I will start by saying that I am not the target audience for this book. The storyline was strong, and the world-building decent, but the writing style held me back from fully immersing myself in the story. The focus on describing the protagonist's same (mostly negative) emotions and inner turmoil in every scene made it feel like I was reading an overly dramatic soap opera as opposed to a fantasy novel. My middle-aged sensibilities wanted to tell Dania to just chill, girl.

Lots of girl power here, though, with a solid ending and a twist I did not see coming once the original betrayer was revealed. If you like lots drama and angst with your bad-ass heroines, this book is for you.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

One of the best books I've read/listened to this year! I was intrigued by the Count of Monte Cristo comparison and I always love girls with swords so this was right up my alley. This book was more than I could have dared to hope. Revenge and love and loyalty and betrayal. It was everything good about a fantasy book wrapped in one amazing package. I loved Dania and Noor and their friendship. They felt more like sisters by the end of the book. I'd been really scared there in the beginning that Dania would leave Noor in the prison but she went back for her and it made all the difference in the world! I really loved Mazin and his sister Anam. I knew in my heart of hearts that Mazin wouldn't betray her (unless this was meant to have a more tragic ending where you kill your first love instead of being with them. I was glad to see I was right. The djinn magic and overall world building was really great too. I didn't see the plot twist with Dania's grandmother at all! I thought the emperor manipulated the whole situation somehow. Either way this was an incredible novel and I truly enjoyed it.

Short Synopsis:
For She is Wrath is supposed to be a Pakistani retelling of the Count of Monte Cristo. Honestly I’ve seen the movies but I think I only read that book once, in high school, back in the 1900s. So for me I wasn’t constantly comparing the two books.
I felt like this book stood well on its own and honestly it is so refreshing to have a fantasy standalone book!! I’ve gotten overwhelmed with the amount of trilogies. So thank you Emily Varga for this debut novel.
Dania has been in prison for a year. All she wants is revenge on the people who are responsible for her prison sentence. She has a list of names (a la Arya Stark from Game of Thrones).
She befriends a fellow prisoner, Noor, (who is digging out of prison) and the two manage to escape together. And her revenge plot takes shape although it doesn’t go quite to plan. Nothing ever really does though when you combine anger, love and powerful magic.

You’ll love this book if you like:
Revenge
Magic
Found Family
Arya Stark-like heroine
Lovers-to enemies-to lovers

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for sending me an early copy of this book! All opinions are my own!

Where to start with such an enchanting story of feminine rage and revenge? Where to start with such a strong female character who is taken on a journey of family, friendship, and the costs of protecting them both? Where to start with such a vibrant Pakistani fantasy full of culture and mythology alike?

Varga does an amazing job of weaving a world unlike any other full of characters that tug at your heartstrings and make you live through every emotion possible on the winding journey with them. I think my favorite part of the book is the way that it was so character driven and really dove into studying the heart of feminine rage and revenge. There are books about revenge, and then there is For She is Wrath - a dissection of each aspect of revenge and the emotions that come with it.

I loved the romance and getting to know both Dania and Mazin through flashbacks more than the present. It gave a lot of depth to what might have been a flat romance without it and helped me really understand the stakes and the *feelings* behind the situation.

I cannot wait to see what Varga does with her writing career. If this is where she starts, we are only in store for more masterpieces!

Betrayal, greed, the need for power - Dania has imaged all the reasons that the person she trusted the most got her thrown in jail. I loved her drive for revenge and her rage at how she'd been treated. The one she stumbles into in her own cell - she was a great off-set and I liked her caution and her knowledge. Meeting the village and all those in it - this story was such an adventure. I loved the knowledge about swords and learning about Djinn magic. Great story, I was hooked from the start and it was a quick read!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Dania wants to escape and exact her revenge on those who betrayed her. Nothing goes her way until she meets Nor. A plan is coming together. Is now the time to act? Find out in For She is Wrath.

I would like to thank Wednesday Books for this ARC via Netgalley.

