I was excited to read this, the story concept intrigued me as I don’t know much about Pakistani culture. I would’ve loved some explanations for terms and phrases, so I could learn more about the culture. It does feel like the book goes by fast at times, with not much development or explanation along the way. The book picked up in my interest by the end, the ending was a bit unexpected which I liked. There were some grammar and spelling errors that were hopefully fixed in final editing.

For She Is Wrath had me at revenge plot and a female Count of Monte Cristo. I was pulled into the story from the very start and was eager to see how Dani and Noor were going to achieve their goals. I loved Dani’s characterization as a swordswoman, and the djinn magic added an interesting element in terms of power and elevating the stakes as a machinism for revenge.

While I enjoyed the story and characters, there were pieces of the revenge plot and world I found lacking. Noor had the potential to be a great sidekick, but often was more plot device than secondary character. I feel like this book would have done well as a multi POV. Whenever someone says cat and mouse - I immediately think of two perspectives - the hunter and the hunted. While the flashbacks were helpful, I really wish we saw Mazin’s POV as his past, especially his relationship with the emperor, played a role in shaping his actions during the betrayal and after.

Overall, this was an extremely neat concept - the writing was engaging and I enjoyed the feminist and magical twist on the classic tale. Thank you to Netgalley, Wednesday Books, and St. Martin’s Press for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

For She is Wrath follows Dania as she seeks revenge after suffering betrayal from her lover. Overall, this book was a fun read, but I found it to be fairly predictable with some pacing issues.

I thought the world and magic system were very interesting, and I liked the general set up for the plot. I found the characters to be well-rounded with solid arcs and motivations that kept me interested in the story. I particularly liked the reading from Dania’s point of view because I liked her scheming tendencies and found it made the scenes a lot more interesting.

While I think this book is a fun read, it does have some very predictable elements that make it come across a little generic. I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing, but it did mean that I didn’t find this book to be a new favorite or a particular must-read. I also think it suffers from some pacing issues, especially at the beginning, that make getting into the plot slow going.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in reading it, but I don’t think it’s an absolute must read, so if you’re on the fence about it maybe try the digital sample and the library before purchasing a copy.

I love that this book takes inspiration from The Count of Monte Cristo and will (hopefully!) inspire younger generations to pick up the classic work.

I wish there was less flashback scenes and the ending was a bit rushed, but all in all I think there is a lot to enjoy here for a YA audience!

This isn’t a Count of Monte Cristo retelling. While it follows some of the steps — a young girl sent to a prison for a year or so where she tries to constantly escape — that’s about all the two really have in common. What this book is, however, is an adventure story of a young woman trying to reclaim her life after it was taken from her, after her father was killed, her home taken … and all by the boy she thought she loved.

Dania has the requisite fiery temper and easily swayed by Mazin’s beauty. Not his character, not his personality, not even his wealth: She thinks he’s pretty, and she finds that hot. It’s a very shallow romance, especially at the beginning, and while it did gain depth and Mazin had more character growth as the book went along, I didn’t feel any real chemistry between them. Honestly, Dania and Noor — the other prisoner she helps escape — had more spark between them. Theirs was a pairing of equals; they didn’t share the same knowledge base, but they were both skilled in their own area and came together to get things done. Mazin, on the other hand, was just another swordsman next to Dania … a very, very pretty one.

Unlike Mazin, Dania’s personality actually got flatter as the story moved on. She went from being angry, and willing to hurt and use and manipulate people — which she’s not very good at, but the story lets her get away with it — to being … well, generic girl with temper. Her edge is gone so that she can be softer for Mazin. I’m sorry but … if the story was trying to imply he was a good influence, then that should have been shown more. If the story was trying to say that vengeance is exhausting and there’s a power in taking the moral high ground, the book didn’t set that up.

I would have liked more of the world building. The blurb mentions Pakistani elements, but I feel like I was given just a glimpse before the story returned to the characters having yet another fruitless and flavourless conversation. The plot — aside from Dania — with the djinn, with the magic and its consequences, was interesting! I just wish that had been the focus of the book.

