This book started a little slow for me. For the first third or so, I wasn’t sure I liked where the story was heading (ugh Azad), nor did I particularly like Soraya… but then! There was a neat little twist or two, and the story really got going. Soraya definitely started to improve on me as a character, though she still isn’t my favourite in the book, and the dynamics of her relationship with Azad became really interesting. I really enjoyed the character of Parvaneh and how she was developed, particularly given who she is and what she had done in the past.
I’d describe this as a mash up of a few different fairy-tales, but given a nice modern twist. I’ve seen a few reviewers say they’d have liked if the book was a series instead of a standalone so the author could have filled out the story more, particularly the world of the book, and I tend to agree with this. Some of the really interesting character dynamics might have been much more richly drawn out/delved into with more books. Still, If you like fairy tale re-tellings I think you’ll really enjoy this. I did! ⭐⭐⭐⭐ from me
Q: what’s your favourite fairy tale re-telling?
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