁𝚂 𝚃𝙾 𝙴𝙽𝙴𝙼𝙸𝙴𝚂 𝚃𝙾 𝙻𝙾𝚅𝙴𝚁𝚂
🌸 𝙵𝙴𝙼𝙰𝙻𝙴 𝚁𝙰𝙶𝙴
🌸 𝚁𝙴𝚅𝙴𝙽𝙶𝙴
🌸 𝚂𝚃𝚁𝙾𝙽𝙶 𝙵𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙽𝙳𝚂𝙷𝙸𝙿
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𝕱𝖆𝖛 𝕼𝖚𝖔𝖙𝖊𝖘˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆
Today, I would be free. I would reunite with Baba. And then I would wreak hell upon the ones who put me here.
If I focused on being afraid, I would never leave this place, and all my plans and plotting would come to nothing.
The number of times the guards had hauled me out of my cell to be tortured meant I had no room left in my heart for regret. Not for them. Not for anyone.
Fuck it. If I was going down, I would take the bitch with me.
If I were free, I would make them all pay the price for what they had done. They would feel every bruise, every moment of humiliation and betrayal.
“Mazin was someone I trusted when I should have known better. Someone who was always going to betray me, in the end.”
“Do you have a plan?” I smiled at her, an echo of Thohfsa’s earlier one. “No, but I have a sword.”
“He took your father from you. I would want revenge for the exact same reason. But just be careful you don’t become what you most despise. That we both don’t become what we most despise.”“And what is that?”“Greedy. Power hungry.”
“You’re the first friend I’ve had since Souma. I don’t have anyone else. And yet I’m helping you destroy yourself. What kind of friend does that make me?”A friend who understands exactly what it feels like to lose everything.”
Not until I burned him up inside like he burned me. Until there was nothing left of him but this wanting. Until he begged for me like a dying man in the desert, and I the mirage that could have saved him.
“You can’t just extinguish your feelings, Dania. You aren’t like that. You’ll end up hurting yourself more than you know.”
A history of women and girls being wronged by men who never had any consequences. Now I would be the consequences. “I choose vengeance. I choose death. And in the end, that’s what you chose too.”
“I came for revenge, but I’m leaving with something much more worthwhile. Friendship.”
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𝕻𝖗𝖊-𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆
Buddy reading with my besties Yusra , Madiha , Chloe and Yanah in the Nocturnes' book club 🥰🥰
June 1, 2024
I am so angry right now, probably more angry than Dania was after she realized she was betrayed by her lover boy.
For She Is Wrath was a story that promised revenge of the hottest sort. I mean the word wrath is literally in the title. I was so excited to read about epic revenge and the people who did the MC wrong begging at her feet and cowering in fear.
*cue the tiktok sound that goes "I hope you're hungry . . . for nothing" or something along those lines*
Because yes, dear reader, we received nothing. I know basically nothing of The Count of Monte Cristo story so I can't speak about this retelling in terms of that, but I do know that this is not the revenge story you're aching for. No dramatic scenes in which the revenge taken felt satisfying to the core. Instead, let me go over all the things that I found wrong with this book. Unfortunately, they are NOT all spoiler-free so I will have to hide them behind the spoiler tag later in my review but do come back to this review once you've read the story.
Okay, there are too many things I want to rant about but we have to at least try and keep this review organized.
So firstly, the writing . . . well it wasn't really good. The prose was so bland and boring to read it just made me skim over most of the lines. Basic sentence structure and predictable thought sequences. Nothing that really stood out. I feel like a more elevated prose and more show-not-tell could have at least bettered my reading experience but alas.
Next, the world-building. I was very excited to read a Pakistani-inspired story because I'd never before read one. Unfortunately, the world-building fell very flat and I wish the world and its politics had been explained more.
Then, the plot. Oh the plOT. **aside** what plot?
There are a lot of things I took issue with but unfortunately, they contain spoilers so I'm hiding them behind the tags but do come back to read them once you've read the book (if you ever read it).
The plot started out so promising but when, by the halfway point, I still didn't care about the story or any of the characters, I was bored to tears. I get that the revenge plot isn't solved in the first 20% of the book but then it needs to be more engaging to read. The buildup needs to be bigger, the stakes higher, and the ultimate playout needs to be more satisfying. When the first revenge act finally bore fruit it was . . . underwhelming. The whole getting caught scene happens so quickly that there is no time for dramatics and then the person is just carried off to find misery off-page. I wanted more. I wanted to read about the suffering on the page. I wanted to read about the person pleading and quivering and sobbing to the point of pissing themselves when they realized what had been done to them; how they had been played. Instead, the whole act was completed before it even began. Same with the next revenge act. And definitely with the final revenge act which should have been the star of the show. Instead, we got a no-show. And it is this that has incurred my wrath.
The ending was also just so underwhelming but by that point, I'd lost all the interest and cared only about skimming through as fast as possible so I could be done with the story. I didn't like the "plot twist". It was anti-climactic and, to be honest, a bit of a reach. And overall everything fell into place too perfectly. A deus-ex-machina if you will but in this case said deus is magic.
Finally the characters. they started out with great potential but the further I got into the story, the flatter the characters turned out to be. Dania started out so great, I had such high hopes for her. A badass girl who is a skilled fighter and is filled with anger and wrath and dead set on bloody revenge. That got me so excited. But her character quickly became boring when she became a broken record with all that big talk about exacting revenge but then constantly (near-)failing in her acts. Her plans are childish and reckless and not well thought out at all. There is no complicated chess game going on like what is apparently the case in The Count of Monte Cristo.
Noor has zero substance and is just there to serve as a plot point to further the story. We know the bare minimum of her. I mean she's literally turned into a servant to do the MC's bidding.
And then there's Mazin. God I loath him. He's such a wimpy winy crybaby because "boohoo I put the girl I love in prison because of my selfish, cowardly actions and now I can't do anything except continue to live in this fancy palace". Literally stfu.
No matter how much I hated this book, as this is an arc review I still want to highlight some points that might entice readers to want to pick this book up. Just because it wasn't for me does not mean this cannot be your next favorite read. So if you like:
- who did this to you trope reversed
- a brief one room and thus one bed
- recognizing each other because of the scars on their bodies.
- Romantasy romance and yearning?
then this book might be something you enjoy.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me an arc. I do apologize for this review holding less quality than what I usually uphold in my reviews. I'm just too angry and frustrated at this moment to go back and fix my tense use and other grammatical errors. Maybe once I've calmed down I'll come back to edit it but I doubt it. I want to leave this book behind and erase it from my memory because it has wasted my time with its wasted potential.
