A Pakistani Count of Monte Cristo retelling? Sign me up! I very much enjoyed this retelling and found the magic in this intriguing. Djinn magic, but with a bit of a twist. Enemies to lovers to enemies....to lovers again? I'm all for it. The way the main character, Dania enacts her revenge on several characters had me rooting for her.

Dania was betrayed. Her closest friend and dearest confidant, Mazin, betrayed her and sentenced her to a lifetime in prison where she is constantly tortured by the prison warden and forced to live the moments of her lover's treachery over and over again. Still, Dania will stop at nothing to escape the confines of the jail cell. She is full of rage and vengeance and will find her revenge.

This book includes:
- flashbacks to Dania's childhood with Maz
- female rage to the MAX
- childhood friends to lovers to mortal enemies
- betrayal all day every day
- mystical powers accessible through djinn-blessed seeds
- found family and female friendship
- some morally gray behavior
- vengeance and vindictiveness
- brief mentions of death and torture

If you have been craving some ruthless female characters, look no further than "For She Is Wrath." This standalone book explores every level of betrayal and how it can impact a person. It expertly exposes readers to several characters who are looking to enact revenge and shows readers how each of them are individually impacted by their blood thirst. Dania is uniquely brave, brash, sensitive, and yet unfeeling. She is so consumed by single-minded desire that she is almost directionless and untethered. She loves so wholeheartedly and hates even more.

The book is written so well that I could feel myself being consumed by Dania's scheme alongside her. I found myself underlining passages many times in this book and I imagine that it will speak to many women who are grappling with rage or betrayal in their lives. My only complaint is that I did feel like the final few chapters wrapped up the conflict a little too quickly and a bit too conveniently for me, although it was the ending I wanted regardless.

I received this eBook as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Emily Varga for the opportunity to review this book. This review is also available on my GoodReads - check out my profile https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/62314863

Dania is the daughter of the village swordsmith. She is a strong sword fighter. She has everything she needs until her best friend and lover betray her and take everything from her. Now, Dania wants revenge. In prison, she meets someone who holds the exact thing she needs to enact her revenge.

I love books with strong, vengeful female main characters and Dania did not disappoint. The book is fast-paced and I enjoyed it a lot. I thought Dania and Noor’s friendship was refreshing. I loved the family they found in each other despite everything they went through. Despite the parts I enjoyed, I thought the scene where she finally takes revenge on her final enemy was anticlimactic. However, it still tied everything together well.

A fun, quick and solid read.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a retelling of “Count of Monte Crisco”. It is a very fast paced book, with a strong FMC. It does have some twists that were not fully expected, and at times was an emotional rollercoaster. There is tension between the main characters, but I feel that keeps it intriguing for the duration of the story. It was interesting to see the choices the FMC made on her journey for revenge.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In a word -
Pakistani culture
Lovers to enemies to ?
Djinn magic
Female rage
Revenge
YA

4.5 rounded up! Wasn't sure if I was more in love with Dania or Mazin. Maybe even Noor 👀 A lot of well written characters and I loved every single one. I've never read a Pakistani inspired fantasy and I was missing out. The culture is beautiful! The setting, the wardrobe, the weapons, the food? Amazing. Especially the food. I can't wait to try some of the cuisine and I'm looking for an authentic place near me ASAP. The Djinn magic aspect is so cool and also a little bit dark so I really liked that. Not all magic is good magic and im here for it. Plot twist I didn't expect and a decent resolution for all parties (that's where the .5 comes in).

As always thank you to the author and the publisher and Netgalley as well.


*Disclaimer - I've not read The Count of Monte Cristo that this was inspired by so I cannot speak on that!

📖 releases October 29, 2024

For She Is Wrath by Emily Varga is a loose retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo with a female main character. There were some interesting twists and turns in turns in this book.

I'm not much of a YA reader, but if you enjoy YA books you will like this.

Thank you to Netgalley, Emily Varga, and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

For She is Wrath by Emily Varga is a story loosely based on the Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, if you fall for the description of the book. Dumas didn’t wrote about djinns. Yes, she is imprisoned and meets another girl who is trying, too, to escape the prison, the guards and their torturer.
If you read is as a teen/ya book, it’s ok.

For She is Wrath by Emily Varga, a remixed version of the Count of Monte Cristo, starts as a prison drama, than becomes an escape thriller, morphs next into revenge fantasy, and finally into a mystery. The twists and turns will keep you on your mental toes page to page trying to keep up with the ever-changing dynamics of Dania, Noor, and Mazin. The gender swapping adds a new dimension to an old classic as does the new setting, Pakistan, adding mysticism to the story and new constraints for the characters to overcome.

I loved every part of this book, review to come closer to publication date but absolutely a 5⭐️ read for me.

Wow! This book has left me speechless. It exceeded my expectations in the best way. The world building and fantasy elements are well developed and the plot is well thought out. I couldn't put the book down once I started it was AMAZING

I love me a good fantasy with a strong fmc. I found the plot pretty easy to follow once I got more into the story which is great for fantasy.

4/5 stars
Recommended if you like: retellings, female rage, revenge, schemes

This review has been posted to Goodreads as if 7/25 and will be posted to my review blog on 8/13 and to Instagram on 8/14.

This book was fairly entertaining and fast-paced. Despite requesting the ARC, I dragged my feet when it came to reading it, but once I started I sped through it and was eager to see what was going to happen next. Was it perfect? No. But it's definitely entertaining and definitely scratches the itch for scheming characters.

I'll preface this review by saying I DNF'd The Count of Monte Cristo about 50% of the way through over a decade ago and haven't touched it since, so I can't really say how well this book does at reinterpreting it.

