The Wrath and the Dawn Review: Spoiler Free
The Wrath and the Dawn is a retelling of A Thousand and One Nights. It is mainly told from the perspective of Shahrazad, or Shazi. Her best friend, Shiva, is killed by the Caliph of Khorasan, similar to many of the girls before her. Shazi decides to go to the palace to avenge her friend’s death. On her first night there, she tells Khalid, the caliph, a magnificent story, but does not tell him the end. He does not kill her, as he wants to know what is next.
This goes on for many nights, and the longer Shazi lives, the more of the palace we get to see. She has a beautiful handmaiden, Despina, and a fierce bodyguard, the Rajput. We also meet Jalal, Khalid’s handsome cousin and captain of the guard. The characters are well developed and interact beautifully with one another. The relationships in this novel are slow-burning, yet incredibly impactful.
Renee Ahdieh’s writing is stunning. Each word flows beautifully off the page. It makes me forget that I am reading and instead makes me feel as if I am there with the characters. The way her chapters are formed kept me on the edge of my seat, excited for what awaited me on the next page. There was never a dull moment during either of these books. Even the way she described their meals had me intrigued and immersed.
These books have a fair amount of fantastical elements, but more so in the second book. Khalid is said to be a monster, as he has killed so many girls, but it is more than meets the eye. There is a powerful curse, a forbidden book, a magic carpet, and a girl with a fire in her soul. All of these elements add up to an extravagant and enchanting duology!
I loved both of these books! I gave them both 5/5 stars. If you have not read them yet, I would absolutely recommend that you do. They have the perfect blend of lovely prose, swoon worthy romance, political intrigue, and magic!
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