“Some things exist in our lives for but a brief moment. And we must let them go on to light another sky.”
An Arabian Nights rendition with a perfect balance of mystery, magic and love.
SYNOPSIS
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?
REVIEW
The Wrath and the Dawn is set in a rich and vivid ancient Persia with a pinch of magic and enough descriptions of food to make your mouth water.
The writing style is just as beautiful, poetic and bold as you would expect from the setting. The characters are extremely well written with Shahrzad's wit and bravery and Khalid's torturous self loathing.
Despite Shahrzad's fear, she tricks Khalid into letting her live day after day. What she or him did not expect was to fall in love with each other. Unlike all other fantasy books I have read with love that could not possibly be real, their love felt real and truly beautiful.
I initially thought it was a standalone, which was the only reason I was reading it but as the plot develops I could not stop till I got to know the end and it did not disappoint. There were truly unexpected twists and turns throughout the book. One minute you are enjoying a quiet peaceful scene and the next something terrible happens. Yet the story did not feel rushed or confusing.
All in all, this enticing retelling of the classic collection of stories A Thousand and One Nights is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read.
My Rating: 4.8/5
Author: Reneé Ahdieh
Followed By: The Rose and the Dagger
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