Thanks to @macmillian.audio @wednesdaybooks and @netgalley for the #gifted copies of this book.

Summary: A Pakistani romantic fantasy retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo. Dania has been in jail the last year for a crime she didn't commit. She is counting down the days until she can exact her revenge on the boy she used to love, the very one who framed her for the crime. When a fellow prisoner tells her of a treasure that could surely help with her revenge, they create a way to escape the prison together. Once free, they begin to exact their revenge despite many obstacles in their way, including the attraction still there between Mazin and Dania. Will she continue with her plans of revenge which will erase her very humanity or will she chose another path?

I had no idea what to expect with this one after glancing at the summary, and author Emily Varga exceeded all expectations. There was no time to slow down during this story. From the very beginning, it dug its hooks in me. I couldn't stop reading or listening often times bouncing back and forth between the audiobook and eARC to stay engrossed in the story. I loved how fierce and determined Dania was, which bled into her relationships. The comedic first meeting between Dania and Nora I just knew they were going to be friends through and through. I loved how we got glimpses of the past as we continued to follow Dania on her path of vengeance. It was so hard to put this one down when real life came calling.

Read if you like:
💘Lovers to Enemies
🖤Revenge
🔥Fierce Female Friendships
👀Count of Monte Cristo Retelling
😊Swoony Moments
🗓️Dual Timelines

For She Is Wrath follows Dania, who was framed and imprisoned for a crime she didn't commit. After a daring break-out from prison with her fellow prisoner, Noor, Dania is hellbent on revenge on those who did her wrong, and she'll do anything to get it. When the effects of the magic she is using begin to erode who she really is, will her last remaining loved ones bring her back to herself, or will she be lost to the djinn magic and her need for revenge forever?

This was a very fun, fast-paced novel with very cool magic- and world-building and fantastic character development.

I absolutely oved the main character, Dania, and the friendship she had with her accomplice/friend, Noor. The short time they spent together really brought them together, and I love that they became family to each other. I also loved the sizzling romantic tension between Dania and Mazin. The character development really was top-notch, and I absolutely loved following Dania's journey through her emotions and grief and rage. This novel really had quite an emotional impact.

The setting was elaborate and immersive, and I loved the Pakistani cultural inclusions. I really appreciated the new-to-me language, and it made the setting that much more immersive.

The conclusion was exactly what I wanted it to be and more. I will definitely be looking out for more from Emily Varga.

*I received this eARC from NetGalley and am providing an honest review.*

It is a story about a powerful, strong FMC who will do whatever it takes to get revenge for all the hurt her family has been put through. I loved the friendship between Dani and Noor. They worked together so well. This book shows that sometimes we must step away from the darkness before it consumes us to a point of no return. I recommend this book if you want to read a book with strong FMC who can hold her own and is not afraid to fight for what is right.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

First....if you've not read The Count of Monte Cristo....add it to your TBR now. It's a fantastic tale no matter what genre you enjoy. Now....for Emily Varga's retelling.......it's absolutely great. The story stands on it's own as Dania loses her dreams to the one person she thought she's never doubt. The lies keep her locked up as her rage grows. All she can think of is how to make them pay. Then, she gets the chance, and the story evolvess into a contrast of her feelings and her need for justice. I wasn't sure how her ethnicity would change or affect the story but it enriches it as she must weigh her upbringing against her circumstances. For a debut, this sets a high bar for her future titles.

If you are looking for your next fantasy read, look no further. This book has everything you could want, magic, betrayal, revenge, and romance. Dania was framed for a crime she didn't commit by the person she loved and looks forward to the day she can exact her revenge. She teams up with fellow convict Noor and with the help of Noor's magic knowledge, they become unstoppable. Dania creates a new identity and weasels her way in to Mazin, her former lovers, life. Soon, she realizes it may be harder than it seems because there is still a spark between them, even when she isn't herself.

I loved the inclusion of the Pakistani culture. It was so unique and I loved seeing glimpses into the culture. It was a fantastic blend of magic, romance, betrayal, adventure, and revenge. I honestly did not want to stop reading. Emily Varga is one author that I will continue to read.

