The Wrath and the Dawn #0.25, #0.5, #1.5

#0.25 The Moth & the Flame

It started as playful, if barbed, banter before rising to a fateful wager with a most notorious rake—the Captain of the Guard, Jalal al-Khoury—who may have finally met his match in a lovely, if haughty, handmaiden, Despina. But she, too, seems to have met her match in the handsome Jalal. What begins as a tempestuous battle of will and wit in short order becomes a passionate affair spurred on by tragedy of the worst kind.

#0.5 The Crown & the Arrow

Seventy-one days and seventy-one nights had come and gone since Khalid began killing his brides. This dawn, Khalid would mark the loss of the seventy-second girl, Shahrzad al-Khayzuran. Khalid didn’t know how many more of these dawns he could take. And there was something about this latest girl that piqued his interest. Not only had she volunteered to marry him, but at their wedding ceremony, she had seemed not the least bit afraid. In fact, what he had seen in her eyes was nothing short of pure hatred. She was about to lose her life. Why wasn’t she afraid? Why did she hate him so? He had never before gone to his wife’s chambers before her death at dawn. Tonight would be different.

#1.5 The Mirror & the Maze

The city of Rey is burning. With smoke billowing, fires blazing and his people fleeing, Khalid races back to defend his city, and protect his queen. But Khalid is too late to do either. He and his men arrive to find the city in ruins, nothing but a maze of destruction, and Shahrzad is gone. But who could have wrought such devastation? Khalid fears he may already know the answer, the price of choosing love over the people of Rey all too evident.




(JOINT) REVIEW ==

While short novella don't help much but if you are waiting for the next one in a series or if the prospect is an inside look into the mind of someone other than the protagonist or it be an untold story in the same universe well then you should definitely see what they have to offer.

For me, while they offer a new look..... they just never seem to satisfy me at all.

In that context the three Wrath and the Dawn novella - The Moth and the Flame, The Crown and the Arrow and The Mirror and the Maze .... Are a persona onto their own. Each provide a new story set in and around Khalid & Shazi's time.

While they don't seem to do much other than make me salivate for more than the few pages that they offer but..... I wouldn't have it any other way.

Genre :     Young Adult, Fairytale re-telling, Romance, Historical Fiction

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

My Copy: ebook

Rate:             5/5 (It was Amazing)

Other Books by the Author(review links):
         #1 The Wrath & the Dawn
         #2 The Rose & the Dagger

Buy:         Amazon | Book Depository 

The Wrath and the Dawn #2 The Rose & the Dagger

Presenting The Wrath and the Dawn #2 The Rose & the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh.

Here is the summary of the book:

The darker the sky, the brighter the stars.

In a land on the brink of war, Shahrzad is forced from the arms of her beloved husband, the Caliph of Khorasan. She once thought Khalid a monster—a merciless killer of wives, responsible for immeasurable heartache and pain—but as she unraveled his secrets, she found instead an extraordinary man and a love she could not deny. Still, a curse threatens to keep Shazi and Khalid apart forever.

Now she’s reunited with her family, who have found refuge in the desert, where a deadly force is gathering against Khalid—a force set on destroying his empire and commanded by Shazi’s spurned childhood sweetheart. Trapped between loyalties to those she loves, the only thing Shazi can do is act. Using the burgeoning magic within her as a guide, she strikes out on her own to end both this terrible curse and the brewing war once and for all. But to do it, she must evade enemies of her own to stay alive.

The saga that began with The Wrath and the Dawn takes its final turn as Shahrzad risks everything to find her way back to her one true love again.

REVIEW ==

Enchanting. Breathless. Intense and magical. 'The Rose and the Dagger' is the second book in the series and the finale and by God it does justice to Shahrzad and Khalid's sweeping romance. Ahdieh successfully manages to ensnare us all over again with the dreamlike flow of her tale and spins a most worthy finale. 

