by Renee Ahdieh
Read: March 27-29, 2017
Published: May 12, 2015
Genre: Fantasy
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?
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Why did you read this book?
It was the cover art that got me. It's an intriguing book just to look at. I've also had it on my 'to-read' list for quite some time now and just impulse bought it a week or so ago. But really, 80% of my rationale for reading this book was "ooh, pretty cover..."
What did you like about this book?
The romance in this book was excellent. It was believable, and beautiful and just raw and heart wrenching. I didn't want Khalid and Shahrzad's story to stop (lucky for me, there's a second book). I also loved the magic and suspense. It was one of those books that you have to keep reading in order to get all the answers. And I still have unanswered questions (again, thank goodness for book 2). The characters were also a major strength in this book. I loved watching Khalid and Shahrzad grow and I adored Despina and Jalal. Even Tariq wasn't one of my favorite characters, I understood him. He was a very real character and I could feel his pain. As you may have guessed by now, I am very fond of fairy tale retellings. The only encounters I've had with them though have been princess ones (Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Beauty and the Beast, etc.) This is the only one I've read based off of One Thousand and One Nights. It made me want to go back and read the original. Another thing I liked was the Middle Eastern setting, characters, and culture in this book. The only other books I've read with any clear Middle Eastern influence are The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, both by Khaled Hosseini. While both of those were very good, they also had a high emotional intensity and they were brutally realistic (both excellent qualities in a book), so it was nice to read something that was a fantasy/romance while retaining the Middle Eastern influence.
What didn't you like about this book?
One big beef I had with this book was the point of view switching. I'm usually okay with it, but in this book, the point of view would switch mid-chapter, sometimes multiple times a chapter. It was just jarring and it interrupted the narrative flow. I can understand interrupting a scene for dramatic effect every so often, but this writing technique was over utilized in this book. My other complaint is actually with the romance (I know, I know, that was one of the things I liked). I liked the romance once it got started, but I'm not entirely sure how it got there. One day Shahrzad wanted to kill Khalid with her bare hands and the next she was softening towards him and looking past the fact that he murdered her best friend. I would understand that if Khalid was kind and warm and inviting, but he's not, especially in the beginning of their relationship. He's cold and unforgiving. Shahrzad just didn't seem to have the appropriate amount of desire for revenge once she became Khalid's wife, especially considering she was willing to give up her life to avenge Shiva's. Lastly, the biggest issue I have with this book is the consummation of Shahrzad and Khalid's marriage. It is only mentioned briefly in the book, a matter of only a few sentences. This should be very important very many reasons. 1) Khalid never entered the bedchambers of his other wives before he killed them. The first night of their marriage, he was still planning on killing her when he went to her. Was he just getting off? Which brings me to my next point. 2) It seemed very out of character for Khalid (as we found out what his character actually is later in the book). We find out that he actually has feelings and feels great remorse for what he's had to do. So why would he do this? And 3) this should be a big deal for Shahrzad. Like, this is life altering event for her. This man, who is planning on killing her, is taking advantage of her and it's all just glossed over. I just feel like it could have been handled in a much better way.
Bottom-Line:
Don't let the large dislike paragraph fool you, I really did love this book, I just had a lot to say about Khalid and Shahrzad's relationship. I am absolutely looking forward to reading the next book and I would recommend this to my friends. I had to go back and re-read my favorite parts because I wasn't ready to leave the book.
"You are not weak. You are not indecisive. You are strong. Fierce. Capable beyond measure." -The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
