Johnston weaves a beautiful tale of sisterhood and love, while re-creating the story A Thousand and One Nights. Similar to the original story, this is a desert setting and the king has taken 300 wives, one from each village, before coming to the village of our unnamed heroine. She asks her sister’s mother to help ready her for the king. She wants to take the focus off of her sister and offer herself to the king instead, in order to save her sister. She is swept away with the king, as he has chosen her, and taken to his palace. Each night the king comes to her to listen to her tell stories of her sister always wanting to know more. She keeps expecting every moment to be her last and yet wakes up every morning. As time passes, she starts to unlock the secrets of the palace and break through the fear hidden beneath the façade. What she does not realize with each story she spins, she is unleashing a secret magic that will change the world in which they all live.
I was so enchanted by this book; I wanted to read it forever, never wanting it to end. This book would be an excellent choice for anyone that loves fairytales and folklore.