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A review by johanna02
This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi
3.0
The world itself is fascinating with the humans ("Clay") as the oppressors of the Jinn despite them being superior in strength and abilities.
Getting to know the city with its persian culture and its people was like traveling to a far away country. As a reader I enjoyed the whole experience: the food, the smells, the sound of busy street vendors and everyday businesses as well as the sight of colorful rugs laid out on the ground to accommodate people going about their daily work while sipping nice smelling tea. All in all, I really liked how Mafi introduces the world, how her descriptions become the reader's reality by engaging all of one's senses.
Witnessing Alizeh's gruesome daily life, getting to know her background, all that she had to endure as well as how little light there is in her future, served well to enunciate the strength of her character, especially her never faltering compassion. She shows the reader beauty where one is caught up on her misery, she challenges the reader to see light, where there seems to be only darkness. She is inspiringly kind in the most considerate, wise manner. In my opinion, her clever, empathic mind is her greatest strength.
Kamran on the other hand is the prince who is bound by duty and morale and often caught between the two. He feels everything acutely but denies himself the right to do so because of his upbringing and obligation toward his grandfather and the nation. I expect, he must continue to learn how to make up his own mind and decisions.
The othere characters are well developed, some important ones get introduced just short of three quarters into the book which makes me hang on the edge of my seat to get to know them better in the sequels.
I am very curious about the devil. What's his agenda with Alizeh? He seems to be the bad guy but I doubt its that simple. I reckon he has some nefarious master plan that suits some otherworldy interest of his but I do not think him to be necessarily evil. Often its the people doing tasks for such beings who are truly dispicable.
The last quarter of the book seemed really fast paced, the ending abrupt, the cliffhanger unbearable. It seemed quite hasty to me, because everything happened so fast, new magic and a mythical creature were introduced without an explanation. Nevertheless, I cannot wait to read the second book as I really want to see what Mafi has in stall for us.
Getting to know the city with its persian culture and its people was like traveling to a far away country. As a reader I enjoyed the whole experience: the food, the smells, the sound of busy street vendors and everyday businesses as well as the sight of colorful rugs laid out on the ground to accommodate people going about their daily work while sipping nice smelling tea. All in all, I really liked how Mafi introduces the world, how her descriptions become the reader's reality by engaging all of one's senses.
Witnessing Alizeh's gruesome daily life, getting to know her background, all that she had to endure as well as how little light there is in her future, served well to enunciate the strength of her character, especially her never faltering compassion. She shows the reader beauty where one is caught up on her misery, she challenges the reader to see light, where there seems to be only darkness. She is inspiringly kind in the most considerate, wise manner. In my opinion, her clever, empathic mind is her greatest strength.
Kamran on the other hand is the prince who is bound by duty and morale and often caught between the two. He feels everything acutely but denies himself the right to do so because of his upbringing and obligation toward his grandfather and the nation. I expect, he must continue to learn how to make up his own mind and decisions.
The othere characters are well developed, some important ones get introduced just short of three quarters into the book which makes me hang on the edge of my seat to get to know them better in the sequels.
I am very curious about the devil. What's his agenda with Alizeh? He seems to be the bad guy but I doubt its that simple. I reckon he has some nefarious master plan that suits some otherworldy interest of his but I do not think him to be necessarily evil. Often its the people doing tasks for such beings who are truly dispicable.
The last quarter of the book seemed really fast paced, the ending abrupt, the cliffhanger unbearable. It seemed quite hasty to me, because everything happened so fast, new magic and a mythical creature were introduced without an explanation. Nevertheless, I cannot wait to read the second book as I really want to see what Mafi has in stall for us.