Introduction

“Stories always begin the same way: There was and there was not. There is possibility in those words, the chance for hope or despair.”

There was and there was not, as all stories begin, a princess cursed to be poisonous to the touch. But for Soraya, who has lived her life hidden away, apart from her family, safe only in her gardens, it’s not just a story.

As the day of her twin brother’s wedding approaches, Soraya must decide if she’s willing to step outside of the shadows for the first time. Below in the dungeon is a demon who holds knowledge that she craves, the answer to her freedom. And above is a young man who isn’t afraid of her, whose eyes linger not with fear, but with an understanding of who she is beneath the poison.

Soraya thought she knew her place in the world, but when her choices lead to consequences she never imagined, she begins to question who she is and who she is becoming…human or demon. Princess or monster.

My Thoughts

So… not to commit book blasphemy but I purchased this book on sale in Kindle format to read on my iPad and I think my life has changed. Don’t get me wrong – I love a good hardcover book and book light but there was just something about the freedom of reading on my iPad that made this experience all the better.

Let’s get into this book: Firstly, I loved the story. It was a great mix of Persian culture with a western fairytale. I had to read some other reviews after I finished reading because I really wanted to know what other people are thinking and those reviews did not pass the vibe check at all. Fantasy is such a complex genre that doesn’t need to be game-of-thrones-esque every time. I actually think Middle Eastern, Asian, and African folklore is the best place to find inspiration for fantasy novels so I was shocked to see that so many people hated the Persian aspect of this book. Sure, Bashardoust kind of just throws in terms and expects you to understand them but context clues are really your friend when it comes to reading and it seems like I a lot of people weren’t utilizing them.

I’m sure the book counts as a retelling of some sort because I was getting major Beauty and the Beast vibes but the book is such a unique fairytale on its own. Sometimes the narrative dragged on a little bit – and I’ll get to that in a minute – but reading this book directly before going to sleep definitely made me miss a few hours because of all its twists and turns.

Soraya, the main character, is someone I struggled to empathize with. I was really rooting for her to find peace and happiness because I could not imagine living a life of an outcast, unable to even embrace my family members, unknowledgeable of the world, but her wishy-washy attitude made it so hard for me at times. Her inability to describe whether she’s actually a monster or not, and what she wants to do with herself in certain situations, made the plot drag on so much as parts of the novel.

In fact, the most interesting plot twists had nothing to do with Soraya’s own actions but rather the actions of the characters around her.

Speaking of the other characters: what an ensemble! They really made the book what it is. We’ve got a regretful brother, an extremely complex mother, not one but two love interests, and that’s not even covering the characters that make their mark in only a few pages.

I try to keep my blog posts as spoiler free as possible so I’ll quite while I’m ahead but I’d definitely recommend this book to a friend

Rating

Overall, I give the book four stars. I wanted this to be a five star read but the pacing just wasn’t enough for me. I also found myself rolling my eyes at Soraya’s narration and skimming the pages until another character came along because she really didn’t stand out on her own for me.