Reader Rayna

Title: Every Spiral of Fate
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Series: This Woven Kingdom #4
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publish Date: September 30, 2025
Genre: YA Fantasy Romance/Romantasy
Pages: 467
Format: Hardcover

At long last, the wedding day has arrived.

The Jinn queen and the enigmatic ruler of Tulan are to be married in a magical, enchanted ceremony—but Cyrus, tethered by a blood oath to his bride-to-be, can find nothing to celebrate in this union. He’s falling ever more deeply in love with the one person oathbound to kill him.

Sworn to an ancient, unbreakable magic, Alizeh can only fulfill the prophecy to free her people by ensuring Cyrus dies by her own hand. And Cyrus is forced to await his end all while Prince Kamran inches closer, ready to take his place by Alizeh’s side. 

The countdown to murder coils tensions ever tighter, but the historic wedding has already drawn deadly attention. To prepare for war and protect her people, Alizeh must finally discover her magic—and outrun the enemies trying to stop her.

Alizeh and Cyrus, along with Kamran and their friends from Ardunia, must flee on dragon-back to begin the perilous journey into the legendary mountains of Arya, where a firestorm of revelations, magical discoveries, and fresh allies awaits them. Every allegiance will be tested, every darkness uncovered, and when the shattering secrets of the Tulanian king are finally revealed . . .

Nothing, and no one, will be the same.

Desperate confessions, impossible decisions, unfathomable magical power—and a love so devastating it rewrites destinies—Every Spiral of Fate is the shimmering, breathtaking fourth volume in a saga that continues to transcend expectations.

As this is a sequel, there might be spoilers in this review!

This fourth installment was a long one, but there were many beats that were important to the story, pushing it further along and showing us who these characters we’ve come to know and love (or not) will go for one woman in her journey to become the Jinn queen of the world. I found that this book was full of action, almost more so than the previous books, and that there was a lot more at stake that could actually be felt in this installment than the previous versions, even though the stakes were high and could be felt then, too.

Let’s start with the characters, shall we? In the books we had been getting dual perspectives, of three perspectives, and in this one we have chapters from Alizeh and Cyrus. It seems we no longer have any Kamran chapters, which, honestly, I’m glad, because he really ticked me off in this book.

Alizeh was a steadfast character, trying her best to be the best she could be for herself, her people, and her friends. I appreciate that her constant compassion is shown as both her greatest strength, and one of her greatest weaknesses, but that in spite of that perceived weakness she is still able to act when it matters and take matters back into her own hands. Though the books focus more heavily on the plot developing than the characters at times, it can be good for a character to remain steadfast, because you know what to expect.

However, I did find Alizeh’s indecision in regards to what would come after she’d have to kill Cyrus and potentially marry Kamran to be infuriating. She’s denying herself her own emotions and talking openly in front of Cyrus about what will happen after he dies (though, to be fair, many of those conversations were sparked by Kamran himself), and though she often retreats back into her mind about the decision, it was still infuriating to watch nonetheless. Though, I think that’s excellent character work done by Mafi, because in a situation such as the one that the characters found themselves in, I can’t say I wouldn’t act any differently than they would.

As for Cyrus, his chapters felt bleak and hopeless, as he lost hope throughout the journey and they continually headed towards his impending death. It was sad to watch, but at the same time, it gave an insight into who he was before everything happened. We got to have some of his backstory to truly understand him and what had been, essentially, forced upon him. It’s hard not to feel for him. And then him revealing all to the group and immediately receiving the punishment for the reveal? It was heartbreaking.

I think that the characterization of the main group, except Omid and potentially Deen, was done really well. We got to see more of the characters interact with one another, and though, as the reader, we know more than what the characters know, which can be frustrating when they’re constantly accusing Cyrus of dark things, it showed where everyone was at in their own headspaces. Kamran, especially, was shown to be much more of an ass in this one, really showing his cards and emotions and where his headspace stands. Even so much as to affect one of the trials Alizeh must go through directly. He thinks of no one but his own self interest, which is not what the Diviners sent him off to do, and I hope that in the last book he finally comes to that realization.

I also enjoy the ongoing bickering that he and Huda have. I ship it lol

The ongoing tension between Cyrus and Alizeh grew to an impossible mountain in this novel, and though I felt myself waiting with bated breath for the dam to break, it never truly did, not in the way I had hoped. I think at the very end it showed signs of cracking, and that in the last installment we’re finally going to see that tension dissolve. At least I hope so, because my god, I don’t think I can take any more!

The plot of the book, itself, felt a bit long and dragged out. I honestly felt myself growing impatient at times, flipping to later parts of the book and spoiling myself of things before going back to continue reading. The pacing seemed off somewhere toward the beginning of the journey, and it was hard to grasp that momentum again at times. I did find more typos and at least one grammatical error in this book, as I’ve found typos in every book. That, alone, was frustrating.

I will say, though, that there are definitely scenes that stood out really well throughout, and that I still thoroughly enjoyed this installment, just not as much as the previous ones. I still think this is very much worth the read as it has more reveals, it shows more magic, and it’s the direct lead into the finale.