Review: The Wrath & the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

Title: The Wrath & the Dawn
Author: Renee Ahdieh
Series: Book One in the Wrath & the Dawn Duology
Published By: Putnam's Sons for Young Readers (May 12, 2015)
Source: Borrowed
Genre: YA Fantasy/Retelling
My Rating: 5 Stars!


Book Description:
One Life to One Dawn.

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. 

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I'm going to be brutally honest and admit that the reason it has taken me so very long to read this, is because of all the mixed reviews and ratings for it. It seems to be one of those books that you either absolutely love or one that you really dislike.

 I decided because of this fact, I would start with the prequels and go from there. When I loved those, I decided it was time to dive in and see what the fuss (both good and bad) was all about.

And can I just say, I loved this? Wholeheartedly and without hesitation, I enjoyed every moment of this, so much so that I finished it in the wee hours of the morning because I just couldn't put it down, and believe me, I had no intention of staying up until 2 in the morning, on a school night of all nights. 

Yep, I just couldn’t get this book out of my head and the slow burning, slow building romance either. 

The characters are all flawed, all fabulous, and all feisty in their own right, especially Despina and Sahvi. Two fierce women that know how to go after what they want unless of course, that want involves matters of the heart. 

Completely captivating, mysterious, and full of a romance that at times will melt your insides with longing. This truly was every bit as good as I was hoping it would be after reading the prequels and I'm not the least bit disappointed that I read it, nor that I lost hours of sleep because of it.