This book was just amazing! I'm so glad I took a course on Alexander - I've learned so much that I feel like I know Alexander on a personal level! I loved analyzing the different sources and learning military tactics and politics, as well as learning more about Persian and Macedonian history! Highly recommend!

Okay, so...I finally decided to sit down and write a review (mostly because my brain won't let me pick up another book unless I do *rolls eyes*).

I'm not sure how to rate this book. The reason it's taken me so long to write this review is because I felt really confused at the end. Though I'll admit that that was entirely my fault. The last half of the book was quite intense and lot was going on. And my brain decided that instead of taking things slowly and digesting everything, it was better to speed read to the end. So, I decided to skim-read some of the parts that confused me, and now I'm going to analyze it here and hopefully decide by the end what the rating should be.

Starting with things I liked:

– I really enjoyed reading a book where one of the main characters is disguised as a boy. It gave me major Tamora Pierce (aka Alanna) vibes and it was great! I loved seeing Aurora prove to Niklaas that just because she's small and a girl, doesn't mean she can't defend herself. Her stubbornness, determination, and flaws felt really realistic and it made me really feel for her character.

– One thing I should add is that this book is written through first person POV! It was a nice change from reading third person POVs and I really liked seeing what was going on through the character's mind. It also made the reading a lot more immersive, which I really enjoyed!

– The constant banter back and forth between Niklaas and Aurora was just amazing! I love reading about characters who get along so well, yet are funny and not so serious all the time! Their chemistry was just adorable and their developing friendship (even through a short period of time) didn't feel forced or unrealistic.

– I really liked Niklaas' character development. He came off as a womanizer and a sexist in the beginning, but he changes and realizes that everything he thought about women was wrong. He's also super cute and unabashedly full of himself (but in a good way!) and his POV's just made me smile!

– I did really enjoy the world, but I felt like it could have been developed more. Though considering that this is a standalone, I think the author did a good job within the limits of one book.

***

Okay, now to discuss some spoilery stuff...

Spoiler

When Niklaas discovers that Ror is actually a girl, his reaction was pretty much what I expected. He's angry and feels betrayed, which is totally understandable. And Aurora herself, feels bad that she couldn't have told him the truth herself. What follows after though, was a bit confusing for me the first time around. Again, it was because I read waaay too quickly.

I really liked how the second half of this book focuses on love and what love actually is. Skimming through a second time around, I've realized that Niklaas had never been in love. All his other "relationships" were because of lust, not love. And I think that's an important distinction that was brought up. Niklaas based his "escapades" on their looks (at least until he became desperate and realized he needed to marry a princess – but even then, it was mostly based on looks – I mean, who's heard of an ugly princess lol). He never saw women has equals...someone he could befriend and learn from. They were his way of escaping his fate for most of his life. When he meets Ror, he obviously thinks she's a boy, and he strikes up a friendship with her, treating her like he would treat another boy. Everything changes when he finds out that Ror isn't a boy. It comes as a shock and it leaves him feeling confused. Niklaas says himself:

"I'm not sure what to call the emotion I feel for her, but it isn't what a boy feels for a girl he wants to marry."

I think this quote really shows the way Niklaas thinks. He associates his feelings with the feelings he has towards a friend or sister. What he doesn't realize is that those same emotions are what makes up a healthy relationship...a healthy marriage.

As for Aurora, the same can be said for her. She has never really been in love either, so it's as new to her as it is for Niklaas. Ror says herself, that what she felt for Thyne was friendship, not love. So obviously, her feelings towards Niklaas are kind of jumbled. She cares for him like she cares for a friend, she's attracted to him, and she's slowly falling in love with him. The only thing that stops her is her curse. And I think because of that, she's hesitant to accept her feelings. And because of Niklaas' previous relationships, he's hesitant to accept that his feelings towards Aurora is more than just friendship.

