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A Thousand Nights

(A Thousand Nights #1)

E.K. Johnston (Goodreads Author)

3.64 · Rating details · 13,460 ratings · 2,651 reviews

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 pa ...more

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Hardcover, First edition , 325 pages

Published October 6th 2015 by Hyperion

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Apr 01, 2015 Emily May rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, 2015, arc, fairy-tales, coverly-love

“For most of history, Anonymous was a woman.”
― Virginia Woolf

3 1/2 stars. A Thousand Nights is almost certainly going to be compared to the other YA 1,001 Nights retelling published this year - The Wrath and the Dawn - which is not a good thing. Because, even though their premises and foundations are identical, these two books could not be more different and they really do deserve to be viewed as completely separate creatures.

The Wrath and the Dawn is a lusty, romantic drama that makes our heart ...more

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Apr 03, 2015 Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies rated it it was amazing

Lo-Melkhiin killed three hundred girls before he came to my village looking for a wife.

She that he chose of us would be a hero. She would give the others life. Lo-Melkhiin would not return to the same village until he had married a girl from every camp, from every town, and from each district inside city walls—for that was the law, struck in desperation though it was. She that he chose would give hope of a future, of love, to those of us who stayed behind.

She would still be dead.

This book is

Lo-Melkhiin killed three hundred girls before he came to my village looking for a wife.

She that he chose of us would be a hero. She would give the others life. Lo-Melkhiin would not return to the same village until he had married a girl from every camp, from every town, and from each district inside city walls—for that was the law, struck in desperation though it was. She that he chose would give hope of a future, of love, to those of us who stayed behind.

She would still be dead.

This book is magical. It entranced me. I wished it would never end, and it's rare that I've been so enchanted by a book. It is, dare I say, a subtly feministic masterpiece.

This book is a reimagining of One Thousand and One Nights, and far superior to that other book. I say reimagining, and not retelling, because it is not quite a retelling. There are similarities. A ruler who marries a woman only to kill her soon after. A young woman who sacrifices herself in order to save a beloved from that fate. Survival is of the essence...

But that's where the similarities end, for this book weaves a tale with much more complexity and beauty. It was truly, truly magical. The setting is a desert kingdom, and it is unbelievably beautiful in how this world is woven so subtly. Some books build their setting with a lesson or a few paragraphs of history. This book is far, far more ingenious, and I truly applaud the author for creating such a wondrous, believable world and in integrating it so seamlessly into this fantastical tale.

The king in this tale chooses a wife from every village, and kills her soon after. Our nameless heroine chooses to beautify herself so that the king should choose her, and in doing so, save her beloved sister's life. Part of the reason I love this book so much is that the love that the main character has for her sister is so fierce, and so real.

“My sister finds the fire in others,” I said. “Her husband may be the quietest man at the market until he sees her. Then he will burn with a flame to match her own.”

“My sister is no fool and she is not tender-hearted,” I said. “My sister fights for her home, and takes what risks she must. That is why I put myself before her today—why I would not let you have her. My sister burns, and she does not burn for you.”

There is pure love between the two sisters. There is no envy, there is no subtle hatred. There is a bond between them that remains unbroken through distance. There is no jealousy, and the main character's love is the only motivation.

“I am not you,” I said to her. I was not bitter. She had never made me feel the lesser, and she had only scorn for those who did.

“That is true,” she said. “And men will lack the imagination to see us as separate beings. For that I am sorry.”

“I am not,” I told her, and I was not, “for I love you more than I love the rain.”

Naturally, our main character is determined to live longer than just one night. Indeed, others have lived longer than one night, but eventually they all die. She is determined to stretch out her life as long as she can, and though fearful, she does not lack courage.

“I do fear him,” I said, which was close to the truth. “I fear him as I fear the desert sun and poisonous snakes. They are all part of the life I live. But the sun gives light, and snakes will feed a caravan if they are caught and cooked.”

And though outwardly submissive, she knows the true power a woman can wield.

“I am yours to command, husband,” I said to him, and met his eyes.

When my mother spoke to our father, she often said that. He liked it, the way she put herself in his hands. Until just now, I had not realized that since my mother was the one who allowed it, she had more power than even he might have realized. Lo-Melkhiin thought I was less than him; but his was not the only tally.

I love the fact that there's no whitewashing in this book. Granted, I'm not middle-eastern, and I can't comment on the accuracy, but again, this world feels real. The characters are appropriately dark-skinned, and there is no attempt at green or blue eyes for the sake of Mary-Sue-ness. The main character comes from a nomadic desert tribe, and she looks the part.

