EVERY SPIRAL OF FATE

A wedding is the catalyst for the journey to restore the Jinn queen’s magic in this follow-up to All This Twisted Glory (2024).

Alizeh, the Jinn queen, and Cyrus, the king of Tulan, have reached their much-anticipated wedding day, a celebration that’s unfortunately darkened by conflict. Cyrus, newly bound by a blood oath and his vow to serve Alizeh, wrestles with his longing for her—the woman who’s sworn to kill him while seeking to best the devil Iblees and save his kingdom. Alizeh is similarly torn by her desire for the emotionally guarded Tulan leader. She also hopes to secure the survival of her people, something that Prince Kamran of Ardunia proposes he can deliver—if they enter a political marriage following Cyrus’ death. Facing encroaching threats, the trio, along with some of Alizeh’s friends, set forth on the quest to reclaim her magic. But the devil is watching—and waiting to strike. Flying on dragons’ backs and trekking through perilous mountains advances the plot, yet these sequences are more languorous than action-packed. Mafi’s masterful command of sensuous prose weaves in the yearnings of the star-crossed would-be lovers, but the length of these meditations makes for glacial pacing and adds little to the characterization established in previous entries. The secondary characters also lack the dimension and development of earlier books in the series. However, a stunning late twist creates promising opportunities for the next installment in this series set in a Persian-inspired world.

An exquisitely written, slow-burning romantic fantasy.