Dania pasó el último año en la cárcel por culpa del hombre que amaba, la traicionó y le echó la culpa de algo que ella no hizo. Cuando intenta escapar, la descubren y la encierran con otra presa rebelde, ahí conoce a Noor quien quiere salir y vengarse, entonces unen fuerzas para salir y ayudarse a vengarse.


La historia en general está entretenida, pero al llegar a la parte de la venganza me decepcionó. Esperaba más de Dania, no duró nada al intentar matar a Mazin, sólo se necesitó que le pidiera una disculpa toda rancia para que ella olvidara cómo la traicionó, que por su culpa su padre murió y ella fue a dar a la cárcel. Sólo una mísera disculpa y ya estaba en sus brazos. 😒

No lo tome como retelling del Conde de Monte Cristo porque siento que le faltaría mucho, pero como inspiración está bien.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely love re-tellings. So, when I saw that Emily Varga wrote a Count of Monte Cristo fantasy retelling, I immediately went to NetGalley, requested an ARC, and did the ARC rain dance to increase my chances. Luckily, I snagged a copy and devoured it in less than 24 hours.

Listen… it's a Count of Monte Cristo re-telling with a female protagonist who is so badass with a sword and hell-bent on revenge. AND we get a female side character who ALSO has a revenge plot and djinn magic. What is there not to like?!

In all seriousness, this is such an imaginative retelling that certainly carves its own path to stand toe-to-toe with Dumas' original classic. There are twists and revenge, and the body count starts to add up. The magic system is also explained perfectly, setting the stage for those in power to receive a rude awakening.

I was a bit worried that Varga was attempting to write a YA rendition of this classic since Dumas' original story is thick. But Varga knew her audience and made this novel very approachable at a faster pace than the source material. We spend just enough time in each location while the FMC moves through some high-stakes situations. Overall, the pace really hooked me to not put this down.

I have not read any Pakistani high fantasy novels aimed at a YA audience, so I loved that this brought me into a new world with a new POV. The Islamic cultural elements were so compelling and unique that I was truly enthralled by the plot. Even if you do not normally read YA books, this one will capture your heart, and you will be racing to see if Dania, our FMC, finally gets revenge and justice for the crimes committed against her and her family.

I was unfamiliar with the retelling this story did. That aside, I thought this was wonderfully executed. It kept me on the edge of my seat. The action and plot is unmatched in many fantasy novels. The female rage in this book filled me with such happiness. I love heroines who are ruthless. It was full of betrayal, loyalty, and love. A must read.

I was pretty disappointed with this one.

There was souch telling that I could not get into the story. Dani's inner monologue was annoying in its repetitiveness. There was a lot of back and forth about revenge and noor couldn't decide if she supported revenge or not. She basically was supposed to serve as moral anchor but she also wanted revenge so her lecturing had less weight with me.

There was so much potential. In the end this story fell very flat. I felt no connection with any of the characters. Everything was told.

I have never read The Count if Monte Cristo so I may have been at a bit of a disadvantage/advantage there. I went into the story blind not having any preconceived notions about how the story was supposed to go.

That being said, I enjoy a well executed FMC who is complex and not one dimensional. I felt that the author gave is that in Dania. I also love a good revenge plot, which this book also had.

All in all i enjoyed this book. And it was a first for me reading a Pakistani romance/fantasy book. I will definitely be looking for more.

I really wanted to like this one. The title is so great but it really fell flat for me. I wish the characters were a bit more fleshed out.

This book was one of my most anticipated reads of the year AND IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT! I cannot wait for the rest of the world to experience the brilliance that is this beautiful world full of vengeance & love that Emily Varga has created!

I was so intrigued by a Pakistani retelling of the Count of Monte Cristo and loved some of the original spins on the retelling of such a well known story. Our main female lead is a strong woman set on vengeance against all who have wronged her and I was here for it.

Unfortunately, the world building and character development was not as well fleshed out as it should have been and much of the story fell flat and I did not connect with it. The story was fast paced but towards the end it was to its detriment because everything continued to get resolved too quickly. I like my characters to fight for their wins a little more.

Thank you to St. Marten's Press, netgalley, and Emily Vargas for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

omg that was so good! I've never read The Count of Monte Cristo, but I'm always down for a retelling! anyways: the plot of unique in the parts that mattered, I loved Noor (Dani was likeable enough), and the romance was freaking amazing! lovers-to enemies-to lovers!? yes, please <3 I'll deff be buying this when it come out!

even though it wasn't a five star for me, I still would 10/10 recommend this! happy reading!

Dania is all anger and vengeance after she is betrayed by her ex-lover Mazin, yet finds it increasingly difficult to deny her lingering feelings when she sets out to kill him. I enjoyed their tension-filled romance, Dani's general badd-ass-ery (her depiction in the title and cover 👌), and the narrative themes of power and agency. On the other hand, I found it more difficult to connect completely with the characters and the story; things seemed to fall into place a little too easily with limited world building to justify/explain why they may have happened the way they did. Overall, this was a fun read and perfect for anyone who enjoys a YA with a strong FMC!

After a slow beginning and struggling to get into this book, I was finally able to push through it. While I enjoyed the story, I found parts of it repetitive. It felt like the anger/vengeance/retribution/revenge piece was the only thing keeping the story moving forward at times and it was like pounding my head against the table. I had to roll my eyes and stuff down my own anger at the repetitiveness before I could push on.

Seeing Dani with Aman and Mazin together, and seeing the flashbacks that explained their relationship prior to her imprisonment, were some of my favorite parts. Dani was more human and less controlled by her anger. I like that the ending brought back that humanity in her.

I also enjoyed the fight scenes and the twists at the end. Good story.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

TLDR: I wanted to DNF this book at multiple times.

