The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

The Wrath and the Dawn
The Wrath and the Dawn: Book One
Written by Renee Ahdieh
Fantasy, Young Adult, Retellings
Published May 12th 2015 by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
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★★★★★
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?

Shahrzad is a young girl on a mission to avenge her best friend, Shiva. In a twisted tale of curses and slaughter come Khalid - the eighteen year old boy king of Rey. Khalid is notorious for killing a bride every dawn, amongst those murdered at dawn are Shiva. Finally having enough of the mad king, Shahrzad volunteers to be Khalid's next bride. However, her goal is not to be another dead girl at dawn. No, Shahrzad intends to get revenge for the death of so many innocent girls. Unfortunately, setting out on a mission to murder the boy-king is harder than imagined.

Despite how hard she tries, Shahrzad is quickly pulled into a war of wills. She finds herself falling for her best friends murderer despite all Khalid has done. Now she must not only kill a monster, but a man she has grown to love. Amidst falling in love with a monster, another boy arises from Shahrazad's past. Tariq is on a mission to save the girl he has loved since childhood. Both Shahrzad and Tariq's missions collide into a web of betrayal, heartbreak and longing of things neither of them can have.

kynndra's thoughts

Wow. WOW. Now I can completely understand the hype that surrounds this book. Please note that I am writing this at nearly 2 A.M. directly after finishing said book. I was going to wait until the next day to review, but I just couldn't. My feels need to be explored and vented about The Wrath and the Dawn, 'cause holy son of mother that was one hell of a book. ONE HELL OF A BOOK I SAY.

Beware, this is more gushing than anything else. But I can't be bothered.

Let me start with the bad. Ha! Just kidding, there is no bad. Just a personal issue. It took me a good eighty or so pages to adjust to the rich culturistic aspect of the story. Every time I'd come across a term I didn't know I'd have to google it because I'm a curious little moose and have to be able to envision what I'm reading. Unfortunately I didn't realize until the end that there was a glossary, so incase you read this book and you're thinking you won't understand a few terms or objects then yee just turn to the back and BAM your issue is solved. In the end I really loved that the story had a prominent bit of Persian culture mixed in. I learned a lot of things and was able to have a colorful imagination while reading!

I have no idea what the original story is - I've never read the tale that The Wrath and the Dawn was birthed from but I sure as hell want to. Although, I'm kind of glad I wasn't familiar with the story because everything was a surprise. Let me start by saying that I wasn't sure at first if I would like it. I was doubtful, I was foolish. I waited too long to read this book. The story was brilliant and enthralling. I was fascinated as to why this young king would take a new wife every day, only to kill her at dawn. I had to keep my nimble little fingers from flipping to the end to find out. But UGH THE FEELS WHEN I DID. I loved every second.

The plot kept me on my toes, I genuinely can say I was clutching my phone (which I read on) 85% of the time struggling to stay calm. It was a whole bucket of frantic desperation and panic. Plus the writing was simply breathtaking. There's so many quotes that made me incredibly happy or thoughtful. Renee Ahdieh is a poet, a weaver of nothing but beautiful prose.

“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.”

“No. Destroy Me.”

THE ROMANCE was my everything. It's all I need. No insta-love. Just a good old heartbreaking romance that clutches on and doesn't let go. Khalid had my heart since page one, and Shahrzad quickly followed suite. A damaged boy falls for a girl who gives him air. I DON'T GIVE A DAMN WHAT HE'S DONE. I ship these two more than what is probably considered healthy. I adore both of these characters for different reasons. There's so many moments between these two that was pure PERFECTION.

Tariq can piss off. I don't care about him, not one bit. Other than him, the secondary characters brought a lot of life to the story as well. My personal favorite is Despina (Shahrzad's handmaiden) who was a complete gift to the world. Full of sass and snark which enhanced my love even more when the girls became friends. God, I can't emphasize how much I enjoyed the secondary characters.