Thank you to the author and St. Martin's Press for an ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review,

It's been a whileeee i watched the count of monte cristo, so i could say i went into this fresh, which was great for me because i like to be surprised. I was grippedddddd by this book, So first off, i'm a lover of romance, then throw in tropes like enemies to lovers, one bed etc and i'm sold. But the BANTERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR, geez, these tension filled romance and the things they said made me clutch my shirt and squeal. Thank you very much to the Author, lol. I loved it and lived for it. Dania's an angry fireball on the revenge path and gosh sometimes i wanted to just hug her and tell her all will be well if you just calm down a tincy bit. loved her. The female friendship in this book made me think of my sisters and I and some friends... i love female friendships in books and we need more of them. This book felt like boom boom boom with the action, it just kept me flipping, was never bored. The worldbuilding and magic system were incredible, without spoiling anything, i loved reading about the Djinn magic. The first time i read about Djinn was in AEITA and i loved it, so i'm happy to see more lore about it here. All in all, this was a gripping, amazing read and i can't wait for it to come out, so i can get the audio and listen to it.

If you love books that are retellings, then this is right up your alley!

This Count of Monte Cristo retelling follows Dania who is locked up in a horrible prison. She has spent 364 days here for a crime she didn’t commit. After numerous failed escapes, she ends up meeting another prisoner that is planning an escape that might just work. Together, they dig their way out of the prison and form a friendship a long the way. After a bloody escape they travel for hidden treasure that will help accomplish their revenge. She doesn’t just seek revenge, but also longs to reunite with her father again. A tragic surprise awaits her at her home village and she hits her breaking point. With a list of names to ruin and eventually kill, a future of false identities and lavish wealth awaits her.

This book includes:
lovers to enemies
female rage
secret identity
classic retelling
magic and swordsmanship
betrayals
and much more!

I loved reading this! I was hooked from the start and never got bored. Such a fast paced book with twists and turns all through out! With amazing world-building and spectacular character development, I couldn’t ask for anything more! The before chapters were honestly my favorite. This book deserves all the praise I know it will get once it releases!

I would like to thank NetGalley and publishers for letting me read this wonderful arc!

Dania wants revenge more than anything else in this world. Everything has been taken from her, and those she thought she could trust betrayed her in the worst way possible. When a chance encounter allows her to have access to magic beyond her belief, Dania finds that maybe revenge will be possible. This book portrays a young woman so focused on revenge that she is slowly starting to lose herself. What is worse is those that are around her are also focused on revenge, yet they do a better job of trying to keep true to themselves, while Dania slowly starts to lose herself. I think there is a lovely message in this book about what can truly happen when someone lets something over take your whole being. I really liked the gin and how they were portrayed. I think the book had a perfect blend of magic and realism where it was necessary.
Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

A great read! I am very unfamiliar with the Count of Monte Cristo, but after a bit of googling I can see how it is comparable. Emily did a great job of making the story her own though, and I think it will appeal to anyone that is a fan of a heist or a bit of romantasy. I found the djinn magic really interesting, and I loved the loophole at the end.

There was a bit of repetition in the writing, and some of the drive for revenge felt a bit unrealistic to me, but I don't have a lot of main character energy haha. The romance was so full of yearning and tension, the flashbacks between Dania and Maz were some of my favourite parts.

Dania has been fulfilling her prison sentence for the past year, living in filth and being tortured endlessly. Every day that she has been incarcerated, she’s been planning revenge on those who betrayed her, framed her for murder, and consequently sent her to prison. When the unexpected happens, she takes advantage of the opportunity to escape and begins to set her revenge plans in motion. Dark magic, love and betrayal, friends and family, evil vs. good, this book has it all. Although not quite as good in my opinion, still highly recommended for any Sarah Maas fans as well as those who love romantasy.

