Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with an ARC copy of For She is Wrath. I really enjoyed listening to this book. I loved reading The Count of Monte Cristo so the fact that this is a retelling of that story from a woman’s point of view definitely drew me in. I loved how action packed this story was and how it takes influence from Dumas whilst still providing a really unique story and experience for the reader. I loved the inclusion of a magic system into this story which really worked and made the story unpredictable.

The characters and the depth of relationships was amazing and the switch between the past and the present really worked to give the reader an understanding of the relationships between different characters and the depth of betrayal that was felt by Dania. I loved that this book gave Dania some of the revenge that she was looking for whilst still leaving room for reflection and growth.

A fab standalone that I would definitely recommend ☺️ great narration.

This is an incredibly captivating read.

I really enjoyed the book, finding it both intense and engaging from start to finish.

The story is filled with betrayal, wrath, and revenge, yet also highlights the strength of friendship and love. The characters were amazingly well-developed, with Dania exceeding my initial expectations and turning out to be an even more dynamic and powerful character than I anticipated.

It's a gripping tale that balances dark themes with moments of genuine connection, making it a must-read for fans of complex storytelling.

And not last, I would like to thank NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC.

Thank you Macmillan UK Audio and NetGalley for For She is Wrath audio to listen was so excited to get it as I have it pre ordered and it didn’t disappoint I fully enjoyed listening to it , it’s about Pakistan romance retelling and revenge and magic and action packed and mind blowing and prison escape 4 stars love it

🎧Audio Book Review🎧

For She Is Wrath
Emily Varga

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Oh my! I was absolutely sucked into this brilliant romantasy like I've never been before!
I shy away from big fantasy reads as I often find that I get bogged down in the whole plot and world building - but I like to keep pushing my boundaries - and this book is exactly why I keep pushing!

As soon as we meet Dania trying to escape from prison, I knew that she was going to be a great character to explore.
With only tiny amounts of the history hinted at, I was totally intrigued with what had happened and how things would progress.

Dania was obsessed with getting revenge and would stop at nothing to escape and get back home to face the man who had betrayed her.

I loved all the characters - yes even the bad ones - as they all played their part in the whole so well.
Dania and Noor formed such a firm friendship and I loved how they supported each other right from the start.
As the story progresses, we see Dania's resolve slipping and get a peek behind the strong, fierce facade right into her heart, which was clearly still yearning the man she'd fallen in love with (before his betrayal)

There were lots of twists within the storyline - I can't really say much about this though as there will definitely be spoilers - but the way things turn out was so well worked and presented - not that I was waiting to be shocked, but I hadn't seen this progressing the way it had at all and I was so wrapped up in all that was happening, I just got carried along with it.

The writing style was beautifully descriptive and I had such a strong image of the culture and the world we were travelling.

I believe this is based on "The Count of Monte Cristo" but having never read this, I hadn't realised until reading the blurb after finishing.
However, I'm actually glad that I could experience this with fresh eyes and read it in it's own right, which definitely enhanced my enjoyment.

This was packed with action, excitement, emotion and Jinn magic which had me speeding through the pages - but I was totally caught up in the romance too which had me rooting for a satisfying outcome.

Absolutely loved this and will definitely be giving more fantasy reads a go - as well as looking out for what might be next by this author!




💕Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my ARC copy - this is my honest review 💕

Could I begin with saying, the younger me growing up in a town where only my two brothers and I were of South Asian descent, would have cried (with happiness) at reading this book.

It is full of antagonist and protagonists we could relate to. Stories my grandparents told me of their childhoods in a country where this world was imagined from broken my heart and filled it with joy too.

This story gave me everything I wanted from it. Lovers to enemies, hight fantasy, romance, and a plot for revenge.

The world building was spot on, I could imagine myself walking the bazaar, eating the jallabis, with the scent of incense in the air!

I thoroughly enjoyed For She Is Wrath, and cannot wait for the next instalment! 5 Star read from me!