For She Is Wrath was a story that promised revenge of the hottest sort. I mean the word wrath is literally in the title. I was so excited to read about epic revenge and the people who did the MC wrong begging at her feet and cowering in fear.
*cue the tiktok sound that goes "I hope you're hungry . . . for nothing" or something along those lines*
Because yes, dear reader, we received nothing. I know basically nothing of The Count of Monte Cristo story so I can't speak about this retelling in terms of that, but I do know that this is not the revenge story you're aching for. No dramatic scenes in which the revenge taken felt satisfying to the core. Instead, let me go over all the things that I found wrong with this book. Unfortunately, they are NOT all spoiler-free so I will have to hide them behind the spoiler tag later in my review but do come back to this review once you've read the story.
Okay, there are too many things I want to rant about but we have to at least try and keep this review organized.
So firstly, the writing . . . well it wasn't really good. The prose was so bland and boring to read it just made me skim over most of the lines. Basic sentence structure and predictable thought sequences. Nothing that really stood out. I feel like a more elevated prose and more show-not-tell could have at least bettered my reading experience but alas.
Next, the world-building. I was very excited to read a Pakistani-inspired story because I'd never before read one. Unfortunately, the world-building fell very flat and I wish the world and its politics had been explained more.
Then, the plot. Oh the plOT. **aside** what plot?
There are a lot of things I took issue with but unfortunately, they contain spoilers so I'm hiding them behind the tags but do come back to read them once you've read the book (if you ever read it).
The plot started out so promising but when, by the halfway point, I still didn't care about the story or any of the characters, I was bored to tears. I get that the revenge plot isn't solved in the first 20% of the book but then it needs to be more engaging to read. The buildup needs to be bigger, the stakes higher, and the ultimate playout needs to be more satisfying. When the first revenge act finally bore fruit it was . . . underwhelming. The whole getting caught scene happens so quickly that there is no time for dramatics and then the person is just carried off to find misery off-page. I wanted more. I wanted to read about the suffering on the page. I wanted to read about the person pleading and quivering and sobbing to the point of pissing themselves when they realized what had been done to them; how they had been played. Instead, the whole act was completed before it even began. Same with the next revenge act. And definitely with the final revenge act which should have been the star of the show. Instead, we got a no-show. And it is this that has incurred my wrath.
The ending was also just so underwhelming but by that point, I'd lost all the interest and cared only about skimming through as fast as possible so I could be done with the story. I didn't like the "plot twist". It was anti-climactic and, to be honest, a bit of a reach. And overall everything fell into place too perfectly. A deus-ex-machina if you will but in this case said deus is magic.
Finally the characters. they started out with great potential but the further I got into the story, the flatter the characters turned out to be. Dania started out so great, I had such high hopes for her. A badass girl who is a skilled fighter and is filled with anger and wrath and dead set on bloody revenge. That got me so excited. But her character quickly became boring when she became a broken record with all that big talk about exacting revenge but then constantly (near-)failing in her acts. Her plans are childish and reckless and not well thought out at all. There is no complicated chess game going on like what is apparently the case in The Count of Monte Cristo.
Noor has zero substance and is just there to serve as a plot point to further the story. We know the bare minimum of her. I mean she's literally turned into a servant to do the MC's bidding.
And then there's Mazin. God I loath him. He's such a wimpy winy crybaby because "boohoo I put the girl I love in prison because of my selfish, cowardly actions and now I can't do anything except continue to live in this fancy palace". Literally stfu.
No matter how much I hated this book, as this is an arc review I still want to highlight some points that might entice readers to want to pick this book up. Just because it wasn't for me does not mean this cannot be your next favorite read. So if you like:
- who did this to you trope reversed
- a brief one room and thus one bed
- recognizing each other because of the scars on their bodies.
- Romantasy romance and yearning?
then this book might be something you enjoy.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me an arc. I do apologize for this review holding less quality than what I usually uphold in my reviews. I'm just too angry and frustrated at this moment to go back and fix my tense use and other grammatical errors. Maybe once I've calmed down I'll come back to edit it but I doubt it. I want to leave this book behind and erase it from my memory because it has wasted my time with its wasted potential.
Want to read
October 4, 2024 “A sweeping, Pakistani romantic fantasy, where one girl seeks revenge against those who betrayed her—including the boy she used to love."
okay so female rage with lovers to enemies 👀hmmm I'll give it a try.
✨Thanks to NetGalley, The Author, & St. Martin Press, Wednesday Books Publishing for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review✨
okay so female rage with lovers to enemies 👀hmmm I'll give it a try.
✨Thanks to NetGalley, The Author, & St. Martin Press, Wednesday Books Publishing for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review✨
April 16, 2024
A YA Pakistani-based fantasy inspired by The Count of Monte Cristo? Count me in!
PROS: Lovers-to-enemies? Yeah, we like that. Memorizing each other's scars? (😍😍😍) Always enjoyable having a strong, vengeful female main character.
CONS: I think the world-building could have been a little more fleshed out, as well as the romantic relationship. It didn't feel like the story dragged, rather, it felt as though issues were resolved too quickly. Knowing Arabic, it was also jarring to repeatedly read the character surname "Khara" (although upon further investigation I believe it has a different meaning in Urdu...)
Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Emily Varga for this eARC!
PROS: Lovers-to-enemies? Yeah, we like that. Memorizing each other's scars? (😍😍😍) Always enjoyable having a strong, vengeful female main character.
CONS: I think the world-building could have been a little more fleshed out, as well as the romantic relationship. It didn't feel like the story dragged, rather, it felt as though issues were resolved too quickly. Knowing Arabic, it was also jarring to repeatedly read the character surname "Khara" (although upon further investigation I believe it has a different meaning in Urdu...)
Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Emily Varga for this eARC!
August 28, 2024
this book was just mid, honestly. kind of bland. there's nothing actually wrong with it - it's kind of adventurous, fast paced with angry main character, butttt nothing stick out.
typical characters (no one had any personality), predictable plot and romance. maybe I'd be able to enjoy it more if I hadn't recently read Rebel in the sands and All this twisted glory, but magic djinns and bad deals and trying to take down tyrant and girl hellbent on revenge was all the same to me. the ending was disappointing and I didn't care about romance, who was also bland
Thank you Netgalley for providing digital advanced copy in exchange for honest review.
typical characters (no one had any personality), predictable plot and romance. maybe I'd be able to enjoy it more if I hadn't recently read Rebel in the sands and All this twisted glory, but magic djinns and bad deals and trying to take down tyrant and girl hellbent on revenge was all the same to me. the ending was disappointing and I didn't care about romance, who was also bland
Thank you Netgalley for providing digital advanced copy in exchange for honest review.