What follows though, after Aurora wakes up in Beschuttz, is weird. Aurora does something that I think was totally not her character. She decides that if Niklaas just wants to give up and be turned into a swan, then she might as well take everything away from him and turn him into Thyne. So she comes up with a plan to make Niklaas' "blood rush", so that he'll fall in love with her and then she can take advantage of that and kiss him????!! It just didn't seem right for so many reasons:

– First of all, why does she have to act all girly just to make someone fall for her? I get that that's how Niklaas fell for all those girls, but it seems kind of contradictory with what I felt the author was trying to portray...that love is more than physical looks (aka nice hair and a pretty dress that shows off your figure)...:/

– Even if Ror did want to follow through with making Niklaas' fall in love with her, she didn't have to kiss him. She could have totally used that opportunity to maybe convince him that his feelings for her are more than just friendship, and maybe that would have convinced him that they could work together. I mean she did get quite close. The scene after their sparring practice, Niklaas does feel like he shouldn't fight what he feels but just accept it. But then before he can say anything, Aurora kisses him and ruins everything. What Ror did was quote violating. You would think after Thyne that she would have learned from her guilt.

– Ror seems like a completely different person after this. I guess she lets her girly side shine or whatever, but it didn't feel like her. The entire first half of the book she felt authentic, but after this point, she changes and I don't know how to feel about that.

Then we get the whole Niklaas treating Ror as a prisoner. They get to Mercar where Ekeeta turns out to be a good person after all (which I'll admit kind of felt too convenient). The plan for Ror, her brother, and Niklaas' escape falls through, and we have the final battle. It felt too fast. Ekeeta sacrifices herself, Ror loses her briar-born powers, and Niklaas and Thyne are finally back to normal. Oh, and Jor is safe. The story tied up too nicely and too quickly. Almost like the author knew she was running out of time and needed to wrap things up.

But then of course we have the whole Niklaas and Aurora reunion. Honestly, I don't understand how Niklaas could trust Aurora after what she did. He says to her after the battle:

"You turned me into a monster...I've spent my whole life trying not to be my father, and with one flaming kiss you made me as bad as he ever was."

"If you did [love me], you wouldn't have lied to me again and again, and you never would have used me the way you did."

Niklaas has a point. I understand Ror's reason to lie to him about her sex and I get why Niklaas lied about the curse, but there was no reason for Ror to lie about her curse and to trick Niklaas into doing what she wanted (especially since he was willing to go with her plan). If only she had taken the time to listen to Niklaas instead of being so rash.

And then they make up and live happily ever after. Honestly, if I ignore everything Aurora did, then I really enjoyed the last 10 pages or so. It was cute and funny. But then I'm one of those people who is really picky when it comes to romance and there were waay too many things that bothered me here unfortunately.

Wow lol

I love how when I sit down to write an actual review I end up bashing a book I actually somewhat enjoyed reading. And I thought I'd know what to rate this afterwards, but I'm still on the fence. I'm going to settle with 3 stars because I really enjoyed the first half of the book, and if I ignore certain parts, then the ending was pretty good.

I don't think I could write a review that would do this justice. It was beautiful. It was wonderful. I felt things in my cold heart (which I can say with confidence isn't as cold as Mr. St. John's). The relationship between Jane and Mr. Rochester is the epitome of feels. That scene at the end...with the water...and with Pilot...and "JANE. JANE. JANE." I was just asdfghjklajsjfieocnwpwpifjcm

Definitely one of the best books I've read this year!

LITERALLY SO DEAD RIGHT NOW

4.5/5 stars!!!

Also...RHYS WHO???

It'll be writing a review shortly!

NON-SPOILERS REVIEW

I haven't read too many books so far this year, but TWATD is now officially #1. To say I have fallen in love would be an understatement. MY LIFE HAS OFFICIALLY CHANGED FOREVER AND I'M NOT COMPLAINING.

The Writing:

I absolutely fell in love with Renee Ahdieh's writing style! It's simplistic and to the point where it needs to be, and beautifully descriptive and emotional everywhere else. Honestly, this is my favourite combination when it comes to writing. I'm not a fan of super flowery and poetic books – mostly because I spend more time trying to figure out what all the metaphors mean, instead of enjoying the actual story. TWATD was just perfect in every way.

