4.5 Stars

Alizeh is a Jinn destined for greatness hiding as a servant after losing everyone she loves. Kamran is a reluctant crowned prince who is still struggling with his place years after the death of his father. When their paths cross, a prophecy is set into motion that will change the fate of the entire kingdom.

It often takes me a while to get into new worlds, but this book had me hooked at Chapter Four. It was completely un-put-downable, and I read the entire thing in one night. The romance is somehow both a slow burn and insta-love, with the characters not having a lot of page time together but making it count when they do. The only thing that slowed down my reading enjoyment were the sections of info-dumping, which often happens at the start of a series, and I'm hoping there's less of in book 2. Also, yes, the ending is as bananas as everyone is saying.

Thank you HarperCollins and NetGalley for sending this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review, I already know this will be one of my favorite books of 2022! This Woven Kingdom comes out February 1, 2022.

I was granted eARC access to This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi through the HarperCollins Canada Influencer program after attending the HCC #FrenzyPresents YA winter catalogue preview event. Thank you for the ARC! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

I absolutely love books steeped in djinn lore and when I heard the preview presentation on this title I new this was going to be one of the books in this catalogue that I simply had to read. I'm so glad I got the chance!

You may have read other reviews on this book before mine. You may have noticed people screaming in excited confusion over "THAT ENDING!!!" I concur with those reviewers. Talk about abrupt twists! I wasn't sure if this was going to be a series at preview time but now I'm sure it will be and I need book two to be published right now. Immediately! Tell me what happens next!

But let's back track, shall we? Alizeh is a Djinn living in human society as the lowest of lowly servants and trying not to draw any notice at all. She just wants to survive, and she definitely won't if the wrong sort of person notices what she is. But it's not just what she is, a djinn, but WHO she is. She's the royal heir of the fallen Djinn kingdom and a threat to the human royal line.

Kamran, crown prince and next in line to the human throne, doesn't understand why his grandfather is calling for this beautiful servant's execution, and he's doing his best to make sure she survives. Unfortunately for both Kamran and Alizeh, however, his attention is constantly being pulled away by his grandfather's plans to marry him off as fast as possible now that he has returned home, much to Kamran's frustration.

This is YA-level Game of Thrones, but Persian, and I love it! The only reason this book isn't a solid 5 out of 5 stars for me is because it could really use another round of trimming edits. While I loved the story overall and really enjoyed the main characters, I found that some scenes dragged a bit, some side characters didn't seem very important, and some information got repeated from scene to scene. I think this is due to the vast worldbuilding efforts in this first book in a new series and I expect book two will be tighter.

If you're a YA fantasy reader or a fan of Persian/djinn mythology, read this book!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I really like the premise. I love the story. It was a lot of world building but there was enough plot mixed in that you still get pulled into the story instead of getting lost in all the information. There’s a lot of twists and turns that keeps the readers entertained.

The characters have depth to them. Their backstories were very well created. The internal conflict that Karman goes through and the struggles that Alizeh has overcomes were just amazing. Karman struggles with having to be the king but it’s not what he wants. He’s very duty driven but not to the point that he just follows orders the way soldiers do. He has his own conscience and philosophy that he lives by and I like that. Alizeh, struggles between having to choose her survival and staying alive and having to fulfill a prophecy and her duty to the Jinn. She carries a lot of survivor’s guilt and fears that her actions would be shameful to her parents eyes. At the same time, she’s hopeful in trying to find a way to actually become the Queen her people needs to be. She just doesn’t know how.

This was definitely a slow build, I mean it was expected since it’s the first book of the series. This might be hard to read by some people, the way the characters spoke and their monologues were definitely old school? Very Shakespeare like or even Charles Dickens. Very formal? Which I mean since they are royalty, makes sense. I definitely learned a lot of new vocabulary words.

All in all, I really enjoyed reading the book. I can’t wait to read more.

Thank you to the publisher, HarperCollins, HCC Frenzy, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Alizeh is a Jinn, but one with ice in her veins, denoting her as the long lost heir to the Jinn kingdom. She works as a lowly servant in a noblewoman’s home, hiding her true heritage and doing her best to keep out of sight and notice of anyone important, but one day, when she is attacked in the marketplace by a hungry street child, the altercation draws the attention of none other than Kamran, the newly returned crown prince of Ardunia. Kamran has always known of the prophecy that foretold the death of the king, but is shocked when he begins to realize that the insignificant servant girl from the marketplace might be the driving force behind the destruction of his kingdom.

