For She Is Wrath is a brilliant YA romantasy filled with yearning and righteous anger.

I was hooked from the opening line and absolutely adored Dania and Noor. The characterisations in this were fantastic and I had so much fun watching their adventures. The romance is everything; the chemistry between Dania and Mazin was electric.

“Did you think I wouldn’t know you? I’d know you with any face. Any skin. Any hair. A thousand djinn could disguise you from me and I’d still be able to find you just by the sound of your breath.”

This has all the elements you know and love from romantasy with the flare you expect from The Count of Montecristo.

I would highly recommend this easy to read delightful debut!

Struggled with this one to be honest. A very dry and repetitive main character, a side character who's mostly forgotten except to help the plot move along and every fight scene is filled with cheesy one liners like a very poor comic book movie.

This book is brilliant! The path of vengeance Dani finds herself on was captivating right from the start and the pacing is excellent. EV has an easy writing style that flows beautifully, and an endearing cast of characters that compliment one another well. I'm excited to read whatever this author publishes next

4.5/5 rounded down

For she is wrath is a fantasy romance retelling of The count of monte cristo. It follows Dania, a skilled swordswoman who was imprisoned for a crime she did not commit and Noor, her friend who was also falsely imprisoned as they enact their revenge.

I have not read The count of monte cristo so I do not know where the similarities start and end. Or how much inspiration the book takes from Dumas' classic.

"You don't get to decide my retribution"

Dania is the morally grey FMC we all deserve. She is not afraid to kill or hurt in the name of vengeance and justice.

"Being a girl never stopped me from stabbing someone who deserved it"

This book had me hooked from page 1. It is fast paced and action packed, the story had me on the edge of my seat and kept me enthralled. The friendship between Dania and Noor was written beautifully. They were different sides of the same coin. Their interactions and arguments were believable and precious. Honestly, I could have read more pages of just the two of them traveling and plotting their revenge.

At 400 pages this book isn't short but it did feel like sometimes some plot points were a bit rushed. I would have liked to see more plotting and different ways of taking down those who betrayed them.

Now the romance. This book is enemies to lovers to enemies and then back to lovers. I really enjoyed the flashbacks of Dania and Mazin seeing how their relationship started and developed in their teens up to the point where he betrays her and leaves her incarcerated. Their connection was also very beautiful and I loved how he recognised her through the Djinn magic and the reveals of what actually happened had me tearing up.

"Did you think I wouldn't know you? I'd know you with any face. Any skin. Any hair. A thousand djinn could disguise you from me and I'd still be able to find you just by the sound of your breath."

A very strong debut from Emily Varga. I'd love to read more from her in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's books for providing an ARC copy for review. All opinions are my own.

This is the story of Dania who ends up in prison for a crime she didn't commit.
This is a retelling of the Count of Monte Cristo.
Dania meets Noor in prison who is already digging out. There is a collapse in the tunnel and Noor is hurt however they manage to escape.
I found there was a lot of focus on Dana's anger (I know that is the title meaning) but it took up an awful lot of the story.
I did like Noor but her character isn't really built on as much as i would like.
I found it quite slow and I don't think I would read another book by this author.
It was however interesting to see how the author handled the retelling.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley.

Usually this type of book is right up my alley, I love Y/A fantasy, feminine rage and dark magic. For some reason this book simply did not do it for me. Objectively it's good, I like the premise and the writing, it was just really slow to me and hard to get into.

I quite liked this — I thought it was a fantastic debut from Emily Varga and I’m excited to see what she does next. This book was good, and as an author I think Varga has a ton of potential that will only grow.

The world building was quite good, the writing very vivid — I could feel the world around me and easily imagine the settings.

The plot was exciting and I really loved both Dania and Noor. I liked their friendship and the found family aspect of their relationship, and I liked seeing them bond over the course of the book and the sacrifices they would make for each other and the sacrifices they wouldn’t make if it meant losing each other.

I do think at times the plot felt a little slow and a little repetitive and was slow to go forward and I wish we had more development in terms of the politics of the world, but ultimately the book was quite solid in what it was trying to do. I just wish we got more on the Djinn! For such a prominent part of the book I felt it was rather unexplored.

All in all, I did like this and I’d be interested in future sequels or spin offs.

Dania is a tough, skilled swordswoman who finds herself imprisoned for a crime she didn’t commit. plotting her revenge on those who framed her, she finds friendship in Noor, and the two set out to seek vengeance together.

