These Infinite Threads

This Woven Kingdom #2

by Tahereh Mafi

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.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult, Romantasy, Audiobook, Fantasy Romance, Fiction

416 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 7, 2023

About the author

Tahereh Mafi is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Shatter Me series. She was born in a small city somewhere in Connecticut and currently resides in Santa Monica, California with her husband, fellow author Ransom Riggs. She can usually be found over-caffeinated and stuck in a book. Shatter Me is her first series, with television rights optioned by ABC Signature Studios; Furthermore, her first middle grade novel, is on shelves now, and Whichwood, its darker companion, will be on shelves November 14, 2017.

Reviews

[Ayman · Rating 3 out of 5]

the way this was no plot just vibes??? this is in no way a bad review but this book is definitely suffering from middle book syndrome, i fear. will i continue the series? yes tf?! team cyrus all the wayyyy (the way he’s so miserable, pathetic, and desperate over her…i love to see it!)

[Stacey]

Cyrus endgame 2024

[Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone else is thrilled that maybe Cyrus and Alizeh are endgame, but you also love Kamran🥺

[Lacey 💕 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely nothing happened in this book...and it was glorious

[Clace · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.35!!

“I hate you," he whispered.
"I hate everything about you. Your eyes. Your lips. Your smile." His words grazed her skin when he said, softly, "I find your presence insufferable.”

WHEN I CATCH YOU TAHEREH-

She put her everything in to this book. It was so good!! The plot was minimised and nothing much happened in the book truth be told, the story was progressing but not as fast as I thought but I had no problem with that 😭 because the vibes and everything were perfect!! It was so fun to read like not once was I bored. I was hooked and I honestly wanted more and I couldn't get enough of it. I think almost nothing of that much significant in terms of the actual big plot was made but the characters contributions to that plot was very significant and it overall was very well written.

The writing style in this series is so much different from her writing style in shatter me and I must admit I prefer this one to that because it's so beautiful and so easy and fun to read. It's actually very beautifully written. I love the change and it reads more like a fantasy book which is what I said for the first book as well!!

“She saw an intensity in his stunning irises, something desperate straining against his control, and she swore in that moment she could almost feel his soul pressing against hers.”

Alizeh is the type of FMC who won't back down. She's so much better than most of the female characters present in fantasies or romantasies because she doesn't whine, she has a backbone and she stands up for herself. I love how she's so polite 😭 that even when she's angry she argues in a polite way 😭 it's actually very cute this book was easily characters driven and it reflected a lot on alizehs arc because we got to know so much from her side, more of her magic, her history and her powers and they were so needed like I was desperate to know 😭 also I love how tahereh was foreshadowing stuff all along 🤭

“You have no idea what I want. I have been in agony for eight months, Alizeh. Do you know how hard it’s been to pretend I don’t know you? To pretend I don’t want you? To act as if I haven’t known every inch of your body in my dreams? To learn that your heart has been entangled elsewhere? I look at you and I can’t breathe. In my mind, you are already mine.”

Cyrus? The ginger haired man who begged Alizeh to be her bride, was willing to give her his entire kingdom and for her to kill him and confessed his feelings when having hurt? That Cyrus?? HE STOLE THE WHOLE BOOK with his presence. I love him so much and I'm afraid I'm not willing to open my ears for any slander regarding him.

Is he perfect? No.
Is he going to be potentially one of my favourite morally grey characters? Yes.
Is he also one of the most downbad and shameless flirts I've met? Yes.

I think I understand why Tahereh gave so much time to the characters rather than the plot in this one considering how book 1 ended and with Cyrus only appearing in the second half as a stranger who we knew nothing about. It was important to give him more page time and to explore his character in depth. I absolutely loved his scenes and I' want to know more because he is a very conflicting character.

“My kingdom," he said softly. "For your hand.”

Kamran 😭 I guess he was good too. I feel like I was super connected to him in the first way and that string is slowly thinning and will eventually cut if he makes one wrong move. He hasn't done anything bad lol it's just he was so depressed and I get that was necessary but seeing him sulk and be depressed made me feel that way. I liked his point of view only because of Hazan, his relationship with him was so fun to read. I absolutely love their banter. I also did not understand how he left his kingdom that easily?!? if he's gone who's gonna RULE!?!

“God, you’re so beautiful,” he said, his smile vanishing. “Even when you lie to me.”

The romance was easily the best part of this book. It had me screaming, Cyrus and Alizeh better be endgame because when he felt sick and was high and the things he said and did were so AHHHH and their banter?!? the hate to love and oh my god the Angst and the tension its gonna burn me alive ngl. If they dont get together and the slow burn expands im actually gonna strangle myself because I cant go through another book of slow burn (I can) but it surpassed all my expectations. I love how we got more slow burn with Alizeh and Cyrus cuz Kamran and Alizeh were more Insta lust. Also the quotes?!? perfection.

Tropes:
`Hate to Love
`Forced Proximity
`Angst
`Slow burn
`Only one dragon
`Taking care of them when they're sick
`Banter
`Chosen one

Overall, for me this was a really good sequel, a filler, yes, but still very enjoyable.

Some additional quotes that I loved:

“All for you. Do you really not see what you’ve done to me? In a matter of days you’ve stripped me down and upended my world. My hours are in disarray, my future is in chaos, and my head—my head—”
.
“Cyrus had looked at her many times since she'd met him, and always with varying levels of intensity, but never quite like this. Never like he wanted to fall to his knees before her.”
.
“So beautiful I could hardly look at you, even in my dreams. I thought my mind had magicked you to life as an antidote to my nightmares. I never dared to believe you might exist in real life.”
.
“I thought you’d never match up to the figment of my dreams, and I was wrong. You are far more enchanting in real life. Far more exquisite.”
___
I need Alizeh and Cyrus to be endgame 🥺 you don't know how much I want them 😭❤️‍🔥

[Sîvan Sardar · Rating 5 out of 5]

immediately began this after finishing the first book & i’ve come to the conclusion that if Tahereh doesn’t release the next book TONIGHT i will bite my leg off

[Morgane Moncomble · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cyrus, I’ll be your queen if you want. (Aaron, love, close your eyes…)
.
HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO WAIT ANOTHER YEAR FOR BOOK 3 NOW??

[jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

hmmm, okay. im not sure im liking where this series is going. the jury is still out, but this commits two of my least favourite plot devices. 1) physically splitting up the main characters and 2) introducing a love triangle.

and even though this definitely feels like a filler sequel as nothing major happens plotwise, i couldnt stop reading? something about TMs storytelling gets me hooked, even if im not 100% into the story itself. doesnt hurt that these characters are very enjoyable to read about.

so didnt love this as much as the first book, but i think im still invested in the series. guess we will see how im feeling when the next book comes out.

↠ 3.5 stars

[drew :)]

if tahereh has 10,000 fans, I am one of them. if tahereh has 1 fan, it’s me. if tahereh has zero fans, then I’m dead

[Bryce Rocks My Socks · Rating 5 out of 5]

shatter me with less poetry

if you liked shatter me but hated how every other word is crossed out? read this book
if you liked shatter me but hated how she repeated repeated repeated? read this book
if you didn't like shatter me and hated all those things i mentioned above? (hi paige) read this book
if you want to have any chance of marrying me or just being allowed in my very presence and to breathe the same air as me? WHY AREN'T YOU READING THIS BOOK ALREADY WHY ARE U STILL HERE.

i want to take a star away from the last book just because this one was so much better. on miss abby lee miller's pyramid, this book is a Maddie and the other book is a Chloe, and every other book in existence is a Candy Apple.

yk im delirious when i start pulling out Dance Mom analogies. but it's late and i just want to rave about this book and about this MAN so all of you go read it immediately so i can fill the word count with spoilers pls and thank u.

boys with daddy issues >>> um, boys without daddy issues

[siu · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE WAY NOTHING HAPPENED IN THIS BOOK AND I HAVE TO WAIT ANOTHER YEAR??? BUT WE ALREADY WAITED A YEAR

1/29: TEAM CYRUS FOR THE WIN

[‧₊˚ ellie ♡ (إيلي) · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Then be with me,” he said softly. “Let me worship you.”

I believe I’ll be giving all the books in this series a 5 ⭐️ rating because Tahereh Mafi SERVES every goddamn time. The first installment took me by a storm and this sequel has all my love for this world she created. The writing is consistent with the flowery prose that will give you all the feels! It truly had me giggling at ungodly hours because the banter and tension is so *chef’s kiss* Cyrus is aware of what in the goddamn fuck he’s doing to me and I’m so fucking speechless at how carefully crafted this story is. This woman definitely knows what she’s doing to me because after writing Aaron Warner, she was so determined to give us a new and fresh story with a hot and charismatic morally-grey man and a badass woman with the biggest heart ever. Once again, Tahereh’s managed to exquisitely touch all the plot holes she’s left for us to think about in This Woven Kingdom and I simply cannot wait for how she’ll explore the story in the next book <3



Old Review from 2021:
kamranalizeh better be endgame 😭 cyrus also has great potential for a second lead but kamran bb

Note: apologies, because i was terribly mistaken. since i’ve read shatter me, i am now aware that in tahereh’s world, the first guy never gets the girl 😂

[ari &#x1fab7; · Rating 3 out of 5]

okay so first of all, the dagger to throat scene.. ❗️did infact happen ❗️ now whether you call me a professional prophecy person or what 🤭🤭

moving on, this book was kinda underwhelming

first of all, hazan did not hazan like hazan hazaned in book 1 so it wasn’t that fun cause in book 1 he was really giving kenji and look i do know i shouldn’t be comparing the two series this is an entirely new series but we need a comedic side relief okay and i did not find that in this book

now the question is, was it really that swoon worthy or am i just growing over my ya phase cause like there’s no denying that there were beautiful phrases and all going on between the characters but i’m not rooting for kamran or cyrus, now i’m not sure if it’s my slumpy phase saying that or i’m actually growing over ya phase but worry not my loves cause whenever the third book comes out, i think i will reread both so we shall be back for fresh opinions

+ throughout this book it felt like nothing happened at all now there might be possible spoilers ahead beware!! alizeh and cyrus were together throughout right but it’s like did they really go through all that in the span of one day?? they hate each other then start feeling things for each other then fight and all that stuff in the span of a day?? pls tell me i misread cause in kamrans pov it’s was like a week?? wait no i’m not so sure for kamran i didn’t pay much attention during his pov

okay so most of the book is just build up (maybe cause it’s the second book? it would be acceptable kinda if it was a trilogy cause most second books in trilogies are underwhelming but i saw somewhere that there will be more than three books so irdk with this) probably the third book will be good? idk but i’ll go in with low expectations 💔💔


—————

no one tell me if the dagger to throat scene thing is true or not i wanna find out myself in march
if you spoil it for me i will literally punch you through the screen

——————————

i’m not even joking; the cover is speaking to me “there will be a very hot, sexy, mesmerizing, deafening ‘dagger to throat’ scene”

——————————————-

i have to wait all the way till feb for ginn smut??

[♥︎niya ♥︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

NOOOOOOOOO WHY THE FUCK WAS THIS BOOK SO SHORT?!!! And the fact that nothing happened but it was so incredibly swoonworthy anyway.

"i'd marry you with paper rings" cyrus darling

[yasna⁷ · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 star

i really do not know why i keep trying to force myself to like tahereh mafi’s books when i know they’re not for me but we have what we have i guess !! anyways, straight to the point on why i gave this book 1 star:

1. the pacing. when i tell you that the entirety of this novel (416 pages on kindle) literally happened in one fucking day im not joking. it begins with cyrus and alizeh flying away to tulan during the night and it ends exactly 24 hours later, during the night of the next day. what the hell is up with that? its absolutely atrocious and does not make any sense if one is to consider everything that happens in the book. the characters have no time to develop (they are written as if they have, but its completely unbelievable since it has literally been one day).

2. the writing. idk why the author chose this exact way to write dialogues in her new series, but it doesn’t work at all for me. i think i mentioned it in my review for this woven kingdom, but it feels like tahereh tries so hard to show the readers that her writing has improved from shatter me that she tries to make her characters’ lines sound as smart and ostentatious as possible (its not working at all).

