The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn, #1) in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

Nov 21, 2014 cc rated it did not like it

Shelves: 2015-published, love-triangle-ugh, nope

Love triangle

...more

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Mar 24, 2016 Francesca the Fierce (Under the Covers Book Blog) rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-audio-books, genre-young-adult, books-read-2016

I wanted to read something different and when I read a few of the reviews for this book I knew this was it. This is a young adult book but to me it felt a bit more mature. The story revolves around a romance so even though this is a fantasy as well, the romance element is the biggest thing in this particular book. And yet, it leaves me itching to know more about the world developments in the end.

Our hero, Khalid, takes a new bride every night and then has her executed at sunrise. Shahrzad vo

I wanted to read something different and when I read a few of the reviews for this book I knew this was it. This is a young adult book but to me it felt a bit more mature. The story revolves around a romance so even though this is a fantasy as well, the romance element is the biggest thing in this particular book. And yet, it leaves me itching to know more about the world developments in the end.

Our hero, Khalid, takes a new bride every night and then has her executed at sunrise. Shahrzad volunteers to be his next bride after her best friend was chosen to be his bride and was executed. She now wants revenge from the evil ruler. How she plan on surviving? By telling him a story and withholding the ending of it if he lets her live. Their connection grows with each passing day, but also Shazi’s feelings. Because things aren’t always what they seem, and Khalid is keeping a secret she wants to uncover.

But I digress from the couple because I actually did like them both very much. I also really liked the side characters, though. There’s a loveable cast that fills up this story. The setting… I LOVED! It’s depicted beautifully and I’m a sucker for it. I do think the story was a bit slower paced than I would’ve liked and when we finally get to the meat of things closer to the end then it’s non-stop action at fast pace and then the book ends. And leaves you sort of hanging.

Overall, this story kept me interested in its characters and its outcome. There is a tiny bit of a love triangle that I’m sure we will explore more of in the next book. And the writing… well the writing truly kept me riveted to the pages. It’s just beautiful and transported me to this wonderful world with the pictures it painted. It made me want to uncover Khalid’s secrets just as much as Shazi. And it definitely whet my appetite for book 2.

Favorite Quotes:

“What are you doing to me, you plague of a girl?” he whispered.
“If I’m a plague, then you should keep your distance, unless you plan on being destroyed.” The weapons still in her grasp, she shoved against his chest.
“No.” His hands dropped to her waist. “Destroy me.”

“The world itself should fear me if it stands between us.” ...more

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Nov 30, 2017 Rachel rated it really liked it

Shelves: retellings, series-i-won-t-finish, ya-fantasy-series, completed-series, 1st, zz2-book-series

4.4

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Apr 29, 2015 Tanya Lee rated it it was amazing

Shelves: otp

I need more Shazi and Khalid.

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Nov 10, 2014 Anna rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, fiction

The Wrath & The Dawn is a retelling of Arabian Nights told within a fantasy world. Khorsan is ruled by an eighteen year old king or caliph, Khalid who takes a new bride each day only to have her killed the following morning. The future brides are chosen at random throughout the city, but when her best friend is subject to the Caliph’s cruelty, Shahrzad (or Shazi) offers herself as his next bride. Shahrzad plan is to make Khalid pay for the pain he has caused Khorsan and for killing her best frie The Wrath & The Dawn is a retelling of Arabian Nights told within a fantasy world. Khorsan is ruled by an eighteen year old king or caliph, Khalid who takes a new bride each day only to have her killed the following morning. The future brides are chosen at random throughout the city, but when her best friend is subject to the Caliph’s cruelty, Shahrzad (or Shazi) offers herself as his next bride. Shahrzad plan is to make Khalid pay for the pain he has caused Khorsan and for killing her best friend. She creates wonderful, intricate stories each night to tell, but holds a little back each morning so he will continue to seek more from her until she can find a way to end his life. However, as she wraps Khalid within her stories, she becomes more enraptured by him and is determined to understand why he kills his brides.

The city is bewildered as the King’s newest bride survives her first morning, and then the next, until she has been alive long enough to spur theories about the Caliph’s feelings. However, there is unrest brewing in the city with Shahrzad’s first love, Tariq, is planning to overthrow the king and rescue Shazi. The readers also get glimpses of Shahrzad’s father becoming more and more obsessed with rescuing his daughter that he begins to delve into dark magic and lose his own humanity.

This book is full of a cast of diverse characters that can fit into the hands of those students who love fairy tale retellings, even if they aren’t familiar with Arabian Nights, they are sure to be interested to find out the mystery of Khalid and to see if Shahrzad succeeds in her plan. The world that Ahdieh has created is fully developed with characters having traditional Arabic names and locations being described in full detail. There were many times as I was reading descriptions of the palace that I needed to pause and imagine the magnificent rooms being described. There are multiple perspectives within the story that lends a unique element to this story, Shahrzad is the main character that readers are with the most, but there are times we find out what Tariq is up to, glimpses of Khalid and his mystery, and Shahrzad’s father delving into dark magic. Readers never stay too long with Khalid and Shahrzad’s father to fully understand what they are doing or going through.

This is a book that will stand out from the shelves due to its unique spin on its retelling of the Arabian Nights, the cast of diverse characters, and the mystery of Khalid that will keep readers turning the pages to find out what happens. ...more

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