Review on “The Wrath and the Dawn”

Series: The Wrath and the Dawn #1

Genre: Fantasy, YA

Format: Hardback

Publisher: G. P. Putnam’s Sons

Published: May 12th, 2015

Pages: 404

 

Goodreads summary: 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?

Inspired by A Thousand and One Nights, The Wrath and the Dawn is a sumptuous and enthralling read from beginning to end.

 

My thoughts:

“Some things exist in our lives for but a brief moment. And we must let them go on to light another sky.”

I have one thing to say. Khalid. Khalid was everything. This whole book was everything. I honestly have no words for it right now, other than brilliant, mind blowing and breathtaking, of course. Never in my life have I read a story more captivating than this one. All it took was the first three pages and I was completely hooked. It was a truly mesmerizing tale of love and sacrifice, an exquisite piece of fantasy lliterature based on one of the most intriguing stories of all time. A Thousand and One Nights has always been one of my favorite fairytales and Renee Ahdieh managed to capture its theme exceptionally well. I’m having a really hard time finding a book that will satisfy me after this one, and combined with the fact that I’m currently going through college exams and don’t have a lot of time to read in the first place, I think I’m heading for the worse book hangover of all times.

But let’s focus on the brilliance of this book and its amazing plot, which I would characterize with one word enthralling. That’s such an awesome word, isn’t it? Fitting because this book was awesome too. This book was a wild ride of conflicting emotions. Every single page and paragraph compells you to read further and I was dying to know the reason behind Khalid’s murderous sprint by the end of the first chapter! Granted, the plot might be a bit slow at times but Renee’s writing totally makes up for it and the intrigue and suspense is enough to keep you going until you’ve finally reached the end. I also have to talk a bit about the themes the book explores and the depth of the story and its characters. I found myself in a constant stuggle to differentiate between the heroes and villains. The book teaches a wonderful lesson that nothing is black and white and that all is not always what it seems. Khalid, who is supposedly the villain, turns out to be the biggest victim of them all, while Jahandar, who is just a man looking for a way to save his daugther in the beginning of the book, ends up turning into the worst villain, even if his actions are somewhat justified. Even Tariq, who fights for his love, makes you question whether he’s right or wrong to do so and I was constantly conflicted about how to feel about him througout the whole book. And that’s what I love about this book, the fact that it was real and honest and played with some important lessons in life without sugar coating situations.

“The mighty Caliph of Khorasan. The King of Kings. Her beautiful monster.”

And then the characters. Every single one of them had an impressive depth of personality that only added more brilliance to the story. Honestly, the characters are what really made this book for me and I was impressed by how much I connected with them in a very short time. Shahrzad has become one of my favorite female protagonists ever. She’s brave, strong and smart and managed to annoy me only once in the entire book which is a huge accomplishment. She uses her intelligence to survive when so many others have died, enchanting the caliph by weaving tales so mesmerizing that the king could not bear to kill her. And I have to add that I found those stories extremely interesting as well, even though they weren’t part of the main plot.

“Love is a force unto itself, sayyidi. For love, people consider the unthinkable…and often achieve the impossible. I would not sneer at its power.”

And then there is Khalid. Khalid is such a conficted character. You know you have to hate him because he has killed so many girls for seemingly no reason, but at the same time you know there is more behind his seemingly cold and cruel personality and you want to get to know him and understand what defines his actions. And once you do, you can’t help but fall in love, just like Shahrzad fell in love.

“It’s inevitable. When you meet the one who makes you smile as you’ve never smiled before, cry as you’ve never cried before… there is nothing to do but fall.”

Shahrzad’s relationship with Khalid is truly one of the most complex ones I’ve encountered in books and they weren’t even truly together for the most part of the book but I loved how she managed to love him even through hating him for what he’d done and how that love changed him and brought out his softer his softer side. And I also loved how Shahrzad became Khalid’s entire world and how he was willing to sacrifice everything for her. Shahrzad was determined to hate Khalid from the beginning and even though she never stopped holding him accountable for his actions, she recognized that what happened wasn’t entirely his fault and managed to forgive him and even love him once she got to know him better. But even though she did forgive him she still held him accountable for his actions and he held himself accountable as well. Excuses were never made and that’s what I loved about these two the most. That their relationship was so real and honest and that they managed to love each other despite the circumstances that defined them both.

“So I write it to the sky-
I love you, a thousand times over. And I will never apologize for it.”

Also, Tariq. I couldn’t help but love him even though I had decided pretty much from the beginning of the book that I wanted Shahrzad to be with Khalid. I found his character extremely interesting and the fact that he was so determined to fight for his love against all odds truly won me over, even though I kinda hated him for considering Khalid a monster. I’m really curious to see how his character and his relationship with Shahrzad will evolve over the second book and I do hope Renee will give him a happy ending. The side characters were also very well developed but I believe Renee could have worked more with them and give us more information about their past. I loved Jalal but unfortunately Despina left me completely indifferent. Rahim was also great and I though his humor added a nice light touch to the seriousness of the story.

