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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
funny
tense
medium-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
CYRUS HAD ME BLUSHING I HAD TO WALK AROUND MY ROOM.
Actual Rating - ♾️💫
Tahereh, I don’t know what you have put in this book, but I can tell this is the best work I have read from you so far. You weave your storytelling and prose writing to create a masterpiece filled with political discussion, inner flaws characters previously hide to later now face, and raw yearning that feels rare and precious. It is so written well that I am itching to buy a new pair of highlighters and a pen just to annotate this book as a reread; this is coming from someone who never annotates her physical books.
This review may be one of my longer ones not only to analyze the insane depths this book took over, but also to discuss the misunderstandings about its purpose that people failed to realize. When I tell you that I have heard a 50/50 review of this book, despite it helping me lower my expectations, it shockingly frustrates me that people did not understand why Tahereh went in this direction. Unfortunately, this review will be semi-spoiler so read at your own risk.
My hope to the people who may have heard those mixed reviews and are unsure of picking this book up, or who have disliked it, is to showcase a different perspective of this book. By reading this review, it is up to you to decide whether to continue this series or drop it. I normally do not say this because reading is subjective, everyone has different tastes, and negative reviews bring an open discussion and a new perspective for those who like the book. However, there is a difference between critiquing based on what is shown in the story versus assuming the pacing and writing structure of the story will dramatically change after the first book, and being let down by an assumption you have created. This doesn’t allow an open discussion of different perspectives as one is talking about what is shown in the story and the other talks about an assumption they hope to find in the book. Therefore, if I read any negative critiques because of false assumptions on what you want and not critiquing the direction the author took with this plot, then you are not the right target audience for this series and your opinion is invalid. End of discussion. Of course, the people who love it are welcome to read this review and we can fangirl about this book 🩷
♡ The Plot ≠ Length Of Time The Events Occurred
The biggest critique I hear is that nothing is happening in this book and that it is slower than the first book. So let’s talk about the two books for a second. If we take the length of events that occurred in the first book versus the second book, logically speaking, there is a clear difference. The first book shows a week of events occurring and the second book shows 48 hours of events. Of course, reading this one would say, “Yeah, this book feels like it fell into the second book syndrome and nothing happened in this book.”
However, let’s ask ourselves the following: for the first book, did we see tons of adventure-filled with action packed scenes? Did we see characters scheme or characters backstabbing each other? No, we did not. What we did see was a book that focused on the inner monologue of a character’s reflection on the events that took place during the character's stay. The inner monologue is reduced in the first book to account for its world-building, but it was the main focal point of this book. Hence, we get scenes that show extensive dialogue between two characters back and forth, characters reflecting on their actions and how they can impact multiple factors in one event, and how characters reflect on the unfair system that is held between Jinns and Clay.
The second book illustrates this further by characters analyzing what move the other character will do next, making theories using the 5 W’s (what, when, where, why, and how) such events took place in the last book, and reflecting on their feelings about everything that is going on. Just like the other book, you follow both Kamran's and Alizeh's pov and you see how much the thought process and psychology of events impact their mental state (which we will go further in the later sections).
The psychology and the events taking place behind the scenes are what drove this book to have its political moments, like the first book. Yes, politics is meant to be slow and shown through a lot of discussion between two characters. It is not always going to be flashy scheming schemes where the characters are running around and finding out who the traitor is that ruined their plans. That is usually 5% of what true politics looks like. Rather, the politics shown in this book is adding all the ingredients inside a cauldron to see the buildup of an upcoming magic spell. This book has everything I wanted for politics in a fantasy book, so I am not disappointed.
To say that nothing is happening in this book is undermining the psychological and mental toll that Kamran and Alizeh had to deal with in this book. When you can’t stop overanalyzing every action that could lead to your doom, you will feel like a lot of things are happening to you. One of the scenes in Kamran’s chapters, he mentions clearly how many discoveries he learned are happening in a single day. If a character already reflects this said truth in the book, then you know that Tahereh knows the length of time everything is taking place in this book. She is not ignoring this fact, but rather emphasizing it to SHOW that a lot of things ARE happening through the character's lens despite the short time. It feels slow because we are not imagining ourselves being put in the character's shoes and instead looking at it from the third-person lens. But if we try to picture ourselves in the character's footsteps, we will feel the tension and the pressure the characters are experiencing, and that will make us feel so much has happened in a relatively short time.
♡ Kamran’s and Alizeh’s Inner Struggle Is An Important Character Development Arc In This Book
Rather than seeing a fast-paced story, I’m grateful that Tahereh took the route of focusing on the character’s inner struggles in the whole book. In Kamran’s perspective, you see how taking the new responsibility of a King has affected him. He not only learned that many people are trying to murder him, but he also realized how naive and sheltered he is from reality. He also faced backstabbing from people he trusted and felt loneliness throughout this experience. This is such an important character development for him because previously we see that Kamran had pride in his beliefs and actions. He didn’t agree with what his grandfather, King Zaal, warned him about. As soon as his grandfather passed away and the curtains opened up in front of his eyes, Kamran realized with horror that his grandfather's words were true and how he had to deal with the consequences of the aftermath. What is beautiful about the end of this book is how there are people who want to help him. It shows a 360-degree circle of how the people Kamran trusts are the people he least likely thought would be on his side, after everything he has discovered.
