Oh My Arabian Stars!

The Wrath & The 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. 

My Thoughs:

I love audio books and I'm so glad I listened to this one.  I would suggest that, even if you've already read the book, you might still want to listen to the audio book.  It was more than captivating.  The world building itself is perfectly designed. Ahdieh, is a master of writing and you can read it or listen to it and be utterly amazed!

When Shahrzad decides to basically be the bravest person ever, she does so without haste and readily sacrifices everything, including her heart, in order to discover the truth.  I loved Shahrzad's tenacity in all of her thinking. Relentless but careful, she goes toe to toe with Khalid and pushes a little bit at a time, just as much as she THINKS he can handle.  But can she handle what truths she discovers?  Ah, that is the question.  

Khalid is king to be fearful of.  He takes a bride every night and has killed her the next morning. A little greedy I thought.  He gets what he wants when he wants. So, then why does he take head to Shahrzad and her tactics?  I started off hating this man, and then loved him, and then hated him??  The perfectly constructed character for such a notorious role.  

You will find yourself not being able to stop reading this or if you'll like me, stop listening to it.  Seriously ya'll, in my car, at work, and in bed. I had to hear this story and I did in two days!  I highly recommend it to anyone that craves adventure, foreign settings, and suspense in their YA novels!