December 14, 2024
In a Pakistani mythology inspired retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo, Dania is a young woman who lost everything when she was falsely arrested for murder. The person whom she trusted and loved is responsible for her false imprisonment for a crime she did not commit. She vows to break out and seek vengeance against all those who have wronged her.
It’s been a long time since I had this much fun rooting for a character to go full "stabby stabby" on the bad guys. Dania is everything, she’s fierce, emotionally layered, and absolutely relentless. You can feel her rage simmering off the pages, her desperate need for vengeance tempered by the heartbreak and the pain of her losses. Her journey is accompanied by Noor, a character who serves as her moral compass. Despite suffering similar injustices, Noor keeps Dania’s humanity intact, ensuring that her quest for revenge doesn’t come at the cost of her soul. Their bond and found family trope were the heart of this book for me...
The writing is great and fast paced. The short chapters made it easy to devour this book in a single sitting. The worldbuilding was beautifully described and while I loved the magical elements (like the Djinn), I wish the origins of the magic system were further developed.
One of my favorite moments in the book was the prison break and Dania’s transformation. It’s gritty, intense, and satisfying to see her rise from despair into her wrathful new persona. The tension and banter are another highlight, no spice here, but who needs it when the dialogue and chemistry was so scrumptious. The romance was perfect. This is exactly what I mean when I say I want enemies-to-lovers done right. The emotional push-and-pull and beautifully written dialogues had me kicking my feet in the air.
That said, I have mixed feelings about the second half of the story. While Dania’s revenge against those who wronged her was beautifully executed, the ending didn’t quite live up to the buildup. However, a shocking betrayal near the end did catch me off guard, leaving me shooketh.
It wasn’t even on my TBR this month, but I’m so glad I picked it up.
Highly recommend it if you love a good revenge plot, strong female lead who knows how to handle a sword and won’t mind going stabby on some bad guys.
Thank you @stmartinspress and @wednesdaybooks for gifting me the finished copy.
It’s been a long time since I had this much fun rooting for a character to go full "stabby stabby" on the bad guys. Dania is everything, she’s fierce, emotionally layered, and absolutely relentless. You can feel her rage simmering off the pages, her desperate need for vengeance tempered by the heartbreak and the pain of her losses. Her journey is accompanied by Noor, a character who serves as her moral compass. Despite suffering similar injustices, Noor keeps Dania’s humanity intact, ensuring that her quest for revenge doesn’t come at the cost of her soul. Their bond and found family trope were the heart of this book for me...
The writing is great and fast paced. The short chapters made it easy to devour this book in a single sitting. The worldbuilding was beautifully described and while I loved the magical elements (like the Djinn), I wish the origins of the magic system were further developed.
One of my favorite moments in the book was the prison break and Dania’s transformation. It’s gritty, intense, and satisfying to see her rise from despair into her wrathful new persona. The tension and banter are another highlight, no spice here, but who needs it when the dialogue and chemistry was so scrumptious. The romance was perfect. This is exactly what I mean when I say I want enemies-to-lovers done right. The emotional push-and-pull and beautifully written dialogues had me kicking my feet in the air.
That said, I have mixed feelings about the second half of the story. While Dania’s revenge against those who wronged her was beautifully executed, the ending didn’t quite live up to the buildup. However, a shocking betrayal near the end did catch me off guard, leaving me shooketh.
It wasn’t even on my TBR this month, but I’m so glad I picked it up.
Highly recommend it if you love a good revenge plot, strong female lead who knows how to handle a sword and won’t mind going stabby on some bad guys.
Thank you @stmartinspress and @wednesdaybooks for gifting me the finished copy.
December 31, 2024
« When faced with the worst odds, you managed to overcome them at every turn, even when I thought you hadn’t the skills to do so. »
This book completely caught me off guard. I didn’t expect it to have a focus point on toxic family members and their dysfunctional dynamics. It was healing in some ways for me. There were things I needed to read and hear.
The female rage in this book was absolutely flawless. I love how the women were vengeful but weren’t dislikeable at all. There was a found family and friendship and I loved it. Lots of healing.
« I don’t owe you this. I don’t owe you all of me. Not after what you did. Perhaps not ever. And if you loved me, you would never ask it. »
« I can’t help you. Not at the cost of myself. »
« Don’t let his actions destroy you life. You may have given him forgiveness, but that doesn’t mean you owe him kindness. »
« … it was just him and me, healing the scars we couldn’t see, being for each other what we most needed in the dark. »
My last read of 2024 was a 5✨ ❤️
This book completely caught me off guard. I didn’t expect it to have a focus point on toxic family members and their dysfunctional dynamics. It was healing in some ways for me. There were things I needed to read and hear.
The female rage in this book was absolutely flawless. I love how the women were vengeful but weren’t dislikeable at all. There was a found family and friendship and I loved it. Lots of healing.
« I don’t owe you this. I don’t owe you all of me. Not after what you did. Perhaps not ever. And if you loved me, you would never ask it. »
« I can’t help you. Not at the cost of myself. »
« Don’t let his actions destroy you life. You may have given him forgiveness, but that doesn’t mean you owe him kindness. »
« … it was just him and me, healing the scars we couldn’t see, being for each other what we most needed in the dark. »
My last read of 2024 was a 5✨ ❤️
April 13, 2025
Kämpferisches Cover mit starker Pose, dazu der Titel und das Versprechen auf eine female rage revenge romantasy - das mit der Romantasy hat mich in diesem Zusammenhang etwas verwundert, aber ich musste es hören, ist ja wohl klar.
Die Story an sich ist auch eigentlich ganz schön. Es spielt in einem arabisch angehauchten Setting mit starker weiblicher Prota, die von ihrem Liebsten verraten und verkauft im Gefängnis sitzt, dort eine Verbündete findet und mit ihr zusammen ausbricht und auf Rache sinnt.
Sie war allerdings nur 1 (!!) Jahr im Gefängnis, deshalb ist es etwas übertrieben, ständig von "damals" zu sprechen, als wäre es ewig her und nicht letztes Jahr gewesen🙈 Das alles soll ja eine Art Retelling des Graf von Monte Christo sein. Dafür hätte man den Figuren aber mehr Zeit geben müssen.
Was ich direkt positiv vermerken möchte ist, dass es keinen Spice gab.
Außerdem hat Corinna Dorenkamp natürlich wunderbar gelesen und ich hab mich auch nicht gelangweilt.
Allerdings....
