I understand this book was already published and archived, but I barely got through the first part of the book and ended up not finishing, since I found the character hard to relate to for me. I do appreciate having been considered.

In this fascinating Pakistani romantasy novel inspired by The Count of Monte Cristo, readers follow Dania after she has been arrested and framed for a crime she did not commit as she plans revenge on Mazin, the boy she loved who betrayed her, while buried in the depths of prison. After discovering another prisoner with a stolen djinn treasure, Dania teams up with her to escape and search for the treasure with the intent of bringing down everyone who wronged Dania with a plan, dark magic, and a new identity. Flashing between her past and her present, readers follow Dania as her revenge scheme becomes more complicated and a web she can no longer escape with her humanity and her heart intact. The magic system and the vibrant, complex, and gritty setting and social structures are absolutely immersive, and Varga has done a brilliant job bringing this world to life in this intense and fascinating novel. Dania is a complicated and flawed protagonist whose mindset is complex, realistic, and reflective of her circumstances in some fascinating and intense ways. With its stellar characters, magic system, and setting, this is a brilliant and immersive addition to the romantasy genre that readers will devour.

As a big fan of The Count of Monte Cristo, I was very excited by the concept of this book. I love the gender-bent take on it, and the culturally rich setting and fantastical plot. But the voice felt off to me -- the characters, as I understood them to be, were older, but the voice felt very YA. It was hard for me to stay engaged when it wasn't matching the material. The writing was lackluster and felt redundant at times.

Also, the action, pace, and stakes of the story felt underwhelming, and it lacked spark for me, a captivated energy to keep me turning pages, breathless to know what happened next. It just didn't quite hit.

Not my favorite read lately, but still likely a good pick for some, especially fantasy readers.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. FOR SHE IS WRATH is out now.

I really wanted to love it, but I ended up DNF it at 66%. The start of the book really intrigued me while Diana was in prison. However, I wanted to more from the revenge plot, and I didn't care about the romance at all. Individually, both Mazin and Diana are good characters, but the romance felt bland. For someone with so much anger In her against her betrayers, she seemed to falter toward Mazin a bit too fast for my taste. Thank you for the ARC!

I liked it more than the source material which is a pretty big deal! The cover is gorgeous and I enjoyed the world the author created.

I thought this might become my new favourite book, but even though it didn’t, I still really enjoyed it. The story was engaging and well-written, making it a solid read overall. That said, it did take me a while to really get into the story, but once I did, I found it to be worth the effort.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

The cover is beautiful and I was really looking forward to reading a Pakistani inspired fantasy.
But sadly I just couldn’t do it anymore after 50% and DNFd the book.
My biggest complaint being the writing style and the characters wich were rather bland. On top of that I just didn’t care.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Emily Varga's For She is Wrath is a thrilling and intense exploration of revenge, justice, and the intricate dance between morality and vengeance. The novel immerses readers in a world where darkness and light are constantly at odds, and where the protagonist, Evangeline, must navigate the fine line between seeking justice and succumbing to wrath.

3.5/5 stars

A sizzling Pakistani romantic fantasy retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo, where one girl seeks revenge with forbidden djinn magic against the boy she once loved and those who betrayed her.

Framed for a crime she didn’t commit, Dania escapes prison with fellow inmate Noor to hunt for a hidden djinn treasure. Armed with newfound power and a new identity, she begins her quest for vengeance. But as Dania's dark magic grows and her web of lies deepens, she risks losing her humanity—and her heart to the boy who broke it. Revenge has a price, and it may cost Dania more than she ever imagined.

Overall, this wasn't a bad retelling. I loved the friendship between Dania and Noor and how quickly those bonds were cemented. I also like the intricacy of Dania's revenge plans - I didn't always expect the route she took. I felt the world-building was lacking, but I can understand this as it's a standalone and there's only so much information the author can push into a single book. I also didn't really love how instantaneously Dania fell into confusion regarding Maz - yes it made it more exciting to have a bit of romance throughout, but he literally put her in a torturous, (supposedly) inescapable prison for the sake of his own revenge. Even Dania, filled with rage and hatred, didn't sacrifice Noor for the sake of her own plans. I did like the themes throughout the book - revenge vs love, the deep bonds between blood family and found family, etc. I just wish there were more sustenance and less of the super quick confused flip-flopping that Dania did throughout the book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, and Emily Varga for allowing me the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

A Pakistani fantasy retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo? Yes, please!

It took me a while to get into For She Is Wrath, but it ended up being pretty enjoyable. Dania is out for blood after she was wrongfully imprisoned for murder. She uses the power of the djinn to enact her revenge.

Dania’s thirst for vengeance was a little much at times and the book was slow at points, but I think it all wrapped up pretty well. I’m curious of how the story ends up mirroring the original source material.

The Count of Monte Cristo is one of my favorite books, so naturally I felt I would love a Pakistani romantasy YA retelling. I enjoyed Dania as a protagonist; her revenge-fueled rage is reminiscent of Edmond Dantès, and her friendship with foil Noor works SO well. (I wanted more Noor, to be honest; she's the sarcastic comic relief this novel needs.) Mazin is fine; I don't think I wholly understood Dania's attraction to him (besides his muscles), and his justification for betraying her feels weak. But overall their passion makes sense in the context of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this novel before its publication date.

