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

by Renée Ahdieh

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: 0399171614
• ISBN13: 9780399171611
• Publish Date: 12 May 2015
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 29 June 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Putnam Juvenile
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 416
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780399171611

Reviews

[Angie]

This is another case of a book that I probably should have read when it was first released and I was still super excited about it. Maybe then The Wrath and the Dawn would have worked out better for me, or maybe not. I was still excited for it, because that premise is just awesome, but the reality was the exact opposite. I was so bored reading this! It took me three days to get through, which is essentially unheard of, because I just kept making up other things to do aside from reading. Nothing at all held my interest.

The Wrath and the Dawn is a Historical Fantasy retelling of 1001 Arabian Nights, where a cursed young king kills a new bride every morning until Shahrzad volunteers. For some reason he doesn't kill her, and I didn't believe it at all. From what he learned about Khalid, he never even visited his wives after the wedding, but he went to her. Obviously, this is for plot reasons, but I wanted an in-story reason! I also just wasn't into their romance. It felt forced and awkward. And the magical aspect was just tacked on at the end, making things a bit more exciting, but by then it was too late to salvage.

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

I needed The Wrath and the Dawn because we need more unconventional retellings, guys!

While I haven’t read The Arabian Nights, I am well aware of its framework. Scheherazade’s stories that run from one night to another, preserving her life on the basis of basic human curiosity, is a fantastic foundation for a retelling. Going into The Wrath and the Dawn, I expected a book full of tales and a lot of tension about will-she-or-won’t-she die. While The Arabian Nights definitely served as the launching pad for this novel, the theme did not continue through the story. We hear the tales of Agib and some of Aladdin’s, and we know that the monstrous Caliph has killed his previous wives. After the few initial chapters, however, this falls more into a love triangle romance than it is an adventure story.

I will say there is nothing wrong with the way the plot diverted. It’s a good enough tale… it just wasn’t the one I expected.

Like both The Flame in the Mist and The Beautiful, I have very mixed thoughts about Renée Ahdieh’s writing. On one hand, it’s very pretty and evocative without being gratuitous or flowery. On the other hand, I find it lacks a certain depth to it that makes me feel like I’m only skimming the surface. It feels like looking at pictures of a place instead of really being there. I like it, but at the same time, I am left unsatisfied. I think Renée is the only YA author I’ve run across that makes me feel this way, and it’s frustrating because… I want to be in love with these books, but they are just a little too unsubstantial to be perfect.

Characters, in particular, left me wanting. As a character-reader, I like them to grip my heart and stay with me. Neither Khalid or Shahrazad did that. We spent more time in dialogue with them than anything else, and there weren’t the sort of emotional reactions that make a character feel well-rounded. My experience has been that this is just the way Renée Ahdieh writes – that said, I do see this as something that has improved the notebooks she has written. The Wrath and the Dawn is her debut, so I do expect to find some nitpicky things here, and I’m glad to note the way she has grown as a writer.

In regards to characters as well – I always feel like she stretches herself too thin – telling too many stories but not giving herself the time to flesh them out. We’ve got minor characters in here like Despina, Jalal, and Jahander who have their own dramatic storylines, but we see very little of them, and there’s a lot of telling in their development. At this stage, I’m not sure Despina and Jalal are important to the duology, but their arc didn’t add anything to The Wrath and the Dawn for me.

So, while I liked this book enough to read the sequel, at the end of the day it just didn’t meet my expectations. Which happens sometimes with hyped books, and books that have been on my TBR for years. By all means, it was still a pretty good book! I appreciate that Renée Ahdieh went with a story that isn’t often used for retellings and the atmosphere was a fun change.

[girlinthepages]

So I promised myself that this fall I would make more of an effort to read fantasy books, especially ones that I own. I decided to start this initiative with a book that's been on my radar for years, The Wrath and the Dawn. Armed with the paperback that I had preordered over a year ago and the First Draft podcast featuring the author, I embarked on a journey into Eastern fantasy and folklore and indulged in this A Thousand and One Nights retelling.

Now, I was saving this book in a sense, as literally almost every single one of my blogger friends had something wonderful to say about it, so I was sure I was in for a treat. There were a lot of positives to this novel, which I chose to ease me back into fantasy (which I have not touched since May). The writing was lush, the settings were vivid, the food descriptions were sumptuous and incredible (seriously, my mouth was watering as I read this which was not conducive to reading it before bed, and part of me is most excited to read the sequel so I can read more about the food, haha). The tale had just the right hint of magic and fairytale-ness without feeling like a story I've read a million times before (I love when a retelling can feel so original and fresh). Shazi is a spitfire yet had a believable vulnerable side too, and it was enjoyable to follow in her footsteps throughout the tale. The secondary characters were also intriguing, especially Despina (Shazi's Greek handmaiden who who was brought to the palace as a slave- I'd love to learn more about her story and how the Greek and Eastern histories and clashes are woven into this tale).

