This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi: Worth it?

This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi: Worth it?

by Hayle Crapo

Are you a fan of the Shatter Me book series? Then here’s another banger from the same author, Tahereh Mafi: This Woven Kingdom.

This Woven Kingdom is set in a world that is divided into Jinn and Clay. The Jinn were born from fire, and the Clay–the humans, essentially–were born from clay…hence the name. Our main character, Alizeh, is a servant in the royal kingdom of Ardunia, working under the aunt of the royal prince. She works hard to keep her place in the home, where she has her own room and ration of water, while trying to keep her identity of a Jinn under wraps.

At the same time, the royal prince, Kamran, has just got back home and is struggling with his newfound infatuation with this servant girl that he’s seen throughout the kingdom. Spoiler alert! This girl is Alizeh, and instead of the romantic infatuation that someone would have, he feels a sense of danger coming from her. He has a gut feeling that there is more to this girl than just a servant, and his gut has never been wrong before.

With much more to the eye than a ‘forbidden romance,’ there’s the supporting cast that adds more layers to the complex and ever twisting plot that isn’t as hard to keep track of as one thinks–considering that many call this book a Cinderella retelling. Each chapter switches from Alizeh to Kamran, and both points of view read so natural that sometimes it’s hard to remember that these characters aren’t real.

I highly recommend you dive into this fantasy world filled with magic, suspense, lost kingdoms, and a Devil that speaks in riddles. It will suck you in and will leave you wanting more–which is great, as this book has a sequel entitled These Infinite Threads and another book to come out in late January entitled All This Twisted Glory.

Trust me, after reading the ending of This Woven Kingdom, you’re going to want to get your hands on the second book as fast as you can (it's a good thing that both are available in the Media Center)!

All in all: 5/6 stars