No spoilers in this review of The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh!
I loved it! I give it 4.25 stars!
This book is a satisfying end to a fantastic duology. I am going to miss Shahrzad and Khalid so much! I will also miss Renee Ahdieh’s beautifully sculpted sentences.
There are many moving pieces to this sequel…Jalal has sent Shahrzad away with Tariq to keep her safe. Khalid is rebuilding his decimated kingdom. Jahandar is in a coma-like state, still clinging to his powerful book of magic. Khalid’s “uncle,” the Sultan of Parthia, is plotting to overthrow Khalid and rule the entire region. And all of our favorite characters make an appearance in book 2, with each given enough attention to see how their story ends.
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What did I like about the book? I enjoyed the stronger ties to the Aladdin story I know and love as well as how magic was more prevalent. I liked several of the new characters we are introduced to, particularly Artan. Perhaps most of all, I loved the shock Ahdieh gives us about two-thirds of the way through the book. I love to be blind-sided (as long as it makes sense to the storyline), and I definitely was in this instance. And once I discovered what this surprise meant exactly, it answered a question that had been nagging at me since early on in the book. Kudos to Ahdieh with this sequence; it was an especially fun part of the book!
While there are many positives to this sequel, it had a totally different feel than book 1. I missed the mystery of the first novel. I’m not sure any book has kept me turning pages from beginning to end quite like A Wrath and the Dawn. Oh, how I wish I could go back and read it for the very first time and discover Shahrzad and Khalid all over again! It is definitely my favorite of the two books. I loved book 2 as well, but for different reasons. There were many exciting twists and turns to get us to the end, and I felt like it was a fitting end for two amazing, vibrant characters.
This book is a must-read for everyone who has read The Wrath and the Dawn. You have to see the dramatic way in which Shahrzad and Khalid’s story comes to a close. And if you haven’t read The Wrath and the Dawn yet, make it your next read. It is FANTASTIC!
Let us know what you think about The Rose and the Dagger in the comments! No spoilers on this page please. 🙂
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I didn’t love the first book, the 2nd is no better. The curse aspect is good and the magic stuff but the love story is just not believable. It was not well built in book 1. So its hard for me to believe in this book. Her lifelong love was set aside for…whatever weird thing this new relationship is. Sorry but it doesn’t work for me and it happened too fast. Nope, I’m unimpressed.