I had to DNF this one unfortunately.

I was having a hard time getting into it and I think it is because it takes awhile for anything to actually happen and with the flashbacks everything is still so vague. I understand that it is probably due to holding onto the suspense of it all but it didn't hold my interest and I was just kind of bored and didn't care about the MC's story. I think that there is an audience for it, but it is not me.

This story immediately hooked me in the exposition with the prison escape and strong female characters. I loved that Dania and Noor have their strengths and that there is never a need for one to be stronger or more like the other. I loved that they relied on each other to accomplish their goals. And I loved their banter together!

As I read this book, I kept thinking about two things: 1) should that have been edited out, and 2) I wish this scene had been more drawn out. The number of times in the book where Dania reflects on her desire to get revenge made me feel like I was being force-fed the simplistic theme, rather than it feeling authentic to the character's motivations. Some of these fell flat for me because they served as "witty" one-liner chapter endings that just felt a bit corny. I also felt like the pacing was a bit TOO quick, which I rarely ever say. The whole escape from prison and get to their first destination could have been nearly an entire book in some other story universes. I was impressed by Dania's Mephistophelian ploys to exact revenge upon her enemies, but wanted all of those scenes and set ups to unfold slower so the pay off felt more satisfying.

For a debut novel, I was impressed and will likely pick up another from this author in the future. I'd love to read a series where Varga has room to explore and expand a bit more.

It took me a while to pick this up and I feel awful about it because I was HOOKED once I did. If you want a retelling of Monte Cristo fueled by feminine rage and beautiful writing buy this immediately.

I love retellings and sometimes they can be hit or miss but this one is definitely a hit! Gender swap take on Count of Monte Cristo. The writing was engaging and the characters were well developed. It was easy to get attached and root for these characters. One of my top 5 of the year!

Never, in my whole life, have I felt more gaslit by an average rating. To the point that I found myself looking at the good reviews and wanting to argue with them, but I’m trying to be a chill person (failing at this) who lets people like things (doing a little better at this). I just. Couldn’t find anything to like about this book, except Noor.

The other characters? While, at first, sympathetic everyone else in this book is awful

The revenge? Underwhelming.

The prose? Repetitive to the point of tedium.

The Djinn inclusion? Unnecessary.

I could probably give you a full essay on why I hated this book. But isn’t it sufficient to say I hated it?

This was an engaging read and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I read The Count of Monte Cristo waaaaay back when, a million years ago when I was in middle school. What little I remembered I liked! However, I'm glad I didn't remember much, as it allowed me to fully immerse myself in this story. I appreciated this fresh take on the story, and I really loved the characters! I will absolutely be recommending this to people at the library. I hope we can get more stories like this one!

3.5 rounded up

there was plenty i enjoyed with this one but i felt mostly underwhelmed by it overall. nothing really stood out to make it very memorable for me.

For She is Wrath by Emily Varga is a gripping, fast-paced romantic upper YA fantasy that strikes the perfect balance between vengeance and heart. If you’re a fan of the lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers trope with a strong dose of female rage, this book will have you hooked from start to finish. There’s plenty of suspense and tension throughout this book, with twists and betrayals that keep you on the edge of your seat. However, the fast pace of this book does come at the cost of more in-depth world-building, although I did not find this to detract from the story in any way.

For She is Wrath has a great mix of action, emotion, and romance. It's a fast-paced, intense ride that follows a young but scorned woman’s journey through rage, revenge, and eventually, healing. Diana is smart, level-headed and strong-willed, the plot is twisty, and the romance is one of those slow-burns that feels totally earned.

This was such a fun read and a surprising new favourite of mine.

A big thank you to Lexi Neuville, St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for the advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

EMILYYYYYYYYY! This was incredible! The amount of female rage gave me new life. I truly can’t get over it. Dania is who I want to be when I grow up, honestly. She was petty and full of rage and revenge and I admire her for it. I loved that this was a take on The Count of Monte Cristo because it was such a fantastic spin on it.

Emily truly has a way to bring you into the world and story and you truly feel like you’re there. I need this imprinted into my brain. It’s one of the few books this year that I’ve finished and immediately wanted to start it from the beginning. It is a masterpiece and I will take no criticism at this time. Just go pick it up. You won’t regret it.