I was both incredibly nervous and very excited to pick up this book. Nervous because the last book I tried by this author, the Shatter Me series, simply did not work for me and I had to give up on it midway through the second book, and excited because from the synopsis of this book, it sounded exactly like my type of fantasy read. The second proved to be true in this case, and I absolutely loved both the world and plot. I’ve always enjoyed stories based on and inspired by Persian mythology, with magic, and Jinn, and their conflicts with humans, and the world of Ardunia certainly had that, though the world building is much more subtle and gradual than I’ve come to expect in fantasy novels. I was very impressed by how easy it was to follow along with both the plot and the setting right from the beginning even though the book takes its time to properly flesh out both. The story as a whole did seem to spend more time on character building than world building, but certainly not to the detriment of the latter. The writing style was good and I thought the numbers in Persian script at the beginning of each chapter was a nice touch. I really hope there will be a map included in the final copy of this book as I’ve always found them to be extremely helpful with visualization in fantasy novels.

Alizeh was an amazing main character and it was so interesting to see the common trope of ‘the lost heir’ portrayed in a different manner where the heir is actually aware of their background and has more or less been expecting that someone would show up to find them sooner or later. Despite the heartbreakingly difficult life she has been forced to lead ever since her parents died, she remains incredibly strong and keeps picking herself back up and going on. There is so much potential for her arc going forward, and she has the makings of a classic fantasy heroine. Kamran was a character who had significant growth as the story explored his struggles and the heavy responsibilities that awaited him and how they have impacted his life, making his arc an intriguing one to follow. I’m curious to know more about Hazan as he didn’t get enough page time to really understand his character and it seems like he will be important going forward too. As for the romance, I’m not too impressed with it so far, and Kamran and Alizeh’s dynamic felt rather forced to me, but the story’s just beginning, so I’m keeping an open mind.

While the writing was beautiful, I felt like the narration was a bit rigid, and it made the story feel much slower moving than it actually was, especially in the initial chapters. Having a dual POV could have been used to much better effect as well, but hopefully, now that the initial setup of the world and plot is complete, things will pick up in the sequel.

Despite the erratic pacing, the ending was well worth it and I thoroughly enjoyed the twists. This Woven Kingdom has laid a strong foundation for a new series and I can’t wait for the sequel, especially after that shocking climax and the revelation of the initial riddle’s meaning – it’s going to be a long year. I would highly recommend this series for any fantasy fans!

When I say Mrs.Mafi has me by the neck…. I truly mean that I am on the brink of death and the only thing that can save my life is reading the rest of this series.

It’s giving forbidden love, betayal, romance and suspense! Nearly every chapter ended on a dramatic cliffhanger and my heart can’t handle this type of stress 😂

Tahereh Mafi is an evolved queen. The shatter me series really has nothing on TWK … Her writing style has developed soo much and the characters are honestly just perfection! I wish I could re-read this book for the first time like a hundred more times.

Also, my brain honestly still can’t even fully process the ending because it was just sooo dramatic!! 😭😭😭😭

If you’re a fan of The City of Brass or An Ember in the Ashes then I highly recommend this book!

In conclusion, @tahereh & @hccfrenzy TAKE 💳💥MY 💳💥MONEY💳💥NOW 💳💥

Also thank you to the author and @hccfrenzy for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ❤️

It starts off slow and kind of dense, but once the action begins, it's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. It reads as a true epic, one that makes you feel the world really has been reshaped as you read it. Would recommend.

When I read Mafi’s Shatter Me series, I felt like it went on waaaaay too long. I became annoyed with several of the characters.

So you can imagine how happy I was to discover that this book is nothing like that series!

Along with Victoria Aveyard’s new Realm Breaker series, this is an exciting beginning of a new fantasy world.

Set in a fantasy version of the Middle East and leaning into Persian mythology, this dips into familiar territory with some Cinderella-like references. Alizeh is strong and kind…and a threat to the kingdom. It’s not that she wants to be a threat, but her race has been subjugated and forced into hiding. Kamran has been taught to fear and hate her people. You can pretty much guess what happens. Yup, they are attracted to each other. There is the usual push and pull of circumstances.