Ich muss sagen, I am fury too.
"Female rage revenge romantasy" - nein. Einfach nein. Es war KEIN female rage und ich bin darüber sehr enttäuscht. Ich kann nicht glauben, dass dieses Buch damit beworben wird. Da hat leider jemand überhaupt nicht verstanden, was female rage überhaupt ist! Bei female rage geht es um die Wut von uns Frauen, die wir Unterdrückung und Ungleichbehandlung aufgrund unseres Geschlechts erfahren, seit immer! Es geht um Aufbegehren gegen diese gesellschaftliche Unterdrückung, um den Ruf nach tatsächlicher Gleichberechtigung und härteren Strafen für Verbrechen an Frauen! Es geht darum wütend zu sein, weil man benachteiligt wurde - weil man halt eine Frau ist! Weil Männer mit Verbrechen an Frauen immer noch durchkommen (siehe ganz aktuell das Urteil für 🍇 in Belgien).
Es geht NICHT um Liebeskummer, es geht NICHT um die Wut auf einen Ex, es geht NICHT um die Wut auf einen mörderischen König, es geht nicht einfach darum, wegen IRGENDWAS wütend zu sein!
Also nein, es gab in diesem Buch zwar eine wütende junge Frau, die sich an ihrem Ex rächen wollte, aber es gab KEIN Female Rage und solange damit für dieses Buch geworben wird, kann ich keine Leseempfehlung aussprechen.
Die Story an sich ist auch eigentlich ganz schön. Es spielt in einem arabisch angehauchten Setting mit starker weiblicher Prota, die von ihrem Liebsten verraten und verkauft im Gefängnis sitzt, dort eine Verbündete findet und mit ihr zusammen ausbricht und auf Rache sinnt.
Sie war allerdings nur 1 (!!) Jahr im Gefängnis, deshalb ist es etwas übertrieben, ständig von "damals" zu sprechen, als wäre es ewig her und nicht letztes Jahr gewesen🙈 Das alles soll ja eine Art Retelling des Graf von Monte Christo sein. Dafür hätte man den Figuren aber mehr Zeit geben müssen.
Was ich direkt positiv vermerken möchte ist, dass es keinen Spice gab.
Außerdem hat Corinna Dorenkamp natürlich wunderbar gelesen und ich hab mich auch nicht gelangweilt.
Allerdings....
Ich muss sagen, I am fury too.
"Female rage revenge romantasy" - nein. Einfach nein. Es war KEIN female rage und ich bin darüber sehr enttäuscht. Ich kann nicht glauben, dass dieses Buch damit beworben wird. Da hat leider jemand überhaupt nicht verstanden, was female rage überhaupt ist! Bei female rage geht es um die Wut von uns Frauen, die wir Unterdrückung und Ungleichbehandlung aufgrund unseres Geschlechts erfahren, seit immer! Es geht um Aufbegehren gegen diese gesellschaftliche Unterdrückung, um den Ruf nach tatsächlicher Gleichberechtigung und härteren Strafen für Verbrechen an Frauen! Es geht darum wütend zu sein, weil man benachteiligt wurde - weil man halt eine Frau ist! Weil Männer mit Verbrechen an Frauen immer noch durchkommen (siehe ganz aktuell das Urteil für 🍇 in Belgien).
Es geht NICHT um Liebeskummer, es geht NICHT um die Wut auf einen Ex, es geht NICHT um die Wut auf einen mörderischen König, es geht nicht einfach darum, wegen IRGENDWAS wütend zu sein!
Also nein, es gab in diesem Buch zwar eine wütende junge Frau, die sich an ihrem Ex rächen wollte, aber es gab KEIN Female Rage und solange damit für dieses Buch geworben wird, kann ich keine Leseempfehlung aussprechen.
November 29, 2024
What a FANTASTIC debut and fun from start to finish!
This is the gender swapped, Count of Monte Christo story with Pakistani influence you need on your TBR immediately. As a retelling, you just need to know that it has the basic premise/framework... but still feels completely and refreshingly different in the best way. Please don't compare them.
Rage stories don't really do it for me, but Dania's anger feels warranted. Betrayed by the boy she has loved, she escapes prison with an accomplice, and steals away powerful Djinn magic to enact her revenge. The vengeance friend pact was delightful.
For She is Wrath is filled with friendship, greed, and themes of how to break the cycles of meaningless hurt and vengeance. Dania growth as a main character felt right for her, especially as someone who comes off as a sharp blade, but is also able to feel things quite deeply. Dania is angry but she doesn't make it her whole personality. I loved that the theme of anger was softened by love, and legacy, and the need to be better than before utilizing the powers of forgiveness.
The romance was executed wonderfully and I enjoyed the back and forth flashbacks that really added great strength to the main plot. There are some fantastic heartfelt moments of intimacy amplified by the authors beautiful writing.
There aren't very many solid fantasy stand-alones, but I recommend For She is Wrath to be added to that list.
4.5 stars.
This is the gender swapped, Count of Monte Christo story with Pakistani influence you need on your TBR immediately. As a retelling, you just need to know that it has the basic premise/framework... but still feels completely and refreshingly different in the best way. Please don't compare them.
Rage stories don't really do it for me, but Dania's anger feels warranted. Betrayed by the boy she has loved, she escapes prison with an accomplice, and steals away powerful Djinn magic to enact her revenge. The vengeance friend pact was delightful.
For She is Wrath is filled with friendship, greed, and themes of how to break the cycles of meaningless hurt and vengeance. Dania growth as a main character felt right for her, especially as someone who comes off as a sharp blade, but is also able to feel things quite deeply. Dania is angry but she doesn't make it her whole personality. I loved that the theme of anger was softened by love, and legacy, and the need to be better than before utilizing the powers of forgiveness.
The romance was executed wonderfully and I enjoyed the back and forth flashbacks that really added great strength to the main plot. There are some fantastic heartfelt moments of intimacy amplified by the authors beautiful writing.
There aren't very many solid fantasy stand-alones, but I recommend For She is Wrath to be added to that list.
4.5 stars.
October 27, 2024
This book is like lukewarm tea. It's not exactly what you want, and it is notably underwhelming.
The premise was promising, but the delivery fell flat. I did not feel anything while I was reading it: no anger, no heartbreak, no rage. Nothing.
Neither the friendship nor the romance were strong enough relationships to shoulder the burden of keeping my interest when the plot did not. This book was just too obvious most of the time. It played out as most people would predict. Beat for beat. And even the twist at the end went over like, "Huh, okay." I wasn't the least bit excited by it.