Look I loved The Count of Monte Cristo, but tried to read this with an open mind. The characters aren’t bad and it started off promising, but it wasn’t consistent. I wasn’t able to stop myself from making comparisons and the book didn’t meet the expectations. That being said as a debut novel, I’m excited for what the author has to offer. Thank you NetGalley for the arc.

This is a standalone Pakistani fantasy retelling of the count of Monte Cristo with Djinn magic. We follow a single POV throughout of Dania, who is the daughter to the weapon master of her village. She is fierce and has known how to wheeled a sword since she was six. Ultimately, she ends up being betrayed and thrown into prison, losing her life in the process. I honestly was so hooked by the first chapter and I had a hard time putting this book down when I needed to. I love how this book draws you in on such a low point in our FMC’s life. Her revenge is poorly planned until she meets a friend along the way. I really liked that there is a dual timeline going on between different chapters, of before and the present so you’re finding stuff out while important current events are taking place. Yes there is a romance element to this book, but it’s not a super big focus as compared to the revenge plot line. I did also enjoy the magic element to this story as well being as it was kind of more herbology based. This book also doesn’t shy away from the violence and has amazing fight scenes and I really love that we have a strong FMC who knows how to fight. I enjoyed the story overall and was happy with how things ended up turning out. I would look up triggers/warnings before reading.📖

Thanks to Wednesday Books for the #gifted copy!

A Pakistani retelling of THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO, this book is all the female rage wrapped up in a pretty cover. Dania has been in prison for a year, tortured and starved, and only wants to break out to get revenge on the boy who broke her heart for his own gain.

Emily’s writing is beautiful. I loved both the rage and romance elements, and there were a lot of great lines that stood out to me. There’s also fantastic friendship, constant action, and dual timelines, making this a really solid fantasy read.

Read for:
🗡️BA female main character
🗡️Rage and revenge
🗡️Djinn magic
🗡️Count of Monte Cristo retelling
🗡️Pakistani influence
🗡️Romance and friendship

For She is Wrath took me on an emotional rollercoaster from page one and had me hooked all the way through. A fast paced story, filled with thrilling action scenes, lovers to enemies to lovers, female rage, and an intense revenge plot, it had all the elements I crave in a fantasy read!

Dania is a fierce swordswoman who was betrayed by the person she loved the most, framed for a crime she didn’t commit, and left to rot in prison. Her journey is brutal, emotional, and full of twists. I adored her complex character – tough yet vulnerable, determined yet conflicted. The emotional depth of her character is evident through her struggles to stay true to herself while grappling with rage and a desire for justice.

The friendship bond between her and Noor—SO GOOD, they are always ready to sacrifice everything for each other, true found family vibes.

The chemistry between Dania and Mazin? 🔥🔥🔥 Their complex relationship carry the heart of the story, with intricate layers of lovers-turned-enemies. Their past connection makes the betrayal hit even harder, and the tension between them had me flipping pages like crazy. That push-and-pull, the sword training scenes, the hidden emotions… chef’s kiss!

Also, can we talk about the world-building? The unique djinn magic, the zoraat vegetation, the touches of Pakistani culture - architecture, food and fashion, and the use of Urdu words, added such a unique layer to the story, it makes this book stands out in the fantasy genre.

Overall, For She is Wrath is a well-executed retelling that balances fantasy, romance, and cultural lore. Varga masterfully reinterprets a classic tale, bringing a fresh perspective to themes of vengeance and redemption, making it a must-read for lovers of high-stakes revenge plots, strong female leads, and magical worlds. Dania’s rage and determination are so satisfying to witness, and the ending delivered with a twist that left me SHOOK. 😱

4.5⭐️s. I really had fun with this one. I love the Count of Monte Cristo, and this story has those elements. So very much sold me on reading it. Within the first five chapters, my attention was fully in. Betrayal on so many levels. Found family, romance, and treasure of sorts. Interesting magic system that gives me Lucy vibes if you’ve seen that movie. Only a part of it though. Definitely more to the magic system than that.

Dani has been framed for murder. For a year, she has been in the worst prison around. It’s not until another girl enters her cell via a hole that things take a turn. A turn that just might mean freedom. Noor even knows where to get stolen djinn treasure. This will help Dani seek her revenge on Mazin. It was his hunger for favor with the emperor. Enough to kill and frame Dani for it. With the help of the djinn magic, she will find the answers she seeks and so much more.

