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Sunday, April 3, 2016

The Rose and The Dagger by Renée Ahdieh ARC Review


The Rose and The Dagger (TW&TD #2) by Renée Ahdieh
Paperback ARC, 416 pages
Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons BFYR
Pre-Order: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
I am surrounded on all sides by a desert. A guest, in a prison of sand and sun. My family is here. And I do not know whom I can trust.

In a land on the brink of war, Shahrzad has been torn from the love of her husband Khalid, the Caliph of Khorasan. She once believed him a monster, but his secrets revealed a man tormented by guilt and a powerful curse—one that might keep them apart forever. Reunited with her family, who have taken refuge with enemies of Khalid, and Tariq, her childhood sweetheart, she should be happy. But Tariq now commands forces set on destroying Khalid's empire. Shahrzad is almost a prisoner caught between loyalties to people she loves. But she refuses to be a pawn and devises a plan.

While her father, Jahandar, continues to play with magical forces he doesn't yet understand, Shahrzad tries to uncover powers that may lie dormant within her. With the help of a tattered old carpet and a tempestuous but sage young man, Shahrzad will attempt to break the curse and reunite with her one true love.





Why, oh why does this have to be the end? I will never get tired of Shazi and Khalid, and just like with The Wrath & The Dawn, I wanted to reread this book immediately after I finished it! 



Renée really knows how to jerk her readers around and scare the hell out of them! I mean, look at my updates while I was reading! I was an emotional mess XD


This is not a book that you sit back and relax with. No, no . . . while reading, you'd better have a box of tissues and some painkillers for the impending chest pains. 


Shazi and Khalid are still adorable, and all of their scenes are going to make you swoon. Oh, and I love Shazi, I idolize her so freaking much; I just want to be her! Regardless of the situation, she always seems in-control and confident.


Bottom line is that this book is amazing and if you loved The Wrath and The Dawn, you're going to love The Rose & The Dagger.


1) I will forever love Shazi. She is definitely one of my role models, and I wish I could just be her because she's so sassy and confident.

2) Oh Khalid, how much I adore you. He is so dreamy, that whenever he's in a scene or I'm reading from his POV, you can bet that I'm a total fangirling mess.


3) Well, I love Shazi and I love Khalid, and together, I love them even more. They are a good balance to one another and they bring out the best qualities in each other. I also love how in their relationship, they're equals. She saves him, and he saves her. Neither one is weak, and they both need each other.


4) Renée's writing is as amazing as ever. She really knows how to capture her character's voices, so it was easy for me to distinguish whose head I was in. Just like The Wrath and The Dawn, this book is written from several different POVs, but it's not overdone and it truly gives the reader a full and well-rounded picture of the entire plot. 

5) I really love that we get to learn more about Irsa and her relationship with Shazi. There aren't a lot of sister relationships in YA and this is a breath of fresh air. You even get to see another side to Shazi in seeing her relationship with her sister. 


1) I wish that Jalal and Despina had more page time in The Rose & The Dagger. I love these two and I wish we had more of them.

2)  Some of the problems in the book were resolved rather easily. Things that seemed hopeless or difficult to work out appeared to be rather simple. I can't expand on this without spoiling it for you guys, so you'll just have to read it and decide for yourselves.

3) I'm sure how to feel about the new characters that are introduced in this book. I liked them, but we don't really get to know a lot about them, and since this is a duology, we won't get to know about them. Maybe there will be a companion book? *fingers crossed*








I'd love to share more quotes with you guys but that would be too spoilery! I hope you guys enjoyed this review ^_^

8 comments:

  1. I know I am in the minority here, but I was one of those that DNF The Wrath & The Dawn. I KNOW, RIGHT?! Something with their names confused me. I want to give it another shot once all the books are out. I might also need a break from YA fantasy. I think I am a little burnt out from all the books that have been released recently.

    Great review!!!

    Ana @ Owl Always Be Reading

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  2. I am so glad you loved The Rose and the Dagger. I seriously adore Renee's writing. I think I would enjoy reading her grocery list. I can't wait to see what she'll do next! Beautiful review Brittany

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  3. So jelly right now. LOL! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Obviously I can't wait to read it myself. Thanks for the fantastic review. :o)

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  4. Great review Brittany!!!! I'm so glad that it was everything you were hoping for and MORE! I didn't really like Wrath so I won't continue the series but I am SOOO happy that for you and everyone else (because I suck and am a black sheep) will love this book.

    Her writing is gorgeous, that I did love! Your gifs are always so spot on. ;D

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  5. I'm so glad you loved this one!!! Everything about this review makes me so happy :D I can't wait for more pages with Khalid (my love! <3) and Shazi roasting everyone (she's so fierce - I love her too).

    Aww, though I would like more time with Jalal and Despina! Ever since reading the Moth and the Flame, they also hold a special place in my heart. *heart eyes* THOSE QUOTES! <3

    - Aila @ One Way Or An Author

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  6. Yay :D Lovely review Brittany. <3 So glad you loved this one :D I have yet to read book one.. but very soon, once I get this one in the mail, lol :D I think I will love them too. I hope. So happy you weren't disappointed by this book :) Thank you for sharing your lovely thoughts. <3

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  7. Oh my gosh. We are impatiently awaiting this one (only two weeks--ahh)! Shazi and Khalid are the ultimate OTP. Your GIFS are totally on point. It looks like this book will give us all the feels... which we're totally anticipating!

    Sad to hear that Jalal and Despina didn't have a lot of page time. They are SO CUTE together! I'm hoping this one increases on the magic factor--book one definitely had magic, but if this one has even more... that would be awesome. That's the only reason we gave book 1 4.5/5 stars--the heavy-handed romance. Not that we really minded, though. ;)

    Great review! We hope to love this one as much as you did.

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  8. I loved The Wrath and the Dawn! ♥♥♥ However, I am SCARED of what I will read in The Rose and the Dagger. It sounds painful. Beautiful, but painful. I sometimes feel like my heart will stop working from all the pain I put it through because of books like this one. Oh well! #boookmasochist :D

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