We had skin of burnt bronze, a deeper brown than sand, and duskier where it was exposed to the wind and sky. Our hair was long enough to sit upon, and dark: the color around the stars, when night was at its fullest.

This is a re-imagining--not a retelling, that you should discover for yourself.

Already, the story is changing.

When men tell it in the souks and in the desert, they shape it to fit their understanding. It passes from caravan to caravan, to places where they have never heard of the one called Lo-Melkhiin. The words change language, and meaning is lost and gained in every vowel’s shift. They change the monster into a man, and they change her into something that can be used to teach a lesson: if you are clever and if you are good, the monster will not have you.

You should not believe everything you hear.

...more

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Feb 15, 2016 Elle (ellexamines) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: she-did-that, gorgeous-writing, sff-high-fantasy, authors-of-color, romance-free, setting-porn, x-series, elle-recs-list, x-coverporn, trope-subversion

My sister is no fool and she is not tender-hearted. My sister fights for her home, and takes what risks she must. That is why I put myself before her today—why I would not let you have her. My sister burns, and she does not burn for you.

It's been over two years now since I first read this book, and I still credit it as one of my original favorite YA books, and yes, I still think anyone who shares a book taste with me should read it.

So A Thousand Nights is a more feminist, more themat ...more

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Sep 21, 2015 Emma Giordano rated it it was ok

Update 2/20/17 - Lowering my rating from 3 stars to 2 for I feel 3 stars was too generous.

Full review to come on my Youtube channel tomorrow! Unfortunately, I wasn't the biggest fan of this book. I ultimately felt that this book had a severe lack of plot and no character development whatsoever. A lot of my time spent reading was wondering when SOMETHING was actually going to happen and jumpstart the novel, but that didn't come until exactly 100 pages were left in the book. I was kind of disappo ...more

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Mar 01, 2016 Kainat 《HUFFLEPUFF & PROUD》 rated it really liked it

“Watch your world burn,
light of my heart.
Tomorrow we will find another one
and burn that too.”

I just want to put this out there: most of my reviews are negative because i don't know how to review books i like. There are some positive reviews but it takes me way too long to work on them. There is so much i want to say!! I HAVEN'T EVEN REVIEWED THE RAVEN CYCLE SERIES! My favorite books are the ones that tend to leave me speechless. Alright, here we go.

Remember this book? Less attract ...more

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Aug 23, 2015 Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya-fantasy, fantasy, netgalley, arabian-nights

4.5 stars. Review first posted on www.FantasyLiterature.com:

When the dust rises over the desert, the villagers know that Lo-Melkhiin is coming with his guards to choose another wife. He always takes one wife from each village, or each district within a city. And she always dies.

E.K. Johnston’s A Thousand Nights is a young adult fantasy retelling of the Scheherazade framing story for One Thousand and One Nights, the famous collection of Persian, Arabic and Middle Eastern folk tales. Lo-Melkhiin i ...more

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Jul 21, 2017 ♛ may rated it did not like it

Shelves: bye, clichéd-to-death, n-o-p-e, duology, why-is-this-a-book, in-the-trash-you-go, 300-pgs

So, you should know that I’m partial to books set in the desert or retellings of “Arabian Nights” so naturally, I expected to LOVE this book :)
Well
Do I gotta story for you

description

(s)

Sit tight fam, we got a wild ride ahead.
A v coherent list of my thoughts during this book . . .

- This chick doesn’t have a bloody name
- Or if she does, she’s NEVER referred by it
- In fact, NO ONE has a name
- Except the freaky but hot and brooding king guy
- The writing is so weird, you’re never sure if its talking about pa ...more

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Jun 10, 2018 jessica rated it liked it

i almost didnt read this - i was very worried it would be too similar to ‘the wrath and the dawn’ (which i love with all my heart). and although the premises are quite alike, there were enough differences that it was easy not to compare the two. my only problem with this book was that not a lot happens. i think that had there been more substance to it, the characters and relationships could have been developed more, and i would have been more enthralled with the story. but the writing was lovely ...more

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Mar 09, 2015 Aimee ♥ | Aimee, Always rated it really liked it

Shelves: covergasm, might-make-you-shit-bricks, unpopular-opinion, predictable, arc, i-think-my-heart-stopped, i-am-not-pleased-with-that-cliffie

*Decided to round up, but my actual rating's still 3.5!

They were burning up, and they didn't even know they were afire.

An elegantly written novel with a lovely story, A Thousand Nights is a book perfect for all readers looking for an engrossing read.