I'm surprised this book was picked up by two separate book boxes. Clearly, they must see something in it I do not.
Anyways, to me, this book was regrettably forgettable.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for sharing this digital ARC with me. All opinions are my own.
The premise was promising, but the delivery fell flat. I did not feel anything while I was reading it: no anger, no heartbreak, no rage. Nothing.
Neither the friendship nor the romance were strong enough relationships to shoulder the burden of keeping my interest when the plot did not. This book was just too obvious most of the time. It played out as most people would predict. Beat for beat. And even the twist at the end went over like, "Huh, okay." I wasn't the least bit excited by it.
I'm surprised this book was picked up by two separate book boxes. Clearly, they must see something in it I do not.
Anyways, to me, this book was regrettably forgettable.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for sharing this digital ARC with me. All opinions are my own.
February 1, 2025
Okay, this was just as brilliant the second time around. Something about this storyline and the characters really resonates with me. I love this book so much. Forever will be a favorite of mine.
I read the ARC of this book and it was absolutely amazinggggg. I've been dying to get my hands on the audiobook now that we are past publication day and my library came in clutch on Christmas. Can't wait to listen to this one. YAY!
I read the ARC of this book and it was absolutely amazinggggg. I've been dying to get my hands on the audiobook now that we are past publication day and my library came in clutch on Christmas. Can't wait to listen to this one. YAY!
December 9, 2024
4 stars!!
”I’ll tell you why.” My voice was soft, the hiss of a blade cutting through the night air. “Because you had a choice. You chose to betray me, to sell a girl for money, to frame her for gain. And so, I chose this.” I lifted the glistening dagger in the torchlight of the garden, where the guards I had hired lay dead. Anger burst inside of me. But there was something else there too, savage, elemental.
The power of knowing this was righteous anger.
A history of women and girls being wronged by men who never had any consequences.
Now I would be the consequences.
“I choose vengeance. I choose death. And in the end, that’s what you choose too.”
Okay, this book was great.
The revenge was amazing and I felt like I was getting revenge myself in this. The characters were so amazing and badass, it was incredible. But, some things dragged or went too fast. But really, I kinda loved it.
BUT CAN THERE PLEASE BE ONE BOOK WHERE THE FMC’S PROBLEMS AREN’T SOLVED BY A MAN??
—SPOILERS—
🫂 Characters 🫂
⤷they were actually really good!! I enjoyed all of their personalities and what fueled them in what they did.
⚔️ Dania ⚔️
⤷OMG I LOVED HER
”I wasn’t going to rein myself in any longer.
I closed my fists tight, thinking of Casildo, the man who had double-crossed my father. They had been friends since childhood, and the man had been like an uncle to me. That he could so easily turn my father in made my skin cold. But in that coldness I found power, as if I could lock out all emotion and it would distill my goals to the only ones that mattered. Maybe that was the answer to everything. Maybe if I turned my body to ice I could become the weapon I needed to avenge my father.
To avenge myself.”
She was such a cool character!! I really loved how she was so sarcastic and always spoke her mind. Honestly if that happened to me idk if I would be able to keep control like her and not stab everyone right there. Her thoughts did get a little repetitive sometimes but I loved feeling the satisfaction from each piece of revenge she got.
Even if I wish she killed Mazin…shhhhh
🌿Noor🌿
⤷honestly not that huge of an impact on me
”I want freedom,” she said finally. “I want it so badly I can taste it. But I also want retribution. Emperor Vahid stole my entire life from me. And I want it back.”
Okay she was fine but sometimes I didn’t understand her. She has been through so much and suddenly she wants Dani to forgive Maz? Girl, seriously? You were tortured for 3 fricking years and you want to hand out mercy? Your father was murdered and you just want to…what? Forgive and forget? Hell no.
Anyway, I did like her, she was funny.
👑 Mazin 👑
⤷aww, he’s so sweet!!—is what I would have said if I only read the “before” chapters
”It was if some of his boyish youth had deserted him, and in its place he was cold, calculating. A killer.
I understood that, because I was too.
We were what he made us.”
Can someone please tell me why tf Dani forgave him that easily?? GIRL, PLEASE
I’ll get into that later. He was actually so sweet and I loved him in the before chapters but other than that I wanted him to die.
That’s it. He could have done so much more than send her to prison.
💕Romance💕
⤷so cutesie
”Did you think I wouldn’t know you? I’d know you with any face. Any skin. Any hair. A thousand djinn could disguise you from me and I’d still be able to find you just by the sound of your breath.”
I. WANTED. MORE. GROVELING.
Seriously I got ONE. CHAPTER.
I was not satisfied. Dude you could have stopped it and you didn’t? His “apology” wasn’t close to enough. I don’t forgive you, you should be dead.
ANYWAY
The before scenes were rlly cute and I enjoyed them a lot. They were perfect for each other until that RAT screwed it all up.
BUT
He might have grown on me in the end…
🏞️ Plot 🏞️
⤷this was so cool and I enjoyed it a lot. The prison break was great and I loved the way everything was described. I didn’t expect the plot twist, though making it her grandma seemed like a cheap shot to justify Mazin. All of the buildup to her getting revenge was solved in A. SINGLE. CHAPTER.
Then they hooked up.
OF COURSE
Honestly I feel like the magic system wasn’t that explained but nevertheless I liked it. BUT everything felt way too easy at the end and like the author rushed it.
BUT
I loved watching her cheat and trick her way into getting revenge
I LOVE ME SOME FEMALE RAGEEEES
If only she had killed him in the end…but then I also like him so Idk man 🥲
✍️ Quotes ✍️
⤷ ”If I focused on being afraid, I would never leave this place, and all my plans and plotting would come to nothing.”
⤷ “If I was going down, I would take the bitch with me.”
⤷ “Names had meaning. Names were power. I knew that if my name had been different, if my family had been different, I might not be in this prison at all. But here, we were all the same.
We were all nothing.
And my name had no meaning behind these stone walls.”
⤷ “If I were free, I would make them all lay the price for what they had done.”
⤷ “It wasn’t magic I craved, but the weight of steel in my grip.”
⤷ “Let them think I gave up. They would soon enough know how wrong they were.”
⤷ “Do you have a plan?”
“No, but I have a sword.”
⤷ “Never show them your fear. The weak feed from fear.”
⤷ “Not while Mazin lives. He’s the catalyst for everything. And I’m going to do whatever it takes to make sure he feels my rage.”
⤷ “Arming myself with beauty, to distract from the true weapon that I was. And while they were busy admiring me, I’d slice their fingers off with my blade.”
