What do you think?
Rate this book
The Wrath and the Dawn #1
The Wrath and the Dawn
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction (2015)One Life to One Dawn.
In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad's dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph's reign of terror once and for all.
Night after night, Shahrzad beguiles Khalid, weaving stories that enchant, ensuring her survival, though she knows each dawn could be her last. But something she never expected begins to happen: Khalid is nothing like what she'd imagined him to be. This monster is a boy with a tormented heart. Incredibly, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love. How is this possible? It's an unforgivable betrayal. Still, Shahrzad has come to understand all is not as it seems in this palace of marble and stone. She resolves to uncover whatever secrets lurk and, despite her love, be ready to take Khalid's life as retribution for the many lives he's stolen. Can their love survive this world of stories and secrets?
In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad's dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph's reign of terror once and for all.
Night after night, Shahrzad beguiles Khalid, weaving stories that enchant, ensuring her survival, though she knows each dawn could be her last. But something she never expected begins to happen: Khalid is nothing like what she'd imagined him to be. This monster is a boy with a tormented heart. Incredibly, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love. How is this possible? It's an unforgivable betrayal. Still, Shahrzad has come to understand all is not as it seems in this palace of marble and stone. She resolves to uncover whatever secrets lurk and, despite her love, be ready to take Khalid's life as retribution for the many lives he's stolen. Can their love survive this world of stories and secrets?
416 pages, Hardcover
First published May 12, 2015
About the author
Renée Ahdieh
29 books17.8k followersTHE WRATH & THE DAWN and its sequel THE ROSE & THE DAGGER are available wherever books are sold.
FLAME IN THE MIST will be released on 5.16.17.
** Please note that requests for Advanced Reader Copies should be made through Penguin, and all other requests should be submitted through the author's website. **
FLAME IN THE MIST will be released on 5.16.17.
** Please note that requests for Advanced Reader Copies should be made through Penguin, and all other requests should be submitted through the author's website. **
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 23,890 reviews
October 22, 2021
1.5 stars
A three-sentence summary of The Wrath and the Dawn:
Shahrzad: I will kill Caliph Khalid to avenge my best friend!
Khalid: *eye smoulder*
Shahrzad: Lol, nah.
That is literally what happens. I'm not joking. The Wrath and the Dawn is a retelling of the classical One Thousand and One Nights tale. Every day, the Caliph of Khorasan marries a new bride and by dawn, he has her killed. Shahrzad marries him to get revenge for her best friend and within three days, she's putty in his hands.
Three fucking days. Where's the fire? Where's the hate? Where's her brain?
The book tries so hard to convince readers Shahrzad is Katniss by making her a master archer and spout promises for vengeance. But it'd be nice if she actually carried through with her plan. Her attempts at sniffing out Khalid's weaknesses are poorly thought-out and completely disappear after she falls in insta-love with sunlight-scented Hay Boy. I mean, Khalid.
There's a scene where she directly confronts Khalid on why he kills his wives and he leaves because she has the subtlety of a hippo in a tutu. She then spends the whole day fretting she hurt his feeeeelings and apologizes. Apologizes. For wanting answers. For demanding an open relationship. For understanding why her best friend had to die.
I'm confused to what the intended message is. That if you stick it out long enough in an abusive relationship, you can change him? That violent jerks with short tempers are precious cinnamon rolls with hidden depths?
Keep in mind Shahrzad falls for Khalid before she discovers the real reason behind the murders (in which he's totally blameless because God forbid he's a morally grey character). She is in love with someone who murdered her best friends and hundreds of other girls. At one point, she calls him her "beautiful monster".
Young girls are reading The Wrath and the Dawn and forming their idea of love from it. Do I need to say how dangerous that is? Isn't Fifty Shades of Grey enough?
Speaking of Fifty Shades, let's address the elephant in the room: The Wrath and the Dawn is the Arabian Twilight. There's insta-love like I mentioned and a love triangle with Shahrzad's childhood friend Tariq. Khalid is a gorgeous male specimen who's secretive, hates himself, and a brilliant fighter. He even has amber eyes.
Another thing that bothered me are the rape scenes. Their marriage consummation and the night after was rape, okay? Just like Drogo and Daenerys' marriage was built on rape. Shahrzad didn't want it. She just went ahead with it to earn Khalid's trust. (Edit 29/6/2020: Even if you argue it's technically not rape because she seemed physically willing, it's definitely not fully consensual and thus rapey.)
Later, we discover Khalid had never entered any other bride's bedchamber except hers. Which begs the question: Why? If he loved her from the start, which he does, why would he violate her like that? Why would he perform on her one of the cruelest crimes you do to a person? Or is it supposed to be romantic and special because she's the exception? That's a prize I don't ever want to fucking win.
Then there's the plot itself. Or should I say lack of plot. For a story about murder and mind games, it is surprisingly slow. Nothing really happens until the climax, which abruptly cuts off just when the story ball starts rolling. They cheated me out of a decent climax. Most of the storyline is devoted to the romance, people traveling, and descriptions of clothes.
So. Much. Descriptions.
I estimate 25% is describing what Shahrzad is wearing at any given time. There are a lot of non-layman terms too that aren't sufficiently contextualized, so they're difficult to understand. Not just for clothes, but weapons and titles and such. Qamis, sirwal, shamshir. I appreciate the research that went into writing this, but there's a point when it gets annoying. It feels like the author is showing off instead of telling us the damn story. The writing itself is overblown and jammed with unnecessary metaphors.
By far the worst YA book I've read in a long time.
"How can I desire him? After he killed Shiva. After he killed so many young girls, without explanation.
What's wrong with me?"
A three-sentence summary of The Wrath and the Dawn:
Shahrzad: I will kill Caliph Khalid to avenge my best friend!
Khalid: *eye smoulder*
Shahrzad: Lol, nah.
That is literally what happens. I'm not joking. The Wrath and the Dawn is a retelling of the classical One Thousand and One Nights tale. Every day, the Caliph of Khorasan marries a new bride and by dawn, he has her killed. Shahrzad marries him to get revenge for her best friend and within three days, she's putty in his hands.
Three fucking days. Where's the fire? Where's the hate? Where's her brain?
"It's because he's not the monster I thought he was.
There was so much more below the surface, and she had to know what lay at the root of it all."
The book tries so hard to convince readers Shahrzad is Katniss by making her a master archer and spout promises for vengeance. But it'd be nice if she actually carried through with her plan. Her attempts at sniffing out Khalid's weaknesses are poorly thought-out and completely disappear after she falls in insta-love with sunlight-scented Hay Boy. I mean, Khalid.
There's a scene where she directly confronts Khalid on why he kills his wives and he leaves because she has the subtlety of a hippo in a tutu. She then spends the whole day fretting she hurt his feeeeelings and apologizes. Apologizes. For wanting answers. For demanding an open relationship. For understanding why her best friend had to die.
I'm confused to what the intended message is. That if you stick it out long enough in an abusive relationship, you can change him? That violent jerks with short tempers are precious cinnamon rolls with hidden depths?
Keep in mind Shahrzad falls for Khalid before she discovers the real reason behind the murders (in which he's totally blameless because God forbid he's a morally grey character). She is in love with someone who murdered her best friends and hundreds of other girls. At one point, she calls him her "beautiful monster".
Young girls are reading The Wrath and the Dawn and forming their idea of love from it. Do I need to say how dangerous that is? Isn't Fifty Shades of Grey enough?
Speaking of Fifty Shades, let's address the elephant in the room: The Wrath and the Dawn is the Arabian Twilight. There's insta-love like I mentioned and a love triangle with Shahrzad's childhood friend Tariq. Khalid is a gorgeous male specimen who's secretive, hates himself, and a brilliant fighter. He even has amber eyes.
Another thing that bothered me are the rape scenes. Their marriage consummation and the night after was rape, okay? Just like Drogo and Daenerys' marriage was built on rape. Shahrzad didn't want it. She just went ahead with it to earn Khalid's trust. (Edit 29/6/2020: Even if you argue it's technically not rape because she seemed physically willing, it's definitely not fully consensual and thus rapey.)
Later, we discover Khalid had never entered any other bride's bedchamber except hers. Which begs the question: Why? If he loved her from the start, which he does, why would he violate her like that? Why would he perform on her one of the cruelest crimes you do to a person? Or is it supposed to be romantic and special because she's the exception? That's a prize I don't ever want to fucking win.
Then there's the plot itself. Or should I say lack of plot. For a story about murder and mind games, it is surprisingly slow. Nothing really happens until the climax, which abruptly cuts off just when the story ball starts rolling. They cheated me out of a decent climax. Most of the storyline is devoted to the romance, people traveling, and descriptions of clothes.
So. Much. Descriptions.
"She was dressed in wide silk trousers and a fitted top stained a deep violet color, with think straps that banded over each shoulder. The necklace and thin chain at her waist contained amethysts surrounded by tiny, pale pink diamonds. At her ears and along her brow were large teardrops of purple and gold."
I estimate 25% is describing what Shahrzad is wearing at any given time. There are a lot of non-layman terms too that aren't sufficiently contextualized, so they're difficult to understand. Not just for clothes, but weapons and titles and such. Qamis, sirwal, shamshir. I appreciate the research that went into writing this, but there's a point when it gets annoying. It feels like the author is showing off instead of telling us the damn story. The writing itself is overblown and jammed with unnecessary metaphors.
By far the worst YA book I've read in a long time.
May 13, 2015
She wanted to kiss him.
No.
It was one thing to return his kiss; she’d been prepared for that. But it was another thing entirely to want his kiss . . . another thing entirely to desire his affections. To melt into the arms of Shiva’s killer at the first sign of adversity.
Weak.
Retellings should light my imagination on fire. They should take the original story, add a twist to it, make it so that we don't feel like we're reading the same old, same old. The only twist, the only imaginative reimagining to this book is the addition of a fucking love triangle and the rewriting of the should-have-been mysterious, brilliant, Scheherazade into an astoundingly stupid chick.
The Scheherazade of the original 1001 Nights is a woman to be admired. Brave, smart, fearless. She used her intelligence to survive when countless others have died, enchanting the king by weaving tales so mesmerizing that the king could not bear to kill her. This book's main character Shahrzad doesn't hold a candle to the original.
Seriously, there was no point to this book. I could have read the original and been satisfied, because there was very little variation. We have a king who marries a woman and kills her after their wedding night. We have a main character who tells stories. She really does tell stories. I swear it felt like 1/4 of the book was devoted to the story she tells.
It was astoundingly dull. I didn't read a retelling to read yet another freaking rendition of Aladdin, among other tales. Spare me, please. I don't need to summarize what happens because everyone knows what the premise is. Insane motherfucker gets wronged in some way. Decides to marry a girl and kill her the next morning for some weird reason because COMMON SENSE Y'ALL. Girl decides to sacrifice herself like a sheep to the slaughter by marrying the dude herself, and secretly plots to stave off the executioner's axe by telling him a story and leave it on a cliffhanger every night. And the truth? I don't know why she's not dead. I don't know why he lets her live. Her charms are entirely hidden to me. I cannot comprehend the attraction she holds. Her stories bore me to tears.
I digress, but isn't that so intensely annoying? As book lovers, don't we hate cliffhangers? If I were the king, I would have just strangled her myself instead of waiting the next night to hear how the story ends. IMAGINE 1001 NIGHTS OF CLIFFHANGERS. DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE BITCH.
D:
The main character is stupid. So dumb. She talks big, fo' sho. She's all like I WILL KILL THE KING!!!!! I WILL AVENGE MY FRIEND'S DEATH AT THE HANDS OF THE MURDEROUS MONSTER.
“Wife.” He nodded.And then like literally 2 days later she feels a pull on her heartstrings when he glances at her.
“My king.”
I will live to see tomorrow’s sunset. Make no mistake. I swear I will live to see as many sunsets as it takes.
And I will kill you.
With my own hands.
I despise him.
She tried to ignore the flutter of uncertainty in her stomach.
She is so dumb. Like she has ZE GRAND PLAN TO KILL THE KING (as previously stated). Only it fails pretty miserably. You see, in order to form a competent plot, you can't fucking reveal your hand . WHICH SHE DOES. Like showing that she's a highly accomplished archer...because surely knowing she can kill will make the Caliph feel so safe with her. Fucking idiot.
She exhaled slowly.She's defiant. She takes unnecessary risks, given her plot. I can't headdesk hard enough.
As soon as she opened her eyes, she loosed the arrow. It flew toward the target in a perfect spiral.
And struck exactly where she intended.
“Amazing. Despite never taking care to aim, you actually hit the target that time,” Jalal intoned drily. “In a fashion.”
The love story is absolutely atrocious and unbelievable. There's not only ZE GRAND LOVE TRIANGLE between her childhood friend...
Tariq continued, the silver in his eyes flashing. “But understand this: no matter how many perfect young women you put in my path, there is only one Shahrzad.But there's also zero chemistry between the main character and the
His eyes, which were usually vigilant, appeared even more watchful than before.Which begs the question... why her? Why this stupid, incompetent, bumbling fool of a revenge-seeker?
She sighed to herself.
He notices everything. This will be even more difficult than I thought.
So, my dear friends, don't hop a carpet and fly to this Arabian night. Because this book's main character is more of...
A fool off his guard
Could fall and fall hard
Out there on the dunes
April 5, 2015
“Make sure they never forget. You are the Calipha of Khorasan, and you have the ear of a king.” She bent forward and lowered her voice. “And, most important, you are a fearsome thing to behold in your own right.”
My original plan was to finish this book tonight and then write up a review tomorrow, but after that ending, I just can't stop thinking about it and I need to get my thoughts down right now. In short: I enjoyed this book very much. Way more than I expected to, to tell the truth. And I guess you should know that, though there are many elements of fantasy and action, it is primarily a romance. And yet...
It completely melted my cold, unromantic heart.
Where should I start? The Wrath and the Dawn was a deliciously angsty, sexy romance inspired by A Thousand and One Nights. If you know me, you know how often I complain about romances - either the guy's a jerk, the girl's annoying or they fall into some crazy instalove that just leaves me bored. Well, I finally found a romance where I just loved the characters, totally obsessed over what would happen, and finished the final page with a pounding heart.
My god, what has this book done to me?
This story is about Khalid, the Caliph of Khorasan, who takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise. When Shahrzad's friend becomes the Caliph's victim, Shazi volunteers herself with a plan to outwit the evil ruler and exact revenge. In a similar way to Keturah and Lord Death, Shazi extends her date with death by telling Khalid a story and promising only to reveal what happens next if he should let her live another day.
As it turns out, of course, nothing is as it first seems and Khalid is hiding many secrets. The relationship between the two develops from seething hatred (on Shazi's part) to reluctant companions to something much more. I've been craving a romance that feels genuine in its development and actually has me wondering how things will turn out (and, god help me, the jury's still out on that last point). The dialogue between them is addictive and feels natural... and don't you just love stories within stories?
Though I said this book is primarily a romance, there are many other things that need mentioning. There are some beautiful descriptions of the palace, for one thing, and a wonderful cast of secondary characters that all feel important to the story and not just throwaway. Jalal is charming and hilarious, Despina is a source of much-needed female friendship for Shazi, Yasmine is intriguing and bitchy (but kinda in a good way) and Tariq inspired a mixture of love/hate feelings in me.
Sure, it's not a perfect book. I definitely think Shazi didn't try so hard to get her revenge and missed a bunch of opportunities, and I was a little frustrated with how long it took Khalid to trust her with his secret. But, oh well.
If you're partial to a bit of romance, then hear me out. A book which contains lines like the following and manages to make me swoon instead of rolling my eyes must be something kind of special:
“My soul sees its equal in you.”
and
“What are you doing to me, you plague of a girl?” he whispered.
“If I’m a plague, then you should keep your distance, unless you plan on being destroyed.” The weapons still in her grasp, she shoved against his chest.
“No.” His hands dropped to her waist. “Destroy me.”
God, I love the two of them. And I need book two.
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr
My original plan was to finish this book tonight and then write up a review tomorrow, but after that ending, I just can't stop thinking about it and I need to get my thoughts down right now. In short: I enjoyed this book very much. Way more than I expected to, to tell the truth. And I guess you should know that, though there are many elements of fantasy and action, it is primarily a romance. And yet...
It completely melted my cold, unromantic heart.
