The Rose and the Dagger by Renée Ahdieh


The Rose and the Dagger 

Photo credit: Penguin Random House

 WARNING: SPOILERS FOR THE WRATH AND THE DAWN AHEAD!!! 

 You have been warned

 Synopsis: 

 The darker the sky, the brighter the stars.

In a land on the brink of war, Shahrzad is forced from the arms of her beloved husband, the Caliph of Khorasan. She once thought Khalid a monster—a merciless killer of wives, responsible for immeasurable heartache and pain—but as she unraveled his secrets, she found instead an extraordinary man and a love she could not deny. Still, a curse threatens to keep Shazi and Khalid apart forever.

Now she’s reunited with her family, who have found refuge in the desert, where a deadly force is gathering against Khalid—a force set on destroying his empire and commanded by Shazi’s spurned childhood sweetheart. Trapped between loyalties to those she loves, the only thing Shazi can do is act. Using the burgeoning magic within her as a guide, she strikes out on her own to end both this terrible curse and the brewing war once and for all. But to do it, she must evade enemies of her own to stay alive.

The saga that began with The Wrath and the Dawn takes its final turn as Shahrzad risks everything to find her way back to her one true love again.

 Review:

The Rose and the Dagger by Renée Ahdieh is a romantic and magical novel that had me swooning and wanting more.

 I loved the Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh and was so excited when I heard that there was a sequel coming out! I believe it came out a year or two ago, but I didn't get around to reading it until now. So naturally, I forgot absolutely everything that happened in the first book. It took me a while to really get back into the world and remember all of the characters and their relationships with one another but, thanks to the wonders of the internet, I was able to find summaries of book one and get back into the world.

 Just like in the Wrath and the Dawn, the romance just beautiful!! Salid. Kahrzad. Ok, their ship name needs a little work but everything else about them is just YASSSSSSS!!! I just love them both so much. Khalid is such a loving, respectful, ball of love and Shazi is so strong. I think their relationship is a perfect example of how relationships should be. Based on mutial respect and love. Their relationship is #goals. I kind of wish there were more moments of them together, but overall their relationship was one of my favorite aspects of the story.

"It wasn't about belonging to each other, it was about belonging with each other."

I loved all of the characters. I really wished we got a little more of Artan. I thought he was really funny and his friendship with Khalid and Sharzad was really fun and added some lightness and humor to the story. I would have liked to hear some more of his background. Especially how he somehow obtained a dragon thingy. I also loved Irsa and her development throughout the story.

 Despite how much I loved the characters I did have a few issues with the plot. I thought the beginning was quite slow and I had a hard time really getting into this book. I didn't really get into the story until maybe 100 pages into the book. Also, it didn't really seem like the book had any real direction. At first, they were just trying to stop a war and end the curse but after Tariq shot Shazi and Tariq and Khalid became buds all of a sudden it was about Parithya.

 I loved the familial bonds shown throughout the book. Especially the sisterly bond between Irsa and Shazi. I feel like familial bonds really need more attention in YA literature and I think the scenes with Irsa and Shazi together, however few, were important and well-executed. I also loved how at the end when Jahander shot Khalid he decided to trade his life for Khalid's out of love for his daughter because no matter how far gone Jahander was, his love for his daughter proved more powerful than the hate and greed that consumed him throughout the novel.

 The Rose and the Dagger is a magical tale of jealosy, greed, and, of course, love. I definitely would recommend to fans of the first book and anyone who is looking for a good love story.

Rating

 4 / 5


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