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.

The narrator was great!

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. The audiobook narration was really good, and I recommend it. Ingar was great to listen to.

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 .
now the audio superb , loved it perfect narrator for it .

I was honestly surprised that this story captured my attention since the beginning. I never once felt like this book bored me which is refreshing. I did not expect that plot twist right before the end. I definitely enjoyed the romance but I did feel like it was a bit rushed at a turning point. I am left still processing this book even after I finished it. The ending left me satisfied and it feels bittersweet because I didn’t want it to end.

It was a great story. I would recommend for other readers to give this book a try.

Thank you to the author, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for this e-ARC.