The World:

Does anyone else want to live in Rey's tiered gardens, cause I do??!!! I definitely had flashbacks of Babylon's Hanging Gardens. I'm absolutely obsessed with the world that Renee has created! The culture, the food, the clothing, the mostly POC characters... it just made me so happy!! I don't mind reading books with all white characters, but it's nice to see myself represented every once in a while. While I'm not Persian, there are many aspects of Persian culture that are so similar to Pakistani culture. The signs of respect towards someone who is older, the RICE, the beautiful bejewelled clothing...

Spoiler

Besides all of that, I liked the subtle hints of magic. It wasn't the main focus of the story, but it started to grow in terms of importance towards the end, and I really enjoyed that! I'm excited to see more of Shazi's powers and also see what happens to her father and Khalid's curse.

Shazi:

Shazi has to be my favourite character ever! She's stubborn, confident, and strong-willed. She's also independent and doesn't need no man to protect her! I love how out-spoken and honest she is, and how adamant and forward she can be. It's all the best qualities you would want in a female character and really reminded me of Tamora Pierce's characters.

Her relationship with Khalid is just PERFECT

"My soul sees its equal in you."

I loved everything about her hate-to-love relationship! Some of you may know that I'm very picky when it comes to romance, but this worked so well that I was literally DEAD for most of the book! Guys...THE FEELS WERE SO OVERWHELMING I COULDN'T BREATHE

Spoiler

I also liked how consistent Shazi's character was and how much she struggled with her feelings throughout the book. It felt realistic and was maddening at times, but in a good way! That scene when Khalid gave Shazi the dagger, killed me. And afterwards, when he was saying goodbye and Shazi was like "THAT IS NOT THE WAY I WANT TO SAY GOODBYE" and she runs to him and kisses him, and the guards are shocked, and Jalal is just standing there smirking... I HAD TO BE RESUSCITATED

Khalid:

I knew, going into the book, that Khalid would have a dark past that would probably remain a secret till the end of the book. And I knew that his reason for killing all of those girls was definitely not because he's a monster. It was so interesting reading from his perspective and seeing what he was going through. I definitely pieced together his past while reading the book (plus the novellas), but the scene where Shazi sees his letters to the dead girls' families, and when Khalid finally tells her everything is so heartbreaking and sad, that my poor cold heart cried.

The ending was so bittersweet. Khalid accepting that he would probably never see Shazi again and that it was for the better, and that he had a duty towards his people which he had neglected before...it was so sad. I feel like both Shazi and Khalid were willing to accept the consequences of their actions, but neither of them were expecting something this horrible to happen. Or they thought they could avoid or fix it before it got worse. The destruction of Rey was a wake up call for both of them. Khalid realized that his people came first, because as their King, they looked up to and depended on him. And Shazi realized that there was a lot more going on outside of Rey, all because of her choice to marry Khalid. In the end, they are both just "one boy and one girl". I'm excited to see what happens next, even though they won't be together for probably part of TRATD.

Jalal and Despina:

If you've read The Moth and the Flame, which is a novella that takes place prior to TWATD, you'll know what I mean when I say that Jalal and Despina's relationship is just ASDFGHHJKL in the best way possible! I just want to protect my smol children (and their baby). I really want to see more of both in the next book.

Speaking of Jalal. I absolutely love how he contrasts with Khalid's character. He's funny, charismatic, and annoying in the best way! I love how much he cares for his cousin and how hard he tries to be there for Khalid even though Khalid pushes him away. He reminds me a bit of Neal from Tamora Pierce's Protector of the Small series, but I'm also getting Cassian vibes from ACOMAF, which pretty much describes Jalal exactly. I know this is a review for TWATD, but if you haven't read The Moth and the Flame, you NEED too cause it'll make you squeal and fan yourself till you're dead.