In short, I just need the second as soon as I possibly can. I know I say it a lot, but I NEED THIS SEQUEL ASAP. Such a treat this book was.

in conclusion

The Wrath and the Dawn was an unexpected gift upon the literary world. With its enchanting plot, mesmerizing writing and a passionate romance it will surely be an unforgettable retelling for ages to come. The world and the characters were a rich pleasure. Adding a dash of magic and mystery produced a fantastic retelling of The Arabian Nights by the gifted Renee Ahdieh. I simply cannot wait for its sequel, The Rose and the Dagger. May could not come sooner.

Kynndra is currently reading After the End by Amy Plum, and squinting at her computer screen since she only has one contact in.


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32 comments

  1. wow, you stayed up that late to write a review? i think the ones that evoke those kind of feelings in us is what drive us to write reviews so full of passion.
    Blah, that being said, I now need this in my life, the writing sounds A-mazing.

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    1. Oh yes, I couldn't help myself - I just had to. And even now I know I didn't do it justice. It's just so damn good! You're exactly right, Lily. It's always great to feel passion about that particular book that comes along and you just slosh your feelings all over about it. Don't get me started on the writing - which is beyond amazing! Get it as soon as you can, you (hopefully) won't be disappointed c:

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  2. Goodness gracious me, fantastic review! I am a fan of all the rambling, because I know exactly how you feel! This book was just !!!!! And Khalid and Sharzad were like !!!!!!!!!!!! The Rose and the Dagger better come soon! :-)
    -Amy

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    1. Aww, thank you very much Amy. I appreciate it. I agree, this book is !!!!. KHALID AND SHAHRZAD WERE PERF. So, so perfect. I second that, May needed to be here yesterday.

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  3. AHHH I LOVE AND ADORE THIS BOOK TOO. So. so. much. It's one of my top favourites of this year. :') And I'm a huge fan of the original tale too, so it absolutely didn't disappoint there. And that romance...ikr?! Could it be any more wonderful!?!? I need the next book asap. *wishes time to go faster*

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    1. I'M SO HAPPY YOU ADORED IT AS WELL. I have to agree, definitely one of the best releases of 2015. I don't know the original, but I'm so glad to hear fans of that will find pleasure in the retelling of a classic. The romance was spot on, glorious in every aspect. I can't wait for the next c':

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  4. I neeeeeed to read it! Everyone saying it's one of the best books they've read this year and it honestly sounds amazing. Why have I not read it yet?! I wish I wasn't so busy at the moment because it's meant I haven't been able to read as much :( As soon as I have more time though, this one will be wayy up on the list.

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    1. You do need to read it, Lara! Everyone is right, I too agree it's one of the best of 2015. I can't wait until you do read it, I look forward to your thoughts on it c:

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  5. I'm so glad you enjoyed this one, Kynndra. I wanted to love it as much as everyone else, but I struggled with a lot, mainly the main character, the flowery writing and the romance. It makes me happy though to see readers be this passionate about a book! :) I hope book 2 is just as amazing for you!
    Lovely review!

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    1. Ah, all is good, Nick. Not everyone will enjoy it (which is completely understandable) some books just aren't some people's cup of tea. I truly hope that book two exceeds book one! Thank you <33

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  6. I definitely agree with you on this - it's such an amazing book! I read the ebook of this too, so I didn't discover the glossary until the very end which was annoying, so I wish I'd read reviews like this before starting. Every time I think about this book, I just love it even more. I completely feel the same!

    Great review ♥
    ~Denise @ The Bibliolater

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    1. It really is amazing, Denise. I'm so glad that you also enjoyed it as much as I did! Blah! That's the shame in reading an ebook, isn't it? The glossary bit annoyed me - mostly because I didn't think to check. Oh well, lesson has been learnt.

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  7. Ahhh! All your love for this book is making me want to run to my shelf, grab it and read it! I have owned it for so long now and still haven't had a chance to get to it. BUT I NEED TO. It sounds so good and I have seen so many amazing reviews for this one.

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    1. DO IT CHARNELL. RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN. GRAB THE BOOK AND READ. It is so good, and so worth it!

