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.

The Count of Monte Cristo is one of my favorite novels of all time. It is beautiful and brilliant in its exploration of isolation, grief, hatred, and revenge. For She is Wrath is billed as a retelling of that novel, but it is not beyond involving a prison escape and revenge. If you enjoyed The Count of Monte Cristo, you will not enjoy this one. It involves torture instead of isolation and quick gratification over carefully well planned vengeance. The magic of the djinns only serves to cheapen the innate strength of the FMC.
Maybe this is unfair if me. Varga does not write like Dumas. Her prose is very YA, and I suspect the reason her FMC only spends a year suffering in jail is so she isn't old when this story takes place.
Pros: Representation (a full star added just for that), concept, there's a clever line about reading a person laced with some serious innuendo
Cons: illogical plot, illogical relationships, uncomfortable contraception conversations with strangers, family members who stab you in the back when you didn't deserve it, people who say they love you but then also leave you in prison bc they think you'll be SAFE there (?!), not even the one bed trope could save this one.
I read both the ebook and audiobook. The narrator, Safiyya Ingar, did a very good job, even when I sped it up to 2.5x to get through the end.
Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for this advanced copy for review.

This Pakistani romantic fantasy retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo contains so much: grief, vengeance, friendship, female rage, found family, djinn magic, lovers-to-enemies. It's fast-paced wonderful storytelling that hooks the reader from the very beginning.

Dania has been framed and imprisoned for a murder she didn't commit, and spends her days fueled by anger and thoughts of revenge, particularly against Mazin who had claimed to love her and then betrayed her. Soon after one escape attempt fails, a fellow prisoner appears who may hold the secret to fulfilling both of their dreams of making their enemies pay. Together they team up for a daring escape, and set off on a quest for treasure and furious justice against those who destroyed their worlds.

Dania creates a new identity and appearance for herself while enacting her plan, but is not prepared for her physical and emotional reactions at being near Mazin again. Revenge suddenly becomes very complicated, and Dania begins to risk her newfound friendship and her very humanity in her rage-fueled mission to destroy her enemies.

This story had some twists that I really loved, and I felt like there might have been more to the story for at least one of the characters?. The fight scenes were done very well, and I loved the lush food and scent descriptions. You really don't need to have read The Count of Monte Cristo to enjoy this.

Thank you so much to Wednesday Books/St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for this book!

I’m a huge fan of The Count of Monte Cristo so I was very excited about this new take on such a cool story. I was completely blown away by this book. The world building is unique, but incredibly easy to understand and get swept up in. The pacing was pretty near perfect with plenty of action and the story was always moving forward. I absolutely loved Dania so much. She was such an incredibly written character and I loved her journey throughout the story. Noor was also such a great character and I loved their friendship so much. I also enjoyed the addition of magic to the story. Even if you’re not familiar with the original story, I think For She Is Wrath will be enjoyable for anyone who likes fierce female characters, friendship, revenge and complex character growth. I had such a great time reading this book and I can’t wait to read Varga’s next book!
CW: violence, murder

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

🗡️ Book Review 🗡️

For She Is Wrath by Emily Varga
🗡️
I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that was so specifically written for me. It’s a Pakistani gender swapped retelling of “The Count of Monte Cristo,” and it was flawlessly executed. Dania is an excellent main character. She is strong, fearless, stubborn, and absolutely filled with rage. But she also still cares and risks a lot to protect the people she loves. The second chance romance was filled with anger, angst, regret, and pining. I loved every second of it. This book is absolutely packed with action, fighting scenes, a complex revenge plot, betrayals, magic and the supernatural, female friendship, and a scorching romance. The audio was so well done and brought Dania and her story vibrantly to life. This was one of my favorite reads this month, and I cannot recommend it enough. Go read it right now!
🗡️
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice level: 🌶️
🗡️
Read if you like:
▫️revenge is the plot
▫️lovers to enemies to lovers
▫️djinn and magic
▫️found family
▫️dual timeline
🗡️
Thank you to Wednesday Books, St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, NetGalley, and Emily Varga for the ARC. I received an advanced copy for free, and am leaving this review voluntarily.

DNF at 32%.

I really thought I would love this book but the pacing was off and I struggled to connect with the main characters. After over 100 pages, I didn’t feel connected with the story at all. I think some people might love this story, but this wasn’t for me.