If I'm being completely honest here, I'm not familiar with the original tale and had to look it up on the internet. ~~So now I know it, and that totally counts.~~ Anyway, A Thousand Nights gives us a unique spin on the original story, mainly summarized b ...more

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Dec 31, 2016 Simona B rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2000, in-english, fantastic-lit-and-co

3.5

"There was great beauty in this qasr, but there was also great ugliness and fear. I would not be like those men who turned their eyes from one to see the other. I would remember what those things cost."

•First thing you need to know: this is not your typical ya. All the genre tropes you are accustomed to -Mary Sue-ish protagonist, instalove, love triangle, you name it- are happily, blissfully, totally absent, and this is why I don't get the readers' eagerness to compare it to The Wrath and the ...more

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Mar 30, 2015 Navessa rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, fairy-tale-retelling

WOAH.

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Oct 08, 2016 Chantal rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Always, it seemed, men would overlook unpleasant things for the sake of those that went well. The statues’ eyes for the melodious sounds of the fountain. The deaths of their daughters for the bounty of their trade.

There was great beauty in this qasr, but there was also great ugliness and fear. I would not be like those men who turned their eyes from one to see the other. I would remember what those things cost.

Amidst the dozens of YA fairy tale retellings, A Thousand Nights stands o ...more

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Jan 04, 2016 ☆☽Erica☾☆ rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya-fantasy

"My sister is no fool and she is not tender-hearted," I said. "My sister fights for her home, and takes what risks she must. That is why I put myself before her today-why I would not let you have her. My sister burns, and she does not burn for you."

WHAM. FUCK YOU PATRIARCHY.

Seriously, this was really awesome.

A Thousand Nights is a feminist retelling of the Arabian Nights. I've read a bunch of these recently (Uprooted, Cruel Beauty, The Wrath and the Dawn) and all managed to contribute somet ...more

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Feb 13, 2015 Alyssa rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2015-releases

What was everyone's issue with this one? Yes, it is similar to The Wrath and the Dawn, in that they are both retellings of One Thousand and One Nights. But... this book was completely different. And I liked it!

***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***

A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Publication Date: October 6, 2015
Rating: 4 stars
Source: eARC from NetGalley

Summary (from Goodreads):

Lo-Melkhiin killed three hundred girls before he came to her village, looking for a ...more

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Jul 05, 2015 Nastassja rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: everyone

Shelves: young-adult, poetic-writing, retellings, fantasy, best-young-adult, this-girl-is-awesome, oh-my-villains, cover-ecstasy, fairy-tale, no-romance

Unbelievable sights
Indescribable feeling
Soaring, tumbling, freewheeling
Through an endless diamond sky
A whole new world
Don't you dare close your eyes
A hundred thousand things to see
Hold your breath - it gets better
I'm like a shooting star
I've come so far
I can't go back to where I used to be

- Tim Rice (lyrics from Aladdin)

Do you familiar with a feeling when you open a fine bottle of wine and pour in your glass, and, at first, your wine touches with the air and you feel the bouquet of flavors, a

- Tim Rice (lyrics from Aladdin)

Do you familiar with a feeling when you open a fine bottle of wine and pour in your glass, and, at first, your wine touches with the air and you feel the bouquet of flavors, and you let your senses taste the story behind these smells - uncover its ingredients - and only then you let yourself take a sip of that wine and let it stream through your blood, enchanting you and singing its secrets to you. After a few more glasses you are fully under its spell (well, if you are not feeling its magic yet, have another glass, please, to be sure).

Alright, maybe the comparison with wine was not the best, but my feelings toward this book were similar to feeling intoxicated with a good wine (otherwise there's no point to be drunk if the wine is not good, right?). A thousand nights is a good wine you can't stop enjoying until you drunk on its richness and magic and beauty and, most of all, its uniqueness. This book is one in a million. It's a gem. It was one of those rare cases when I was hooked from the first words. This is a true fairy tale: like, every other book I called fairy tale before is not it, compared to this one. Magic, wisdom, true east, demons, princes, desert, castles, love, friendship and a healthy dose of feminism - this is the bouquet of A thousand nights.

It began slowly. One moving spark in a sky full of fixed lights, spiraling blue and gold, and then doused by the blackness of the sky. Not all of us saw it, it burned so quickly, but soon there were plenty of lights to marvel at.

The story is about a common desert girl, who only wanted to save her beloved sister from a terrible fate of becoming a wife of a man who killed hundreds of his wives before. The girl made her sacrifice in the name of love for her sister, but in doing so, she saved thousands of lives.