⤷ “Winning a battle isn’t about skill, Dani. It’s about heart.”
⤷ “Kindness was seductive. As Sanaya I could pretend I was kind, that I did things out of the goodness of my heart, and not because I wanted to destroy her brother.
But revenge was much more satisfying.”
⤷ “You’re just a girl,” he said, his eyes as old as mine. “You don’t have it in you to kill.”
I looked at his bloodied knife in the dirt, then to the house he’d set aflame.
“Being a girl never stopped me from stabbing someone who deserved it. You picked the wrong village to raid today.”
⤷ “Why should it be a surprise? You taught your sister to fight. I’m assuming you’ve seen other…girls fight? We are not so different from you. Putting on a pretty outfit doesn’t mean we can’t slit your throat.”
⤷ “And how would you read me?”
“I would read you like a novel. From cover to cover, learning everything about you.”
“Leisurely, only taking me out when you felt like it?”
“Is that how you read your novels, Mazin? How uninspiring. No, I mean in a fierce frenzy, by candlelight, devouring you until I finished every page and committed it to memory, and then I’d flip right back to the front and start again from the beginning.”
⤷ “I am a tool of vengeance now,” I uttered. “I exist only to destroy those who came for me and my family.”
⤷ “Let me prove it to you now. Tell me what you want, Dani.”
“What I want?” I lifted my sword in front of my face, the rain beating against the blade. “I want my fucking cat back.”
⤷ “Was this who I would have become?
Was this the future that awaited me?
A woman wretched and shriveled with her need for vengeance?
No. Not anymore. You had to choose to become this, to forsake all joy in favor of destruction.
That would not be me.”
⤷ “You may have given him forgiveness, but that doesn’t mean you owe him kindness.”
⤷ “Dani, you know I’ll follow you anywhere.”
✨Overall✨
⤷overall a fast, enjoying read with enough vengeance to leave you happy and almost satisfied. It was such a nice palette cleanser and I honestly rlly liked it (even though all of the crap I just talked about it lol)
~Sometimes it is those we trust the most who will betray us~
”I’ll tell you why.” My voice was soft, the hiss of a blade cutting through the night air. “Because you had a choice. You chose to betray me, to sell a girl for money, to frame her for gain. And so, I chose this.” I lifted the glistening dagger in the torchlight of the garden, where the guards I had hired lay dead. Anger burst inside of me. But there was something else there too, savage, elemental.
The power of knowing this was righteous anger.
A history of women and girls being wronged by men who never had any consequences.
Now I would be the consequences.
“I choose vengeance. I choose death. And in the end, that’s what you choose too.”
Okay, this book was great.
The revenge was amazing and I felt like I was getting revenge myself in this. The characters were so amazing and badass, it was incredible. But, some things dragged or went too fast. But really, I kinda loved it.
BUT CAN THERE PLEASE BE ONE BOOK WHERE THE FMC’S PROBLEMS AREN’T SOLVED BY A MAN??
—SPOILERS—
🫂 Characters 🫂
⤷they were actually really good!! I enjoyed all of their personalities and what fueled them in what they did.
⚔️ Dania ⚔️
⤷OMG I LOVED HER
”I wasn’t going to rein myself in any longer.
I closed my fists tight, thinking of Casildo, the man who had double-crossed my father. They had been friends since childhood, and the man had been like an uncle to me. That he could so easily turn my father in made my skin cold. But in that coldness I found power, as if I could lock out all emotion and it would distill my goals to the only ones that mattered. Maybe that was the answer to everything. Maybe if I turned my body to ice I could become the weapon I needed to avenge my father.
To avenge myself.”
She was such a cool character!! I really loved how she was so sarcastic and always spoke her mind. Honestly if that happened to me idk if I would be able to keep control like her and not stab everyone right there. Her thoughts did get a little repetitive sometimes but I loved feeling the satisfaction from each piece of revenge she got.
Even if I wish she killed Mazin…shhhhh
🌿Noor🌿
⤷honestly not that huge of an impact on me
”I want freedom,” she said finally. “I want it so badly I can taste it. But I also want retribution. Emperor Vahid stole my entire life from me. And I want it back.”
Okay she was fine but sometimes I didn’t understand her. She has been through so much and suddenly she wants Dani to forgive Maz? Girl, seriously? You were tortured for 3 fricking years and you want to hand out mercy? Your father was murdered and you just want to…what? Forgive and forget? Hell no.
Anyway, I did like her, she was funny.
👑 Mazin 👑
⤷aww, he’s so sweet!!—is what I would have said if I only read the “before” chapters
”It was if some of his boyish youth had deserted him, and in its place he was cold, calculating. A killer.
I understood that, because I was too.
We were what he made us.”
Can someone please tell me why tf Dani forgave him that easily?? GIRL, PLEASE
I’ll get into that later. He was actually so sweet and I loved him in the before chapters but other than that I wanted him to die.
That’s it. He could have done so much more than send her to prison.
💕Romance💕
⤷so cutesie
”Did you think I wouldn’t know you? I’d know you with any face. Any skin. Any hair. A thousand djinn could disguise you from me and I’d still be able to find you just by the sound of your breath.”
I. WANTED. MORE. GROVELING.
Seriously I got ONE. CHAPTER.
I was not satisfied. Dude you could have stopped it and you didn’t? His “apology” wasn’t close to enough. I don’t forgive you, you should be dead.
ANYWAY
The before scenes were rlly cute and I enjoyed them a lot. They were perfect for each other until that RAT screwed it all up.
BUT
He might have grown on me in the end…
🏞️ Plot 🏞️
⤷this was so cool and I enjoyed it a lot. The prison break was great and I loved the way everything was described. I didn’t expect the plot twist, though making it her grandma seemed like a cheap shot to justify Mazin. All of the buildup to her getting revenge was solved in A. SINGLE. CHAPTER.
Then they hooked up.
OF COURSE
Honestly I feel like the magic system wasn’t that explained but nevertheless I liked it. BUT everything felt way too easy at the end and like the author rushed it.
BUT
I loved watching her cheat and trick her way into getting revenge
I LOVE ME SOME FEMALE RAGEEEES
If only she had killed him in the end…but then I also like him so Idk man 🥲
✍️ Quotes ✍️
⤷ ”If I focused on being afraid, I would never leave this place, and all my plans and plotting would come to nothing.”
⤷ “If I was going down, I would take the bitch with me.”
⤷ “Names had meaning. Names were power. I knew that if my name had been different, if my family had been different, I might not be in this prison at all. But here, we were all the same.
We were all nothing.
And my name had no meaning behind these stone walls.”