3. the characters. where does one even start here… first off, i skipped all of kamran’s chapters except the first one (i skimmed through it) because he’s annoying af. i tried, i really did, to read them but he’s just too insufferable for me im sorry. there’s absolutely nothing about this character that hasnt been done before, he’s literally a combination of all basic tropes that are popular nowadays, and this amalgamation is not even well-done.

alizeh. i liked her in the first book but in this one it was such a downgrade it’s actually insane. it seems that all her person does is either get sad about how she didnt want this destiny/prophecy/whatever and would rather look after sheep (legit what she said btw) or say “how dare you” to cyrus multiple times a day (or an hour, since, you know, the entire book is set during 1 day). think im joking? well i am not! i actually counted how many times she says “how dare you” throughout the book. wanna take a guess?

16 times. i’ll even give a few quotes below so that yall could get the gist of it.

“How dare you,” she said. “You horrible cretin. You useless monster. How could you—”

“How dare you,” she said, her fists clenching.”

“How dare you slander my person when you know nothing about me—”

“How dare you,” she whispered.”

“I certainly will not listen to you— And how dare you call me stupid and infuriating—”

“She gasped. “I am not a demented Jinn, how dare you—”

… you get it. the less said, the better, i say!

now onto cyrus. out of the three main characters, he was the one whom i liked the most (which really isnt saying much tbh). he, too, is your every love interest put together, but the slightly less annoying version.

4. the romance. bland and terribly written are the only descriptions i have for it. i wont even mention kamran (mainly bc i skipped his chapters so i have nothing to talk about, but also bc he’s annoying), and as for cyrus and alizeh: there were some cute and fun moments, but nothing to hold one’s attention for long. one thing that i hated, though, is the development of the relationship between them. mind you, everything happened in ONE day! at the beginning they both hate each other, then noon of the next day she starts to find him bearable, then they suddenly decide to go for a walk together and he buys her bread (how romantic!) and then something happens to him and she starts crying for him. she literally hated him and cursed him like 15 hours earlier. and my favourite part was when he asked how she cleared the blood from his face, to which alizeh replied that she “used the moisture of my tears to scrub away the sticky residue”. ???????????????????? in the span of one day, i remind you. like im not even gonna say anything cause i feel like that speaks for itself

what i said about kamran’s and cyrus’ characterisations applies here too (that is, a mix of a bunch of romance tropes that bring nothing new to the table). (spoiler next, skip to point 5 if you dont wanna know) what irritated me, though, is that the book is promoted as enemies to lovers (as far as i am aware, at least), which obviously means cyrus and alizeh (since kamran and alizeh were insta love), but at the end of this book we find out that, guess what, he actually never hated her and he actually dreamed of her for months and calls her angel in his head, can you believe that?! just… ugh.

5. the plot. i was complaining to my friend earlier today about this book and when she asked me what even is the plot of the book i fr couldnt answer. alizeh becoming the queen of jinn? yeah maybe. alizeh & co fighting the devil? can be. there are little pieces here and there but there is no one big, interesting plot that would make this whole book worth reading. idk maybe the author wanted to focus on romance rather than the plot but if that’s the case then… i have already made my opinion on the romance aspect known lol.

overall. even though i had low expectations, i was still disappointed. very lacklustre novel. if you liked the first book, though, then this one will be right up your alley too.

[Gillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book on one hand the world building was so good, but on the other hand the pacing was inconsistent and not much happened with the plot. The book started off so good and I was hopeful that it would be exciting but I was disappointed, nothing exciting happened and the book dragged. The world building was great, I enjoyed learning about the world full of magic, Jinn, and royalty. I felt that the pacing was all over the place, mostly the pacing was slow and didn't pick up. I have mixed feelings about some of the characters as well. I loved Alizeh, she is strong, resilient, kind, helpful and stubborn. I didn't like Kamran in this book, he was naive, dumb and rude. I felt that his character development was lacking and I didn't like that he kept making assumptions about Alizeh that weren't true. I liked Cyrus, he charming, mysterious, funny, and handsome, but at times he was a bit rude to Alizeh. I enjoyed learning about Cyrus' past, but I was hopping to learn a bit more about him and understand his perspective. I really like the banter between Alizeh and Cyrus. I really like Alizeh and Cyrus' enemies-to-lovers romance, although I didn't feel a connection between them. I enjoyed the writing, but the author focused more on descriptions instead of focusing on the plot. The ending was good I was a bit more engaged in the story, but it ended abruptly.

[Dawn Solaris · Rating 4 out of 5]

★彡 4.25 stars 彡★

“The sky, too, is soft,” she said. “Yet all who fall into its arms will perish.”

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈ If I had a big enough forehead, the first thing I would do is tattoo the transcript of this book onto it (•̀ᴗ•́ )و

⊹ ࣪ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ࣪ ˖

⋮ ⌗ ┆ ᏖᏒᎧᎮᏋᏕ ᏗᏖ ᏇᎧᏒᏦ ⋮ ⌗ ┆

❆ Forced Proximity

❅ Slowburn

❆ Love Triangle

❅ Enemies To Lovers

❆ Dual POV

⊹ ࣪ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ࣪ ˖

⋮ ⌗ ┆ᎷᎩ ᏖᏂᎧᏬᎶᏂᏖᏕ ⋮ ⌗ ┆

⚠︎ Warning: The events of this book in question take place over a single day. Yes. A. Single. Day. So tread into this series with caution for you might fall head over heels over ONE day ⚠︎

: ̗̀➛ 🅞🅝🅔 🅓🅐🅨 🅣🅞 🅕🅔🅔🅛 🅘🅣 🅐🅛🅛: Call it baloney, call me biased. But I think it’s wrong to expect too much plot from the second book of any trilogy or series. It’s granted that the second book should act as a bridge between the exposition of the starter and the explosion of the finale. That is to say, this book is purely vibes and gosh am I be vibing (ᴗ_ᴗ.)

Translation: I’m a simpleminded bitch and I justify the wrongs of things I love ∘ ∘ ∘ ( °ヮ° ) ?

Here I was smitten by the first book. And even then Tahereh Mafi brought out the big guns in this one. The fantasy elements were heavenly. The prose, decadent. The word-building, absolutely monumental. Everything about this book screamed GRAND and EXQUISITE and I’m damned if I say otherwise. I was content in closing my eyes after every random description and let it form in my imaginings because I cannot remember the last time any type of beautiful writing gave me this wild a thrill:

“The heaviness of night drew back in an unhurried reveal, inches of dark pleating away not unlike curtains on a stage. An audience of one stood impatient before the sight, waiting with bated breath for the set dressing of the next scene, the next act in her life.”

