Review for: The Wrath and the Dawn

Author: Renée Ahdieh

Genre: YA fantasy romance (retelling)

Rating: ★★★★★

Short Summary:

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?"

- Summary via Goodreads

“So you would have me throw Shazi to the wolves?” “Shazi?” Jalal’s grin widened. “Honestly, I pity the wolves.”

The Plot:

This book is a retelling of "One thousand and one nights". I am not familiar with that particular story so I cannot confidently say whether or not this is an excellent retelling but what I can say is that this story was brilliant. The plot might not be fast-paced but it is such a lush and beautiful story. I would have finished this book in one sitting if it was not for daily responsibilities, but I did finish this book in two days. I was immediately entranced in this captivating and dark world. The romance was everything I had hoped for and I loved every second of it. I can't put into words how much this story touched me. It was just one of those books that did everything right in my opinion.

“You have a beautiful laugh. Like the promise of tomorrow.”

The characters:

I loved all of them. Yes I did. Shahrzad (Shazi) is such a strong willed protagonist. She is definitely one of my new favourite characters. She is headstrong and unyielding. Khalid is a rather morally grey character (immediately stole my heart *swoon*). Shazi and Khalid's dialogue was one of my favourite aspects in this book. Their chemistry was amazing in my opinion and I loved their interactions. Despina and Shazi's friendship was nice to read about. Their banter back and forth really solidified their friendship. The other characters like Jalal, Tariq and Rahim were so well developed for side characters. There was such great banter between all of the characters! Their interactions with each other felt so natural and so real. Overall these characters crept into my heart.

“My soul sees its equal in you.”

Overall thoughts:

I loved this book with every fiber of my being. I am aware that this book might not be for everyone but I adored this story. The writing is so beautiful and the flow of the story was spectacular. This is a book that I will never forget. I know I am hyping this one up a lot, but there was just something in this story that really resonated with me.

“Love is—a shade of what I feel.”

Thank you for reading my review! And remember to always read to your heart's content ♡