For She Is Wrath is a high paced tale of a girl whose only goal is seeking vengeance for her wronged family. The story is very fun, playful and steeped in rich cultural traditions that I loved to get a closer look into during my read.
I read this fairly quickly due to the fast paced story, but also the story reads very YA. I would recommend this story more towards middle school and early high school aged kids looking for a fun adventure in a far away land.

I DNFed this at 22%.

The pacing was dragging, but worse was that I had no connection to the main character. It was like she was telling me how she was feeling but not showing me. I wasn't feeling it.

The main character also regularly contradicted and repeated herself.

This book is not for me, even though the premise sounded amazing.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Wednesday Books for the ARC.

I enjoyed this! I did not realize until after finishing that it is a retelling of Monte Cristo, but I’m not very familiar with that story anyways. I think the foreshadowing of the risk of the power and desire for revenge taking her over was a little heavy handed at times. But ultimately really enjoyed where the plot went.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC!

First off, can we take a second to enjoy the beautiful cover for this story? It's absolutely stunning and definitely increased my initial interest in the book.

Unfortunately, I really struggled with this story and DNF'd. It was rather repetitive with bland, forgettable writing. YA fantasy can be hit or miss - sometimes I find it to have complex, magical, well-planned worlds with engaging, more entertaining plots than adult fantasy, but sometimes I find it an excuse for what should be a NA book with poor writing and a lack of editing, complexity, and/or development. Take a guess which I'd consider to label this book under...

While I understood our main character's rage over a false accusation and betrayal, I felt the complexity of emotion could have been better explored instead of taking a more one-dimensional approach. I couldn't connect with her, and therefore I lost interest in the story. We were promised a high-stakes revenge plot, and I wasn't seeing that.

I just couldn't get into this Monte Cristo retelling, and it fell short on its premise. You might like this if you're looking for an upper YA/NA romantasy with little depth, but I'd skip it if you're in the mood for more complex relationship and plot development.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for an earc in exchange of an honest review.

For She Is Wrath is a Pakistani romantasy retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo. Our heroine, Dania, a determined, fierce, swordswoman, was framed for a crime she didn't commit by someone she thought loved her. Trapped in prison, she plots her escape and her revenge. She is aided by Noor, a fellow prison-mate who has the rare and coveted knowledge of how to blend Zoorat, a plant that gives the user djinn-like powers. Together, they plan to exact revenge on those who have wronged them, but in doing so, they risk losing themselves to darkness.

This was a page-turning, original retelling that kept me reading from the first lines. I loved the strong, sister-like bond that formed between our heroine, Dania, and Noor, and the spotlight on familial relationships. I loved the blend of fantasy and Pakistani culture. It was truly a great ride that left me wondering until the last reveal.

Made for fans who enjoy:
-female swordswomen
- female vengeance
- found family/sisterly bonds
- lovers to enemies
- magic
- hidden identities

Unexpectedly one of my top reads of the year!

I really wasn't sure what to expect from this book. It's safe to say though that this book took my breathe away. It took me a while to really get into it, but once I hit that 25% mark, I couldn't put it down.

I loved the entire concept of this story. The FMC was such a strong and fierce character, and I enjoyed following her journey from start to finish. Her character was dynamic, and I felt like the reader could feel her emotions right off the page. This book was also very easy to follow without being too predictable. It was a super easy read, but I still found myself surprised by all the twists and turns. But once again my MVP character has to be the MMC. Despite his miscommunication issues, he was just such a catch! I was obsessed with his character. The flashbacks were fun, and they helped give backstory without making the story feel all over the place. The side character was also a very well-developed character!

Overall, this book was something I never expected. It was fast-paced and full of emotions as well as twists and turns. This book had me feeling all the emotions right along with the main character. Would definitely recommend!

Big thank you to the author, the publisher, and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinions. All thoughts and feelings are my own.

Rating: 4.7/5

I'm usually not big on the fantasy genre, but when I got the chance to read this advanced reader copy thanks to NetGalley, I thought, why not? And guess what? It turned out to be the perfect fit for someone like me who doesn't dive into fantasy all that much. It featured a fabulous strong female lead, an equally formidable female sidekick, a love interest who flips the script and becomes the antagonist, a villainous emperor, and a village and family under his tyrannical rule, all wrapped up in some seriously impressive magic. The plot was a roller coaster of twists and turns, making it a truly captivating read. Definitely worth picking up.

