First, the title is perfection. Second, the story being completed in 1 book is what really intrigued me and it was well done. There was some repetition I didn't care for, but overall I thought this was well written with flushed out 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 am just going to say. Don't expect too much. If you do, then you will be disappointed. It's not a bad fantasy read. It's okay. It had potential in being an amazing fantasy read. It just lacks depth. We needed more than what we read.

For She is Wrath is a captivating book by Emily Varga. Your heart just breaks for Dania who has been wrongly accused for a crime she didn’t commit. This is an enemies to lovers book.. that started as lovers haha. It is very well written and keeps you on the edge of your seat for sure!

The Count of Monte Cristo gets a fierce, feminine spin. Varga creates a a bold, bright fantastical gem set in an intriguing and original world that captures the heart of the classic with wit, sophistication, and heart that may just spark your own main character energy. I highly recommend.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, Netgalley , and the author for a complimentary copy of this ebook. I am leaving a voluntary review. All thoughts and ideas expressed are my own.

This was a really interesting retelling of the Count of Monte Cristo, especially having a young, female, Pakistani protagonist. There's a dash of romance and a great story of friendship between the MC and another girl she was imprisoned with. Ultimately it was just a really solid, suspenseful interpretation of a classic story. The action scenes were well executed, the characters were developed well, and the story flowed. Great YA and adult read!

Do you need some feminine rage in your life right about now?

This is the book to pick up. This is a powerful fantasy following a girl who thirsts for vengeance and is filled with rage for the betrayals she’s faced and the life that was destroyed by men. We journey with her on her quest to avenge herself and her family against cruel, sadistic, power-hungry men.

It was SO immensely satisfying to read. I was drawn deeply into the plot on the very first page and it never let me down. Everything about this is executed absolutely flawlessly, from the characters and their multifaceted relationships to the plotting and pacing.

I highly, highly recommend this. You do not want to miss out on the magic and raw, unrelenting talent of the author as displayed in this debut. I’ll read anything she writes.

Now more than ever, this story of female empowerment and strength is vital and healing.

Please pick it up.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the ARC! All thoughts, opinions, and hero worship of Emily Varga are my own.

Full disclosure: I both read and listened to this novel. The audiobook's narrator is AMAZING, making it worth downloading.
I really liked this book. But then again, I always like books with strong female protagonists, especially ones that can be viewed as resilient, courageous heroines. For She is Wrath is a wonderful retelling of the Count of Monte Cristo, but this time as a Pakistani romantic fantasy. Loving the classic, I couldn’t help but be enamoured of this tale.
As with the Count of Monte Cristo, our tale begins with a daring prison break. Fast-paced and immediately engaging, we follow Dania, a strong-willed and determined young woman, on her bloody and daring journey from prison to the man who betrayed her…the man she loved.
This plot-driven novel is what young adults most often gravitate to first. It reads like a movie and would be an excellent addition to a classroom library and an engaging read-aloud.

Holy macaroni this book was such a fun read.

Interesting MC though wish the rest of the cast had been fleshed out more.
Always love a good jinn angle in my fantasy.

The ending was just meh compared to the rest of it but really enjoyed it over all. Didn’t take too long to get into it and then didn’t want to put it down.

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.

✨ Review ✨ For She is Wrath

Thanks to Wednesday Books and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

The Count of Monte Cristo is one of my all-time favorite classics and so I was sold instantly when I saw this was a Pakistani YA retelling of this story. This followed main plot points of the original and yet feels entirely different. The writing is so catchy and emotional, and I could fly through giant chunks of this book without hardly blinking!

This follows our feisty main character, Dani, as she breaks free from prison with big goals of bringing vengeance on those who wronged her. As she recites the list of people who ruined her life, she begins dreaming up plans for her revenge. Along with Noor, they begin to tear apart the world that so unjustly harmed them both.

This book is filled with fighting, swords, magic, and historical fantasy vibes. There's also a sort of enemies-to-lovers romance here, though the fantasy/retelling probably fills a greater percentage of these pages than the romance. When the romance pieces came though, it felt even more emotional and engaging because it was a little more spread out.

Overall, I loved this book, and couldn't hardly put it down (I was so mad I read it through a busy week where I didn't have much time to read!). This was fantastic as a debut, and just a delight to read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Genre: YA fantasy/retelling (maybe more new adult than YA?)
Setting: Pakistan (fictional time/fantasy setting)
Reminds me of: The Count of Monte Cristo
Pub Date: October 2024

Read this if you like:
⭕️ YA retellings with strong women
⭕️ diverse fantasy settings
⭕️ romantasy

I understand this book was already published and archived, but I barely got through the first part of the book and ended up not finishing, since I found the character hard to relate to for me. I do appreciate having been considered.