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  8. OH MY GOSH KYNNDRA I THOUGHT I'D MANAGED TO ESCAPE THE HYPE BUT YOU'VE BROUGHT IT BACK AGAIN. I don't think this is really my kind of book but I still soooOOOooo want to read it lol.

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    1. Lmao! The hype is back, Emily! (A very well deserved hype) Even if you don't think you'll like it, I'd love to see your thoughts on it. I was tentative to read it as well.

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  9. Gush away! lol. I've wanted to read this since I saw it popping up in WoW posts, but of course, I'M still waiting to read it. I'll get to it though, and experience the feeeeels. :)

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    1. I don't think I know what WoW posts are, Christy but I sure hope you're able to read it soon. There are so many feels to be felt! c:

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  10. I love this OTP so much, they have amazing chemistry and YOU ARE CORRECT I DON'T GIVE A DAMN WHAT KHALID DID. I do wish that we had more emotional conflict on Shazi's part as he did kill her best friend butttt my fangirl brain is happy. Plus, the writing is beautiful!

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    1. I adore this OTP to no end, Aentee. I never really thought about Shiva's death tbh, it was forgotten and blanketed by all the was going on. But the more I think about it, I too wish Shazi would have endulged a bit more on her feelings and resentment of what happened to Shiva.

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  11. I can feel your strong love for this book. I never even heard of this book. I can't believe I've been missing it. I love slow burn stories, I can't wait to get my hands on this. It somehow reminds me of the story of The Winner's Curse HAHAHA Thank you for the review, it was helpful!!! VERY Helpful!!!

    www.lite-rate-ture.com

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    1. Omg, that's exactly how I described it to Kelly! I told her it had an essence of The Winner's Curse! You're right therethere, Chyna! c: I hope you're able to get a copy soon - and no problem! Thank you very much ^^

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  12. Ahh, I had to skim this review quickly because I haven't read the book yet (it's staring at me and calling out to me) but I swear I will get around to it soon! So glad to hear that it gave you ALL THE FEELS Kynndra, that's what I like to hear! I hope it lives up to the hype for me as well :D

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    1. Gah! Get reading Joy! I hope you enjoy it just as much as I did c:

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  13. All the raves of this book are well deserved it sounds like! I bought this one recently and it's on my shelves but I haven't had the chance to read it yet. Thanks for the heads up on the glossary, so glad there is one because sometimes the new terms can be rather jarring.

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    1. I'm really excited to hear your thoughts on this one, Jeann. I hope you get to read it soon and that you enjoy it. You'll definitely have to look something up in the glossary so it's nice to have c:

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  14. Took the words out of my mouth! I'm so upset that I haven't read the original A Thousand and One Nights. Fables (the graphic novel by Bill Wilingham) has a rendition of the original which I really liked.

    Lovely review, I wonder how of my soul the sequel will take!

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    1. Ooh I'll have to look up Fables. Sounds interesting. Thanks, Amber. I hope the second exceeds the first c:

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  15. I didn't like this quite as much as you did, but I still agree with all your points. The romance and the writing were absolutely amazing. Thanks for sharing and, as always, fabulous review! ♥

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    1. I'm real sorry to hear that, Zoe. But I'm glad you kind of enjoyed it ^^ thanks hun c:

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  16. Agree with your review x1000! The romance was just <3333 ALL THE FEELS. And the writing - just gorgeous! (It also made me super hungry BECAUSE OF THE FOOD DESCRIPTIONS.)
    And Tariq omg was so annoying; I agree, he isn't needed in the story. (Except he is) but you get my point. One cannot just come in and mess with my OTP!!

    - Aila @ Happy Indulgence

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    1. OMG I FORGOT ABOUT THE FOOD. THE DESCRIPTIONS MADE ME HUNGER FOR IT ALL. The romance was phenomenal and asdfghjk perfect! I swooned so damn hard. Tariq can just die for all I care to be honest. Needy little this he is. Blah. I swear if he gets in between my OTP I will cry a little bit. So glad you agree, Aila c:

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