In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-ols 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 sisteen-year-old Shahrzad’s dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance. She knows just how to get it: by volunteering 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 both enchant and ensure her survival, though she knows each dawn could be herlast. 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, and incredibly, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love. It’s an unforgivable betrayal, but 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.
It’s been a very long time since I first read this book (7 years, to be precise), and I never continued to read The Rose and the Dagger. I’ve finally re-read this book in order to continue with the series, and it was really interesting to see how I feel about the book now.
I genuinely did enjoy this book the second time around, which was a little bit of a surprise for me. I didn’t think I wouldn’t enjoy this book now, but I did definitely feel like I’d be too old to enjoy the romance, as I was a teenager when I first picked it up.
The romance does definitely make this book feel like a teen story, and it does feel quite insta-love as an adult, but I could see why I fell in love with this story so much the first time around. I was still so enthralled with the world, the story, and the characters. Shazi is such a strong female main character, and I do enjoy knowing I had such a role model in books I read as a teenager.
I read this mostly on audio this time around, and I did enjoy the narration, and I’ll continue with the series on audio. However, I read the last 50 pages as a physical read and really enjoyed the experience. I can see why it was such a quick read for me many years ago!
Overall, this book isn’t perfect, and I could definitely see through the romance as an adult and found it had less development, but I still really enjoyed it. The plot is clever, the characters are likeable beyond their initial actions and situations, the world felt all-encompassing, and the writing is beautiful. I’m glad I finally took the plunge and re-read!
★★★★
3.5 out of 5 stars
-Beth
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