The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh (Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads)Also by this author: Flame in the Mist
Published by PUTNAM CHILDREN on May 12th 2015
Genres: Historical, Young Adult
Pages: 416
Format: ARC
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.
I purposely waited to read The Wrath and the Dawn because I knew the second I read it I was going to want to read more by Renee Ahdieh and I wasn’t wrong. I loved the way this story came together and can’t wait to be able to dive back into this world and see what happens next for these characters. I have sworn to myself that I won’t ruin this one for anyone so no spoilers and hopefully what little I can talk about below does the story enough justice for you to want to go out and get this book as soon as possible.
Shazi has a plan to avenge the death of her best friend. Having died at the hands of Khalid, the Caliph of Khorasan, Shazi volunteers to become his next wife…and potentially his next victim. Every morning the Caliph sends his wife to death and no one understands why and Shazi has decided she is going to be the one to either figure it out, or die trying.
As Shazi takes her place as the Queen, she has a plan to extend her life. I found it interesting that she was relying on a story to save her life but she made it work. As the story progressed, it was clear Shazi struggled with what she was supposed to do and how she was feeling. Overall I liked her as a main character though. She went into the situation with a hope of getting revenge for her best friend and ended up with more than she bargained for.
Khalid is an interesting character too. He has a big secret and he isn’t willing to burden anyone with it. Because of that, he is very careful about who he trusts and how things are handled with his wives. When Shazi volunteered for the role, he was intrigued and when he met her, things were very different than they had been in the past. Khalid begins to care and although he attempts to do what he thinks he has to, in the end, he wants something more for himself…at the cost of something greater.
As these two struggle to come to terms with their feelings and actions, they both also know there is something bigger they have to figure out. In the end, they both make choices about what they will and won’t do and it impacts them and everyone else around them.
So I am sure that sounded super vague but I can’t help it. I don’t want to give anything away as there are quite a few things going on with these two. What I can say is that Ahdieh has created some wonderful, complex characters, not only with these two but also the secondary cast. I loved Jalal and although I couldn’t quite figure Despina out, I liked her and thought she was a good balance to Shazi. Tariq drove me nuts and although I get where he was coming from, I still didn’t like him.
There isn’t much else I can share about this book without giving anything away and you know me, I never want to ruin a book for anyone. If you’re looking for a story that has beautiful writing and a wonderful story, consider checking this one out. I couldn’t put this book down and I am looking forward to the next book…I mean really, can’t wait to get the next one (anyone who has an early copy…feel free to share).
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