I absolutely loved Despina's character! And she reminds me so much of Mor from ACOMAF, that I swear SJM's inspiration for a lot of her characters came from this book. I love her dedication towards Shazi, and their friendship was so perfect! Also, she's such a flirt and I love that! And she's Greek...you guys may or may not know how obsessed I am with Alexander the Great. I'm really curious to see if Jalal tells Despina that he knows that she is pregnant. I have a feeling he won't and is going to wait for her to tell him instead, and I hope there's a scene in TRATD for that!

Rajput:

I swear, for someone who didn't like ACOMAF at all, I mention it waaay too much. The Rajput or Vikram, is literally Azriel. I loved his quiet presence throughout the book. He doesn't say much, but you can tell he does care about Khalid and Shazi. That look he gave Shazi when she stepped out of her room the night of the feast was just. But, THE ENDING...I hope to God he isn't actually dead...the arrow in his chest and everything. If he's actually dead, I'm going to be devastated. When his real name was revealed, I got so excited because I felt like we'd be learning more about him for sure! So I'm going to remain hopeful.

Tariq and Co. and the Rebellion:

Tariq is a complicated character. And I know many people hate him, but I'm kind of stuck in between. I don't blame him for his actions. Tariq makes his decisions based on his heart and not so much his brain. He's rash and impatient, and doesn't like to wait for things to happen. He seizes opportunities where he sees them, whether or not they're actually good.

I really liked Shazi and Tariq's relationship – at least the bit that we were told about them. It was cute and I could see why they fell in love. I've read reviews where some people said that Shazi fell in love with Khalid too quickly and pretty much forgot about Tariq completely. I don't exactly believe that. I feel like Shazi went into the whole marriage with Khalid realizing that she was going to end up dead anyway – either the following morning, or when she did manage to kill Khalid, she would probably be executed. I think in Shazi's mind, her relationship with Tariq was over either way. She still had feelings for him, but I think it was more "feelings of constancy", then feelings of love.

I totally understand Tariq's confusion. He believes that Shazi must have Stockholm's Syndrome. He believes that Shazi has been tricked or brainwashed in someway and everything will change once she's back with him. I don't necessarily see this in a bad way. Tariq's feelings for Shazi overpower his ability to accept the truth of what he sees. It's consistent with his character. I don't like how he doesn't give Shazi a choice in the matter – that isn't excusable. But I also understand how he is feeling.

Rahim's character wasn't mentioned a whole lot. He seems to do everything Tariq says, which I wasn't a huge fan of. I want to see him branch out and be his own self. He's the voice of reason that Tariq ignores, but he's also very loyal towards Tariq. I liked how there wasn't a weird love triangle b/w him and Tariq. He was friends with Shazi, and as a friend, he wanted to protect her. I really hope we see more of his character in the next book.

The whole plot to get Shazi back and how that ended up intertwining with the King of Parthia was so well done! I think neither Tariq nor Uncle Reza realized how big this whole rebellion idea would get, and I think everyone is in for a surprise. I highly doubt the King of Parthia wants to let Tariq rule Rey in his stead...

Jahandar, Shazi's father, was also a very interesting character. I understand his motivations and I'm making predictions already. The book he is using to focus his magic through, is probably the same book that Ava's father used to enact the curse...at least that's what I think. So the book is in a way acting through Jahandar to follow through with the original curse. I think I'm right, but I'm excited to see what happens. Jahandar's story is really sad. I understand why he decided to turn towards dark magic, but I'm really hoping he redeems himself somehow by the end, without dying.

The One Problem:

The only reason this book didn't get 5 stars, is because of one issue I had at the beginning of the book. It's something that I haven't seen anyone talk about, besides Christine, so I thought I would address it here.

In the very beginning of the book, Khalid and Shazi sleep together while Shazi still hates Khalid. Now there are a few issues here. The issue of consent being the main one. But there's also quite a few reasons for why this happened too.

Shazi mentions that during the "ordeal" (lol that's what I'm going to call it), she was surprised at how she managed to kind of transcend what was happening. Which tells me that she didn't really want this in the first place. But at the same time, she did kind of initiate the whole thing. I understand her reasoning. She says in the book, "She could see him withdrawing, a veil falling over the harsh angles of his profile". So she wanted him to stay, so she could tell him her story and find out his weakness.