Wow! This book is full of female rage and revenge and torment. The MC, Dania, has been locked in prison for a crime she did not commit, and she stops at nothing to seek revenge on those who put her there. The imagery and writing itself is beautiful. I can't wait to see what Emily Varga does next!

It was enjoyable. I loved the fact that this revolves around a strong female lead. And the fact that this is a revenge story it was exactly what i expected it to be. I also loved the South Asian representation in this story and the beautifully written descriptions made you feel like you were in that time and place.

Looooooove. I'm a sucker for retellings and when I found out this had Pakistani rep AND was a Count of Monte Cristo retelling, I pretty much scrambled for this arc. And wow, this did not disappoint. It was lush, entralling, and lyrical. I had highlighted passages all over my e-reader. Amazing. Definitely adding to our collection!

This is a story of female rage and revenge fueled by love, betrayal, and djinn magic. I love seeing female characters with this kind of rage as we see in Dania, but she also shows love and compassion for her friend Noor, who helps to balance out Dania’s violent tastes for revenge. Dania also goes through these inner battles when it comes to Mazin, and her fight between anger at him for his betrayal and the love she still has for him. I liked seeing those two emotions battle in her mind. But what I really loved was when she got revenge. She was smart and made sure each betrayer got their moment. Although at points the pacing felt off and wasn’t consistent for me which made reading it at points a little hard.

This wasn’t my favorite book, not due to a lack of good ideas but rather because the writing style wasn’t a good fit for me. The best way I know how to explain is that I never forgot I was reading a story—I was never swept away into it. The dialogue was at times distracting and the plot felt a bit forced. Once again, I loved the ideas and was still drawn to the story enough to finish the book, it just wasn’t the best fit for me.

Oh my god, this book was so good. Pakistani, gender-bent retelling of the Count of Monte Cristo? With magic? What is not to like!!!

I think the slowest part of the book was the first 50 pages, which is the prison escape, and maybe I was just overly eager for Dania to get her revenge, but I was just waiting for her to get out and get GOING. Once she did though? Boy, were we off to the races. The story was so captivating and tense and held my attention so closely.

But what really put me over the edge with this book was the romance. Maz???? Oh HONEYYYYYYYY I am all yours. The way I was highlighting every passage where he spoke to her. And the line that broke me: that she changed her face but she didn’t change her hands, so he knew the whole time????? I am on the floor. Screaming crying throwing up. A ride or die, till the end, god how I love him (and them as a couple).

Amazing book, so beautifully written, and an enthralling retelling with magical twists to make it feel fresh and new. 4⭐️, highly recommend.

*Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

⭐️ BOOK REVIEW⭐️

Let me start by saying I loved this book.

It’s advertised as inspired by The Count of Monte Cristo but with a female MC seeking revenge against those who betrayed her - including the boy she used to love. I mean, you had me at hello. The Count is one of my favorite classics.

Early on in my reading of it, I messaged a friend I was reading it with and said it felt almost too close to the original but I should have withheld judgement because Varga held to the story for a point and then she turned a corner and made it completely her own while still somehow maintaining the essence of the classic that inspired it.

Dania, our MC, is angry. Rightfully so. She is out for her revenge. But her character is not flat and solely defined by her anger. Her arc through the story is full of found family, spunk, fire and, ultimately, resolution, healing and love.

Speaking of characters, Dania’s friendship with Noor is chef’s kiss and I wouldn’t be sad if there was a follow up story with her story. Mazin is another great character and the villains are ones you want to see go down.

I can’t review this one without saying the the world Emily created is robust and atmospheric. Set is a Pakistani inspired fantastical world, I felt the sights and sounds, full of color and spice. The magic felt realistic too which I think is a feat.

So yes? I loved it. A brilliant, exciting debut. Well done @emilyvargabooks and thank you.

FSIW delivers a slighted woman out for revenge. It's so refreshing to see a clever, angry FMC whose backstory supports her rage and fuels a vengeance-filled plot. Dania never loses sight of her goals, and Varga does a good job of contrasting Dania's constant yearning for justice with characters who question her and force her to continuously justify her wrath. It pulls the story along and keeps the reader invested in what would otherwise be considered a traditionally "unlikeable" FMC. With fun worldbuilding and great action sequences, this story has something for everyone.

What happens when someone wrongs you, you seek revenge! Well that’s at least what Dania did in this one. This is the kind of fantasy I love. Action packed, a revenge plot, taking out your anger in wrath-give to me! This would have been a full 5 star read for me, but towards the end it kind of lost a little momentum. However, that did not take away from the overall story.

I listened to this one on audiobook and the narrator was amazing with how she shows Dania’s wrath and her softening towards the end. I have never read The Count of Monte Crisco, but with this being a reimagining of that, now I want to read it! The twists, the chase, and the vengeance our fierce FMC sought after kept me engaged with this one. One of the better fantasy books I’ve read in a long time!