Book Review: These Infinite Threads by Tahereh Mafi

‘These Infinite Threads’ by Tahereh Mafi was published in 2023. It is the second book in the series, the events of which proceeded immediately after the cliffhanger from ‘This Woven Kingdom’, addressing the fallout from Alizeh’s escape from Ardunia to Toulan with King Cyrus.

I was under the impression that this series was a trilogy, and with that in mind, I had a lot of qualms about the pacing at the time, because a lot happened, but it seemed like it was setting up the events of a third book, only to later realise that it was likely a lot more meticulous, with the threads being laid to leave readers with dozens of questions.

I really liked this book. While many books in series’ fall into the lull of a second-book slump, setting up for the third or book, ‘These Infinite Threads’ was evocative and emotional.I loved the way that Cyrus and Alizeh’s relationship is set out, with their immediate squabbling laying out the foundation for an even more interesting enemies-to-lovers dynamic than what I had first thought. After all, with Kamran so far away, and Cyrus abducting Alizeh, there was more than enough forced proximity to make a reader want more and more.

What really strikes me about this book was how Mafi wrote Alizeh and her emotions. She has always been a character that has her heart on her sleeve. This is shown from her sentimentality and how she latches onto kindnesses. She considers Deen, the apothocary that tended to her bloodied hands in the first book a friend, despite only having met once.

While I was much more interested in the ups and downs of Cyrus and Alizeh’s relationship, all that way away, I couldn’t help but enjoy the similtaneous narrative with Kamran and the turmoil occuring in Ardunia, with his grandfather slain, and him the direct heir, he is astounded that his people are not scrambling to bend the knee and submit to his rule. Instead, he is treated with mirth.

I was very happy that readers got a chance to know Hazan on a different level in this book. His true, unguarded personality was very interesting, and the new dynamic he managed to forge with Kamran was refreshing, because while Hazan had been exposed as a Jinn, having hidden among the Ardunian aristocrats, him being stripped of his rank as a minister, and Kamran having been stripped of layers of his pomp and arrogance by the cruelty of his court, they are almost like people anew, who can learn from their past mistakes.

I really liked how this book focused on the events of two different empires, struggling in the fallout of the events of the first book, the narratives were strikingly different, with Kamran embarking on a mission to kill Alizeh for revenge, assuming the worst of her, while Alizeh struggles with being a queen without a kingdom to rule over.

It was a very interesting fantasy book, though, I must admit, that had I known it wasn’t a complete series, I wouldn’t have read it yet. I’m a fiend for immediate gratification, and while I knew I could just open the third book immediately, knowing the subsequent books are far-away was just frustrating. Not that that stops me from recommending the series as it is right now, because it is a fun, rich read.