Where should I start? The Wrath and the Dawn was a deliciously angsty, sexy romance inspired by A Thousand and One Nights. If you know me, you know how often I complain about romances - either the guy's a jerk, the girl's annoying or they fall into some crazy instalove that just leaves me bored. Well, I finally found a romance where I just loved the characters, totally obsessed over what would happen, and finished the final page with a pounding heart.
My god, what has this book done to me?
This story is about Khalid, the Caliph of Khorasan, who takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise. When Shahrzad's friend becomes the Caliph's victim, Shazi volunteers herself with a plan to outwit the evil ruler and exact revenge. In a similar way to Keturah and Lord Death, Shazi extends her date with death by telling Khalid a story and promising only to reveal what happens next if he should let her live another day.
As it turns out, of course, nothing is as it first seems and Khalid is hiding many secrets. The relationship between the two develops from seething hatred (on Shazi's part) to reluctant companions to something much more. I've been craving a romance that feels genuine in its development and actually has me wondering how things will turn out (and, god help me, the jury's still out on that last point). The dialogue between them is addictive and feels natural... and don't you just love stories within stories?
Though I said this book is primarily a romance, there are many other things that need mentioning. There are some beautiful descriptions of the palace, for one thing, and a wonderful cast of secondary characters that all feel important to the story and not just throwaway. Jalal is charming and hilarious, Despina is a source of much-needed female friendship for Shazi, Yasmine is intriguing and bitchy (but kinda in a good way) and Tariq inspired a mixture of love/hate feelings in me.
Sure, it's not a perfect book. I definitely think Shazi didn't try so hard to get her revenge and missed a bunch of opportunities, and I was a little frustrated with how long it took Khalid to trust her with his secret. But, oh well.
If you're partial to a bit of romance, then hear me out. A book which contains lines like the following and manages to make me swoon instead of rolling my eyes must be something kind of special:
“My soul sees its equal in you.”
and
“What are you doing to me, you plague of a girl?” he whispered.
“If I’m a plague, then you should keep your distance, unless you plan on being destroyed.” The weapons still in her grasp, she shoved against his chest.
“No.” His hands dropped to her waist. “Destroy me.”
God, I love the two of them. And I need book two.
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr
August 27, 2014
Obviously I'm biased . . . BUT THIS BOOK CHANGED MY LIFE ;-)
October 23, 2015
You can watch my review here: https://youtu.be/ngTWMqYuT6c !!
:)
:)
June 15, 2015
SoooOOOoo GoooOOOOdd
May 13, 2022
not that i needed a reread to confirm this, but one thousand and one nights retellings are my absolute favourite retellings.
______________
retellings are slowing making their way into my favourite genre because this was pure magic. this felt captivatingly fresh and delightfully original. it was such a clever story of love and passion, but intertwined with nuances of folklore legend and mystery.
it was almost too good to be true because i could not put this down. i felt like i accidentally blinked and was already on the last page - i would take one thousand and one nights of this story. thank goodness there is a second book!
also, how gorgeous is this cover!? that is worth 5 stars alone.
↠ 5 stars
______________
retellings are slowing making their way into my favourite genre because this was pure magic. this felt captivatingly fresh and delightfully original. it was such a clever story of love and passion, but intertwined with nuances of folklore legend and mystery.
it was almost too good to be true because i could not put this down. i felt like i accidentally blinked and was already on the last page - i would take one thousand and one nights of this story. thank goodness there is a second book!
also, how gorgeous is this cover!? that is worth 5 stars alone.
↠ 5 stars
June 11, 2016
Actual rating: 1.5
Do you ever just hear about a book and know without a shadow of a doubt that you will love it? That’s how I always felt about this book. I had seen rave review after rave review. Everyone I know LOVES it. So I always just knew that I would love it too.
I was wrong.
This book was painful to get through. From the forced writing style to the lackluster plot and flat characters. To say I am disappointed with this book is an understantment.
I know a lot of people praise the writing style but for me it did not work. At all. I am all for flowery writing, but this went beyond that and actually took away from the story being written. I had a hard time seeing past metaphor after metaphor after metaphor. If I have to see the phrase “flashing eyes” one more time I am going to scream. What does flashing eyes even mean?? Why are everyones eyes flashing?? All it did was build a wall between me and the story and caused me to feel no emotional connection to the characters. My biggest problem regarding the writing was the fact that she kept TELLING me things and not SHOWING them.
Another thing that really bothered me about the writing was the use of foreign language. I fully appreciate that the author made an attempt to add foreign language to the book but she would just casually thrown these words in with absolutely zero context clues to decipher what the heck they mean. I had to constantly keep flipping to the back of the book and look up words in the glossary and every time I did it would stunt the flow of the book.
Shazi was such an annoying main character. First of all, she volunteered to be the kings bride and willingly went to the palace with no plan as to how she would kill him and knowing nothing about him. Then as she is there she talks a big game in her head about killing him and getting revenge BUT SHE NEVER EVEN TRIES. And the one time she even thinks about doing it they end up making out instead. SERIOUSLY? Her thoughts and actions do not match up and that was so infuriating.
Which leads me to the romance. Why do Shazi and Khalid like each other? When did their love happen? Did they meet of page and develop this relationship because it sure as hell didn’t happen on page. One second Shazi wants to murder him and get vengeance for him murdering her best friend and the next page she is talking about her fluttering heart. Seriously? TWO DAYS! Two days is all it took for her to fall for her friends murderer.
And as for her friend, we never see their friendship. So I don’t get the emotions behind Shazi wanting revenge. I don’t care her friend died. I don’t feel the feels. If there was just one scene of her and Shiva I would have understood more, but alas we were just TOLD they were friends and not SHOWN.
The only character I cared about in the slightest was Shazi’s bodyguard who never spoke. Other than him I couldn’t care less about these characters and their problems. Until about page 340 nothing happened in this book plot wise. It was just chapter after chapter of Shazi having conversations in her bedroom.
For as much as I didn’t like this book, I will be reading the sequel. Maybe not anytime soon, but I need to know if it gets better. I’m really hoping it does.
Do you ever just hear about a book and know without a shadow of a doubt that you will love it? That’s how I always felt about this book. I had seen rave review after rave review. Everyone I know LOVES it. So I always just knew that I would love it too.
I was wrong.
This book was painful to get through. From the forced writing style to the lackluster plot and flat characters. To say I am disappointed with this book is an understantment.
I know a lot of people praise the writing style but for me it did not work. At all. I am all for flowery writing, but this went beyond that and actually took away from the story being written. I had a hard time seeing past metaphor after metaphor after metaphor. If I have to see the phrase “flashing eyes” one more time I am going to scream. What does flashing eyes even mean?? Why are everyones eyes flashing?? All it did was build a wall between me and the story and caused me to feel no emotional connection to the characters. My biggest problem regarding the writing was the fact that she kept TELLING me things and not SHOWING them.
Another thing that really bothered me about the writing was the use of foreign language. I fully appreciate that the author made an attempt to add foreign language to the book but she would just casually thrown these words in with absolutely zero context clues to decipher what the heck they mean. I had to constantly keep flipping to the back of the book and look up words in the glossary and every time I did it would stunt the flow of the book.
Shazi was such an annoying main character. First of all, she volunteered to be the kings bride and willingly went to the palace with no plan as to how she would kill him and knowing nothing about him. Then as she is there she talks a big game in her head about killing him and getting revenge BUT SHE NEVER EVEN TRIES. And the one time she even thinks about doing it they end up making out instead. SERIOUSLY? Her thoughts and actions do not match up and that was so infuriating.
Which leads me to the romance. Why do Shazi and Khalid like each other? When did their love happen? Did they meet of page and develop this relationship because it sure as hell didn’t happen on page. One second Shazi wants to murder him and get vengeance for him murdering her best friend and the next page she is talking about her fluttering heart. Seriously? TWO DAYS! Two days is all it took for her to fall for her friends murderer.
And as for her friend, we never see their friendship. So I don’t get the emotions behind Shazi wanting revenge. I don’t care her friend died. I don’t feel the feels. If there was just one scene of her and Shiva I would have understood more, but alas we were just TOLD they were friends and not SHOWN.
The only character I cared about in the slightest was Shazi’s bodyguard who never spoke. Other than him I couldn’t care less about these characters and their problems. Until about page 340 nothing happened in this book plot wise. It was just chapter after chapter of Shazi having conversations in her bedroom.
For as much as I didn’t like this book, I will be reading the sequel. Maybe not anytime soon, but I need to know if it gets better. I’m really hoping it does.
April 26, 2017
I loved it beyond words.
I'm in awe. This beautiful journey, this journey of longing, magic and love sang to my soul, gave me wings, spilled vibrant colours in a bleak routine and made my heart burst.
Renee Ahdieh is a rare storyteller.
The Caliph of Khorasan, the King of Kings, is a monster.
Every day he takes a new wife. And every dawn, he executes her. One of those unfortunate girls was Shahrzad's best friend. Blinded by her grief, her hatred and the desire for revenge, Shahrzad volunteers to become the Caliph's next wife, with one goal in mind; destroy him. Kill him and rid Khorasan of a bloodthirsty tyrant. When the dawn comes and she's still alive, the speculations begin. Why did the Caliph spare her? Is it possible that the monster has a heart after all? And indeed, the enemy turns out to be just a boy, a boy with the weight of his sins on his shoulders. Torn between her promise for revenge and her traitorous heart, Shahrzad might be the only one that can make Khalid care again. But what is the cost?
When I started The Wrath & the Dawn I was cautious. Later, I was fascinated but a little detached. But as Shahrzad 's story progressed, as I fell deeper and deeper into a world of intrigue, secrets and lies, I was bound. To Shahrzad's fierceness, to Khalid's tragedy, to the sheer magic that engulfed me like it was a living and breathing thing. Because that's what I felt while reading The Wrath & the Dawn. Alive.
Enchanted.
Renee Ahdieh's writing is exquisite. Whether she described luscious palaces, delectable dishes and lavish clothes or a love so palpable that ripped your insides open, devastating truths or heartbreaking choices, she captivated you. She trapped you in a world painted in yellow, orange and red, a world where you could touch the sand and feel the heat burn your skin. She invaded your life and with her flying carpet made you a part of a rich eastern culture, a part of a fairytale you wished it would never end.
Shahrzad was a fierce heroine, determined and stubborn, a plague of a girl that brought change to a lifeless palace. I was afraid that there would be love triangle drama that would ruin this remarkable reading experience, but Renee Ahdieh knew exactly how to handle it. Yes, when Shahrzad married Khalid she was in love with another boy. But the connection, the trust and eventually the love that was built between the boy-king and his wife left no space for doubt that they belonged together. Khalid was prepared to kill Shahrzad. Shahrzad was prepared to kill Khalid. But none of them was prepared to find their equal, their perfect match, the air that filled their lungs. Their relationship would be angsty, sweet or painful, but the bond that was forged was unbreakable. And Khalid, oh my darling Khalid, he was a mystery, a troubled king with good intentions, aloof but caring, a beautiful monster I came to cherish deeply.
There is no one I would rather spend my precious free time with than Khalid, Shahrzad, Jalal and Despina. They made me smile, tear up and dream, travel and love, and for that I am forever indebted to Renee Ahdieh. If you haven't read The Wrath & the Dawn yet, don't waste another minute. A mesmerizing world of deception, curses and powerful feelings is waiting in the form of paper and words.
Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | BookNest
I'm in awe. This beautiful journey, this journey of longing, magic and love sang to my soul, gave me wings, spilled vibrant colours in a bleak routine and made my heart burst.
Renee Ahdieh is a rare storyteller.
“One hundred lives for the one you took. One life to one dawn. Should you fail but a single morn, I shall take from you your dreams. I shall take from you your city.
And I shall take from you these lives, a thousandfold.”
The Caliph of Khorasan, the King of Kings, is a monster.
Every day he takes a new wife. And every dawn, he executes her. One of those unfortunate girls was Shahrzad's best friend. Blinded by her grief, her hatred and the desire for revenge, Shahrzad volunteers to become the Caliph's next wife, with one goal in mind; destroy him. Kill him and rid Khorasan of a bloodthirsty tyrant. When the dawn comes and she's still alive, the speculations begin. Why did the Caliph spare her? Is it possible that the monster has a heart after all? And indeed, the enemy turns out to be just a boy, a boy with the weight of his sins on his shoulders. Torn between her promise for revenge and her traitorous heart, Shahrzad might be the only one that can make Khalid care again. But what is the cost?
“I will live to see tomorrow's sunset. Make no mistake. I swear I will live to see as many sunsets as it takes.
And I will kill you.
With my own hands.”
When I started The Wrath & the Dawn I was cautious. Later, I was fascinated but a little detached. But as Shahrzad 's story progressed, as I fell deeper and deeper into a world of intrigue, secrets and lies, I was bound. To Shahrzad's fierceness, to Khalid's tragedy, to the sheer magic that engulfed me like it was a living and breathing thing. Because that's what I felt while reading The Wrath & the Dawn. Alive.
Enchanted.
“You have a beautiful laugh. Like the promise of tomorrow.”
Renee Ahdieh's writing is exquisite. Whether she described luscious palaces, delectable dishes and lavish clothes or a love so palpable that ripped your insides open, devastating truths or heartbreaking choices, she captivated you. She trapped you in a world painted in yellow, orange and red, a world where you could touch the sand and feel the heat burn your skin. She invaded your life and with her flying carpet made you a part of a rich eastern culture, a part of a fairytale you wished it would never end.
“My soul sees its equal in you.”
Shahrzad was a fierce heroine, determined and stubborn, a plague of a girl that brought change to a lifeless palace. I was afraid that there would be love triangle drama that would ruin this remarkable reading experience, but Renee Ahdieh knew exactly how to handle it. Yes, when Shahrzad married Khalid she was in love with another boy. But the connection, the trust and eventually the love that was built between the boy-king and his wife left no space for doubt that they belonged together. Khalid was prepared to kill Shahrzad. Shahrzad was prepared to kill Khalid. But none of them was prepared to find their equal, their perfect match, the air that filled their lungs. Their relationship would be angsty, sweet or painful, but the bond that was forged was unbreakable. And Khalid, oh my darling Khalid, he was a mystery, a troubled king with good intentions, aloof but caring, a beautiful monster I came to cherish deeply.
“There is no one I would rather see the sunrise with than you.”
There is no one I would rather spend my precious free time with than Khalid, Shahrzad, Jalal and Despina. They made me smile, tear up and dream, travel and love, and for that I am forever indebted to Renee Ahdieh. If you haven't read The Wrath & the Dawn yet, don't waste another minute. A mesmerizing world of deception, curses and powerful feelings is waiting in the form of paper and words.
Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | BookNest
April 19, 2015
Hm. People are loving this much-hyped book, but I have rather mixed feelings about this one.
Things I liked:
-- awesome premise, obviously
-- a world very different from what we're used to
-- a few intriguing conversations between women (Shazi and Despina, Shazi and Yasmine)
-- diversity, yay
-- a few nice action scenes towards the end
-- the romance, which eventually sparked and got me very invested in what's going to happen next!
Things I wanted more of:
-- Magic (perhaps this will come in the next book)
-- Complexity of emotion
-- development of character, particularly in secondary ones
-- showing versus telling (the writing feels a bit...mannered?)
-- less glossing over/quickly moving past important scenes
-- more interesting recounting of The Arabian Nights. I mostly skimmed those parts, tbh, since we were already told so much of the main story, and Shazi's "telling" of the tales didn't have a unique spin/evocative writing/subtext
-- explanation for why the two main characters are drawn together, particularly why Khalid is so intrigued by Shazi that he continues to spare her life.
Honestly, I was keenly interested throughout this entire story, but I didn't feel particularly swept away by it, or moved until closer to the end. Until the last few chapters, the whole thing needed more complexity and subtlety and subtext and mystery. When there's finally an outpouring of emotion, however, followed by the scenes when everything's finally on the table and the betrayal and sacrifice as a result of that? That's when the story catches a little fire and made me genuinely invested in the characters, and anxious to see what happens to them. Here's hoping the sequel continues the momentum and delivers in the promise implicit in the last few chapters of The Wrath and the Dawn.
Okay, 4 am ramblings are at an end. I will probably come back and tinker with this a bit to finish it off.
An advance copy was provided by the publisher for this review.
