emiann2023's review
4.0
Interesting take. That last chapter really made this story for me, but overall it was a good read.
clesh01's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
brittaniethekid's review against another edition
1.0
The book started out promising though I felt the writing was a bit stilted, like it was written by a non-English speaker or a translation. It read like an old folk tale which I assume was the intention. I started drifting half way through, though. I just didn't care about any of the characters and reading about her daily life was monotonous and boring. The battle also seemed forced, like the writer had to prove one more time that the protagonist was a Strong Female Character but I was rooting for the weird mist demon things if only to finally end the book.
rini1310's review
3.0
3,7/5
Good retelling! I was pleasantly surprised by how little romance was there in the book. It mostly focuses on the struggle of two sisters who try to protect each other, along with their people, from the 'demons' of the desert.
Good retelling! I was pleasantly surprised by how little romance was there in the book. It mostly focuses on the struggle of two sisters who try to protect each other, along with their people, from the 'demons' of the desert.
freesien's review against another edition
5.0
4,5 Sterne
Diese Geschichte hat mich vezaubert und in den Bann gezogen! Ich liebe Johnstons Schreibstil, er ist wunderschön zu lesen und regelrecht magisch. Es hat sich so angefühlt, als ob sie die Wörter aus einer verzauberten Spindel sponn.
Am Anfang dachte ich fast, dieses Buch wäre wie [b:The Wrath and the Dawn|18798983|The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn, #1)|Renee Ahdieh|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1417956963s/18798983.jpg|26724902], aber das ist es ganz und gar nicht. Sie beide nehmen sich zwar die Geschichte von Eintausendundeine Nacht als Vorlage, könnten aber nicht grundverschiedener sein. Um ehrlich zu sein, gefällt mir diese Version ein Stückchen mehr. Hier wird der Fokus so gar nicht auf eine Romanze gelegt, sondern mehr auf die Charaktere und es kommen mythische Geschöpfe vor. Die Handlung schreitet zwar langsamer voran, aber es lohnt sich wirklich am Ende. Die Dialoge haben mich fesseln können, die Liebe zwischen den zwei Schwestern war so rein und schön.
Ich brauche mehr davon!!!
Diese Geschichte hat mich vezaubert und in den Bann gezogen! Ich liebe Johnstons Schreibstil, er ist wunderschön zu lesen und regelrecht magisch. Es hat sich so angefühlt, als ob sie die Wörter aus einer verzauberten Spindel sponn.
Am Anfang dachte ich fast, dieses Buch wäre wie [b:The Wrath and the Dawn|18798983|The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn, #1)|Renee Ahdieh|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1417956963s/18798983.jpg|26724902], aber das ist es ganz und gar nicht. Sie beide nehmen sich zwar die Geschichte von Eintausendundeine Nacht als Vorlage, könnten aber nicht grundverschiedener sein. Um ehrlich zu sein, gefällt mir diese Version ein Stückchen mehr. Hier wird der Fokus so gar nicht auf eine Romanze gelegt, sondern mehr auf die Charaktere und es kommen mythische Geschöpfe vor. Die Handlung schreitet zwar langsamer voran, aber es lohnt sich wirklich am Ende. Die Dialoge haben mich fesseln können, die Liebe zwischen den zwei Schwestern war so rein und schön.
Ich brauche mehr davon!!!
oatieoats's review
2.0
This book was so boring.
The main character was boring, the king was boring, everyone was boring.
I felt disconnected from the main character, whose name i cant even remember.
Boring.
The main character was boring, the king was boring, everyone was boring.
I felt disconnected from the main character, whose name i cant even remember.
Boring.
pageofpentacles's review against another edition
5.0
After reading a few reviews, I realised this book is either a hit or a miss. For me, it was the former.
My sister's been asking me to read "A Thousand Nights" in forever, and little did I know that I'd finish it in less than 12 hours. Hadn't it been for a good night's sleep, I would've read it all at once for sure.
Not being the biggest fan of "1001 Nights", I didn't have biggest of expectations for its retelling. But was I wrong about that one. I was immediately drawn in by beautiful narration, which allowed me to feel what the heroine felt, to have vast desert that she grew up in right before my eyes and hear the sound of sandstorms she's been through. Based on the reviews I read, a lot of not-so-positive-ones had a problem with narration which apparently confused them, but I had no such problem since my native language, that I read this book in, has 14 verb tenses for depicting time frames as closely as possible.
