Thank you Edelweiss for the E-Arc and Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.
3 Stars
I am super disappointed in this one. This should have never been marketed as a Count of Monte Cristo retelling but just a book inspired by it and just pay homage to it. Like just easter eggs but just it's own thing. Because it strays so far from what makes Count of Monte Cristo great that I can't consider it a retelling.

I thought this was a good story about betrayal, revenge, and love gone wrong. It was also a great character study of how you can lose yourself to these things.

So I didn’t realize this is a Count of Monte Cristo retelling when I picked this up and I have not read that book, so unfortunately I did not under the references in regards to that.

But I still enjoyed the story. I thought Dania as a character was very strong and I loved seeing her growth. I also liked that the stakes always felt high. There were also some heart wrenching moments that definitely got to me.

The nature of the romantic relationship with Mazin was interesting though I did have a heart time feeling much of a connection to it. It wasn’t until near the end of the story that I actually started to feel some of their emotions for each other actually come off the page and feel real. That’s the main thing that kept me from fully falling in love with the book.

The Count of Monte Cristo is a personal favourite of the classics. I first read it when I was only 14; and again read it at 17, that time in French. I really should revisit it again now that I’m over 40. Going into any retelling always makes me both nervous and excited. You never can be sure what will happen when you read book inspired by old stories. I’m happy to say I quite enjoyed this one.

There are a couple of major changes to the main story; including a magical element added as the setting naturally brings in djinn magic. Emily Vargas also gives us female leads, instead of men. The ending is different in a way, and I (surprisingly) didn’t have much of an issue with that either. For She is Wrath is a solid use of an old story to tell a new one.

Vargas takes us on a journey that includes the expected elements of friendship, greed and revenge, like the original story, but also adds in compassion, forgiveness, and an endearing romance. While we spend 80% of the novel in the midst of a revenge scheme, we also learn a lot about the cost of revenge, and that many people in life wish for it but forget it comes at a cost. I really connected with this. While today I very happy with my life, love my partner, own a home, adore my puppy, and more; a piece of me still occasionally wishes for revenge on a couple people who terribly wronged me as a teenager. It’s silly, and I know that, as without their actions I wouldn’t be where I am today (and I would NEVER give that up) but I am human, as we all are, and thus lust for revenge as I believe many of us secretly do.

Just as Alexander Dumas did so many years before, Vargas takes the revenge desire and makes it relatable. Ultimately showing that humans may evolve, but we don’t change. Our primary drivers of love, greed, revenge, etc. all remain the same today as they did hundreds of years ago. With or without technology, space travel, and the internet we all still retain the primal instinct to survive, and wish to be in control of our lives. No one wants to be under someone else’s control.

I hope For She is Wrath will bring younger readers to the works of Dumas. It’s a great reflection on who we are, who we want to be, and that while circumstance may shape us they do not have to not define us. With just enough romance to be put in the ‘romantasy’ genre, I found this book to be a solid entry alongside the explosion of retellings and fantasy stories currently trending. It’s suitable for age 13 or 14 and up. There is some sex that happens, but no smut or graphic descriptions. Lots of sword fighting but no gratuitous gore. I’d be comfortable putting this into any avid teenage readers hands or recommending it to any adults that enjoy this genre. I am walking away from For She is Wrath content that Dumas’ original story has not been totally bastardized in its use and that the moral dilemmas still resonant today. I look forward to finding a fancy edition of this one to put on my print bookshelf!

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

I will always read a Count of Monte Cristo retelling. I love stories about festering revenge, with an underdog and a comeback. And For She is Wrath is my favorite. I adored the set up, the friendship relationships, and the actual revenge journey. I've only seen the films, not read the book YET, but I loved that we get to see the transition, the transformation. The ways that revenge will hollow us out and cause us to lose who we are. It is a fire that burns us and can incinerate us to the ground. The past flashbacks were particularly gutting. We witness the scope, the feelings, and the betrayal. And Safiyya Ingar did a phenomenal job with the emotions in the narration. I couldn't stop listening because of how transported I was.

I love The Count of Monte Cristo. Like absolutely love it. I also love a retelling with a gender bent twist AND set in a different culture. FOR SHE IS WRATH fired on all of those cylinders. It even corrected the part I liked least from the original source material (which I cannot say because of spoilers). I really really enjoyed this debut.

The only issue I had with it was with the world building / magic. Things were a bit too easily solved by magic that previously didn’t exist or hadn’t been introduced.