Things I liked:
-- awesome premise, obviously
-- a world very different from what we're used to
-- a few intriguing conversations between women (Shazi and Despina, Shazi and Yasmine)
-- diversity, yay
-- a few nice action scenes towards the end
-- the romance, which eventually sparked and got me very invested in what's going to happen next!
Things I wanted more of:
-- Magic (perhaps this will come in the next book)
-- Complexity of emotion
-- development of character, particularly in secondary ones
-- showing versus telling (the writing feels a bit...mannered?)
-- less glossing over/quickly moving past important scenes
-- more interesting recounting of The Arabian Nights. I mostly skimmed those parts, tbh, since we were already told so much of the main story, and Shazi's "telling" of the tales didn't have a unique spin/evocative writing/subtext
-- explanation for why the two main characters are drawn together, particularly why Khalid is so intrigued by Shazi that he continues to spare her life.
Honestly, I was keenly interested throughout this entire story, but I didn't feel particularly swept away by it, or moved until closer to the end. Until the last few chapters, the whole thing needed more complexity and subtlety and subtext and mystery. When there's finally an outpouring of emotion, however, followed by the scenes when everything's finally on the table and the betrayal and sacrifice as a result of that? That's when the story catches a little fire and made me genuinely invested in the characters, and anxious to see what happens to them. Here's hoping the sequel continues the momentum and delivers in the promise implicit in the last few chapters of The Wrath and the Dawn.
Okay, 4 am ramblings are at an end. I will probably come back and tinker with this a bit to finish it off.
An advance copy was provided by the publisher for this review.
May 13, 2015
sequel now pls
February 14, 2017
SPOILER FREE REVIEW: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IA4zN...
Reread: April 2016
STILL AMAZING can't wait to read the next one!
First reading: June 2015
Holy crap. What a fantastically captivating tale.
Reread: April 2016
STILL AMAZING can't wait to read the next one!
First reading: June 2015
Holy crap. What a fantastically captivating tale.
March 11, 2017
<3 <3 <3
This. Book.
How dare it end where it did.
This. Book.
How dare it end where it did.
November 27, 2023
The Wrath and the Dawn is every recently amazing YA book thrown into one read. Red Queen meets
An Ember in the Ashes
meets
A Court of Thorns and Roses
. The main difference it has between those books is the amount of action. The Wrath definitely set aside action packed scenes for a slower more lyrical literature depth.
Sharhrzad (Shazi) is out to seek revenge for the murder of her best friend and decides to volunteer to be the next wife of the Caliph of Khorasan. The Caliph is known for being ruthless, heartless, and cruel. But the thing he is most known for is the fact that every day he takes a different wife and every following dawn he kills her. Shazi doesn’t care why the king does this; she only cares about righting what has been wrong and ensuring that this fate doesn’t come to another girl.Since this is told from a 3rd person point of view us as reading know that there is clearly more to the story than meets the eye. As Shazi gets to know Khalid (The Caliph) she learns he is not what she thought he was. She begins to become conflicted between doing what she set out to do and listening to her heart. Things only get more complicated when Shazi pre suicide mission boyfriend, Tariq, sets out to get her back.
I'm usually not the biggest fan of the 3rd person pov but in this case I found myself falling in love with it. That was not the only thing I fell for, the characters won me over. Shazi is our leading lady and the character I connected most with. Having to see her go back and forth on what she should do had me struggling along with her. She is a fierce lead and her silver tongued attitude is a force to be reckoned with. Her take no crap ways and honesty will win you over. Can't help but love a girl with so much street smarts. Khalid is our leading male and I can’t express enough how much I loved his character. He isn’t a man of many words, and the ones he uses he chooses wisely, time and time again
had me swooning. Though I connected more with Shazi without a doubt Khalid was my favorite character. He has definitely made his way onto my list of fictional book boyfriends. I loved the mystery surrounding him, his intelligence, and his ability to read people. This is also the only negative feedback I have on the book. The romance, though amazing, I wanted more of it. I wanted more “screen time” with Shazi and Khalid. The moments we get with them are so perfect that it made me want this book to be longer. I think it says a lot if your only real complaint is that something was so good you wanted more of it. This is a very very minor issue in the grand scheme of things. Both Shazi and Khalid are complex and well built characters. The fact that we are given so much back story and tells from their childhoods also gave these characters something that a lot of other books miss. Tariq is the only character I felt I didn’t really connect with or understand in this book. Though I see his value and what he brings to the table I just think Khalid won me over and had it so I wasn't even glancing at Tariq way.
“Love is a force unto itself, sayyidi. For love, people consider the unthinkable...and often achieve the impossible. I would not sneer at its power.”
As I stated above The Wrath is a book that can be compared to others that have been released lately but it has something so different to it. Though most of its action packed scenes are left towards till the end of the story, Renee's writing had it so I was still on the edge of my seat either way. She keeps a steady pace throughout the whole novel. Renee's writing is so beautiful and gripping. The brilliance behind how she survives through the night is what got me so hooked right away and every wonderful sentence after kept me there. This novel brought a whole new meaning to stories having power. Waiting so long to give us the true answer to the riddle yet giving us little bits and pieces really worked so well for this book. The action scenes in this book are perfectly placed along with their delivery.
The Wrath and the Dawn surpassed any expectation I had for this book. It brings something so new and diverse to this genre while still managing to fit in so well. The perfect start to a series. It’s a fresh retelling with an amazing band of characters, perfect amount of romance, and the perfect mystery surrounding it. Finding out this is the first book and that there will be a sequel has me beyond giddy!
Originally read- may 2015
Re read- March 2016
Sharhrzad (Shazi) is out to seek revenge for the murder of her best friend and decides to volunteer to be the next wife of the Caliph of Khorasan. The Caliph is known for being ruthless, heartless, and cruel. But the thing he is most known for is the fact that every day he takes a different wife and every following dawn he kills her. Shazi doesn’t care why the king does this; she only cares about righting what has been wrong and ensuring that this fate doesn’t come to another girl.Since this is told from a 3rd person point of view us as reading know that there is clearly more to the story than meets the eye. As Shazi gets to know Khalid (The Caliph) she learns he is not what she thought he was. She begins to become conflicted between doing what she set out to do and listening to her heart. Things only get more complicated when Shazi pre suicide mission boyfriend, Tariq, sets out to get her back.
I'm usually not the biggest fan of the 3rd person pov but in this case I found myself falling in love with it. That was not the only thing I fell for, the characters won me over. Shazi is our leading lady and the character I connected most with. Having to see her go back and forth on what she should do had me struggling along with her. She is a fierce lead and her silver tongued attitude is a force to be reckoned with. Her take no crap ways and honesty will win you over. Can't help but love a girl with so much street smarts. Khalid is our leading male and I can’t express enough how much I loved his character. He isn’t a man of many words, and the ones he uses he chooses wisely, time and time again
had me swooning. Though I connected more with Shazi without a doubt Khalid was my favorite character. He has definitely made his way onto my list of fictional book boyfriends. I loved the mystery surrounding him, his intelligence, and his ability to read people. This is also the only negative feedback I have on the book. The romance, though amazing, I wanted more of it. I wanted more “screen time” with Shazi and Khalid. The moments we get with them are so perfect that it made me want this book to be longer. I think it says a lot if your only real complaint is that something was so good you wanted more of it. This is a very very minor issue in the grand scheme of things. Both Shazi and Khalid are complex and well built characters. The fact that we are given so much back story and tells from their childhoods also gave these characters something that a lot of other books miss. Tariq is the only character I felt I didn’t really connect with or understand in this book. Though I see his value and what he brings to the table I just think Khalid won me over and had it so I wasn't even glancing at Tariq way.
“Love is a force unto itself, sayyidi. For love, people consider the unthinkable...and often achieve the impossible. I would not sneer at its power.”
As I stated above The Wrath is a book that can be compared to others that have been released lately but it has something so different to it. Though most of its action packed scenes are left towards till the end of the story, Renee's writing had it so I was still on the edge of my seat either way. She keeps a steady pace throughout the whole novel. Renee's writing is so beautiful and gripping. The brilliance behind how she survives through the night is what got me so hooked right away and every wonderful sentence after kept me there. This novel brought a whole new meaning to stories having power. Waiting so long to give us the true answer to the riddle yet giving us little bits and pieces really worked so well for this book. The action scenes in this book are perfectly placed along with their delivery.
The Wrath and the Dawn surpassed any expectation I had for this book. It brings something so new and diverse to this genre while still managing to fit in so well. The perfect start to a series. It’s a fresh retelling with an amazing band of characters, perfect amount of romance, and the perfect mystery surrounding it. Finding out this is the first book and that there will be a sequel has me beyond giddy!
Originally read- may 2015
Re read- March 2016
June 9, 2015
*dies*
I think this just replaced ACOTAR as my number one book of the year....YES YOU HEARD ME RIGHT.
There is so much right about this book. The world building is great, the smaller magical elements are phenomenal, and the characters are ON PAR. I loved it so much and I'm SO PUMPED THERE WILL BE MORE STORY.
I think this just replaced ACOTAR as my number one book of the year....YES YOU HEARD ME RIGHT.
There is so much right about this book. The world building is great, the smaller magical elements are phenomenal, and the characters are ON PAR. I loved it so much and I'm SO PUMPED THERE WILL BE MORE STORY.
June 5, 2020
“I’ve been told a good storyteller can trap an audience with a single sentence.”
This review contains *spoilers*.
I picked this book up completely on a whim, and I’m so glad that I did. I was completely entranced by The Wrath & the Dawn. The setting was just right, the writing was engaging, and I thought every character brought something important to the story. This book felt like it should go on forever, and I was really disappointed when it didn't.
The Wrath & the Dawn follows Shahrzad on a quest to avenge the death of her dearest friend, Shiva. Her friend was executed at dawn by Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. Shahrzad is determined to stay alive.
“You said you understood; your life is forfeit. That was clear from the very beginning.”
Shahrzad rose to her full height. She pulled back her shoulders and lifted her elfin chin.
When she spoke, she matched the biting softness in his tone.
“All our lives are forfeit, sayyidi. It is just a question of when. And I would like one more day.”
The slow romance that developed between Shahrzad and Khalid had me on the edge of my seat. Ineeded wanted them to KISS already.
“You were saying?” He was so close, his words were more breath than sound.
“How—how dare you say that to me?” she whispered.
His eyes glittered with something akin to amusement.
“How dare I imply you caused this mess?”
“Me? This is not my fault! This is your fault!”
“Mine?”
“You and your temper, Khalid!”
“No. You and your mouth, Shazi.”
“Wrong, you wretched lout!”
“See? That mouth.” He reached up and grazed his thumb across her lips. “That—magnificent mouth.”
When they finally did kiss, it was heartwarming and heartbreaking. This is the first book in a long time that has managed to make me feel so many emotions all at once.
I knew what Khalid was, abeautiful monster, but he had this perfect way with words and he was so sweet with Shazi and and and...
“How can I desire him? After he killed Shiva? After he killed so many young girls, without explanation?
What’s wrong with me?”
I felt just as perplexed as Shahrzad, but Khalid was so good that it hurt me. My favorite parts of this book were always with the two of them together.
But he’s not the monster everyone perceives him to be, he’s just a boy with secrets. “Just one boy and one girl.”
And when Shahrzad found his letters of apology to the families of the girls murdered at dawn, especially the letter addressed to Shiva’s family, I had tears streaming down my face.
This book is too good.
I also really cared about the secondary characters, they all added something special to the story.
The friendship between Despina and Shazi reminded me somehow of Cinder and Iko’s friendship, which I truly enjoyed. They made me smile with their daily conversations.
And Jalal had me laughing every single time he opened his mouth.
“Would you be willing to teach me how to use a bow and arrow, Captain al-Khoury?” she asked.
“That depends on a few things. The first being that you dispense with the formalities and just call me Jalal. The second being that Khalid never discover my part in this transgression.”
Khalid? He calls him by his first name?
“I can meet those terms. Gladly. If you’ll return the gesture, on both parts.”
“Jalal leaned forward conspiratorially. “Then follow me, Jalal.”
Shahrzad laughed.”
I really hope we’ll get to see more of Jalal and Despina together in the next book.
But I’m not quite sure how I feel about Tariq— I definitely didn’t want him to be with Shahrzad— whenever he did try to persuade her to be with him, I got really mad.
There’s just something about him that I don’t quite like. I can’t seem to put my finger on what exactly. He reminded me a bit of Adam from the Shatter Me Series.
So there’s currently more hate than love in my feelings towards Tariq. He frustrated me a lot (especially towards the end).
“I know this isn’t you. I know something must have happened. But we can fix it. I can fix it. Come home with me. Every day we are apart is a day closer to death. A day wasted on what might have been. I can’t stomach it any longer. Come home.”
“But,” she whispered, “I am home.”
(I was so relieved when Shazi told him that.)
All I can think of right now is that I need the sequel.
This story is captivating, beautiful, and definitely a favorite of mine. I can’t believe it’s over. Iwant need more.
*Note: I'm an Amazon Affiliate. If you're interested in buying The Wrath & the Dawn, just click on the image below to go through my link. I'll make a small commission!*
This review and more can be found on my blog.
This review contains *spoilers*.
I picked this book up completely on a whim, and I’m so glad that I did. I was completely entranced by The Wrath & the Dawn. The setting was just right, the writing was engaging, and I thought every character brought something important to the story. This book felt like it should go on forever, and I was really disappointed when it didn't.
The Wrath & the Dawn follows Shahrzad on a quest to avenge the death of her dearest friend, Shiva. Her friend was executed at dawn by Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. Shahrzad is determined to stay alive.
“You said you understood; your life is forfeit. That was clear from the very beginning.”
Shahrzad rose to her full height. She pulled back her shoulders and lifted her elfin chin.
When she spoke, she matched the biting softness in his tone.
“All our lives are forfeit, sayyidi. It is just a question of when. And I would like one more day.”
The slow romance that developed between Shahrzad and Khalid had me on the edge of my seat. I
“You were saying?” He was so close, his words were more breath than sound.
“How—how dare you say that to me?” she whispered.
His eyes glittered with something akin to amusement.
“How dare I imply you caused this mess?”
“Me? This is not my fault! This is your fault!”
“Mine?”
“You and your temper, Khalid!”
“No. You and your mouth, Shazi.”
“Wrong, you wretched lout!”
“See? That mouth.” He reached up and grazed his thumb across her lips. “That—magnificent mouth.”
When they finally did kiss, it was heartwarming and heartbreaking. This is the first book in a long time that has managed to make me feel so many emotions all at once.
I knew what Khalid was, a
“How can I desire him? After he killed Shiva? After he killed so many young girls, without explanation?
What’s wrong with me?”
I felt just as perplexed as Shahrzad, but Khalid was so good that it hurt me. My favorite parts of this book were always with the two of them together.
But he’s not the monster everyone perceives him to be, he’s just a boy with secrets. “Just one boy and one girl.”
And when Shahrzad found his letters of apology to the families of the girls murdered at dawn, especially the letter addressed to Shiva’s family, I had tears streaming down my face.
This book is too good.
I also really cared about the secondary characters, they all added something special to the story.
The friendship between Despina and Shazi reminded me somehow of Cinder and Iko’s friendship, which I truly enjoyed. They made me smile with their daily conversations.
And Jalal had me laughing every single time he opened his mouth.
“Would you be willing to teach me how to use a bow and arrow, Captain al-Khoury?” she asked.
“That depends on a few things. The first being that you dispense with the formalities and just call me Jalal. The second being that Khalid never discover my part in this transgression.”
Khalid? He calls him by his first name?
“I can meet those terms. Gladly. If you’ll return the gesture, on both parts.”
“Jalal leaned forward conspiratorially. “Then follow me, Jalal.”
Shahrzad laughed.”
I really hope we’ll get to see more of Jalal and Despina together in the next book.
But I’m not quite sure how I feel about Tariq— I definitely didn’t want him to be with Shahrzad— whenever he did try to persuade her to be with him, I got really mad.
There’s just something about him that I don’t quite like. I can’t seem to put my finger on what exactly. He reminded me a bit of Adam from the Shatter Me Series.
So there’s currently more hate than love in my feelings towards Tariq. He frustrated me a lot (especially towards the end).
