The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

Image and blurb from Goodreads:

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 Nights, The Wrath and the Dawn is a sumptuous and enthralling read from beginning to end

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My thoughts:

5 "Epic Romance" STARS!!!

Yes, I finished it. NOW SHUT UP AND GIVE ME THE NEXT BOOK!

*Sighs* Now that I got this out of my chest, let me answer your question: YES, YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK! GO! What are you still doing here? You don’t need this review, you need to read the damn book. Because it’s so fantastic, I can’t even… *DIES*

First of all, pretty words you’re so pretty. (That’s how much I love this book. I can’t write coherent sentences).

Renee’s writing is... vivid! Funny how I’m not a big fan of the almost-flowery writing style but ended up appreciating the beauty of this book. That says a lot about her talent, if you ask me. But what got me most excited about this were the characters. Oh, how much I loved them. And the epic romance.

Go check my bookshelf and you’ll understand how important romance is to me. I mean, I’m a firm believer that one can never have too many ships. No. There’s no such a thing. I need more. Always more. And I ship Shahrzad and Khalid so hard that I’m ready to go on Tumblr and declare my love for them. See, I’m serious about those two. My only complaint about this book is that I thought we could have more pages with them and less with Tariq and everyone else.

{SPOILER}

I did like Tariq, don’t get me wrong, but I wasn’t a fan of his POV.
But Shahrzad was the real star of this show. I mean, how can you NOT love a girl who risks her life to get revenge for her best friend’s murder AND is smart enough to send her family away so they don’t get hurt? You have to love her, right? Otherwise, you’re just crazy. As crazy as Khalid is for her. *swoons*

Oh, dear Khalid, you’re so broken and you have every right to be broken, and I want to hug you. Poor young man. I have to tell you I had mix feelings about him choosing Shahrzad over his people’s safety for a moment. Just a moment. But then, how can you blame a man who’s been murdering his wives to save everyone for months when he just has enough? She’s the love of his life, so he had to choose her. I respect him for that.

And I respect Jalal for making her leave. Most of all, I respect AND adore Renee for not turning Jalal into the enemy. I’ve read my fair share of books that turn the “nice” and “adorable” side character into a maniac at the end just for shock value, but Renee chose to keep Jalal as the good guy. THANK YOU! It was the right choice.

{END OF SPOILER}

I don’t know what else to say. Just I LOVE YOU, BOOK! Be my friend and all of that.


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While reading: 

Okay. Only 30 pages to go, but I refuse to read them today, because that means I'll finish it and no, no, I don't want to finish it.
But then, I have to. I promise I won't do what I did with Eleanor & Park. I will read the last page. Just not today.

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What? Who says I have to sleep only because it's close to midnight? I still have 130 pages to go! 

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Before reading: 

Guess who's going to start reading this now?! YES! YES! Book, I know I'll love you! Do. Not. Disappoint. Me.

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I have this on hold! I have this on hold! I HAVE THIS ON HOLD! OMG! Can't believe it.

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I need this book sooooo bad!