FSIW is 400 pages. It's about 200 pages too long. It most definitely could have been shorter, and the author probably deserved to have an editor that did her justice and the story justice. I don't know much about the publishing world (most of it from Yellowface), but someone or someones needed to have more input. So, hopefully with reviews from the ARC there might have been some changes.

FSIW is summarized as "A sweeping, Pakistani romantic fantasy retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo, where one girl seeks revenge against those who betrayed her—including the boy she used to love." The "Pakistani" elements were there and they felt forced. Is this a retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo? Sort of. Romantic fantasy? It's got some magical elements of seeds that give people power. And yes, there is a romance, one that will make you want too smack the FMC. You probably will want to smack the FMC for other reasons, but that relationship is just one of them.

The FMC is on a journey to seek revenge for being framed, the death of her family, a lover turned enemy, and the ones who tortured her. She brings along a sidekick, who seems very unnecessary and such a poorly written character (no personality of their own), who also is seeking revenge. Both are young and make really immature decisions that will have you wondering "why?"

FSIW is time that I wish I could have my time back for. Thank you Netgalley, and to the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC for a review.

I wasn’t able to read much of it. That is entirely on me. I’m currently going through a book slump and taking a break for a bit. For what I did read, it feels like quite an interesting book and I hope to be able to pick it up again in the future and give it another go.

It was compelling and a quick, easy read. Didn’t really feel like there was enough back up to why she truly felt so betrayed. Did end up feeling a little juvenile in the second half, but technically fine for young adult. Just was hoping for a grittier second half.

As a South Asian, I'm constantly looking for books inspired by my culture, so when I found this on Netgalley, I rushed to request an arc, and thank god I did because this was a rush of dopamine in a book!!!! I loved the cover, the prose, the plot just worked really well for me and was so easy to fly through, especially with my killer reading slump that's been kicking my butt the last month :'( I did take off one mark because I was thrown off by some of the flashbacks and it took me a bit to realize that they weren't written in present time, and one mark because I wish I had some more world building(there were parts of the book where I just did not have a clear picture in my head, so I spent a portion of the book making up the scenery and I would have loved to have a good idea of what the world was like). Overall, it was a good easy read and was fun to see a female south asian retelling of the Count of Monte Cristo, which I haven't seen before
I think I would really love to see more of the author's work, it just won't be on my immediate radar at the moment, but this is a good introduction to the author's style and storytelling.

This arc was provided to me by Netgalley and the author. The thoughts in this review are purely my own, and in no way influenced by the author or Netgalley.

This one was fun! A pretty typical YA adventure fantasy story that felt more like setup of the world the author is crafting than a fully fleshed story in its own right, but with enough heart to keep me interested to the end. The characters were likable, though Dania’s inner monologue got quite repetitive and some elements were a little rushed near the end of the book. All in all, a good time and I’m excited to see what the author does next!

This was a great read. It kept me engaged and I finished it easily. The characters were developed and the story line was great.

This was a fun, quick read with great characters. Who doesn't love a girl who can fight with a sword? The plot development felt a bit predictable but never boring. This world was very unique, I would love another book so that we could explore the magic more.

I do feel that this book might have been served a bit better if it was in 3rd person POV instead of 1st person POV.

Thank you so much NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

MANY, many thanks to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and Emily Varga for allowing me to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

For She is Wrath is a romantic fantasy that completely enthralled me from beginning to end. First of all, yes, this story is a Count of Monte Cristo retelling, but it's also much, much more. While inspired by the classic framework, Emily Varga expanded it in a way that seamlessly blends new themes with magical fantasy elements to create a rich and captivating story all her own.

I truly have such an angsty, visceral love for this book and these characters. I keep trying to decide which character I love most, and I honestly cannot choose because there was a magnetic draw to each of them. Dania is an undeniable badass, but her bravery extends far beyond the battlefield, and that's what I admire most. Noor complements Dania perfectly, a fierce force in her own right whose uncompromising loyalty and sense of self provided the moral compass Dania needed. I adore their powerful sisterhood. Then there's Maz - oh, sweet, wonderful, maddening Maz! His complex backstory and emotional arc rounded out the story exquisitely.

I absolutely adored the romance. The tenderness and vulnerability in that scene with Maz in Dani's bedroom tugged at my heartstrings and played a soft and sweet little symphony. I was right there with Dani having felt all those feelings before. It honestly reminded me off those small moments where I first fell in love with my husband, and the scene made me really emotional bringing those memories up to the surface. I was not ready!!! 😭

Then Varga hit us with some sexy book banter?!? That passage (trust me, you’ll know the one) had me like 🥵 She struck the perfect balance, keeping it relatively tame for YA while still packing serious swoon-worthy heat.

On top of the simmering romantic dynamics, Varga masterfully explores resonant themes like breaking cycles of generational trauma, the emptiness of vengeance, and courageously staying true to oneself. The powerful character arcs, especially Noor's journey to not let hatred consume her despite immense suffering, artfully brought these heavy ideas to life.

Finally, there was the mind-blowing plot twist! That explosive pivotal moment flipped everything on its head. I didn't fully grasp the impact until Varga laid it bare. She timed the revelation at the perfect narrative point for maximum heart-wrenching impact.

From the badass fight sequences establishing Dania's strength, to the intimately angsty romantic tensions, this book delivers nonstop. Varga's unique voice forges a YA fantasy that has secured its place among my favorites.

Now excuse me while I go make a fresh cup of chai 🤎

When I read that this story was similar to The Count of Monte Cristo, I knew I had to read it as that is one of my favorite books! Modern retelling of the Count, this book features a woman looking for revenge on those who betrayed her.