“My sister is no fool and she is not tender-hearted,” I said. “My sister fights for her home, and takes what risks she must. That is why I put myself before her today—why I would not let you have her. My sister burns, and she does not burn for you.”

Sisterly love is so pure and strong in this book. I never had a sister, but I wish I had the one like our Nameless heroine.

This book is not your typical YA; you will not find here swoon worthy princes and kick ass heroines. Nope. Our Nameless heroine is a fighter, but she fights with a special magic - magic made by love and wisdom.

“I do fear him,” I said, which was close to the truth. “I fear him as I fear the desert sun and poisonous snakes. They are all part of the life I live. But the sun gives light, and snakes will feed a caravan if they are caught and cooked.”

It's is not a story of how one girl defied an evil force and saved everyone, no, this is a story of how all women united in one had saved the world. Yes, this book is a hymn to feminism in many ways, but it is not about how women fought for their rights in a world made by men. It is a story about women's unity and wisdom; how to be just a woman in a world made by men, but also how not to overcome but make it a better and a kinder place.

“I am yours to command, husband,” I said to him, and met his eyes.
When my mother spoke to our father, she often said that. He liked it, the way she put herself in his hands. Until just now, I had not realized that since my mother was the one who allowed it, she had more power than even he might have realized. Lo-Melkhiin thought I was less than him; but his was not the only tally.

Then the other women would start to talk to one another. Through them, my mothers learned more of the habits of the men our father traded with than he had ever dreamed of.
“With your eyes on your work,” my mother had said to me, thinking to prepare me for a trader’s life, “it is easy to forget who is present to hear your mouth. You and your sister must remember that, when you are wed. Do good work, and those you work with will tell you things beyond what you can imagine.”

A thousand nights is slow paced, but the story has twists and turns, and there's terrifying moments and joyful moments. There's not much action, but it did not make me less fidgety, worrying over our Nameless heroine's fate. There's no romance. There's love, but no actual romantic line. It never bothered me, really; the language and the whole story were so beautiful and captivating that the whole concept of love was enough to satisfy me. And let me mention that E.K. Johnston is a forensic archaeologist by training and a grammarian by nature. I am not an expert on east but I felt an authenticity of eastern culture in every word and description the author gave me.
We had skin of burnt bronze, a deeper brown than sand, and duskier where it was exposed to the wind and sky. Our hair was long enough to sit upon, and dark: the color around the stars, when night was at its fullest.

There's a reason only one character has a name in this book. It's Lo-Melkhiin - our main hero and villain. He is the king. He is a symbol for his people. His name will be written into history, other names will be forgotten, but their stories will be not. Lo-Melkhiin's name will not be forgotten, but his story will change: what he was, what were his reasons behind the murders will change. Our Nameless heroine's name is forgotten but her story stays true: she saved the king and the kingdom. Nameless but powerful.

Always, it seemed, men would overlook unpleasant things for the sake of those that went well. The statues’ eyes for the melodious sounds of the fountain. The deaths of their daughters for the bounty of their trade.
There was great beauty in this qasr, but there was also great ugliness and fear. I would not be like those men who turned their eyes from one to see the other. I would remember what those things cost.

The monster tested her, pulling at her soul and rending her spirit. She clung to life, and in the clinging she might have become a monster too, except she chose the path her story would take. She chose white stone walls and a golden crown. She chose to debate words of law, and to never grind her own grain. She chose to fight men every day, and then fight their sons, who thought they knew better than their fathers.<...> If you listen long enough to the whispers, you will hear the truth. Until then, I will tell you this: the world is made safe by a woman.

...more

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Jan 01, 2017 Kat Kennedy added it · review of another edition

I have SO MANY thoughts about this book. Can't wait to share them all. ...more

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Apr 12, 2017 Lauren (Shakespeare & Whisky) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, favorites, 3-and-4-star-books, bitchin-female-protagonist

I have written a review for this twice and it keep showing up as tbr aarrrggghhhhh!

It's bloody good. That's all I'm writing this time. ...more

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Jul 29, 2015 Tatiana rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya, 2015, 1, fairy-tales-myths, starred-2015

3.5 stars

I kind of missed the fairy tale component (no endless stories told every night here). However, it is very atmospheric, and the language is lovely.

One thing though that bothered me. The main character's dress/robe called "dishdasha" plays a large role in the story, but when I tried looking up pictures of dishdashas, every search came back with some white prayer robes for men, and dishdasha is defined as a male dress everywhere... ...more

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Feb 26, 2017 Katrin D rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-2017, standalone, favourites, young-adult-fantasy

Full review at: my blog

''I was done with murdering little girls. This one would be my queen.''