“For nothing, not the sun, not the rain, not even the brightest star in the darkest sky, could begin to compare to the wonder of you.”

Isn’t that just beautiful? Renee’s writing truly captivated me. The whole story and especialy those last few chapters were mind blowing. My heart was literally racing while I was reading them. The writing was exquisite and the dialogue – especially between Khalid and Shahrzad was simply beautiful. I died a hundred times over while reading this. Especially towards the end. And that last chapter only left me wanting more. I wish May was here already.

The world building was also excellent. I loved the Persian setting and found myself transported into a fascinating world of Middle Eastern origins, rich with plenty of cultural references that I found extremely interesting  to read about. And I also loved the fact Renee wasn’t afraid to use non-english terms in this and thought it added a lot to the setting and the reality of the story.

 

Final rating: What else is there to say? This was simply brilliant. A total page turner and a book that deserves to be called a masterpiece in my opinion. One of the most beautiful stories I’ve read in a while. This was easily a five star rating for me, although I wish I could give it a lot more than just five stars. I can’t wait for May to be here already, so I can finally get my hands on The Rose and the Dagger and continue with this amazing story. And if you haven’t read this book yet, waste no time in doing so. You won’t regret it.

 

Here are some of my favorite lines from the book that represent Renee’s flawless writing perfectly:

“In my life, the one thing I have learned above all is that no individual can reach the height of their potential without love of others. We are not meant to be alone, Shahrzad. The more a person pushes others away, the clearer it becomes he is in need of love the most.” (page 137)

“You have a beautiful laugh. Like the promise of tomorrow.” (page 157)

“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 bow and arrow clattered to the ground as he brought his mouth to hers.
And there was no turning back.
She was drowning in sandalwood and sunlight. Time ceased to be more than a notion. Her lips were hers one moment. And then they were his. The taste of him on her tongue was like sunwarmed honey. Like cool water sliding down her parched throat. Like the promise of all her tomorrows in a single sigh. When she wound her fingers in his hair to draw her body against his, he stilled for breath, and she knew, as he knew, that they were lost. Lost forever.
In this kiss.
This kiss that would change everything. (page 167)

“How could a boy with legions of secrets behind walls of ice and stone burn her with nothing more than his touch?” (page 201)

“So you intend to go through life never loving anyone? Just … things?”
“No. I’m looking for something more.”
“More than love?”
“Yes.”
“Is it not arrogant to think you deserve more, Khalid Ibn al-Rashid?”
“Is it so arrogant to want something that doesn’t change with the wind? That doesn’t crumble at the first sign of adversity?”
“You want something that doesn’t exist. A figment of your imagination.”
“No. I want someone who sees beneath the surface-someone who completes the balance. An equal.”
“And how will you know when you’ve found this elusive someone?” Shahrzad retorted.
“I suspect she will be like air. Like knowing how to breathe.” (page 224)

“I told you; don’t try to own me.”
“I don’t want to own you.”
She swiveled her neck to meet his gaze. “Then never speak of sending me away again. I am not yours to do with as you will.”
Khalid’s features smoothed knowingly. “How right you are. You are not mine.” He dropped his palm from the door. “I am yours.” (page 313)

“You must love her a great deal, Khalid – jan.”
“Love is—a shade of what I feel.” (page 326)

“This dangerous girl. This captivating beauty.
This destroyer of worlds and creator of wonder.” (page 329)

“You are ridiculous, Khalid Ibn al-Rashid. I am just one girl. You are the Caliph of Khorasan, and you have a responsibility to a kingdom.”
“If you are just one girl, I am just one boy.” (page 340)

“Get up, Shahrzad al-Khayzuran. You kneel before no one. Least of all me.” (page 349)

“You honestly expect me to breathe in a world without air?”
“I expect you to be stronger than that.”
Her hold on the dagger was gone. It clattered to the floor. Shahrzad brought her palms to his chest. “Hate. Judgement. Retribution. As you said, revenge will never replace what I have lost. What you have lost. All we have is now. And our promise to make it better.”
She wound her fingers into his hair. “There is no one I would rather see the sunrise with than you.”
“Shazi-“
“Be with me tonight. In all ways. Be mine.”
His eyes turned to fire. “I’ve always been yours.” He cupped her chin in his palm. “As you’ve always been mine. (page 351)

“My sould sees its equal in you.”
All that was before her melted into amber and truth.
And, with a kiss, Shahrzad let herself fall.
For the boy who was an impossible, improbable study in constrasts. The boy who burned her life to cinder, only to remake of it a world unlike any she had ever known.
Tonight all that mattered was this.
Their hands threaded above her head. His low whisper in her ear.
Just one boy and one girl. (page 354)

 

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