In this fascinating Pakistani romantasy novel inspired by The Count of Monte Cristo, readers follow Dania after she has been arrested and framed for a crime she did not commit as she plans revenge on Mazin, the boy she loved who betrayed her, while buried in the depths of prison. After discovering another prisoner with a stolen djinn treasure, Dania teams up with her to escape and search for the treasure with the intent of bringing down everyone who wronged Dania with a plan, dark magic, and a new identity. Flashing between her past and her present, readers follow Dania as her revenge scheme becomes more complicated and a web she can no longer escape with her humanity and her heart intact. The magic system and the vibrant, complex, and gritty setting and social structures are absolutely immersive, and Varga has done a brilliant job bringing this world to life in this intense and fascinating novel. Dania is a complicated and flawed protagonist whose mindset is complex, realistic, and reflective of her circumstances in some fascinating and intense ways. With its stellar characters, magic system, and setting, this is a brilliant and immersive addition to the romantasy genre that readers will devour.

As a big fan of The Count of Monte Cristo, I was very excited by the concept of this book. I love the gender-bent take on it, and the culturally rich setting and fantastical plot. But the voice felt off to me -- the characters, as I understood them to be, were older, but the voice felt very YA. It was hard for me to stay engaged when it wasn't matching the material. The writing was lackluster and felt redundant at times.

Also, the action, pace, and stakes of the story felt underwhelming, and it lacked spark for me, a captivated energy to keep me turning pages, breathless to know what happened next. It just didn't quite hit.

Not my favorite read lately, but still likely a good pick for some, especially fantasy readers.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. FOR SHE IS WRATH is out now.

I really wanted to love it, but I ended up DNF it at 66%. The start of the book really intrigued me while Diana was in prison. However, I wanted to more from the revenge plot, and I didn't care about the romance at all. Individually, both Mazin and Diana are good characters, but the romance felt bland. For someone with so much anger In her against her betrayers, she seemed to falter toward Mazin a bit too fast for my taste. Thank you for the ARC!

I liked it more than the source material which is a pretty big deal! The cover is gorgeous and I enjoyed the world the author created.

I thought this might become my new favourite book, but even though it didn’t, I still really enjoyed it. The story was engaging and well-written, making it a solid read overall. That said, it did take me a while to really get into the story, but once I did, I found it to be worth the effort.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

The cover is beautiful and I was really looking forward to reading a Pakistani inspired fantasy.
But sadly I just couldn’t do it anymore after 50% and DNFd the book.
My biggest complaint being the writing style and the characters wich were rather bland. On top of that I just didn’t care.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Emily Varga's For She is Wrath is a thrilling and intense exploration of revenge, justice, and the intricate dance between morality and vengeance. The novel immerses readers in a world where darkness and light are constantly at odds, and where the protagonist, Evangeline, must navigate the fine line between seeking justice and succumbing to wrath.

3.5/5 stars

A sizzling Pakistani romantic fantasy retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo, where one girl seeks revenge with forbidden djinn magic against the boy she once loved and those who betrayed her.

Framed for a crime she didn’t commit, Dania escapes prison with fellow inmate Noor to hunt for a hidden djinn treasure. Armed with newfound power and a new identity, she begins her quest for vengeance. But as Dania's dark magic grows and her web of lies deepens, she risks losing her humanity—and her heart to the boy who broke it. Revenge has a price, and it may cost Dania more than she ever imagined.

Overall, this wasn't a bad retelling. I loved the friendship between Dania and Noor and how quickly those bonds were cemented. I also like the intricacy of Dania's revenge plans - I didn't always expect the route she took. I felt the world-building was lacking, but I can understand this as it's a standalone and there's only so much information the author can push into a single book. I also didn't really love how instantaneously Dania fell into confusion regarding Maz - yes it made it more exciting to have a bit of romance throughout, but he literally put her in a torturous, (supposedly) inescapable prison for the sake of his own revenge. Even Dania, filled with rage and hatred, didn't sacrifice Noor for the sake of her own plans. I did like the themes throughout the book - revenge vs love, the deep bonds between blood family and found family, etc. I just wish there were more sustenance and less of the super quick confused flip-flopping that Dania did throughout the book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, and Emily Varga for allowing me the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review!