I understand why this book isn't as popular as The Wrath and the Dawn. Comparison is inevitable since they both revolve around the same subject and came out at approximately the same time. And where the TWATD became a huge hit, A Thousand Nights was left more or less in it's shadow.

Which, to be quite honest, is why it took me so long to read it. I didn't have high hopes for this one. And I was so w ...more

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Oct 23, 2016 Nina rated it really liked it

Recommended to Nina by: Chantal

Shelves: fantasy, retellings, historical-fiction

“My sister is no fool and she is not tender-hearted,” I said. “My sister fights for her home, and takes what risks she must. That is why I put myself before her today—why I would not let you have her. My sister burns, and she does not burn for you.”

A Thousand Nights is a tale of love. Not the blossoming love between a woman and her captor, but a love so deep like it can only run between sisters. This is a testimony to sisterhood, to the strength of women, and to the magic of belief. Though perhaps peculiar and not without its faults, this book is beautiful and enchanting, authentic in its world-building, and narrated with the voice of a strong heroine.

This is not your typical YA. It does not bear your typical slow burn romance, or your typical kick-ass heroine, or your typical fast-paced fantasy plot. A Thousand Nights has a noticeably different feel from the very first page. Save for Lo-Melkhiin, the mentioning of names is completely absent in this book. Though we do get quite an action-packed finale, the pacing of the book is slow, and its writing beautiful, poetic even. Some might expect a dazzling and almost impossible romance, much like in The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh, but this is not the case. I strongly suspect that this gem of a book has received many low ratings and disappointed reviews because it is simply different, unable to meet the expectations one has for a typical YA fantasy. If you wish for a fast-paced Arabian-inspired adventure, I'll have to point you in the opposite direction.

The core of this book is the tale of a young Bedouin girl who sacrifices her life for her half-sister and takes her place as the bride of a ruler who has killed his 300 previous brides, and who then survives night after night because of her illustrious stories. And if you think that we have the average special snowflake who saves a loved one in an act of selflessness, then you are mistaken. A Thousand Nights is about the strength of many, united in one. It is about the strength of love, the magic in belief, the virtue of storytelling, and the power of women.

“Watch your world burn, light of my heart. Tomorrow we will find another one and burn that too.”

With her exquisite writing and vivid imagination, Johnston paints a breathtaking picture of a desert kingdom ruled by a cruel ruler, populated by city folk and nomads. Her experience of life in the Middle East is palpable, as she brings this Arabian-inspired setting to life like few others have. Even though I've visited a few Middle Eastern countries and I've sat in seminars on the MENA region (which includes Yemen where Johnston resided), I do not consider myself an expert. However, with the knowledge I do have, I must note that Johnston's cultural accuracy and authenticity is a tough act to follow for authors writing Arabian-inspired fantasy novels. From the Arabic terminology to the traditional customs, the element of culture is well represented in A Thousand Nights. I stand to correct myself, for this novel classifies as a genre between fantasy and historical fiction, though I believe the fantasy elements are predominant here. I adored Johnston's concepts of magic and energy, of demons and small-gods. I swear, if you enjoy creative writing but you lack inspiration, dive into this book and you will walk the earth forever enchanted by its stunning imagination.

In a nutshell, A Thousand Nights is a beautifully written and imaginative Arabian-inspired novel, and if you can trade a fast pacing for actual substance, you will adore this book as much as I did.

Every Word A Doorway | Instagram | Twitter | Bloglovin ...more

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Jul 06, 2019 Sara Rebotim rated it it was ok

Definitely expecting so much more of this book , the entire book I was so confused 🤷‍♀️ and the characters have no names 🤔, just the king is called Lo-Melkhiin, the girl he married they call her as “Lady-bless “ or “ Daughter of mine “.
It was very slow , felt so bored and I’m glad it’s finished 😬😬

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Apr 11, 2015 Jess rated it it was ok

Shelves: gimme-2015-k, needs-review-lol

Long Review To Come Closer To Release. Needs another 1001 nights to develop character depth.

Very atypical of me to be doing a mid currently reading review, but I've got to be a bit vocal here. You see, this whole retelling wave that we're all riding on is not my favourite. Why? Because shit like reading back to back stories playing homage to the very same classics in the same year can be fucking confusing. And whether you like it or not, it causes comparisons.