If this is how one perceives a sunrise of all things, then I’m certain Tahereh Mafi was born a poet. Apart from this, I can’t think of any logical explanation other than me being an uncultured heathen who possibly hasn’t been exposed to such grandeur before!

: ̗̀➛ 🅞🅝🅔 🅓🅐🅨 🅣🅞 🅑🅔🅒🅞🅜🅔 🅐 🅢🅘🅜🅟 (𝔸𝕝𝕚𝕫𝕖𝕙 𝔼𝕕𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟): Oh Alizeh, forget Kamran and Cyrus. Marry me, I’m clearly the better option ( •᷄ᴗ•́)

My love, admiration and respect for Alizeh know no bounds. This girl is, by far the biggest miracle I’ve witnessed. She’s soft, but steely. She’s sweet, but shrewd. She’ll pluck the stars out of the heavens to make you smile. But she’s also capable of making you kneel before her and cry for mercy if you try something funny. She’s the biggest bookish paradox and boy do I scream HELL YEAH!

Finally an FMC who unabashedly loves the lovely pretty things, who appreciates dazzling dresses, romantic regalia and FLOWERS, ahh flowers.

“You strike me as precisely the sort of maudlin person who would appreciate the company of flowers while crying.”

Again, what the hell is wrong with me that I make a big deal out of FLOWERS? Clearly, something is wrong with YOU if you don’t appreciate flowers It’s a small pleasure seeing the FMC not shying away from stereotypically girly things as is the popular trend albeit how little these mentions may be. She’s ridiculously precious, and a jewel for that ♡

UGH SHE MAKES ME SO SAPPY

And in the next breath she’s also saying things like this:

“A gentleman? Do you often confuse yourself for such a man?”

#Grill&RoastMenForSupper ᕙ( •̀ ᗜ •́ )ᕗ

When asked, “If you could befriend one fictional character, who would it be?”, you can find me rolling on the floor, screaming, crying, throwing up, “ALL HAIL QUEEN ALIZEH!”

: ̗̀➛ 🅞🅝🅔 🅓🅐🅨 🅣🅞 🅑🅔🅒🅞🅜🅔 🅐 🅢🅘🅜🅟 (ℂ𝕪𝕣𝕦𝕤 𝔼𝕕𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟): I didn’t realise my heart was such a faulty organ until I read this book. Pray tell, why else would I BLUSH at something like this?

“Try to weaponize those eyes against me again and I will have them permanently sewn shut.”

No, please answer. It is not normal for me to to feel flustered at shit like this, I swear! ヽ༼ ಥ_ಥ༽ﾉ

“When you threatened just hours ago to have my eyes sewn shut?”

He looked sharply away from her then, a muscle jumping in his jaw. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

“And then you threw me off a cliff,” she said, her voice a bit breathless even to her own ears.

“You wouldn’t stop threatening to kill me,” he said angrily, turning back to face her. “I was merely trying to change the subject.”

“By having me devoured by dragons?” she nearly cried.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you all: the REAL enemies to lovers (◍•ᴗ•◍)

Every moment between Alizeh and Cyrus felt charged. And while Cyrus began his journey into MMC-hood as a literal bloody jerk… he still shone through with his humor and charm ~

“Tell me—is it too much to hope for our future that you will not make it a habit of slapping me in the face?”

“Yes.”

“I see. Then married life will be exactly as I imagined.”

Shut up, he’s not allowed to make me snort in public places like that ×͜×

Cyrus broke through that armour I put on. I refuse to be swayed THIS easily by his charms. When I tell you, I high-pitch-squealed my way through all his scenes, you should know that I don’t say it LIGHTLY-

“Of all the trials I’ve recently endured,” he said, turning his face up to the sky. “You are by far the most excruciating.”

Listen. If a guy ever said this to me, I would marry him on spot. Period.

But only if says it like Cyrus. Or better yet, if he IS Cyrus (˶˃⤙˂˶)

Please, one last Cyrus quote, I promise!

“Then be with me,” he said softly. “Let me worship you.”

I’m unwell. I’m not feeling well. How does one feel WELL under such circumstances? Honest questions, y’all (╭ರ_•́)

: ̗̀➛ 🅞🅝🅔 🅓🅐🅨 🅣🅞 🅛🅞🅢🅔 🅜🅨 🅢🅗🅘🅣 (𝕂𝕒𝕞𝕣𝕒𝕟 ℙ𝕆𝕍 𝔼𝕕𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟): I have another question and the first person to answer that will have my eternal devotion… say, what happens to the secondary love interests in the second book of any romantasy series? Why, why do they get possessed by the ghost of some Emo Mother Gothel, forever dramatically brooding and victimising the shit outta themselves? *cough cough* Reckless *cough cough* Kitt Azer And the funny thing is, I actually like Kamran’s character. He’s hilariously arrogant, so granted I’m here for the snob-fest! But the thing is…

He’s brooding…

And half of the book is in Kamran POV…

And I’m forced to be in INSIDE his head…

WHILE he’s brooding…

Not a fun picture I painted, eh? ᐠ( ᐛ )ᐟ

This is why I was gratefully happy when Kamran was in the presence of someone, ANYONE, because then he was fun in belittling other people and thinking shit about them. But the moment he got alone time, he would start… *drum rolls* you guessed right – B-R-O-O-D-I-N-G- (≖_≖ )

»»——★ fιnαℓ тнσυgнтѕ ★——««

➳ I’ll fight anyone who defames my babies, Alizeh and Cyrus… well then, go ahead, do you WANT to fight me? No? Then pick up this series if you haven’t already ~

｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡

[évieane · Rating 4 out of 5]

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ㅤ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . 4.6 -4.8 ☆ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ˋ°•*⁀➷ㅤmight contain spoilers ❗

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ᯓ ✿ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍re-read ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ⪼ ┆06-Aug-2025┆
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ⤿ I am not even joking when I say I would do anything for Cyrus, and I would literally sacrifice even my own life for him to have just a moment of happiness...PLEASE, HE HAS SUFFERED ENOUGH!!!!!


ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ I am not even sure this is going to actually be a review, because this will most probably feel like an entire marketing campaign where I am lowkey convincing you to read this book.(let me know whether I succeeded or not by the end of this). This book has genuinely been everything to me. I couldn't even care less about the plot not being something impactful or truly meaningful, because I was entirely whipped for everything else about this book.
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ You probably heard this one hundred times from me, but I am a mood reader and this book gave me an exquisitely bitter-sweet mood, so it is perfect.

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ "I look at you and I can’t breathe. In my mind, you are already mine.”

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ short summary
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ "These Infinite Threads" by Tahereh Mafi is a gorgeously written, emotionally rich sequel that elevates everything from the first book. The prose is vivid and lyrical, steeped in imagery that feels almost otherworldly, and the story pulses with poetic weight and quiet intensity.

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ At the heart of it all is Alizeh and Cyrus (yes, I am choosing to ignore Kamran)—two powerful, stubborn forces caught in a tangled web of fate, politics, and painful choices. Their dynamic crackles with tension, not just romantic but existential, as both wrestle with who they are, what they’ve lost, and what they might become. The emotional depth is immense, and their internal monologues are hauntingly beautiful—filled with yearning, grief, and razor-sharp reflection. It's a story that aches in all the right places.


ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ honest thoughts
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ⋅ ☾ I feel like I don't even have genuine thoughts after this book, but as I also mentioned previously for This Woven Kingdom I am absolutely in love with the magnificent writing in this book. I simply could not put this book down because of how eager I was to just read one more line of these perfectly crafted words, just one more paragraph of another magnificently vivid imagery. I am simply addicted to this world.

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ⋅ ☾ The more I read into this series, the more I realise that my dissatisfaction with the plot importance from the first book was slightly misguided. This is a series that definitely does not focus on plot, but rather on its characters, on their oh, so consuming feelings and experiences and it definitely focuses on emotion. Therefore, it would be unwise of me to keep judging it for something it is definitely not meant to focus on. It does an absolutely exquisite job at portraying such powerful feelings that you end up experiencing everything yourself.

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ⋅ ☾ This book genuinely felt like a magnificently crafted dream. From the gorgeous world to the gut-wrenching monologues of the characters, this was simply a piece of art for me. I genuinely did not mind the lack of a very developed and strong plot, because I was so caught up in everything else this book has presented me with that I, honestly, simply had no time to mind anything else.

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ⋅ ☾ I want to sincerely apologise for my lack of judgement because I dared to think that the romance in this book shall be just as inconspicuous and annoying insignificant in terms of emotional depth in a similar manner to the first book; because I was so wrong about this. The romance in this book, especially in what concerns the second half of the book, will be the cause of many heart and sleep issues for me in the future.
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ I am safe to say, I was not expecting anything from what came for me in the very last part of the book. I was definitely not expecting to have my heart shattered to pieces by such incredibly passionate and painful confessions. But I am afraid this book managed to completely ruin me with its beauty and incredible writing when it comes to love.

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ⋅ ☾ Something this book does so incredibly amazing is keeping such a general state of mystery and confusion which you are forced to endure together with the characters. And due to this, even though the ending of this book is not some shocking cliff-hanger, you are still left craving more and desperate to just keep reading the next one. The ending of this book almost did not allow me to sleep peacefully at night unless I started the next book as soon as possible.
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ I was left speechless and so frustrated with the incredibly cruel fate the characters seem to be forced to endure and, in exchange, I AM FORCED TO ENDURE TOO!


ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ characters
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍These characters managed to become so insanely dear to me (not you, Kamran) and I am genuinely shocked about how much I came to care for them (not you, Kamran) and to empathise with them in such a short period of time (not you, Kamran).

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ✧ Alizeh - Despite still being able to see the kindness in her in the first book as well, I feel like her innocence and pure heart really managed to shine in this one. There is strenght in kindness and delicacy and Alizeh, as a character, really manages to show that perfectly. I loved how her interactions from the first book mostly managed to emphasize her strenght, while her interactions with Cyrus made her innocent and young side shine in the most beautiful, fun and emotionally charged banter. I am really looking forward to her progress and this duality of her character in the next books. All I can say for now is that I absolutely love her.

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ✧ Cyrus - The man I was waiting for ever since the ending of the first book. I never thought I would say this, but Jacks definitely finally found his competition in this man. Since I was finding his character fun and sassy at first, I was expecting lots of banter and entertaining fights between him and Alizeh. What I DID NOT expect was for my heart to shatter entirely for this man, to feel such a deep and gruesome heartbreak for him and to fall so deeply in love with his confessions. This man is the sheer definition of yearning. I have never met a man who literally acts like his world is ending once the woman he loves is out of his reach.
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ Believe me when I say, there is no way for this man to not become your next obsession. I know for sure he defnitely became mine.

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ✧ Kamran - I hate this man too much to give him the honour of receiving a proper opinion from my end. Imagine a man that is so entitled and so desperate to be loved that he goes on and meets a person, creates an image of that person for himself in his own mind, falls in love with that image and then goes on to somehow demand that person to love him back. You can draw your own opinions about him from here. All I say is that this man is NOT in love and definitely does not deserve my pity.

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ✧ Hazan - You're still doing so amazing, sweety. I absolutely love you with my entire heart. ❤️

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ✧ Sarra - You can take Kamran's hand and go and be psychos together in peace.


ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ should you read this?
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ To genuinely reply this, I am going to embark on my self-imposed quest of convincing everybody I know to read this book and demand of them to pick this up and start reading it. Therefore, the short answer is yes, you should be reading this. I am genuinely absolutely mesmerised by the writing of this entire series and when you pair this with characters of such beautiful craftmenship, I am bound to find myself, once again, in love with a book.
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ Yes, I am already good into the next book while I am writing this because there was no way for me to stop reading.




⊹₊┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ✿ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈₊⊹
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ᯓ ✿ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍pre-reading ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ⪼ ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ started ┆19-June-2025┆
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ⤿ I just got come from the office, I am having a horrible headache, but you can be sure as hell i am not doing anything else but just starting this book right now!!!!!!
I KNOW A HOT MAN WHEN I SEE ONE AND THAT ENDING REALLY GAVE ME HOT MAN VIBES!!!