This was a great standalone fantasy, with friendship, romance and revenge. Emily Varga has woven a beautiful, unput-downable story which follows a morally grey heroine and her friend on their path for escape and revenge against all those who have wronged them. I think that For She is Wrath is a breath of fresh air in the sense that it showcases, though Dania, a breath of emotions that I think are often hidden both in books and real life. The world, the story and the characters were well thought out and well written. I also like the overall messages of life after loss and betrayal and that power doesn't bring happiness. I highly recommend this to people who love the Count of Monte Christo, (gender-swapped) retellings and tales of revenge

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Safiyya Ingar who I think did a great job at transmitting Dania's feelings and thoughts as if they were her own. She really made the story come alive. One thing I struggled with though is that I found it unclear when a flashback was happening until a couple minutes into the chapter making these, while still interesting and necessary to the story, quite confusing.

Summary: Betrayed and imprisoned, Dania escapes with dangerous Jinn magic, seeking revenge—until her heart complicates the quest against her ex-lover.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ALC of this book, all thoughts are my own.

This story of revenge is difficult to put down! I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narration. I was completely caught up in the plot and its characters, rooting for Dania and her new friend on their quest for revenge. Don’t we love a story where the baddies get their comeuppance? I totally do, and Dania was very creative and ruthless in her efforts. There are some ethical conundrums, and Dania is erring on the side of morally grey, but after everything she’s been through it’s easy to see why. Her life is full of betrayal and grief and she’s got nothing left to lose. She’s fierce, clever, and determined, so I couldn’t help but admire her character.

I don’t want to give anything away but I would say I was a little disappointed towards the end as I felt like Dania’s character deserved much more than she got but this is overall a really well written, interesting story and I enjoy a revenge plot!

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

I tried to warm to this. I really tried to like this as I had such high hopes for it - I mean, a Pakistani reimagining of The Count of Monte Cristo. Sign me up - but my goodness, this book suffered from a lot of issues.

The pacing drags (it took our lead character over 12 chapters to escape prison. And these weren’t short chapters either), the main characters were really hard to connect with and root for and most of the story felt (at times) on surface deep and lacking depth. And the issue I had the biggest problem with - the repetition and the “show, don’t tell”. We are told, very early on, that our main character was framed and that she wants revenge (this is fine), but do we need this to be drummed into us EVERY OTHER PARAGRAPH? And every time this happened, I found myself liking the book less and less, and more reluctant to return to this world, even though I found the writing quite enjoyable and quite easy to listen to while at the gym or driving home from work.

This book fell totally flat for me, which is really annoying as I was so excited when I first read the blurb…

The premise…
After a betrayal by her former lover, Dania is wrongfully imprisoned and spends her days plotting her escape and her revenge.
When a fellow prisoner with a tantalising connection to the empire’s closely guarded djinn magic gives Dania a chance at escape, she grabs it, ready to ensure her betrayer pays the ultimate price.
But it’s not so simple when he’s a boy she used to love.

My thoughts...
This book instantly drew me in because it started with immediate high stakes and a friendship meet cute. Dania is rough around the edges in the best way and her character arc was great and a deeply satisfying read!

The world was beautiful and built up very naturally throughout the story to paint a vivid picture. I'm very much hoping we get a second book set in this world to follow some of the breadcrumbs left at the end of the story.

The romance, told through a dual timeline, was interesting and I enjoyed parts of it, but I felt Mazin's character needed a little more fleshing out. However, I didn't mind this because it meant the friendship between Dania and Noor stole the show! Without a question, their friendship was my favourite part of the story - I adored it!

The audio...
I'm a bit of an audiobook Novice, but I thought the narrator did a great job and she held my attention, which is no mean feat!

Perfect for fans of...
Female friendships taking centre stage!

4.5 stars

FOR SHE IS WRATH is a fantasy that asks questions about vengeance, forgiveness, and how love tangles up in these matters.

This is a retelling of the COUNT OF MONTE CHRISTO. I haven't read that book, but I googled it afterwards and really liked seeing what elements had been taken and which altered. It looks like FOR SHE IS WRATH has a far more interesting take on the romance, rather than a woman who was just a pawn in everyone's game being blamed.

Mazin has betrayed Dania, but she still has feelings for him. It's a really fun push and pull between desire and anger, which are very similar emotions in some way. The book plays well on this and has good chemistry, as well as exploring the tangled emotions as Dania tries to seduce him, but struggles against her own feelings.

