For She is Wrath coming October 29th, 2024 from Wednesday Books; 400 pages
Content Warning: On-page depiction of death
About the Author: “Emily Varga is a YA Fantasy author with a fondness for getting lost in bookstores, eating copious amounts of rice, and watching a lot of terrible reality tv. She has lived all over the world, but currently calls the Rocky Mountains of western Canada home, where she lives with her family and their menagerie of pets. When she’s not writing, Emily works as a family lawyer, where she learned more about storytelling than she ever expected. Emily’s debut novel FOR SHE IS WRATH is a Pakistani-inspired Count of Monte Cristo retelling meets Kill Bill and is out in late 2024 with Wednesday Books” (Bio from author’s website).
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Emily Varga’s For She Is Wrath is a magical Pakistani retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo and follows Dania’s desire for revenge against those who betrayed her and her family. The story begins in a remote prison known for its extreme measures and inescapable walls. In order to escape her false imprisonment, Dania allies with Noor, another girl trapped in the prison, who knows the hidden location of a collection of zoraat seeds—the source of djinn magic, which are crushed and blended to create the perfect mixture. They were stolen from the emperor, who now has a tight rein on the remaining fields of zoraat. With the seeds in hand and Noor’s ability to blend the zoraat, Dania sets out to take down those who sent her to prison, including the boy she thought she loved.
For She Is Wrath is a fascinating tale of rage and determination told in the form of a romantic fantasy with twists and turns that kept me on edge the entire novel. Pakistani culture and mythology influence crucial parts of the story, and I loved seeing how different elements were added into a fantasy world. I found the magic system in this world interesting, as it stems from a consumable seed that can be mass produced. It was even more fascinating that there are specialists who study and craft blends of zoraat to cause different magical abilities. The use of a middle man between magic and wielder was a cool subplot that I haven’t seen much of. I also enjoyed Dania’s character; her thoughts are intriguing, and the complexity of her wrath and grief at the life she lost and her unstable emotions kept me turning each page. I liked the intricacy of the relationship between her and Mazin, the boy she loved who set her up to be arrested for treason. A lot of their relationship is told in a series of scattered flashbacks that detail when they met to the day she was arrested, allowing readers to understand the depth of the betrayal and how Dania’s rage was cultivated during the year she spent in prison. Emily Varga’s story was well written, with carefully crafted elements that showed a deep love for Pakistani culture and an appreciation of the fantasy genre that, combined, create one epic story.
For She Is Wrath releases on October 29th, 2024.
Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and Wednesday Books 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.
Hannah Goerndt, Pine Reads Review Writer