That being said, I still really liked it and would happily read more from this author.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher Wednesday Books, and the author for this eARC & ALC in exchange for an honest review!

"You were forged in the fires of hatred too, made new by your revenge"

I knew this book was going to be a win for me as soon as I saw that it was a Count of Monte Cristo retelling with Pakistani mythology. The Count of Monte Cristo is in my top five favorite classics.

The beginning was very familiar to the classic but I loved how the author slowed added more and more worldbuilding that made this book vibrant and engaging. The magical elements were fascinating and I didn't feel like there were pieces missing in the end.

Overall an amazing fantasy book that I highly recommend.

What to expect in For She Is Wrath:
Pakistani mythology
Toxic family members with dysfunctional dynamics
Female rage
Vengeance
Djinn magic
Romance
Banter
Lovers to enemies to lovers

A beautiful YA book that reminded me of Agraba, Dark Disney, and beautiful evenings. Dania and Mazin are intertwined, but at odds. This is a great youthful YA book that deals with treachery, betrayal and forgiveness.

Emily Varga does it again. The queen of fantasy is back. This book did not disappoint, you need to pick it up!

"I've left marks all over you." - Dania
"Shall I tell you my favorite ones?" - Mazin

The Count of Monte Cristo will always hold a special place in my heart, but this is a fabulous retelling with a Middle Eastern dijinn twist. Dania has been locked in a prison for a year, betrayed by her greatest love turned greatest betrayal. Now she is bent on revenge... no matter the cost. I loved the Pakistani setting, lovers turned enemies, plot, and pretty much everything about it. I feel like it was missing something to make this a true 5 star, but I still really enjoyed it. I highly recommend the audiobook, as well.

I don't think I have strong feelings toward this either way. It was very middle of the road in terms of books. I was initially very excited because I adore a "good for her story" and I wanted to dive into feminine rage, but things just fell flat in that department. We started pretty good and then things just kinda went downhill from there; not to a bad degree, just to a plateau where it seemed to stay until the end.

The main character overall is pretty good. She doesn't make the best decisions all the time, but I overall liked her enough and she doesn't seem to suffer from FMC syndrome. She is driven, and knows what she wants, and is also fiercely loyal, which I appreciate and can get behind. The side characters were also pretty good. They were entertaining and brought an extra layer to this, particularly her best friend.

My issue with the revenge plot line is that she doesn't follow through with it for more than a few chapters. She has revenge on her mind for a singular second and then as soon as she sees the MMC again it's all over. I'm not sure if I would have been able to forgive him as quickly as she did, but that is neither here nor there. The magic system was good enough, and I liked that we did get an actual interaction with a jin rather than just mentioning it. The romance was mid, and very obvious, the world-building next to nonexistent. There was a pretty good plot twist towards the end that I did not see coming, but I don't think I was invested enough in the plot or in love with our FMC enough to truly care about that choice.

Some of the writing did feel a little underdeveloped for me. I especially noticed it in the epilogue where everything was tied into a pretty bow. It seemed the most YA in that section, but that being said, I cannot judge a book for being "too YA" because I am not the audience this book was written for. However, I did want a bit more from this.

Overall, it was okay. Mostly forgettable and will fall into the background against other YA fantasy books I've read.

I previously have read this book but loved it so much I really wanted to listen to the audiobook. The narration was everything I hoped it to be and more.

5 ⭐ No notes.

I fell in love with Dania at the start - a badass swordswoman who was ready and waiting for her revenge. I was listening to the audio and felt connected to her and loved her inner thoughts and how she planned and plotted her revenge throughout the course of the book. I haven't read The Count of Monte Cristo in a very long time, so I can't speak to how true a retelling it is, but I love the threads I picked up on. I think the more I learned about Noor, the more I ended up liking her - she had a solid head on her shoulders while Dania was both struggling with her love and revenge.

Mazin was an interesting MMC. He and Dania had wonderful chemistry as they fought between their love and their goals. Everything he did to her helped fuel her rage and I love it.

The Djinn magic was not something I expected in this, but I adored the addition of it to the plot. Dania's struggle to resist the dark powers was a highlight for me in her development. Emily Varga is officially a must-read author for me. Though this was YA fantasy, it felt very mature and well-developed.

"But hope was a dangerous thing, because once taken away, it was impossible to feel more despair."

🗡️ Pakistani The Count of Monte Cristo retelling
🗡️ Enemies to Lovers
🗡️ Revenge & Betrayls
🗡️ Dual Timeline
🗡️ Slow Burn romance
🗡️ Female Rage

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio & Wednesday books for the eARC & ALC of For She is Wrath by Emily Varga for my honest review!