“𝘿𝙞𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪? 𝙄’𝙙 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙚. 𝘼𝙣𝙮 𝙨𝙠𝙞𝙣. 𝘼𝙣𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙞𝙧. 𝘼 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙟𝙞𝙣𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙜𝙪𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄’𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝.”

the cover was what sucked me in originally but damn, i fell in love with this story and it’s characters.

despite being a retelling, this was still unique, action-packed and exciting; i was hooked to the point of not wanting to put the book down.
as a big enemies-to-lovers/ lovers-to-enemies etc. etc. lover, this was executed flawlessly and reminded me why i love the trope so much.

thank you to netgalley & the publisher for the arc. this rating and review are honest and entirely my own.

"A thousand djinn could disguise you from me and I’d still be able to find you just by the sound of your breath.”

I absolutely loved and devoured this book.

The narration was amazing and the world-building and setting was everything!!

The romance was timed just right and the tension between Dania and Mazin was everything. I love enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers again. The cycle of hate and vengeance that Dania as a character held was so well done and her female rage was beautifully written and narrated. I absolutely adored the romance, the Pakistani representation and influences, through the clothing, food and makeup. I saw a lot of myself in the characters outfits and clothings. I also loved the friendship between Daniyah and Noor.

The magic system including Djinn was such a refreshing take and lovely to see. It means everything seeing Pakistani culture being in a mainstream form of media. Especially in a fantasy book.

I absolutely loved the story overall. I highly recommend it anyone who is interested in a South Asian romantasy..

🔥 For She Is Wrath • Emily Varga 🔥
★★★.5

Read if you enjoy:
🔥 YA fantasy
🔥 Strong female friendship
🔥 Girls out for revenge
🔥 Betrayals that cut deep
🔥 King’s with far too much power
🔥 Prison escapes
🔥 The sound of Djinn powers
🔥 Throne of Glass

Dania was betrayed by the boy she loved and imprisoned for a year. Despite the torture she undergoes in prison, Dania continues to plot her escape, and her revenge, which feels more possible when Dania meets Noor.

This was a Pakistani reimagining of The Count of Monte Cristo that had explosive potential. Dania is a bloodthirsty main character with a feisty disposition and a grudge that has just got her through the worst year of her life. Unfortunately, I did feel that most of her wrath was Dania describing how she would enact out her wrath rather than actually executing her wrath 😂. But I adored the dynamics between her and Noor, and though this is a standalone fantasy, I could definitely see Noor having her own book! She came across as quite enigmatic to me. I’d also love to explore more of the world as the supernatural Djinn’s are super intriguing! I would have just preferred more devious revenge than pondering over vendetta’s.

“You don’t get to decide my retribution.”

“Being a girl never stopped me from stabbing someone who deserved it.”

“It didn’t go with my outfit.”
I stared at her. “A knife goes with every outfit.”
“You only say that because you clearly pick your outfits based on your knives. Most people do it the other way around.”

“I am a tool of vengeance now,” I uttered. “I exist to destroy those who came for me and my family.”

This was so good! For she is wrath is a story about revenge and feminine rage and I ate it up! It was the best.

A gripping tale of friendship and love fueled by vengeance.


“Dani, you know I’ll follow you anywhere.”

This story had me hooked from the very begining. It was fast paced, action packed and the flow of the book was very nice.

Dania was truly a force to be reckoned with. Raised by her father, practically born with a sword in her hand, she meant business. Powered by her need for vengeance, it was really interesting to read Dania's inner turmoil when it came to Mazin. I mean, the man did betray her after claiming to love her, as angry as one would be, the feelings wouldn't just go away.

Noor & Dania - the friendship between them was so beautifully written. I imagine there is a special kind of bond you form with a person you escape prison with. They were different sides of a same coin, balancing each other out.

I truly enjoyed this book and Emily Varga did a fantastic job bringing these characters and story to life. I completely immersed myself into the book and felt every emotion Dania felt.

For She is Wrath is one of my favourite reads this year.

I got to 26% and over 100 pages before I just couldn’t continue.

It’s a very mid book, with a very young writing style. The main character’s internal monologue was very grating and she lacked so much depth.

I was so excited for this book (even got two special editions as I thought this would be one I loved!!) and I’m so disappointed.

The constantly attempt to make the MC like Arya from Game of Thrones was also incredibly irritating and unoriginal.

3.75 ⭐️

If you’re looking for books filled with feminine rage and revenge plots, this is one for you. A Pakistani inspired retelling of the Count of Monte Cristo, this book focuses on Dania’s mission to get revenge on those who betrayed her and sent her to a hell-hole of a prison for the last year.

