"A Thousand Nights" by E.K. Johnston

I received an advanced reading copy of this title through Netgalley. The book will be released on October 6, 2015. I just recently read The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh, and was really excited to get my hands on another A Thousand and One Nights retelling. Without going into a lengthy comparison of the two, let me just say this: I loved both novels, but they are completely different. In fact. A Thousand Nights is more to my liking. It does not have any of over-used YA tropes and it is not simply a love/adventure story featuring a kickass heroine who saves the world. A Thousand Nights is more of a literary fiction than YA. It will transport you to the pre-Islam Arabia. The way it is focused on women, their place in life and the magic they carry reminded me of The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. At the same time, the book is also reminiscent of Paolo Coelho's writing. Each of his books is not just a story but a parable about a sacred wisdom or mystery of being. A Thousand Nights is otherwordly and mystical; woven equally from beautiful dreams and terrible nightmares. I enjoyed reading it immensely. It is a very different take on the original fairy tale and I highly recommend it. Definitely one of my favorites for the year.