Book Review :: This Woven Kingdom, by Tahereh Mafi

This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi
Series: This Woven Kingdom #1
Published by Harpercollins Publishers
on 2022-02-03
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 494
Source: HarperCollins NZ
Find at Harper Collins NZ
Goodreads

Clashing empires, forbidden romance, and a long-forgotten queen destined to save her people—bestselling author 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.

Last updated on 13 February 2023

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase with one of these links, I recieve a small commission at no additional cost to you. Read the full Affiliate Policy.

What is This Woven Kingdom about?

This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi is the story of Alizeh, a servant girl with a secret. It’s the story of Kamran, the crown prince with prophecies hanging over his head. It’s the story of Jinn, death, love, loss and stepping into who you were born to be.

Alizeh is a long-lost heir to an ancient Jinn kingdom. But she is living her life on the run, hiding in plain sight as a servant girl, sewing clothes for the rich and mopping the floors. When she unexpectantly runs into Kamran, the Crown Prince and heir to Ardunia, their stories suddenly collide.

“I think I might fetch you the moon if only to spare your tears again.”

As Kamran tries to make sense of the girl behind the mask, the prophecy that the Queen of Jinn will end his grandfather’s life hangs over him. But as Kamran’s questioning depends, so do his feelings for Alizeh, his enemy and his kingdom’s enemy. Alizeh, in the meantime, continues to hide her Jinn side, the ice in her veins a constant reminder of who she is and the power that could be hers.

As Alizah and Kamran begin to unfold the stories that surround each other, there’s more at stake than they realised.

My thoughts on This Woven Kingdom

This Woven Kingdom was mostly an enjoyable read.

My main gripe with the book? Well, it dragged. I found myself forgetting that I was meant to be reading this book. It didn’t call me back to itself as so many other books do. You know when you’re reading a book that’s so captivating that you can’t wait to get back to it, or you spend far too many hours of the night just reading and you’re mega tired in the morning.

No such luck this time.

It was a long read, around 500 pages, and much of the first half was a slow drag. It didn’t really start picking up until the second half and not until the last quarter did it really start to captivate me. Which is unfortunate, because it meant that not only it did take me an age to read, but by the time I came to write this review (only 2 books into the future!) I had completely forgotten what the book was about and had to do some serious review-checking from others to remind myself.

“Though if you mean to take me captive, you need only ask. I would come willingly.”

I’m not saying it wasn’t good: it was! I did enjoy it and I eventually liked the characters and the plot when it did pick up. It got bumped down a few stars due to the slowness of the first half, the insta-love vibe and other factors.

Tahereh Mafi is a wonderful writer though, and the worlds and stories she creates are so well done. The Persian myth that was threaded into This Woven Kingdom was also beautiful, and it was really cool seeing that play out in the book.

While I may read the next in the trilogy, I won’t be falling over myself to get my hands on it.

Have you read This Woven Kingdom? What did you think?

---

I received this book for free from HarperCollins NZ in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.