The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn, #1) in Owls Be Reading

Dec 21, 2015 Lonna | FLYLēF rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2016-challenge

Original Post: The Wrath and the Dawn at FLYLēF (www.flylef.com)

I’VE ALWAYS HAD a fondness for cultures. I think people are infinitely interesting, and their history—a fountain of knowledge. Rénee Ahdieh artfully crafts a culturally exotic and vivid backdrop to delight the senses in her retelling of A Thousand and One Nights with The Wrath and the Dawn.

Khalid, 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.

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Sep 24, 2017 Tracey rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-stars

So. Darn. Good.

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May 16, 2015 Alyxandria Ang rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

What the hell did I just read? Utterly and painstakingly beautiful writing and story. OMG I can't wait to get my review up.

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Feb 17, 2014 Alexandra rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015

I mostly love reading books related to "Arabian Nights". Renee didn't disappoint me with her story! It has everything: words in Arabic, sensual descriptions of a world in the desert, magic and a great atmosphere where hatred and love bloom.

Shahrzad decides to marry the all-scary boy king who every dawn kills his wives and no one knows why. Determined to destroy him for killing her friend she doesn't expect to gorw feelings for him and later discover his secrets.

I am not sure if this book reminde ...more

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Feb 16, 2015 Jessica Nicole rated it it was amazing

I picked this book up on a whim. I had seen the cover around the blogosphere, but I didn’t even read the synopsis. I’m sort of a judge a book by it’s cover kind of girl, so if the cover is pretty, I don’t feel the need to really know a lot about the book to read it.

The Wrath and the Dawn was beautiful. It’s really mostly a romance, and I loved it. It’s a take on 1001 Nights, with Shahrzad (nicknamed Shazi, thank goodness) volunteering to become the bride of a ruler who takes a new bride every da I picked this book up on a whim. I had seen the cover around the blogosphere, but I didn’t even read the synopsis. I’m sort of a judge a book by it’s cover kind of girl, so if the cover is pretty, I don’t feel the need to really know a lot about the book to read it.

The Wrath and the Dawn was beautiful. It’s really mostly a romance, and I loved it. It’s a take on 1001 Nights, with Shahrzad (nicknamed Shazi, thank goodness) volunteering to become the bride of a ruler who takes a new bride every day, only to murder them the next morning. Shazi volunteers so that she can exact revenge on Khalid, the ruler, for her friend that was a murdered bride. What Shazi and everyone outside the palace doesn’t understand is that Khalid isn’t murdering his brides because he’s a monster. He’s doing it to save his kingdom.

So obviously, not to be killed, Shazi has to bewitch Khalid; not in the magical sense, but she tells him a story that he wants to know the end of, but she refuses to finish until the next night. This goes on until they form an interesting relationship. Shazi, though telling herself she is only there for revenge, begins to develop feelings for Khalid, and he for her.

I was worried at the beginning that I wouldn’t be too interested in the stories Shazi tells, but Renee Ahdieh writes them in a way that keeps the reader as interested as Khalid. Especially once Shazi tells stories that are somewhat parallel to their situation. I loved watching Khalid fall in love with Shazi, and the climactic scene was PERFECT. It was absolutely how I wanted to happen, and I didn’t even know it until we got there.

There are some truly likable secondary characters, including Shazi’s maid and the captain of the Guard. Both are jovial and witty, bringing some comedic relief and levity to Shazi and Khalid’s seriousness. There’s a secondary plot-line that included a love triangle (that was doomed from the start, thank goodness) that wasn’t quite as interesting to me, but became very important by the end, with one of Shazi’s friends stirring up rebellion against Khalid since he doesn’t understand what’s truly going on at the palace.

I hated the ending. Only because it was a cliffhanger. Mostly. And now I need the next book. Like, yesterday, would be nice.

See this review and others like it in a more awesome format at Ramblings On Readings

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Dec 01, 2017 Katrina Southern rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017-kindle-reads, netgalley-reads, favorites, 4-5-star

One final read accomplished before the end of November! Hooray! And boy oh boy, it's a good'n. I was a little sceptical going in - while this book has received some great reviews, many have talked about some pretty glaring problems. But I liked Ahdieh's 'Flame In The Mist' and was so glad that I adored this one even more! I have of course enjoyed books based on the age old 'One Thousand & One Nights' before, and Scheherezade's story has always interested me most of all. Who doesn't love a story- ...more

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Dec 25, 2016 Christina rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, young-adult, own

Why didn’t I read this book as soon as I bought it? – me @ myself

The Wrath and the Dawn was oddly what I did and did not expect. I knew from reading reviews that the storytelling would be beautiful and that the romance was written in an admirably eloquent style and at times just plain swoon-worthy (of course that’s where the conflict comes in with the plot and its questions on whether Khalid is actually a monster or not).

At first, I was wary because of the hype and how often hype lets m ...more

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Jan 24, 2015 Jessica | Bookish Serendipity rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2015-arcs-print, tbtb-secret-santa-2015

The Wrath And The Dawn was one of my most anticipated reads for 2015 and when I was lucky enough to get an ARC in the mail, I squealed. Thankfully, it completely lived up to my expectations and I’m more than happy to give it 5 stars.

I personally haven’t read A Thousand And One Nights (the story on which this novel is based) so I can’t comment on the retelling aspect, but I did love the concept! Shazi volunteers to be Khalid’s next bride to avenge her best friend’s murder, but ends up realizing t The Wrath And The Dawn was one of my most anticipated reads for 2015 and when I was lucky enough to get an ARC in the mail, I squealed. Thankfully, it completely lived up to my expectations and I’m more than happy to give it 5 stars.

I personally haven’t read A Thousand And One Nights (the story on which this novel is based) so I can’t comment on the retelling aspect, but I did love the concept! Shazi volunteers to be Khalid’s next bride to avenge her best friend’s murder, but ends up realizing that the real reason why he is murdering young girls each dawn is more complicated than it seems. That’s a pretty cool concept, and I really loved the diversity. I’ve personally never read a retelling based on an Arabian story before.

The romance is obviously the main aspect of the story and I think the main reason that it worked so well was because both characters were so strong on their own. Shazi seems to be a pretty quiet person in general but trust me, you do NOT want to make her angry. She stands by her beliefs and is willing to stick up for herself.

At first, Khalid appeared to be the stereotypical mysterious boy but I loved getting to know him better throughout the book. He’s quite sweet and you can tell that he honestly believes he’s doing what is best for the people, even if it isn’t necessarily what he thinks is right. These two people are great characters individually, and completely adorable together!

“My soul sees its equal in you.”
― Renee Ahdieh. The Wrath And The Dawn

The story world in which this novel is set is so amazing as well! It’s mostly set in Khalid’s palace, but there are also a few scenes around the country during the brief POVs from other characters. The author’s writing is dazzling, and very descriptive. Everything is described in detail, and it really brings the world to life.

And what about that ending? I cannot deal with that, people. It completely broke my heart. The Wrath And The Dawn was almost perfect, and I need to sequel as soon as possible. 2016 cannot come soon enough. Run, down walk to your nearest bookstore (or online website for purchasing books). :-)
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