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this ARC Copy! 3.5 Stars

I have been looking to this book since the first day that I saw it. The adult female seeking revenge and showing her absolute female rage in the process was what I expected going into this book and it is probably my fault for expecting too much and ending up disappointed in the end. All in all it was a good story, I enjoyed the found family aspect, the betrayals were shocking and really drew you in, but then the FMC would make decisions that did not really fit into the earlier version of her when she was unapologetically seeking revenge. I understand why the things that happened happened.. I just would have enjoyed it more if the rage and fight that was so much a part of our characters personality in the beginning had carried through to the end of the story.

5 Stars

Phenomenal! I cannot stop raving about this book and begging others to pick it up.

A female led Count of Monte Cristo retelling that has everything a fantasy lover would adore. Romance, swords, bada** women taking down the trash that used them. UGH IT WAS PERFECTION. The magic was well thought out and made the retelling entirely believable. It moved so quickly and was fast paced and I could not put it down. EXCEPTIONAL!

Also, the audiobook was incredible and I highly recommend it if you enjoy listening to your books. The narrator brought the book to life!

DNF 41%

The Count of Monte Cristo is a movie I watched umpteen times and enjoyed it so much, so when I saw this was a Pakistani retelling, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. I love stories of righteous fury and enacting revenge on those hurt you, but For She is Wrath just was not holding my attention. I don’t know if it’s because it’s such a true-to-the-original retelling or what, but there wasn’t enough new and exciting going on to keep me engaged. I may come back to this at a later time, but for now it just isn’t working for me.

When I heard there was a Pakistani retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo featuring a FMC coming out, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it! And the cover--it's absolutely gorgeous! Everything about this book is perfection. The writing is immersive and colorful. And Dania's voice, even though she's been greatly wronged and thrown in prison, is witty and humorous. (Ex. "there is nothing like the scent of your own charred flesh to remind you of your position in life.')

I loved Daria--who doesn't love a FMC who's been expertly trained by her swordsmith father. And the tension with her and Mazin was delicious. This quote had me screaming!: “Did you think I wouldn’t know you? 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.” (Okay, I'm still screaming!) Noor, Daria's new friend, was the real stand out star to me. I knew the minute she accidentally dug herself into Daria's cell that she was going to be amazing.

Emily Varga has constructed a compelling, fast-paced debut that kept me hooked until the very end. I can't wait to pick up her next book!

Many thanks to the publisher for an early copy. All thoughts are my own. (And yes, I'm ordering my own copy cause I need this beauty on my shelf.)

A YA Pakistani retelling of “The Count of Monte Cristo”… but with magiccc!

“For She is Wrath” was an interesting take on the “Count of Monte Cristo,” where our main characters, Dania and Noor, are off to find revenge for wrongful imprisonment and the deaths of their loved ones.

I enjoyed various parts about this book, like the action scenes and the enemies-to-lovers aspect, and especially all the food descriptions! It made me so hungry reading this one.

The magic system was a little confusing to me, and the ending didn’t quite feel believable, which was a let down; but I enjoyed the characters’ growth and their emotional journeys.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Wednesday Books for early access to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

What an absolutely stunning debut! Varga's writing is immersive and visceral and gripped me from page one. You could feel Dani's pain and understand her thirst for revenge. Her friendship with Noor and her relationship with Mazin rounded out the story beautifully and added so much depth and complexity to Dani's emotions and actions. Loved so much and can't wait to see what Varga does next!

As a genderbent, Pakistanian, romantasy retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo, this book had so much potential. Unfortunately, like a lot of recent YA fantasy, this book falls short of expectations.

The writing itself isn’t bad, but the pacing for the book fluctuates between taking too long for anything to happen and way too much happening. A decent chunk of the book is dedicated to escaping prison and then executing the first act of revenge and then it zips through the second revenge plan rather quickly. The plot twists near the end didn’t have enough build up and felt like they were added so it didn’t come across predictable.

In addition, the characters were one-dimensional and constantly making decisions that didn’t make a lot of sense. The romance, while being a big focus of the story, was a little too predictable. The only thing this book really has going for it is the Pakistanian-inspired world and the djinn based magic system, and even then, those elements are lost among the repetitive need for revenge and pining for lost loved.