Exposition is handled neatly without trying too hard to fill us in on background. Mafi’s writing style in this book is superior to Shatter Me, and the setting gives her the opportunity for some lovely descriptions.

And that cliffhanger ending!

Possible Objectionable Material:
There’s a little romance. Magic. Violence. Alizeh is treated poorly by some.

Who Might Like This Book:
Those who like fantasy worlds, references to fairy tales, mythologies of non-Western cultures.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. This book also reviewed at https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2022/01/february-1-releases-part-1.html

city of brass x cinderella(ish) vibes!!!

ok I really enjoyed this! Here’s what I loved:

- The writing; it was lush, the imagery was vivid and the plot was adventurous! I never could quite put my finger on what would happen next!

- The characters! They were so interesting & I loved getting to know them! Alizheh (our FMC) is smart, resourceful and a badass fighter when she needs to be! Moody, broody, melancholy Kamran (our MMC) oozed angst and tension and I’m still wondering what’s up with two other characters (who shall remain nameless as I don’t want to add any spoilers)!

- The Persian Lore/Mythology; I loved this! This was what reminded me of City of Brass and it lent such an interesting spin on the plot and magic system! There also seemed to be some elements of Cinderella in this and I loved that incorporation!

My criticisms:

- The magic system. I actually liked it, but I didn’t quite understand it; however, I think this is because the character (that we know of) with magic, Alizheh, didn’t quite understand how her magic worked and I hope as the story continues and Alizheh discovers more about herself, the reader will too.

- The romance/pacing. I’m grouping these together because, at times, both felt a little disjointed. The beginning of the book did start out slow and it picked up towards the second half of the book, as expected with most books. But the development and pacing of the romance itself coincided with this. Alizheh and Kamran had met once and afterwards the reader gets his reaction to her, but not so much her reaction to him. By the time they meet again, we know he’s into her but we don’t know what she makes of him so her strong reaction to him during that second meeting felt like it came out of nowhere. Then by their third meeting, it felt like those feelings just…fizzled? We don’t hear her dialogue of how drawn she is to him like we did during their second meeting and that kind of threw me off - I expected a stronger reaction from her.

These criticisms didn’t take away from the story, I just wish they’d been more fleshed out, but this is a trilogy, so I’m hoping (expecting) we’ll get more in the next book…..

…..especially bc WHAT TF WAS THAT ENDING???!! 😭 and whose team am I on???? I think I might actually like—you know what lemme not say anything except I need book two asap and I’m so glad I took the plunge and ordered that Bookish Box special edition!

Big thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I know everyone is going to love this book because it's by the wonderful Tahereh Mafi, but I really struggled with this one. It was... fine? I felt a huge disconnect between the prose and the dialogue, like it wasn't coming from the same author. The story overall was incredibly slow for me and the prince was just terrible and I did not like him one bit. I do like the Cinderella feel of the story and I do like the main female protagonist, Alizeh, even though I was confused some of the time for what was going on in the story, especially with her. Normally, I would give this two stars, but I am going to say 2.5 and round up because I think it's got promise and I do think some teens will absolutely love it, it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Queen Tahereh Mafi does it again!!!! This book did not disappoint. It has everything needed for a magical story. Very likable characters and such an interesting plot.

3.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an advanced copy of this to review! I love Tahereh Mafi's work, and I was excited to jump into her latest fantasy series. Especially because the cover is absolutely gorgeous! And I really enjoyed the Shatter Me books.

This book starts off strongly, establishing this world and the characters we're going to follow. The overall voice of the book starts out well, pulling you in with the mythology and the characters. From the beginning, you know this is going to be a lush world full of magic and mythology. And maybe even a little bit of romance.

However, I think the story loses something about halfway through the book. I'm not sure if it's the voice or the characters, but something shifts toward the middle of the book, making the ending feel a little too drawn out. Part of it might also be the pacing; it doesn't seem to know exactly where it wants to go.

One thing that might have made this book more effective if it was told in first person. It would have allowed you to get a better grip on the characters, and made the voices more distinct. From Shatter Me, we know that Mafi can write great voice, so I wish that those skills could have carried into this book.

