Out Now from HarperCollins Publishers; 416 pages
Content Warning: Death, violence, torture, sexual content
About the Author: “Tahereh Mafi s the #1 New York Times bestselling, #1 international bestselling, and National Book Award–nominated author of over a dozen novels. Best known for the Shatter Me series, her books have sold millions of copies, and have been translated into over thirty languages. Her first contemporary novel, A Very Large Expanse of Sea, was named by Time magazine as one of ‘the best YA books of all time,’ and is in development for film with Levantine Films. She currently resides in Southern California with her husband, fellow author Ransom Riggs, and their daughter. Her most recent novel, the second book in a new fantasy series, These Infinite Threads, is on shelves now. Her work is represented by Jodi Reamer of Writers House, LLC” (Bio from author’s website).
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In the third installment of Tahereh Mafi’s This Woven Kingdom series, protagonist Alizeh must come to terms with her future as the heir to the lost Jinn throne and her complex feelings for the Tulanian King, Cyrus. Cyrus has presented her with a compelling offer: if she agrees to marry him, as per the demands of the devil himself, he will allow her to murder him and will then leave her all of Tulan. To further complicate matters, Alizeh’s outing as Jinn royalty has led to intense political and social turmoil across nations, and, as this all unfolds, Prince Kamran of Ardunia and his rag-tag team of companions are headed to Tulan on a quest to save Alizeh and enact revenge on Cyrus. Tensions mount, trust is built and broken, and long held secrets are revealed in an exciting novel that keeps readers guessing.
The worlds that Mafi is able to build with her enchanting prose and well-developed characters never cease to amaze me. All This Twisted Glory is a worthy third book in this series, doing an excellent job building upon previously established plots while also allowing characters to evolve in surprising and satisfying ways. I loved that readers got to see more of the dynamic between Huda, Deen, Hazan, Kamran, and Omid. The interactions between these characters throughout the novel provided much-needed comic relief as well as heartfelt moments. I also thought Mafi did a wonderful job of weaving in political commentary throughout the narrative that further immersed me into the world. In terms of the novel’s riveting romance, if you had told me when I was reading the first book in this series that I would be rooting strongly for Cyrus and his relationship with Alizeh, I would have been shocked. However, Mafi developed Cyrus’s deeply troubled and nuanced character beautifully as the story progressed. With that being said, while I love yearning as much as the next reader, at some points there was almost too much of it. There were moments when Cyrus’s lamentations about Alizeh (while written beautifully) took me out of the narrative and distracted me from important plot points. The end of this novel is clearly set up for a fourth installment of the series, leaving readers with many important questions about the fate of these beloved and complex characters. I look forward to delving more into this world!
Pine Reads Review would like to thank SparkPoint Studio, HarperCollins Publishers, and Tahereh Mafi for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change before final publication.
Sam Parker, Pine Reads Review Writer & Social Media Manager