Honestly, this isn’t the book for me, and that may be my fault. As a fan of the Count of Monte Cristo, I went into this with certain expectations thanks to the blurb, and those expectations were never met. And while I could see, in a general, broad outline the elements of the Count of Monte Cristo, the story didn’t seem to string them together in any way that worked. Again, that’s on me; but for any others who go into this expecting what the blurb promises, you won’t get it.

The writing is fine, with a simple, clean style. The pace is a bit lopsided; fast during some moments, then lingering on others; some conversations went on too long, others were done before I knew it. And, personally, I think it could have been tighter, taking out some moments that were done to line up with the Count of Monte Cristo, but made no impact on the characters in this book.

Still, for all my problems with the book, the author shows potential and I’ll be keeping an eye out for future books by them. Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC, and thank you to SMP for listening to Readers For Accountability.

Thank you to the folks over at NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

To say I was excited to read this, despite never touching The Count of Monte Cristo every in my entire life, is a testament to it's writing. Emily Varga's prose is crafted so intentionally, that the book flows like thoughts-- everything was said so deliberately and well timed, that I felt I was right there thinking it myself. Its gritty, it's complicated, we doubt ourselves and we fight with ourselves to capture that illusive hope that some day things will be better.

For She is Wrath is something more than what I expected. The friendship is real, built much like someone you commiserate with in school; the situation develops as the characters experience more, and I feel like they really found themselves over the course of the book. They're interesting and flawed, and a true reflection of how I felt as a young adult.

However, I think the real bane of this book is the use of flashbacks. I don't like time skipping in general, but I almost wanted the past to be as illusive as the future-- I wanted to be confused. As far as mystery goes, this book is lacking in intrigue. Character development was there, but at the cost of keeping us in suspense. Everything is explained away at the end, as if to wrap up the idea and dust off our hands, and I almost wanted to whisper to the author: be patient. Let me writhe.

I was honestly surprised that this story captured my attention since the beginning. I never once felt like this book bored me which is refreshing. I did not expect that plot twist right before the end. I definitely enjoyed the romance but I did feel like it was a bit rushed at a turning point. I am left still processing this book even after I finished it. The ending left me satisfied and it feels bittersweet because I didn’t want it to end.

It was a great story. I would recommend for other readers to give this book a try.

Thank you to the author, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for this e-ARC.

⚔️💔✨

Dania seeks vengeance against those who betrayed her, including the boy she once loved, Mazin. Imprisoned for a crime she didn’t commit, Dania spends nearly a year counting down the days until she can escape and seek revenge. Her opportunity comes when she and a fellow prisoner make a daring escape, armed with stolen djinn treasure and dark magic. The closer Dania gets to her goal, the more she risks losing herself—and her heart—to those she cares about most. In the end, is revenge worth the price?

Loved this debut. ❤️ It was a fantastic retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo with a Pakistani twist and magic (of course).

Betrayed by her lover, framed for a murder, and rotting away in jail, Dania is fueled by rage and a need for revenge. She is my favorite protagonist to root for, not only for the vengeance but also for the character arc. The friendship growth, the djinn magic and zoraat seeds, the sneaky plots for revenge all worked perfectly for me. I'd recommend this to everyone and anyone that enjoys fantasy.

I found the book a little confusing for me to read. It wasn't clear in the beginning about what is happening and couldn't get a clear picture on what was going on.

While I like the idea of the story, hopefully the publishing company goes through another 2 or 3 edits before publishing this book. It has such great potential, but I greatly struggled to stay immersed in the book's world because of all the grammatical errors.

Ok hear me out - a DNF is usually a 1-2 star for me. That doesn’t seem fair for this book as I think it has potential, but it wasn’t for me. I started out very intrigued by this book but at 30% find myself not being very drawn to it. It isn’t bad and I think if I stuck it out there is potential for a lot of interesting things to happen, it just wasn’t for me.