“I know this isn’t you. I know something must have happened. But we can fix it. I can fix it. Come home with me. Every day we are apart is a day closer to death. A day wasted on what might have been. I can’t stomach it any longer. Come home.”
“But,” she whispered, “I am home.”
(I was so relieved when Shazi told him that.)
All I can think of right now is that I need the sequel.
This story is captivating, beautiful, and definitely a favorite of mine. I can’t believe it’s over. I
*Note: I'm an Amazon Affiliate. If you're interested in buying The Wrath & the Dawn, just click on the image below to go through my link. I'll make a small commission!*
This review and more can be found on my blog.
February 13, 2017
FIRST READ: June 2015
REREAD: May 2016
Still obsessed with this <3
----------------------
THIS HAS OVERTAKEN EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING AS MY NUMBER 1 SPOT OF MY FAVOURITE BOOK OF THE YEAR. I CAN'T EVEN. EFKHSBFKHSBDFKAHDBFKSDHABFKAHSDBFKASJBKAHBGKAFHBKV SO MANY ALADDIN FEELS
REREAD: May 2016
Still obsessed with this <3
----------------------
THIS HAS OVERTAKEN EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING AS MY NUMBER 1 SPOT OF MY FAVOURITE BOOK OF THE YEAR. I CAN'T EVEN. EFKHSBFKHSBDFKAHDBFKSDHABFKAHSDBFKASJBKAHBGKAFHBKV SO MANY ALADDIN FEELS
December 24, 2016
Ohh, i am going to get so much hate for this!
I am perfectly aware that I am in the minority here. Most of my friends adore The Wrath and the Dawn, all of my teachers (yes, I share my books with my teacher. I'm that kid) even my grandma's sister has read it AND raves about it. I honestly do not understand why, i'm afraid to ask her so i'm asking you guys. Help me please, and try not to hate me. I'm don't even know how to rate this. I don't want to give it 2 stars, because 2 stars is Queen of Shadow and i HATE that book! But i feel like it does not deserve 3 stars either. 2.5 it is then? Again, i don't hate this book, let's just say it's not what i expected, or wanted it to be. And if you love this then please don't let me ruin your day. I have nothing against you or your precious book, i promise. :)
I can tell most of the time if a book is for me or not, and when i saw The Wrath and the Dawn i just knew it wasn't. Especially after reading all those lovey dubby quotes made want to throw up.
But my friends kept recommending this to me. I'm still not sure why. Maybe because they think i'm middle eastern (i'm Pakistani) . . . i just don't know. Finally i did some digging and came across this quote, that made me think maybe this book is for me and i should at least give it a try.
“I will live to see tomorrow's sunset.
Make no mistake. I swear.
I will live to see as many sunsets as it takes.
And I will kill you. With my bare hands."
The thing i absolutely hated was all talk and no action. She kept repeating this again and again and again and again and again! But she never even tried to attack him! Mind you this is the man who has killed her best friend. And she cared for her friend enough to put her life is extreme danger and married a king who will kill her in a few hours... for what? So she can tell him some bedtime stories? And they could cuddle? Also, why exactly Khalied (did i spell his name wrong? Oh, well) likes her? When did they "fall in love"? To me it was like they absolutely loathed each other the first night, and the next thing you know, BAM! He is all over her and her love for her dead friend has flown out of the window. And i'm sitting here in utter confusion and disbelieve like, what the fuck am i reading ? I was actually quite disgusted with the romance. It was so wrong (not in a good way) and everything was sugar-coated and super convenient.
“So you would have me throw Shazi to the wolves?”
“Shazi?” Jalal’s grin widened. “Honestly, I pity the wolves.”
Why does every single person in this book thinks so highly of our snowflake? What exactly did she do to earn this reputation? I never saw her doing anything heroic. She was arrogant, unreasonable, and foolish, sure. But I wouldn't go as far as calling her headstrong or even smart, based on what I read. I'll be honest, i knew she wasn't actually going to kill him, but i expected her to at least try! She did nothing. Literally nothing! I was so fed up with her whining and empty threats: I will kill him when i'm done drooling over his hot body. I couldn't care less about Khalid. I love dark characters, as long as they don't turn into love-struck puppies. *YAWN* He killed all those girls, but how can we hold that against him?! After all, he wrote letters to their families that he never even posted, so everything is fine. He has redeemed himself. Yayy! Thank god! Seriously? WTF was that?
Every time they started talking about "love" and all that crap, i wanted to scream at the book you were supposed to be trying to kill each other!!! Come on, people. The other guy (forgot his name) was slightly better than these two, i guess.
(how freaking adorable is this gif?)
I really enjoyed Renee Ahdieh's writing style. I loved how the images she painted were so clear. I just didn't like WHAT she painted. Do i want to eat the food she painted in my head? HELL YEAH! Do i want to live in their houses? Um.. Where do i sign? I will not be continuing this series. What's the point, it's pretty obvious what's going to happen next and i am not interested. I will check out her other future books.
Overall thoughts:
May 21, 2015
MY FAVORITE BOOK OF THE YEAR. PERIOD. (and one of my favorite books EVER.)
So I had just read ACOTAR, and I wasn't expecting another book to top for a long time this year. I was actually thinking that it would be my favorite of the year. WRONG. The Wrath & The Dawn hit it it out of the park for me! I was actually really excited for this book before it came out, but I honestly wasn't expecting it to be THIS fantastic.
Ok ok let's get to the actual review. The premise really grabbed me from the beginning, and it completely exceeded my expectations. It was perfectly paced and felt unpredictable. I was at the edge of my seat the entire time. The writing is lush and gorgeous.
Now if THAT doesn't make you want to read it, idk what will bruh. And yes, maybe some can say it's bit flowery and overdone, but my god how can the beautiful use of the english language this way not make you read this. Renee Ahdieh's writing is my kind of writing. Poetic, flows well, lush, and just downright lovely. It makes me want to be writer and I've never had that desire...ever until now. SO BRAVO RENEE BRAVO.
The plot is mysterious and intriguing. Yes there's this fantastic romance, but there's also this mystery as to WHY is khalid marrying a new bride every day and killing them off by dawn the next day. It hooked me from the get go as well as Shazi's plot for revenge. I also like this mysterious magic system, but I won't lie I wish I got a little more out of this aspect. I have to say the magic is till a complete mystery to me, but I hope that this will be fixed in book #2, The Rose and The Dagger.
Now let's get to the good stuff. THE ROMANCE AND THE CHARACTERS. I'm a sucker for romance. I'm gonna be straight up say I prefer all my books to have some sort of romance...even if it's subtle. This is by far one of the BEST romances I have EVER read. I ship Khalid and Shazi so hard.
Ahdieh's ability to captivate the readers with her words and the development of Shazi and Khalid's relationship is astounding. Did I feel conflicted over the fact that Shazi was falling for the man who killed her best friend? YES, duh. But did I believe it? ABSOLUTELY. And did Ahdieh make me root for them? WHOLEHEARTEDLY
Ok let's just talk about the characters themselves. These characters are so damn loveable. So many of these characters became some favorites of mine. Shazi is favorite MC of mine. I rolled my eyes just a tiny tiny bit at the parts where she was like I need to get revenge on this evil king, but OMG my heart is racing over him, but that's kind of the fun part of it all right? I liked that she acknowledged her conflict and struggled with it. I just love her. FAVORITE. I just wish there I got more from my side characters because I loved them. Jalal, Despina, Tariq, Rahim, Jahander, and more. I'm thinking this will be addressed more in future books because yes the romance did outweigh the development of side characters but I totally get it because this is the first book in the epic story of Khalid and Shazi. Also holla to Renee Ahdieh for putting the prologue of The Rose and The Dagger at the end. YOU DA BEST. AND I NEED THIS SEQUEL.
Overall I recommend you pick this up ASAP. Hands down, this is my favorite book of the year. Read it before it gets SUPER POPULAR. Just sayin.
The Wrath & The Dawn is a lush retelling of 1001 Nights. It follows Shahrzad as she seeks revenge for the murder of her best friend by The Monster King of Khorasan, Khalid.
So I had just read ACOTAR, and I wasn't expecting another book to top for a long time this year. I was actually thinking that it would be my favorite of the year. WRONG. The Wrath & The Dawn hit it it out of the park for me! I was actually really excited for this book before it came out, but I honestly wasn't expecting it to be THIS fantastic.
Basically this is what TW&TD done to me:
Ok ok let's get to the actual review. The premise really grabbed me from the beginning, and it completely exceeded my expectations. It was perfectly paced and felt unpredictable. I was at the edge of my seat the entire time. The writing is lush and gorgeous.
"She was drowning in sandalwood and sunlight. Time ceased to more than a notion. Her lips were hers one moment. And then they were his. The taste of him on her tongue was like sun warmed honey. Like cool water sliding down her parched throat. Like the promise of all her tomorrows in one sigh."
Now if THAT doesn't make you want to read it, idk what will bruh. And yes, maybe some can say it's bit flowery and overdone, but my god how can the beautiful use of the english language this way not make you read this. Renee Ahdieh's writing is my kind of writing. Poetic, flows well, lush, and just downright lovely. It makes me want to be writer and I've never had that desire...ever until now. SO BRAVO RENEE BRAVO.
The plot is mysterious and intriguing. Yes there's this fantastic romance, but there's also this mystery as to WHY is khalid marrying a new bride every day and killing them off by dawn the next day. It hooked me from the get go as well as Shazi's plot for revenge. I also like this mysterious magic system, but I won't lie I wish I got a little more out of this aspect. I have to say the magic is till a complete mystery to me, but I hope that this will be fixed in book #2, The Rose and The Dagger.
Now let's get to the good stuff. THE ROMANCE AND THE CHARACTERS. I'm a sucker for romance. I'm gonna be straight up say I prefer all my books to have some sort of romance...even if it's subtle. This is by far one of the BEST romances I have EVER read. I ship Khalid and Shazi so hard.
Ahdieh's ability to captivate the readers with her words and the development of Shazi and Khalid's relationship is astounding. Did I feel conflicted over the fact that Shazi was falling for the man who killed her best friend? YES, duh. But did I believe it? ABSOLUTELY. And did Ahdieh make me root for them? WHOLEHEARTEDLY
Ok let's just talk about the characters themselves. These characters are so damn loveable. So many of these characters became some favorites of mine. Shazi is favorite MC of mine. I rolled my eyes just a tiny tiny bit at the parts where she was like I need to get revenge on this evil king, but OMG my heart is racing over him, but that's kind of the fun part of it all right? I liked that she acknowledged her conflict and struggled with it. I just love her. FAVORITE. I just wish there I got more from my side characters because I loved them. Jalal, Despina, Tariq, Rahim, Jahander, and more. I'm thinking this will be addressed more in future books because yes the romance did outweigh the development of side characters but I totally get it because this is the first book in the epic story of Khalid and Shazi. Also holla to Renee Ahdieh for putting the prologue of The Rose and The Dagger at the end. YOU DA BEST. AND I NEED THIS SEQUEL.
Overall I recommend you pick this up ASAP. Hands down, this is my favorite book of the year. Read it before it gets SUPER POPULAR. Just sayin.
July 2, 2015
“I love you, a thousand times over. And I will never apologize for it.”
The Wrath and the Dawn is, simply put, amazing. Breathtaking. Stunning. My sappy, romantic heart was joyous with this love story, swooning and falling head over heels in love with the characters. Thrilling, seductive and incredibly enchanting, this book will have you devouring page after page filled with literary deliciousness.
One enigmatic boy-king, the caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride every day only to have her killed at dawn. Madman, they call him. A ruthless, cold-blooded killer. But when Shahrzad, a sixteen-year old girl, volunteers to become his new wife, and afterwards manages the unthinkable of living the deadly dawn's arrival, things start changing pretty quickly. Especially when Shahrzad desires the caliph's head on a silver platter.
Shahrzad joined my personal squad of favorite MCs. She's a feisty, fierce, silver-tongued heroine. I adored her reckless demeanor, her passionate heart and her cunning, sharp mind. And her sarcastic personality was truly a joy. Strong-willed, stubborn (but endearingly so) and clever, she was a refreshing main character. Loved her to bits.
“This dangerous girl. This captivating beauty.
This destroyer of worlds and creator of wonder.”
Khalid, the caliph of Khorasan, the King of Kings, was swoon-worthy. You probably figured out that there's a reason he's killing his brides and the motive is absolutely soul-wrenching. But Khalid is alluring. Mercurial. Enigmatic. He's every shade of intensity known to human kind and under his cold façade, he's broken and utterly alone. His way of loving is a force to be reckoned with, one that will pretty much leave you in a pile of goo at his feet, a blubbering mess or a hyperventilating fangirl. Regardless, you will feel goosebumps and butterflies in every scene he's in, just like Shazi (a testament of the author's writing skills).
“What are you doing to me, you plague of a girl?” he whispered.
“If I’m a plague, then you should keep your distance, unless you plan on being destroyed.” The weapons still in her grasp, she shoved against his chest.
“No.” His hands dropped to her waist. “Destroy me.”
The actual romance was just wowza. Allow me to say it's been a while since I've read something so seductively dark in a YA book, but I'm glad this happened because HOTNESS OVERLOAD. These two transcended the enemies incognito phase only to reach the boundless state of mutual adoration, if you like. Because they end well past love and straight into worship land. Together, they're every bit of a royal couple, a tiger king with his queen ready to pounce on their prey. They're strong, daring and unique. Dangerous and sexy. Not to mention all-consuming. Perfect for each other and so so in love with one another that I could not suppress -- for the love of all things mighty -- a happy sigh whenever they were together.
“Love is—a shade of what I feel.”
And oh my goodness, they're sizzling, smoking hot. You'll blush, you'll drool, you'll feel your heart going bazinga at some (actually, most) of their scenes. The award for best chemistry is, hands down, theirs.
I know I basically gushed only about the romance, but there are some other elements in the story, equally enrapturing. There's a drop of magic that I really hope the author will continue to harness. Then there's the plethora of attacks at Shazi's life, just enough to put us on the edge and trigger some intriguing political repercussions. Captivating, magical and emotional, the story will pull at your heartstrings instantly and will keep you gripping the book at the same time.
Despite the attention on their peculiar relationship, we meet other characters that have key roles in the story's development. Tariq, for instance, is such a love-sick puppy it hurt, but lovable nonetheless. Rahim and Jalal were wonderful friends and also LOL-inducing characters. And Despina was just awesome in every possible way.
“So you would have me throw Shazi to the wolves?”
“Shazi?” Jalal’s grin widened. “Honestly, I pity the wolves.”
The ending was something along the lines of OHMYGOD THIS ISN'T HAPPENING MY POOR BABY NOOO. I seriously don't know how the story will be continued -- since the series is a duology -- because all kinds of dangers are threatening Khalid, his relationship with Shazi and the kingdom he's ruling and I'm afraid they'll be too much of a burden. I can stomach all the heartbreak in the world if it means they'll get a HEA.
“My soul sees its equal in you.”
Renee Ahdieh crafted this amazingly well-written debut novel in a masterful manner. She used Arabian wonders to create lush settings. She used quick and short dialogue (the type I like the most) to create realistic banter. She used different POVs to expand the story to its vast potential. And finally, she used original elements to put a glorious new spin on A Thousand and One Nights. Her writing-style was truly spectacular and I cannot wait to see with what she astounds us next.
“Get up, Shahrzad al-Khayzuran. You kneel before no one. Least of all me.”
I beg you to abandon your endless TBR and pick up The Wrath and the Dawn. Lose yourself in its mesmerizing tale, have your heart crushed in between its pages and witness Shazi and Khalid become the epitome of romance. I promise this exquisite and soul-wrenching story will be among your new favorites. Just don't kill me for waiting a year for the sequel -- I am agonizing by myself quite alright.
ENJOY! <3
The Wrath and the Dawn is, simply put, amazing. Breathtaking. Stunning. My sappy, romantic heart was joyous with this love story, swooning and falling head over heels in love with the characters. Thrilling, seductive and incredibly enchanting, this book will have you devouring page after page filled with literary deliciousness.
One enigmatic boy-king, the caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride every day only to have her killed at dawn. Madman, they call him. A ruthless, cold-blooded killer. But when Shahrzad, a sixteen-year old girl, volunteers to become his new wife, and afterwards manages the unthinkable of living the deadly dawn's arrival, things start changing pretty quickly. Especially when Shahrzad desires the caliph's head on a silver platter.
