The Rose & the Dagger
Series: The Wrath and the Dawn #2
Author: Renee Ahdieh
Published April 26th 2016 by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Goodreads Synopsis
I am surrounded on all sides by a desert. A guest, in a prison of sand and sun. My family is here. And I do not know whom I can trust.

In a land on the brink of war, Shahrzad has been torn from the love of her husband Khalid, the Caliph of Khorasan. She once believed him a monster, but his secrets revealed a man tormented by guilt and a powerful curse—one that might keep them apart forever. Reunited with her family, who have taken refuge with enemies of Khalid, and Tariq, her childhood sweetheart, she should be happy. But Tariq now commands forces set on destroying Khalid's empire. Shahrzad is almost a prisoner caught between loyalties to people she loves. But she refuses to be a pawn and devises a plan.

While her father, Jahandar, continues to play with magical forces he doesn't yet understand, Shahrzad tries to uncover powers that may lie dormant within her. With the help of a tattered old carpet and a tempestuous but sage young man, Shahrzad will attempt to break the curse and reunite with her one true love.
Goodreads

Review
See my review of book 1, The Wrath and the Dawn.

Following the events of book 1, when Shahrzad left Khalid to protect him from her family. However, her leaving has left him wrecked, and the burning of the capital of Rey isn't helping matters. Both love each other so much, and are determined to find their way back to one another, but Shazi knows that she'll have to break his curse before they can be together again. Shazi's father, Jahandar, has a magical book that will help her in finding an ally to break the curse, and she'll do anything to get her hands on it, and to get a hold on her own powers.

I loved how the book had two PoVs, so we could see how both main characters dealt with their time apart, and their own goals. Even though they were separated for most of the book, they did reunite fairly early in the book. Knowing they can see each other, though it's difficult, helped both characters remain true to their plans, even with all of the issues thrown their way. Many of the other secondary characters were against the two, especially Jahandar and Tariq - whom I don't like, and didn't really like in book 1, either.

Tariq did everything because of his 'love' for Shazi, but I always thought he liked her more as a thing, not as a person. The whole love triangle aspect wasn't really there, because no one could get in between Shazi and Khalid's love for each other. For Shazi, Tariq is a friend, and nothing more - though Tariq doesn't seem to get the message.

The plot was exceptional. It was mainly about the curse, but there were many other subplots occurring too. Some seemed to be really small things to begin with, but once we got further into the book, we saw just how much of an impact they all could have, as they began tying together into character arcs, etc.

I'm sad the book is over with, but can't wait to read more of Ahdieh's books in the future. I'd definitely recommend this.

Dates Read:

July 17-20, 2016

Rating
5 Stars