[areeba ✿ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars ★

my reminder to everyone that "guilty as sin?" is lowkey alizeh & cyrus's song. i have quotations matched to the lyrics, i swear i do not say these things so freely 😔☝🏻

example:-

(the quotations are from both book 2 and 3 so beware even though the quotes are of just alizeh/cyrus simping over each other)

they don't know how you've haunted me // so stunningly // i choose you and me ... religiously === “You have no idea what I want. I have been in agony for eight months, Alizeh. Do you know how hard it’s been to pretend I don’t know you? To pretend I don’t want you? To act as if I haven’t known every inch of your body in my dreams? To learn that your heart has been entangled elsewhere?”

what if he's written 'mine' on my upper thigh // only in my mind? === “I look at you and I can’t breathe. In my mind, you are already mine.”

one slip and falling back into the hedge maze // oh what a way to die === “For as long as he lived he feared he'd know the scent of her, the sound of her walking toward him. She was a fool to think otherwise. He was a fool to think of her at all.”

i keep recalling things we never did // messy top lip kiss // how I long for our trysts // without ever touching his skin === entire chap 14 of book 3 + the fact that they haven't even kissed yet

how can I be guilty as sin?

yeah yeah. me after the clownery i did above:

it made much more sense in my head 😔

anyhow, tahereh mafi created an absolutely amazing world with this one. it's fresh and the story doesn't use the same repetitive elements (vampires for example) but they're actually unique. we have iblees, and jinn's, and a lost queen, and an interesting magical system 😭 i loveeee world building like this.

however, the plot is so damn slow, it's non existent. why why why 🤡 tahereh, you created an amazing world and some darn good characters, WHY NOT FILL THE BOOK WITH A GOOD PLOTLINE? - and it's the fact that the plot that does exist isn't even bad, it's actually quite interesting, but there's such a LACK of it 😭😭😭 i wish more things actually happened in the book smh.

as for the characters DAMNNNN. tahereh mafi never misses with her main couple like 🤸🏻‍♀️🤸🏻‍♀️🤸🏻‍♀️🗣🗣🗣😫😫😫 QUEEN for a reason. Alizeh, my sweet summer child, literally the kindest girlie ever, characters who don't stop being kind even when the world treats them like shit, my beloveds 😭🎀

and Cyrus agahahshdhhfhgeruiwhknajgkdsjuteilrjkn,dghyilulerjkngkj MY MAN MY MAN MY MAN *dies* everything that comes out of that man's mouth has me going like:


likeeeee:-

“I would marry you,” he said, stepping closer again, coming dangerously within reach. “I’d marry you tomorrow. And then I’d take you to bed. For weeks.”

CYRUS PLS WHEN IS IT MY TURN


and when he took her to see the kingdom, pls i was crying they mean everything to me 😭😭😭 that was literally the most adorable thing i've ever read. every interaction of them had my giggling and wanting to fall from a building. ALIZEH x CYRUS >>>>>>>



^ everybody stop and look at them cause MY SHAYLAAAA 😭😭😭😭 OH MY GOD MY SHAYLA. the height difference, the scenery, the way he bought her bread when she tells him she's never eaten bread 😭😭😭😭, the way he's looking at her, god tier face cards from mom and dad, i'm cry.

the ending? JAW DROPPED. ON THE FLOOR. i died, deceased. that chapter will haunt me forever.

conclusion: an awesome book with amazing writing and a top-tier characters whom im gonna love forever + their relationship is to die for. i just wish more things happened in the book to move the plot forward besides what we got.

[SHOMPA · Rating 2 out of 5]

In this latest installment, Kamran's character became increasingly irksome, causing me to swiftly read through his scenes. Unfortunately, the female lead still hasn't found her backbone, and her lack of direction left me feeling as uncertain as she was. The only aspect that stood out was the added depth to Cyrus's character. Although the outcome of the love triangle is still uncertain, I think Cyrus has a strong chance.

Overall, the storyline was uninspired and lacking in progression, and I did not find anything enjoyable about the whole book.

I'm wondering what Tahereh Mafi's publisher had in mind when they decided to release this half-baked work. It would have been greatly appreciated if they had extended some compassion towards her devoted fans, such as myself, who eagerly anticipated the release of her second book for a whole year.

[Pang Clearing Series, Will Come Back!! xD · Rating 5 out of 5]

🧁 Oochh I'm firstly afraid that I will like this book less than book 1, but omg I was wrong! This book is SO ADDICTIVE that I devoured 300 pages within a day! So much romance and characters driven that keep me turn page and page.

🥐 The book switchs between part of Ardunia and Tulan empires, and both parts are really fun! :D



🧁 .. ARDUNIA ..
Oochh poor Kamran baby, all alone to the throne of the largest empire of the world. Without King Zaal, his granddad and wtf all betrayals from people he trusts. Reading this part put me in the feel of court intrigued historical dizi. One time, I wanna cry with Kamran cause I can feel what's he gone through. Another time, I wanna ship him with Hazan, it's weird I know. lol! The discovery of magic thing in his part is also mysterously interesting. (Book 3, book 3 now!! *hehe 🤭)



🥐 .. TULAN ..
The court game also not end in Tulan, but damnn my Cyrus is too cunning hottie boy!! It's like our heroine fights with the villian that always 1 step ahead from her. (Till now I still wonder if his mother is his real mother? Why she wants to kill her own son, I'm confused! OoO) Gahh!! I lived for Cyrus and Alizeh's bickering! Their chemistry is sizzling HOT! that I devoured their tension, enjoyed how they insult each other like an animal crave blood. Her hatred and his rudeness are my freakin' fave!! 😆

** NOW I'M READY FOR "ALL THIS TWIST GLORY!" 🐪 **

[Grace (irisroman & evajacks' version) ✧ · Rating 4 out of 5]

･:*:･ﾟ⁀➷ 4/5 ★

Such a stunning sequel!! 🤭🤭 I had sm fun reading it & the series is getting so good 🥹🌷

Tropes:
🌺 Enemies to lovers
🌺 Middle eastern fantasy
🌺 Multi pov
🌺 Morally grey love interest
🌺 Boy falls first & harder

I had a really fun time with the first book, so i was super excited for this one! And it did not disappoint- i ate it up hehe 💐

ೃ⁀➷ Writing & plot:

I’m really enjoying tahereh mafi’s writing in this series! 🫶🫶 Like i said in my review of this woven kingdom, i feel like her writing has matured a lot from shatter me and I really like her writing style. The way the new setting was described made me feel so lost in the book & i loved it.

