Today I'll be doing my first ever book review! Honestly, I've been a little nervous about writing my
first book review as I've never done it before. I'm not exactly sure how to go about it, what to include, so I'm just going to wing it haha. I'm sure I'll learn more as I go along and I would love some suggestions if you have them!
For my first review I chose The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh. I absolutely adored this book. It is based on the fable/tale of A Thousand and One Nights. I haven't ever read that story so I didn't have anything to base this novel on. I'm not sure how well it follows the story and where it branches off. So I'll start of with the little summary excerpt from inside the book:
"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 vengence and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzard is determined not only to stay alive but to end the caliph's reign of terror once and for all."
The main story is between a very headstrong girl named Shahrzad, who decides she has to get revenge on the Caliph Khalid, for taking her best friend Shiva. But obviously there is much more to the story than that. She devises a way to keep herself alive by telling Khalid stories each night when he comes to visit. The dialog and interactions between the two were amazingly described. Shahrzad is such a strong, persuasive girl and I found myself really admiring her courage and devil may care attitude. And despite (or maybe because) of the mysterious and hot/cold nature of Khalid I found myself really loving him as well. They challenge each other and it really brings some fun to the story.
Shahrzad, originally intending to kill the Caliph of Khorasan, ultimately ends up falling for him. Someone who she is determined to hate and destroy. But as we know life isn't always that easy and it sure wasn't for her. She must come to terms with losing a best friend and falling for her killer. I don't want to spoil the story too much so you'll have to read the book yourself to find out what happens between the two :)
There is also a side story during the book which involves a friend of Shahrzad's who is willing to try anything to get her back. I found myself not really caring about him or what he was up to, and read as fast as I could through his parts as I wasn't interested in them really.
The story does end at a pretty important part and leaves you wanting more, which is of course what the author wanted! The second book in the series The Rose and The Dagger will be released in May and it is definitely on the top of my list to preorder!
I think what I really loved about this book was the setting. The way Ahdieh transports your mind from the boring and mundane real world, to one full of color and enchantment. I love learning about different cultures and The Wrath and the Dawn did not disappoint. I really liked that while I was reading a work of fiction I was also learning about real Indian culture, food, and their dress. I've fallen in love with the culture and I want to learn even more about it.
It's not really anything to do with the story itself but I do think the cover of the book is beautiful. I think the red and gold was a great choice as I think I remember that red is a pretty prominent color in Indian culture. Also, the hardcover edition of the book has uneven pages..you can't see it that well here but thats what I was trying to capture. I really appreciate uneven pages, especially on this book, because it gives an older feeling to the pages and since this is a retelling of an older story I think it fits quite well.
RATING:
5/5
I hope that you enjoyed! Have any of you read this book? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the book and whether you're looking forward to the next one as much as I am!
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