Shahrzad joined my personal squad of favorite MCs. She's a feisty, fierce, silver-tongued heroine. I adored her reckless demeanor, her passionate heart and her cunning, sharp mind. And her sarcastic personality was truly a joy. Strong-willed, stubborn (but endearingly so) and clever, she was a refreshing main character. Loved her to bits.
“This dangerous girl. This captivating beauty.
This destroyer of worlds and creator of wonder.”
Khalid, the caliph of Khorasan, the King of Kings, was swoon-worthy. You probably figured out that there's a reason he's killing his brides and the motive is absolutely soul-wrenching. But Khalid is alluring. Mercurial. Enigmatic. He's every shade of intensity known to human kind and under his cold façade, he's broken and utterly alone. His way of loving is a force to be reckoned with, one that will pretty much leave you in a pile of goo at his feet, a blubbering mess or a hyperventilating fangirl. Regardless, you will feel goosebumps and butterflies in every scene he's in, just like Shazi (a testament of the author's writing skills).
“What are you doing to me, you plague of a girl?” he whispered.
“If I’m a plague, then you should keep your distance, unless you plan on being destroyed.” The weapons still in her grasp, she shoved against his chest.
“No.” His hands dropped to her waist. “Destroy me.”
The actual romance was just wowza. Allow me to say it's been a while since I've read something so seductively dark in a YA book, but I'm glad this happened because HOTNESS OVERLOAD. These two transcended the enemies incognito phase only to reach the boundless state of mutual adoration, if you like. Because they end well past love and straight into worship land. Together, they're every bit of a royal couple, a tiger king with his queen ready to pounce on their prey. They're strong, daring and unique. Dangerous and sexy. Not to mention all-consuming. Perfect for each other and so so in love with one another that I could not suppress -- for the love of all things mighty -- a happy sigh whenever they were together.
“Love is—a shade of what I feel.”
And oh my goodness, they're sizzling, smoking hot. You'll blush, you'll drool, you'll feel your heart going bazinga at some (actually, most) of their scenes. The award for best chemistry is, hands down, theirs.
I know I basically gushed only about the romance, but there are some other elements in the story, equally enrapturing. There's a drop of magic that I really hope the author will continue to harness. Then there's the plethora of attacks at Shazi's life, just enough to put us on the edge and trigger some intriguing political repercussions. Captivating, magical and emotional, the story will pull at your heartstrings instantly and will keep you gripping the book at the same time.
Despite the attention on their peculiar relationship, we meet other characters that have key roles in the story's development. Tariq, for instance, is such a love-sick puppy it hurt, but lovable nonetheless. Rahim and Jalal were wonderful friends and also LOL-inducing characters. And Despina was just awesome in every possible way.
“So you would have me throw Shazi to the wolves?”
“Shazi?” Jalal’s grin widened. “Honestly, I pity the wolves.”
The ending was something along the lines of OHMYGOD THIS ISN'T HAPPENING MY POOR BABY NOOO. I seriously don't know how the story will be continued -- since the series is a duology -- because all kinds of dangers are threatening Khalid, his relationship with Shazi and the kingdom he's ruling and I'm afraid they'll be too much of a burden. I can stomach all the heartbreak in the world if it means they'll get a HEA.
“My soul sees its equal in you.”
Renee Ahdieh crafted this amazingly well-written debut novel in a masterful manner. She used Arabian wonders to create lush settings. She used quick and short dialogue (the type I like the most) to create realistic banter. She used different POVs to expand the story to its vast potential. And finally, she used original elements to put a glorious new spin on A Thousand and One Nights. Her writing-style was truly spectacular and I cannot wait to see with what she astounds us next.
“Get up, Shahrzad al-Khayzuran. You kneel before no one. Least of all me.”
I beg you to abandon your endless TBR and pick up The Wrath and the Dawn. Lose yourself in its mesmerizing tale, have your heart crushed in between its pages and witness Shazi and Khalid become the epitome of romance. I promise this exquisite and soul-wrenching story will be among your new favorites. Just don't kill me for waiting a year for the sequel -- I am agonizing by myself quite alright.
ENJOY! <3
July 1, 2017
Really a 4.5 because I had some minor issues with it. But wow, I loved it!!!
I'm going to speak about the story with more depht in my wrap up, but for now I just want to speak of one character.
KHALID.
He is so precious, I just want him to be happy! Really, he is something special. It's been a while since the male protagonist of a book didn't made me roll my eyes with his cheesy lines, but Khalid managed to melt my heart with some quotes that normally would've made me cringe. I was smiling like an idiot, and he gets away saying stuff like:
“What are you doing to me, you plague of a girl?” he whispered.
“If I’m a plague, then you should keep your distance, unless you plan on being destroyed.” The weapons still in her grasp, she shoved against his chest.
“No.” His hands dropped to her waist. “Destroy me.”
“My soul sees its equal in you.”
“And how will you know when you’ve found this elusive someone?” Shahrzad retorted.
“I suspect she will be like air. Like knowing how to breathe.”
I'M SWOONING, you hear me!?
I also loved Jalal, I think he was the best character in the book.
I'm going to speak about the story with more depht in my wrap up, but for now I just want to speak of one character.
KHALID.
He is so precious, I just want him to be happy! Really, he is something special. It's been a while since the male protagonist of a book didn't made me roll my eyes with his cheesy lines, but Khalid managed to melt my heart with some quotes that normally would've made me cringe. I was smiling like an idiot, and he gets away saying stuff like:
“What are you doing to me, you plague of a girl?” he whispered.
“If I’m a plague, then you should keep your distance, unless you plan on being destroyed.” The weapons still in her grasp, she shoved against his chest.
“No.” His hands dropped to her waist. “Destroy me.”
“My soul sees its equal in you.”
“And how will you know when you’ve found this elusive someone?” Shahrzad retorted.
“I suspect she will be like air. Like knowing how to breathe.”
I'M SWOONING, you hear me!?
I also loved Jalal, I think he was the best character in the book.
August 28, 2021
❥ 𝟜.𝟝/★★★★★
“𝗡𝗼. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲. 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝗿."
𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴
You travel through so many stories in this book. The stories range from wrath to revenge and dawn to love. I liked how the fairytales mixed with this book, it reminded me of aladdin and the magic lamp. I know they are different but the settings were similar and I loved it.
“𝙄𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙣𝙤 𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨."
𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞
Do you want to read a enemies to lovers romance book mixed with retellings that melt and break your heart at the same time? If so I'm going to recommend this book to you. From enemies to lovers, we read about a man with a lost soul and a woman with a heart as bright as the sun and they both desire, one for revenge and one for death. But every dawn these desires lead them to each other in different ways, from moonlight til dawn they find the meaning of true love through the stories. With each dawn, they fall more in love and understand each other better and they write their own love story, the story of pain and love.
“𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙, 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙚𝙣𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙝𝙞𝙢𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛. 𝙏𝙤 𝙖 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙡, 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙖 𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙜𝙤𝙡𝙙. 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙨.”
𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲/ 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮 / 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲
The storyline teaches you to know how your actions can affect the live of others. And you must think before you act and decide wisely so that it doesn't cost you anything.
The story idea and the plot was new and beautiful for me and I loved every fairytale that was used in this book. But I wish I could see more magic in it. The descriptions were so beautiful and I was drowned in the beauty of her writing.
“𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙚𝙭𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙖 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙛 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙚 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙜𝙤 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙠𝙮."
𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀
𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒉𝒓𝒛𝒂𝒅
I like girls with rude, stubborn and arrogant personalities, including Shahrzad. I loved her stories and the way she did whatever she wanted. And although she knew she might die, she wasn't afraid. At first, sometimes she was a bit annoying because she judged Khalid without knowing him and I didn't like what she called him. But when she tried to understand and know him, everything went very well. I liked the way she loved Khalid and how her love was beyond words, like he was the reason she was breathing.
𝑲𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒅
We see a man with a broken heart and a ruined soul. A man with so much weight on his shoulders that takes his breath and kills him every day. A dead person with no hope for future and happiness that looking for love. I loved how Renée Ahdieh gave Khalid a reason to breath, live and exist and lets him find his soul and the light of his life with Shahrzad. Shahrzad shows him that only he can choose who he wants to be. It was like "Give me your light, something more than love and I give you my all. Because Love is a miracle that can break any curse." I admire Khalid's love and his caring. the way he valued and protected her from everything, it was so beautiful, it was like nothing more valuable than Shahrzad existed in the world, like his love for her was all he wanted in life and Shahrzad was his everything.
𝑱𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒍
I loved his personality, the kindness, warmth and his protective attitude towards his family was everything.
𝑻𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒒
I didn’t like him but I hope I know him better in the next book.
𝗠𝘆 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀:
I liked this book, its characters, the world building, the idea and everything about it. Especially the writing style, it was amazing and I enjoyed it so much.
(***Sorry if my review wasn’t good, This is the first time I have written such a complete review.)
𝘘𝘶𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘴:
“𝙋𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙣.”
“𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗴𝗶𝗿𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗯𝗲𝘀, 𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝘀. 𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗱, ‘𝗔 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘀."
“𝗜 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗹. 𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘆𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱, ‘𝗔 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲.”
“𝗡𝗼. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲. 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝗿."
𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴
You travel through so many stories in this book. The stories range from wrath to revenge and dawn to love. I liked how the fairytales mixed with this book, it reminded me of aladdin and the magic lamp. I know they are different but the settings were similar and I loved it.
“𝙄𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙣𝙤 𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨."
𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞
Do you want to read a enemies to lovers romance book mixed with retellings that melt and break your heart at the same time? If so I'm going to recommend this book to you. From enemies to lovers, we read about a man with a lost soul and a woman with a heart as bright as the sun and they both desire, one for revenge and one for death. But every dawn these desires lead them to each other in different ways, from moonlight til dawn they find the meaning of true love through the stories. With each dawn, they fall more in love and understand each other better and they write their own love story, the story of pain and love.
“𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙, 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙚𝙣𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙝𝙞𝙢𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛. 𝙏𝙤 𝙖 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙡, 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙖 𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙜𝙤𝙡𝙙. 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙨.”
𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲/ 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮 / 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲
The storyline teaches you to know how your actions can affect the live of others. And you must think before you act and decide wisely so that it doesn't cost you anything.
The story idea and the plot was new and beautiful for me and I loved every fairytale that was used in this book. But I wish I could see more magic in it. The descriptions were so beautiful and I was drowned in the beauty of her writing.
“𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙚𝙭𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙖 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙛 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙚 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙜𝙤 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙠𝙮."
𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀
𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒉𝒓𝒛𝒂𝒅
I like girls with rude, stubborn and arrogant personalities, including Shahrzad. I loved her stories and the way she did whatever she wanted. And although she knew she might die, she wasn't afraid. At first, sometimes she was a bit annoying because she judged Khalid without knowing him and I didn't like what she called him. But when she tried to understand and know him, everything went very well. I liked the way she loved Khalid and how her love was beyond words, like he was the reason she was breathing.
𝑲𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒅
We see a man with a broken heart and a ruined soul. A man with so much weight on his shoulders that takes his breath and kills him every day. A dead person with no hope for future and happiness that looking for love. I loved how Renée Ahdieh gave Khalid a reason to breath, live and exist and lets him find his soul and the light of his life with Shahrzad. Shahrzad shows him that only he can choose who he wants to be. It was like "Give me your light, something more than love and I give you my all. Because Love is a miracle that can break any curse." I admire Khalid's love and his caring. the way he valued and protected her from everything, it was so beautiful, it was like nothing more valuable than Shahrzad existed in the world, like his love for her was all he wanted in life and Shahrzad was his everything.
𝑱𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒍
I loved his personality, the kindness, warmth and his protective attitude towards his family was everything.
𝑻𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒒
I didn’t like him but I hope I know him better in the next book.
𝗠𝘆 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀:
I liked this book, its characters, the world building, the idea and everything about it. Especially the writing style, it was amazing and I enjoyed it so much.
(***Sorry if my review wasn’t good, This is the first time I have written such a complete review.)
𝘘𝘶𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘴:
“𝙋𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙣.”
“𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗴𝗶𝗿𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗯𝗲𝘀, 𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝘀. 𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗱, ‘𝗔 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘀."
“𝗜 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗹. 𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘆𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱, ‘𝗔 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲.”
November 2, 2021
I finally get why so many people love this series. I gobbled this book up in a way that I haven't sped through a YA fantasy in a very long time. The pacing, the plot, the writing, THE CHARACTERS — so fucking great.
“In my life, the one thing I have learned above all is that no individual can reach the height of their potential without the love of others.”
Just as I was about to start this book, I read the blurb (which is a rarity for me, because I distrust blurbs) it said this was inspired by the 1001 Arabian Nights stories and I got so freaking excited because ever since I was a kid I've always loved those stories.
The land of Khorasan has a boy king who has been on a murderous spree of late. Khalid Ibn al-Rashid marries a girl every night and by dawn has her executed for no reason. Shahrzad is not going to let him continue ruining families by killing their daughters. She volunteers to be his bride.
But unlike those who came before her she is not going to die and she's going to make him pay.
I really love a badass female character. And I don't mean the beat-everyone-who-gets-in-her-way kind but the one who doesn't back down, doesn't let people walk over her and is willing to do anything for those she cares about — Shahrzad was that.
The way Shahrzad is torn between knowing that Khalid is a murderer and caring for him had me not wanting to put this book down.
At first it annoyed me when the chapters would switch to a different place, because I wanted to know more about Khalid and his secrets.
My two favourite characters were Despina, Shahrzad's handmaiden, and Jalal, Khalid's cousin. Both of them were so funny but good friends to both Khalid and Shahrzad. I can't wait to read more about those two.
I don't know if I like Tariq much. I usually like love-triangles as long as I love both the love interests as much as the MC. But from the beginning I've been Team Khalid™ and Tariq doesn't matter to me.
But who knows? My feelings might change in the next book, which I am desperate to get to because of that damn cliffhanger.
“Some things exist in our lives for but a brief moment. And we must let them go on to light another sky.”
________
My reviews for:
0.25. The Moth and the Flame
0.5. The Crown and the Arrow
1.5 The Mirror and the Maze
2. The Rose and the Dagger
“In my life, the one thing I have learned above all is that no individual can reach the height of their potential without the love of others.”
Just as I was about to start this book, I read the blurb (which is a rarity for me, because I distrust blurbs) it said this was inspired by the 1001 Arabian Nights stories and I got so freaking excited because ever since I was a kid I've always loved those stories.
The land of Khorasan has a boy king who has been on a murderous spree of late. Khalid Ibn al-Rashid marries a girl every night and by dawn has her executed for no reason. Shahrzad is not going to let him continue ruining families by killing their daughters. She volunteers to be his bride.
But unlike those who came before her she is not going to die and she's going to make him pay.
I really love a badass female character. And I don't mean the beat-everyone-who-gets-in-her-way kind but the one who doesn't back down, doesn't let people walk over her and is willing to do anything for those she cares about — Shahrzad was that.
The way Shahrzad is torn between knowing that Khalid is a murderer and caring for him had me not wanting to put this book down.
At first it annoyed me when the chapters would switch to a different place, because I wanted to know more about Khalid and his secrets.
My two favourite characters were Despina, Shahrzad's handmaiden, and Jalal, Khalid's cousin. Both of them were so funny but good friends to both Khalid and Shahrzad. I can't wait to read more about those two.
I don't know if I like Tariq much. I usually like love-triangles as long as I love both the love interests as much as the MC. But from the beginning I've been Team Khalid™ and Tariq doesn't matter to me.
But who knows? My feelings might change in the next book, which I am desperate to get to because of that damn cliffhanger.
“Some things exist in our lives for but a brief moment. And we must let them go on to light another sky.”
