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ENTRY TYPE: new
WORK TITLE: For She Is Wrath
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WEBSITE: https://emilyvargabooks.com/
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COUNTRY: Canada
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PERSONAL
Children: two.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Attorney and writer. Works as a family lawyer. Cohost of On the Write Track podcast.
AVOCATIONS:Hiking.
AWARDS:Third-grade story writing competition winner, for zoo-escape thriller.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
BookPage, January, 2025, Tami Orendain, review of For She Is Wrath, p. 27.
ONLINE
Emily Varga website, https://emilyvargabooks.com (April 11, 2025).
Nerd Daily, https://thenerddaily.com/ (November 6, 2024), Elise Dumpleton, “Q&A: Emily Varga, Author of ‘For She Is Wrath.’”
Q&A: Emily Varga, Author of ‘For She Is Wrath’
Elise Dumpleton·Writers Corner·November 6, 2024·3 min read
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We chat with author Emily Varga about For She Is Wrath, which is a sweeping, Pakistani romantic fantasy reimagining of The Count of Monte Cristo, where one girl seeks revenge against those who betrayed her―including the boy she used to love.
Hi, Emily! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi! So excited to chat with you. I am a fantasy writer who lives in western Canada who loves reality TV, traveling (I’ve also lived all over the world including the UK and Australia), and am an Aries, triple Scorpio (so I can hold a grudge like nobody’s business!). I love the ocean but live in a landlocked place, and have two small kids, a menagerie of pets and am a lawyer by day.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
Probably as early as grade 3! There was a story writing competition and I won with my story about animals that escaped from the zoo and tried to eat a kid. It was pretty thrilling!
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
The first book you ever remember reading: Besides picture books like Beatrix Potter, the first novel I ever really read was Anne of Green Gables.
The one that made you want to become an author: Probably Anne of Green Gables! LOL but I also read a lot of classics when I was younger and had an obsession with the Bronte sisters – Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights were favorites!
The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston – it was the first book I’d ever read with a biracial protagonist and I fell in love with the gorgeous writing. I even named my daughter Zora!
Your debut novel, For She Is Wrath, is out! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Vengeance. Friendship. Passion. Betrayal. Forgiveness.
What can readers expect?
They can expect a fast paced, action packed, page turning second chance enemies to lovers romantasy in the vein of Sabaa Tahir and Leigh Bardugo.
Where did the inspiration for For She Is Wrath come from?
I really loved the Count of Monte Cristo and wanted to read a retelling about a baddie brown girl betrayed by the one she loves—so For She is Wrath was born! I was also interested in exploring the themes of hope and the limits of human justice. In law school I volunteered for the innocence project, which is a charity that helps falsely accused people convicted of crimes appeal their convictions. It was definitely eye opening about the justice system and gave me a new perspective on stories dealing with wrongful imprisonment such as the Count of Monte Cristo—and helped me explore the theme of what it means to have human justice in an unjust world.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Dania (my FMC) is so different from me, so she was a really cool character to write because I got to adventure in swordfighting (especially South Asian swords and weaponry!), and really explore writing female rage in a powerful way. She was my favorite part of writing the book!
Did you face any challenges whilst writing?
Same answer! LOL Because Dania was so different from me she was an absolute challenge to write—she was the prickly, unlikeable, morally grey heroine and was obsessed with revenge to the point of impacting all her other relationships. I definitely had to push myself to get into that headspace!
See also
Astrid Scholte Author Interview
Q&A: Astrid Scholte, Author of ‘The Vanishing Deep
This is your debut published novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
It was definitely an adventure! I started querying in March of 2020 (which was a crazy time to query!) and then after I got agented I went on submission with a YA Fantasy that unfortunately didn’t get past the acquisitions stage. However, it did lead to FOR SHE IS WRATH getting a book deal and it was very unexpected! I am grateful for my journey because without it, FOR SHE IS WRATH would never have been written!