Be sure to check out For She is Wrath coming out October 29th! Thanks so much to @netgalley @emilyvargabooks and @stmartinspress for the advanced reader copy.

#netgalley #forsheiswrath #advancedreaderscopy #arcreader #bookstagram #shoplocal #shopsmallbusiness

Okay to be fair, I am not super familiar with "The Count of Monte Cristo", so I cannot speak to the accuracy of the retelling. I was promised an angry fmc, and a revenge plot and I was there for it. I'm thankful for being provided an arc from the publisher for this book, and I really hate giving lower ratings to debut authors, but this book did not work for me.

This is marketed as a Pakistani romantic fantasy, and the story begins with our fmc Dania wrongfully imprisoned because the man she loved betrayed her. She's angry alright, so that part delivered. There are a lot of creative metaphors for revenge throughout the book, which would have felt more powerful for me if they weren't so repetitive. I didn't do an actual count, but the reader is probably reminded that Dania wants to kill everyone that wronged her and take her revenge at least once every two pages. I did think the magic system was pretty interesting, and I liked the concept of having to mix and ingest these seeds that contain trace amounts of Djinn magic. The seeds are controlled by the Emperor, who is bad as Emperors are in fantasy worlds, and the process of mixing them is tedious and can absolutely kill you if it's done wrong. It is very convenient that the prisoner that accidentally tunnels into her cell (Noor) is both is a professional herbalist (seed mixer), and has access to copious amounts of magic seeds and money.

The characters all felt very one-dimensional. Dania = Angry. That is all. Noor = honestly felt like she had some sass in her when they first met in the prison but it quickly leached out of her as soon as they escaped and she became a tag-along sidekick character that serves as Dania's voice of reason. Bad guys = unrealistically bad for no reason, no nuance or depth, no redeeming qualities. The whole plot felt obvious and unrealistic. Dania messes up a lot, which is fine, but no one ever questions it. Dania essentially uses magic to change her appearance and goes undercover to take down all of the people who betrayed her. I won't lie, I was enjoying the scenes between undercover Dania and the guy who betrayed her. I thought that surely there must have been a misunderstanding, a good reason for the betrayal. There was not. The ending, including the insane twist at the end felt so incredibly random. There was no character development at all, it went from "murder murder murder" to a disney channel resolution? Were we trying to make it YA friendly or?? What in the world happened to those last 20 pages? I think that at it's core this story has potential. I love the concept and I feel like the author could have a lot of fun with this world. But as it is now, it fell really flat for me.

“I’d know you with any face. Any skin. Any hair. A thousand djinn could disguise you from me and I’d still be able to find you just by the sound of your breath.”

Short Synopsis:
For She is Wrath is a Pakistani retelling of the Count of Monte Cristo. Dania has been in prison for a year. All she wants is revenge on the boy who is responsible for her prison sentence but also the boy she loved. She befriends a fellow prisoner, Noor, and the two manage to escape together. And her revenge plot takes shape.

My Thoughts:
This was such a fantastic debut. Bravo Emily Vargo. 👏

This is “female rage” in book form, it’s full of revenge, killer swordswoman, and swoony romance. The revenge plot was captivating. The romance has me melting. The friendships were beautiful. Though I found some of the twists predictable, I loved the journey getting there.

What You’ll Find:
🖤Revenge
🔥 Burn it all down
🌆Corrupt city
⚔️Girl with swords
🗡️Arya Stark-like heroine
❤️‍🔥Lovers-to enemies-to lovers
🫠Swoony romance
2️⃣Dual timelines