I have just come off a The Wr ...more

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Nov 16, 2016 Puck rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: cover-love, people-of-colour, fantasy, favorites, completed-series

Now this is a (feminist!) retelling that truly had me spellbound. A Thousand Nights is a story written in gorgeous prose and with a charming atmosphere, that tells the tale of how (two) women fight against the power of men and his believes.

In a Middle Eastern land, the king Lo-Melkhiin is known for taking a new bride each day, for all the girls strangely die fast after the marriage. When the king comes to their qasr, one sister is determinate to save her older sister’s life, and so she disg ...more

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Mar 27, 2015 Elena rated it liked it

3.5

I'm not quite sure how to feel about this book. It's certainly different. Very different. But did that make me love it?
Not really.
I appreciate this book, I really do. The writing is beautiful, the world is interesting and the story is magical. This book is definitely not your typical YA love story. So when it comes to all these things, this book deserves 5 stars.
BUT
I was bored. I didn't feel the need to pick this book back up and even though I loved how the main protagonist focused her thou ...more

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Jun 25, 2017 Rusty's Ghost Engine (also known as.......... Jinky Spring) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: high-fantasy, hell-yeah, cultural, favourites

Review first posted on my blog

What a magical musical ride! I'm so glad I read most of this while on holiday and I already want to get my hands on the next one :P

It is not often that a book totally enthralls and enchants me from the first page, but that’s what this book did. I just fell right in love with this author’s writing style, setting and of course her characters. Right now I will mention that one of my favourite scenes was when our main character was watching the star fall over the desert Review first posted on my blog

What a magical musical ride! I'm so glad I read most of this while on holiday and I already want to get my hands on the next one :P

It is not often that a book totally enthralls and enchants me from the first page, but that’s what this book did. I just fell right in love with this author’s writing style, setting and of course her characters. Right now I will mention that one of my favourite scenes was when our main character was watching the star fall over the desert..

Among the other things I loved were: the strong bond between the MC and her sister, the rich descriptions of the desert, the writing style, the strong eastern Arabian feel to the whole story and the feminist power of our MC’s actions.

“If you listen long enough to the whispers, you will hear the truth. Until then, I will tell you this: the world is made safe by a woman. She bound the monster up and cast him out, and the man who was left was saved.”
― E.K. Johnston, A Thousand Nights

You’ll notice I don’t use any names here not because I don’t want to but because only three characters in the whole book were given names our MC not included. While I can understand that this annoys some people, for me it just added more magic and mystery to the book and since our MC narrates, this gives me lots of senses of wonder towards her and the power she discovers as she could be absolutely anyone…. this I surprisingly like I’ve got to say.

As I mentioned before, the writing was simply magical, musical and so beautifully done. The descriptions of the characters and desert were brought to life in the most amazing way with this really deep kind of wonder that made me stop and think quite often. However, on saying all these good things I can also understand how this book isn’t for everyone as it is quite slow-paced with not a lot of action and some may find this very boring and dull. But not me! I loved every word!

“The monster tested her, pulling at her soul and rending her spirit. She clung to life, and in the clinging she might have become a monster too, except she chose the path her story would take. She chose white stone walls and a golden crown. She chose to debate words of law, and to never grind her own grain. She chose to fight men every day, and then fight their sons, who thought they knew better than their fathers.<…> If you listen long enough to the whispers, you will hear the truth. Until then, I will tell you this: the world is made safe by a woman.”
― E.K. Johnston, A Thousand Nights

Who I’d recommend this for:

Because I loved this book so much I would say everyone should at least give it a go, it has a strong female character and beautiful writing but like I said I can understand it’s not for everyone. I’d say this book is for people looking for a new type of YA love story that is beautifully written, strongly developed and not at all forced. The story flows smooth like silk and doesn’t rely on bare knuckle action to put in a punch. ...more

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Oct 13, 2015 Sarah Churchill rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, received-for-review, retellings

I'm really sad not to be giving this book 5 stars. I'll start off by saying that I have the UK hardback which is one of, if not THE most beautiful book I've ever seen. Everything down to the purple ribbon bookmark (which does have references in the story) is stunning. Unfortunately I'm not as enthusiastic about the story itself.

I haven't read any Arabian Nights, on which this 'retelling' is based, but I do know that the point of the original was that the girl managed to stay alive by telling sto I'm really sad not to be giving this book 5 stars. I'll start off by saying that I have the UK hardback which is one of, if not THE most beautiful book I've ever seen. Everything down to the purple ribbon bookmark (which does have references in the story) is stunning. Unfortunately I'm not as enthusiastic about the story itself.

