Early Review: The Rose & the Dagger (The Wrath & the Dawn, #2) by Renée Ahdieh

Title: The Rose & the Dagger (The Wrath & the Dawn, #2) 
Author: Renée Ahdieh 
Publisher: Putnam 
Source: Publisher 
Expected Publication Date: April 26th, 2016 
Pre-order: Amazon  |  B&N 

Summary: 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. 

The Wrath & the Dawn duology is my Mountain of Adamant.  It possesses a magic that pulls me in, taking me away from anything else I might have been doing, any obligations I may have had.  Unlike the sailors who fought and flailed against Adamant’s power, I went along happily with no struggle. Try as I might to savor this sequel, I couldn’t help but devour it.  The Rose & the Dagger is beyond thrilling.  Love and hate, betrayal and loyalty, heartbreak and euphoria.  This sequel is everything I had hoped it would be and more. 

Because this is the sequel and conclusion, I won’t divulge any details about the plot – but I will gush about the author’s writing, which is simply stunning.  I use sticky flags whenever I am moved by a line in a book, and I kid you not… I started with a new pack of yellow sticky flags and went through every last one.  This book is so richly detailed, with descriptions that invaded all my senses and utterly engaging characters. Characters that are brilliantly fleshed out and fascinating.  Whether they are the hero or the villain, you cannot help but be mesmerized.  I of course have my favorites, but for fear of spoiling anyone who hasn’t read the first book, I will only say that a particular couple has taken up permanent residence in my heart. 

This reimagining of A Thousand and One Nights is one of my favorites; and though this fantasy is in the young adult genre, please don’t be deterred if that genre is not for you.  This story is ageless.  My favorite quote by C.S. Lewis is, “Someday you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.”  I believe mature readers will find that to be the case as they lose themselves in the magic of this world. 

An amazing conclusion with a perfect epilogue. Truthfully, there is only one thing I found fault with: the fact that it had to come to an end. 

A huge thank-you to the publisher for sending this book in exchange for my honest review. 

  

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