FOR SHE IS WRATH is absolutely a Monte Cristo retelling - but it is also so much more than that! Especially in the beginning, the author brings in much of what made the Count of Monte Cristo so compelling: the fight for escape, the unquenchable thirst for revenge, the friends made and lessons learned along the way. But what I appreciate about Varga's retelling is when she chooses to go farther, such as when she leaned into the back-and-forth of female friendship. (I loved Noor!!) Or when she included in her worldbuilding an indelible fantastic element through the use of a unique magic. The romance itself is swoon-worthy, with several striking lines and scenes. Overall, I greatly enjoyed the book and hope for a sequel -- perhaps Noor's??

I've never read the Count of Mont Christo so I cannot speak to its being a retelling of that story but this story was more like a 2.5 for me and here's why:

1. This story is marketed as YA, and it definitely reads like the way teenagers would solve their problems or think about the world, so in that regard it's more of a me thing that makes this lower rated. BUT, this FMC is soo one track minded. She was imprisoned therefore EVERYONE MUST DIE! And we get thoughts like “I'll cry only after I get my revenge”. It's just not nuanced enough for an adult audience. So a me thing as a more mature reader but also may annoy some more mature YA readers as well.

2. Again, this is YA, so tell me why this book has two spices scenes and one of them is definitely NOT fade to black situation??? Why are we now putting spice scenes into YA stories? It feels like YA is now just a word for adult books with poorly written character depth and world building

3. I did however really enjoy the side characters of Noor and Mazin, as well as the magic of the djinn. There is a great friendship at the core of this book and that may be an influence of the inspiration

4. The plot conveniences…I rolled my eyes several times in and even wrote in my review copy “how convenient...” at least two separate times.

I suggest this book for NEW ADULT readers and/or someone who enjoys a stand-alone story that has an interesting magic system and a bantery romance, with some Pakistan influenced setting.

For She is Wrath is a fantasy retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo with a romantic subplot.

The blurb sounded really good on this one. It simply didn’t deliver many memorable scenes. I kept waiting for more to happen. I did like a twist towards the end I didn’t see coming but then that was followed by same type of meandering spirit.

It’s a fine book. It’s just not something I think I’ll recall much of 6 months from now. I had higher hopes and I’m bummed about it.

Thanks though to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

A great fast read wonderfully done from a woman’s perspective it was engaging and kept my interest. I love the story of the count so this reimagining was very well executed and fun. 5⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley

The narrator was amazing. I have never read the Count of Monte Christo was but vaguely familiar with it. I loved the FMC Dani and her friend Noor. They were both so strong in their own ways.

The fact that this is a debut is absolutely amazing and I can’t wait to see what else this author puts out.

For She is Wrath by Emily Varga, 400 pages. Wednesday Books (St. Martin’s Press), 2024. $18.
Language: R (20 swears, 4 “f”); Mature Content: R; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: SOME
After being framed and wrongfully imprisoned, Dania let her anger grow with every passing day and failed escape attempt. Noor has been planning her quiet escape longer than Dania, but Noor’s careful tunnel was dug in the wrong direction. With the girls working together, they vow to get out and get revenge.
The first half of this book is a fantasy version of The Count of Monte Cristo, which adds an element of fun in comparing the two and seeing how Varga built upon the original vengeance story. One of the biggest differences stem from the roles of Dania’s betrayers and how interactions with those characters force Varga to take the second half of the story in different directions than Dumas took his. The heart of the story is about the cost revenge demands, whether we are willing to pay it, and whether it’s possible to ever take it back.
Dania is described as having “brown” skin. The mature content rating is for illegal activity, kissing, innuendo, mentions of drugs and sexual harassment, nudity, and sex. The violence rating is for assault, blood and gore, mentions of torture, and murder.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

An action-packed, enemies-to-lovers quest of a romantasy that is a Pakistani take on The Count of Monte Cristo! I adored this one. The characters seemed to leap off the page, and their emotions were so strong it was easy to root for revenge. But what left the largest impression on me is Varga's beautiful way of wrapping the characters' journey and the growth they experienced and the message that vengeance isn't always what we need, but rather to cling tighter to the ones we love.

Thank you, NetGalley and Wednesday Books, for an ARC of For She is Wrath! Pub Date: October 29, 2024.