The
Wrath and the Dawn by Renee
Ahdieh
Published:
2015
Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction
Format: Hardcover
What is
The Wrath and the Dawn about?
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.
Thoughts:
I don’t even
know where to start with this book. Originally, I hadn’t planned on reading
it. I don’t know why, but it just wasn’t something I was anticipating. However, I kept seeing more and more amazing
reviews and there is so much hype surrounding this book. So, finally I decided that if this book was
as good as everyone’s been saying that it was, I need to experience it for
myself. And I’m glad I did.
This book was
enchanting. The writing was captivating. I flew through this book so fast because I
would find myself forgetting that I was reading. I would get lost in the pages. It felt so immersive and real and I loved
it. I’m still just in awe.
I loved
everything about this book. At the start, we have the MC, Shahrzad,
volunteering to be the Caliph’s bride in order to get revenge for her friend
who died at his hands. I liked how confident Shahrzad was and how determined
she was that she would be the one to make it.
That she would live and avenge her friend.
I feel like a
main theme in this book is revenge. There is this cycle if revenge that has
led up to this point. But, at some
point, it has to stop with someone or it will just go on forever. It has you wondering whether it’s really
worth it anymore. People do the wrong
things for the right reasons and sometimes you just have to realize that
everything isn’t black and white.
I loved the
mystery surrounding why these girls had to die each morning. When
Shahrzad first is there, it’s just about surviving and getting revenge. But, then, slowly, it becomes more about
trying to figure out WHY this has to happen and who exactly the Caliph is.
There is a magical element to this story, too, which only adds to the
amazingness of this book.
The MC, Shahrzad is headstrong and spunky and fiery
and I loved her. She isn’t afraid
to speak her mind or be bold. She has
this presence and people pay attention to her. She’s just such a strong character. And I really admired her. The
one thing I didn’t like, I’ll admit, are the names. Or, figuring out how to pronounce the names,
more precisely. The names are beautiful,
but for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out how to say them.
The Caliph,
Kahlid, was a really complex character. You want to hate him, because you know
what he’s done. He’s done horrible
things. Yet, the more you get to know him
the more you begin to think that there has to be a reason behind it. So, yes, he’s done bad things, but that’s not
the full story. He’s doing it for
reasons that nobody else can understand, and he’s making sacrifices for the
good of his kingdom. He has so much on
his shoulders and nobody to share the burden with. Until Shahrzad comes along.
Their
relationship was one of the most beautifully written and developed love stories
ever. I
loved how slowly, you got to see him caring more and more about her. You see him going out of his way to protect
her. And then you realize how much that
really does mean. Because he’s never
done that for any other bride before.
Shahrzad really is one of a kind.
Another thing
that really made this book amazing and unique it the setting and the
world. I’ve
never read much anything set in the middle east. I have little knowledge of their
culture. It was great to read this and
experience such an amazingly rich setting.
I fell in love with it. I loved
how it felt Fantasy, yet also like Historical Fiction. I love the diversity in setting that this
book brings to the YA fantasy genre.
This book was
incredible. And I think because of that, I’m having
a hard time reviewing this one. Because
how perfect this book is – it’s something I can’t correctly convey through this
review. Clearly, i’m not as amazing with
words as Renee Ahdieh. But, let me
assure you, this book will blow you away just as it did me.
Rating:
Actual rating: 1001 Stars
Final Thoughts:
Honestly, I adored
absolutely everything about this story.
It is one of the most wonderfully written books I’ve ever read. The characters and the world feel so real. The character development is amazing. This book truly is one that you can find
yourself lost inside. If you read one
book this year, make it The Wrath and the Dawn.
Olivia
Have you read The Wrath and the Dawn? If you have, what were your thoughts? Did this blow you away just as much as it did
me? Are you going to read it?
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