The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn #1)

One Life to One Dawn.

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?

Inspired by A Thousand and One Nights, The Wrath and the Dawn is a sumptuous and enthralling read from beginning to end. 

My Thoughts 2.5 Stars

Wow, you probably are like, WHAT? Are you crazy? Well, I suppose perhaps because, gosh, I did NOT like The Wrath and the Dawn.

Why you might ask?

1. Sharzhad. I found Shazi extremely annoying. She rubbed me the wrong way right from the beginning when she was arrogant enough to think she could survive the night when no other woman had. Her little trick did seem to work but still she was so confident that she would be ok. This seemed unrealistic to me. All the characters including a boyfriend was also convinced that if anyone could survive it would be Shazi. I didn't like her character.  She did get better throughout the book but it was a bit too late for me to make a real connection.

2. The love triangle. Ugh, this love triangle made me crazy. Tariq was super annoying and also really full of himself. How could one boy save a girl from a palace heavily guarded? I could not connect with his character at all.

What I did like:

Yes, there were a few things I liked.
1. The writing. There is no arguing here, Renee's writing is fantastic. I could easily see, hear, smell and taste everything in the world building.
2. The food. My favorite thing, to be honest, was the food. It sounded so delicious.
3. Khalid. I suppose Khalid was my favorite character. He seemed to be the most interesting of them all and his reactions to situations seem appropriate.
4. I did enjoy the chemistry between Khalid and Shazi.
5. The diversity! Yay! This was one of my most anticipated books this year in part to the diverse setting.

Sadly, The Wrath and the Dawn did NOT work for me. I found the characters annoying, the plot not that exciting, the mystery to be unsatisfying.

I am okay with being the black sheep of the crowd but am sad to say that this didn't live up to my expectations.

With any black sheep read, I would still strongly suggest you to read it. Most people LOVE this book. It just wasn't for me. 

The Unpopular Opinion Book Tag was created by The Book Archer. I was tagged by Karina. Thanks!

Synopsis:

This final chapter in the fun and steamy New Adult trilogy by Noelle August (authors Veronica Rossi and Lorin Oberweger) features two aspiring musicians who must choose between their careers…and their sizzling attraction for each other.

Goodreads Summary:

Beneath the streets of New York City live the Avicen, an ancient race of people with feathers for hair and magic running through their veins. Age-old enchantments keep them hidden from humans. All but one. Echo is a runaway pickpocket who survives by selling stolen treasures on the black market, and the Avicen are the only family she's ever known.

Echo is clever and daring, and at times she can be brash, but above all else she's fiercely loyal. So when a centuries-old war crests on the borders of her home, she decides it's time to act.

Legend has it that there is a way to end the conflict once and for all: find the Firebird, a mythical entity believed to possess power the likes of which the world has never seen. It will be no easy task, though if life as a thief has taught Echo anything, it's how to hunt down what she wants . . . and how to take it.

But some jobs aren't as straightforward as they seem. And this one might just set the world on fire.

My Thoughts - 5 Stars!

How do I make them?

• Search, search, search.  Because I do not film my own video, I search YouTube and Vimeo for the types of video I'm seeking. There are lots of amazing indie films on Vimeo that have been wonderful to use.
  
• Then I have to find the right music. Sometimes I've used songs that author was inspired by (such as for the Truthwitch and Queen of Shadows trailers). Other times, they are songs suggested to me by friends (Thanks Pili) and sometimes it's just searching YouTube.
  
• I also make sure to check out any Pinterest boards the authors may have. This really helps me with how they envision the world and the characters.
  
• Then I record my voice for the narration. I went to college for Broadcast and Cinematic Arts so I have some background in video and audio editing. On my home computer I'm editing with Sony Vegas Pro 8.0.

Goodreads Summary:

Imagine a time when the gods turn a blind eye to the agony of men, when the last of the hellions roam the plains and evil stirs beyond the edges of the map. A time when cities burn, and in their ashes, empires rise.

Alexander, Macedonia’s sixteen-year-old heir, is on the brink of discovering his fated role in conquering the known world but finds himself drawn to newcomer Katerina, who must navigate the dark secrets of court life while hiding her own mission: kill the Queen. But Kat’s first love, Jacob, will go to unthinkable lengths to win her, even if it means competing for her heart with Hephaestion, a murderer sheltered by the prince. And far across the sea, Zofia, a Persian princess and Alexander’s unmet fiancée, wants to alter her destiny by seeking the famed and deadly Spirit Eaters.





The World:
One of the most interesting aspects of this book was when in history it occurs. It takes place in the time of Alexander the Great (340 BC) when he was still a teen before he ruled the world.  This was one of my favorite things about the book. I had never read a book that took place in this time-frame (except the Bible) and was curious if it would seem confusing or if there would be difficulty understanding the world. But, I had no problem with the world building in Legacy of Kings at all. Everything was described wonderfully by Eleanor, and it doesn't leave you lacking.

Not only is this world set in BC history, there is also magic! I love the combination of historical fiction AND fantasy. Not only is magic prevalent in this world but so are magical creatures. Who doesn't love that?

I was really wishing for a map in the ARC because I had to Google the area in which these events take place. I was told that the final copy of the book would indeed have a map which will make this book even better!

The Characters:
This book has 6 main point of views (there are a few others). Sometimes, in books, this bothers me and other times it doesn't. I didn't particularly have any issues with the amount of voices in the book. I found them all distinct and well written. Most, if not all, the characters all are carrying around secrets. It was fun guessing what those secrets could be or how they would play out.

In the ARC, Eleanor lists who she would fan cast for all the main characters so I thought that would be fun to include in this review.