I really struggled with this story. I kept trying to get into it over and over, slogging through and it's just oddly paced. It's not really a Count of Monte Cristo retelling - so that's a poor marketing point. While I appreciate the woman scorned story, Dania never really gives you a solid reason to connect with her. It's so slow to develop and moves 0 to 60 from place to place, not to mention the constant me me me from the first person POV - so much telling without showing! Flashbacks are a powerful tool, but it wasn't wielded well here.

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

For She is Wrath is a crackling, gorgeous debut about the need for redemption and forgiveness, but also about the power of female rage. The characters were very well-developed and achingly real. I truly didn't know what Dania would choose in the end, thanks to Varga's excellently nuanced characterization. The plot snaps along, constantly keeping readers on their toes. I do think that the setting was too-sparsely described and the magic system was a bit hand wave-y about how it worked, which took some power out of the climax; a more thorough understanding would have driven home the power of Dania's decisions better .

Still, a powerfully impressive novel from a hugely talented voice (catch all the adverbs there ;) )

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ Wednesday Books for the ebook ARC. All opinions are mine alone.

i think i’ve been incredibly grateful lately to have FINALLY read some 5 star books, and this book is one of them! i’ve never read the book this is inspired by so i can’t tell you how accurate this is as a retelling but i believe that this book stands rightfully on its own as a literary masterpiece in my head. the protagonist is quite frankly the most fearless protagonist i’ve read in a while in a way that is not artificial or boastful - she stays true to her revenge on behalf of loved ones, and she continuously reflects on her decisions instead of diving headfirst in naivety as i see play out in so many other books…so needless to say i IMMENSELY enjoyed dania’s inner monologue and even more so her complicated relationship with mazin. emily varga said lovers to enemies and she absolutely delivered as dania was flip flopping between resolute and doubtful in her revenge towards her ex - she really was morally gray in her actions and i absolutely admired her for that. one last last gush about this book is noor!! her refreshing to see a female friendship that did not stand for noor’s bs but also was so so supportive of her actions. love everything about this book.

I loved this fresh new imagining of The Count of Monte Cristo! This is a Pakistani version with a young female heroine instead of a male, with the added plot point of djinn and magic. This was similar, but it is definitely its own story. I loved the setting, the characters and the pacing. The themes were well written and included throughout the story, not just dropped in randomly for the sake of plot. Thank you, Emily Varga, for giving us this story and St. Martin's Press for an early advanced copy.

Gor she is wrath is rich in djinn magic and betrayel. Revenge felt like a buzz word throughout this book. You couldn't read a chapter without that word popping up like at least 3 times. Most of this book took place in prison or at least that's how it felt sometimes. I feel like tge pacing was just off and I was super disappointed that this didn't turn sapphic. I was really anticipating it and when it went in the other direction I was a little annoyed. However toward the end the character growth from from our heroine made up for it a little. Not one of my favorites but it was still written well enough to be entertaining.

For She Is Wrath is a tale of vengeance, courage, allyship, friendship, and hope. Falsely accused of the murder of a Northern warlord, we first meet Dania while she is imprisoned, planning her escape from torture in prison to execute her revenge on those who have wronged her, including her ex-lover.

Female rage! Vengeance! Djinn magic! Lovers to enemies! What more could you want?! This book successfully converted me into identifying as a fantasy fan.

I was hooked by Varga’s worldbuilding from the start. Dani is lionhearted, and I loved how her relationship with fellow prisoner Noor developed as they brought their plans to fruition. Using a secret treasure rife with djinn magic, Dani and Noor return to the city to exact their revenge on the emperor who took everything from them, using his own power against him. The only thing standing between them and their vengeance? Dani’s ex-lover who betrayed her: Maz. Try as she might, her feelings for him may still be more complex than she wants them to be, even as she operates her plans in disguise.

