Review: The Wrath & The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

The Wrath & The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
Published: May 12, 2015
Publisher: Putnam
Pages: 388 (Hardcover)
Series: The Wrath & the Dawn #1
Source: Bought
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

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.

Full disclaimer I bought this on a whim because I thought the cover was pretty. I honestly didn't know much about it, but I had seen it a lot online. This was a couple of years ago so when I decided to pick it up the other day I went in remembering really nothing about it. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It was a good way to really get back into reading. I finished it in nearly a day because I was just so intrigued by the story. 

I really loved the entire premise of the book because it was so different from anything else I've read from what I remember. I immediately wanted to know what exactly was going on with Khalid. It was just so fascinating. I enjoyed the depth the character had and I really enjoyed how Shazi didn't immediately think that everything was ok after she unlocked his Tragic Backstory. 

Truthfully I didn't like Shazi at the beginning. I understood her motives, but I don't get why she started telling Khalid a story her first night. I feel like it was risky and how could she have known that it would work. It just seemed odd to me even though I enjoyed the stories. After awhile her character did grow on me because she's very headstrong and people respect her for that. 

I really loved the story and the characters, but the book wasn't without flaws. The romance between Shazi and Khalid was classic insta love. Honestly I'm surprised I didn't have an issue with it. I usually can't stand it when books have this, but I was able to look past it because after it happened the story was just so good. It kept me wanting more to the point where I didn't want to put it down. 

I can't wait to read the next book in the series because the end of this one left me wanting more.