#Review - All This Twisted Glory by Tahereh Mafi #YA #Fantasy

Series: This Woven Kingdom # 3
Format: Hardcover, 416 pages
Release Date: February 6, 2024
Publisher: HarperCollins
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Epic

The third installment in the bestselling epic romantic fantasy series based on Persian folklore, by the powerhouse author of the Shatter Me series, A Very Large Expanse of Sea, and An Emotion of Great Delight.

Picking up at the explosive cliff-hanger ending of These Infinite Threads, Alizeh, the heir to the Jinn throne, has been stolen away to the neighboring kingdom of Tulan by Cyrus, its mercurial ruler. He plans to marry her there, giving her everything she needs to become the Jinn queen. Only then will he be able to fulfill his own bargain with the devil.

Alizeh is determined to escape, until she realizes that Cyrus's plan may be the key to fulfilling her own destiny—and that she may actually have begun to trust him.

Back in Ardunia, Kamran has been trying to pick up the pieces after his grandfather's murder, only to find out that the palace advisers have betrayed him. He seizes upon a mysterious parcel, left to him by his grandfather, that holds a magical way for Kamran to finally get to Tulan to find Alizeh. And along the way he finds an unlikely trio of supporters to aid him in his journey.

All This Twisted Glory, by Tahereh Mafi, is the third installment in the authors This Woven Kingdom series. This story picks up right where the cliffhanger ending to These Infinite Threads. Key Character: Cyrus of Tulan, Alizeh of the Jinn, and Kamran of Ardunia. Alizeh is a Jinn with extraordinary powers that she’s forced to conceal to survive in the human-run world. She can stand her ground and fight off any threat that comes her way all on her own—even a team of six men sent to execute her. 

For 18 years, she's hidden away from those who would do anything to find her. Although the Jinn no longer have an official leader, she’s the heir to their throne and destined to lead her people out of hiding and back into power. Even though she was spirited away to Tulan on a dragon, Alizeh is learning that her captor has made an awful bargain with the devil. A bargain that seemingly only can be broken if she agrees to marry Cyrus. Alizeh also knows that she must accept that she is the Queen of the Jinn, an idea that could have everlasting impacts on the world around her. 

Cyrus is haunted by the bargain he made with the devil and his obsession in making sure Alizeh fulfills the prophecy that says "Melt the ice in salt. Braid the Thrones at Sea. In the Woven Kingdom, Clay and Fire shall Be." He is a tortured soul who even his own mother would love to kill if she had the chance. He's killed Diviners, he's killed the King of Andunian, He allegedly killed his own father, and he's turned his back on his calling as a Diviner. All because of a bargain he made with Iblees. The more we learn about Cyrus, the more I am conflicted in my feelings, especially about Alizeh. 

Meanwhile, Kamran has been trying to pick up the pieces after his grandfather's murder, only to find out that the palace advisers have betrayed him. He seizes upon a mysterious parcel, left to him by his grandfather, that holds a magical way for Kamran to finally get to Tulan to find Alizeh. On the spur of the moment, she finds unusual assistance from a legendary bird named Simorgh who takes him, Miss Huda, Omid, Deen, and Hazan to Tulan in hopes of rescuing Alizeh. Here he finds things aren't what they seem. Kamran in many ways is a secondary character because much of the story focuses on Cyrus. 

Tahereh was inspired in great part by the epic poem “Shahnameh,” one of the greatest literary masterpieces in Persian history and culture. In Islam, Jinn are believed to truly exist, and many fear their power and feel that it’s better to leave them alone. Tahereh has always been fascinated by them and by people’s reactions to them. When I first started this series, it was supposed to be Kamran and Alizeh. Now it seems it's Cyrus and Alizeh, while Kamran and Huda seem to have something interesting brewing. I am disappointed. It was my belief that this was the finale, but once you get the the mid point of the story, it becomes obvious that there will be yet another book in this series.

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