CAWPILE Ratings
Characters: 8
Atmosphere: 9
Writing: 9
Plot: 10
Intrigue: 9
Logic: 8
Enjoyment: 10

For She Is Wrath follows Dania as she and her newfound friend, Noor—whom she met in prison—seek revenge on the emperor and his constituents who have taken everything from them. Unfortunately, among the emperor's most loyal followers is Mazin, Dania’s first love and one of the emperor’s many foster children who betrayed her.

In this Count of Monte Cristo retelling, Dania and Noor harness magic to exact their revenge. However, Noor watches as Dania becomes increasingly consumed by her rage. The story masterfully examines themes of revenge, power, and friendship, shining a light on how unchecked rage can blind us to everything else.

I absolutely loved this book. It’s rich with lessons and features a cast of deeply complex characters, especially Dania, who was an incredible main character. Her journey, layered with vulnerability and unrelenting strength, was both compelling and relatable. I can’t recommend this story enough—whether you’re drawn to themes of justice or enjoy intricate character studies, For She Is Wrath is a must-read.

It just didn't grasp my attention the way I wanted it to at the time I was reading it. I will try this one again as a published book in the near future.

If you enjoy fast-paced books with a level headed fmc (and yes, although it seems that this book is about vengeance, Dania thought things through), this book is for you. One of the things that irk me in YA is the impulsiveness and sudden change in direction of the MCs, even though their story begins with one goal. This does not happen here. In fact, Dania has a checks and balances system every time she is faced with a challenging circumstance and even towards the end when she thought she had lost it all, she wasn’t afraid to turn back and do the opposite thing.

Now, you might think this is impossible.

No, her sense of self is well rooted and everything is accounted for so that it made sense - leaving no plotholes and everything is tied up neatly.

If you’re a fan of slow and luscious world building, this is NOT for you. And even if world building was next to none, the story line gives you what is essential to create the world in your mind. The basics to get a grasp of the root of the plot and the driving motivation of the fmc is present.

The enemies to lovers was also done well. It was not too overwhelming nor too little to be unbelievable.

It was a good story, the twist was unexpected but wow, it totally made sense.

I love how straightforward everything was and the narrator was super compelling.

A vibrant and vicious standalone from a powerful new voice, For She is Wrath reminded me why I love YA fantasy. Filled with revenge, deception, love, and heart. I couldn't put this book down.

For She is Wrath was one of my most anticipated ARCs to review, but unfortunately, it fell flat. I kept hoping that it would get better, but it never did. After looking at some other reviews, I decided to DNF at 30%. I had wanted to keep going, but the concerns I had about the book were things that other reviewers also mentioned, and they didn't seem to improve from what I read.
One of the main issues I had was that this book did a lot of telling but not a lot of showing. I felt like we were never left to draw our own conclusions about anything and instead were told everything the author wanted us to think. Manipulating readers is the job of the author, that is why we become invested in the story and cry or get angry while reading, but it should be done in a way where we don't even notice. This was the opposite and to the point where it felt very forced. The same went for the plot. Parts of the plot felt stiff and just a means so that it could result in the end goal, but in a way that didn't actually seem plausible. Some parts of the plot also dragged too much, while other parts could have used more detail. I could usually look past some of these things if I am attached to the characters, but they also felt very one dimensional to me.

Overall, I'm disappointed in this one, but I am sure that there are people out there who would love this book. Unfortunately, I am not one of them.

“Did you think I wouldn’t know you? I’d know you with any face. Any skin. Any hair. A thousand djin could disguise you from me and I’d still be able to find you just by the sound of your breath.”

* Oh man, it’s always something more and more intense
* Noooo
* She is just filled with so much rage! And I don’t even blame her
* These flashback chapters are going to be the death of me!
* There’s no way he doesn’t know, right?
* Okay, but this girl sure makes a lot of assumptions, not gonna lie
* Um.. what??
* I know it happened in the past, but noooo

Content: violence, swearing (mild but some f-words), skip the spice chapter 36 (not descriptive but it’s there), a little scene in chapter 48 (again, not descriptive)

This story was so rich and so interesting! There was so much rage and hatred, and the exploration of revenge and vengeance was very intriguing.

