I'm so sad to write this review because I really wanted to love A Thousand Nights, but I can't give it more than 2 and a half stars. My reaction is probably justified by the book being vastly different from what I expected and not because it's technically bad. But this book feels like a very young adult genre and doesn't quite deliver (but I wouldn't know what genre it is either).
The story dragged along often and even those the prose is beatiful, that alone cannot carry a book for me.

I talk about A Thousand Nights in my #ARCAugust Wrap-Up starting from 0:49 and ending at 2:05

https://youtu.be/03DiFs4EzQw?t=48s

Really enjoyable and quick read. I love retold fairy tales and while this wasn't like crazy retold it was fresh and enjoyable. Highly recommended for fans of the genre.

I really enjoyed this novel. I do believe that I am at the burn out phase with retellings. Some of the plot points felt over done and the story arch may have been a bit predictable, but overall it was a very well written novel. I would be interested in reading more of E. K. Johnston's work in the future.

This has outstanding storytelling. I enjoyed the fairy tale vibe and even with little action and slow plot, I kept turning the pages.

I loved A Thousand Nights and have definitely sold it to multiple people since reading it!

What a deliciously written, skillfully paced novel! Readers are blessed with characters that are absolutely beyond compelling and the plot sticks with you even after you're finished. Will be reading again!

Sorry, requested but didn't find the time to read.

A great read. Fantasy and romance lovers will gobble it up.

A beautiful and evocative story told in alternating and opposing perspectives. The protagonist, a strong and fiercely-determined young woman, is willing to sacrifice everything to protect her sister - and her people - from an evil despot. Wedding a tyrant who has already married and executed 300 women is only the first danger she must face in this compelling tale. Readers glimpse the thoughts of the non-human entity controlling Lo-Melkhiin, an entity that thrives on human suffering and pain and that exists to destroy humanity.

Thank you so much for approving me. Unfortunately I ended up not being able to finish this book.

Spoilers ahead. Proceed with caution.

I really enjoy all the recent fairy tale retellings in various ways. While this one certainly was a different take that had great potential, I think it fell short. Scheherazade and the 1000 Arabian Nights is a well-known tale, even in our Western culture. In this take, the king-figure hasn't been jilted and therefore kills his brides to assure their fidelity. Instead, it offers an explanation that is both more comforting to our humanity (an alien/demon made him do it) and more false (because of course, no human in his right mind would randomly kill hundreds of people just for blood lust). In light of current world upheavals, I found this explanation of such evil naive. The author does, however, mention that the king's men and merchants do nothing to stop to bloodshed because they are enjoying the prosperity of the realm too much, so humanity is not entirely excused.

Other reviewers have commented on the first person narrative and the clunkiness of the way she refers to all her family by relationships rather than names. Unless one has lived in another culture, one might not understand that that is just the way it is done. I did not find this device cumbersome due to my international experiences. In fact, rather than having a bunch of names floating in my head, it helped me keep everyone straight in the story.

I was anticipating reading more of her stories. I wanted to be drawn into the allure of how she stayed alive, strung along night after night, just like the king. Instead, the narrator just alludes to the story she tells or just gives a brief summary, he likes it, and he doesn't kill her. The phrase, "Good night, Westley. Good work. Sleep well. I'll most likely kill you in the morning," kept coming to mind. Rather unsatisfying. Also unsatisfying was the lack of explanation of from whence her powers came, other than the accumulation of the wishful thinking, prayers, and worship of others towards her. No explanation of how that came about, especially considering how ineffective those prayers seemed in other circumstances.

While it took a long time to get there, I do like how the book ended. She had been manifesting items and happenings all through the story. And finally, she manifests the ultimate: she declares the king to be a good man, and even the alien/demon must obey. Seems a bit far-fetched, but I'm a sucker for a happy ending. Shades of Beauty and the Beast.

I received this book as an eARC from the author, publishers, and NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review.