People either love it or they absolutely hate it. There is very little middle ground when you talk about All This Twisted Glory by Tahereh Mafi. If you've been following the This Woven Kingdom series, you already know the stakes are high. But this third installment? It’s a massive tonal shift that has left the fandom reeling, arguing on TikTok, and dissecting every single line of dialogue.
Honestly, it's a bold move for an author. Most writers play it safe by the third book. They give the fans exactly what they want. Mafi didn't do that. She chose a path that feels claustrophobic, intense, and—depending on who you ask—either brilliantly psychological or frustratingly slow.
What Actually Happens in All This Twisted Glory
The story picks up immediately after the chaotic ending of These Infinite Threads. Alizeh, our long-lost heir to the Jinn throne, is essentially a prisoner. Cyrus, the brooding King of Tula, has her in his grasp. But it's not a dungeon-and-chains situation. It's much weirder than that.
Most of the book takes place within the confines of the palace in Tula. If you were looking for an epic trek across the continent or massive magical battles, you might be disappointed. This is an interior novel. It’s about the psychological warfare between two people who are destined to either save or destroy each other. Alizeh is struggling with her identity and her magic, while Cyrus is dealing with a literal curse that makes his life a living hell.
The tension is thick. You can almost feel the heat off the pages during their verbal sparring matches. Mafi spends a lot of time on the "push and pull." It’s a slow burn. No, actually, it’s a simmering pot that feels like it’s never going to boil until the last fifty pages.
The Cyrus Problem
Cyrus is the character everyone is talking about. He’s not your typical "cinnamon roll" hero. He’s messed up. He’s made a deal with the devil—or in this case, Iblees—and the cost is his own soul and the safety of his kingdom.
In All This Twisted Glory, we finally get a deeper look into his motivations. Is he a villain? Is he a victim? The book refuses to give you an easy answer. Mafi writes him with a level of vulnerability that makes you want to root for him, even when he’s doing things that are objectively terrible. He’s a contrast to Kamran, the prince we spent so much time with in the first book. While Kamran represents a more traditional, noble path, Cyrus is the darkness and the compromise.
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Fans are divided. Some feel Cyrus has completely hijacked the series. They miss the dynamic between Alizeh and Kamran. Others argue that Cyrus is the most complex character Mafi has ever written, eclipsing even Warner from her Shatter Me days.
The Pacing That Divides the Fandom
Let's be real. This book is slow.
If you're a reader who needs constant plot progression, you’re going to struggle. Large chunks of the narrative are dedicated to Alizeh’s internal monologue and her interactions with the various magical entities in the palace. There are long descriptions of clothes, architecture, and the specific way the light hits a room.
This is Mafi’s signature style. It’s purple prose. It’s lyrical and decorative. For some, it’s immersive and beautiful. For others, it feels like "filler."
But is it actually filler?
When you look at the themes of the series—destiny, the weight of heritage, the price of power—the slow pace makes sense. Alizeh is trapped. The reader is supposed to feel that stagnation. You’re supposed to feel the mounting anxiety of her situation. It’s a character study masquerading as a high fantasy novel.
Why the Ending Changed Everything
Everything changes in the final act. Without spoiling the specific "holy crap" moments, let's just say the status quo is shattered. The cliffhanger is brutal.
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Many readers felt that the first 80% of the book was a setup for the final 20%. That’s a risky structure. It works if you’re invested in the prose, but if you’re reading for the "what happens next," you might feel like you’re treading water for 300 pages.
The introduction of new magical lore regarding the Jinn and the devils adds layers to the world-building that weren't there before. We start to see the bigger picture. The conflict isn't just about who sits on the throne; it's about the fundamental balance of their world.
Comparing This to Mafi’s Previous Work
You can’t talk about All This Twisted Glory without mentioning Shatter Me. Mafi has a very specific "vibe." She writes about isolated girls with immense power who are sought after by complicated men.
In Shatter Me, the transition from Adam to Warner was a culture-shifting moment in YA lit. We’re seeing a very similar thing happen here with Kamran and Cyrus. Mafi is the queen of the "Second Lead Syndrome" flip. She makes you fall in love with one guy, then introduces someone so much more damaged and interesting that you completely forget about the first one.
However, this series is technically "Adult" or "Crossover" fantasy, not pure YA. The language is more sophisticated, and the themes of colonization and ancestral trauma are much more prevalent. Alizeh isn't just a girl trying to find a boyfriend; she’s a displaced queen trying to reclaim a legacy that was violently taken from her people.
Critical Reception and "The Middle Book Syndrome"
Critics have been mostly kind, praising the prose, but user reviews on platforms like Goodreads are a battlefield.
- The Prose: People call it "ethereal" and "breathtaking."
- The Dialogue: Some find the banter between Cyrus and Alizeh top-tier.
- The Plot: This is where the 1-star reviews come from. "Nothing happens" is a common complaint.
It’s a classic case of Middle Book Syndrome, though technically it’s the third in a planned long-running series. It’s a bridge. It moves the characters from Point A to Point B emotionally, even if they stay in the same room physically.
Actionable Steps for Readers
If you haven't picked it up yet, or if you're halfway through and feeling stuck, here is how to actually enjoy All This Twisted Glory:
Adjust your expectations for the plot. Don't go into this expecting a war. Go into it expecting a psychological drama. If you stop waiting for the action and start paying attention to the power dynamics in the room, the book becomes much more engaging.
Pay attention to the mythology. The details about the Jinn and the specific nature of their magic are important. Mafi drops hints about the ending throughout the book that are easy to miss if you're skimming the "flowery" descriptions.
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Read the first two books again. Seriously. Because the release dates are spread out, it's easy to forget the political nuances of Alizeh’s world. Understanding the history of the Jinn makes her internal conflict in this book much more poignant.
Listen to the audiobook. Kate Reading is a legend in the narration world. Sometimes hearing the prose read aloud helps the pacing feel more natural. It turns the long descriptions into an atmospheric experience rather than a wall of text.
Look for the subtext in Cyrus’s dialogue. Everything he says has two or three meanings. He is a character who cannot speak the full truth because of his curse. If you take him at face value, you're missing the entire point of his character arc.
This book is a test of patience for a lot of fantasy fans. It’s an exercise in atmosphere. Whether you think it’s a masterpiece or a slog, it has solidified this series as one of the most unique offerings in modern fantasy. It refuses to hold your hand, and it definitely refuses to be boring—even when it's standing perfectly still.
The story of Alizeh and Cyrus is far from over, and if the ending of this book is any indication, the next installment is going to be absolute carnage. For now, we're left with the beautiful, frustrating, and lingering echoes of a kingdom that's barely holding on.