Tuesday, October 25, 2016

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. 







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.



36 comments:

  1. That's awesome that you were able to enjoy this one so much, Ali! I love books that can keep me reading until early in the morning! I wasn't a fan of the book, but I'm glad you were a fan! Can't wait to see what you think of book 2!
    Great review, Ali.

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    1. Sorry it didn't work for you Nick, I'm really hoping book two will be just as good for me.

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  2. So glad that you ended up loving this one. I haven't read it yet but I'm tempted now!

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  3. I've been hesitating on this series too Ali for the exact same reason. And I had no idea there were prequels! It worked out really well for me when I read the prequels for Throne of Glass, they're what made me love the series when the first one was just okay for me, so I'm looking forward to falling in love with this series too!

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    1. Oh I love that Jenny! I haven't read all the prequels for this but I did read one of them and really liked it as well. I hope this ends up being a series you like too. I've seen some great reviews for the second book as well so I'm hopeful I will like it too.

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  4. Oh one of my all time favorite tales and this sounds like a fantastic retelling! Thanks Kindlemom

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  5. I have read some godo reviews for this and now your review convinced me I need to read it. I am adding it to my TBR.

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  6. Hooray!! I'm glad you loved this one too! I have the second book, but I need to read it already. Haha I'm forever behind. :P

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    1. I have it too, I feel behind as well. Hopefully we both can get to it soon. ;)

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  7. It's great that you took a chance and ended up loving it. I'm the same way, I let the mutterings die down before I pick up a popular book. Helps me remain objective

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  8. Sometimes you just don't know how you will like a book - you have to try it. I'm glad you did and loved it. I need to read this one!

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  9. I'm having the same problem! Everyone loves this book, but it really doesn't sound good to me. Is it true to the original in that all of the magic happens in the stories she tells?

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  10. This sounds fantastic! Your review was amazing! I haven't even heard of it, so I am glad I saw your review first :)

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  11. I'm glad you enjoyed it. The concept seems interesting to the say the least.

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  12. I am so happy you loved this. It is on my list and I keep setting it aside. Good idea on reading the prequel first!

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  13. Ali, I'm so happy you loved this! I must make time for this series as its already on my shelf. I know this is a "Kim" read, lol :)

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  14. Yay for landing on the side of woohoo! That's always awesome. Glad you had fun with it after the hesitation of grabbing it!

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  15. So glad you enjoyed this book so much. It is always great when you have a book you're not sure you're going to like and it ends up a 5 star read. Great review.

    Melanie @ Hot Listens & Rabid Reads

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  16. Oh I'm so happy you loved this -- I've been on the fence too because I've seen such mixed reviews but I may give it a try now! Great review!!

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  17. I'm thrilled this one worked for you, Ali. I had really high expectations for it and it didn't work for me. Hope you also enjoy the sequel.

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    1. Sorry you weren't able to get into it. I'm really hoping I like book two as much as I did this one.

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