“In that moment of perfect balance, she understood. This peace? These worries silenced without effort? It was because they were two parts of a whole. He did not belong to her. And she did not belong to him. It was never about belonging to someone. It was about belonging together.”
The Rose and the Dagger by Renée Ahdieh continues the story after the fierce storms, both metaphorical and literal, taking place at the end of The Wrath and the Dawn. Khalid has returned to Rey to find his kingdom in ashes, his people hurt, and his wife gone. He begins to help the rebuild efforts, concealing his identity and planning how to get back to his partner. At the other end of Khorasan, in the wild and barren deserts, Sharzad has been reunited with her father, sister, and friends, but she is incomplete without her husband. She knows that Khalid is a good man, has seen behind his stone facade and cruel veneer, but this is not the case for everyone else. Sharzad is already under suspicion of most of the camp simply because she is married to the monstrous boy-king, the reluctant Calipha of Khorasan. She must tread carefully to learn more about the camp leaders’ true intentions, especially those of her uncle Reza bin-Latief, the father of the dead best friend, Shiva. Sharzad is trying to find a way back to her partner, but with tensions running high in the camp, she must be very cautious, lest she be declared a traitor to her people. While these two lovers are trying to find their way back to each other, tensions are brewing with the neighbouring country of Parthia – the two lands are on the brink of war. In this suspenseful, dramatic conclusion to the duology, this novel brings a grand finale to the troubles of this world, and a beautiful story that may end in enchanting devotion or bitter loss.
“Give me a meaningful love or a beautiful death!”
Ahdieh brings back the wonderful world of The Wrath and the Dawn in this spellbinding completion of the series. While the first novel was heavily inspired by the tales in One Thousand and One Nights, this second novel completely departs from the ties of a simple retelling, incorporating sorcery and war to create an ethereal fantasy inspired by the royal courts of Arabia. Once again, the settings are wonderfully depicted – you can feel the dry winds of the desert on your cheeks, run your hands along the ornate walls of the magician’s temple, and kneel on the uneven floors of a foreign country’s cells. Each character is further developed, and every bond is solidified by the trials and turmoil set in their paths. Friendships are forged, families are torn apart, and love blooms, unbidden and dangerous, but sweet and honeyed during the tense moments enclosed in these pages. You read about anger and happiness, about hectic togetherness and quiet solitude, and you learn that no matter what may stand in your way, you can shape your own path – carve your own way out of the darkness, and into the light.
“When we are faced with our darkest fears, inaction is for the weak or the hopeless. There is always something to be said or done. Though words alone… are mere scratchings on a page. The power behind them lies with the person.”
