🌟🌟🌟🌗 out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Synopsis:
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?
I thought that this book was well done. I have only read one other book from this author but I have come to appreciate her storytelling skills. She is skilled at drawing the reader into the story and making them want more. I was curious to know what had made the king decide to murder so many young women and why Shahrzad would volunteer to be the bride to such a man. Shahrzad was a force to behold within the story. She showed no fear and pressed forward regardless of what consequences that she might face. She attempted to hide her intentions and emotions behind a clever facade but it was clear to see that she was struggling. She was faced with such conflict and guilt within herself. I felt that she and Khalid were very similar in that way. He had the weight of the world on his shoulders and was forced to make one of the most difficult decisions. I did not envy him of that. I did not realize just how much I was able to empathize with him until parts of him were revealed during the story. I came to appreciate each of the characters in the book such as Jalal and Tariq for their easy smiles and humor as well as their loyalty to their friends and family. I found many of the characters likeable so I cannot say who I am routing for in the race for Shahrzad's heart.
Although the story held my attention, it was a slow burn with not much happening within the pages. This book seemed to be more character driven in nature which was aided by Renee Ahdieh's ability to allow the reader to see into the personalities of each of them without explaining too much about them. Normally, that would irk me but the emotions and motives of the characters leapt off of the pages. It was clear to see that all of the characters had their own set of secrets that weighed heavily on them. Once some of the secrets are revealed, I was surprised by the direction that the author decided to take the story in. The characters did not react the way that I thought that they would. It was a pleasant surprise! The book ends with a feeling of uncertainty, at least for me, by having new alliances and motives of certain characters revealed.
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