Since I'm not of Middle Eastern origin, I'm certainly not the one to talk about depiction of Pre-Islamic Arabian culture and its accuracy in this book, but I was in awe of how advanced they seemed to be compared to the rest of the world in supposed era: the skeptics who resembled modern scientists, always looking for certainty in the way that things are, opposing to the priests who traditionally "knew" all the truth was to be credited to their numerate gods.
On to the most fascinating of all, the heroine. By some, she is seen as this passive girl whose lack of name further proves her "uselessness". I beg to differ. The anonymous, nameless, even faceless main character (she's never seen her own reflection) is by far one of my favourite, if not even all-time favourite female character. She's intelligent, sly, mentally strong and persistent in times when all those traits were to be attributed to men, and when being born a woman was as bad as a curse. She persevered pain, heartbreak and humiliation, she saw the danger approaching and awaited its arrival with open arms - multiple times - as if she had nothing left to lose. Each time the stakes get higher and each time she comes out more and more powerful.
Women in history are generally hardly credited for much. Even if one was a queen of a big nation, like China or Russia, not much is learned at schools about them, focusing on men-lead wars. Fun fact: many great historical figures such as kings and emperors went to their wives for a piece of advice in hard times, many queens and empresses took upon themselves to rule when their husbands lost lives in battles, until their oldest sons were to be crowned or enemy arrived to heart of a country.
This is why our anonymous queen "of common kind" is an important reflection of a woman's position in to-us-ancient cultures, villages, towns, kingdoms. She's a definition of a strong female character that doesn't let herself fall and always finds a way out. Behind the hardcore shell she has to show to her demon-king, what keeps her going is love for her family and tribe, also described and shown much better than in vast majority of modern YA novels. She is soon determined to save not only herself and her dearest, but also Lo-Melkhiin from the claws of desert demon. AND she has freakin fire in her hands, so what's there not to love?
My sister's been asking me to read "A Thousand Nights" in forever, and little did I know that I'd finish it in less than 12 hours. Hadn't it been for a good night's sleep, I would've read it all at once for sure.
Not being the biggest fan of "1001 Nights", I didn't have biggest of expectations for its retelling. But was I wrong about that one. I was immediately drawn in by beautiful narration, which allowed me to feel what the heroine felt, to have vast desert that she grew up in right before my eyes and hear the sound of sandstorms she's been through. Based on the reviews I read, a lot of not-so-positive-ones had a problem with narration which apparently confused them, but I had no such problem since my native language, that I read this book in, has 14 verb tenses for depicting time frames as closely as possible.
Since I'm not of Middle Eastern origin, I'm certainly not the one to talk about depiction of Pre-Islamic Arabian culture and its accuracy in this book, but I was in awe of how advanced they seemed to be compared to the rest of the world in supposed era: the skeptics who resembled modern scientists, always looking for certainty in the way that things are, opposing to the priests who traditionally "knew" all the truth was to be credited to their numerate gods.
On to the most fascinating of all, the heroine. By some, she is seen as this passive girl whose lack of name further proves her "uselessness". I beg to differ. The anonymous, nameless, even faceless main character (she's never seen her own reflection) is by far one of my favourite, if not even all-time favourite female character. She's intelligent, sly, mentally strong and persistent in times when all those traits were to be attributed to men, and when being born a woman was as bad as a curse. She persevered pain, heartbreak and humiliation, she saw the danger approaching and awaited its arrival with open arms - multiple times - as if she had nothing left to lose. Each time the stakes get higher and each time she comes out more and more powerful.
Women in history are generally hardly credited for much. Even if one was a queen of a big nation, like China or Russia, not much is learned at schools about them, focusing on men-lead wars. Fun fact: many great historical figures such as kings and emperors went to their wives for a piece of advice in hard times, many queens and empresses took upon themselves to rule when their husbands lost lives in battles, until their oldest sons were to be crowned or enemy arrived to heart of a country.
This is why our anonymous queen "of common kind" is an important reflection of a woman's position in to-us-ancient cultures, villages, towns, kingdoms. She's a definition of a strong female character that doesn't let herself fall and always finds a way out. Behind the hardcore shell she has to show to her demon-king, what keeps her going is love for her family and tribe, also described and shown much better than in vast majority of modern YA novels. She is soon determined to save not only herself and her dearest, but also Lo-Melkhiin from the claws of desert demon. AND she has freakin fire in her hands, so what's there not to love?