Reviewed by nitzan_schwarz on
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!!
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 10 February, 2017: Finished reading
- 10 February, 2017: Reviewed