“THE WRATH AND THE DAWN,” by Renée Ahdieh, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, May 12, 2015, Hardcover, $17.99 (young adult)
It’s always interesting when two books based on the same subject come out within months of each other. Such is the case with “The Wrath and the Dawn” and “A Thousand Nights,” which I reviewed in November — both are based on “Arabian Nights.” It’s a dangerous game where one can overshadow the other, but when done right, they both shine.
“The Wrath and the Dawn” starts out much the same as “A Thousand Nights” — each morning brings the death of a woman forced to marry the ruler of the land, but then a young woman unexpectedly volunteers, and everything changes. This is where the two books diverge.
The heroine of “The Wrath and the Dawn” is 16-year-old Shahrzad whose best friend was the most recent victim of Khalid, the 18-year-old Caliph of Khorasan. Shazi volunteers for one purpose and one purpose only: exacting her revenge. By volunteering, Shazi piques Khalid’s interest in a way no girl has done before. Her wit and sharp tongue earn her dawn after another dawn, but it also offers her insight into the boy-king and the secret he carries.
“The Wrath and the Dawn” swept me away. Shazi is smart and complex. I found myself rooting for her from the start. What I didn’t expect was to find myself rooting for Khalid as well. His complexities are well matched with Shazi, and his backstory more intriguing.
“The Wrath and the Dawn” is fast moving and told with an air of warmth and familiarity. My one complaint comes with the sub-plot — which it turns out later becomes part of the overarching plot that will play out in the book’s sequel, “The Rose and the Dagger” (May 2016). The chapters focusing on this sub-plot feature characters who have yet to be fleshed out and action I found only semi-interesting. I found myself skimming those sections so that I could get back to Shazi and Khalid. I know that I will probably pay for that when time comes to read the sequel, but my heart wasn’t in it.
Despite the few, smaller issues I had with “Wrath and the Dawn” I can’t wait to read “The Rose and the Dagger.” I’m now fully invested, and I can’t wait to see where the next book takes me.