As for Alizeh, we see the struggles she is undergoing with the choice of her taking the throne, but marrying Cyrus would mean siding with Iblees. She also faced her struggles with her trauma relating to her experience being a servant. Of course, you won’t see her right away standing up on her feet and saying, “You know I am going to become the Queen for the Jinns now that Cyrus offered me freedom!” Instead, she feels weak to even imagine herself queen when she can’t handle her own problems. And she fears that she would not be able to successfully lead with this responsibility and be a disappointment to her people. Throughout the book, you read her thoughts about the idea of her ruling as the Jinn Queen. Slowly, at the end of the book, she comes to that decision to accept her fate when she realizes the value it would bring to her people. At the same time, I do see growth in Alizeh, even in the earlier chapters, when the chains are removed for her to be honest and direct toward others. I swear, Alizeh needs to be my lawyer because of the number of times she spat facts and shook other characters to the core.
To say that both Kamran and Alizeh are back to one-dimensional in this book and not showing growth is undermining the progression shown in this book because Tahereh is explaining the struggles they are dealing with, reflecting on those struggles, and deciding to take action after reflecting on what matters the most. They won’t magically just do the action when there was a lot of uncertainty that fell between the two characters at the end of the first book.
♡ Islamic Representation Is Once Again Shown In This Book
Just as in the first book, Tahereh Mafi nailed the Islamic representation in this book. This time, it emphasizes a lot about Iblees' role and how he hurts others through playing with the characters' minds. In Islam, Muslims are told not to trust the devil as he will lead us astray to the wrong path and will not relieve our pain in the long term. I so love this when Tahereh explored the role of Iblees because I feel it also helps those who want to learn more about the religion. I read a couple of fantasy books written by Muslim authors, but hands down, this series has the closest Islamic representation ever!
♡ Cyrus, Cyrus, C Y R U S
Okay, I save this section best to last, folks. Drum roll please!!!🥁🥁🥁
Meet Cyrus, the most handsome gentleman and confident pookie I ever met in the land of fictional fantasy men. This man's aura is unbeatable. He just stares into your soul and you will turn into a puddle. I don’t know how Alizeh didn’t fold this man because I would have folded him in literally the second he breathes. I wouldn’t care if he has a hidden goal that makes him not trustworthy. I would be like “Yes, I will marry you, Cyrus” 😭
Not to mention this man acts such a princess yet he gives her THE PRINCESS TREATMENT! What do you mean he throws her off the cliff as a fun challenge only to give her the damn garden as a safe haven and a form of gift for her?! What do you mean he would push her off of him when he caught her only to wrap his damn cloak to protect her from the cold?!?!! These are just a few out of many that this man has done in this book. To hear that we will see more of him in the following books, I don’t think my heart can handle. Alexa play the chorus of “Slut” by Taylor Swift please 🎶
Do not, I REPEAT, do not read his scenes during your ovulation stage, ladies. We will say goodbye to birth control and say hello to being pregnant 100 times for this man 🤰🏽
♡ Cyrus and Alizeh's Romance Is The Definition of True Yearning
But of course, how can I not talk about the yearning in this book when it is heavily known that this series is the queen of yearning? Normally, when books have yearning, it is either the romance feels lust at first before the love comes next. Or it uses tropes with high stakes like “Who touched you” that make sense in a fantasy world, yet put those same lines in real life and it could start to sound odd.
However, Cyrus and Alizeh's relationship feels so realistic to the point I thought I accidentally picked up a romance book. Their romance isn’t flashy nor does it have a lot of drama that brings these two together. Instead, their relationship is all about teamwork, trust, and compassion towards one another. They would challenge each other's beliefs in a discussion through banter. At the same time, they would know what would make them feel better. The times Cyrus would show these hidden gestures to her despite his lack of trust toward her and the way Alizeh would be open to these gestures even when she struggles to understand them shows they are both yearning for a connection. Even in a scene where they both stayed silent but just sat in a field of flowers and chuckled at one's comment resembles a healthy relationship. Both characters have different ways of expressing their communication, yet they understand one another. It honestly feels like they were getting to know each other as friends and it doesn’t feel performative at all. It is also the point that due to this trope being the fake marriage of convenience, Cyrus and Alizeh relationship resembles where you see a husband and wife walking down the street and holding hands together, gentle but steady.
Let me take a step further in this where I talk about when Cyrus slowly breaks off his shell. Unlike all the love interests I have read in many books, not only does Cyrus not fit in any obvious tropes you see nowadays in the fantasy romance genre, he is a soft yet emotional, mature man.
