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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
No
I don’t know who decided to call this a “retelling of the Count of Monte Cristo” but that was a huge blunder imo. It set my expectations for a wildly different story and is a big part of what left me so disappointed. The writing isn’t great (literally every thought/emotion is so over worked with double, triple explanations) and lots of moments that could have been built to naturally build characters/relationships are skipped over (like the “road trip” to the city being completely skimmed over). The whole thing felt very ham-fisted.
Tbh probably would have given it 3 stars without the “Count of Monte Cristo” blunder because the author does a good job painting pictures of the wardrobe and food and knives and culture that is really lovely. But I just was so dang disappointed.
Tbh probably would have given it 3 stars without the “Count of Monte Cristo” blunder because the author does a good job painting pictures of the wardrobe and food and knives and culture that is really lovely. But I just was so dang disappointed.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Summary
Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5
Spicy rating: 0/5
Where do I even begin with this book? Pretty sure it’s my book of the year! This was genuinely incredible. I loved every second of it.
This is a brutal and beautifully written story of feminine rage and the cost of vengeance. A retelling of the classic Count of Monte Cristo with a city on the brink of a war and corrupted under the control of ancient and dangerous Djinn magic.
There are incredibly deep and well fleshed out characters, beautiful immersive world building that has opened my eyes to another culture. Feral female friendship that will fill your heart and make you scream and cry just as much as the lovers to enemies, betrayed by her first love romance.
Dania was a morally grey, bright burning ball of rage and I love and relate to her with my whole heart watching her journey of escape, trauma and the fight for vengeance whilst burning down the world was brilliant to read. Think Arya Stark but even better still!
The gasp I let loose at those final plot twists was so loud I was turning heads on the train and I just wanted to scream at them “You won’t believe what just happened!”
The dual timeline was both insightful and heartbreaking watching Dania and Mazin fall in love whilst ultimately knowing the betrayal and heartbreak is coming and man did it break my heart. I cannot get enough of these two and I can’t share some of my fave quotes because I can’t spoil this for you just read it. Trust me and read it.
Emily Varga has laid down the gauntlet for YA Romantasy and it’s going to be very hard for other stories to even come close!
Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5
Spicy rating: 0/5
Where do I even begin with this book? Pretty sure it’s my book of the year! This was genuinely incredible. I loved every second of it.
This is a brutal and beautifully written story of feminine rage and the cost of vengeance. A retelling of the classic Count of Monte Cristo with a city on the brink of a war and corrupted under the control of ancient and dangerous Djinn magic.
There are incredibly deep and well fleshed out characters, beautiful immersive world building that has opened my eyes to another culture. Feral female friendship that will fill your heart and make you scream and cry just as much as the lovers to enemies, betrayed by her first love romance.
Dania was a morally grey, bright burning ball of rage and I love and relate to her with my whole heart watching her journey of escape, trauma and the fight for vengeance whilst burning down the world was brilliant to read. Think Arya Stark but even better still!
The gasp I let loose at those final plot twists was so loud I was turning heads on the train and I just wanted to scream at them “You won’t believe what just happened!”
The dual timeline was both insightful and heartbreaking watching Dania and Mazin fall in love whilst ultimately knowing the betrayal and heartbreak is coming and man did it break my heart. I cannot get enough of these two and I can’t share some of my fave quotes because I can’t spoil this for you just read it. Trust me and read it.
Emily Varga has laid down the gauntlet for YA Romantasy and it’s going to be very hard for other stories to even come close!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was very just okay. Nothing very moving or insightful, characters seemed pretty one-dimensional, the conclusion was rushed and predictable. I felt like there wasn't much development; the main focus was revenge while also being conflicted with a past romance, yet when she is confronted with said past romance, she loses her resolve almost immediately.
When Dania and Maz finally confront each other, it was basically over. They just have a conversation, and she immediately forgives him. It felt like all the emotions and spirals she was struggling through were all for naught. It felt a bit lazy and rushed. I was expecting more of a push and pull, like a "I mistakenly hurt you because you mistakenly hurt me" ordeal. Up the stakes a little bit! Everything was so easy and wrapped up in a nice little bow.
Overall, it was a little flat. It went through that common route with revenge stories where the MC is passionate and seething at the beginning, then they make a drastic switcharoo at the end and decides to forgive. It's a tired troupe. Let's stay mad pleaseeeeee
Overall, it was a little flat. It went through that common route with revenge stories where the MC is passionate and seething at the beginning, then they make a drastic switcharoo at the end and decides to forgive. It's a tired troupe. Let's stay mad pleaseeeeee
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes