Overall this was a good YA retelling of Count of Monte Cristo. I enjoyed the Pakistani setting and the inclusion of the djinn and the djinn magic. The story was a much more simplified Monte Cristo, much like reading the abridged version. I loved the redemption of Mazin, though the ending as a whole did feel a little rushed from the time her grandmother is revealed to the ending of the djinn. I think the simplification of the story cause the ending to suffer a little. Overall I think this was a great retelling and I enjoyed the characters.

I distinctly recall telling myself that this better not be another story where…well, it was and I still loved it.

What would you do if you had abundant magic and wealth to seek vengeance for a crime committed against you? Most would seek retribution and vindication. But what if those actions would tone you of your humanity and make you just as horrible as your tormentors? These are questions our heroins must face.

I loved the resulting story and would love to read future stories from this author.

I read this in one sitting! Emily's storytelling is incredible. I'm a huge fan of the Count of Monte Cristo, and you can tell the tenderness and care that Emily took while crafting this YA re-telling of a classic tale. I could stay in this world forever and spend time with these characters for ages, but I can't wait to see what Emily crafts next.

Overall, this book was good but fell flat of what I expected. Despite being interested in the plot, overall, I found myself struggling to get through it at times. It felt simultaneously too long without giving me the depth that I wanted. I would’ve liked some more world building. Interestingly, what bothered me the most was how the MMC betrayed her without some real explanation. I understood what the author was trying to do, but I was hoping that there was some deeper plot or misunderstanding that led to the events of her ending up in prison. It was kind of a boring mistake if that makes any sense.
I liked that the FMC made a friend and seem to grow from that friendship. I wish we would have been able to see more about her and her revenge, But overall, I liked her as a character. I thought the “magic system” was interesting and different and I liked how it wasn’t something to be used without consequences.
I felt as though the beginning of the book and the end of the book were gripping and enjoyable. It was the middle that lost me, which is what leads to my rating.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the digital ARC and the chance to review this book!

Beautiful retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo. Two strong female leads, a touch of magic, multiple big bads and true love. Action, tension, friendship, revenge, and a surprise ending- so good!

I have not previously read The Count of Monte Cristo, but I am familiar with it and liked the idea of this retelling; for me, it really followed through. There was a good revenge plot and enemies to lovers, but there could have been greater depth to the story, which I might have missed due to not reading The Count of Monte Cristo.

I had so much fun reading this ARC. Dania is an incredible main character, I'm a little in love with her. The story was compelling and fast paced. Emily Varga's writing is compelling and addictive. I was hooked from the beginning. Also the enemies to lovers was enemies to loversing immaculately. This is a great read for any fantasy fans.

Thank you #NetGalley and #St.Martin's Press for allowing me an advanced copy of Emily Varga's For She Is Wrath in exchange for my honest review.

Emily Varga's retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo adds depth to a great classic. First, the main character Dania is wrongly framed for killing a man and is locked in prison. Dania makes a plan to escape and unfortunately, that does not go as planned. As she patiently waits for the right moment to escape. One night her prison floor opens up and another fellow prisoner is trying to dig her way out. That person would be Noor, both of the girls make a plan to work together to dig themselves free. Their plan and escape go awry. Dania and Noor must fight to escape or they will be forever locked away. With more bloodshed left behind them, they escape the prison. Instead of going quietly back into society Noor and Dania, make a plan that involves swords, and magic djinn to seek revenge on their sworn enemies. To find out if the fearless girls seek revenge read For She is Wrath today.

Dania pasó el último año en la cárcel por culpa del hombre que amaba, la traicionó y le echó la culpa de algo que ella no hizo. Cuando intenta escapar, la descubren y la encierran con otra presa rebelde, ahí conoce a Noor quien quiere salir y vengarse, entonces unen fuerzas para salir y ayudarse a vengarse.


La historia en general está entretenida, pero al llegar a la parte de la venganza me decepcionó. Esperaba más de Dania, no duró nada al intentar matar a Mazin, sólo se necesitó que le pidiera una disculpa toda rancia para que ella olvidara cómo la traicionó, que por su culpa su padre murió y ella fue a dar a la cárcel. Sólo una mísera disculpa y ya estaba en sus brazos. 😒

No lo tome como retelling del Conde de Monte Cristo porque siento que le faltaría mucho, pero como inspiración está bien.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely love re-tellings. So, when I saw that Emily Varga wrote a Count of Monte Cristo fantasy retelling, I immediately went to NetGalley, requested an ARC, and did the ARC rain dance to increase my chances. Luckily, I snagged a copy and devoured it in less than 24 hours.

Listen… it's a Count of Monte Cristo re-telling with a female protagonist who is so badass with a sword and hell-bent on revenge. AND we get a female side character who ALSO has a revenge plot and djinn magic. What is there not to like?!

In all seriousness, this is such an imaginative retelling that certainly carves its own path to stand toe-to-toe with Dumas' original classic. There are twists and revenge, and the body count starts to add up. The magic system is also explained perfectly, setting the stage for those in power to receive a rude awakening.

I was a bit worried that Varga was attempting to write a YA rendition of this classic since Dumas' original story is thick. But Varga knew her audience and made this novel very approachable at a faster pace than the source material. We spend just enough time in each location while the FMC moves through some high-stakes situations. Overall, the pace really hooked me to not put this down.

I have not read any Pakistani high fantasy novels aimed at a YA audience, so I loved that this brought me into a new world with a new POV. The Islamic cultural elements were so compelling and unique that I was truly enthralled by the plot. Even if you do not normally read YA books, this one will capture your heart, and you will be racing to see if Dania, our FMC, finally gets revenge and justice for the crimes committed against her and her family.

I was unfamiliar with the retelling this story did. That aside, I thought this was wonderfully executed. It kept me on the edge of my seat. The action and plot is unmatched in many fantasy novels. The female rage in this book filled me with such happiness. I love heroines who are ruthless. It was full of betrayal, loyalty, and love. A must read.

I was pretty disappointed with this one.

There was souch telling that I could not get into the story. Dani's inner monologue was annoying in its repetitiveness. There was a lot of back and forth about revenge and noor couldn't decide if she supported revenge or not. She basically was supposed to serve as moral anchor but she also wanted revenge so her lecturing had less weight with me.

There was so much potential. In the end this story fell very flat. I felt no connection with any of the characters. Everything was told.

I have never read The Count if Monte Cristo so I may have been at a bit of a disadvantage/advantage there. I went into the story blind not having any preconceived notions about how the story was supposed to go.

That being said, I enjoy a well executed FMC who is complex and not one dimensional. I felt that the author gave is that in Dania. I also love a good revenge plot, which this book also had.

All in all i enjoyed this book. And it was a first for me reading a Pakistani romance/fantasy book. I will definitely be looking for more.

I really wanted to like this one. The title is so great but it really fell flat for me. I wish the characters were a bit more fleshed out.

This book was one of my most anticipated reads of the year AND IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT! I cannot wait for the rest of the world to experience the brilliance that is this beautiful world full of vengeance & love that Emily Varga has created!

I was so intrigued by a Pakistani retelling of the Count of Monte Cristo and loved some of the original spins on the retelling of such a well known story. Our main female lead is a strong woman set on vengeance against all who have wronged her and I was here for it.

Unfortunately, the world building and character development was not as well fleshed out as it should have been and much of the story fell flat and I did not connect with it. The story was fast paced but towards the end it was to its detriment because everything continued to get resolved too quickly. I like my characters to fight for their wins a little more.

Thank you to St. Marten's Press, netgalley, and Emily Vargas for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

omg that was so good! I've never read The Count of Monte Cristo, but I'm always down for a retelling! anyways: the plot of unique in the parts that mattered, I loved Noor (Dani was likeable enough), and the romance was freaking amazing! lovers-to enemies-to lovers!? yes, please <3 I'll deff be buying this when it come out!

even though it wasn't a five star for me, I still would 10/10 recommend this! happy reading!

Dania is all anger and vengeance after she is betrayed by her ex-lover Mazin, yet finds it increasingly difficult to deny her lingering feelings when she sets out to kill him. I enjoyed their tension-filled romance, Dani's general badd-ass-ery (her depiction in the title and cover 👌), and the narrative themes of power and agency. On the other hand, I found it more difficult to connect completely with the characters and the story; things seemed to fall into place a little too easily with limited world building to justify/explain why they may have happened the way they did. Overall, this was a fun read and perfect for anyone who enjoys a YA with a strong FMC!

After a slow beginning and struggling to get into this book, I was finally able to push through it. While I enjoyed the story, I found parts of it repetitive. It felt like the anger/vengeance/retribution/revenge piece was the only thing keeping the story moving forward at times and it was like pounding my head against the table. I had to roll my eyes and stuff down my own anger at the repetitiveness before I could push on.

Seeing Dani with Aman and Mazin together, and seeing the flashbacks that explained their relationship prior to her imprisonment, were some of my favorite parts. Dani was more human and less controlled by her anger. I like that the ending brought back that humanity in her.

I also enjoyed the fight scenes and the twists at the end. Good story.

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

TLDR: I wanted to DNF this book at multiple times.

FSIW is 400 pages. It's about 200 pages too long. It most definitely could have been shorter, and the author probably deserved to have an editor that did her justice and the story justice. I don't know much about the publishing world (most of it from Yellowface), but someone or someones needed to have more input. So, hopefully with reviews from the ARC there might have been some changes.

FSIW is summarized as "A sweeping, Pakistani romantic fantasy retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo, where one girl seeks revenge against those who betrayed her—including the boy she used to love." The "Pakistani" elements were there and they felt forced. Is this a retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo? Sort of. Romantic fantasy? It's got some magical elements of seeds that give people power. And yes, there is a romance, one that will make you want too smack the FMC. You probably will want to smack the FMC for other reasons, but that relationship is just one of them.

The FMC is on a journey to seek revenge for being framed, the death of her family, a lover turned enemy, and the ones who tortured her. She brings along a sidekick, who seems very unnecessary and such a poorly written character (no personality of their own), who also is seeking revenge. Both are young and make really immature decisions that will have you wondering "why?"

FSIW is time that I wish I could have my time back for. Thank you Netgalley, and to the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC for a review.