Review Detail

After waiting since last year, it was exciting to dive into the third book in This Woven Kingdom series. In my mind, I thought this was a trilogy and expected things to be wrapping up in this third book. So, I admit to feeling a mild panic throughout most of the book when we were moving at a fast pace towards the end of the book without any final resolutions.
Tahereh Mafi continues to be a master of emotional intrigue. King Cyrus is such a tortured soul that you want to like him and pry open all his dark secrets. He has a reputation for being villainous but we get just enough sneak peeks in this book to realize maybe that is a layer of protection for what is going on even though we do not quite know what that is even now. I was left wanting a clearer picture of the debt he owes and his terms with the devil, Iblees.
Alizeh is unconscious as a crisis starts building around her appearance. The Jinn are on a pilgrimage all over the kingdom to see their prophesized Queen and other countries are taking notice and war is on the horizon. Cyrus' mother is proving more unstable than originally shown and may see Alizeh as a threat to her power as well. Alizeh continues to seem naïve and rudderless about how to move forward. I want to see her gain the confidence she needs to assume the mighty role she has before her. I thought the decision she made regarding a dark ritual was a bit out of character for her but I can see that it may lead to the deeply passionate relationship we are all waiting to unfold.
Prince Kamran and the motley crew of friends loyal to Alizeh travel to Tulan to rescue Alizeh. Kamran’s whole worldview is in question as his grandfather’s actions are now exposed and Kamran’s right to rule Ardunia is in question. Mafi’s choice to include Miss Huda, Omid, and Deen is an interesting one. They provide comic relief even though their presence seems a bit contrived but I like them so am glad they came along. The sniping between Kamran and Huda hints at a future enemies-to-lovers opportunity that I would fully support.
Overall, the tension is mounting and I continue to be excited to see what happens next. Considering I thought this was the last book, I did not feel like enough happened to flesh out their characters and I wanted more open communication between the characters. The pace was quick and an easy page-turner but I hope more dialogue - especially if it is a bit steamy - is present in the next book considering the tension is so thick.