“For She Is Wrath” is a stunning reimagining of The Count of Monte Cristo as a young woman in a Pakistani-inspired fantasy world, raging and grieving over the loss of her father from her prison cell, bent on escape. Dania and her father were framed for treason against the usurping emperor by her former lover and training partner Mazin, who is now the emperor’s right hand man. A fellow prisoner Noor, also attempting to escape, tunnels straight into Dania’s cell - prompting a partnership for the ages. They work together to escape and then, both motivated by their hatred for the emperor (and in Dania’s case, a lot of other people), embark on a series of magical buddy heists meant to trap, humiliate, and sometimes kill those who have wronged them.
This story is incredible for many reasons, not least the gorgeous writing, the nuance in grappling with the challenging themes of vengeance, justice, and forgiveness, and the spectacular character development. Dania and Noor’s friendship is the beating heart of the story, with each woman coming to appreciate and rely on the other for her skills and qualities - truly one of my favorite instances of found family that I’ve read. Mazin was a fascinating and mysterious figure, with the juxtaposition of Dania’s memories of training with him and his current work on behalf of the corrupt emperor leaving the reader constantly guessing as to his true motivations and loyalties. Running through the story is the undercurrent of djinn magic in the form of seeds, which are the emperor’s weapon of choice as well as one of Dania’s (her true affinity being with swords). The ability of power to corrupt is another fundamental theme. I also loved how we get to see so many people in this story who are trying to wreak vengeance upon others, and we get to compare the effect this has on each character and also where each of them will draw their lines (or in certain cases, not drawing any). An extremely satisfying read, highly recommend!

Oh my gosh. This book was such a ride and I was just hanging on for life. This takes feminine rage, and women scorned to a whole other level. I was grateful that the story just jumps right in. I read the Count of Monte Cristo in high school and absolutely loved it. So when I saw that this was was a romantic fantasy retelling I was excited to dive in. I will say that a lot of time when things are marketed as one thing they end up falling short but I think that this was spot on. Dania was a great character, I found her to be complex and I enjoyed watching her development throughout the book. The supporting cast of this book are all interesting and lend their own pieces to the story. I was glad to see that there weren't really any characters that were just thrown in as a space filler. The action in this book is fast paced and intense. The scheming and back ally politics are well planned out. I really enjoyed the pieces of Pakistani culture and lore that were included in the book and thought that they made this story so unique. This is a book that I don't regret staying up until 2am reading. And one that I cannot wait to add to my physical library.

What an incredible debut! For She Is Wrath was a perfect blend of feminine rage, adventure, intrigue and enemies-to-lovers, and I found myself hooked from the very start. I loved getting insight into Dania's life and the choices/circumstances that got her to where she is today, and I loved getting to witness her relationships with all of the other characters, especially Noor and Mazin. I'll be eagerly anticipating Emily's next release!

Short synopsis: Dania is falsely imprisoned for a crime she didn’t commit. Meeting up with a fellow inmate named Noor, they hatch a plan to escape prison, find the hidden djinn treasure, and enact revenge on those who wronged her.

My thoughts: I love a book with a strong female character and boy did Dani fit that portrayal tenfold. She was strong, smart, cunning, and at moments had to fight for her own humanity.

The romance subplot was also well done, betrayed by her best friend and the boy she loved. I really enjoyed their chemistry throughout and finding the reason behind the betrayal.

The ending came completely out of left field for me! Completely unexpected. Also, I didn’t realize this was a Count of Monte Cristo retelling, I’ve never read it but do remember watching the movie adaptation years ago.

Read if you love:
- Revenge plots
- Strong female protagonist
- Sword wielding
- Romance subplot
- Magic

A book full of feminine rage and the vengeance these women seek, in the end will vengeance be all it was cracked up to be or is love worth more than exacting revenge?

WOW. This was a ride of a book with twists in the end that I didn’t see coming. A true coming of age of how vengeance can take control of our lives if we let it.

This book was fast paced with family, grief and loss, friendship, betrayal, revenge, and above all, love.

Goodness I wish I could re-read this for the first time again. This was non-stop rip your hair out stress in the best way. I knew it was based on another story so I kind of guessed a few of the plot twists but the road there was painstaking. I’ve already preordered my copy! This was beautifully written.

For She is Wrath really swept me in and got me invested early on in the story. I thought the characters were intriguing and I wanted to know them. I do think the story moved a bit fast, moved through feelings to quickly, but overall was a fun read.