⤷ “If I were free, I would make them all lay the price for what they had done.”
⤷ “It wasn’t magic I craved, but the weight of steel in my grip.”
⤷ “Let them think I gave up. They would soon enough know how wrong they were.”
⤷ “Do you have a plan?”
“No, but I have a sword.”
⤷ “Never show them your fear. The weak feed from fear.”
⤷ “Not while Mazin lives. He’s the catalyst for everything. And I’m going to do whatever it takes to make sure he feels my rage.”
⤷ “Arming myself with beauty, to distract from the true weapon that I was. And while they were busy admiring me, I’d slice their fingers off with my blade.”
⤷ “Winning a battle isn’t about skill, Dani. It’s about heart.”
⤷ “Kindness was seductive. As Sanaya I could pretend I was kind, that I did things out of the goodness of my heart, and not because I wanted to destroy her brother.
But revenge was much more satisfying.”
⤷ “You’re just a girl,” he said, his eyes as old as mine. “You don’t have it in you to kill.”
I looked at his bloodied knife in the dirt, then to the house he’d set aflame.
“Being a girl never stopped me from stabbing someone who deserved it. You picked the wrong village to raid today.”
⤷ “Why should it be a surprise? You taught your sister to fight. I’m assuming you’ve seen other…girls fight? We are not so different from you. Putting on a pretty outfit doesn’t mean we can’t slit your throat.”
⤷ “And how would you read me?”
“I would read you like a novel. From cover to cover, learning everything about you.”
“Leisurely, only taking me out when you felt like it?”
“Is that how you read your novels, Mazin? How uninspiring. No, I mean in a fierce frenzy, by candlelight, devouring you until I finished every page and committed it to memory, and then I’d flip right back to the front and start again from the beginning.”
⤷ “I am a tool of vengeance now,” I uttered. “I exist only to destroy those who came for me and my family.”
⤷ “Let me prove it to you now. Tell me what you want, Dani.”
“What I want?” I lifted my sword in front of my face, the rain beating against the blade. “I want my fucking cat back.”
⤷ “Was this who I would have become?
Was this the future that awaited me?
A woman wretched and shriveled with her need for vengeance?
No. Not anymore. You had to choose to become this, to forsake all joy in favor of destruction.
That would not be me.”
⤷ “You may have given him forgiveness, but that doesn’t mean you owe him kindness.”
⤷ “Dani, you know I’ll follow you anywhere.”
✨Overall✨
⤷overall a fast, enjoying read with enough vengeance to leave you happy and almost satisfied. It was such a nice palette cleanser and I honestly rlly liked it (even though all of the crap I just talked about it lol)
~Sometimes it is those we trust the most who will betray us~
May 1, 2025
This book completely captivated me—five stars, no question! The story, the characters, the intensity—it all just worked for me in the best way possible.
Dania is a force of nature. Her thirst for revenge is raw and consuming, but at the same time, there’s so much depth to her, especially in the way she grapples with her emotions toward Mazin. The push and pull between them? Absolutely electrifying. I loved how the book didn’t shy away from the darkness of vengeance while still weaving in a complex, emotional romance.
The Pakistani-inspired fantasy setting, the djinn magic, the Count of Monte Cristo parallels—it all felt rich, immersive, and fresh. If I wanted to pick at flaws, I probably could, but honestly? I don’t want to. I just want to revel in how much I loved the experience of reading this. A must-read for anyone who loves revenge stories, morally gray heroines, and a romance filled with longing and fire.
🎶"I Know Places" – Taylor Swift
🎶"Arsonist’s Lullabye" – Hozier
🎶"Run for Your Life" – K.Flay
🎶"Way Down We Go" – KALEO
Dania is a force of nature. Her thirst for revenge is raw and consuming, but at the same time, there’s so much depth to her, especially in the way she grapples with her emotions toward Mazin. The push and pull between them? Absolutely electrifying. I loved how the book didn’t shy away from the darkness of vengeance while still weaving in a complex, emotional romance.
The Pakistani-inspired fantasy setting, the djinn magic, the Count of Monte Cristo parallels—it all felt rich, immersive, and fresh. If I wanted to pick at flaws, I probably could, but honestly? I don’t want to. I just want to revel in how much I loved the experience of reading this. A must-read for anyone who loves revenge stories, morally gray heroines, and a romance filled with longing and fire.
🎶"I Know Places" – Taylor Swift
🎶"Arsonist’s Lullabye" – Hozier
🎶"Run for Your Life" – K.Flay
🎶"Way Down We Go" – KALEO
January 29, 2025
thank you to the publisher for sending me an arc! I'm super excited to dive into this one.
October 18, 2025
I really enjoy books that are retelling and this is a female retelling of the Count of Monte Cristo, I haven’t read the original but I have watched the film.
Dania has been betrayed by her ex lover and imprisoned for a crime she didn’t commit, she is counting down the days until she is free and can exact her revenge. When a fellow prisoner literally tunnels into her cell and offers the chance to access a hoard of powerful djinn magic, the two women plot their escape. Disguised by magic and armed with a new identity, Dania seizes the chance to make those who betrayed her and her family pay but the man she used to love Mazin may just be the one standing in her way to stop her.
I loved this book, really really enjoyed this and could not put it down. The Count of Monte Cristo female retelling with djinn magic, what’s not to love about that? I loved Dania I really was routing for her throughout this book, she was so strong and she was the better sword fighter between her and Mazin. The magic system was interesting and I was worried that Dania would lose herself to the magic and to her revenge, as the road she was on would not have made her happy. I was very satisfied with how this book ended and I would like to read more books in this world, honestly I can’t recommend this book enough.
Dania has been betrayed by her ex lover and imprisoned for a crime she didn’t commit, she is counting down the days until she is free and can exact her revenge. When a fellow prisoner literally tunnels into her cell and offers the chance to access a hoard of powerful djinn magic, the two women plot their escape. Disguised by magic and armed with a new identity, Dania seizes the chance to make those who betrayed her and her family pay but the man she used to love Mazin may just be the one standing in her way to stop her.
I loved this book, really really enjoyed this and could not put it down. The Count of Monte Cristo female retelling with djinn magic, what’s not to love about that? I loved Dania I really was routing for her throughout this book, she was so strong and she was the better sword fighter between her and Mazin. The magic system was interesting and I was worried that Dania would lose herself to the magic and to her revenge, as the road she was on would not have made her happy. I was very satisfied with how this book ended and I would like to read more books in this world, honestly I can’t recommend this book enough.
