Persian inspired fantasy, some Cinderella-retelling, prophesied djinn queen of a lost kingdom, and a devil that only speaks in riddles.

Did you know I’m trash for riddles? 

This world building was so good! Loved how you could sense people’s accents, loved that there was an on-page other language, loved the setting, and loved the magic. The Cinderella elements were fun—with enough added twisty-ness to the plot to keep me guessing. And the devil character’s foreshadowing riddles were just right: clear enough to make me feel smart for getting them, but not so heavy-handedly hinting that they spoiled the reveals.

The only ‘but’ comes from the romance plot—not because I think it was bad. But, because I think it (intentionally) got off to a slow start. The story focused on the MCs individually before putting them in contact with each other. Which I get, but I’m greedy for the flirty-flirty.

I particularly loved this audiobook. Kate Reading was nailing it.