This was a perfect YA adventure filled with heart-racing action, political intrigue, dark magic, and well-written, fully realized characters. I was so invested in Dania’s story, especially the way Varga wrote her friendship with Noor as the beating heart of the story, keeping Dani aware of not losing herself in her quest for justice. This undoubtedly deserves a spot on your TBR.

4.5 rounded up.

Do you love a woman's rage? If so, this book is for YOU. For She is Wrath follows Dania, who has been imprisoned for a year after being wrongfully charged with murder. Her goal is to escape and then, one by one, kill the men who imprisoned her.

This book is a Pakistani-inspired retelling of the Count of Monte Cristo, and this book was so good that I'm considering picking up the 1200+ page classic. This book explores the desire for revenge and vengeance and what it can do to a person. It's written as YA, but it feels much more adult in its themes. My only critiques is that there could have been a bit more backstory to Noor and Mazin, as well as a little more world building to the empire. The ending came a bit quickly as well. I think this book could have been about 50-75 pages longer to really flesh out the world.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for anARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of my most anticipated reads for 2024 and I LOVED it.

I’ve never read the Count of Monte Cristo but I absolutely love good retellings.

The lovers to enemies trope is one of my favorites and this absolutely delivered.

“A thousand djinn could disguise you from me & I’d still be able to find you”

Thank you for the arc!

This book does itself a disservice in advertising as a Count of Monte Cristo retelling. Perhaps I would not have been so harsh on it had I not read Monte Cristo recently or that comparison had not been put into my mind. I think Monte Cristo is an actual masterpiece. Diluting that 1200 page book down to 350 or whatever is just not going to go well.

This book lacks the stakes that Monte Cristo took the time to develop. In this book our MC uses djinn magic to change her appearance. It last a month. This is so so different from Dantes' purposeful and meticulous transformation into the Count. Everything Dantes does after he escapes prison is extremely planned with so many moving parts. It is a perfectly executed game of chess. He spent 15 years planning it, fueled by so much hatred. This book is a girl just messing around for a month on whatever she gets distracted by.

I heard "female Pakistani Count of Monte Cristo reimagining" and ran toward this book. Despite such a strong concept, the actual execution fell flat. Though I understand the author's choice to write this in first-person POV, the overuse of the word "I" becomes draining within the first chapter. We're told SO much that honestly doesn't matter (show, don't tell!). The use of flashbacks wasn't executed well, leaving us without any real empathy for a character who was wrongfully imprisoned. There's a way to get readers to empathize with a MC who is out for revenge without painting that character as an antagonist. We should have been rooting for her every SECOND, but instead, Dania is exhausting. There are too many scenes that seem implausible, too (like one prisoner digging into another's cell, but no one hearing it--and two prisoners missing for long periods of the day, yet no one noticing). Having Mazin's POV would have helped, though I understand the desire to keep this focused on Dania. Recommended to romantasy / retelling lovers.

🤍Thank you Wednesday Books for the gifted arc🤍
I very solid standalone! I love the story of The Count of Monte Cristo, so I was really excited for this retelling. While it did stay fairly close to the original in the beginning, it set itself apart in the second half.

I really think that the storyline kept the general idea of Monte Cristo, but added its own flair of twists and turns. Also, I really enjoyed the romance and the side characters.

My only complaints is the pacing felt a little off and I would have loved this to be a bit longer so some of the plot could get flushed out!

4.5 ⭐️

When a YA fantasy makes me forget or not even realize it’s YA, I pick my jaw up off the floor and give the author all the praise I can put words to. This book delivers a solid female driven fantasy story. We follow Dania/Dani as she comes to terms with the greatest betrayal of her life. With Pakistani lore in djinn as a foundation for this world’s magic system, Dani must battle her drive for revenge with the phantoms of her past. This is a Count of Monte Cristo retelling; I thought it really worked! I intimately know the Count of Monte Cristo and thoroughly enjoyed the parallels between the two stories. Dani is cunning, strong, and capable.

This is a standalone fantasy with a bangin' ending.

