Reviews

This duology is everything I could have wanted in a retelling! I hate when people rate a retelling because it isn't a carbon copy of the original. What is the purpose of publishing something that's already in existence? Renee Ahdieh put a beautiful spin on a very old and well known tale and I LIVED for every single second of it.

The only thing I could have done without were all the different POVs in this one. Not because I didn't necessarily need them, but because I was impatient to get back to Khalid and Shazi! Just as something interesting or climactic would happen, it cuts to black and switches to another character, place and much less interesting situation, leaving me to clutch my Kindle and go NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, GO BACK! I will admit that some of the camp scenes towards the end, I totally skimmed.

The writing though....so many beautiful quotes, the best ones, of course, being those intimate interactions between Khalid and Shazi when they're alone and he isn't at all hesitant to say what's on his heart. MELT! I melt! He is the ideal love interest! Forever upholding Shahrzad and encouraging her, admiring her strength, lauding her independence and wit instead of stifling and controlling her. The feels man, the feels.

And the ending.....oh my God, my heart can't take that kind of stress. I want to start The Star-Touched Queen but omg, the book hangover is REAL!

ria_mhrj's review against another edition

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3.0

Timing is everything when it comes to reading. I can't really point to a depreciation in quality of writing, story or character, but for some reason this book didn't capture me in the same way as The Wrath and the Dawn. A likely culprit is that I love a good mystery being solved and the first book has an engrossing conundrum to solve - why does the boy king murder his wives and how will our heroine avoid the same fate? In this book, there's lots going on but nothing quite as captivating as the concept behind the first.

Still, I enjoyed this duology and I look forward to reading more from this author. The Flame in the Mist awaits me on my shelf, I have high hopes.

meggielou94's review against another edition

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adventurous tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

thundercurnt's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

4.25

dwonsbookishdelights's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was a strong ending to a duology of the retelling of the beloved tale of Shahrzad. There were a few small plot holes but nothing that would stop the enjoyment of the book. There were plenty of moments of surprise and emotional heartstring-tugging. And all of the strings were tied up in the short but fulfilling epilogue.

justinewalker's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The end was a bit anticlimactic but otherwise I loved this book 🥰

sue_b's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional

4.0

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