The Wrath and the Dawn (Wrath and the Dawn, #1)

by Renée Ahdieh

Ariana Delawari (Narrator)

A sumptuous and epically told love story inspired by A Thousand and One Nights

Every dawn brings horror to a different family in a land ruled by a killer. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise. So it is a suspicious surprise when sixteen-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry Khalid. But she does so with a clever plan to stay alive and exact revenge on the Caliph for the murder of her best friend and countless other girls. Shazi’s wit and will, indeed, get her through to the dawn that no others have seen, but with a catch . . . she’s falling in love with the very boy who killed her dearest friend.

She discovers that the murderous boy-king is not all that he seems and neither are the deaths of so many girls. Shazi is determined to uncover the reason for the murders and to break the cycle once and for all.

• ISBN10: 1101892234
• ISBN13: 9781101892237
• Publish Date: 12 May 2015
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Out of Print: 25 March 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Listening Library
• Edition: Unabridged edition
• Format: Audiobook (CD)
• Pages: 1
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9781101892237

Reviews

[cornerfolds]

Read more of my reviews at Cornerfolds.com!

Initial reaction:



I purchased The Wrath and the Dawn when it came out last May, but have just now gotten around to actually reading it. Don't get me wrong! I tried. I tried a few times to start this book, but always gave up a couple chapters in. I don't know what it was about it, but I just could not convince myself to continue reading. When I found out I'd get to meet Renée Ahdieh later this summer, I decided I HAD to give it another chance and I am so glad I finally committed to it!

Shahzrad (known to her friends as Shazi) is out for vengeance in this incredible story based on A Thousand and One Nights. When her best friend is killed by the monster boy-king of Khorasan, Shazi decides to marry him and get rid of him herself, sparing any other families from losing their daughters to the Caliph. Everyone expects Shazi to be put to death the morning after her wedding, just like every other bride Khalid has taken. Everyone (including Shazi and Khalid) when she is put under the Caliph's protection instead and remains alive day after day.

I really wasn't sure what to think about Shahzrad for a lot of this book. She seemed strong most of the time, which I really admire in a heroine. At the same time, she fell in love with Khalid alarmingly fast and often seemed unsure of herself. There were times when I wished Shazi would make up her mind, either to carry out her plans for vengeance or embrace her feelings for Khalid, instead of going back and forth throughout the bulk of the book. Still, I could understand her reservations in trusting him and could totally sympathize with her need for answers. I did LOVE her attitude towards pretty much everyone, though. I loved that she didn't take any crap off of anyone and always spoke her mind, even when it wasn't in her best interest.

The love interest, of course, is Khalid, who also happens to be the seemingly psychotic king who is on a murder spree, killing one woman per day for no apparent reason. Before I really got into this book I saw people going on and on about how amazing Khalid was. I saw him on book boyfriend lists, book boyfriend products, etc. I still don't think that he's the most perfect guy in the bookish world, but he definitely did grow on me. Obviously, he had reasons for murdering innocent women. I didn't think he could possibly give a reason that would satisfy me, but what he did end up confessing actually made me understand him a lot more. I don't like that he felt like he could make decisions for Shazi (that kind of crap really irritates me to no end) but I did come away really liking the romance between him and Shazi after all.

There are also quite a few secondary characters in The Wrath and the Dawn that add a lot to the story. My favorite was obviously Jalal, the captain of the guard. I loved his relationship with Shahzrad and the trust that developed between them over the course of the book. Despina sometimes irritated me, but I did enjoy the friendship that she shared with Shazi for the most part. I just don't deal well with overly moody people - in real life or in fiction.

I really did end up enjoying the story a lot. Surprisingly, the connection to A Thousand and One Nights kind of faded off rather quickly, in my opinion, but I think that worked out well here. I prefer when retellings don't adhere so strictly that they're predictable and this one was not as predictable as I'd expected. I thought the magical aspects of the story were really well done and not overpowering. The world building was also fantastic. I believe this is the first book I've read that's based in the Middle East and I really enjoyed it and felt like Renée Adhieh did a fantastic job of placing me in the middle of the desert. I also really appreciated the glossary at the back, even if I only discovered it after it was over...

I really enjoyed The Wrath and the Dawn a lot more than I expected to, if we're being honest. While I will admit that it was a bit heavy on the romance and there was a little insta-love at play, I thought the other aspects of the book were interesting enough to make me overlook the flaws, for the most part. I definitely plan on reading the sequel soon!

[Veronica 🦦]

Trying to keep this as spoiler-free as possible, but there may be a few things that will slip through.

