Book Review: A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston

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A Thousand Nights
Author: E.K. Johnston
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy 
Released: October 6th 2015
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
 

Lo-Melkhiin killed three hundred girls before he came to her village, looking for a wife. When she sees the dust cloud on the horizon, she knows he has arrived. She knows he will want the loveliest girl: her sister. She vows she will not let her be next.

And so she is taken in her sister's place, and she believes death will soon follow. Lo-Melkhiin's court is a dangerous palace filled with pretty things: intricate statues with wretched eyes, exquisite threads to weave the most beautiful garments. She sees everything as if for the last time.But the first sun rises and sets, and she is not dead. Night after night, Lo-Melkhiin comes to her and listens to the stories she tells, and day after day she is awoken by the sunrise. Exploring the palace, she begins to unlock years of fear that have tormented and silenced a kingdom. Lo-Melkhiin was not always a cruel ruler. Something went wrong.

Far away, in their village, her sister is mourning. Through her pain, she calls upon the desert winds, conjuring a subtle unseen magic, and something besides death stirs the air.

Back at the palace, the words she speaks to Lo-Melkhiin every night are given a strange life of their own. Little things, at first: a dress from home, a vision of her sister. With each tale she spins, her power grows. Soon she dreams of bigger, more terrible magic: power enough to save a king, if she can put an end to the rule of a monster.

If you read my review on The Wrath and the Dawn, then you know it is one of my favorite stories of 2015. So if you’re asking Leydy, why did you read A Thousand Nights? To be honest, I have no idea. I don’t like to repeat stories but for some reason, when the opportunity approached, I took the bait. And I liked it. I did. I enjoyed A Thousand Nights, most of all, the the magic it contains. Although the pacing was slow for me, however, the story, like the characters, is complex.

As you already know, A Thousand Nights is a retelling of One Thousand and One Nights but unlike the original story, A Thousand Nights brings in a sense of mystery.

Mystery? Yes, mystery. See even though I already read the story, I’m still clueless of the characters’ names. At first, I was annoyed! I hate not knowing things and this was something I did not find amusing. As the story kept mentioning these characters’ descriptions, leaving them nameless, little by little the story grasp my attention. With a story filled with magic and fantasy elements, who needs names? Also, the incredible and exquisite descriptions of this world, it will WOW you.

Let me not get started on the main character! Her devotion to her family and her people is something to admire. This is something we should all learn from. The will of dying in someone else's shoes… Yeah, totally worth checking out.

If you’re a fan of fantasy and/or true heroines, then, A Thousand Nights is a story you do not want to skip. This nameless heroine will keep you on your toes. You will pray that she will live, even if you already know the outcome. Like Katniss, her devotion to her sister and family, will make you wish she were your sister.

Don't forget to enter this A Thousand Nights Package Giveaway! 
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