I started reading this book by recommendation of my friend Arezou, who wrote a great piece about books inspired in "One Thousand and One Nights".
This one, dear reader, it is GOOD.
Just imagine mixing the premise of One Thousand and One Nights with power struggles á-la-Game of Thrones (but like the good bits, before Season 8) and throw a little bit of Reylo and Beauty and the Beast for good measure.
The result? This masterpiece.
Slow-burn at its finest.
For those who are unaware of what's Reylo, it's the name of the ship that includes Rey (just Rey, I refused to call her any surnames) and Kylo Ren/Ben Solo.
Even the name of Khalid's - the caliph of Khorasan - mother is Leila, which is how in Italy they call Princess Leia. And what's the name of the city where his palace is? Rey. I rest my case, Your Honour.
But enough of my Star Wars-related blabbing.
Imagine Robert's Rebellion featuring characters and stories from One Thousand and One Nights to portray the story of two star-crossed lovers, and how, as Dr. Pym from Ant-Man would say: "I believe everyone deserves a shot at redemption". What I enjoyed from the stories from One Thousand and One Nights were the lessons behind those stories, and I think the author made a fantastic job weaving those lessons into her storytelling.
If you think this will be a retelling of Shahrzad's tales, it won't be, though some of the stories are mentioned for good measure as part of the plot. The writing is fairly middle-school/YA book so it isn't complicated to read, and all the characters feel organic, and I enjoyed how the author drew inspiration from real places, using actual words for clothing and food, paying a respectful homage to the Middle Eastern and South Asian culture.
The book ends on a cliffhanger - a perfect bridge into a follow-up book, "The Rose and The Dagger" that I couldn't help but start reading immediately.
Definitely recommend reading this book!
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