I enjoyed this and was happy it didn't end on a cliffhanger ( )

I enjoyed this and was happy it didn't end on a cliffhanger ( )

What originally got me interested was the cover of this book. That paired with the title clued me into this being a romance. I read it when I waiting for other ebooks to come in. The imagery, descriptions, and atmosphere were wonderful. I was just so interested every time Zahra transformed into something new and adapted herself so well. The author's descriptions of the location and time period worked a little too well: she slapped modern-day American romantic values onto a much older Persian setting. I had this same problem with "The Girl of Fire and Thorns" by Rae Carson. For love to matter in a marriage has been a recent invention. It would be fine, even expected, for both royal spouses to have concubines. Khoury procures just as much unnecessary, useless angst about it as Carson did, but Khory's is more subtle. I continue to be annoyed when authors do this.

The use of such wangst was turned into an interesting plot point a hundred or so pages from the end of the book. My annoyance lightened a little. I was relieved and glad when the princess found a clever way to subvert a decree, in a way, that was signed as the king's final command. I hoped she'd be able to rule her country--that her spouse would recognize her intelligence, confidence, and cunning, and step back. Sadly, that didn't happen. The action scenes with her in them were always interesting, but I was dismayed to also discover that the author can also write incredibly boring ones. I'm glad I got to read this, though. ( )

4.5 stars.

Jessica Khroury writes this enthralling book about a female genie, Zahra, whom Aladdin finds and falls in love with. I really loved the way she gave Zahra a backstory; she gives genies all a back story and origin.

Not sure why this book is grouped into a historical fiction shelf because, unless we find genies are real, there's no real life person or place in this story. There's a lot of romance and it's actually a fun romance ( I like how Aladdin nicknames her smoky). Zahra and Aladdin do play off each other well.


( )

A magical, imaginative retelling of Aladdin. The first law of the jinn is: Do not love a human. Zahra has already broken it once. Now, with a chance to earn her freedom at stake, her growing attachment to the newest master of her lamp might cause her to risk everything. Every wish comes with a price; the Forbidden Wish has the steepest price of all. ( )