Author: Renée Ahdieh
Genre: Young Adult - Romance - Historical Fiction
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Release Date: May 12, 2015
Pages: 416
Synopsis:
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.
Review:
I actually began reading this book not knowing much about it at all. Because of this, I had no idea it was based off of A Thousand and One Nights. Not that it makes a difference! This book is amazing no matter how you slice it. If I can convince other to pick this book up with this review then I will feel like I have done my job. It's been a good while since I've been so excited and satisfied with a book!
The writing is absolutely beautiful and the words flow so easily together. By chapter two I was pretty much hooked. Even when I had to go do other things, I was still constantly thinking about this book. The first thing that stuck out to me about The Wrath and the Dawn was the atmosphere. Ahdieh did a great job building the world and getting us immersed in it. There are Arabic words throughout the book, and she did a good job of incorporating them in a way that wouldn't intimidate the reader. There is a handy-dandy glossary at the back, as well!
Another strong point this book has is its characters. Shahrzad is very headstrong and quick-witted. She isn't afraid to tell anyone how she feels or what she thinks, and I love that about her. Her rapport with Khalid was great. I loved the dialogue between them. Even the secondary characters like Jalal and Despina felt fleshed out and very necessary to the story. I also very much enjoyed the romance aspects of the book. The chemistry was off the charts!
Magic is very light-handedly incorporated into the book. My only criticism would be that I wish there was more explanation about the magic in this world. As readers, we are left with a lot of questions about that. BUT there will be a second book, so perhaps Ahdieh will go into more detail there?
All-in-all, The Wrath and the Dawn was fantastic. Personally, while reading it, I experienced a level of excitement I haven't had since reading the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas. And for me, that is saying a lot. Read this book! READ IT!
5 Stars!
No comments:
Post a Comment