________
My reviews for:
0.25. The Moth and the Flame
0.5. The Crown and the Arrow
1.5 The Mirror and the Maze
2. The Rose and the Dagger
December 13, 2017
للألف ليلة وليلة سحرا تخطي حواجز الزمان والمكان..ألهم الكثير من الروائيين العرب والأجانب بإعادة حكيه
وإذا كان طه حسين حكي "أحلام شهرزاد"، نجيب محفوظ "ليالي الألف ليلة".. فإن رينيه أهديه هنا لم تعد حكي ألف ليلة وليلة فحسب وإنما جائت كرائعة الأول "دعاء الكروان"..بإطار رومانسي وطراز أنثوي جذاب
فهنا شهرزاد تطوعت للزواج من الخليفة المتوحش فقط لتنتقم منه لقتله اعز صديقاتها
وهناك سحر..وهناك لعنة..وهناك أطماع علي السلطة..وقليل من قصص شهرزاد ولكنها مرتبطة بشدة بالأحداث..والكثير والكثير من الرومانسية النسائية
فالبتأكيد سيكون هناك وقوع في الحب..والمشكلة هنا أن لشهرزاد أيضا حبيب أول..يريد أيضا في الأنتقام من ذلك الخليفة..لتتعقد الأحداث
في أعادة حكي بشكل مختلف ، ملحمي ، رومانسي..معتني بالأزياء والمأكولات والطراز السحري للألف ليلة وليلة
لا أنكر أنني كنت أعلم أن الرواية رومانسية في الأساس.. تشعر انها مقدمة لجمهور من الفتيات بالأخص..ولكني لا أستطيع مقاومة أعادة حكي حديثة للألف ليلة وليلة "لأسباب شخصية شرحتها في الريفيو المبدئي في السبويلر بأخر الريفيو"
ولكنها كانت ممتعة بحق..بها نضج واضح غير موجود بالكثير من الروايات الرومانسية الاجنبية الحديثة
وعند تقييمها راعيت ان اقيمها بجانب هل اعجبتني ام لا ان اراعي هل قدمت فكرة جديدة..كيف كان الأخراج..الشخصيات..هل قصة الحب مقنعة..كيف السحر بالرواية واذا ما كان مبالغ فيه ام لا..وهل تليق فعلا للجمهور المقدمة له؟
حسنا لنبدأ بالتعرف علي الأحداث و
الـحكـايـة
بلغني أيها القراء الكرام..اصدقائي من لهم عندي عظيم المقام
أن الخليفة الشاب "خالد" ..خليفة هذه البلاد..يتزوج كل يوم فتاة, ليكون أخر يوم لها في الحياة
حيث تشنق عند مطلع الفجر..بقماش من الحرير والتبر
كل يوم بمدينة راي المسكينة..يتم أختيار فتاة جميلة..الا اليوم تطوعت لأول مرة فتاة حزينة
تطوعت بكامل إرادتها..لتحاول الأنتقام لأعز صديقاتها
"شـهــرزاد"
ِشهرزاد "شاذي" تزوجت الخليفة المتوحش قاتل صديقتها..فقط لتحاول البحث عن نقطة ضعفه وتستغلها لصالحها
لتقتله كما قتل صديقتها "شيفا"..وغيرها من بنات البلدة الشريفة
ولكن لتعيش يوما أخر عليها أن تدبر لخطة..فتقرر لألهاءه بأن تحكي له قصة
قصة "عجيب" وجزيرة "جبل العناد"..الجزيرة التي يتحطم بها كل سفينة وعتاد
ّقصه عن كم يمكن ان يبذل الأنسان في ��بيل الحب ... ألهت الخلفية وشغلت له اللُب
لتتطور الأحداث ويقع المحظور..تتورط شهرزاد في الحب وتتعقد الأمور
بالأخص عندما تعرف السر الغامض للخليفة..واللعنة العجيبة
وتتعقد الأمور أكثر بشكل مفاجئ..بتحالف كل الأمراء مع حبيبها الأول طارق
لمحاربة الخليفة القاتل..وتخليص البلاد من حكمه الباطل
ومعهم بقوة السحر أبيها..الذي يشعر بالخزي لانه عن قرارها لم يثنيها
فيساعد طارق وابو صديقتها التي قتلها الخليفة..في بدء الحرب التي لن تكون علي البلاد خفيفة
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
الأسلوب والشخصيات
كغير متابع جيد للروايات الرومانسية -لدرجة تكاد ان تصل لكراهية الروايات الرومانسية الساذجة- يجب أن أشيد بأن بناء القصة بين الخليفة خالد وشهرزاد الفتاة التي تبغي الأنتقام جاء جيدا جدا
المشاهد الحميمة كان لا مفر منها , واي متابع لسلسلة ألف ليلة وليلة يدري جيدا انها كانت تمتلئ بتلك المشاهد بشكل مبالغ فيه
هنا رينيه قدمت وصف تلك المشاهد برومانسية وبدون اي تلميح لمشاهد فجة او تخدش الحياء.. بالضبط كأنك تشاهد فيلما لديزني يم��ن تقييمها ك+12 بعكس روايات كثيرة اخري وهذا في حد ذاته امرا جيدا
ولكن وصف الطعام هنا كان شهيا بحق واسال لعابي فعلا..وصف الأزياء كان مبهجا وإن كنت لا اهتم به كثيرا -ولكنه ايضا كما قلت يناسب جمهور الرواية :) -
والوصف الأهم والذي اعجبني فعلا هو العيون..سواء عيون الخليفة الشرس التي تشبهها بالنمر..او عيون حبيب شهرزاد الأول منذ صغرها "طارق" التي تشبه عيون الصقر.. التشبيه هنا كان بديعا بالأخص بإختلاف وصف لون العيون من وجهة نظر شخصية لأخري
وهذا امرا اخر..حيث ان هناك 4 شخصيات رئيسية تدور الأحداث من وجهة نظر كل منهم "شهرزاد - خالد - طارق - جلال" بالأضافة لشخصيات فرعية
رسم الشخصيات والانتقال من وجهة نظر لأخري كان جيدا لحد كبير..ولكن باقي الشخصيات الفرعية كانت تتراوح بين جيدة وبين سطحية للاسف , شخصية والدها يحيط بها غموض وعدم وضوح ولكن بالتأكيد سيكون له دور بالجزء التالي
اما الألقاب فكانت عجيبة , لم أفهم كثيرا هل هي لها اصول عربية ام تركية ام هندية..حتي القاموس بالنهاية لم افهم منه كثيرا اصل تلك الكلمات..ولكن المعني يظهر من خلال الرواية بلا مشاكل علي اي حال
وواضح تأثر المؤلفة بالتراث العربي , وإقتباسها لجلال الدين الرومي بمقدمة الرواية خير دليل
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
قصص شهرزاد
ربما خيبة الأمل بالنسبة لي هو عدم وجود قصص كثيرة لشهرزاد ..القصة الأولي قصة عجيب وجبل العناد" لم تبهرني بالبداية"
وعندما بدأت في قصة علاء الدين ظننت انها ستوضح كيف ترتبط القصتين سويا ولكن هذا لم يحدث
ولكن علي كل حال الميزة هنا هو كيف ربطت المؤلفة نفسها قصة عجيب وجبل العناد بقصتها الرئيسية وتشبيه الخليفة لشهرزاد بجبل العناد
لم تحكي قصة علاء الدين بالأحداث -بالطبع لانها ستكون مكررة- ولكنها قامت باضافة مشهد جميل يحاكي القصة
اما القصة الأخيرة الخاصة بالمفاتيح فقط ربطتها تماما بقصة الحب واللعنة التي بالأحداث
والسحر عاما موجود سواء في قصص شهرزاد او في القصة الرئيسية ,كالبساط الطائر والقدرات العجيبة لبعض الشخصيات بشكل غير مبالغ فيه لحسن الحظ
لهذه الأسباب لم اجد مانعا لتقييمها ب"4 نجوم" او ثلاث ونصف
النهاية
إذا كنت -او كنتي- من هواة القصص الرومانسية اللطيفة وشئ من السحر .. وعقدة الحب الثلاثية
Love Triangle
وقصص الحب التي تبدأ بكراهية ثم تتعقد ويتغير كل شئ - -كالمس��سلات التركية ,لا ادري لم تخيلت كريم وفاطمة ,ربما لأني كنت ابحث عن الشكل الشرقي لتخيل الأحداث
ReTelling و إذا كنت من هواة إعادة الحكيّ
ذلك النوع المنتشر مؤخرا بالخارج عن روايات شهيرة قديمة يتم أعادة حكيها
أو كنت مثلي تعشق الألف ليلة وليلة وترغب في معايشة اجواءها بشكل مختلف
-كما اوضحت في الريفيو المبدئي هنا
وفي إنتظار الجزء الثاني بإذن الله لنري تعقيدات تلك القصة كيف ستنتهي
محمد العربي
من 30 سبتمبر 2015
إلي 5 أكتوبر 2015
وإذا كان طه حسين حكي "أحلام شهرزاد"، نجيب محفوظ "ليالي الألف ليلة".. فإن رينيه أهديه هنا لم تعد حكي ألف ليلة وليلة فحسب وإنما جائت كرائعة الأول "دعاء الكروان"..بإطار رومانسي وطراز أنثوي جذاب
فهنا شهرزاد تطوعت للزواج من الخليفة المتوحش فقط لتنتقم منه لقتله اعز صديقاتها
وهناك سحر..وهناك لعنة..وهناك أطماع علي السلطة..وقليل من قصص شهرزاد ولكنها مرتبطة بشدة بالأحداث..والكثير والكثير من الرومانسية النسائية
فالبتأكيد سيكون هناك وقوع في الحب..والمشكلة هنا أن لشهرزاد أيضا حبيب أول..يريد أيضا في الأنتقام من ذلك الخليفة..لتتعقد الأحداث
في أعادة حكي بشكل مختلف ، ملحمي ، رومانسي..معتني بالأزياء والمأكولات والطراز السحري للألف ليلة وليلة
لا أنكر أنني كنت أعلم أن الرواية رومانسية في الأساس.. تشعر انها مقدمة لجمهور من الفتيات بالأخص..ولكني لا أستطيع مقاومة أعادة حكي حديثة للألف ليلة وليلة "لأسباب شخصية شرحتها في الريفيو المبدئي في السبويلر بأخر الريفيو"
ولكنها كانت ممتعة بحق..بها نضج واضح غير موجود بالكثير من الروايات الرومانسية الاجنبية الحديثة
وعند تقييمها راعيت ان اقيمها بجانب هل اعجبتني ام لا ان اراعي هل قدمت فكرة جديدة..كيف كان الأخراج..الشخصيات..هل قصة الحب مقنعة..كيف السحر بالرواية واذا ما كان مبالغ فيه ام لا..وهل تليق فعلا للجمهور المقدمة له؟
حسنا لنبدأ بالتعرف علي الأحداث و
الـحكـايـة
بلغني أيها القراء الكرام..اصدقائي من لهم عندي عظيم المقام
أن الخليفة الشاب "خالد" ..خليفة هذه البلاد..يتزوج كل يوم فتاة, ليكون أخر يوم لها في الحياة
حيث تشنق عند مطلع الفجر..بقماش من الحرير والتبر
كل يوم بمدينة راي المسكينة..يتم أختيار فتاة جميلة..الا اليوم تطوعت لأول مرة فتاة حزينة
تطوعت بكامل إرادتها..لتحاول الأنتقام لأعز صديقاتها
"شـهــرزاد"
ِشهرزاد "شاذي" تزوجت الخليفة المتوحش قاتل صديقتها..فقط لتحاول البحث عن نقطة ضعفه وتستغلها لصالحها
لتقتله كما قتل صديقتها "شيفا"..وغيرها من بنات البلدة الشريفة
ولكن لتعيش يوما أخر عليها أن تدبر لخطة..فتقرر لألهاءه بأن تحكي له قصة
قصة "عجيب" وجزيرة "جبل العناد"..الجزيرة التي يتحطم بها كل سفينة وعتاد
ّقصه عن كم يمكن ان يبذل الأنسان في ��بيل الحب ... ألهت الخلفية وشغلت له اللُب
لتتطور الأحداث ويقع المحظور..تتورط شهرزاد في الحب وتتعقد الأمور
بالأخص عندما تعرف السر الغامض للخليفة..واللعنة العجيبة
وتتعقد الأمور أكثر بشكل مفاجئ..بتحالف كل الأمراء مع حبيبها الأول طارق
لمحاربة الخليفة القاتل..وتخليص البلاد من حكمه الباطل
ومعهم بقوة السحر أبيها..الذي يشعر بالخزي لانه عن قرارها لم يثنيها
فيساعد طارق وابو صديقتها التي قتلها الخليفة..في بدء الحرب التي لن تكون علي البلاد خفيفة
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
الأسلوب والشخصيات
كغير متابع جيد للروايات الرومانسية -لدرجة تكاد ان تصل لكراهية الروايات الرومانسية الساذجة- يجب أن أشيد بأن بناء القصة بين الخليفة خالد وشهرزاد الفتاة التي تبغي الأنتقام جاء جيدا جدا
المشاهد الحميمة كان لا مفر منها , واي متابع لسلسلة ألف ليلة وليلة يدري جيدا انها كانت تمتلئ بتلك المشاهد بشكل مبالغ فيه
هنا رينيه قدمت وصف تلك المشاهد برومانسية وبدون اي تلميح لمشاهد فجة او تخدش الحياء.. بالضبط كأنك تشاهد فيلما لديزني يم��ن تقييمها ك+12 بعكس روايات كثيرة اخري وهذا في حد ذاته امرا جيدا
ولكن وصف الطعام هنا كان شهيا بحق واسال لعابي فعلا..وصف الأزياء كان مبهجا وإن كنت لا اهتم به كثيرا -ولكنه ايضا كما قلت يناسب جمهور الرواية :) -
والوصف الأهم والذي اعجبني فعلا هو العيون..سواء عيون الخليفة الشرس التي تشبهها بالنمر..او عيون حبيب شهرزاد الأول منذ صغرها "طارق" التي تشبه عيون الصقر.. التشبيه هنا كان بديعا بالأخص بإختلاف وصف لون العيون من وجهة نظر شخصية لأخري
وهذا امرا اخر..حيث ان هناك 4 شخصيات رئيسية تدور الأحداث من وجهة نظر كل منهم "شهرزاد - خالد - طارق - جلال" بالأضافة لشخصيات فرعية
رسم الشخصيات والانتقال من وجهة نظر لأخري كان جيدا لحد كبير..ولكن باقي الشخصيات الفرعية كانت تتراوح بين جيدة وبين سطحية للاسف , شخصية والدها يحيط بها غموض وعدم وضوح ولكن بالتأكيد سيكون له دور بالجزء التالي
اما الألقاب فكانت عجيبة , لم أفهم كثيرا هل هي لها اصول عربية ام تركية ام هندية..حتي القاموس بالنهاية لم افهم منه كثيرا اصل تلك الكلمات..ولكن المعني يظهر من خلال الرواية بلا مشاكل علي اي حال
وواضح تأثر المؤلفة بالتراث العربي , وإقتباسها لجلال الدين الرومي بمقدمة الرواية خير دليل
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
قصص شهرزاد
ربما خيبة الأمل بالنسبة لي هو عدم وجود قصص كثيرة لشهرزاد ..القصة الأولي قصة عجيب وجبل العناد" لم تبهرني بالبداية"
وعندما بدأت في قصة علاء الدين ظننت انها ستوضح كيف ترتبط القصتين سويا ولكن هذا لم يحدث
ولكن علي كل حال الميزة هنا هو كيف ربطت المؤلفة نفسها قصة عجيب وجبل العناد بقصتها الرئيسية وتشبيه الخليفة لشهرزاد بجبل العناد
لم تحكي قصة علاء الدين بالأحداث -بالطبع لانها ستكون مكررة- ولكنها قامت باضافة مشهد جميل يحاكي القصة
اما القصة الأخيرة الخاصة بالمفاتيح فقط ربطتها تماما بقصة الحب واللعنة التي بالأحداث
والسحر عاما موجود سواء في قصص شهرزاد او في القصة الرئيسية ,كالبساط الطائر والقدرات العجيبة لبعض الشخصيات بشكل غير مبالغ فيه لحسن الحظ
لهذه الأسباب لم اجد مانعا لتقييمها ب"4 نجوم" او ثلاث ونصف
النهاية
إذا كنت -او كنتي- من هواة القصص الرومانسية اللطيفة وشئ من السحر .. وعقدة الحب الثلاثية
Love Triangle
وقصص الحب التي تبدأ بكراهية ثم تتعقد ويتغير كل شئ - -كالمس��سلات التركية ,لا ادري لم تخيلت كريم وفاطمة ,ربما لأني كنت ابحث عن الشكل الشرقي لتخيل الأحداث
ReTelling و إذا كنت من هواة إعادة الحكيّ
ذلك النوع المنتشر مؤخرا بالخارج عن روايات شهيرة قديمة يتم أعادة حكيها
أو كنت مثلي تعشق الألف ليلة وليلة وترغب في معايشة اجواءها بشكل مختلف
-كما اوضحت في الريفيو المبدئي هنا
وفي إنتظار الجزء الثاني بإذن الله لنري تعقيدات تلك القصة كيف ستنتهي
محمد العربي
من 30 سبتمبر 2015
إلي 5 أكتوبر 2015
April 15, 2018
2 stars? 3.5 stars? 5 STARS?!?!