July 13, 2025
The Count of Monte Cristo is a personal favourite of the classics. I first read it when I was only 14; and again read it at 17, that time in French. I really should revisit it again now that I’m over 40. Going into any retelling always makes me both nervous and excited. You never can be sure what will happen when you read book inspired by old stories. I’m happy to say I quite enjoyed this one.
There are a couple of major changes to the main story; including a magical element added as the setting naturally brings in djinn magic. Emily Vargas also gives us female leads, instead of men. The ending is different in a way, and I (surprisingly) didn’t have much of an issue with that either. For She is Wrath is a solid use of an old story to tell a new one.
Vargas takes us on a journey that includes the expected elements of friendship, greed and revenge, like the original story, but also adds in compassion, forgiveness, and an endearing romance. While we spend 80% of the novel in the midst of a revenge scheme, we also learn a lot about the cost of revenge, and that many people in life wish for it but forget it comes at a cost. I really connected with this. While today I very happy with my life, love my partner, own a home, adore my puppy, and more; a piece of me still occasionally wishes for revenge on a couple people who terribly wronged me as a teenager. It’s silly, and I know that, as without their actions I wouldn’t be where I am today (and I would NEVER give that up) but I am human, as we all are, and thus lust for revenge as I believe many of us secretly do.
Just as Alexander Dumas did so many years before, Vargas takes the revenge desire and makes it relatable. Ultimately showing that humans may evolve, but we don’t change. Our primary drivers of love, greed, revenge, etc. all remain the same today as they did hundreds of years ago. With or without technology, space travel, and the internet we all still retain the primal instinct to survive, and wish to be in control of our lives. No one wants to be under someone else’s control.
I hope For She is Wrath will bring younger readers to the works of Dumas. It’s a great reflection on who we are, who we want to be, and that while circumstance may shape us they do not have to not define us. With just enough romance to be put in the ‘romantasy’ genre, I found this book to be a solid entry alongside the explosion of retellings and fantasy stories currently trending. It’s suitable for age 13 or 14 and up. There is some sex that happens, but no smut or graphic descriptions. Lots of sword fighting but no gratuitous gore. I’d be comfortable putting this into any avid teenage readers hands or recommending it to any adults that enjoy this genre. I am walking away from For She is Wrath content that Dumas’ original story has not been totally bastardized in its use and that the moral dilemmas still resonant today. I look forward to finding a fancy edition of this one to put on my print bookshelf!
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
There are a couple of major changes to the main story; including a magical element added as the setting naturally brings in djinn magic. Emily Vargas also gives us female leads, instead of men. The ending is different in a way, and I (surprisingly) didn’t have much of an issue with that either. For She is Wrath is a solid use of an old story to tell a new one.
Vargas takes us on a journey that includes the expected elements of friendship, greed and revenge, like the original story, but also adds in compassion, forgiveness, and an endearing romance. While we spend 80% of the novel in the midst of a revenge scheme, we also learn a lot about the cost of revenge, and that many people in life wish for it but forget it comes at a cost. I really connected with this. While today I very happy with my life, love my partner, own a home, adore my puppy, and more; a piece of me still occasionally wishes for revenge on a couple people who terribly wronged me as a teenager. It’s silly, and I know that, as without their actions I wouldn’t be where I am today (and I would NEVER give that up) but I am human, as we all are, and thus lust for revenge as I believe many of us secretly do.
Just as Alexander Dumas did so many years before, Vargas takes the revenge desire and makes it relatable. Ultimately showing that humans may evolve, but we don’t change. Our primary drivers of love, greed, revenge, etc. all remain the same today as they did hundreds of years ago. With or without technology, space travel, and the internet we all still retain the primal instinct to survive, and wish to be in control of our lives. No one wants to be under someone else’s control.
I hope For She is Wrath will bring younger readers to the works of Dumas. It’s a great reflection on who we are, who we want to be, and that while circumstance may shape us they do not have to not define us. With just enough romance to be put in the ‘romantasy’ genre, I found this book to be a solid entry alongside the explosion of retellings and fantasy stories currently trending. It’s suitable for age 13 or 14 and up. There is some sex that happens, but no smut or graphic descriptions. Lots of sword fighting but no gratuitous gore. I’d be comfortable putting this into any avid teenage readers hands or recommending it to any adults that enjoy this genre. I am walking away from For She is Wrath content that Dumas’ original story has not been totally bastardized in its use and that the moral dilemmas still resonant today. I look forward to finding a fancy edition of this one to put on my print bookshelf!
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
did-not-finish
January 1, 2025DNF @ 62%
A story about vengeance that keeps putting me to sleep.
A story about vengeance that keeps putting me to sleep.
November 17, 2024
OMG THIS IS EVERYTHING I WANTED IN A YA ROMANTASY!!!😍🤩🔥 the romance, the rage, the fierceness, the banter, the friendship: amazing 🤌🏼🤌🏼
Dani is such a fierce strong fmc and I fell in love with her the moment she was introduced! the romance had me giggling and blushing because it was just perfect! I had forgotten how much I love YA romance because with no spice the tension and longing and descriptions of love are simply the best✨
the plot twists? oh. my. gosh 🤯🤯 craaaAAAaazyy!!
a perfect romantasy standalone! cannot wait to read more of Emily Varga’s work in the future!!
Dani is such a fierce strong fmc and I fell in love with her the moment she was introduced! the romance had me giggling and blushing because it was just perfect! I had forgotten how much I love YA romance because with no spice the tension and longing and descriptions of love are simply the best✨
the plot twists? oh. my. gosh 🤯🤯 craaaAAAaazyy!!
a perfect romantasy standalone! cannot wait to read more of Emily Varga’s work in the future!!
August 24, 2024
Absolutely spectacular!! This was so brilliantly written. The author truly has an amazing way with words, and her world building skills are truly unbeatable! I felt like I was fully immersed in the story. Every painful moment, anger filled moment, and saddening moments hit me deeply. The twists were brilliantly placed with no warning ahead of them. It truly kept me on the edge of my seat. I lost sleep solely as I couldn't put this book down, I just had to read it in one sitting. I loved Dani's determination and character development throughout the story. Noor is the true friend we all need in our lives. Mazin was remarkably intriguing when things finally came to light. There are soo many deep meanings about true friendship and how far people go for vengeance... but at what cost? Loved every moment of this, I highly recommend!! Go pre-order this immediately, as I plan to as well to have a copy on my shelves! Plan to see if the author has more books, so I can devour them as well!
I received this ARC from Wednesday Books to read/review. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.
I received this ARC from Wednesday Books to read/review. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.
January 4, 2025
reallyy shallow and got boring halfway through
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