A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston Review

A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston

“For one thousand nights, I lived a nightmare in the dark, but when the nights numbered a thousand and one, the nightmare was ended.”

The main character was smart in the sense she used her strengths to her advantages – her past experiences had prepared her for her new life more than she expected and she adapted this to level the field against Lo-Melkhiin. She was also a brave character who stood up for the King’s people and her family against the King and tried her best to help people. All of the other characters were really enjoyable to read about especially as we find out how they help give the main character a skill or something like that, to survive against the King. The family relationships and relationships between helpers in the king’s palace with the main character were also insightful and nice.

“A knowing mind is a closed one”

I enjoyed the flashbacks which were entwined in the story and linked to the present actions or her thoughts this gave an insight into her characteristics and how the future is going to be impacted. The flashbacks were normally told after she told her stories to show the truth from the fiction events compared to what actually happened. I liked the chapters with the monster telling what he had done or what he will do it was fascinating to read in the mind of the main villain.

The setting is very well developed with the different settings and surroundings described/built well like the King’s palace, the caravans in the desert and the creatures from the desert. This was good as it help fit the retelling and the atmosphere of the book.   

“We did not take men because they longed to serve us. We took them because they followed us into the fire for something they thought we offered them.”

The plot is interesting because although it seems as if so much is happening most of the book is made up of different stories which are woven into the present, her thoughts and feelings and flashbacks. The interlinking themes and plots created a great overall effect and I liked how the focus of the book wasn’t on the action but on the main character. Too add to that the novel was well written and had a nice style to it. The element of mystery was added when we gain little information from what is happening in the desert whilst the main character is away however I think it would have been better if it was harder for the main character to guess what happened to Lo-Melkhiin.

★★★★☆