This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi
A book review by Mina
I was honestly surprised that I enjoyed this book as much as I did. I had issues with the Shatter Me series because I felt like the romance plot was too heavy and that the fantasy world-building lacked because of that. This Woven Kingdom had a better balance between romance and world-building, and the book took time to introduce its characters before getting involved with other characters. I like the subtlety of the fantasy aspect, but Mafi does a great job of explaining how the world works. This is an improvement from her previous books. The pacing was also quite nice. It didn’t feel too rushed, but it explained the premise of the book. There was a slight twist towards the end. I could sense it coming, but I wasn’t sure how it would be executed, and I found that Mafi did it quite well. I do, however, wish there were more character relationship developments in terms of friendship. Some of it felt rushed compared to the more romantic plots of the book. I do find that some of the characters are similarly set up to the way Shatter Me was written, not necessarily by character replication but the way the characters react and act with others. I feel like Mafi is using a recipe but changing the characteristics and making the plot fantasy rather than dystopian. I don’t think that there’s anything wrong with that, but this might appeal better to fans of Shatter Me who fell in love with the characters and would like to see them again “in different fonts.” I also really enjoyed the duel perspectives from two of the main characters. It helped flush out the plot more and gave the characters more development and individuality. There are also some killer quotes in here!
I’m definitely still intrigued, and I will be picking up the next books in the series. I would recommend this book to readers who like character-driven plots as opposed to world-building plots. I do think that it’s less character-driven than her previous books, but her characters are what is still prioritized. The pace is slow but it starts to speed up, and I find the plot to be interesting. If you enjoyed Shatter Me, I guarantee that you would enjoy her new series. I would also recommend this book to older teens as a YA book!
Put This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi on hold here.
● Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
● Once Upon a Broken Heart series by Stephanie Garber
● One Dark Window by Rachel Giling