I haven't read any Arabian Nights, on which this 'retelling' is based, but I do know that the point of the original was that the girl managed to stay alive by telling stories to her captor for a thousand nights. I know that the marketing around Thousand Nights focuses on storytelling. The thing is, there aren't really any stories in here. There's some trances where visions play out, but no actual storytelling.

While the writing is beautiful and a lot of work has gone in to setting the scene of the hot desert, and I found the religious angles and scenery really interesting, the rest of the story felt a little flat. There was no real pacing to speak of, barely any dialogue and a great deal of time passed without very much happening.

Another issue I have is with the characters themselves. The main character is strong and pretty wise, coming from a humble background and stepping up to show strength no one knew she had. That's all great. A few other characters had some decent personalities too, but I don't feel like I really got to know them, I don't know what they look like or what their names are. Besides Lo-Melkhiin NOBODY in this book has a name. Not one. Not the main character, her sister (who despite being the focus of MCs visions never got a name or much of a description) and definitely not her father, brothers, mother, sisters-mother, fathers-fathers-father... you get the idea. I understand that it may be a cultural way of speaking, but it doesn't help when you're trying to empathise with characters and become immersed in their lives.

I think the premise and underlying plot of the book could have been fantastic, exciting, and powerful. Unfortunately the execution didn't really work out for me. Having said all that though, if I'd gone in with lower expectations and could spend a few hours curled up in front of a fire and just pore over the writing and the world I may have enjoyed it more. ...more

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Jul 30, 2015 Taylor Knight rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arcs

I really loved this book. It was written in a way that was really beautiful and it felt like a story. Not like I was reading a book but an actual story and it reminded me of why I love reading so much.
I wasn't totally into the main character though. At the beginning of the book she was saying how much more beautiful her sister was but she had never actually seen her own face. I always find it annoying when characters degrade themselves. She did get a little better though the book but she never ...more

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Jul 22, 2015 Cody rated it liked it

Shelves: to-be-released, arc, cover-love, 2015

ARC Review Copy, more @ Literary-ly Obsessed

A Thousands Nights is a magically written story with a vidid world making it easy to become lost in. In addition to a gorgeous cover US edition, the writing is completely unique in which it refuses to reveal secrets, leaving you with constant ‘what if’ questions, I dove into this book and was completely enamored with this world from the first few chapters… however it wasn’t able to contain my interest throughout.

We begin with Lo-Melkiin who marries you ARC Review Copy, more @ Literary-ly Obsessed

A Thousands Nights is a magically written story with a vidid world making it easy to become lost in. In addition to a gorgeous cover US edition, the writing is completely unique in which it refuses to reveal secrets, leaving you with constant ‘what if’ questions, I dove into this book and was completely enamored with this world from the first few chapters… however it wasn’t able to contain my interest throughout.

We begin with Lo-Melkiin who marries young girls from different towns and villages in the desert but only to kill her by sunrise. With an impressive 300 ex-wives under his belt he is now looking for his latest conquest and he soon visits a little village where all of girls will be paraded and he will choose his new wife. Our MC knows that the Lo-Melkiin will choose her more attractive sister but refuses to let her to be taken away, instead she makes herself stand out to ensure being picked. In order to avoid her death she decides to tell Lo-Melkiin stories about her sister, about how she was worth much more than and how he will never have her. I adored this, In your face Lo-Melkiin!

As I’m sure you’re all aware this is a retelling of ‘1001 Nights’ and if you’re a fan of YA novels than you may have came across the extremely popular ‘The Wrath and the Dawn’ which is also a retelling. For me this had what I felt was missing in ‘The Wrath and the Dawn’ being magic, and lot’s of it!

You may have noticed that I haven’t mentioned the MC’s name… that’s because she doesn’t have one! Yes, your eyes aren’t deceiving you, our heroine is absolutely nameless, I got to the 75% mark in the book and was completely baffled by this, I mean.. how can we not know her name? So I decided to look this up and found out that her actual name is Scheherazade, thank god this was left out as I would have never been able to pronounce this! Let’s call her Susie for short to make things easier. Anyway Susie’s isn’t the only name that is purposefully left out, oh no I’m pretty sure the only name we are given is Lo-Melkiin and trust me there are a lot of charcters in this book! Instead they are referred to as: My father’s father father, My sister, My sister’s mother etc, and as I’ve just stated these secondary characters make a lot of appearances so saying My father’s father father constantly became really annoying and instead of not knowing Susie’s real name which may have been purposefully left out to add some mystery, for me only continued to bother me.

