A curse, a forbidden love, and someone who is hiding who they are.
Dates Read: 29/09/2022 to 07/10/2022
Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Word to describe: Morally-challenging
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
This Persian-inspired fairy tale ticked all of the boxes for a brilliant story. You have a protagonist locked away her whole life in fear of others, cursed to never touch anybody unless she wants them to die, there is an evil man powerful and dangerous ready to kill to regain his throne, and a criminal girl who makes the perfect love interest, and of course, an overbearing family who is hellbent on following the rules. If all of that doesn't sound amazing try adding demon spirits and a royal family who ascended the throne because of war with these spirits.
Soraya is the secret princess of Atashar, her twin brother is the Shar and rules over their kingdom whilst she remains hidden in the palace walls. Her curse is her family's shame and she spends her days tending to her rose garden and watching the people in her kingdom from the castle windows. Cursed as a baby by a Div (imagine a demon), Soraya cannot touch another living soul without condemning it to an instant death she wears silk gloves to cover her hands and lives in fear of other people and the ostracizing she will be subjected to. The Div's are both hated and feared by the people of Atashar and if they find out their princess has the magic of a Div she will be killed or exiled.
One thing I enjoyed about this book's plot is the never-ending moral dilemma that the main character Soraya is stuck in. Does she undo her curse at the risk of her family's safety and uncover the truth of her curse or does she accept her fate and live out her days in hiding? The twisted past of Soraya's curse and her mother's relationship with the Div's can only be created in a fairytale. The firstborn girl was cursed to marry Azad the king of the Div unbeknownst to Soraya she finds herself almost fulfilling that prophecy on her path to seeking the truth. Despite her moral dilemma, Soraya's actions are constantly reminded to be selfish and driven by a natural urge to solve problems. The voice of Azad on one shoulder and Parvenah on the other act as the angel and devil both seeking the same thing but for entirely different reasons.
The relationship between Soraya and her mother is complicated. Her mother blames herself and tells Soraya half-truths to protect her from her true curse. The bed-time story Soraya learns to fear is loosely based upon the truth, but it is shared in a way that encourages fear instead of teaching Soraya how to accept herself. Soraya blames her mother for her curse and the relationship becomes strained when she is banned from communicating with a Div prisoner about the truth of her curse. Parvenah is a prisoner Div with moth-like wings and striking features (I looked up the fan art and God she is beautiful!), painted as the villain she guides Soraya to the truth whilst the true villain of this tale edges closer gaining Soraya's trust and heart.
The love triangle in this book is exceptionally written. For the most part, it was hinted that there was an attraction between Parvenah and Soraya, but I didn't feel the sapphic romance building until the very end of the tale. I was entranced by the pending romance between Soraya and Azad despite the overwhelming plot twist part-way through the book. Soraya and Azad's romance is a fire that burns bright and fleetingly, whereas Parvenah and Soraya's romance was a shallow pool slowly filling up with water and creating an ocean. Both are different in many ways, and both are equally breathtaking. I have to admit though, I am a sucker for sapphic romances so Parvenah and Soraya steal the win.
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