It's good. Nothing crazy spectacular. It's good enough. However, it could have been so much better. Don't get me wrong, I sort of adored this because there were parts of it and certain lines that really caught my eye. However, the only reason why it's 3 stars is because I think it's more 2.5, but making this a 2 star review isn't enough.

“I’ve been told a good storyteller can trap an audience with a single sentence.”

And there's no denying that good storytellers can trap an audience. However, stories need to stay interesting. They need to continue to capture people's attention and hold onto them. I'm not expecting [b:A Game of Thrones|13496|A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1)|George R.R. Martin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1436732693s/13496.jpg|1466917] or [b:The Pillars of the Earth|5043|The Pillars of the Earth (The Pillars of the Earth, #1)|Ken Follett|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388193707s/5043.jpg|3359698] kind of length with YA, but I felt like with this book, maybe it should have been longer.

It felt EMPTY. It should have been more dense.

I adore the premise, but retellings need to capture me and bring in something new to the table. Rehashing is cool, but tossing in the token love triangle doesn't make something unique, nor does it add something new in to the mix.

I didn't really feel anything for the characters. Alright, maybe I did, for Khalid to an extent because of his story, but I felt detached to him because I felt like there could have been so much more, but there wasn't. If there was just MORE I feel like I would have enjoyed this book more, as well as felt more emotions for these characters & cared more about what happened to them.

But, Shahrzad annoyed the hell out of me. I didn't feel anything for her, I just felt annoyance. Same with Despina tbh, but Shahrzad holy bejeweled she was just frustrating. She kept going back & forth with her decision, all the while talking big game that she's gonna kill the king. LOL sure honey.



uGH anyway

Honestly, my biggest issue with this book was there should have been more substance. The story has so much potential, but it just seems to go down the drain. A shame really.

Look, books do not have to be long for them to be enjoyable. They can be short and still be full of life. Again, this book, on the other hand, felt empty and dead at times. Would making it longer have helped it out or make it come to life better? Maybe, maybe not. However, it just didn't feel ENOUGH for me.

I wanted more. More time between the characters so it felt realistic that Shahrzad did that whole flip flopping nonsense. More interactions between Shahrzad and Khalid that actually had some chemistry in them so that the romance felt more realistic. More emotions, especially from Shahrzad. JUST MORE.



It's good! If you see this in the library or you know a friend who has a copy, then read and see for yourself. I'm going to be reading the sequel because I wanna see this book through. Even though it was kinda a disappointment, I wanna see what happens next.

However, would I call this one of the best books I've read? Nah, I've read better.

[nightingalereads]

I could not, in good conscience, rate this book anything less than 4 stars. The writing, the characters, everything about it was beautiful and captivating. Sometimes I can find retellings a bit tedious, but this one wasn't for a moment. I'm so glad I finally picked this up.

[Sam@WLABB]

Wow! I just feel like I am coming back from an adventure after reading this book. I sort of loved it all. I loved the writing, the story, the characters, and all the resulting feels. Ahdieh did such a wonderful job painting the lush and beautiful background, that I felt as though I was right there. Although it's a cliffy, I was ok, because Ahdieh revealed a lot of very important details before she left us hanging. I am waiting with baited breath for the next book.

Review originally posted at Simply Adrift.

I picked up The Wrath and the Dawn because everyone has been raving about this book since it came out.

The Wrath and the Dawn is inspired by A Thousand and One Nights, which I have never read but get the gist of the story. I really felt like this book was telling a story, the language used to describe moments was flowery and painted a pretty picture. I really enjoyed this aspect.

My Thoughts

The first 60% of the book was about romance and it was annoying. Shahrzad volunteers to be the next wife of the Caliph of Khorasan so she can kill him and get revenge for her best friend Shiva, who was an ex-wive killed not long before. Yet all Shahrzad does is pine for the Caliph, she has no plans, no idea what she's doing, and the story shows it. This is more of a romance and I just wanted more story. She's portrayed as a sassy, feisty woman and I loved it when she was on fire. She was satisfying to read because she took no shit. The only downfall was that she was quite weak when it came to the Caliph, her resolve failed almost instantly in my opinion. She came across as feisty but inside she had no idea what she wanted, she wasn't confident or dedicated to her original plan at all.

There were moments when you thought the story would move in a different direction, elusive moments that made you excited to see where it would go, why it was mentioned and why at that moment. Yet those plot lines didn't show up in this book at all. It's quite clear though that they will be followed in the next books which I'm excited about because they were the most interesting parts to this story.

