Clashing empires, forbidden romance, and a long-forgotten queen destined to save her people—Tahereh Mafi’s first in an epic, romantic trilogy inspired by Persian mythology.
To all the world, Alizeh is a disposable servant, not the long-lost heir to an ancient Jinn kingdom forced to hide in plain sight.
The crown prince, Kamran, has heard the prophecies foretelling the death of his king. But he could never have imagined that the servant girl with the strange eyes, the girl he can’t put out of his mind, would one day soon uproot his kingdom—and the world.
Amazon Link: This Woven Kingdom (This Woven Kingdom #1)
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Genre: YA Fantasy Romance
Rating: 5/5 stars
This was a thrilling story based on Persian mythology (although the main plot is obviously Cinderella, including the magical dress and shoes for the ball) with a great setting. Alizeh is a Jinn, who are a magical race hated by humans, although a recent peace treaty allows them to live and work (as second-class citizens) so long as they don’t use magic. However, Alizeh has special magic that connects her to an ancient prophecy, so she has to be even more careful not to let anyone know what she can do.
We also get the POV of the prince, Kamran, who is conflicted between his loyalty to his grandfather and the inequalities he sees in his kingdom, especially as he starts to fall in love with a Jinn. But there are also other players including a street urchin named Omid, the minister Hazan, the devil Iblees, and the rival king Cyrus. Each one has their own mysterious plans. The constant twists and turns of the plot kept me on my toes!
This was so exciting to read and the cliffhanger ending was such a shock! I hope the sequel is announced soon, because I can’t wait to find out what happens next.
I recommend this book to fans of fairy tale retellings and anyone who wants to learn more about Middle Eastern culture. It’s great to see a fantasy world with a different perspective. I haven’t read other books by this author before, but now I’m intrigued enough to check out her other series.
Here is the book in my reading journal:
