Review: The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh

The Wrath and the Dawn
(The Wrath and the Dawn #1)
Author: Renée Ahdieh
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Published: May 12, 2015
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Historical Fiction
My Rating:

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?

Inspired by A Thousand and One Nights, The Wrath and the Dawn is a sumptuous and enthralling read from beginning to end.

I AM AT A LOSS FOR WORDS.

This book is a thousand times worth the read! I’d say, it deserves the hype! The synopsis alone is irresistible and the cover is gorgeous. Even way better when we talk about the overall story which permeated a magical and captivating writing that left me beyond amazed.

The Wrath and the Dawn is a retelling of A Thousand and One Nights. To be honest, I don’t have any idea what the original tale was about and after reading this book, I felt the sudden urge to read A Thousand and One Nights because of how The Wrath and the Dawn was perfectly crafted.

The book introduced the heroine Shahrzad, otherwise called Shazi by her friends, who volunteered to become the new wife of the formidable Khalid Ibn al-Rashid, the caliph(ruler) of Khorasan who was known for his reputation of killing his previous wives after the wedding night. Shahrzad’s sole purpose was to find revenge for what happened to her friend Shiva who fell victim in the hands of Khalid. Little did she know that Khalid was not a monster that she originally thought but a troubled ruler who hid secrets that she eventually wanted to uncover.

I loved that even if it’s YA fantasy, a huge part of the book focused on romance. I’m a fan of YA books with a romantic element and perhaps you already know that by now. 😉 It’s basically part of my deal! So when Shahrzad and Khalid’s romantic interactions were played out spectacularly here and not just once or twice but as many as I’ve counted, I swooned so hard! This kind of YA book is my undoing!

The fantasy element was vaguely defined here but I don’t have any issue with it because I’ve read way heavy fantasy books lately and I guess the light volume of fantasy here best suited me.

“Some things exist in our lives for but a brief moment. And we must let them go on to light another sky.”

What even astounded me most, of course, was Renee Ahdieh‘s writing. God, this author is new to me but she already captured my heart! She weaved her words beautifully and she perfected the art of captivating her readers with the way she built the world and created the characters.

“You are not mine.” He dropped his palm from the door. “I am yours.”

The setting was simply beautiful! I loved that it was established in a deserted land which was something new to me and I adored the way the map was designed in the first pages of the book.

When it comes to the characters, I loved both Shazi and Khalid. Shazi was a tough and feisty character, not necessarily badass like the heroines other YA books were trying to convey, but a vivacious, witty, and alluring character.

“Shahrzad is a difficult girl, and I am a monster. I suppose that makes for a good match.”

Khalid, on the other hand, was PERFECT. No words needed. If you’ll ask me right about now who’s my newly added book boyfriend on my list, that would be KHALID. Y’all know for sure how I love royal characters the way I love Dorian Havilliard, Cal, and Nikolai Lantsov so yes, that’s one of the many reasons (besides him being so gentle and sweet yet a very strong character) why Khalid knocked me off my feet!

“There is no one I would rather see the sunrise with than with you.”

The ending was bittersweet and somewhat a cliffhanger which left me longing for more! Thankfully the second book will be released this month, so yay!

Honestly, I have no negative things to say about this book. That’s because I was 100% entertained. I enjoyed the writing style and the way the story was framed as a whole. If you haven’t read this book yet, I suggest you to give it a try. Don’t be intimated with the hype because as I’ve said, it’s worth it!

“For nothing, not the sun, not the rain, not even the brightest star in the dark sky, could begin to compare to the wonder of you.”

Rating:

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