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ashwiebe's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Murder, Pregnancy, and War
Minor: Suicide
bookwormyarei's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Animal death
sarahreadsromance's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and War
readwithria's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Shazi is such an interesting character, and I really enjoyed reading her POV. I think the other characters could have used a tiny bit more fleshing out, but I liked them all quite a bit.
Writing: 4 stars
Characters: 4 stars
Plot: 3 stars
As a note, I’m glad I switched to the physical book because the narration of the audiobook made it hard for me to tell who was talking.
Moderate: Death, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Sexual content, Suicide, and Pregnancy
thebookkeepers's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Suicide, Death of parent, and Murder
i_am_e_nef's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Suicide and Murder
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I read this as part of my #12Friends12Books 2024 reading challenge, and this book was recommended to me by @booknerderika (instagram). Thank you friend! 🩷
I thought this was such a clever story and I am excited to read the next book! It is a retelling of the One Thousand and One Nights tale, which I actually am very familiar with so it was fun to have that frame of reference. The Caliph of Khorasan marries a new bride each day and by the next dawn, she is killed, on his orders. Shahrzad marries him to get revenge for her best friend Shiva (one of the murdered brides) and plans to kill him with her longtime love Tariq (she has loved him since she was 12).
She gets Khalid (Caliph) to extend her life by telling him a story and promising to continue the story the next night. She hides her time this way, but learns more about Khalid and his childhood. Most notably, she cannot help but wonder why all of those women had to die. Amidst all this, Shahrzhad grapples with feelings of guilt, confusion, and compassion as she gets to know Khalid.
I did feel like their romance escalated a bit *quickly* and was curious about how you could go from hating someone for murdering your bestie to wanting to kiss him in a matter of days, but by the end, I did believe in it! I would have loved to see just a bit more of them getting to know each other and uncovering more layers of the other, but I am still satisfied with how this story unraveled.
I am excited to read the next book & think this would be an interesting one to adapt onscreen, especially since it’s already a folklore retelling.
Graphic: Death, Miscarriage, Suicide, Trafficking, Grief, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Sexual content
julierambaeck's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Pregnancy
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Miscarriage, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Murder
sarah_royal04's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Suicide and Pregnancy
Minor: Animal death
noellelovesbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Mention of: suicide, murder, death of loved one[s], pregnancy, classism, sexism, grief, and miscarriage.
This gorgeous book has been sitting on my shelf for a while now and I decided it was finally time to dive in...and it did not disappoint.
We get a story with love, mystery, intrigue, and a little magic...we also get a story where stories are told to us by some of the characters and I LOVE that. Idk why but there's just something about a character telling us a story/myth/lore from their world that just helps me settle in even more. ^^
The end of this book had me glad I already have The Rose and the Dagger sitting on my shelf...so I can immediately dive into the other half of this tale.
Graphic: Animal death, Violence, Blood, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Child death, Sexism, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Classism
Minor: Miscarriage, Suicide, and Pregnancy