I think the only characters I actually liked in this story were her father and Noor. And maybe Mazin a little as well… heh

Dania was not a very likable character. But she was easy to understand. Her pain and her motivation was so obvious. And I was glad to see her slowly heal and figure out who she wanted to be.

My biggest issue with the story is that it felt like all the fight drained out of her way too abruptly. It’s like there are two versions of her and they don’t connect. It’s like the bridge between the two stages of her character is way too short.

But regardless, I still enjoyed it!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the early ebook. All opinions are my own.

“I would read you like a novel. From cover to cover, learning everything about you.”
“Leisurely, only taking me out when you felt like it?”
“Is that how you read your novels, Mazin? How uninspiring. No, I mean una fierce frenzy, by candlelight, devouring you until I finished every page and committed it to memory, and then I’d flip right back to the front and start again from the beginning.”

“I’d read you like a scripture, a prayer. And all the worship I felt, I’d heap at your feat.”

“You know, you don’t have to pay someone back if they help you. Not everything is a transaction.”

Omg!! Now I want to preface this by saying that I’ve never read the Count of Monte Cristo so I’m not sure how much this paralleled the original. I really loved this one. The characters were so strong and bold. I loved the magical aspect and felt like the storyline was easy to follow and wasn’t too complex. I loved the twist at the end with the grandmother. This book kept me fascinated the whole way through and pulled me out of a reading slump.

DNF @ 45%
Oh gosh I wanted to like this book so bad but I just wasn't invested in the story. The premise itself was so intriguing and I love that we're seeing more books with non-Western settings. The story starts with a bang and the characters have really strong motivations. Unfortunately the pace of the book moved too slowly for me and I found myself losing interest. For a book about a revenge plot there was way too much thinking and not enough action. I'm sure the action will pick up past this point but I'm almost halfway through and I feel like very little has happened. I'm sure that many others will love the reflective nature of this book. It didn't work for me but I'm delighted to see traditional publishers picking up books by more POC. I would definitely read more from this author in the future.

This will honestly be one of my favorite reads of the year. It was heavy, but it had everything that I needed in a story and I honestly don't even know how to properly explain how much I loved it. I couldn't read it in one sitting unfortunately due to how heavy it was for me, but that wasn't because I didn't love it but because it was just so impactful. I own multiple editions of it now, and I will encourage everyone to read it!

**Book Review: *For She is Wrath* by Emily Varga**

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️ (1 chili pepper – mild)

Emily Varga’s *For She is Wrath* is an intoxicating mix of vengeance, love, and magic, set against the lush backdrop of medieval Pakistan. This gender-swapped *Count of Monte Cristo* retelling is a masterpiece of storytelling that combines high stakes with deep emotional resonance. From the opening page, Dania’s journey is gripping—a countdown to revenge that simmers with rage, heartbreak, and hope.

Dania is a powerhouse protagonist. Her fiery determination to take down those who wronged her is both fearsome and inspiring, especially as she wrestles with lingering feelings for Mazin, the boy who betrayed her. The tension between them is electric, layered with years of anger and regret, making their dynamic impossible to look away from. The addition of djinn magic and a stolen treasure makes the plot even more exhilarating, weaving in a sense of mysticism and danger that kept me hooked.

This book has everything:

💔 Lovers to enemies to lovers
🔥 Revenge-driven plotlines
✨ Djinn magic and dark powers
🤝 Found family
⏳ Dual timeline storytelling

Varga has delivered a richly woven tale packed with action, heartbreak, and powerful themes of love and redemption. The layers of revenge, dark magic, and complex relationships create a story that’s impossible to put down. *For She is Wrath* will stay with you long after the final page—don’t miss it!

I was drawn in by the Count of Monte Cristo retelling premise. The story isn't bad, but it went slowly for me. Dania's inner dialogue is repetitive and interrupts the flow of the story. I get it: revenge is all-consuming and all a person might think about, but her circular thoughts were so predictable that I found myself skipping ahead to something actually happening. The twists and turns of the story are executed nicely, but also seemed to follow a predictable pattern: anticipation of success, failure, success in a different way, anticipation of success, failure, success in a different way. It's a good rhythm, but I think I could have read the book without reading the book, if you know what I mean. Still, I expect good things in the future from this author.