I found myself asking 'why' a lot. Why is the first half of the story about romance? Why does Shahrzad focus so much on how she feels rather than doing what she went there to do? Why does the Caliph kill all of his brides? I wanted to know what was going to happen so the suspense kept me reading.

Characters

The characters felt like they were placeholders to move the story along, I can't really describe the feeling I was getting, but I didn't develop any attachment to any of the characters. They were paper thin to me and I saw them as a means to get the story from point A to point B.

Khalid is the boy King that kills his wives the morning after marrying them; most of the story he's a mystery. Shahrzad desperately wants to find out more about him (Which clashes with her original plan of murdering him) but he refuses to let her in and tell her his secrets.

Despina is Shahrzads handmaiden, except she introduces herself as a spy the first time Shahrzad meets her. Worst spy in the world. She falls under Shahrzads spell straight away, she doesn't feel like a threat at all, in fact she doesn't carry out any duties that you would expect a spy to carry out. She's introduced as a spy but it ends up meaning nothing, I was disappointed with this lack of opportunistic storyline.

Jalal is the Caliphs cousin that pushes the boundaries. Jalal was the character that tried to reason with the Caliph. If Khalid was going to do something that would destroy his life Jalal would step in and talk him out of it.

Tariq is the man in love with Shahrzad and is convinced he is going to save her. We get to see some of the story from his point of view, which to me makes me realize he's the link to the other side of the story. This story isn't just about Shahrzad and her revenge (Or her love - I hope), I just hope it makes the next book more interesting.

All of these characters feel like cardboard cut outs to me, I am made to feel nothing for them in the story, I really don't care who they are or what they're doing. I feel like none of them really connect with Shahrzad, therefore the readers don't get to connect with them either.

Simply

The Wrath and the Dawn is mostly a story about a woman trying really hard not to fall in love with her best friends murderer. And fails. Quite spectacularly. And within the first 3 days of meeting the Caliph as well. I wasn't entirely sure what the story was in this book. Was it about love? Was it about revenge? Was it about magic? I kept reading and wondering where the story was going, when was the actual story going to happen?

I enjoyed this book, but I didn't love it because the story felt unclear. It wasn't the story I thought it was going to be.

I would have liked The Wrath and the Dawn more if I hadn't started it with such high expectations. I thought I was in for a story about revenge, adventure and magic, but it ended up being about romance and... romance. The way this book ended with a cliffhanger means I will definitely be picking up the next one but will lower my expectations so hopefully I will enjoy it more. My interest has been piqued and now I must see where this story goes.

By all means The Wrath and the Dawn wasn't a boring book, it was rather entertaining, but it wasn't very engaging and nor was it different. It felt like a light read that you pick up to enjoy, not to be blown away by. If that makes sense.

Have you read this book? What were your feelings on it? Did it match up to all of the hype in your opinion?

Always,
Jordon

This review was originally posted on Simply Adrift

[Chelsea]

What I Loved

So my first thought was that I probably should have read a quick summary of the fairy tale before starting because I found the very beginning a little confusing. As the book went on it started to explain some things more so it was much better. Besides that first confusing part, I was hooked the rest of the way through. I physically could not put this book down, it was impossible.

My favourite part of this book was the romance. The whole hate to love thing can be a little overdone sometimes but it always pulls me in. I just loved the chemistry between Khalid and Shazi from the moment they started interacting with each other. There was no swooning “omg I love you so much” moment, it was all very realistic emotions. To me they felt realistic anyways, I can’t promise everyone will think the same. There were parts that were a little predictable since, you know, it’s a retelling, but there were also a lot of moments that I wasn’t expecting.

Speaking of what I wasn’t expecting, I didn’t think I’d fall in love with that characters this much. While the story lacks a little bit of world building, I found myself not caring just because I was so interested in these characters and I desperately wanted to now what would happen to them next. None of the relationships any of them have are the typical ones you would see in a story. We have the king and his cousin who act like brothers sometimes but other time they’re far from it. Then we have the same cousin who slowly starts to become friends with Shazi and who;s relationship is always entertaining. There’s just so many characters and they’re all perfect. I also desperately need some fanart with Shazi in some of her outfits because they all sounded incredible.

What I Didn't Love

The only complaint I could think of was that the world building was lacking a little bit. We didn’t see much other than the palace (and a few stops on the way to the palace), though I can tell there will be a lot more in book two. I think this was just a very character and plot driven book so the world didn’t really matter too much. If we don’t get more in the next book though I think it will be disappointing.