I thought I would love this because the Count of Monte Cristo is a classic that I consider a favorite. However, I think because it is a favorite, I struggled with this retelling. I think for readers/listener who have only a basic understanding of Count will enjoy this, but I found there was too much I could not get past. My basic issue is that the commitment to the revenge is lacking. I just didn't buy that they were willing to do anything to get it.

THis narrator was new to me, and I did enjoy her performance.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

I've never actually read the Count of Monte Cristo so not sure how it compares but I enjoyed listening to this version of it! I wasn't totally invested in the main characters but enough to make it a good read. I enjoyed the narrator as well.

👉🏻 For my friends looking for a YA Pakistani romantic revenge fantasy.

FOR SHE IS WRATH by Emily Varga (Safiyya Ingar, Narrator)

🎧 Thanks, @Macmillan.audio, for the audiobook review copy. #macaudio2025 (Available now) 11 hours 52 minutes

Dania was framed for murder and sent to prison by the boy she loved. Joining forces with a fellow prisoner, she escapes and uses djinn treasure to change her appearance and seek revenge on those who wronged her.

This was a creative reimagining of The Count of Monte Cristo, a story I’ve meant to read (but haven’t). I like revenge stories (okay, technically, I like justice stories, but isn’t justice just revenge wearing nicer shoes?), but this one was merely okay. While I was relatively entertained, I wasn’t emotionally invested in the characters or the story (maybe because it was YA?). I spent some of the listening time thinking about the difference between the terms revenge, avenge, vengeful, justice, etc.

The narrator was lovely, and I enjoyed her performance of the various characters.

For She is Wrath follows Dania, who has been imprisoned for a year for a crime she didn’t commit. When she meets Noor, a fellow prisoner, they hatch a plan to escape and exact revenge on the people responsible for ruining their lives.

The start of this book was so strong. I liked Dania’s strength and how committed she was to escape and vengeance. I also enjoyed how morally gray Dania was throughout the book and seeing how she plotted out her revenge.

The audiobook was excellent and I loved the narrator’s choice of voices for the different characters.

A very solid standalone YA romantasy. I love seeing new work by brown authors and this one packs a punch. Full of female rage, strong female friendships, and lots of good character development I really enjoyed this one from start to finish. Definitely recommend if you want a romantasy that’s low-investment (time wise, not emotions wise lol). And I would’ve loved this as a teenager omg.

I absolutely enjoyed every minute of this audio book. The author did such an amazing job doing a retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo. It was such an interesting story, and a good retelling at the same time. I could not stop listening. I thought the characters were well done, and the book was full of adventure and romance among other thing. I don't want to spoil it too much. I can't wait to read more from this author. Also, the narration was well done! I highly recommend this book to the classic retelling fans and YA readers.

Thank you Net Galley, MacMillian Audio, and Emily Varga

An absolutely stellar debut. For She is Wrath is a retelling of the The Count of Monte Cristo, and while the first few chapters didn't quite hook me, the rest of the book was a clear 10/10. I think that The Count of Monte Cristo is such an interesting story to retelling in a genre (YA retellings) that can get oversaturated at times. And while it is a retelling, the author made this story her own. I loved these characters, the sense of adventure, the romance, and the themes. Additionally, I found that the author did a great job guiding the reader through the story. I wanted the main character to get vengeance when the author told me I should, I wanted a romantic resolution when she set one up ... she guides reader's hands so well. Overall I absolutely loved this and can't wait to see what this author puts out next.

3.5⭐️ If you liked Caraval in terms of the YA fantasy, no spice, not knowing who to trust with an easy to understand world then I think you would really like this! But like Caraval, this wasn’t my favorite fantasy. I got into it near the end and it was a fun time. The plot itself has nothing to do with Caraval but the writing and YA style gives similar vibes. The fmc is a sword masters daughter and she was framed for murder. She’s dead set on revenge against everyone who put her there, including her ex lover. I think this would’ve been better if it were a duology so we could’ve gotten more of her upbringing and relationship developemwnt so the betrayal could’ve hit harder, and so the internal character development with the fmc could’ve been dived into deeper. Overall it was fine and entertained me while I cleaned around the house and made me smile a few times, with a nice plot twist near the end. The narrater was great so would recommend the audiobook as well.

No spice & nearly no language use.

Thank you Netgalley for this audio ARC for review.