Review: The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

The Wrath and the Dawn #1

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: May 12, 2015

Rating: 5 Stars

Source: Purchase

Summary (from the back of the book):

“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 ride 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 that 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.”

First of all, I don't know if I can fully articulate what I felt for this book! It was so completely amazing! What finally got me to pick this book up was a tweet I saw that compared it to Beauty and the Beast. That is my all time favorite movie so of course I had to pick it up after that! :) So the next time I was in a bookstore I made my boyfriend buy it for me. Best decision ever!!

I loved Shahrzad and Khalid. I loved how strong and brave Shazi was. She volunteered to be the bride of a man who was almost certainly going to kill her in order to avenge the death of her best friend and also the deaths of the countless other girls who were murdered. She managed to stay alive day after day and survive a few close calls. But she must have been doing something right because Khalid was smitten with her and wanted her alive. Which, you'd think, would make her goal of killing him easier.

Khalid.. I just loved him. I kinda felt like a dirtbag for liking him at first because you know, he's a cold, seemingly heartless killer. So that's not really a turn on, ya know? But I liked how he became so protective of her. He really grew to care for her, despite the circumstances, and wanted to stop all the senseless killing, no matter what it meant for him. I really wanted a Khalid of my own after reading this book. ;)

I loved that this wasn't insta love that they had. Shahrzad really didn't like him at first and truly wanted him dead. And then she started to see that he wasn't the awful monster that she was expecting and slowly began to care for him. She was really conflicted in her feelings for him because, of course she was betraying her best friend by falling in love with her murderer! And because the only things that Khalid seemed to keep closer to him than her were his secrets. I wish you could have seen more of why he felt the way he did for her, but I don't care, I love their love!

I was also pleased that there was no love triangle in this book! I feel that there could have been, but I'm so happy there wasn't. I didn't care all that much for Tariq. Probably because I just wanted him and his unrequited love for Shahrzad to go away and let her and Khalid be cute and happy together. But in his defense, he doesn't know what's going on. He thinks that Shahrzad still loves him. He doesn't know what kinds of feelings she's developing. He just thinks she's there to take him out. Buuut I felt like he was kind of possessive (something that she didn't tolerate from Khalid when he tried it out). Like just because they had been in love since they were kids, that doesn't entitle him to just blow into the palace with his screaming bird and whisk her away into the sunset on his fancy sounding horse without giving her any say in the matter. Not gonna fly, my friend.

As for other important characters, I don't think I liked Shahrzad's father, Jahandar.. He came off as kind of a creep to me and I think he's up to some shady business.

Other things I liked about this book:

Jalal and his loyalty to Khalid. I think I love anyone titled as Captain of the Guard.

Despina and her attitude.

The Rajput. He really grew on me as Shahrzad grew on him!

The setting! I've never read anything set in the middle east before! And everything just sounds like it was probably so lovely!

THE FEELINGS THE END OF THIS BOOK GAVE ME!!!!!

Things that I can think of that I disliked:

At the very beginning, I had a bit of a problem keeping characters straight, but I quickly got it figured out and I know who is who now.

THE FEELINGS THE END OF THIS BOOK GAVE ME!!!!! What has this book done to my feelings?!

The next book isn't out yet!!!!

Things I wish to see in the next one:
More stuff on the magic aspect.
KHALID AND SHAHRZAD LOVEY DOVEY MOMENTS!
Jalal and Despina being a thing!

If you like Beauty and the Beast, I think you'll definitely like this one! I would HIGHLY recommend this book, it was so very good! I can't wait for the next book!