The Wrath and The Dawn (The Wrath and The Dawn #1) by Renée Ahdieh Review *SPOILER ALERT*

5/5 Stars

Details of the Book

Hardcover, 388 pages.

Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons

Publication Date: May 12, 2015

Buy it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository |

Synopsis: 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.

*WARNING* This review is laced with SPOILERS!

This is me right after finishing The Wrath and The Dawn:

I'm so angry at myself for not reading this book sooner because it is utter perfection. I loved every second of it. It lives up to all of its hype and is unlike any book I have ever read. Not only was it entertaining but I felt that I was learning as I was reading—there is real substance in the intricacy of its plot. I'm so overwhelmed with love for this book that I can scarcely find the words to describe it.

Renée Ahdieh's writing is truly amazing. Not only does she have a well-developed and thought out plot, her characters are enchanting and amusing. My favorite character is Shazi, and I absolute love her tenacity and her spunk. She decides her own fate and makes others bend to her will. She embodies everything I wish I could be as a woman. I also love Khalid, and I was rooting for him since his first appearance in the novel. Look out for a book boyfriend post from me about him very soon.

I fell in love with this book from its first page. Many people implored me to read it, and I should have listened to them sooner. Listen to me guys—read The Wrath and The Dawn as soon as possible.

Strengths/Likes:

1) Shazi and Khalid are absolutely adorable. Their relationship doesn't contain any of the usual tropes that are common in YA novels. They learn to trust and understand each other so that when all of the secrets come out, they stand strong together. I can't get over how great they are as a couple.

2) I love Shazi. She's sassy and determined, and there is nothing she can't do. No matter how precarious of a position she is in, she finds a way out of it and comes out on top. Shazi always seems to be in control of every situation and is a force to be reckoned with.

3) Ahdieh seamlessly weaves in multiple POVs throughout the story. Her characters have very distinct ways of thinking and speaking, which makes it easy to tell whose head you're in. She also uses her characters' perspectives to add various layers to her plot.

4) I love the development of the plot. I originally wasn't sure what to expect, knowing that this book is based on A Thousand and One Nights. However, I think this re-imagined plot still honors the original tale while giving it a new and captivating spin.

5) I can't speak about the accuracy of the cultural aspects in the book, but I feel that I learned a few new things about Arabic culture. If I'm honest, I felt a bit like an uncultured swine while reading (and I probably am) because of how many things I had to look up, though I'm glad for the knowledge Ahdieh has bestowed upon me.

6) The dialogue. I can't tell you how many times I laughed or swooned over the conversations between the characters. I often did this while reading:

Weaknesses/Dislikes:

1) The Rose and The Dagger comes out in 2016.

Favorite Quotes/Moments:

When writing a review, I use post-its to mark things I want or need to remember later on. Even without knowing my color-code, I'm sure you guys can see why it was really difficult for me to narrow it down to just these quotes. The ones I picked here are the ones that contain the least amount of spoilers.

1) Shahrzad's mouth fell agape. "Listen to me: we can either stand in the hallways of the palace and shout at each other, or you can let me have my way now and spare yourself the trouble. When I was twelve, my best friend and I were falsely accused of stealing a necklace. The shopkeeper's fourteen-year-old son said he would let us go for a kiss each. I broke his nose, and my best friend shoved him in a trough of water. When we were confronted by his father, we denied the entire incident, and I had to sit outside our door for a whole night. It was the best sleep of my life."

"And your point is?"

"I never lose, nor am I afraid to spill blood."

2) "There are no excuses for what happened this morning. I want you to—"

"Where were you?" Shahrzad tried to control the tremor in her voice.

"Not where I should have been."

"This morning and last night."

His breath fanned on her skin as he bent toward her ear. "This morning, I was not where I should have been. Last night, I was not where I wanted to be."

3) "Good evening, sayyidi," Jalal said in a loud tone.

Shahrzad wrinkled her nose at Jalal.

"Don't do that, my lady. You ruin your face when you do that," he teased.

"Good evening, Jalal. And I disagree," Khalid retorted under his breath.

Jalal laughed heartily. "My apologies, then. If you would permit me this indulgence in its place, sayyidi: I do believe every man here is currently reassessing his notion of beauty."

Despina was right. He is such a consummate flirt. 

"Stop it." Shahrzad flushed, glaring at Jalal's arrogant mien.

"Now, that... ruins nothing." Jalal said.

"At last, we agree on something." Khalid spoke to Jalal, though his eyes lingered on Shahrzad.

4) "When she smiled at Khalid as though they shared a lifetime of secrets, an ugly series of images flickered through Shahrzad's mind—most of them beginning and ending with mahogany curls being torn by their roots from the beautiful girl's head."