One Thousand and One Nights (Entangled Ever After)

by Ruth Browne

[Angie]

I received an ARC through NetGalley.

I really liked the idea behind One Thousand and One Nights: a zombie apocalypse retelling of the original. Unfortunately, I just didn't like it. It follows Sheri, who is our modern day Sharazad. She's being held captive at a compound of survivors, since she's been bitten by zombies and no one can be sure whether she'll turn or not. The only thing that keeps her alive is King Alex's obsession with fairytales, which Sheri reads to him every night. And Sheri only stays to keep her sister safe, even though they'd gotten on just fine for 5 years on their own. Nothing about this set up really makes any sense, so it was hard for me to get into it or to care about Sheri and Alex's developing relationship. The narrative is very choppy also, which definitely didn't help matters.

One Thousand and One Nights had a lot of potential, but it just fell flat. Being a novella, I was hoping for something fast paced and sexy, but really it's bogged down with a lot of useless flashbacks. Yes, I wanted to know how this zombie apocalypse came to be, and how Sheri got to this compound, but it was all messy and full of holes. When did Sheri get those zombie bites? How did she get away? Why is Alex considered the king of this compound? And why is he SO obsessed with stories? None of these questions are answered, so it was hard to follow what was happening. It also seemed strange to me that they could have any kind of sexual attraction for each other, when he keeps her locked up like an animal, and she's essentially in solitary confinement. I guess the loneliness makes her horny? I don't know. It's just one big bust.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.