The Wrath & The Dawn | Renée Ahdieh

  Star Rating: 5/5 Spice Rating: 1/10 Art Rating: 10 / 10

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

Synopsis:

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 terrible 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 get her through to the dawn that no others have seen, but with a catch . . . she may be falling in love with a murderer.

Shazi discovers that the villainous boy-king is not all that he seems and neither are the deaths of so many girls. It's up to her to uncover the reason for the murders and to break the cycle once and for all.

Review:

The Wrath & The Dawn is a beautiful re-telling of One Thousand and One Arabian Nights, which is a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. I personally haven't read it, but having read The Wrath & The Dawn, i am intrigued by what inspired Ahdieh & will have to grab myself a copy!

The world Ahdieh has created is inspired by Middle Eastern culture with a mixture of magic and politics. She does it so beautifully that you are completely immersed into the story. her use of vivid prose allows you to really connect with the characters and completely fall in love with them. There are several points of view weaved into the storyline which will keep you hooked on the narrative and wanting more!

Our protagonist Shahrzad is a strong female character and is very inspiring - her determination to put herself in harm's way to ensure no other girl experiences the horrors of becoming the Caliph's wife for a day is admirable. Ultimately, there is more to the young Caliph & they both fall in love with each other. A curse has been placed upon him that he must sacrifice a maiden or his people will suffer the consequences - a heavy burden which paints the Caliph in a dark light and ultimately misjudged. There is a couple of close moments where Shazi's life is put on the line, but Khalid can't bring himself to let his guards go through with it and calls it off. Some even go behind his back & try to kill Shazi but luckily they are not successful. Civil war is threatened throughout the story and an attack happens right at the end of the book which leads Shazi and Khalid to become separated - which is so frustrating as its left on a cliffhanger!! But i am going to pick up the second book straight away as i need to know what happens! 

All i can say is that i loved this book; the characters, the setting & the narrative really captured me and i am desperate to continue the story!


Have you read this? What are your thoughts?