This book also felt so so bingeable and i was taken right back to when i devoured all the shatter me books so quickly. I physically could not put it down and i was so sad when it ended bc i wanted more 😩

But on the other hand… i had the same problem as the first book that not a ton actually happened?? 🙈🙈 This series feels like very much no plot, just vibes and although the story is not super well fleshed out, the entertainment makes up for it.

ೃ⁀➷ Characters:

I feel like i’m getting more attached to them!! We’re definitely getting more character development in this sequel and i think it’s a decent cast of main characters ✨️

➵ Alizeh: you know what, i still like her but i feel like she did very little in this one? She came off quite passive and i really want to see her become a badass!! Hopefully in the third book 🤞🤞

➵ Kamran: oh man he pissed me off sm in this book. His chapters were sooo boring & i just did not care about what he was doing. He gave off major adam kent vibes in this one and it’s not cute 😃🔪

➵ Cyrus: OMG I LOVE HIM🤭🤭 i KNEW when he appeared in the first book that he would be my fav and i was right!! Every single word that came out of his mouth had me giggling and kicking my feet, and i loved how morally grey he was. He is absolutely the aaron warner of this series and i’m here for it 🦋🦋

ೃ⁀➷ Romance:

‼️ potential spoilers in this section ‼️

➵ Alizeh & Kamran: i swear if they are endgame, i will actually riot 😃 I was never a big fan of them but the way kamran went from being “in love with her” to being ready to kill her in like 5 seconds?! Plus the way alizeh didn’t give kamran a second thought the whole time doesn’t make his chances seem good lmao

➵ Alizeh & Cyrus: YES YES YES. the enemies to lovers was so good in this one, i lovedd how they genuinely hated each other at first!! But the way cyrus was so obsessed with alizeh and their scenes at the end?! Screaming crying throwing up 😩😩 The way i love them already and they haven’t even kissed🤭🤭

‼️ spoilers have ended ‼️

ೃ⁀➷ In conclusion:

This was sm fun hehe 🌷🩷 I would definitely recommend this series if you’re looking for:

➛ Middle eastern culture
➛ So bingeable
➛ Great romance hehe
➛ Intriguing world

I’m having a great time with this series so far 😚🫶

《 2024 Challenge: Book 53 of 115 》

･:*:･･:*:･･:*:･･:*:･･:*:･･:*:･･:*:･･:*:･･:*:･･:*:･･:*:･･:*:･･:*:･･

ೃ⁀➷ prereview:

➛ This was soo good ahh!! 🥹🩷 I think i'm obsessed with cyrus 🤭🤭

rtc 🌷

･:*:･･:*:･･:*:･･:*:･･:*:･･:*:･･:*:･･:*:･･:*:･･:*:･･:*:･･:*:･･:*:･

ೃ⁀➷ preread:

➛ i really enjoyed the first book, so hopefully this one is just as good! 🤞🤞 I can’t wait to see more of cyrus hehehe 🤭🩷

[Nancy •͙͙✧⃝•͙͙✩ͯ · Rating 4 out of 5]

──⟡⋆˙✩ 4.25 stars ✩ ⋆˙⟡──

This review contains spoilers from book one

After the last book ended with Cyrus going, “We getting married! Surprise, surprise!” of course, I had to immediately start this one to find out Alizeh’s answer (other than falling off the dragon in shock). And this is what I was greeted with:

⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡ 𝐋𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧: 𝐈 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮.

Ahem.

On the flip side—enemies to lovers?

Because in the beginning, Cyrus is all, “Now listen here, girlie. I don’t wanna marry you, but I have to ‘cause the devil ordered me to. Don’t think I’ll fall for your pretty eyes like Kamran over there. I’m a big, scary, mean, heartless boy!”

To which Alizeh is like:

⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡ "𝐈 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮," 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝, 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. "𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭, 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮."

This reader: JUMPS AND SQUEALS AND GIGGLES I need help

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Would you believe me if I said this entire book spans over one day? No? Well, it does. T_T Like, the book starts at night and ends the next night. Everything Alizeh and Cyrus go through—the transitions from hatred to friendliness to catching feelings, back to hatred again on the last page, to becoming allies and is your head spinning? mine too

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Cyrus is not what I expected. And I’m sorry for being useless, but I genuinely cannot give you an opinion on him yet. I haven’t even decided on one myself. I don’t know... he’s so weird. Like, I don’t know what to think of him. He’s this bizarre mix of cruel and soft, of suffering himself and causing suffering in return. He says mean things, yet he’s oddly sensitive to them. And he’s skittish. So skittish. So suspicious. He reminded me of my parrot—when feeling cornered, he’d bite at everyone and everything, regardless of whether they meant him harm.

Talking about my feelings towards him, I believe my perception of him developed alongside Alizeh’s. Both of our hearts kept softening toward him because, at times, he felt like a scared, lost boy. But then we’d remember how dangerous he was—how he would lie and trick under the devil’s orders. Because yes, as we know from book one, he struck a deal with Iblees and now must do his bidding... or suffer the consequences.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ As for Alizeh—why is she so loveable? I’m not kidding. She’s both pookie-coded and a badass queen. I didn’t even think that was possible! One of my absolute favorite things about her is that she knows when to take a stand. Compassion is such a huge part of her, yet she’s careful not to let it cloud her judgment or make her susceptible to manipulation. She ensures it doesn’t turn into a weakness—something others can push her around with. And that’s just so admirable to me because I rarely see this kind of balance in books.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ To those of you who suffer from life’s unpredictability and ever-changing nature, fear not! There is one thing in life that is constant: these damn Kamran POVs.

Now, don’t get me wrong—I have nothing against the boy. But do I really have to be in his head? Is it absolutely necessary? Truly?

This book would have been half its size without the Kamran chapters, and I’m SO ANNOYED!

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ ρ𝕣ꫀ-𝕣ꫀꪖᦔ ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

After that ending? You bet I'm starting this immediately!