I also didn’t really like the second POV. I’m not going to lie, I can’t even remember his name. It starts with a T maybe? That’s how memorable he was to me. I just thought he was boring and we could have done without his parts of the story. Shazi’s parts were what I kept reading for.

Who I'd Recommend To

I’d recommend this to any YA lovers who are also a big fan of romance. If you don’t like your books with a lot of romance than this isn’t the book for you. It’s also great for fairy tale lovers not because it’s a retelling but because it has a fairy tale feel to it. Everything feels a little magical when you’re reading this book and the romance is definitely worthy of a fairy tale.

[jesstheaudiobookworm]

4.75 ★ Audiobook⎮ Renée Andieh's writing was so beautiful that it almost took my breath away several times. Her imagery was so vivid and her characters so dynamic. Shahrzad is the type of the female protagonist that I yearn for. I don't even know what to say about this story, except that it entranced me from the beginning. It is supposed to be a retelling of Arabian Nights (which I've never read) and the setting reminded me so much of Disney's Aladdin (which is one of the stories in Arabian Nights. I'm aware that a lot of people take issue with the romance, but for me, that was the best part of the story. In fact, I could have done without the other POV chapters entirely. I felt that the love triangle was weak and unnecessary. Honestly, I didn't want anything other than Shahrzad and Khalid (and maybe some Jahlal, which would have made a better triangle). I don't give two flips about Tariq and Raheem. I can already tell you that by the time the sequel comes out in May, probably the only thing I will remember (or care about) is the Shahrzad/Khalid pairing and that is more than enough to make me lunge for it. And although I can sort of see the problematic aspects, they didn't even register with me while I was enjoying the story. I think the key is to remember that this story is based off of stories popular during the Islamic Golden Age (roughly 8th century). Obviously there going to be plenty of things that 21st-centurians and Westerners don't agree with. But for me, that was part of the beauty of it. Being able to become totally immersed in another time and culture's way of thinking was an exhilarating experience. It's not supposed to be exactly like other YA stories. I think most of those complaining about the "problematic" romance might possibly be looking at this from the wrong angle. Oh, and did I mention the writing? It was the most gorgeous writing I've seen in months (unlike that of this review-not my best). I've seen a couple other reviews in which readers were left speechless by the beauty of Andieh's storytelling. I guess it is just something you will have to experience for yourself because I can't quite find the words to describe it justly. Maybe, breathtaking? That's close enough.

Narration review: Unfortunately, I did not find the voice narration nearly as enjoyable as the story itself. The narration for this audiobook was sub par, in my opinion. Although the narrator had a pleasant voice and provided excellent articulation and pronunciation, her tonal range was practically nonexistent. It was almost impossible to distinguish between characters throughout the entire audiobook, which made for an extremely frustrating listening experience. This narrator seemed to make no effort to provide any kind of distinction between dialogue and prose, much left between characters. Her voice was flat and unenthused. Considering that the narrator brings nothing more than proper pronunciation to the audiobook experience, combined with the fact that there apparently was a glossary provided in the back of the physical book (or eBook), I cannot help but recommend that format over the audiobook. ♣︎

[Bianca]

I failed you in one last thing. Here is my chance to rectify it. It was never because I didn’t feel it. It was because I swore I would never say it, and a man is nothing if he can’t keep his promises. So I write it to the sky—I love you, a thousand times over. And I will never apologize for it.

— YOU. WRECKED. ME.

[lizarodz]

Reading With ABC http://readingwithabc.com http://readingwithabc.com/audiobook-review-the-wrath-and-the-dawn-by-renee-ahdieh/Just wow! The Wrath and the Dawn was an reading amazing experience. I kind of feel bad that I took so long to write this review. I’m sure that by now you all know about this gem. Right?

Without a doubt the things that I loved the most were the writing and the characterization. Ahdieh’s writing is lyrical, enthralling, thought provoking, and breathtaking in its beauty. Honestly, the prose contained within the book was just impressively sweeping.

As you know, The Wrath and the Dawn is a retelling of A Thousand and One Nights. We don’t quite make it that far in this installment of the series and also, the book doesn’t concentrate on the storytelling that indeed, serves as an excuse for Shahrzad’s continued existence.

“You are not weak. You are not indecisive. You are strong. Fierce. Capable beyond measure.”

Shahrzad is one of the strongest characters I’ve read about lately. She’s fearless or at least tries to project that imagine. She volunteers to be Khalid’s wife with a plan in place, but knowing that it is very likely that she will not survive. She wants avenge the death of her best friend, one of Khalid’s previous wives.