What’s next for you?
My next book is coming out early 2026 and I pitched it as A Court of Thorns and Roses meets Indiana Jones—I’ve LOVED writing it because I am a die hard Relic Hunter and Lara Croft fan so it is very much an homage to that world!
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed so far this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on?
Books that I’ve loved this year are: Divine Mortals by Amanda Helander, The Dividing Sky by Jill Tew, Hope Ablaze by Sarah Mughal Rana, and I cann’t WAIT to get my hands on Rachel Gillig’s latest, The Knight and the Moth, Sarah Mughal Rana’s Dawn of the Firebird and Vaishnavi Patel’s The Ten Incarnations of Rebellion.
Will you be picking up For She Is Wrath? Tell us in the comments below!
Emily Varga is a YA Fantasy author with a fondness for getting lost in bookstores, eating copious amounts of rice, and watching a lot of terrible reality tv. She has lived all over the world, but currently calls the Rocky Mountains of western Canada home, where she lives with her family and their menagerie of pets. When she’s not writing, Emily works as a family lawyer, where she learned more about storytelling than she ever expected. Emily’s debut novel FOR SHE IS WRATH is a Pakistani-inspired Count of Monte Cristo retelling meets Kill Bill and is out in late 2024 with Wednesday Books.
short bio
Emily Varga is the author of the forthcoming Young Adult Fantasy novel, FOR SHE IS WRATH, out with Wednesday books in winter of 2024. When she’s not writing, Emily is a family law lawyer, mother to two wild ones and many pets, and occasional hiker. She lives in the Rocky Mountains of Canada.
long bio
Emily Varga is a Fantasy author with a fondness for getting lost in bookstores and watching a lot of terrible reality tv. She has lived all over the world, but currently calls the Rocky Mountains of western Canada home, where she lives with her family and their menagerie of pets. When she’s not writing, Emily is a cohost of the ON THE WRITE TRACK podcast and works as a family lawyer, where she learned more about storytelling than she ever expected.
Emily’s debut novel FOR SHE IS WRATH is a Pakistani-inspired Count of Monte Cristo retelling.
By Emily Varga
Dania is in prison for a murder she did not commit. She spends every day plotting her escape and listing off the people responsible for her imprisonment: Vahid, the cruel emperor; Darbaran, the loathsome head of the palace guards; and Mazin, Vahid's ward and Dania's ex-lover. After a failed attempt to break out, Dania is surprised when Noor, a fellow prisoner, tunnels into her cell. When Noor reveals that she has a plan to escape, as well as a way to access hidden djinn magic, Dania sees a clear way to get her revenge.
A fantasy-fuelled retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo, For She Is Wrath (Wednesday, $20, 9781250877383) takes the tension and mystery of Alexandre Dumas' classic novel and transfers it to a lush, exuberant, Pakistan-inspired setting. Emily Varga's narrative drops readers straight into the action from the very beginning: A prison escape, dark magic power and secret identities set up heart-pounding action that remains present throughout the entire tale.
But For She Is Wrath is also about how shaky the path to revenge can be. Dania's growing desire for retribution is a force that not only drives her forward, but also compels her to look backward. As they work together to achieve revenge, Dania and Noor must come to terms with the price of vengeance--and decide whether that price is worth it. The book is not shy about the impact of Dania and Noor's actions, as they sit with the repercussions of their schemes.
This is a fresh story with bold heroines and a unique, vibrant setting. For She Is Wrath has the intrigue of The Count of Monte Cristo, but is ultimately sweeter, with wholesome characters and nuanced themes about justice, healing, and forgiveness. Readers, especially fans of Dumas, are sure to appreciate Varga's multilayered twists and turns.
--Tami Orendain
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 BookPage
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Orendain, Tami. "For She Is Wrath." BookPage, Jan. 2025, p. 27. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A819405902/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=d8d5a3d0. Accessed 23 Feb. 2025.