Fucked if I know. I'm...torn. So I guess I'll leave this at three stars for now.
This book made me feel a lot of feels. But they were conflicting feels. On the one hand, this is a beautifully written, atmospheric 1001 Nights retelling rich with imagery. On the other hand, a lot of that gorgeous prose is dedicated to showing the reader, over and over again, how indecisive the female lead is.
You see, she's chosen to marry the king out of vengeance. He married and killed her best friend, along with countless other young women, and she's bent on putting an end to his bloody reign by sticking a knife in his chest. Or a sword in his gullet. Or by bludgeoning him over the head with a mace. Or by slipping a bit of poison into his...well, you get the picture.
That's all well and good, if you actually CARRY OUT THE DEED. But our female lead doesn't do that. Instead, she spends the first half of this book being a whiny, wishy-washy pain in the ass, failing to kill him even though she's provided with multiple opportunities to do so.
All because he's pretteh.
-_____-
So was Stalin. It doesn't make him any less of a murderous bastard.
I would have enjoyed her character so much more had she remained stalwart. Had she remained loyal to all those dead women and simply tried and failed to kill him. Repeatedly. Until she was forced to look past that pretty face and that cold facade to the troubled soul beneath. Because only in the latter half of this book do you begin to understand Shahrzad's unfortunate attraction to him. Only then do you begin to wonder why he's done the things that he has, and want, no, need to know the truth behind his actions.
Still...I'll be reading the next one. The writing alone makes it worth it. Even if I spend the entirety of the second installment trapped in the same frustrated emotional state that I was forced to endure throughout this one.
And that should tell you something.
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest
Fucked if I know. I'm...torn. So I guess I'll leave this at three stars for now.
This book made me feel a lot of feels. But they were conflicting feels. On the one hand, this is a beautifully written, atmospheric 1001 Nights retelling rich with imagery. On the other hand, a lot of that gorgeous prose is dedicated to showing the reader, over and over again, how indecisive the female lead is.
You see, she's chosen to marry the king out of vengeance. He married and killed her best friend, along with countless other young women, and she's bent on putting an end to his bloody reign by sticking a knife in his chest. Or a sword in his gullet. Or by bludgeoning him over the head with a mace. Or by slipping a bit of poison into his...well, you get the picture.
That's all well and good, if you actually CARRY OUT THE DEED. But our female lead doesn't do that. Instead, she spends the first half of this book being a whiny, wishy-washy pain in the ass, failing to kill him even though she's provided with multiple opportunities to do so.
All because he's pretteh.
-_____-
So was Stalin. It doesn't make him any less of a murderous bastard.
I would have enjoyed her character so much more had she remained stalwart. Had she remained loyal to all those dead women and simply tried and failed to kill him. Repeatedly. Until she was forced to look past that pretty face and that cold facade to the troubled soul beneath. Because only in the latter half of this book do you begin to understand Shahrzad's unfortunate attraction to him. Only then do you begin to wonder why he's done the things that he has, and want, no, need to know the truth behind his actions.
Still...I'll be reading the next one. The writing alone makes it worth it. Even if I spend the entirety of the second installment trapped in the same frustrated emotional state that I was forced to endure throughout this one.
And that should tell you something.
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest
September 14, 2017
Okay to begin by saying this book was glorious is pure injustice. But I will say that this story was a waft of fresh air in the young adult trivia. The story takes place in the ancient city of khorasan, in a time of magic and mystical existence. Maybe one of the main reasons I loved this book so much was the use of Persian origin words. My mother tongue being Farsi, this book felt like home. Like I was reading a story about my people and my history, even though it leaned more towards the influences of Pakistani culture. The scenes, the food, especially the LAVASH bread, the use of words like "Joonam" and "delam" made me even more connected to the characters and everything in the book itself.
Renee ahdieh is a magnificent storyteller, she used the idea of a classical Arabian tale and transformed it into a story of love and betrayal. Her main character shahrzad(also a common Persian name) is everything I look for in a strong willed and blazing female character, and as for Khalid......well.....who doesn't love a tragically broken boy with the weight of the world on his shoulders? *mentally screeches over the love scenes*. The story not only presents characters and their internal and external struggles, but I personally feel that all the side characters of this story had a constructive role to maintain.
One of my absolute favorites is jalal and despina. For every single time jalal did something to support the forsaken love between the monster and the silver tongue, I had a small melt down (the good kind).
I think on the list of things that I loved in this story, and that is a very long list indeed, the topper would be the element of physical strength that came alongside the strength of will. When shahrzad picked up the bow and arrow and just flew through 500 stages of awesome, I was fully entrapped in my growing love for her character. This love flourished when she picked up a sword she has never wielded, to get the answers she wanted. I just likem bold as they come.
I flew through the pages of this book, I honestly was reeking of curiosity to simply know what happens next. Many authors are gifted enough to create a story that you want to finish because you just need to know what happens next, but not all of them can so intricately create a world that absorbs you and absolves you so delicately.
I might just not make it in this unfathomable need to read the sequel, I highly recommend this book to anyone who simply can read............
Renee ahdieh is a magnificent storyteller, she used the idea of a classical Arabian tale and transformed it into a story of love and betrayal. Her main character shahrzad(also a common Persian name) is everything I look for in a strong willed and blazing female character, and as for Khalid......well.....who doesn't love a tragically broken boy with the weight of the world on his shoulders? *mentally screeches over the love scenes*. The story not only presents characters and their internal and external struggles, but I personally feel that all the side characters of this story had a constructive role to maintain.
One of my absolute favorites is jalal and despina. For every single time jalal did something to support the forsaken love between the monster and the silver tongue, I had a small melt down (the good kind).
I think on the list of things that I loved in this story, and that is a very long list indeed, the topper would be the element of physical strength that came alongside the strength of will. When shahrzad picked up the bow and arrow and just flew through 500 stages of awesome, I was fully entrapped in my growing love for her character. This love flourished when she picked up a sword she has never wielded, to get the answers she wanted. I just likem bold as they come.
I flew through the pages of this book, I honestly was reeking of curiosity to simply know what happens next. Many authors are gifted enough to create a story that you want to finish because you just need to know what happens next, but not all of them can so intricately create a world that absorbs you and absolves you so delicately.
I might just not make it in this unfathomable need to read the sequel, I highly recommend this book to anyone who simply can read............
April 21, 2018
My heart is broken.
My brain is broken.
At first, I thought that this book was alright but the last hundred pages BLEW MY MIND.
(Damn you Khalid, for being so hot)
To be honest, Shahrzad was sort of a hot-headed, stubborn brat in my opinion at first XD
Which, in some cases, this description really suits her throughout the story...
I mean..
1) She tried climbing a wall just to prove that she could. Just....wha?
2) She kept repeating how she hated Khalid, which yes, I can understand but if said every 2 sentences, THEN NO.
3) IDFK JUST HER ARROGANT ATTITUDE IN THE BEGINNING.
Alright, enough with the trash talk...let's get on with the good stuff :)
First of all, can we acknowledge how brilliant Shazi is at telling stories?! I mean, she told stories inside of a story...HOW CRAZY IS THAT??
Second: THE CHARACTERS.
People, I honestly couldn't decide between Tariq and Khalid at first, so I was just waiting for one of them to step up and become an obnoxious, overprotective pig.
haha...oh the fun times....
And DESPINA. Another girl to add to my long list of "I wish these characters could become my besties in real life"
I know y'all can relate.
And who can best Jalal?! Honestly, in the first few chapters, where I was annoyed out of my mind, THIS GUY CAME THROUGH FOR ME.
THANK YOU.
THANK YOU.
THANK YOU.
All together...one big happy family. :D
(i think that little baby on the right should totally be Jalal ;)
The plot was splendid..but I felt like it was too far into the book when Shazi finally knew what was behind Khalid's acts of murder. Idk...was that just me?
Overall, the book was amazing.
The emotions..the angst...the feelz....KHALID AND SHAZI ALONE..
i need a moment as i scream into my pillow....
Credits to Ahdieh for basing this story on a very different and wonderful culture!
You made my heart die over and over again so haha...
Shout out to you!
XD
sorry this review was all over the place....
bedtime i guess xD
My brain is broken.
At first, I thought that this book was alright but the last hundred pages BLEW MY MIND.
(Damn you Khalid, for being so hot)
To be honest, Shahrzad was sort of a hot-headed, stubborn brat in my opinion at first XD
I mean..
1) She tried climbing a wall just to prove that she could. Just....wha?
2) She kept repeating how she hated Khalid, which yes, I can understand but if said every 2 sentences, THEN NO.
3) IDFK JUST HER ARROGANT ATTITUDE IN THE BEGINNING.
Alright, enough with the trash talk...let's get on with the good stuff :)
First of all, can we acknowledge how brilliant Shazi is at telling stories?! I mean, she told stories inside of a story...HOW CRAZY IS THAT??
Second: THE CHARACTERS.
People, I honestly couldn't decide between Tariq and Khalid at first, so I was just waiting for one of them to step up and become an obnoxious, overprotective pig.
haha...oh the fun times....
And DESPINA. Another girl to add to my long list of "I wish these characters could become my besties in real life"
I know y'all can relate.
And who can best Jalal?! Honestly, in the first few chapters, where I was annoyed out of my mind, THIS GUY CAME THROUGH FOR ME.
THANK YOU.
THANK YOU.
THANK YOU.
All together...one big happy family. :D
(i think that little baby on the right should totally be Jalal ;)
The plot was splendid..but I felt like it was too far into the book when Shazi finally knew what was behind Khalid's acts of murder. Idk...was that just me?
Overall, the book was amazing.
The emotions..the angst...the feelz....KHALID AND SHAZI ALONE..
i need a moment as i scream into my pillow....
Credits to Ahdieh for basing this story on a very different and wonderful culture!
You made my heart die over and over again so haha...
Shout out to you!
XD
sorry this review was all over the place....
bedtime i guess xD
February 20, 2015
Actual rating is somewhere around 3.5 stars.
The Wrath and the Dawn has all the elements of an amazing story. It has a strong heroine, intriguing plot, moral ambiguity, a complex cast of characters that inspire all sorts of internal emotional turmoil. Basically, set phasers to LET ME LOVE YOU. Even for those like me who haven't read A Thousand and One Nights, can appreciate the rich setting and visually stunning descriptions. And I can't tell you how happy I am to say that I really enjoyed The Wrath and the Dawn and I'm hoping many of my friends will give it a chance.
Sharhrzad (Shazi), desperate to avenge her best friend's murder, decides to volunteer as tribute to be the next wife of the Caliph of Khorasan, Khalid. He's known as a ruthless ruler, who kills all his wives at dawn the day after he weds. Why is a mystery to everyone including Shazi, who really doesn't care either way, and I don't blame her. Of course, as the reader can surmise from the synopsis, there's something more going on than meets the eye. As Shazi gets to know Khalid, she learns he's not what she thought he'd be and is conflicted that she finds it increasingly difficult to hate him, and more importantly, to kill him. And while that is all going on, we have Tariq, who, for all intents and purposes, was Shazi's boyfriend/betrothed before she took on the suicidal task of killing the Caliph. He struggles with his own feelings of Shazi's impending death (really, no one expected her to live to see the day after her wedding night) and is determined to rescue her at all costs. Little does he know, Shazi falls in love with Khalid and things get a little... messy.
Told in a 3rd person point-of-view, The Wrath and the Dawn seeks to cover a lot of story, which it both succeeds and fails at. I'm not usually a fan of 3rd person because it makes me feel detached from the characters and their feelings, but in this case, it worked out well for me. The reader is able to get a good feel on all the characters' intentions and struggles, and that's a feat consider how many characters are introduced over the course of this novel.
The downside to this is that I wasn't able to fully connect with any characters on an emotional level, let alone the romance, because it simply didn't get much page time. For that reason, I would have preferred for this book to have been longer OR less page time for the supporting cast for at least the first half so that I could see Shazi and Khalid's interactions more. I didn't have enough build up to have the emotional response lines like these should have set off:
And...
Believe me when I say these were beautiful scenes, but I didn't swoon, and that makes me rather sad. Currently, the romance is getting huge praise from other reviewers, so your milage may vary, but, I felt it lacked a certain spark.
The writing itself is very lovely and flows in a magical fashion befitting the setting of the novel. Ahdieh's set the perfect tone with her descriptions and the dialogue was both thought provoking and witty a good portion of the time. Some of my favorite lines came from Despina, Shazi's handmaiden:
This is probably why 3rd person worked so well in The Wrath and the Dawn. The characters and their interactions always felt genuine and personable and not flat like cardboard. They weren't always likable, especially Khalid with his tug-a-war like personality, but he was consistently complex. I would guess that my feelings toward him mirrored Shazi's frustration at his lack of trust. He spends much of his time trying to atone for what he's done, but can't bring himself to fully trust her with his secret and the reason behind the deaths of his previous wives.
Yet, while beautiful and lush in its own right, The Wrath and the Dawn is not without its faults. You do have your obligatory mentions of the love interest's eyes and how the female main character seems to be the only one to ever truly bring the love interest out of his broken shell. The former is what bothered me the most throughout the novel simply because I couldn't really see what it was about Shazi that he was drawn to. Was it her snarky bluntness? Her beauty? The fact that he didn't understand why she volunteered to be his wife, knowing what her fate would be? I have no idea. I was also a bit surprised (and disappointed?) that Shazi's only plan to survive the dawn was to tell the Caliph a story and deliberately end it on a cliffhanger as the sun rose to generate anticipation from Khalid. Well, okay. It certainly gives new meaning to stories having power, that's for sure. [Again, I haven't read A Thousand and One Nights]
Then there were times when Shazi felt deliberately obtuse when it came to Khalid and his secrets. When there were multiple attempts on her life and Khalid himself jumps to save her and reprimand those who tried to do her bodily harm, she still continues to blame him for the attempts. That seemed odd and out of character for Shazi since she is written as very observant and sharp. To her credit, she does start to question happenings shortly after, but this misstep felt too contrived and forced.
The final 30% is where this novel truly shined for me since all chips are laid out on the table and characters' true intentions are revealed. I admit to being pleasantly surprised and saddened by one in particular. The stakes will definitely be higher in the sequel, The Rose and the Dagger and I look forward to seeing things get complicated. Also, I'm really hoping for a magic carpet ride.
All in all, The Wrath and the Dawn is a strong start to a promising new series. The pros in the novel far outweigh the small cons, which could admittedly be attributed to my cynical mind and lack of a functioning heart. Don't let that stop you from picking this up.
ARC was received from the author in exchange for review.
More reviews and other fantastical things at Cuddlebuggery.
The Wrath and the Dawn has all the elements of an amazing story. It has a strong heroine, intriguing plot, moral ambiguity, a complex cast of characters that inspire all sorts of internal emotional turmoil. Basically, set phasers to LET ME LOVE YOU. Even for those like me who haven't read A Thousand and One Nights, can appreciate the rich setting and visually stunning descriptions. And I can't tell you how happy I am to say that I really enjoyed The Wrath and the Dawn and I'm hoping many of my friends will give it a chance.
Sharhrzad (Shazi), desperate to avenge her best friend's murder, decides to volunteer as tribute to be the next wife of the Caliph of Khorasan, Khalid. He's known as a ruthless ruler, who kills all his wives at dawn the day after he weds. Why is a mystery to everyone including Shazi, who really doesn't care either way, and I don't blame her. Of course, as the reader can surmise from the synopsis, there's something more going on than meets the eye. As Shazi gets to know Khalid, she learns he's not what she thought he'd be and is conflicted that she finds it increasingly difficult to hate him, and more importantly, to kill him. And while that is all going on, we have Tariq, who, for all intents and purposes, was Shazi's boyfriend/betrothed before she took on the suicidal task of killing the Caliph. He struggles with his own feelings of Shazi's impending death (really, no one expected her to live to see the day after her wedding night) and is determined to rescue her at all costs. Little does he know, Shazi falls in love with Khalid and things get a little... messy.
