These Infinite Threads by Taherah Mafi is a YA fantasy novel and is the second book in the series after This Woven Kingdom. I rated it four stars. The book follows Alizeh, who is the heir to the fallen Jinn kingdom. Jinn are mistreated in the kingdom where Alizeh lived in the first book, Ardunia, as a common servant who always wears a covering, or “nosta” over her special Jinn princess eyes. In the first book, Alizeh became involved with the Prince of Ardunia, Kamran, but at the climax of the first book, Kamran’s grandfather was revealed to have struck a bargain with the devil to live longer. He was killed by Cyrus, the King of Tulan. Kamran believed that Alizeh betrayed him and has set out to kill her, but Alizeh is whisked away by Cyrus, who has his own motives to save her. He needs to marry Alizeh, but Alizeh is obviously reluctant to do so, especially with Cyrus, who is a mysterious, cruel, and coldhearted ruler who killed his own father for the throne. Readers will watch Kamran, who is struggling with ruling the kingdom and Alizeh, who experiences Tulan, meets new people, grapples with her feelings about Cyrus and Kamran, and has to make a decision about her future as the Queen of Jinn.
In my opinion, I thought the book was good. Even though I enjoyed Tulan and Cyrus’s character, I personally preferred the plot of the first book to the second book. Because the plot of the second book only takes place over a single day, I felt that the book was very long and overly detailed when it didn’t need to be. I like Alizeh as a main character, but I hope that in the third book, she’ll become more empowered and grow into her role as Jinn Queen more than she has so far. The characters’ backstories are also very interesting and I want to learn more about Cyrus, who was probably my favorite character. I thought the romance was good, but I wanted just a little more action in general. I think if you like YA fantasy novels, you’ll like These Infinite Threads as a filler book in the series. Ultimately, I felt that it was too much of a filler book that prepared for the third book more than standing alone on its own. Regardless, the writing style is beautiful and Mafi outdid herself when describing the world-building. Overall, this book was pretty solid and if you liked This Woven Kingdom, you’ll like These Infinite Threads.