“Murderer, monster, madman… Khalid may very well be all of those things. But he’s also loved. By me and by my father. But, most of all, by Shazi. With her, he is as fiercely loved as he loves.”
The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh is the first in it’s namesake duology, a mystical retelling of the Arabian classic One Thousand and One Nights. Khalid Ibn al-Rashid is the Caliph of Khorasan, the murderous boy-king ruling his empire at only 18 years of age. His people hate him for what he does: every evening, he marries a randomly selected girl, and the next morning, the poor bride is killed. When Shahrzad al-Khayzuran’s best friend Shiva becomes victim of the Caliph’s heartless campaign, Shahrzad volunteers herself to be the cruel boy-king’s next bride. She is determined to see the next sunrise, and begins to weave an unending tale every night to ensure her survival. As she survives one day, then the next, and then the next, she is plotting the death of the Caliph, who has unjustly taken the lives of so many girls before her. Sharzad is determined to kill the monster she has married, but she soon learns that all is not what it seems, and that these killings may not be entirely senseless. She begins to grow closer to the Caliph and slowly comes to understand the politics at play in the treacherous court of Khorasan and the country’s neighbour, Parthia. At the far reaches of the country, in the barren and untameable deserts, Sharzad’s family schemes to retrieve their lost child, a group that includes Tariq Imran al-Ziyad, Sharzad’s former lover, and her father, Jahandar, who has some form of magic. In a story with characters scattered across an entire country, The Wrath and the Dawn showcases loss, betrayal, and shifting loyalties that leave you at a steep precipice in anticipation of the next book.
“For nothing, not the sun, not the rain, not even the brightest star in the darkest sky, could begin to compare to the wonder of you.”
Ahdieh brings a wonderful world to life. Inspired by Arabian royalty, every setting is flawlessly portrayed – from the intricate and endless halls of the palace in Rey, capital of Khorasan, to the raw camps set up in the far deserts of the country. Multiple characters’ point-of-views are shown, clearly depicting each one’s intentions and thoughts. Sharzad’s role as the main character in this book is perfectly written, with her internal struggle over the fate of the Caliph evident. She loves her people and she loved her friend, but her heart is slowly torn in two as she finds herself falling in love with a killer. Every emotion is profound, and the writing is crisp and exquisite. Ahdieh builds a fantastic base for the duology, and as you read, you fall in love with each character and understand that the world is not always black and white, and that grief, jealousy, love, and many other aspects of life can affect your reasoning, and change you in ways you never thought would be possible.
“It’s inevitable. When you meet the one who makes you smile as you’ve never smiled before, cry as you’ve never cried before… there is nothing to do but fall.”
