(The Wrath & the Dawn #2)
Publication
Date: April 26, 2016
Hardcover, 420 pages, G.P. Putnam
Genres:
YA, Fantasy, Fairytale Retelling
The much anticipated sequel to the
breathtaking The Wrath and the Dawn, lauded by Publishers Weekly
as "a potent page-turner of intrigue and romance."
I am surrounded on all sides by a
desert. A guest, in a prison of sand and sun. My family is here. And I do not know
whom I can trust.
In a land on the brink of war,
Shahrzad has been torn from the love of her husband Khalid, the Caliph of
Khorasan. She once believed him a monster, but his secrets revealed a man
tormented by guilt and a powerful curse—one that might keep them apart forever.
Reunited with her family, who have taken refuge with enemies of Khalid, and
Tariq, her childhood sweetheart, she should be happy. But Tariq now commands
forces set on destroying Khalid's empire. Shahrzad is almost a prisoner caught
between loyalties to people she loves. But she refuses to be a pawn and devises
a plan.
While her father, Jahandar,
continues to play with magical forces he doesn't yet understand, Shahrzad tries
to uncover powers that may lie dormant within her. With the help of a tattered
old carpet and a tempestuous but sage young man, Shahrzad will attempt to break
the curse and reunite with her one true love.
My Review
Besides Glass Sword,
this was probably my most anticipated sequel of 2016. And boy, did it give me
just as many feels as the first book! And I still can’t believe the duology is
over.
This book starts off pretty close to where The Wrath and the Dawn left off, so I
was immersed right back into the world I fell in love with. Some of the first
few scenes were either from Khalid’s POV or about Khalid which made my heart
very happy. Khalid is one of my favorite male characters. He’s so tortured and
not really a good guy (but sometimes a good guy), and he just makes me all
aflutter. I was actually kind of sad that Shazi didn’t have interactions with
him for a good chunk of the first part of the novel. Poor Shazi, doesn’t get
her Khalid. :(
Once again, though, Shazi is on the warpath, and I find her
actions fantastic. She never hesitates to make a decision, whether it’s the right
one or not. I really enjoy her fierce attitude. I also really enjoyed the similarities
she had with her sister Irsa. Irsa was a great addition to this duology, and I’m
so sad about some things that happened involving her and some spoilery events.
Amazingly, I also liked Tariq. I did not like him in the first book (mostly
because I was worried he’d steal Shazi from the fabulous Khalid), but he grew
on me some, in spite of his dumbness at first.
Now, the plot of the book had a tad bit of a different tone and
feel than The Wrath and the Dawn. In
that book, there was a dark, romantic feel, but in this book, there’s a more
action-y, adventure feel. Shazi was interacting with magical people and
things, like the carpet, which had me constantly want to sing Aladdin songs.
Despite the different feel, The Rose and the Dagger was a beautiful continuation of the
previous book. Its storyline was just flipped from dark and mysterious to enchanting
and lyrical. While it wasn’t what I was expecting, I loved it all the same.
Plus, that ending was absolutely pure magic. I love when authors put a gorgeous
epilogue in their books. It really allows me to believe the characters are thriving
somewhere out there.
All in all, I’m not sure how to go about explaining my
enthusiasm for this beauty. It was beautiful, fantastic, lyrical, magical, and
amazing. While I wish The Rose and the
Dagger wasn’t the end to the series because I want more, that conclusion
was phenomenal.
*Note: I purchased
a copy of this book for myself. This in no way affected my opinion/review.
No comments:
Post a Comment
I LOVE your comments! And I do read all of them so keep at it! Thanks for visiting!