The Wrath and the Dawn
The Wrath and the Dawn - Renee Ahdieh
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?
My Thoughts:
**Any book review will most likely contain spoilers**
This retelling of "A Thousand and One Nights" was a page-turner. I enjoyed the mystery aspect of this story, reading this book and not knowing the reason behind the dawn murders made me want to keep reading. However, I also had a love hate relationship with this book. I did like the growing affection Shahrzad and Khalid had for each other and the overall growth of Khalid's character as seen by the people who have known him his whole life. Shahrzad's character was always conflicted with something, which was interesting in both good and bad ways. Her inner battle of either remaining devoted to her reason to volunteer to be Khalid's next wife, or actually giving into her feelings for Khalid was a constant tug-of-war in her mind. That aspect of the book was very interesting; it makes one think what would you do in this situation. One thing I do not like is the love triangle. I find Tariq whiny and possessive, you cannot rescue someone who does not want to be rescued. Escaping was far from Shahrzad's mind. In the beginning for her, it was more like kill or be killed. She knew that by volunteering, she was giving up her whole life and the future possibilities that would have been possible had she not. Overall, I enjoyed the author Renee Ahdieh’s writing. I thought Shahrzad's inner struggle was written to a point where it can get readers thinking about what choice they would make.
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