Told in a 3rd person point-of-view, The Wrath and the Dawn seeks to cover a lot of story, which it both succeeds and fails at. I'm not usually a fan of 3rd person because it makes me feel detached from the characters and their feelings, but in this case, it worked out well for me. The reader is able to get a good feel on all the characters' intentions and struggles, and that's a feat consider how many characters are introduced over the course of this novel.
The downside to this is that I wasn't able to fully connect with any characters on an emotional level, let alone the romance, because it simply didn't get much page time. For that reason, I would have preferred for this book to have been longer OR less page time for the supporting cast for at least the first half so that I could see Shazi and Khalid's interactions more. I didn't have enough build up to have the emotional response lines like these should have set off:
“My soul sees its equal in you.”
And...
“Love is—a shade of what I feel.”
Believe me when I say these were beautiful scenes, but I didn't swoon, and that makes me rather sad. Currently, the romance is getting huge praise from other reviewers, so your milage may vary, but, I felt it lacked a certain spark.
The writing itself is very lovely and flows in a magical fashion befitting the setting of the novel. Ahdieh's set the perfect tone with her descriptions and the dialogue was both thought provoking and witty a good portion of the time. Some of my favorite lines came from Despina, Shazi's handmaiden:
“We women are a sad lot, aren't we?"
"What do you mean?"
"Strong enough to take on the world with our bare hands, yet we permit ridiculous boys to make fools of us."
"I am not a fool."
"No, you're not. Not yet.”
This is probably why 3rd person worked so well in The Wrath and the Dawn. The characters and their interactions always felt genuine and personable and not flat like cardboard. They weren't always likable, especially Khalid with his tug-a-war like personality, but he was consistently complex. I would guess that my feelings toward him mirrored Shazi's frustration at his lack of trust. He spends much of his time trying to atone for what he's done, but can't bring himself to fully trust her with his secret and the reason behind the deaths of his previous wives.
Yet, while beautiful and lush in its own right, The Wrath and the Dawn is not without its faults. You do have your obligatory mentions of the love interest's eyes and how the female main character seems to be the only one to ever truly bring the love interest out of his broken shell. The former is what bothered me the most throughout the novel simply because I couldn't really see what it was about Shazi that he was drawn to. Was it her snarky bluntness? Her beauty? The fact that he didn't understand why she volunteered to be his wife, knowing what her fate would be? I have no idea. I was also a bit surprised (and disappointed?) that Shazi's only plan to survive the dawn was to tell the Caliph a story and deliberately end it on a cliffhanger as the sun rose to generate anticipation from Khalid. Well, okay. It certainly gives new meaning to stories having power, that's for sure. [Again, I haven't read A Thousand and One Nights]
Then there were times when Shazi felt deliberately obtuse when it came to Khalid and his secrets. When there were multiple attempts on her life and Khalid himself jumps to save her and reprimand those who tried to do her bodily harm, she still continues to blame him for the attempts. That seemed odd and out of character for Shazi since she is written as very observant and sharp. To her credit, she does start to question happenings shortly after, but this misstep felt too contrived and forced.
The final 30% is where this novel truly shined for me since all chips are laid out on the table and characters' true intentions are revealed. I admit to being pleasantly surprised and saddened by one in particular. The stakes will definitely be higher in the sequel, The Rose and the Dagger and I look forward to seeing things get complicated. Also, I'm really hoping for a magic carpet ride.
All in all, The Wrath and the Dawn is a strong start to a promising new series. The pros in the novel far outweigh the small cons, which could admittedly be attributed to my cynical mind and lack of a functioning heart. Don't let that stop you from picking this up.
ARC was received from the author in exchange for review.
More reviews and other fantastical things at Cuddlebuggery.
February 15, 2021
➸ BR with my broken boys' favorite specialist, Chelsea (click to read her review)
✘ Useless horrible love-triangle : now, that's an addition to the original tale that doesn't appeal to me. Indeed it was unnecessary and resulted in predictability for the plot. Plus, Tariq is an asshole. A stupid one at it.
✘ Fast forward in Shazi's feelings : what is it with the fluttering in the stomach after one night? So Khalid listened to her story, so what? At this point he never showed anything to prove that there's more to him than his
"The tightening in her chest... would have to be ignored.
At all cost."
It remains to be seen.
The truth is, I was told during the whole book that Shazi was badass and fierce but I'm still not convinced. What I saw is a beautiful, immature and ill-tempered girl who never even tried to fulfill her quest. There. I said it. Actually she reminded me of Frances from Daughter of Deep Silence, as to me her behavior never justified who she was supposed to be and what she was supposed to do.
✘ Can somebody explain to me why Khalid is interested in Shazi in the first place? Why does he seek her after the wedding? Huh? Oh, yes, he does explain it at some point, but his reasons are far too close to instalove for my taste, sorry. So, no, I'm not mad because it is mostly a romance, because I do like romance and that it could have been beautiful. Yet sadly, as it is, I didn't buy it and therefore never felt enthralled nor captivated.
✘ It was boring : So much that I struggled to go on and felt the urge to skim some parts - I didn't, but damn, how I wanted to! I'm pretty sure that I can explain this by the fact that I didn't connect with the characters : I didn't care about them one bit before the last 30%, therefore it was pretty hard to feel involved in their story. Moreover, let's be frank, almost nothing happens during most of the book, but I do feel like I read an eulogy of Shazi's PERFECTION in all things. Good for you, girl. Now show me. I'm waiting. And don't even get me started about the parts in Tariq's POV.
✘ I have to admit that I am on the fence about the writing, since there are some features I loved (I'll come back to them later). However, mostly I found it over-descriptive, with several similes which made me roll my eyes, and in my opinion I wasn't shown enough.
✘ Overly fade-into-black sex scenes, as in, I wasn't even sure they had sex at first. Of course I know that it's YA and I don't mind fade-to-black, but here I got the impression that the author didn't really want us to realize that they were having sex. Why, I have no idea. Perhaps because this way we don't really realize that it could be seen as rapey? UGH. HATED THAT.
✔ The settings : I felt like I was there, either in the palace or the market or anywhere the characters go, really. The writing was evocative and if sometimes on the purple prose side (as I said earlier), it did make a great job as creating the world-building.
✔ I liked Khalid's character for the most part, who was complex and interesting, even though his eyes-opening changes thanks to Shazi are rather clichés - who don't like a broken King, tell me? His inner turmoil moved me, especially in the last 30%.
✔ If most of the story failed to pull me in, I have to admit that the last 30% hooked me (well, kind of) and were way better in my opinion (except for everything linked to Tariq. Really, what an useless prick). Is it enough to make me want to read book 2? Frankly, I don't know. I guess I'll see.
► Here I am, disappointed and in the minority. The only thing I can say is that unfortunately I didn't like The Wrath and the Dawn how much I thought I would (I'm the queen of understatements), now do whatever you want with it.
For more of my reviews, please visit:
May 13, 2018
3.8 STARS
Before I begin reviewing the book, I want to say a massive thank you to My friend Brittany for telling me about the romance in this book because if you didn't tell me, then I wouldn't buy this book in the first place and also thank you for listening to my thoughts about this book through messages!
My Opinion Time!
The reasons that I read this because Brittany told me about the romance and I also felt the need to read all of Ahdieh's books or at least try reading them and it's all because of Flame in the Mist, I loved that book so much! So, This book is a retelling of One Thousand and One Nights and to be honest, I haven't read One Thousand and One Nights.
When I decided to read this book, I had these high expectations about the book and HOW COULD I NOT? when I loved the other book of the author so much but then surprisingly, I didn't enjoy reading it at first because I expected a lot of actions and there was too much talking and I ACTUALLY thought to dnf the book because AT FIRST I couldn't relate to Shahrzad and then Khalid was cold, too distant, bland and boring but then it all changed. It all changed when I was on page 103. My interest in reading it more began from this page and I had never been bored anymore since page 103. So it took me a quite long time to connect myself to the story of the book and relate to Shahrzad and the romance.
Another thing that fascinated me about Ahdieh's books is that I constantly need a dictionary with me while reading her books because every time I read her books, I often open a dictionary to know the meaning of some words and it happens so constantly to the point that I always put my phone beside me while reading her books and I'm actually happy because this way I can improve my english vocabulary. ( English is not my first language but I have been very interested to learn it and actively studying it since I was 8 years old ).
AND I HAVE NO IDEA HOW MANY TIMES I CRIED WHILE READING THIS BOOK. OH MY GOD. It's not only the plot that made me cry but it's also because of the writing style. I don't like flowery writing style or a very beautiful writing style and don't ask me why because I don't even know. lol. But I totally love Ahdieh's writing style because her writing style is beautiful but not overly for me and so many lines written by her make feel as if those lines stab me in the heart and make my eyes teary and cry.
There are many more lines in the book that make me cry and please read the book yourself, you won't regret it or maybe even though you don't end up liking it in the end, at least you have tried reading it. I don't know how but Ahdieh's writing style always makes my eyes teary and makes me clutch my chest on one hand and stifle tears. This is why I love her writing style.
The Romance and The Characters
Actually, I wanted to read this book years ago but then I knew there was a love triangle in this book and that prevented me from reading it because I LOATH A LOVE TRIANGLE SO MUCH.But then Brittany told me and explained me about the romance and I was convinced to read it and after I read it, I can say that the love triangle in this book is the kind of love triangle that I can tolerate. I won't go into full detail about it but I'm just gonna explain it briefly. So the MC has a first love but we don't see many scenes between them and the MC barely thinks about him and the MC is not the kind of character that I absolutely hate in a love triangle situation. The kind of character that is torn between two people ( God. That is why I hate a love triangle. It's so annoying. ugh ) because in my opinion, this doesn't happen in the book. The MC even rarely think about her first love and then she falls for another man. So, if you are like me, you hate a love triangle, then don't worry. The love triangle in this book is not bad. For me, it's tolerable.
AND OH MY GOD. THE ROMANCE IN THIS BOOK. It's enemy to lover. MY FAVORITE TROPE. *squeals in delight* It's so good! and It literally made me sobbing and I don't sob often while reading books these days but THIS BOOK managed to make me sobbing. Oh my God. Every time I read this certain scene, I always find myself swiping my wet cheeks due to the tears. I could feel the romance and the spark of romance between them. I often found myself smiling because it's so sweet and romantic and there was no single scene that I found cheesy. Every romance scenes between the MC and her love interest were all hot, romantic and sweet. It's really good!
There is only one person that Ihated hate so much. It's the other guy like wtf, just stay away and I hate this person so much and every time he spoke ill or even thought badly about MC's love interest, I felt as if there was a fire inside me and my blood was boiling and I wanted to punched this guy so badly. THE MC'S LOVE INTEREST IS BETTER THAN HIM. HE IS NOTHING COMPARED TO HIM AND I HATE HIM SO MUCH. Every time I read his POV, I rolled my eyes and then I also counted how many pages left I had to suffer by reading his POV. Yes, my friends, I hate him that much. I FUCKING hate him so much Oh and If I only I got the chance to speak to this guy, I would totally say this :
and the secondary characters in this book were all amazing! My favorites are Jalal and Despina. They made me laugh and smirk and giggle so many times. Just read the book and you'll know what I'm talking about. I love them!
Thank you so much for reading and liking this review! I appreciate it so much, guys. I hope you all have an amazing day! <3
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
REVIEW TO COME.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
I'm reading this book because :
1. My friend Brittany told me about the romance of the book and I feel intrigued to know more.
2. I loved Flame in the Mist so much.
3. I need to read all Ahdieh's books or at least try reading them.
Have you guys read this book? And what do you think of it? ( no spoiler, please! )
"Don't sneer at me. I may be small, but, when pushed, I can
strike out with a surprising amount of force."
Before I begin reviewing the book, I want to say a massive thank you to My friend Brittany for telling me about the romance in this book because if you didn't tell me, then I wouldn't buy this book in the first place and also thank you for listening to my thoughts about this book through messages!
My Opinion Time!
The reasons that I read this because Brittany told me about the romance and I also felt the need to read all of Ahdieh's books or at least try reading them and it's all because of Flame in the Mist, I loved that book so much! So, This book is a retelling of One Thousand and One Nights and to be honest, I haven't read One Thousand and One Nights.
When I decided to read this book, I had these high expectations about the book and HOW COULD I NOT? when I loved the other book of the author so much but then surprisingly, I didn't enjoy reading it at first because I expected a lot of actions and there was too much talking and I ACTUALLY thought to dnf the book because AT FIRST I couldn't relate to Shahrzad and then Khalid was cold, too distant, bland and boring but then it all changed. It all changed when I was on page 103. My interest in reading it more began from this page and I had never been bored anymore since page 103. So it took me a quite long time to connect myself to the story of the book and relate to Shahrzad and the romance.
Another thing that fascinated me about Ahdieh's books is that I constantly need a dictionary with me while reading her books because every time I read her books, I often open a dictionary to know the meaning of some words and it happens so constantly to the point that I always put my phone beside me while reading her books and I'm actually happy because this way I can improve my english vocabulary. ( English is not my first language but I have been very interested to learn it and actively studying it since I was 8 years old ).
AND I HAVE NO IDEA HOW MANY TIMES I CRIED WHILE READING THIS BOOK. OH MY GOD. It's not only the plot that made me cry but it's also because of the writing style. I don't like flowery writing style or a very beautiful writing style and don't ask me why because I don't even know. lol. But I totally love Ahdieh's writing style because her writing style is beautiful but not overly for me and so many lines written by her make feel as if those lines stab me in the heart and make my eyes teary and cry.
"When I was a little girl in Thebes, I
remember asking my mother what heaven was. She replied,'A
heart where love dwells.' Of course, I then demanded to know
what constituted hell. She looked me straight in the eye and said,
'A heart absent love.'"
(page 209)
"Some things exist in our lives for but a brief moment. And
we must let them go on to light another sky."
(page 296)
There are many more lines in the book that make me cry and please read the book yourself, you won't regret it or maybe even though you don't end up liking it in the end, at least you have tried reading it. I don't know how but Ahdieh's writing style always makes my eyes teary and makes me clutch my chest on one hand and stifle tears. This is why I love her writing style.
The Romance and The Characters
Actually, I wanted to read this book years ago but then I knew there was a love triangle in this book and that prevented me from reading it because I LOATH A LOVE TRIANGLE SO MUCH.But then Brittany told me and explained me about the romance and I was convinced to read it and after I read it, I can say that the love triangle in this book is the kind of love triangle that I can tolerate. I won't go into full detail about it but I'm just gonna explain it briefly. So the MC has a first love but we don't see many scenes between them and the MC barely thinks about him and the MC is not the kind of character that I absolutely hate in a love triangle situation. The kind of character that is torn between two people ( God. That is why I hate a love triangle. It's so annoying. ugh ) because in my opinion, this doesn't happen in the book. The MC even rarely think about her first love and then she falls for another man. So, if you are like me, you hate a love triangle, then don't worry. The love triangle in this book is not bad. For me, it's tolerable.
AND OH MY GOD. THE ROMANCE IN THIS BOOK. It's enemy to lover. MY FAVORITE TROPE. *squeals in delight* It's so good! and It literally made me sobbing and I don't sob often while reading books these days but THIS BOOK managed to make me sobbing. Oh my God. Every time I read this certain scene, I always find myself swiping my wet cheeks due to the tears. I could feel the romance and the spark of romance between them. I often found myself smiling because it's so sweet and romantic and there was no single scene that I found cheesy. Every romance scenes between the MC and her love interest were all hot, romantic and sweet. It's really good!
There is only one person that I
and the secondary characters in this book were all amazing! My favorites are Jalal and Despina. They made me laugh and smirk and giggle so many times. Just read the book and you'll know what I'm talking about. I love them!
Thank you so much for reading and liking this review! I appreciate it so much, guys. I hope you all have an amazing day! <3
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
REVIEW TO COME.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
I'm reading this book because :
1. My friend Brittany told me about the romance of the book and I feel intrigued to know more.
2. I loved Flame in the Mist so much.
3. I need to read all Ahdieh's books or at least try reading them.
Have you guys read this book? And what do you think of it? ( no spoiler, please! )
Displaying 1 - 30 of 23,890 reviews