First, I'll say that I found the concept of zoraat interesting and I definitely wish we learned more about the different blends and effects. Taking too much zoraat, however, can begin turning you 'dark,' and taking the wrong mix can kill you. I like that the zoraat comes in the same general types, but it's the way the different types are mixed together that creates an effect. Noor does a good job explaining it, but getting an entry-level explanation is different than having lots of experience.

Dania is in prison for supposedly murdering a tribal chief from the north. She insists she didn't do it, and since she's an experienced swordswoman and the victim was killed via poison, I'd definitely have believed it in the king's shoes...but what do I know? She's spent her time in prison being tortured and plotting revenge, so when the moment pops up for her to escape, she takes it. While she's definitely rage-filled, Dania also craves human connection, and is unwilling to let fellow prisoner, Noor, continue to rot in jail when the other girl is why she can escape in the first place.

Noor is in prison for her mentor having stolen zoraat from the emperor, which is considered treason. She's been kept alive because the prison warden, and emperor, believe she knows where the stolen zoraat was hidden. Prior to being imprisoned, Noor was an expert at mixing different zoraat blends, and thus is an invaluable ally. I did like Noor, but for someone who says they want revenge, she preaches caution and letting go more than I'd expect.

Most of the book is spent plotting and executing revenge plans. Dania seems to be the mastermind behind the planning, with Noor helping to ensure everything goes off without a hitch. I really liked seeing their plans come to fruition, and I think one of the highlights of this book is that Dania doesn't tell us her plans ahead of time, we simply see them in action.

The two girls have a very specific list of people they're looking to take down: the captain of the guard, Dania's ex-lover, Dania's father's best friend, and the emperor. The first two are actually easy enough to accomplish with some planning, but the latter two prove to be more difficult, not least because Dania seems to still have some lingering feelings.

I have to say, I was disappointed in the direction things took with the ex-lover, Mazin. Obviously you can't just turn your feelings on and off, but man does Dania struggle to keep her head on straight when he's around. She does pretty well for a while, but it's clear pretty soon after their first time seeing each other again that Dania is probably not going to be able to carry through her revenge fantasy. Considering Maz doesn't have a good reason for betraying her (and betray her he did), I would have preferred Dania stick to her guns and get revenge on everyone, not just the people she dislikes. I wanted to see her punish Maz. I wanted to see her be villainous. And we just don't get that.

There was a good twist toward the end that I 100% didn't see coming. I was quite surprised when it happened and enjoyed it. However, the twist really does just serve to push the anti-revenge narrative, and I think it could've been more interesting if it had been used as a mirror to show how revenge can go two different directions: one unjustified and one justified.

Overall this was an entertaining read, though I will say the opening couple of chapters reads as an early-2010s YA book. The later prose is better and by and large I enjoyed the plot.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this!!! I like the premise of this book a lot. Nothing better than anger and rage with a hint of magic sprinkled in. The back and forth between the characters is a lot of fun, but I feel like this could have been fleshed out a bit more. Dialogue is good, but missing something important. However, I will say it is very refreshing not to have a series for once. To just be able to read a standalone all by itself without wondering when the next one will be out or if I don't remember something from the first book.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc. This story was amazing. Dania is a young woman who was wrongfully imprisoned and while in prison was plotting her revenge. During her plotting a prisoner in the cell next to her burrows into her cell and they become instant friends and continue to plot on their revenge. Dania was betrayed by the person she loves. Her father, the finest swordsmith in the area with the best sword collection, was murdered for his sword collection. During Dania’s imprisonment she was abused and neglected. So she gathers zoorat (magical and dangerous jinn seeds) to help her accomplish her goal of vengeance.

Although the book's premise was intriguing, I found its execution somewhat lacking. I was initially drawn to the story by its revenge-seeking heroine, deceived by her lover, and the Pakistani-influenced elements. While we do get a female main character driven by vengeance and retribution, the repetition of this theme felt excessive. The characters seemed superficial and immature, which is somewhat acceptable for a YA fantasy, but I still couldn't connect with any of them. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to read a digital copy of For She is Wrath, as I was very excited by its compelling premise. Unfortunately, the story didn't meet my expectations, but I would recommend it to young readers new to YA fantasy. It's an accessible, action-packed, and quick read.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I did not request to read this book. It was offered as I was reading another NetGalley arc that mentioned the book this one is based off. It was a weird coincidence! I did not have time to read this but have added it to my tbr list in the future!

"For She is Wrath", the deubt novel by Emily Varga, is a breathtaking Pakistani retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo that seamlessly blends dark magic, revenge, and a powerful love story. Dania’s journey from betrayal to vengeance is both gripping and heart-wrenching, filled with unexpected twists and rich cultural elements. The dynamic between Dania and Mazin is electric, making the tension and chemistry palpable. Thank to to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was really hard to get through. The plot building was a bit sporadic which also made it hard to get to know the characters. Was also not really much different than any other fantasy book on the market.

This was an ok read. I liked that the main character was very head strong but that’s about it. There wasn’t really anything original to this story. It was very light on the details, as if it wasn’t fully fleshed out. Some conversations felt repetitive and drawn out. There wasn’t a lot happening that kept the plot moving along. I really didn’t understand why revenge was a huge piece of the plot but the main character had ample opportunities to enact said revenge and kept delaying for some bigger chance.

I love retellings and a retelling of "The Count of Monte Cristo"? WELL DONE. Seriously. This was truly supburb. From start to finish this book was an absolute dream. The characters were very well-developed and stood out as well written and the plot was powerful and dynamic as well. The magic elements added an extra element and were explained throughout the story.