However, for all the strengths this novel had, I felt myself being let down by the romance, and I can't pinpoint exactly why. I mean, anyone who is familiar with the original story and all of its iterations is going to be familiar with the main romance arc- "evil" king takes multiple brides and has them all killed after one night, one bride manages to break the pattern, etc. However, even though I knew I was supposed to eventually fall for Khalid (dark, brooding, handsome, tortured, really a good person, etc.) I found that I just couldn't quite come around to him. Had I been younger I would have been all about him (I was 100% team Darkling in the Grisha trilogy, I am usually all for the villain/dangerous/not who you're supposed to choose love interest) however something about Khalid and Shazi's romance just felt...unsettling to me. I think because Shazi was there on such a personal quest (avenge the death of her best friend) that it felt too wrong for me to be able to develop feelings for Khalid, or it at least felt like it happened too fast. Like I get it, dude was backed into a corner and was murdering his brides for the greater good, etc., but I was still deeply disturbed by his actions and was surprised that Shazi was able to overcome her reservations so completely (and so fast- not that this book is insta-lovey at all, but given the circumstances I feel like the romance could have actually taken a few books to really blossom).

At times too, the prose felt too purple and I wanted more clarification on what was going on- the emotions and internal motivations of the characters, more explanations for why things were happening, more insight. Most of these things became clear in time, however I feel like some time that was devoted to the depth and detailing of scenery and setting could have been devoted to more character development, especially in regards to Shazi and Khalid's feeling toward each other. Or perhaps Shazi's sister? Or Tariq's parents? There were a lot of secondary characters who we got a glimpse of at the beginning of the book but who we never really returned to, and I'm curious to see if they become bigger players in the second book. I also feel like Tariq, Shazi's first love, was created just as a character for readers to hate- I actually really liked him at first but then he becomes super possessive/angry/reckless trying to save Shazi and she's all like "No I want to be here I'm not brainwashed" and thus sets up what is sure to be a frustrating love triangle. But I feel like I'd almost feel better about it if Shazi DID have some feelings for Tariq (since it seems like they were pretty serious until she volunteered herself to be the calph's new bride, and then POOF all of her feelings for him disintegrate due to this thing with Khalid)?

Overall: While I'll definitely be picking up the sequel (especially since I already own it), I have some reservations about The Wrath and the Dawn that kept it from being a top tier read for me. However, I still enjoyed reading it and am curious to return to the characters' stories and see how the challenges at the end of the first book are resolved. I am sincerely hoping that The Rose and the Dagger can help convince me of Shazi and Khalid's romance (but even if it doesn't, I'm willing to forgive it if the delicious food descriptions continue).This review was originally posted on Girl in the Pages

[littleread1]

very very good. excited to read the finale.

[Amber]

You can read my review on Books of Amber if you like :)

I can’t remember the last time I was this disappointed in a book. I had been looking forward to reading The Wrath and the Dawn before it was even released, and I spent a lot of money on a pretty hardback copy when I was in the US. I was so excited to finally pick it up because I’d heard that it was outstanding, but it was actually pretty shit. I’m so sad.


First of all, the beginning is very confusing. The author’s writing is vague af, and it took a while for me to understand what was going on. The prologue was supposed to be vague and mysterious, but I don’t think the first couple of chapters should have been the same way. It took me a couple of rereads to understand that the two main characters consummate their marriage twice within the first few pages.

Speaking of which, the two main characters consummate their marriage twice, which is actually something Shahrzad is only doing to avenge her friend’s death. So it’s a kind of “close your eyes and think of England” type thing. And yet this isn’t addressed later. The author ignores the fact that this happened to her, and has Shahrzad fall in love with Khalid anyway. It was so annoying.

I didn’t ship Shahrzad and Khalid for this reason. I’m not here for Beauty and the Beast levels of romance, I’m not here for a girl falling in love with a murderer, and I’m also not here for instalove. The romance was fucking awful and offensive, and I was so disappointed.

Khalid has killed hundreds of girls, including Shahrzad’s best friend, and yet she falls for him anyway. I mean, even if he did have a good reason (which he might have… or maybe not because SPOILERS) that’s not something you can just brush over.

Also, there was shit like “my beautiful monster”, “you’re mine”, and “I’m yours”. Vomit.

So yeah, it’s shit.

[jeannamichel]

A majestic retelling with a killer cliffhanger! Review to come.

[KitsuneBae]

The Flame In The Mist led me to read this.