A chance encounter with another wannabe escapee leads to a female friendship subplot which is a great contrast to the main lover betrayal plot (or should I say enemies to friends, to lovers, to enemies again plot).

I loved the elements of Pakistani culture layered throughout and the premise of this story was fantastic. However, it did fall down slightly on the execution for me and I was just left wanting a bit more from the action and the magic system. I don’t feel like we ever got much explanation or insight into the djinns which is where the magic came from, which would have been one of the most interesting elements for me.

Currently struggled to finish but will likely pick up again in future. It's a good book, the story is enjoyable just right now I am finding it is not clicking with me to want to read more

It isn’t that I think this is a bad book, but it wasn’t for me. I didn’t really get much wrath from the book, which considering the title I was expecting a good amount of female rage. I found the FMC just a bit dull and the revenge plot dragged out, it’s lacking in any real action or dramatics and I found the frequency of the FMC still swooning over one of betrayers infuriating.

I actually don’t know much about The Count of Monte Cristo so I can’t really comment on the retelling aspect of this book, but it just wasn’t gripping or interesting for me.

Unfortunately I did DNF this book at 56% but I will give it another go when the audio is available on my platform as I suspect it could be better as an audiobook for me. Until the point of DNF I was thinking this would be a 3⭐️ read - just very middle of the range. Therefore I’ve given this a 3⭐️ here.

“I choose vengeance. I choose death. And in the end, that’s what you chose too.”

This was such an incredible book and I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to read it prior to release.
Dania, Noor and Mazin are three beautifully flawed characters with desires for revenge that often appear to know no bounds. I have greatly enjoyed getting to know them as characters and I am genuinely rather sad to have finished the story. I know very little about Pakistani culture, so a lot of the things in this book were new to me and I have found it so exciting searching unfamiliar words to see if what I am picturing and my mental pronunciation is correct. Despite my lack of knowledge, the descriptions in this book were fantastic and I felt like I could see everything on the page and picture it well. The brutal magic of the Djinn was another feature that I enjoyed seeing throughout the story. The way it explored revenge, power and greed felt powerful itself.
Overall this was a truly magical YA romantic fantasy that I honestly believe pretty much anyone would enjoy.
💜 I received an ARC of this book and am leaving an honest review voluntarily.💜

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Books for this eCopy to review

She is Wrath is a dark, atmospheric retelling of the Count of Montechristo. Dania’s quest for vengeance was raw and gripping. The moral ambiguity and intensity of the plot kept me on edge throughout the book.

The story follows Dania, a young woman framed for a crime she didn’t commit. After spending almost a year in prison, she’s consumed with rage and plotting her escape and revenge on those who betrayed her, including her childhood best friend and first love, Mazin. With the help of her cellmate Noor and some dangerous djinn magic, Dania embarks on a mission to bring down her betrayers. However, the magic threatens to overtake her, and she struggles to maintain her humanity while seeking vengeance.

What stood out was the depth of Dania’s emotional turmoil—Varga did a phenomenal job portraying her inner conflict and pain.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.

I absolutely loved the story and event the romance elements were perfect (which is a rare thing for me)! For She is Wrath has an amazing blend of world building, political intrigue, character evolution and interesting plot twist. I enjoyed that the author decided to portray both the present and past interactions - it was the best tool to portay the romance building in this story. A definite recommendation!

** 3.75 stars**

Dania is quite the bloodthirsty character. I think the summary of this as a gender flipped Count of Monte Cristo is a really good description. The focus on revenge and the battle between love and hate came through very clearly. I enjoyed Varga's writing style, but I have to say the ending seemed a bit abrupt. All of a sudden I only had 80 pages to go and that's when we get a bit of a twist and Dania's realization about family, love, revenge, etc. The most vivid part of this, in my opinion, was Dania's pain at Mazin kissing and loving someone other than her and how it caused her mind to war between wanting him to kiss her more and hating that he can kiss someone else. The other scene that stood out to me was a realization that forgiveness and showing kindness do not have to go hand in hand. You can forgive someone for their mistakes, their cruelties, but that does not mean you have to show kindness. You can move on, and leave them behind. That's a lesson I can take into my own life.

I can't give this a solid four, because it didn't pull me in like some of my previous reads have. I found myself skimming some pages of descriptive text, because I didn't care much about the imagery. I will also say... Aman, Mazin's sister, seems to be a bit of a pointless character. I wanted more from her in the end than being magically whisked away during the protests, but oh well. However, it is an interesting read, and portrays some interesting scenarios pitting revenge and love against each other.