This is an important point I am bringing this up. Tahereh Mafi is a genius for creating 2 love interests for Alizeh that resemble two different types of men and their own love stories. Let’s start with Kamran and his character as a man. Throughout the two books, it is shown that Kamran has pride in holding back his tears. In his life, he is told to keep moving forward and never stop and let the grief hit through him. He is forced to accept the next steps in his life. In today’s culture, a lot of men are told to hold their grief. They are not allowed to show as it is considered a nuisance and weakness. If they see a woman crying, it leads them to feeling awkward. We do see these moments where Kamran does have a soft spot for Alizeh when she cries, yet had an awkward moment at first.
Now let’s compare this with Cyrus. Cyrus has the flaws you can see in a man. He can be angry and stubborn, yet he was able to let go of his pride and apologize for being harsh through the regret of his earlier comments. He stopped judging her tears the moment he understood and realized why she cried for him. He even allows her to cry to heal her. He protects her honor when he knew that the whole crowd would go against her and spread rumors about her. He told her he would marry her in a heartbeat and give her his kingdom aka a safe home in a form of a marriage gift. He was even given a dream about her for months and feared she was not real because of the devil’s work, only to later learn that the peace he felt in his dreams is the same peace that is given in real life. The irony is that his actions show some form of trust that this dream is fate and real, despite his brain telling him not to trust it. Cyrus doesn’t just love her. He sees her in her vulnerable moments and makes her feel seen so she can feel secured and protected. Cyrus shows that real love isn’t this fairytale, dramatic show-stopping experience. Real love can be imperfect, but with the choice to grow and remain present. Gentleness is masculine strength. Not ego and pride.
Now let’s refer back to the length of time comment I mentioned a while back. In the first book, Kamran does feel like love at first sight to fit in the Prince Charming trope, coming to Alizeh’s rescue. As a result, the love feels so instant. Now, with the second book, of course, Alizeh getting to know Cyrus feels very short. However, when you find out he had dreamt of her for months, you, as the reader, reflect on the entirety of how much he has seen and known about Alizeh to then really meet her. The yearning feels longer and raw, and aching. It feels like he has known and loved her longer than Kamran. But it also works because Alizeh is just a compassionate character. She has empathy and cares about the two, so the buildup of the two's love feels more earned rather than pushback.
The best way I can compare the two love interests is the following: Kamran represents a love story that is poetic and fairytale-like you experience in dreams and movies, yet once the honeymoon phase is over, difficulties will show up in their lives that make it difficult for them to work it out together. Cyrus represents the raw love that you earned together with your partner after the challenges and hardships of understanding each other. And that love is long-lasting and makes the couple feel the healthiest.
♡ Final Thoughts
If you come this far in the review, hi, I love you 🫂🫶🏼 Thank you for reading this far ahead. I understand that this review is very in-depth, but the beauty of this book is character driven. Hence there is a lot of analyzing you can dive in to for each character. If this is the first time you’re reading a Tahereh Mafi series, then note that both her popular series are heavily character-driven focus with the setting of the plot being in the background. The only difference is one series feels fast pace due to the dystopian setting and the other feels slow pace due to the buildup of an incoming aftermath from politics. Similarly, if you have read Shatter Me series before and loved it and didn’t like This Woven Kingdom because of the emphasis of Cyrus, then I don’t know the best way to explain this other than Tahereh Mafi usually focus on the second male love interest more than the first (this could easily change in the later series but as of right now this is where it is heading toward based on her romance pattern). So, unless you genuinely like Kamran's character over Cyrus, I don’t understand how you would think that after the first book the first love interest for the heroine is established.
The following reviews of this series would be less in-depth than the negative criticism, unless the series does fall out. This also means I once again do not want to hear negative critiques about this series based on a false assumption again as you are not the target audience of this series. At this rate, this is where it will be heading towards in the later books especially from her writing pattern in her previous series. I will only accept negative criticism if the critiques are coming directly from a plot-specific point, because those critiques are perfectly fine in a books. Sometimes, we have a preferred storyline direction that the author did not take.
Lastly, if there is ONE complaint I would give, it would be that this book needs an additional 200 pages. Cannot believe this book is shorter than the first book 😭 To even find out the third book is even shorter is cruel. I hope the later books get longer because I cannot have crumbs of Cyrus and Alizeh's scenes. I need the SEA of Cyrus and Alizeh's relationship moments.
Other remarks:
♡ Tulan is so beautiful and magical that I honestly wish to live there instead of Ardunia.
♡ Cyrus is my soulmate, everyone. His yearning is unmatched, and I don’t think anyone can top him (I’m sorry, my pookie Aaron Warner 😔. You are still high on my place, but a man that wants to marry you without hesitation is an easy yes for me).
♡ I swear this is the second book where the finale is so hilarious?? 😭 This series gives us all the angst and pain just for Tahereh to be like “Haha, guess what? It’s a prank!!! Smile for me 🤭”
♡ If Cyrus does not end up with Alizeh by the end of this series, I will riot. I’m not even kidding. I legit would pretend that the ending of him not ending up with Alizeh exist. After this book, there is no way Cyrus becomes the second syndrome love interest. You cannot simply pay me a billion dollars just to believe that would be the case.
♡ Hazan, Huda, Omid, and Deen would become the found family for Kamran’s pov mark my words.
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
def more of a fan of the second book than the first. of course there was another cliff hanger so moving on to book #3