Let's start this review with a little disclaimer, shall we? 
 I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 
 There we go. Now, to the fun part. 
 A Thousand Nights 
 by 
 E.K. Johnston 
 has a very promising plot. Lo-Melkiin, rules a prosperous and peaceful qasr. He accomplished this by marrying a girl from each village, and one from every district inside the city walls. And get this, they all die a few days after their marriage. 
 *insert surprised face here* 
 I know right? 
 Why do these girls die after they wed him? Why did the people worship the girls who died and built them altars to remember their deaths? Why did the main character sacrifice herself instead of letting Lo-Melkiin pick her sister? What is the purpose of this book? 
 It feels ghastly saying this, but I will never know the answers to my questions. I will never know because I DNF'd this book at 50%. I swore I would never DNF a book, yet here we are. 
 I feel sad that I DNF'd this book because first and foremost, look at the cover! I am a sucker for gorgeous, jaw dropping covers. 
 Second. It really bothered me that I was already at 50% of the ARC and I still don't know the name of the main character. It bothered me more because most of the people in the book does not have names. Instead, the author used the following: lady-bless, lady mother, father's father's father, mother's mother's mother, sister, brother, mother, father, Lo-Melkiin's mother. 
 WHY IS THERE A SHORTAGE OF NAMES? I DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS! 
 Third. Because the characters lack names and proper building of their characters, I did not feel attached to them. There wasn't any connection between the characters. There wasn't any substance. They were faceless males and females to me. It felt like they exist solely because the author said so. Also, you know how the guy always look hot and have perfect jaws and chiseled abs? Well, I think the author missed this memo. I don't even know what Lo-Melkiin looks like! 
 Fourth. I did not get enough description of the setting. I understand it's in a desert, but where? Middle East? Africa? North America? South America? Vegas? Ok, the author said Lo-Melkiin lives in a qasr and according to 
 Wikipedia 
 , it is in the Middle East. But what does the qasr look like? The feel of the floor? The scent of the food? The curtains? The walls? I was so lost. 
 Fifth. I read this book after reading 
 The Wrath and The Dawn 
 by 
 Renee Ahdieh 
 (which by the way I really LOVED), I was thinking if this book would surpass it, but it fell short. 
 NEVER, EVER READ THIS BOOK AFTER READING THE WRATH AND THE DAWN. JUST. DON'T. OK? 
 Enough with my rant. I would like to point out something that I like about this book. 
 I failed to mention that Lo-Melkiin is possessed by another nameless evil creature. I called it, The Thing. Anyway, The Thing, is the one who is controlling him, keeping his thoughts locked away at the corner of his mind. The Thing is responsible for the deaths and is just using Lo-Melkiin's body and kingdom. 
 The Thing and its first kill aka the woman Lo-Melkiin loves: "I took what I required from her, and made Lo-Melkiin watch as she shriveled and wilted under his hands." 
 Can you imagine the love of your life dying because of your touch and you can't do anything about it? Pretty sadist right? This gave the book a sick, much needed horrendous twist, which I really loved. 
 I genuinely tried to finish A Thousand Nights, and I really wanted to love this book. The author tried, but the story just did not work for me.