Tag Archives: king

Review: These Infinite Threads by Tahereh Mafi

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,
These Infinite Threads by Tahereh Mafi

These Infinite Threads (This Woven Kingdom #2)
Tahereh Mafi
HarperCollins
Published February 7, 2023

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About These Infinite Threads

With the heat of a kiss, the walls between Alizeh, the long-lost heir to an ancient Jinn kingdom, and Kamran, the crown prince of the Ardunian empire, have crumbled. And so have both of their lives.

Alizeh, the heir to the Jinn throne, is destined to free her people from the half-lives they’ve been forced to live under human rule. When Kamran, the heir to the human throne, falls in love with her, he’s forced to question everything he’s been taught about Jinn.

Kamran’s grandfather lays dead at the hand of Cyrus, ruler of the neighboring kingdom of Tulan. Cyrus has stolen Alizeh away to his homeland and plans to marry her there, giving her everything she needs to become the Jinn queen—and when she assumes the throne he will have fulfilled his own bargain with the devil.

Alizeh wants nothing to do with Cyrus’s deal or the devil. But without a way to escape Tulan, and with the fulfillment of her own destiny tantalizingly close, she’ll have to decide whether she can set aside her emotions to become the queen her people need.

Kamran, meanwhile, is picking up the pieces in Ardunia. Facing betrayal at every turn, all he knows is that he must go to Tulan to avenge his grandfather. He can only hope that Alizeh will be waiting for him there—and that she hasn’t yet become the queen of Tulan.

Full of explosive magic, searing romance, and heartbreaking betrayal, this breathtaking sequel to THIS WOVEN KINGDOM is from the award-winning and bestselling author of the Shatter Me series and is perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo, Sabaa Tahir, and Tomi Adeyemi.

My Review

I think last year I had a chance to request this book as an ARC and didn’t because I wouldn’t have had time to read THE WOVEN KINGDOM beforehand. This was a good call. Not only is this book very much a middle story, it would have been hard to enjoy without the adventure and heat of the first book and the anticipation of the upcoming finale.

I LOVED the first book in this series. It made me wonder why I hadn’t kept up with everything Tahereh Mafi writes. I loved the writing, the intricate magic system, and story world. The bits of history. The political intrigue. I loved how it feels as though the central characters are caught up in an unseen battle between the devil and the gods.

I am glad I read the second book, but I definitely struggled with it. The first hint I noticed that this one might be a harder read for me was when I read the cover copy for the third book. Everything from the first book was basically already in place for that third novel to begin. I worried that might mean the second book would be a little thin plotwise and kind of suffer from second-book-syndrome, where the middle book in a series really serves as a bridge between the first and third.

And, yeah. I mean, a few key things happened, for sure. Kamron faces some interesting discoveries, so I am glad those came to light. I didn’t feel like there was much development between Alizeh and Cyrus, though. Stuff happened, sure. So much of it was the two of them going back and forth and having the same conversation again and again.

Alizeh feels disgusted by him. Angry. After all, he kidnapped her. Then, she sees him as a tortured soul and feels sorry for him. Then he ticks her off again. Around and around. I don’t know. I think if Cyrus was a point-of-view character, I might have invested in his story more and had more patience with Alizeh’s feelings. I’m not sure.

Conclusion

I enjoyed a lot of moments in the story, especially in Kamron’s viewpoint. His scenes with Hazan were among my favorites. I love Hazan’s firefly.

At this point, I haven’t read the third book, but I’m honestly wondering if this could have been a duology instead of a trilogy. I’m invested enough in the story that I want to read the third book, but I will probably wait a little bit to do that.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Based on Persian folklore.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Alizeh’s gown was very nearly destroyed just before this novel begins. She notes several times that she’s very exposed until she can change out of the dress. A few scenes later, she spills her tea down the front of her white gown, and someone remarks that they can see through the bodice.

Spiritual Content
Some characters have the ability to perform magic. One character has made a bargain with the devil, Iblees. This means his life will be forfeit if he doesn’t do the things he agreed to do.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Some descriptions of a battle that left a young man on the brink of death.

Drug Content
None.

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Review: The Heir of Ariad by Niki Florica

Book Review and Content, Christian World-View, Clean Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , ,

The Heir of Ariad
Niki Florica
Elm Hill Publishing
Published August 13, 2019

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Goodreads

About The Heir of Ariad

The weight of a vanished father’s legacy and the secrets of the past have forced Kyrian to carve a place among his people at the price of his own sweat and blood. Ariad is withering. The Skies seem a strange place to die of thirst, but no one can fetch the Rains against the tyrant king’s will, and no one but the Creator who has vanished into legend can kill an invisible king.

But there is a force at work beyond Kyrian’s sight. A powerful, masterful will. Suddenly there is blood on his hands, the Skies are filled with enemies, and the only way to escape a dark end is to flee the clouds forever. But there in the Lands waits a powerful prophecy, along with a powerful weapon, and now as Ariad withers to dust all hope may rest with the one young mortal who fled his home a fugitive and must return to it a king.

My Review

THE HEIR OF ARIAD pretty much hooked me as soon as I realized it was a retelling of the biblical story of Moses but set in an unusual fantasy world. Each chapter begins with a Bible verse linking to the next scenes. I thought framing the “chosen one” story as a retelling of the story of Moses was a clever idea. I haven’t seen that done before.

I also enjoyed the story world in which people are divided into races– referred to as colors like Green, Grey, and Silver– based on where they live. Kyrian and his people live on clouds. Other, lesser humans live on earth.

The plot does require some willing suspension of disbelief. Some of the things that happen don’t get explained right away– like why the king still holds such power over his people if he hasn’t been seen in twenty years. Other things don’t get explained at all. Characters sometimes held grudges long past what seemed to make sense to me. Sometimes the plot got bogged down in what felt like a side quest.

Over all, though, I really enjoyed the unique, rich story world, and Kyrian and his sister Salienne were easily my favorite characters. I’m glad I read the book. THE HEIR OF ARIAD makes a good pick for readers who are looking for a more classical Christian fantasy novel.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Main characters have pale skin.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Characters use swear-like expressions such as “Oh, skies.”

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Lots of biblical and Christian symbolism or allegory. There’s some reference to a Jesus-type character, an innocent man killed as a sacrifice for the sins of others. The original king of Ariad is said to be the Creator. Many characters still believe he’s the rightful king and he appears in different forms throughout the story.

Violent Content
One soldier holds another at knife point. A soldier torments an elderly man. A young man beats a soldier to death. Some description of the fight. Some descriptions of a group of children attacking another child and severely beating him. A monstrous creature attacks Kyrian and his allies. Tree-like creatures attack Kyrian and his ally.

Drug Content
Some references to adults drinking an alcohol-like substance.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog. I received a free copy of THE HEIR OF ARIAD in exchange for my honest review.