All in all, I wanted a little more from this book, which was an anticipated release for me. But if you like high fantasy, enemies to lovers, you might just like this one!

I LOVED this, it was so different than anything I've read recently, it's Epic YA Fantasy with some Cinderella vibes set in an Arabian Nights sort of world, with a good dose of grit and edge added in, plus some great regency worthy banter. Her world building and characters were exquisite, the magic and mythology of the Jinn in particular. I haven't read her other series so this was my first experience reading her and I definitely want more. **Thanks so much to both NetGalley and Harper Collins for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!**

Like I said above, I LOVED this, and I wasn't all that sure at the beginning - things were so vague and dreamy so it was a little hard to figure out what was actually going on, but once it got going in the present day action I was pulled right in. It's rare that I really love both MC's equally (or this much at all). She's smart and strange and curious, down-trodden but strong, unworldly yet empathetic (it would have been very easy for her to be a Mary-Sue, but thankfully she wasn't). He's powerful (in some ways) but not, more privileged than anything, hot-headed, angry at many things, quick to judge, unloved, terse, and just overall problematic...and yet amidst it all he's passionate and dreamy.

The Down Low:
When the Prince unknowingly draws attention to the Jinn (who's just been trying to blend it and get by in life) fated to bring down his father, he unleashes a series of events which force her to abandon her current life and flee various assassins intent on bringing her down. As they circle each others worlds, they discover something wondrous in one another and begin to develop very "forbidden love" vibes. There's lots of intrigue and mystery, betrayals and reveals (great secondary characters come into strong play here), especially towards the end which is a little cliffhanger-esque. Like whoa - what the hell just happened? I need to the next one now!

So looking forward to how this series develops, there's great character development and plotting here that should set us up for a great story ahead.

Tahereh is my favorite author, but at first i was highly skeptical. ive been left disappointed multiple times before when authors branch off into High Fantasy territory, but This Woven Kingdom went above and beyond. I am a reader who generally focuses more on character development and relationships than the plot, and twk was versatile enough to allow for both. Alizeh, Kamran, and their supporting cast of characters- a certain redhead‼️- were perfect. It was so refreshing to see a capable heroine, especially after juliette, and the entire storyline left me wanting for more. and the end. i simply am unable to wait for the next book

4.5⭐️

Thank you to the author, the publisher, Harper Collins, & Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Forbidden romance. Rival kingdoms. Persian Mythology. A long lost queen. What more can you ask for in a YA fantasy?

Once I finally put all my attention towards this book, I devoured it. I really enjoyed this as the first book of the series.The world building being based off Persian Mythology was very interesting and engaging! It only kills me that it left me wanting so much more.

I adore Alizeh as the main character, and the rest of the characters were all well written and captivating too. Especially Kamran, he was so much more than what I first expected out of his character. Also, with no spoilers a character introduced closer to the end of the book really really intrigues me.

Also side note: This gave me An Ember in the Ashes vibes.

THE ENDING. Are you kidding me?? I NEED MORE.

This Woven Kingdom release date is February 1st! I am already ready to order myself a physical copy of this book and cannot wait to see where this series take us!

Immediately This Woven Kingdom intrigued me. Not only because Mafi is so hyped, but I love the idea of a Persian mythology inspired fantasy and a long lost heir hidden in plain sight. I immediately felt for Alizeh. Judged for things she cannot control, the world won't give her a break. She's living day to day just trying to stay hidden. Trying to live against the pull of the current and her destiny - but how long can she keep it up? When Alizeh and Kamran's paths cross it is clear that her illusion is shattered.

I only came to love Alizeh more and more as the book continues. Living hidden, she's been able to observe the world that no one sees. The corruption, the ways rules have two punishments, and the treatment on the streets. While This Woven Kingdom moves slower than I was expecting, once I made it to around 50% so many dominoes began falling. Mafi sets the stage for tensions, character reveals, and twists of fate which begin to topple her house of cards.

Actual rating 4.5 ⭐️

This Woven Kingdom entirely lives up to its namesake with magic, long lost kingdoms, forbidden love, dark prophecies, and courtly intrigue all masterfully mixed together into the tapestry that is this stunning story.

