The Wrath & the Dawn

I've been keen to read The Wrath And The Dawn since I first saw it enthusiastically reviewed on Sarcasm And Lemons way back in September 2015. I was delighted to spot an unread copy on a local book sale table last summer and I've now finally managed to get to read it! With all that build up I was a little concerned that the novel might not live up to the gushing reviews I've read of it and, erm, I am afraid that this is the case. Not that this is a bad story - far from it! It's just that I wanted to be completely enthralled and I actually felt more pleasantly diverted.

On the good side of the scale our heroine Shahrzad is fantastic. She is witty, highly intelligent, impetuous, brave and also kind. At the time of the original Sheherezade legend I think a female character like our Shahrzad would have been male! I loved her maid Despina too. Ever practical but also mischievous and just a little romantic, I could have happily spent far more of the story with just these two young women. Surrounding them however are various factions of power-seeking men, some chasing revenge and others more concerned with personal glory. The best scenes for me were when Shahrzad pits her wits against the most pompous or patronising of these men and bests them!

I had misunderstood that The Wrath And The Dawn is only inspired by the story of Sheherezade and isn't a full retelling. I felt let down that there weren't more stories in this story! The initial tension of Shahrzad's situation didn't seem to me to be explored in as much depth as I would have liked and that aspect faded too swiftly. This was a recurring issue for me in that I think I wanted The Wrath And The Dawn to develop into a full literary historical work and I had to remind myself that it is a young adult novel. Still, Ahdieh beautifully evokes the gorgeous luxury of Khalid's palace and its lush gardens. I loved all the food descriptions too - this is a novel that encourages snacking! By the second half, I did feel myself becoming swept into Shahrzad and Khalid's world and am intrigued by how certain aspects of their tale will pan out in the sequel. This is a good escapist read and I could understand how others rave about it.

EDIT: Bajo los dos libros a 3 estrellas porque realmente no me gustaron tanto y recuerdo más los problemas que tuve que lo que me gustó.

Tengo sentimientos contradictorios con este libro. Voy a empezar por lo que no me gustó.
Al principio del libro estaba entusiasmada por como se planteaba la historia: una chica que se casa con el califa para asesinarlo por haber matado a su amiga. ¡Suena a algo genial! Pero al final las cosas se tuercen, ella descubre que Jalid (el califa) realmente no es un monstruo, se enamoran...
Mi problema con eso es Jalid. Sí, ya sé que realmente no quiere matar a sus esposas en cada amanecer, y sí, sé que no hay otra solución si no quiere que su pueblo sufra, ¿pero no podría decirlo? Me refiero, si su pueblo supiera lo de la maldición, seguramente lo comprenderían y no le verían como un monstruo. A ver, claro que algunos si lo harían, pero serían una minoría. Incluso si no pudiera, no sé porqué pero cada vez que Sherezade (la protagonista) y Jalid se ponían en plan romántico no podía parar de pensar: "¡Pero que ha matado a un montón de gente incluyendo a tu amiga!" Y sé, como dije antes, que no es su culpa realmente, pero algo en mi mente me seguía diciendo que eso no estaba bien.
Entonces, ¿por qué le puse 4 estrellas?
Porque quitando eso todo lo demás me encantó. No sé que fue lo que me enamoró del libro de forma concreta, pero todo me gustó mucho. Tengo el segundo libro en mi estantería, así que voy a empezar a leerlo cuanto antes.