"The Wrath and The Dawn" Was Breathtakingly Beautiful

Title: The Wrath and The Dawn
Author: Renee Ahdieh
Series: The Wrath and The Dawn #1
Publication Date: May 12th 2015
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In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad's dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph's reign of terror once and for all.

Night after night, Shahrzad beguiles Khalid, weaving stories that enchant, ensuring her survival, though she knows each dawn could be her last. But something she never expected begins to happen: Khalid is nothing like what she'd imagined him to be. This monster is a boy with a tormented heart. Incredibly, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love. How is this possible? It's an unforgivable betrayal. Still, Shahrzad has come to understand all is not as it seems in this palace of marble and stone. She resolves to uncover whatever secrets lurk and, despite her love, be ready to take Khalid's life as retribution for the many lives he's stolen. Can their love survive this world of stories and secrets? (Source: Goodreads)

Review

One word. Breathtaking. That's pretty much how The Wrath and The Dawn made me feel whilst reading it. I was in a massive reading slump, but when I delved into this book I was immediately drawn into the intricacies of the mystery and the setting. I pretty much fell in love with this book!

1. Ahdieh's writing is vivid and captivating. 
It painted brilliant imager of the characters, setting and even emotions each character experienced. At times it was quite flowery, but the prose was still beautiful and invoked so many feelings. The pace was fast and intense, meaning I wasn't left bored or felt like it dragged. I think the number one thing was that I read this in one day and I would say it was due to Ahdieh's writing.

2. There was an even mix of romance and mystery.
I knew that this was going to primarily be fixated on Shahzrad and Khalid's relationship development, but I'm so glad that there was development with the mystery behind the deaths of each wife. There was also a mix of magic, which opens up so many more possibilities for the next novel and I hope is explored more as well. I'm not a massive romance reader so I'm glad there was a balance and it was done well!

3. The premise kept me heavily involved. 
I know this is a retelling of A Thousand and One Nights but even so, it's a different take, combining modern ideas with an interesting past - especially with the setting. I found both Ahdieh's world and character building to be creative and ingenious, boosting the quality of the read. Not only that, but I was also 100% involved with Shahrzad and Khalid's relationship. It's strange that I was rooting for such a dysfunctional couple but the ship has sailed so far for me to jump off.

I am super excited to get my hands on the next book and continue on with the adventures. I am worried that by setting the bar so high for the first book, the second might not live up to standard. Fingers crossed though!!

The Wrath and the Dawn is engrossing and addictive. It created storms of emotions in me and was the best read to start the year off.