Finally, this book is another great example why publishers, bookstores, libraries, etc. need to be on board with New Adult as a genre. Any book labeled romantasy that includes typical romance content should be marketed to adults, not teens. There was absolutely no reason why these characters had to be teens, and it honestly would have been more believable if they were adults to begin with.

Still, some readers will find that this book meets all the necessary expectations for a romantasy story. Those looking for a decent and faithful retelling, however, will want to look elsewhere.

For She is Wrath by Emily Vega is a romantic fantasy retelling of the classic The Count of Monte Cristo (1846) as one Pakistani girl seeks revenge against those who betrayed her including Mazin, the boy she once loved. Framed for a crime she didn’t commit, Dania spent three hundred and sixty four days in prison plotting her revenge. When Noor, a fellow prisoner, has a plan to escape and a way to put Dania’s plan into action, they team up. Armed with dark djinn magic and a new identity, Dania puts her revenge into action. One by one, she brings down those who betrayed her. What she didn’t expect was that her feelings for Mazin still burned bright. As her game for vengeance intensifies, Dania is at risk of losing herself and her heart to the only boy she ever loved. Can she find her revenge without losing her humanity?
I’m not a huge fan of romantic fantasy and retelling of classic novels can be hit and miss; however, I was intrigued by the premise and its gorgeous cover. I love The Count of Monte Cristo and it is a novel you don’t usually see reimagined. I was still a bit skeptical if this story could live up to the classical story. From the opening chapter to the closing page, I could see the elements of the classic novel in For She is Wrath; however, it has its own elements which make it a fast paced, action packed adventure. Dania is a woman consumed with revenge and yet she can’t help her connection to Mazin. She soon realizes that the plot against her, as Edmond Dantes does, wasn’t all she thought it was. I was hooked and could not put it down. I highly, highly recommend For She is Wrath.

For She is Wrath will be available October 29, 2024 in hardcover, eBook and audiobook

This was such a beautifully written and well-told story.

The characters are loveable, the world-building feels well-developed, and the magic system is fascinating. It has just the slightest pinch of romance, which I thought, adds a little sweetness.

Dania's (our FMC) wrath knows no bounds. She has been imprisoned for a crime she didn't commit and betrayed by the boy she thought she loved. Enter Noor, a soft-tempered and kind-hearted friend, who helps Dani escape her imprisonment and harness the djinn magic required to enact their shared quest for revenge.

What stands out most for me in this story is the scene-setting, I think the author does a fabulous job of invoking the senses with her descriptive writing. There's also fairly strong character development, and I could've never anticipated how the plot would unfold.

I did find myself wishing for just a little bit more of an emotional impact. I loved the story, and I was rooting for Dania and Noor throughout, but I feel like I could've been more attached to the plot and characters. The ending also felt a little bit rushed to me after some slower development in the middle of the story.

Overall, it is an excellent standalone YA fantasy that is true to the category and a unique female-centric retelling. I'd highly recommend checking this one out.

𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓴 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓽𝓸 𝓝𝓮𝓽𝓰𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝔂 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓢𝓽. 𝓜𝓪𝓻𝓽𝓲𝓷'𝓼 𝓟𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓼 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓪𝓷 𝓐𝓡𝓒 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓫𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓲𝓷 𝓮𝔁𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓮 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓶𝔂 𝓱𝓸𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓽 𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀.

A stunning, Pakistani-inspired retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo! This book captured my attention from the start, and Varga's beautiful writing left me speechless. Dania's journey is one of betrayal, heartbreak, and resilience, and I found myself ugly crying more than once for her. The pain she endured and her resolve for revenge were both portrayed so perfectly.

The magic system, with its unique djinn seeds, added such a fresh twist—I loved that it wasn't just innate power but something that anyone could wield, given the right tools. Mazin, meanwhile, was everything I could hope for in a complex love interest; he kept me in that perfect grey area where I didn’t know whether to love him or hate him.

Watching Dania take down those who wronged her was intensely satisfying, and the final twist left me absolutely floored. For She Is Wrath is a beautiful homage to The Count of Monte Cristo while standing completely on its own. Highly recommend for fans of intense, heartfelt revenge stories with a dash of magic and romance!