Review: The Rose and the Dagger by Reneé Ahdieh

The Rose and the Dagger by Reneé Ahdieh

Series: The Wrath and the Dawn #2

Published: April 26, 2016

Rating: 5/5

Goodreads

*Spoilers for Book 1 – you can see that review HERE*

In a land on the brink of war, Shahrzad is forced from the arms of her beloved husband, the Caliph of Khorasan. She once thought Khalid a monster—a merciless killer of wives, responsible for immeasurable heartache and pain—but as she unraveled his secrets, she found instead an extraordinary man and a love she could not deny. Still, a curse threatens to keep Shazi and Khalid apart forever.

Now she’s reunited with her family, who have found refuge in the desert, where a deadly force is gathering against Khalid—a force set on destroying his empire and commanded by Shazi’s spurned childhood sweetheart. Trapped between loyalties to those she loves, the only thing Shazi can do is act. Using the burgeoning magic within her as a guide, she strikes out on her own to end both this terrible curse and the brewing war once and for all. But to do it, she must evade enemies of her own to stay alive.

The saga that began with The Wrath and the Dawn takes its final turn as Shahrzad risks everything to find her way back to her one true love again.

The conclusion to The Wrath and the Dawn duology was even more enchanting and epic than the first. Some of the issues that I found with the first book were still present (you can read my review for that HERE), but I found that I could not fault the sequel for the problems made in the first installment.

The sacrifices made in this book had me crying – and okay yes, I know that I am an easy crier but I seriously had ALL THE FEELS.

There are plot twists that I didn’t see coming that had me setting down the book in surprise. The introduction of some brand new characters has me thirsting for new stories for everyone in the book because so many remain unexplored! I really hope Ahdieh releases at least some novellas about them in the near future.

The relationship between Shazi and Khalid develops even further, along with their characters. More information about Khalid is given, and it makes me love him even more. The unfailing support that Shazi offers him made my heart swell!

Overall an amazing duology that I have no doubt I’ll be rereading again in the future.

Review: The Wrath and the Dawn by Reneé Ahdieh

The Wrath and the Dawn by Reneé Ahdieh

Series: The Wrath and the Dawn #1

Published: May 12, 2015

Rating: 4.5/5

Goodreads

One Life to One Dawn.

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?

I was sooo close to rating this book five stars because it was absolutely enchanting, but there were a few things that held me back from giving it the penultimate rating.

Ahdieh’s writing is absolutely transporting – I felt as though I were truly a part of the story and the tension kept me on the edge of my seat. However, in a few places, I felt that the situation or scenery was being explained to me rather than shown to me which seemed disjointed when compared to the prose surrounding these sections. There was also a lot of terminology that had me flipping to the glossary in the back during the middle of the story because the word wasn’t explained other than a vague reference to it “an endearment” or “a title.” This part helped to build the world of the story once the meanings were understood but was a little annoying at the beginning.

Hate-to-love romance is one of my favorite tropes of all time, which is my way of saying I loved the romance. Shazi and Khalid provide perfect foils for each other, pointing out each other’s weaknesses and strengths and helping each other flourish. There is a side romance between two characters that I also love and is further explored in a companion novella which I will be reading and reviewing later.

The one other issue I had with with this book was a plot point that seemed odd to me. It is mentioned repeatedly that Shazi is close with a very important and powerful family in this book who is one of Khalid’s bannermen. It was very strange to me that Shazi was not familiar with any of Khalid’s past, given that he was the King of Kings and would likely be talked about in the powerful circles. That being said, I don’t know enough about the court life and communication of the time period to know whether the personal life of the Caliph would be known among the nobility.

I absolutely cannot wait to read the sequel because this installment was absolutely amazing! I don’t want this story to end!

TBR Tuesday

Behold! Here is a brief look at two of the top books in my To-Be-Read pile.

I will be the first to admit that I am a hoppy reader. I will jump between four books at any given time. Currently, I am reading Winter, The Star-Touched Queen,  The Grisha Trilogy, and re-reading City of Bones. One of the books that I am highlighting today, which I have been wanting to read for over a year now is:

The Wrath and the Dawn by Rennee Ahdieh

I absolutely love retellings, and was so happy when I heard there would be one about A Thousand and One Nights! I was anxiously anticipating this book even before it came out, however, for some reason I just have not sat down and read it! With the release of Empire of Storms out of the way, hopefully I will be able to crank this read out.

The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks

I am always on the look out for new assassins stories. The Night Angel Trilogy was recommended to me by a friend. Hopefully I will get to read this one soon! I started reading the first few chapters, and I love scrappy little Azoth. Can’t wait to see this little street urchin transform into the assassin he was meant to be.

What books have you guys been waiting to read?

Happy reading!

Emily