This book immediately hooked me and pulled me in. I loved the world and story-telling. “A thousand djin could disguise you from me and I’d still be able to find you, just by the sound of your breath.” SWOON

If you haven’t add For She Is Wrath by Emily Varga to your reading list you need to now!
A captivating story retelling The Count of Monte Cristo told a story of romance, friendship, revenge and betrayal.
Emily Varga checks all of the boxes—the characters, the magic system, and worldbuilding and the writing are all there and gorgeous, but she also does more. She writes emotion unlike any other author that I’ve ever read.
A phenomenal debut!

Huge thanks to Wednesday Books, as well as to NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of For She Is Wrath!!

Wow, this one's a bit of a doozy to review...

What I liked:
-The setting—a fantasy version of India/Pakistan—was interesting and unique.
-The magic system was very different. Blending the zoraat was the only way to have magical powers, so powers weren't really inherent to people.
-How it's a fantasy retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo, one of my favorite books.

What I didn't like:
-The timeline is unclear. At one point, it says Dani has been in prison for a year. At another, it says years (as in multiple years), then it switches back to one year. Make up your mind!
-The main character, Dani, is kind of flat. She's motivated by revenge. But she also loves the guy who put her in prison. But she wants revenge on him. We go back and forth in this manner through the entire book.
-The pacing was a bit off. Some parts dragged so much. I almost gave up multiple times.
-How quickly she forgave the guy who betrayed her.
-How blah the guy who betrayed her was. I literally can't remember his name (other than that it started with the letter M). And they were in a relationship and everything and she's always mooning over him.
-The one-dimensional emotions. Dani is always angry. Noor is always reasonable. And so on.

All in all, I can't say I'd recommend this. Interesting idea and premise, not so great execution.

When SMP addresses the concerns of readers and reviewers I will send my full review. Until then I am withholding my review during the St. Martin's Press boycott.

I felt this book started very well and I was pulled in by the Count of Monte Cristo vibes and plot. I thought Dani's character was very relatable and I was able to connect with her rage as well as her being torn between revenge and just wanting to move past what happened.

I thought Varga did a good job with her characters and made all of them interesting but also believable. The beginning parts of the plot and books really pulled me in and I was interested to be a part of the story.

I will say though that there was a continued conversation between Dani and her friend that just continued to happen over and over and over again to the point that it was actually more annoying than anything to read. I also started to become a little annoyed with Dani as the book went on because the only emotion she ever showed, to anyone, was the same death rage throughout the book. I get the rage, especially because of the plot, but it started to become excessive where even the smallest things were pissing her off and it just seemed excessive at that point.

Thank you Wednesday Books for the gifted eARC

This Pakistani inspired The Count of Monte Cristo retelling had exactly what I want from a retelling - the original story provides the framework, but Varga fills in the rest with unique world building and characters that make this its own.

If you’ve read/watched the original I think you will find that the spirit of the story stays alive in Wrath, but the fantasy twist makes for a very fun deviation.

This book has romance, friendship, beautiful descriptions of settings, food that will have you looking up the nearest Pakistani restaurant, and of course REVENGE.

4.5 stars- I really enjoyed this! A few elements in the conclusion went a little wonky for me, but overall a fantastic and unique read that I’d highly recommend. A very impressive debut!

This book's plot suffers heavily from the miscommunication trope. I went into this thinking that the main character would go on an epic quest for revenge, but things were really just not that serious. I also feel that the world was pretty poorly developed; I was interested in the world, but wasn't really given enough information.

No trope hits quite like enemies-to-friends-to-lovers-to-enemies-to....

The story sucks you in from the very first chapter! Pacing is good and characters are endearing. I know flashback scenes can be hit or miss for many readers, but I really enjoyed their incorporation in this story. My only complaint is that ~being angry~ seems to be the *only* personality trait our FMC has. Which, okay, I get it, it's in the title. She IS wrath. She's in her villain era and I love that for her. But it can make it difficult to connect with her at times. But I absolutely appreciate that she's willing to do some nasty stuff to reach her goals. We need more ruthless heroes in fantasy!