The book also explores vengeance and what it can do to someone. Dania and Noor both want vengeance for their loved ones, but are invested in different ways. Noor is the one to pull back and see what it's doing, sparking a lot of tension between the girls. I really liked the way the book ended, how it approached the question of whether vengeance was worth it or not.

In all, this is a very strong debut. It's an engaging listen, Safiyya Ingar bringing the pain and rage alive, as well as a world of magic provided by plants - and the tyrants it begets.

I really loved this story! It was full of betrayal, wrath and revenge but also the power of friendship, and love! I loved these characters, they were well written. This tale was fast paced and full of action, twists and never a dull moment. I would love to see a sequel based off Noor's character in the future! The narrator was great and easy to listen to!

I felt like the book was trying to do too much in a short space of time. For example, the MC forgave the love interest super quick after he revealed why he betrayed her.
I didn't feel strongly about the characters or the revenge the main character seeks.
I was also confused as to why she escaped from prison but it didn't seem like anyone ever came for her (bar one person briefly).

I liked the message that there is still joy in life after traumatic events / loss.
The magic system was interesting and the djinn when they finally showed up was cool.
Plus, I liked that the cat was OK!

4.25 ⭐

For She Is Wrath is a YA, gender flipped, Count of Monte Cristo retelling with a lovers to enemies subplot.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book and the 1st person narrative was beautifully emersive. I connected with the two female characters and loved their friendship.

Female rage is one of my favourite tropes and this book didn't disappoint.

The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars is because I couldn't forgive the male love interest after what he did and his weak reasoning. I did like their relationship in the flashbacks though.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan UK Audio for the ARC

I had a hard time coming into the story. I didn't feel captivated until the end. I liked the strong fmc but was also a bit annoyed by her constant rage and lust for vengence, However this made for a good redemption arc. Towards the end the tension got higher and I found myself enjoying the story more. The ending was good, though I felt the problems was fixed a bit too easy. I was surprised by a revelation at the end, but I'm not sure if it's a series I would continue.

I really liked reading about Dania and Mazin and what they went through for their revenge. I haven't read The Count of Monte Cristo so I don't know how good of a retelling it is.

The pacing was great up to about 90% then it suddenly flew. So much happened within 40 pages and I wish we got more time to work through all the revelations that were thrown at us. (I thought the Nana being the bad guy was out of the blue and I would of preferred it if Mazin stayed at fault, as I thought Dania's understanding of why he did what he did but she couldn't not love him was brilliant. When she fell to her knees in front of him I nearly cried.)

This was a solid 3.5 stars but due to the ending I have chosen to give it 3. I really like the lovers to enemies trope 😊

I also listened to the Audiobook which had a fantastic Narrator!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

this book was just mid, honestly. kind of bland. there's nothing actually wrong with it - it's kind of adventurous, fast paced with angry main character, butttt nothing stick out.

typical characters (no one had any personality), predictable plot and romance. maybe I'd be able to enjoy it more if I hadn't recently read Rebel in the sands and All this twisted glory, but magic djinns and bad deals and trying to take down tyrant and girl hellbent on revenge was all the same to me. the ending was disappointing and I didn't care about romance, which was also bland

Thank you Netgalley for providing digital advanced copy in exchange for honest review.

I've never read the Count of Monte Christo, but the book had me at "genderswapped retelling with revenge".
Dania is a really strong character, surviving in prison and planning revenge. By turn of fate she encounters Noor, and together they can flee and discover the secrets of djinn magic. Throw in an old lover and an evil emperor as well as quick pacing and good sword fights, and this is a really engaging and interesting book.

The audiobook is very well produced and the narrator takes us through this action-paced story perfectly.

4/5 stars

Thank you @netgalley and @macmilllan.audio for the eARC!

#ForSheIsWrath #Netgalley #Bookstagram

This was really something different. For She Is Wrath is about exactly that, Dania is bent on revenge and she’s prepared to burn the world down to get it.

A Pakistani retelling of The Mount Of Monte Cristo, this title has a jam packed storyline, a believable lovers to enemies trope, it’s steeped in culture. The use of Jinn magic is really well explained and executed and there is literally not a boring moment!

A spectacular debut! While it’s clearly set in the YA genre it didn’t feel like it.

I loved the narration.

Thanks to MacMillan Audio via NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this ELC