"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."
For love, people consider the unthinkable...
and often achieve the impossible.
I would not sneer at its power."
--Renee Ahdieh, The Wrath and the Dawn
Genre: YA Fantasy
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: Putnam
Pages: 388
Publication Date: May 12th, 2015
Source: Finished copy gifted to me by Alexa, thanks love!
Previous Books in Series: First book in duology
Goodreads Description
A sumptuous and epically told love story inspired by A Thousand and One Nights
Every dawn brings horror to a different family in a land ruled by a killer. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise. So it is a suspicious surprise when sixteen-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry Khalid. But she does so with a clever plan to stay alive and exact revenge on the Caliph for the murder of her best friend and countless other girls. Shazi's wit and will, indeed, get her through to the dawn that no others have seen, but with a catch . . . she’s falling in love with the very boy who killed her dearest friend.
She discovers that the murderous boy-king is not all that he seems and neither are the deaths of so many girls. Shazi is determined to uncover the reason for the murders and to break the cycle once and for all.
A sumptuous and epically told love story inspired by A Thousand and One Nights
Every dawn brings horror to a different family in a land ruled by a killer. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise. So it is a suspicious surprise when sixteen-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry Khalid. But she does so with a clever plan to stay alive and exact revenge on the Caliph for the murder of her best friend and countless other girls. Shazi's wit and will, indeed, get her through to the dawn that no others have seen, but with a catch . . . she’s falling in love with the very boy who killed her dearest friend.
She discovers that the murderous boy-king is not all that he seems and neither are the deaths of so many girls. Shazi is determined to uncover the reason for the murders and to break the cycle once and for all.
won't lie. I was a bit nervous to start The Wrath and the Dawn after hearing pretty polarizing opinions about it. But the lovely Alexa gifted me a finished copy and I was in the mood for some fantasy and forbidden love. It also helps that Alyssa wrote a beautiful post highlighting her favorite quotes and I won't lie, that really sold the book for me.
The Writing
Anyways. I opened the book with high hopes but low expectations...and I was almost immediately sucked in. The writing is on another level, you guys! I won't lie to you, it won't be for everybody but it was definitely for me. It was elegant without being too over the top. And it was subtle in the way that it hits you in the face with beauty when you least expect it. It is a bit straightforward in a way that I can see people reading as disconnected but it didn't feel that way to me at all. I was blown away by the feels this writing was giving me and it made me LOVE the book. While I'll discuss the characters and plot, it was the eloquence of the writing that made my experience while reading. I was distraught and so sad I didn't have the next book on hand immediate. The struggle was real.
The Plot
I loved the story that Andieh gives us. This retelling of A Thousand Nights, from the little I know of the original story, was done so well. I loved the parallels and how it was weaved into the plot. I loved the actual stories Shazi told. I was equally engaged as BOY was. I loved the morality behind them and how relevant they were to the story at large.
The Characters
Omg I looooooooved Shazi and Khalid. we see our story through Shazi 's eyes and she is a badass. I loved her strength in the face of certain death. I loved her intelligence and cleverness and her ability to see things both rationally and emotionally. The struggle she had was very much pulling her in two opposite directions. I liked seeing her weigh the options of each choice and eventually what was best for HER. Khalid was an enigma for most of the book. I both liked and disliked this. Dislike only because I wanted to know more about him. Like because I thought that the reader felt in the same sort of limbo as Shazi as the story played itself out. Their romance is not of the norm. Based on what you know as a reader, you shouldn't be rooting for the relationship but I found myself choosing to. My one 'Beast' on this book ties into this in that I would have liked *more* from Shazi in regards to her emotions because I felt invested but not as much as I could have been. I wanted to root for them and because of that I let myself fall into the slightly stunted emotions we got from Shazi . With that said, when feelings do come to the surface, watch the fuck out. The moments between them are so acutely romantic and emotional that my heart was just bursting with overwhelming love for this story and these characters. Their struggle to not only accept the love of the other but accept love of themselves for their choices was beautiful and difficult. The dialogue of Khalid was like puddle of goo on the floor, wake me up I'm dead kind of swoon. Not even joking. The wait was worth every second of delicious denial.
The Communication
I can't say too much about this because I don't give spoilers but let's just say unnecessary drama need not apply. The foundation of solid relationships is trust and communication and these two--eventual and realistically--is so on point. I can't tell you how much I loved and appreciated this. Swoons came to a maximum at this also.
The Writing
Anyways. I opened the book with high hopes but low expectations...and I was almost immediately sucked in. The writing is on another level, you guys! I won't lie to you, it won't be for everybody but it was definitely for me. It was elegant without being too over the top. And it was subtle in the way that it hits you in the face with beauty when you least expect it. It is a bit straightforward in a way that I can see people reading as disconnected but it didn't feel that way to me at all. I was blown away by the feels this writing was giving me and it made me LOVE the book. While I'll discuss the characters and plot, it was the eloquence of the writing that made my experience while reading. I was distraught and so sad I didn't have the next book on hand immediate. The struggle was real.
The Plot
I loved the story that Andieh gives us. This retelling of A Thousand Nights, from the little I know of the original story, was done so well. I loved the parallels and how it was weaved into the plot. I loved the actual stories Shazi told. I was equally engaged as BOY was. I loved the morality behind them and how relevant they were to the story at large.
The Characters
Omg I looooooooved Shazi and Khalid. we see our story through Shazi 's eyes and she is a badass. I loved her strength in the face of certain death. I loved her intelligence and cleverness and her ability to see things both rationally and emotionally. The struggle she had was very much pulling her in two opposite directions. I liked seeing her weigh the options of each choice and eventually what was best for HER. Khalid was an enigma for most of the book. I both liked and disliked this. Dislike only because I wanted to know more about him. Like because I thought that the reader felt in the same sort of limbo as Shazi as the story played itself out. Their romance is not of the norm. Based on what you know as a reader, you shouldn't be rooting for the relationship but I found myself choosing to. My one 'Beast' on this book ties into this in that I would have liked *more* from Shazi in regards to her emotions because I felt invested but not as much as I could have been. I wanted to root for them and because of that I let myself fall into the slightly stunted emotions we got from Shazi . With that said, when feelings do come to the surface, watch the fuck out. The moments between them are so acutely romantic and emotional that my heart was just bursting with overwhelming love for this story and these characters. Their struggle to not only accept the love of the other but accept love of themselves for their choices was beautiful and difficult. The dialogue of Khalid was like puddle of goo on the floor, wake me up I'm dead kind of swoon. Not even joking. The wait was worth every second of delicious denial.
The Communication
I can't say too much about this because I don't give spoilers but let's just say unnecessary drama need not apply. The foundation of solid relationships is trust and communication and these two--eventual and realistically--is so on point. I can't tell you how much I loved and appreciated this. Swoons came to a maximum at this also.
Backstage Pass
If you love forbidden romances, beautiful writing, and a fantastic plot...this book's for you.
If you love forbidden romances, beautiful writing, and a fantastic plot...this book's for you.
I agree with you about the writing! It WAS very eloquent, and I never became disconnected because I was too invested with the characters. I loved Shazi and Khalid so much. All of your points on them, YES YES YES. Shazi was such a badass, and Khalid had so much more depth than you originally think. I do see what you mean about Shazi's emotions being stunted though, but I was pretty swept away by this story to not pay as much attention to details, especially when it came to the magic and such. I'm definitely going to need a reread before The Rose and the Dagger comes out.
ReplyDeleteLovely review, Kelly!