Thank you NetGalley, Emily Varga, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin’s press for ARCs of this story.

3.5 stars

This was an enjoyable listen, but not a perfect book. I actually think you might enjoy it more if you haven’t read the Count of Monte Cristo.

The good:
Love the Pakistani and gender flipped take on the story.
It’s fast paced with some sword fights along the way, and lots of danger.
It’s got a much happier ending than the OG!

The could have been better:
The world building and djinn magic needed more work.
The half-baked plans and lack of consistency from our characters seemed sadly typical of some YA books.
The twist? I didn’t like it and it seemed so out of left field.

Overall, I think this will work for a lot of people, and so I’d recommend if you’re looking for an accessible swashbuckling take on a classic.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the preview. All opinions are my own.

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Omg this book was beyond amazing . The set up for starter was perfection for me , loved that is fresh at least in the sea of new books coming out. I like that is lets burn this world down and Diana rage amazing . this was definitely something that keep me hooked thru the whole book and left me wanting more .

Let me start this off by saying I’m a HUGE ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ fan. It was the book that got me into reading growing up. So I have very high standards when you say a retelling.

This book ended up not being a thing for me. The concept was there for me, but the execution fell off.

One of my main issues is where the author decided to start the story. It starts off when our main character is in prison, and then you are fed the backstory through flash backs. I thought the flash backs were not a good way to tell our main characters story because it leaves you in the characters weird headspace to start first. Which for a lot of people you would not like the main character. You want to grow & feel that pain with them.

The opening chapter of this book was very good. I liked the use of violence in a way that drives the story. Also, I did feel like the pacing of this book was very fast in a good way.

My other main issue with the book is the lack of depth. With starting off in the prison, I felt so disconnected from the our main character. I want to feel for her & when she found out about her father, but I wasn’t given the chance. It felt like the author wanted me to apply what I know the plot of ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ to Dania. Also, she was only in prison for a YEAR. The whole point of the original story is how much Edmond’s life gets stolen away, including his years as a youth. It just felt not as impactful. The revenge didn’t feel as well deserved either.


There also could have been better world building & set up for the magic system. Overall, I think retelling ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ in 400 pages was not the best decision. In my opinion, it should have been at least 600 so the author could establish the story.

I would be very interested in reading something else the author has written because I did enjoy the writing. I just don’t think this book could work for me because of how beloved the original work is.


Thank you NetGalley & St. Martin's Press/ Wednesday Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow this was amazing! At first it took me a little bit to get into the story and it felt a little too similar to the original but then it took off! I love the main character she is so fierce and badass and the story went in such an interesting direction! Will be adding to our library for sure!

A great book! I have to admit, at the beginning when the story very closely followed the story of Count of Monte Cristo, I was very worried that it would just be a repeat story with the gender swap. It ended up being great though! The setting and magic system were great, the characters were well developed, the romance was awesome. Overall a great read!

4.5⭐️ This is the best fantasy I have read in a little bit! I loved Dania and Noor's friendship and their strength. I can't really remember anything about "Count of Montecristo" so I can't really compare. I love a good book about revenge. I hated Mazin until I didn't. There was a moment in the end that I got mad at Dani so I took a half star away for that. That being said it was a very solid read in my opinion and I will definitely be getting a physical copy.

I really loved this story! It was full of betrayal, wrath and revenge but also the power of friendship, and love! I loved these characters, they were well written. This tale was fast paced and full of action, twists and never a dull moment. The world building and little bits of magic were interesting. I would love to see a sequel based off Noor's character in the future!

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

5 🌟

This is a Pakistani retelling of the classic Count of Monte Cristo. This book was incredibly well done. I have not read the classic it is based on, I only know the general story. Despite not knowing the source material very well, I enjoyed this book immensely. It is so atmospheric, everything is described incredibly well and in such detail I feel like I am there. I cared deeply about the characters and their motivations were so clear, deep, and complex. I cannot recommend this book enough!