[nitzan_schwarz]

YOU CAN ALSO FIND THIS REVIEW AND MORE ON MY BLOG

I've been trying to figure out a way to open this review for the last two hours, but I just don't know where to begin. So, I'll jump right into things - from the very first page, this novel grabs hold of you and refuses to let go, as it urges you to figure out what's going on, and find out the truth behind all this apparent cruelty.

Ahdieh made such a clever choice by opening the book with Jalal and his father and their worry and love towards Khalid, because that opening immediately colors what we think of him, allows us to be sympathetic towards him where Shazi and her friends cannot, and promises us that there is more to this boy king than meets the eyes.

Which also creates delicious tension between us and Shazi herself as we read of her coming to the palace with malicious intent, but hope she will be open enough to realize there is more to this story as she interacts with her murderous husband.

While I strongly suspected the nature of the truth, my biggest unanswered question was always why. I wanted to understand Kahlid. And I was blessed with a heroine who, despite vowing to avenge her friend, cannot close herself to these questions either, especially as she comes to know the man she's supposed to hate. Shazi is everything I wanted her to be - strong and stubborn, almost foolish in her bravery, but also loving and loyal.

Khalid and Shazi's love story is heartbreaking. And I mean that in the best way possible.

I cannot pretend there aren't some insta love elements to it, but despite my usual tendency to condemn and story who has those, The Wrath and the Dawn managed to completely win me over. I don't know how Ahdieh did it, but she managed to make the instant connection between these characters, the way Shazi immediately stood out to Khalid and how just a few conversations managed to melt her walls into something very natural and poetic. Into something captivating and genuine. Something that almost glowed in its rightness.

So yes.

Now, let's talk love triangles. Mostly to say - there isn't one in this novel. While The Wrath & The Dawn does have two guys in love with the same girl, the girl in question knows who she wants throughout it all. Even if it breaks her heart to admit it, even to herself.

That second guy I mentioned is Tariq. Sometimes, the book left our protagonist and the super engrossing main story to go and peek into his life and what he's going through... and, admittedly, those were my least favorite parts of the whole affair. I wanted them to be gone and stop threatening my beautiful ship, even though as far as secondary love interests go, Tariq is pretty decent as a human being and all.

But while Tariq didn't steal my heart, there were two side characters that totally did - Khalid's cousin Jalal and Shazi's handmaiden Despina. These two are so incredible. Not only do they offer constant support and levity for our main characters respectively, they also kick butt. I really wanted more scenes between these two, and this book definitely left me desperate for more of them.

The few things that stopped it from being a rounded five stars was the fact that, for an Arabian Nights retelling, I barely got any stories! What were there, one and three quarters of a story? I wanted more because those were fun, and they would have added some element of time to Shazi and Khalid's blooming romance.

Despite this, this book was utterly fantastic in my opinion. I started reading the sequel almost immediately.


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Original Thoughts

"So you would have me throw Shazi to the wolves?"
"Shazi? Honestly, I pity the wolves." --Jalal

I really, really enjoyed this novel.

From the very first page, it grabs you. Urges you to figure out what's going on. I think it was also such a clever decision from Ahdieh to open the book from Jalal and his father, and their worry and love toward Khalid because we immediately know there is so, so much more to this story and this boy.

And so, as we read of Shazi coming to the palace with malicious intent and their interactions, we are constantly on the edge of our sits, trying to figure out what's going on alongside her. I think we immediately suspect there is a curse because the prologue definitely points toward it, but we are searching for the reason why.

Khalid and Shazi's love story is heartbreaking. And that's a really high praise because it has insta love elements to it, and I'm usually one to condemn any story that has those. But even though Shazi is special to Khalid almost immediately because of her blatant hate, and it takes but a few conversations for her to start feeling things toward him, there was also something very natural and poetic about it all. Something captivating and genuine that just manages to overcome the rest.

And can I just say? I ship it like fedex and dear god let them meet again quickly in the sequel. I will not be able to handle months and months of no interaction between them.

My least favorite parts of the novel were the parts about Tariq. I got why they were necessary, and I think as a person he's okay and everything, but I just... didn't like those parts. I wanted them to be gone and stop threatening my beautiful ship, goddamn it!

Luckily, though, there is no real love triangle in this one. Sure, there are two guys in love with the same girl, but Shazi was never in love with both at the same time. She knows who she loves and who she wants, and that makes all the difference.

My favorite side characters in this novel were Jalal and Despina by FAR. These two are so incredible. Not only do the offer constant support and levity for our main characters respectively, they are simply kick butt and awesome. I want more scenes with them. I want the baby to be born healthy and for Jalal to say screw everything and marry the beautiful girl he loves. And I desperately want to see what happens next with them, now that Shazi has let the cat out of the bag

In short, I will be starting the Rose and the Dagger today. I just have to see what happens next!!