Shazi is beautiful, smart, brave, a force to be reckoned with. She was born to be a queen and has the political savvy to get her where she needs to be. Khalid is young but he’s had a very unhappy life. He hides behind a wall of his own making in order to preserve his strength and his heart intact. In order to be able to do what must be done. I really liked him.

“You honestly expect me to breathe in a world without air?”

As expected, appearances are deceiving and Khalid turns out to be very different from what Shazi expected. The romance is slow burning, but believable and very sweet. I wanted more. More romance, more time for them to be together.

“When she wound her fingers in his hair to draw her body against his, he stilled for breath, and she knew, as he knew, that they were lost. Lost forever. In this kiss. This kiss that would change everything.”

I felt that Tariq, Shazi’s previous boyfriend, was conceited and misguided. I don’t believe that he knew what he was doing. He didn’t have any altruistic motives, expect getting back her Shazi, even when she’s a married woman now. There is a hint of magic that Shazi’s father uncovers and the indication that she has it as well.

“I love you, Shahrzad al-Khayzuran. There is nothing I would not do for you. Nothing I would not consider if it meant keeping you safe. The world itself should fear me if it stands between us.”

The ending was heartbreaking and I really hope that Khalid and Shazi are not made to be apart for the whole of the next book. I loved this one !This review was originally posted on Reading With ABC

[paperbackjedi]

Shazi vows to take revenge upon the boy Caliph of Khorasan after he murders her best friend; something he has done to a different bride every night for the past month or so. Desperate to enact her revenge, she volunteers to marry him and comes up with a plan that will get her to the next dawn alive. Unfortunately (or fortunately) her plan works a little too well and now she finds herself not only surviving each night, but married to a man who is not quite the monster she imagined him to be. And she’s falling in love with him more every day.

H’OHBOY. I read this book in four hours straight through and I have to say, it was AMAZING. First of all, The Wrath and the Dawn is a retelling of Arabian Nights which I was only vaguely familiar with so I can’t speak to the nuances of the adaptation. I can only say that this book makes me want to read the source material. Let’s talk writing. The descriptions were intense and so beautiful that I could almost feel them. This book comes with a glossary in the back so if you’re not familiar with the culture or terminology, DO NOT LET THAT DETER YOU FROM READING THIS BOOK. I repeat, it was amazing. The writing is detailed and evocative and I often found myself closing my eyes after reading a paragraph to fully embrace the picture it created in my mind. Seriously, the descriptions of the food made me hungry so maybe don’t read this book on an empty stomach. :P

The characters were just as amazing as the prose. Shazi is a fierce heroine and she’s determined to be her own person and make her own judgement calls. Even when she starts to develop an attraction to Khalid, she remains staunchly independent and insists that she fight her own battles and even calls him out when she feels like he’s being possessive or too protective. Also, the girl can fight– not just mentally, but physically. All in all, she’s a very well-rounded, well-developed main character and I loved her immensely. Khalid was also a complicated character layered with guilt and the burden of leadership and a whole lot of responsibility. It’s odd because sometimes the reluctant misunderstood hero can get on my nerves, but his character was so beautifully fractured by the choices he was forced to make in service of his people that it really broke my heart and made me feel for him. I also loved his best friend Jalal who added some much needed comedy, charm, and warmth in areas that were pretty dark. The narrative sometimes switches to minor character POVs like Shazi’s father and her first love, Tariq and both of those characters had individual arcs that contributed to the overall story in surprising and interesting ways. Af first I felt frustrated at the shifts because I didn’t understand why it was necessary, but by the end of the book, you realize how all the different threads have woven together to create this heartbreaking situation and by then, I thought Ahdieh was a storytelling genius.

You wanna talk romance? LET’S DO IT. Shazi and Khalid together are a tour de force, but watching them get to that point was tense and the anticipation was half of the fun. Shazi definitely intends to kill this guy for the first half of the novel and you kind of want her to. But as she gets to know him, so do you and you begin to understand her dilemma, for the Caliph of Khorasan is not who we think he is nor what we would expect a murderer to be. And once the man is revealed, it’s harder and harder to see the monster the world has made him into. And when they come together, it’s freaking awesome. Passionate, wild, and powerful are adjectives that come to mind. Luckily, their story continues in the conclusion entitled The Rose and the Dagger which is due out in 2016. I will definitely be pre-ordering it when it’s announced. This is one of my favorite reads of the entire year and I highly recommend it. It’s an amazing novel rich in culture that is deftly and poetically explored. And I’m giving it five stars to boot. Guys, read this book. It’s beautiful.