Another reason I couldn’t get behind this book was the complete and utter lack of romance. From the blurb it is easy to assume that Suzie would try to defeat the demon that is Lo-Melkiin and that some epic, lustful romance would only aid her cause but nope, not a drop of it! Instead the story was all about Suzie trying to defeat this demon and then THE END. Safe to safe I felt more than a little cheated by this, so instead of this being better than other retelling's due to the increase in magic, it in fact had too much magic and became the whole plot.

It pains me to say that I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I initially hoped, it was just too much of a slow read and it was missing elements like names and romance, which for me aren’t essential but allow me to enjoy the book more. ...more

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Sep 08, 2015 Alex ☣ Deranged KittyCat ☣ rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, retellings, magic, demons, fairy-tales

I'll start by saying that I ate a lot of olives while reading A Thousand Nights. Every time they mentioned them, I went and got some myself.

Now, I'm not quite sure about E.K. Johnston's book. I find it a bit slow-paced for my liking. At least the first half of it. After you pass that 50% things start to get a bit more interesting.

I liked the female characters very much. The lack of female viciousness was a breath of fresh air. Our heroine truly loves her sister and it's only because of her love ...more

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Sep 02, 2015 Mikee (ReadWithMikee) rated it it was ok

"For one thousand nights, I lived a nightmare in the dark, but when the night numbered a thousand and one, the nightmare was ended."

I'm just going to start off by saying that if you're interested in reading this book, do so with an open mind. To be honest, I read A Thousand Nights knowing that I'll be comparing the book to The Wrath and the Dawn, and because of that, I feel like it took away from the experience.

I absolutely loved The Wrath and the Dawn so my expectations for this book were v "For one thousand nights, I lived a nightmare in the dark, but when the night numbered a thousand and one, the nightmare was ended."

I'm just going to start off by saying that if you're interested in reading this book, do so with an open mind. To be honest, I read A Thousand Nights knowing that I'll be comparing the book to The Wrath and the Dawn, and because of that, I feel like it took away from the experience.

I absolutely loved The Wrath and the Dawn so my expectations for this book were very high. But truth be told, these two books are two completely different stories. The only similarity they have is the concept of a king who marries and then kills his wives the following morning. Of course, then, we know that the main character manages to survive and live to see another day because of the stories that she tells the king.

Here in lies the first issue I had with this book. I've never read Arabian Nights/1001 Nights but I'm pretty sure that the most important part were the STORIES. Arabian Nights wouldn't been Arabian Nights if it wasn't for the stories. The main character wouldn't live 1001 nights if it weren't for those STORIES. The issue? A Thousand Night did not, I repeat, DID NOT have any stories in the book. WHAT? At least The Wrath and the Dawn had one story, and even then I was disappointed that that was all we got. Imagine none. -___-

Secondly, NO ONE HAS NAMES IN THIS BOOK. With the exception of Lo-Melkhiin, we never learn the names of any of the characters and because of that, I felt disconnected with our main character. There are other factors that come into play, but the fact that she doesn't have a name is like the cherry on top of a disastrous book. She literally has no identity. And on top of that, everyone else is nameless so they're only referred to as: my sister, my sister's mother, my father's father's father, my mother's mother's mother, etc. Every once in awhile, I wouldn't have minded if the author referenced to these characters the way that she did but it became overly irritating every time she referred to her great grandfather as her father's father's father and so forth.

The plot itself went by really slow and I kept waiting for a point in the story to pick up but it never really did. I grew bored and continued reading like it was a chore just so I can cross this title off my list.

A Thousand Nights had a potential to be a good book, but I honestly felt that the author spent most of her time trying weave together beautiful words to make her writing seem fancy and articulate which left the plot falling flat and uninteresting. ...more

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About E.K. Johnston

E.K. Johnston

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E.K. Johnston had several jobs and one vocation before she became a published writer. If she’s learned anything, it’s that things turn out weird sometimes, and there’s not a lot you can do about it. Well, that and how to muscle through awkward fanfic because it’s about a pairing she likes.

You can follow Kate on Twitter (@ek_johnston) to learn more about Alderaanian political theory than you really ...more

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Quotes from A Thousand Nights

“I do fear him,” I said, which was close to the truth. “I fear him as I fear the desert sun and poisonous snakes. They are all part of the life I live. But the sun gives light, and snakes will feed a caravan if they are caught and cooked.” — 37 likes

“If you listen long enough to the whispers, you will hear the truth. Until then, I will tell you this: the world is made safe by a woman. She bound the monster up and cast him out, and the man who was left was saved.” — 36 likes

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