It took me two days to read The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh. Simply put, I enjoyed the book quite a bit. I am going to be reviewing it here, sans spoilers.
The Story
Sharzad is a wonderful badass of a woman, seeking revenge for the death of her best friend. I think the story was interesting enough, and somewhat unique.
Khalid, our King of Kings, has a complex backstory. I do wonder about the pacing of the story, though, because there was skimming on my end. Every time someone who start sharing a story, my sight just kind of glazed over at the monotonous ramblings.
Then, there’s the magic system, which was lacking depth and explanation. I am okay with that, because I recognize that maybe the characters themselves don’t understand it. But, the text doesn’t really explain how certain people cast spells and whatnot. Someone should know what the heck they’re doing when dabbling with dark magic.
Characters
Shahrzad is a strong, independent woman. She doesn’t allow anyone to boss her around. In addition to that, she is capable of defending herself, despite so many attacks toward her.
Khalid is a tortured soul who has a painful past. And, these two characters are just wonderful together. Their relationship develops slow-burn style.
I don’t know if I like Tariq enough to see the appeal of his character. He reminds me of Adam in Shatter Me. So not cute.
Oh, and let’s not discuss Shahrzad’s father. I have no clue what he was doing throughout the book.
Obviously, Despina is giving me life. I just adore her. But, does she always have to exclaim, “By Zeus!” ? I get it, she is Greek. You don’t have to keep reminding me of that fact.
Diction
I don’t know if I have shared this before, but I speak Arabic as an Arab American. Arabic and Persian share a lot of the same vocabulary. Representation really matters, because for me, I felt a thrill whenever Ahdieh used familiar words.
It made the setting all the more real and tangible. Even the insults sounded similar to things I have heard growing up. “You ass!” (as in donkey, not butt).
There was something that bothered me with the whole “Shazi” thing. It reminded me of how in Disney’s Aladdin, the main character asks the audience to call him Al.
No, dude. No. Her name is Shahrzad. Not all names need to be short and Western-sounding to be easy to learn. It’s frustrating to see this. Trust your audience to be clever and attentive. If they want to learn someone’s name, they’ll put in the effort.
In Conclusion
Overall, it was a good book. I enjoyed it a lot. But, it had some issues that could have been addressed with the text.
RATING: **** (Four stars)
Onto the next one!
Okay, I need to make an effort to read this book this year. I have truly only heard good things about it, and I need good books in my life! Retellings are some of my favourites, as well, so I am sitting here wondering why I keep putting off reading this book. Maybe it’s because I keep requesting review books :’)
It’s awesome that you recognised words that the author used! Especially if it made the reading experience more authentic. It’s a shame about the nickname, though. I don’t think that names need to be shortened and westernised, either. Shahrzad is a lovely name, and it’s kind of sad that it was shortened – likely for the benefit of solely English speaking readers.
Lovely review, Dina! I hope you like the next book 😀
Thank you so much for commenting, Chiara, and for befriending me on Instagram. So sweet. I hope you like this book. I am curious to hear your perspective, for sure!
This is one I’ve heard such conflicting things about – some people love it, some people found it quite distasteful in terms of rape and abusive relationships. Still, it’s always interesting when a book provokes so much discussion. Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
I definitely see why some people might dislike it, though. But, I am glad I read it.