[Jo]

Originally posted on Once Upon a Bookcase.

People have been raving about The Wrath & the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh ever since it was released last year, and with every review, the more I've wanted to read it. But I've also been a little wary; I've previously read books that were hyped up only to be disappointed. I didn't want this to be the case with this book, when it sounded so good! And now I wish I'd listened to the hype and read it straight away! The Wrath & the Dawn is brilliant! An absolutely fantastic retelling of One Thousand and One Nights!

Each day, Khalid, the Caliph of Khorasan, takes a wife. Each dawn, he has them murdered; a silk cord wrapped tightly around their throat, strangling the life out of them. When her best friend, Shiva, becomes the Caliph's latest victim, Shahrzad swears vengeance. She volunteers to be the next bride, but is determined that it will be Khalid who dies. When he comes to her room at night, she weaves enchanting stories, captivating the young king - stories that aren't finished by sunrise. But Khalid is not what she expected; this young man who has been killing the women of Khorasan dawn after dawn isn't the unfeeling monster she thought him to be, but a boy with a tragic past and secrets that lie heavy on his heart. The unimaginable happens as Shazi slowly falls in love with the Caliph, who looks at her as if she is the very sun. Despite her feelings, she is committed; Khalid's life is forfeit, and Shazi will end his life after discovering the reason for all the needless death. Khalid has blood on his hands, and he must pay.

Aah, this book was so good! I have to start with the writing, it was absolutely captivating! It's lush and poetic, and everything is described in such detail; the food and the clothing, the smells and the tastes. It's absolutely beautiful, and I was completely swept away on the tide of Ahdieh's words. The Wrath & the Dawn really is so gorgeously written, it put me in mind of The Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy by Laini Taylor. Just perfect!

I was completely enthralled by the story itself. Why was this melancholy young man killing young women every dawn? There's all this talk of Khalid being a monster, but as the story goes on, we clearly see that he's nothing of the sort. Yes, he's murdering young women, but his actions don't match his personality. Khalid is not a cold-hearted man who takes perverse pleasure from the death of his brides. He is quite clearly tormented by what he does. The story starts off with a prologue from when Khalid starts killing his brides, so as readers, we already know that there's something behind these killings. Khalid must pay the price of a hundred lives. But why? What is he paying for? And why must it be paid for by the lives of young women? What happened?

Shazi is an absolutely wonderful character. She's strong and brave, and fiercely loyal. She's whip-smart and bold, quick with a retort, and very capable. She is assertive and stands up for herself. Khalid is used to people treating him with respect and deference, so is constantly caught off guard by how Shazi behaves. She's not what he's used to; she's unpredictable, and she volunteered when she knew what the outcome would be, and he wants to know why. Shazi is a mystery to Khalid, and she quickly goes from being someone he's trying to figure out, to someone who's captured his heart.

The romance is really interesting, because of the circumstances. The king doesn't behave the way Shazi expects him to, and he is quite obviously someone who cares. He keeps his cards very close to his chest, and Shazi has trouble finding out much about him, but falls for him anyway. I found her feelings for him a little unbelievable at first, because she doesn't really get to know him for a long time. But it's the way he treats her as he falls for her, how he looks at her, how he talks about her. Her heart softens to him, and she is constantly battling with immense guilt. This is the man who killed her best friend, how could she possibly have any feelings for him? She considers it a great betrayal, and tries so hard to get back on track. And for Khalid's part, the fact Shazi is still alive is quite an issue, but how can he kill the woman who is giving him life?

There are other things going on in the background, outside the palace walls, and oooh, it is exciting! Those who knew and loved Shazi haven't forgotten her, and, knowing she is still alive, are putting together plans to rescue her. Big plans - huge plans. I spent a lot of my time reading those part of the story in such anguish. Because here's this beautiful forbidden romance unfolding before me, and these people are going to go an interfere and cause all sorts of problems! But at the same time, oh my god, it's massive. I'm not going to say anything, but oh my god, but the sequel, The Rose & the Dagger, is going to be epic!

Ahdieh has done to us what Shazi did to Khalid; as her stories would end on such cliffhangers when the dawn came, so has The Wrath & the Dawn. The biggest cliffhanger! Just enough has been revealed to leave us shocked, and we are left on tenterhooks, awaiting the outcome of the storm that is about to bring the walls of Shazi and Khalid's world crumbling down. And I cannot wait!

OMG WHAT ARE WOOOORRRDDDS?!?!?!?! WLEKFJWOIEFJSLDKFJWOEFJ LOVELOVELOVELOVE THE FEELINGS. WHY MUST YOU DO THIS TO MEEEEE? WHY CAN'T I WRITE AS BEAUTIFUL AS SHE?!?!
Full, incoherant review to come.