[Herica Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

finished this weeks ago but forgot to write a review oops(reading vlog on youtube )
but 4.5 ⭐️ !!! tahereh mafi has me in a chokehold with this series. the tension?? the pining?? obsessed.
alizeh is everything strong, stubborn, soft underneath it all. omg and cyrus?? i’m so obsessed!!! the yearning? the tension? i was spiraling the entire time. he’s complicated, morally messy, probably bad for my emotional health. but i love them so much alreadyy

this one was slower and definitely more character driven than book one, but the emotional payoff?? so worth it. the worldbuilding is stunning and the persian mythology adds so much depth.

the ending left me stressed. i need to read the third book immediately

[Katie T · Rating 5 out of 5]

First things first …..

CYRUS 🥵🥵🥵

Why do I not see more people flipping the F out over this series on GR?!?!???! IT’S SO GOOD OMFG 😭🙌.

By far the best book I’ve read so far in 2023, and while its early in the year, this is my 49th book.

I’ve not been so completely enraptured by a fantasy in such a long long time. This is prob considered YA but it’s written beautifully and intelligently. I’m going to call it New Adult fantasy for what it’s worth.

This was also the SEXIEST book I’ve ever read that had zero smut in it, my God the sexual tension 🔥🔥🔥.

[emelie &#x1d717;&#x1d71a;⋆₊˚ · Rating 5 out of 5]

જ⁀➴ 𝟒.𝟕𝟓₊˚⊹🪡 𝟘𝟞/𝟚𝟙/𝟚𝟝—𝟘𝟞/𝟚𝟚/𝟚𝟝
okay where do i start on this book?! the chemistry, the banter, the YEARNING?!

if there is one thing tahereh mafi can do it is write a man because cyrus is just WOW!! if you want aaron warner in a fantasy novel this is just perfect.

cyrus is just so adorable and PERFECT because this man’s yearning?! he was being TORTURED every single time he looked at alizeh because he could barely control himself. this book might be YA but this man is not!! the way when she took care of him after he got injured he talked to her deliriously because he couldn’t imagine that it wasn’t a dream—my brain chemistry was altered!!

their banter was also hilarious like i couldn’t stop laughing reading the pages!! alizeh just has this way of being elegantly kind and quiet—but also so funny and sarcastic with the best banter. her and cyrus are literally soulmates you cannot tell me otherwise.

i will admit if you only like fantasy books action-packed this book might not be exactly for you! this book is a lot more heavy on the reader learning more about the characters and lore (specifically about cyrus and more about the ibelee and world building). while not a lot happened plot-wise per say, i don’t think that made it any less a good book in my opinion (but you might feel differently)!

the ONLY reason this book lost its .25 rating is because of kamren. it felt like every SINGLE time i would be swooning and kicking my feet over an alizeh and cyrus moment i turn the page and BOOM i see kamren’s name interrupting and making me read his boring pov. okay, that’s actually a stretch because i enjoyed his pov when other funny characters were in it (huda, omaid, and most importantly HUZAN!!) but this man was just so insufferable 😭.

that being said, i completely understand why he got a point of view as it builds on the story much further so i still enjoyed the book a lot!! this series is genuinely so good and SUCH a highly recommend for me so far!!

╰┈➤ tropes to expect!
✎ second love interest
✎ arranged marriage
✎ he fell first and harder
✎ lost princess fmc
✎ slow burn


₊˚⊹ ᰔ 𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝:
the SECOND i finished the first book i rushed onto the second one!! the plot twist is actually crazy😭😭

p.s. as someone who has read this before—(the five star rating is for my last read in 2022) if you want aaron warner but in a fantasy series this is PERFECT for you!!

[Supreme Commander of South America · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I look at you and I can’t breathe. In my mind, you are already mine”

•Alizeh and Cyrus. PLEASE MAKE THESE TWO THE COUPLE OF THE MOMENT😩⬇️

“If I kissed you? What would come next?”
“I’d marry you tomorrow. And then I’d take you to bed. For weeks”


•I’m just gonna say, please read this series ASAP. It’s so underrated it’s almost painful. I’m so mad that the people on booktok are not talking about this characters and the magic☹️(I have no followers so nobody cares about me on booktok to even post a video🤣)

And if after all my updates you are still not sure then take these quotes as a sign to read this series RN:

✨”Your name. I didn’t know your name for so long, angel. I love the way it feels in my mouth”

✨”Come here,” he said roughly. She watched his chest expand as he breathed, his eyes closing even as he fought it. “I want you. Next to me”

✨”Alizeh” he whispered. “Let me make you my queen.”

✨“You wouldn’t touch me or laugh with me. You wouldn’t share my bed?”
“No”
(Ok this one’s a little sad but It’s beautifully sad😭 I promise)


•The third book came out a week ago and I had the opportunity to meet Taherah. She was so sweet and her husband was so funny. I could never not love her and her books❤️

[anouk♡ semi-hiatus · Rating 2 out of 5]

The best thing about reading this book was complaining to my girl Halo ! 💕 thanks for suffering with me. We deserve a trophy.

I don’t even have the energy to write a review.
This entire book could’ve been (and should’ve been) 1 chapter. It dragged and dragged.
So many dramatics over absolutely nothing, a huge amount of purple prose and in the end nothing really happened.

[jagodasbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

"All for you"
"Let me make you my queen"
"I always thought you're some kind of angel"
"It is excruciating to be in your presence"
"I look at you and I can't breathe"

Kamran stans must feel so dumb rn

This book was wayyy better than the first one cus it has more Cyrus, but if I were to critique it I'd say it also has too much Kamran. I h8 this mf, and listening his whole weird storyline and thoughts was tiring.

[Roxy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars
okay.... i finished it but??? THATS IT? I WAS BEING FED AND ITS JUST OVER???


CYRUS my love I'm here. Do I know what type of person he'll be? no. Did I fall to my knees after seeing fanart of him? yes. I'm here for more Alizeh Cyrus angst and more jinn/ magic background. Ik this is leaning towards a love triangle ( which i hate) i liked Kamran BUUUT hes too bland all hurt sad pain no thanks we want the ginger blue eyed "gentleman" as Alizehs endgame tyvm.