Khalid and Shazi ..... Shazi and Khalid *sighs* ..... If you thought The Wrath and the Dawn was brilliant? Well The Rose and the Dagger it turns out is more than enough of a match. Every instance, every facets and all of it nuances make this finale worthy to behold. Add that the brilliance of our lead couple and every other secondary characters was a utilization in perfection. Really this series can do no wrong and  i'm happy the author maintains that flow never slowing down.

There was swooning (over Khalid *wink*) ..... Heartbreak. A general sense of peace and rude realization that keep us readers fixed to our seats. The feels felt tangible and given just the leeway tugs us in when we least expected it. The ending did feel rushed but the overall fierce romance and excitement with both Shazi and Khalid and all the secondary characters was definitely a 'magical' experience to be had. Suffice it to say I am a huge fan. 

"Magical, enticing and exotic. A conclusion worthy of the love of Shazi & Khalid"

Genre :     Young Adult, Fairytale re-telling, Romance, Historical Fiction

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

Release Date: 26th April, 2016

My Copy: bought (hardback)

Rate:             5/5 (It was Amazing)

Other Books by the Author(review links):
         #1 The Wrath & the Dawn

Buy:         Amazon | Book Depository 

The Wrath and the Dawn #1 The Wrath and the Dawn

Presenting The Wrath and the Dawn #1 The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh.

Here is the summary of the book:

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

Captivating. Attractive. Enchanting. With the needed oomph. Renee Ahdieh's The Wrath and the Dawn is the first of the duology and the perfect re-telling of the Arabian Nights or 1001 Nights as it is known. Clothed in an innovative cover and filled with Ahdieh's flowing words, The Wrath and the Dawn was at the top of my favorite book last year (this is a late review of the book).

Shahrzad and Khalid of Khorosan made for an intriguing pair. Strong willed, Sassy and capable of speaking her mind Shahrzad. Volunteering to marry a rumored tyrant when she is most likely going to die the next dawn. Willing to sacrifice herself in order to kill the man responsible for the death of her best friend Shiva. She is a force to be held and knows just what buttons to push. An all round bad-ass and kick-ass heroine to behold.

Khalid, the tall, dark and mysterious ruler of Khorosan. Imperfect and marred with a tragic past. Eighteen years old and being burdened with a mysterious affliction hasn't done anything to alleviate the tortured soul he is. Death of so many wives without reason has not done anything to raise him in the eyes of his people either. He often appears stone cold and calculating but Shahrzad seems to strike a chord.

She sees something no one ever cared to see. She may have agreed to marry him to eventually exact revenge for her best friend but instead of a monster she sees a tortured soul looking for belonging and love, someone who interests in listening to stories. She sees a man chaffing under the guilt of the murders of his previous wives. Somehow their developing love melts Khalid's cold heart into beating anew. Somehow he finds the yin to his yang. A burgeoning love, fiercest of the fierce. Searing romance, emotions raging high .... and you (reader) find yourself swept in their overtures of love.... My favorite pair .......

Ahdieh paints a convincing and vibrant world with her words. The narrative is spot on and Khorosan is beautifully realized. The words easy to understand and lyrical to be experienced. There is also a glossary at the end to reference the meaning of the Arabic words used. And all the food Shahrzad and Khalid consume and the mouth watering descriptions the author provided had me constantly hungry wherever i came across them.

I'm forgetting someone aren't I? Yes! .... Tariq .... I remember him .... He just annoyed me to no ends and whenever his chapters came around I was always impatient for them to be over. Otherwise I just absolutely loved and adored every bit of this re-telling of 1001 Nights. Of course magic is touched upon but not overtly depended on as the human emotions play a bigger part in this rendition. Utter perfection ..... Eagerly anticipating The Rose and the Dagger now.

"Luxuriously detailed and richly narrated. Renee Ahdieh produces an enthralling re-telling of the Arabian Nights"

Genre :     Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Fairytale Re-telling, Romance

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

Release Date: 12th May, 2015

My Copy: bought (hardbound)

Rate:             5/5 (It was Amazing)

Buy:         Amazon | Book Depository