The Wrath And The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh | Audiobook Review

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

A sumptuous and epically told love story inspired by A Thousand and One NightsEvery dawn brings horror to a different family in a land ruled by a killer. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise. So it is a suspicious surprise when sixteen-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry Khalid. But she does so with a clever plan to stay alive and exact revenge on the Caliph for the murder of her best friend and countless other girls. Shazi’s wit and will, indeed, get her through to the dawn that no others have seen, but with a catch . . . she’s falling in love with the very boy who killed her dearest friend.She discovers that the murderous boy-king is not all that he seems and neither are the deaths of so many girls. Shazi is determined to uncover the reason for the murders and to break the cycle once and for all.

Why Did I Listen To This Book?

I am that one person who always always always falls prey to hype and I don’t even care. I am okay with it. I am totally okay with being excited about books that everyone else is infectious about. There’s something magical about being part of the bookish community that way. The Wrath And The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh is one of those books that got me feeling hype, as my friend would say. Legit, all of my friends who have read it were singing all the praises for it, as well as doing jazz hands of love for this book. SO OF COURSE me being the if my friends were jumping off a bridge type, I got my hands on The Wrath And The Dawn audiobook and began listening.

What’s The Story Here?

ARABIAN NIGHTS THEY ARE HOTTER THAN HOT something something something. Okay, not quite the story but The Wrath And The Dawn is a young adult retelling of the 1001 Nights which my only real exposure is Aladdin and this one episode of Popeye the Sailor Man where he gets a gave to open by saying Open Sesame. Clearly I am lacking in culture. Anyways okay! So this book! There’s this girl, Shazi, Shahrzad is pretty much the star of this book, at least to me. She’s 16 and she is just lost her best friend, Shiva, who was bride to the Caliph of Khorasan. You see, he takes a new bride every night and then the bride is killed. It’s kind of the worst. Anyways, Shazi has got a plan and so she volunteers to be Khalid the Caliph’s bride. She’s going to keep herself alive and exact revenge for Shiva and live to see the dawn. And so, Shazi begins to tell Khalid stories each night – including the story of Aladdin, FYI. One thing that she didn’t account for? Falling for Khalid. BIG TIME. Also, things are not what they seem. THIS BOOK YOU GUYS THIS BOOK.

How’s The Romance?

I would totally throw my dollar bills up in the air and make it rain for hate to love stories. For real, I would. And that is what Renee Ahdieh’s version of 1001 Nights is. Like, that is my favorite romance trope ever and it takes place in this book. So, okay, Shazi does not want to fall for Khalid but then she does against her best judgment and it is heart breaking because she’s grappling with the emotions of feeling like she has betrayed her dead best friend, but honestly you can’t help who you love. Also, lol this thirsty guy Tariq was Shazi’s intended, but now that she’s with Khalid and actually into him, that’s not working out. SO YOU GUYS THE THIRST IS REAL.

How’s The Narration?

The Wrath And The Dawn is narrated by Ariana Delawari. She isn’t a terrible narrator, per se, but she’s not among my favorites. To be fair,  I am sort of wishing I had read the physical copy instead of listened to the audiobook. Again, the audio isn’t bad and it is well produced and not an overlong listen, BUT I didn’t get a ton out of the audio. I think maybe I would have retained more of this book in my memory and heart and such if I had actually just physically read it. That stated, at least I know I will read the next book as a physical copy and not listen to it. I mean, mileage may vary for the audio, but I just didn’t love it. I think maybe the accent was a bit too American for this book, if that makes sense.

Sum It Up With A GIF:

Best GIF of all time ever the end.

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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