Alizeh is doing her best to survive and go unnoticed working as the lowest of servants at Baz House when she gets attacked in the street (yet again) by a young boy just looking for a scrap of food. Kamran, the prince of Ardunia, watches the scene unfold and makes it his mission to figure out why she would spare the boy’s life. This scene launches a sequence of events that only bring more misery — and perhaps a dash of forbidden love — to Alizeh’s existence, and for reasons you’ll have to read the book to uncover.

Mafi writes this story in such an immersive way that the real world fell away as I devoured every word of the book. There was never a point in the dual POV between Alizeh and Kamran where I wanted to skip back to the other character’s world, and I truly loved the evolution of their story.

The .5 deduction is 100% a personal preference thing, and it’s mostly because it took me quite a decent chunk of the book to get used to the writing style. There were several times in the beginning where I went “wait, what?!” and had to reread (and often reread again) what a character had just said simply to understand what they were saying. I found sometimes that statements were written in an unnecessarily complex manner just so that they sounded more educated (which I can understand because they are Royal), but this is supposed to be YA, and I just don’t see how younger readers would be able to easily understand what was going on. This is also a novel based off of Persian mythology, and the use of French throughout the book really threw me off sometimes. And it wasn’t always French colloquialisms that we tend to use in English, but French words that were thrown into the narrative seemingly at random, and I just don’t see how the characters would have known to use these?? I think that’s mostly a personal issue, but it just really threw me out of the story every time it happened.

Overall though, I really didn’t want to put the book down to do actual life things because I needed to know what was going to happen. And that ending REALLY left me desperate for the next book! I don’t know how long I’m going to have to wait, but it will definitely not be patiently.

Highly recommend this one, and thanks so so much to HarperCollins Canada for the advance reader copy!

I've read Tahereh Mafi before and enjoyed her books in the past, but this is a new frontier of her writing career. The story was rich and well written with clear fairytale influences. It feels so different from the books she's written in the past and it's clear Mafi wanted to push her writing in a new direction with this book. One of the main characters is handsome and morally grey and the protagonist is such a badass and insanely intelligent. I believe this is a legitimately well written book and I recommend those who didn't like the Shatter Me series to give this a try.

It was OK?
There isn't really a plot. At least not til the very end. It's just that nothing really happens til the last chapter.
There is no quest, no adventure, no mission, no freaking anything.

Just some yearning and cleaning of a house and talks of a ball that we don't get to see til the last few pages of the book.

The representation in this book is the most important part. And while I can't speak on it anymore than that, I am happy that this story was given a chance for that alone.

I rated it purely for the world which seemed very interesting. The writing in certain parts was very good.
Other than that I don't, I mean, nothing happens.

This Woven Kingdom is wow. Just. Wow. Beautifully written verse, engaging characters and dialogue, political intrigue and the mesmerizing unfurling of events are sure to delight readers! A cross between Cinderella, Pride and Prejudice (the dialogue!!), and Persian mythology, with a healthy dose of Mafi's literary flare (the food, the costumes!!), This Woven Kingdom breathes life into old favorites in new, unexpected ways. It goes without saying that I am now craving the next novel in a sure-to-be bestselling series.

The rundown: Alizeh never imagined her noble upbringing would lead to her hiding from the world, scrubbing floors hoping anonymity as servant would secure her survival. When she unknowingly crosses paths with a prince who sees her for more than what she is ... a spy, perhaps... her life is further thrown into chaos. Kamran is Crown Prince, facing an impending war, impending betrothal and the impending death of the King, and when a servant girl captures his attention, he is compelled to chase her for...the good of the kingdom, perhaps. Intrigue, opposing POVs, crisp dialogue and a minor dose of the (Jinn) devil, spirit the story away leaving readers wanting more.

Alright. Do I think anything happened in this book? No. Did I enjoy it? Yes. When I first started reading, I came back to look at the synopsis and I was like, okay, cool this gives me nothing about the plot. And that's because it felt like there was no plot. Or, if there was, it went right over my head.
However, I do think it is a good first book in a series. It very much felt like the entire book was a set up for the rest of the series, a complete "act one" or a complete book of rising action. By the time the book got interesting, it was the last thirty pages. I do genuinely believe that this would be better if I could read this as a completed series.

Thank you to Netgalley and HCCFrenzy for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.