Book Review | The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

Title: The Wrath and the Dawn

Author: Renee Ahdieh 

Series: The Wrath and the Dawn #1

Age: Young Adult

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Retelling

Publication Date: May 12th 2015

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

Source: eBook

Purchase: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Play Store | iBooks 

Synopsis: 
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 bride 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 this 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 NightsThe Wrath and the Dawn is a sumptuous and enthralling read from beginning to end.

My Rating: 

My Thoughts:
Oh my gosh!!! My heart is literally beating fast. I cannot deal with how amazing this book was and that ending -- I am literally falling from a cliff with the no end. I cannot believe how Renee Ahdieh has recreated such a phenomenal, jaw dropping retelling of a "Thousand and One Nights." The characters, the world, the romance -- it all just created a heartbreaking story.

Shahrzad aka Shazi is a firecracker! She has volunteered to the be next victim. She has every intention of living and killing the king, but her plans are derailed when she begins to fall for him. I loved everything about Shazi. She was quick with her tongue, had a massive attitude and took nothing from no one. She always spoke her mind even if it meant she might die. She bold, confident and knew exactly what she wanted. She is the epitome of what a queen should be.

Khalid is the boy-king, a monster unto his people. He must kill every night to fulfill the curse that was laid upon his life for his past transgressions. Let me just say, that curse was totally uncalled for, but back to Khalid. He is portrayed as a monster, but in all actuality he is a boy who doesn't know love and seeks to have love from someone. Everything about him made me sad for him. His upbringing was horrible, what he witnessed his father do to his mother was insane. The weight of the world it literally on his shoulders and he doesn't let anyone in. As he began to open up I loved the tender, caring side of him. I loved his humor, his strength and his mindset. Khalid was so much more and I hope he can share his true self with his people in the sequel.

The romance was totally unexpected, but expected at the same time. You have a girl who set on vengeance for her friend's death. You have a boy-king who doesn't know love and pushes everyone away. As their walls began to crumble they began to fall for one another. Even so, they still managed to anger each other when they could. I absolutely loved everything about their romance. They truly fell for one another by learning the truth about one another. Khalid's love for Shazi was strong and the same for Shazi. I am interested in seeing if they reunite and how the romance will grow. They gave me life!

Jalal is freaking amazing. He has so much love and loyalty to Khalid and for Shazi as well. He was humorous to me and he knew how to push Khalid's buttons. I loved him until the very end. I hated that he made Shazi leave though. That was torture for me.

Despina was a firecracker! She was just as feisty as Shazi. I loved the little spats they had with one another and how they pushed into each others lives. I hope to see more of her. The romance she has with Jalal needs to have more show too.

Tariq is an idiot to think he could win Shazi back. He feels entitled to a life with her, but when Omar explained that he wasn't I agreed. Tariq needs to understand the Shazi loves him, but she loves Khalid even more. He needs to take the lose and move on with his life.

That ending has me so upset that I am quickly going to sit down and read the sequel. I need answers and I need more of Khalid and Shahrzad. They were meant for one another!

Have you read this book?