A thousand nights - The Library of the Uncommons

325 pages

English language

Published Dec. 15, 2015 by Hyperion Books.

ISBN:: 978-1-4847-2227-5

(1 review)

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 palace filled with pretty things: intricate statues with wretched eyes, exquisite threads to weave the most beautiful garments. She sees everything as if for the last time.But the first sun rises and sets, and she is not dead. Night after night, Lo-Melkhiin comes to her and listens to the stories she tells, and day after day she is awoken by the sunrise. Exploring the palace, she begins to unlock years of fear that have tormented and silenced a kingdom. Lo-Melkhiin was …

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 palace filled with pretty things: intricate statues with wretched eyes, exquisite threads to weave the most beautiful garments. She sees everything as if for the last time.But the first sun rises and sets, and she is not dead. Night after night, Lo-Melkhiin comes to her and listens to the stories she tells, and day after day she is awoken by the sunrise. Exploring the palace, she begins to unlock years of fear that have tormented and silenced a kingdom. Lo-Melkhiin was not always a cruel ruler. Something went wrong. Far away, in their village, her sister is mourning. Through her pain, she calls upon the desert winds, conjuring a subtle unseen magic, and something besides death stirs the air. Back at the palace, the words she speaks to Lo-Melkhiin every night are given a strange life of their own. Little things, at first: a dress from home, a vision of her sister. With each tale she spins, her power grows. Soon she dreams of bigger, more terrible magic: power enough to save a king, if she can put an end to the rule of a monster.

7 editions

TheKnightGarden reviewed A thousand nights by E. K. Johnston

Review of 'A thousand nights' on 'Storygraph'

2 stars

It was an interesting read. i liked the fact that this took place in the desert and that it held a beautiful world filled with monsters and demons.

and... that's all the positives i have to say.

don't get me wrong, the way she told the story was fascinating. i just feel like there should've been more. throughout the book, i feel like she wasn't keeping a straight path on what the plot was. it kept jumping around too many times and i didn't have a narrow idea exactly what the plot was supposed to be. the first part where she described lo-melkhiin having murdered his first wife just confused me at first. i didn't understand exactly what she was going for.

all in all, it was a good read, but i just won't pick it up again.

Subjects

Kings and rulers
Fairy tales
Magic
Fiction