the wrath and the dawn – as told by zaheerah

Rating: ★★★★☆ (3.5/5)

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

Every night the bride of the Caliph of Khorasan is killed. Until Shazi volunteers to outwit and kill the king in revenge for the death of her best friend. In the vein of the original 1001 nights, she holds off her death by telling a story every night the extends onto another.

I think The Wrath and the Dawn started off really well for me. It’s plot really grabbed from the very beginning, and it did exceed my expectations. Ahdieh has a gorgeous writing style that suits this novel’s intriguing plot. There’s a lot of quote-worthy lines that I really liked, but it was a shame I didn’t really feel the connection between them for it to really hit deep. There’s a magic system that I enjoyed but isn’t really introduced fully yet which I hope gets developed in the sequel.

Shahrzad is a great female lead. Her charismatic behaviour and sharp wit was amusing and her bravery had me rooting for her from the very beginning. But that very much drops very soon once you realise she has no idea what she’s going despite the story setting her up as this character that knows what she’s doing. How she managed to fall in love with him was questionable considering her aims. Khalid wasn’t even that great anyway. His mysterious persona wasn’t that interesting enough to want to care for him, I just wanted to know why he killed those girls, not really caring for his character. The background characters were actually my favourites of the plot I feel like we should’ve gotten a bit more background information and set up at the beginning of the novel before we get pushed straight into the story. I find it strange that enjoyed the plot of this book but didn’t enjoy its characters.

The Wrath and the Dawn have its obvious appeal to romance and retelling lovers. Despite its flaws, I did actually quite enjoy reading this book. It’s vibrant setting, and secondary characters are its most significant highlights. With a cliff-hanger like that, I do intend to read the sequel.

GOODREADS | THE BOOK DEPOSITORY | AUTHOR SITE

Hello, I am basically back from the dead and to kickstart my comeback and to make myself get back into the habit of reading, I am doing the #1KBE A Thousand Beginnings and Endings Reading Challenge. This started two days ago and in my usual fashion, I am starting it very late.

What is A Thousand Beginnings and Endings?

A Thousand Beginnings and Endings is an upcoming anthology featuring retellings of mythology and legends from East Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. The collection is edited by Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman, and will feature stories from a variety of authors.

How am I participating?

Every prompt from the image above is an author and to complete the prompt you have to read one of their published book/short fiction/poetry/article. The challenge is completed when you finish four prompts in any direction.

I am reading from the top left-hand box and moving to the right. And here is my TBR!

Cindy Pon – Want

Jason Zhou survives in a divided society where the elite use their wealth to buy longer lives. The rich wear special suits that protect them from the pollution and viruses that plague the city, while those without suffer illness and early deaths. Frustrated by his city’s corruption and still grieving the loss of his mother, who died as a result of it, Zhou is determined Hungry
by Shveta Thakrar (Goodreads Author)
3.44 · Rating details · 9 Ratings · 1 Review
When a rakshasi — a monster from Hindu mythology — awakens after centuries,she’s very, very hungry.to change things, no matter the cost.

Hungry by Shveta Thakrar
When a rakshasi — a monster from Hindu mythology — awakens after centuries, she’s very, very hungry. (No Cover because this was a short posted on Tumblr)

Melissa De La Cruz – Something in Between

Jasmine de los Santos has always done what’s expected of her. Pretty and popular, she’s studied hard, made her Filipino immigrant parents proud and is ready to reap the rewards in the form of a full college scholarship.

And then everything shatters. A national scholar award invitation compels her parents to reveal the truth: their visas expired years ago. Her entire family is illegal. That means no scholarships, maybe no college at all and the very real threat of deportation.

The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn #1) by Renee Ahdieh

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.

Okay!! This is a very rushed post but here is the TBR and I’ll get started on this very quickly!

Tag: the wrath and the dawn

Archives