Book: The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh (reread)
Read From: 14th February - 23rd February 2022
Rating: 4/5 stars
Summary: Khalid, the 18 year old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new wife, only to have her killed by sunrise. Shahrzad is the first volunteer to become Khalid’s bride. She vows to stop is reign of terror - for the friend she lost and all those who perished before her. Incredibly, Shahrzad manages to survive her first morning, and then the next. Night after night, she mesmerises the Caliph with her storytelling - at once buying time and digging deeper into the elusive boy-king’s past.
This was a reread for me! Whilst I rated it 5 stars the first time around, I didn’t quite get the five star feels on a second reading so I changed my rating to 4 stars but this was still an incredible book and I would highly recommend. I definitely need to get to the sequel at some point and rereading this for book club gave me the perfect excuse to come back to this world, I’m not going to leave it another year before I finally get to The Rose and the Dagger.
Renee Ahdieh’s writing is absolutely BEAUTIFUL and Shahrzad and Khalid’s story is told in a way that’s impossible for you not to get sucked in by the atmosphere and gorgeous writing. My favourite part of this book (on both reads) was definitely Shazi’s storytelling - not only are you transported to Khorasan through Ahdieh’s words, you’re also transported to wherever Shazi is taking you too and that’s such a magical feeling, perfect for a brilliant fantasy book.
The plot is definitely on the slower side in this one but it honestly doesn’t feel that way. I’m always coming back to the writing style but honestly it really elevated the experience. The characters were developed so well, I loved seeing all of them interact (particularly Despina and Shazi)! The sub-plot (if you can call it that) with Tariq was also really interesting to see develop and I think it has paved the way for an explosive sequel - particularly with the way The Wrath and the Dawn ended. In our book club discussion, the chat was definitely divided between those who liked Tariq and those who didn’t... despite being team Khalid all the way I am excited to see how things transpire in The Rose and the Dagger.
It goes without saying that I would definitely recommend this book to all fantasy lovers, unfortunately I’m unfamiliar with the original 1001 Nights tale so can’t comment on how The Wrath and the Dawn holds up as a retelling. If you like intricate storytelling, atmospheric writing and loveable characters then definitely give this one a go.