But...Khalid went through with it. Shazi did make it clear that that was what she wanted (even though she didn't like it), but Khalid agreed with it even though he never went to any of the other girls he had murdered. At the same time, I understand why he might have gone through with it. He also wanted to understand why Shazi had volunteered to die, and I guess he thought that if he got close enough to her, Shazi would tell him.

In a way, both of them were doing something to get something out of it. The issue of consent is kind of in a grey area. Shazi said that he didn't seem to get any pleasure out of it, and Shazi, herself, didn't like it either. But since Shazi initiated, was Khalid wrong in accepting? I don't know. Also, the second night, they do it again. And this time the book doesn't say what happened before. Who initiated that time? Or was it just something they did cause they did the night before?? Because it was part of their duty as husband and wife?? This kind of frustrated me. I wanted to forget about it and move past it to everything else, but at the same time this isn't something to be brushed away too lightly. I wish Renee Ahdieh addressed this more in the book.

For those of you who've read this book, tell me what you think about this. I'm really curious to know your thoughts.

Overall, I absolutely loved this book! It's the best book I'v read so far this year and I can't wait to finally pick up The Rose and the Dagger! I've forced myself to finish this review before starting it, so now that this is done, I can finally continue and see what happens next!

This was such a good ending to a duology! The Wrath and the Dawn will always be my favourite! I think for me, it was because of the characters. In TWATD, we get to see so much of Shazi and Khalid's relationship. We also get to see Jalal and Khalid's interactions, and Despina's charm and sassiness. I loved all of that so much! It had me squealing every few seconds and I had to put the book down because it was just too cute and too much for my poor heart to handle!

TRATD was different. We have new characters introduced. Khalid and Rahim become more important. And there wasn't a lot of Khalid and Shazi. I read in a review that the relationship we see between Khalid and Shazi in TRATD is more mature and I have to agree. I did miss the sexual tension from the first book though. At the same time, it was a nice change in focus – from the romance to the more political aspect of the story. The only problem I had was that it felt like it wasn't political enough, if that makes sense. TRATD almost felt like it was trying to get there, but didn't quite reach it. Which leads to my other point...

The first half of the book was really slow, almost to the point where I was getting bored. Instead of putting down the book because I couldn't handle the adorableness, I was putting it down because I was scared I'd get into a reading slump. Once Shazi learned how to use the magic carpet, that's when things started to pick up.

As for the new/old characters...I loved Tariq's character arc in this story! His scene with Khalid was perfectly done and it was nice to see the love triangle resolved so well. It was realistic, but at the same time I really felt for Tariq. I think the part where Rahim died really made Tariq realize that he needs to think before acting, cause actions have consequences.

Rahim wasn't exactly a favourite character for me from TWATD. He didn't do much except follow Tariq around. In TRATD, he's a little bit better. I liked how he jumped forward to fight Khalid during the scene at the well. And his relationship with Irsa was cute. I liked how he was there for her, when Shazi was so busy and distracted. BUT HIS DEATH...I've never felt so distraught! And just after he told her he loved her! It was so horrible, and I just wanted to hug Irsa!

Irsa was a character that I wasn't really sure about. I found her to be kind of annoying, but at the same time I understood why she was the way she was. She just wanted to know what was going on and she wanted to help. I liked her character arc – going from a quiet, timid person, to someone much stronger and confident. I wish the whole analogy of the mouse hadn't been used so much though, cause it felt overdone. I think the reason I found myself not really loving Irsa's character is because I see a lot of myself in her, and I guess I just didn't want to come to terms with it. When she goes to see Rahim's body and tells him:

"I have felt alone for most of my life. Until you. But I promise I won't feel alone anymore. I will never forget. I will always remember."

*cries* This just made me feel so much for her. It also made me sad that no one noticed her, including Shazi. I think it's an important message for anyone reading this, and I definitely learned from it.

Irsa's relationship with Khalid and Khalid becoming more open was honestly my favourite! I loved the scene with the two of them in Tariq's tent and afterwards when Khalid holds her as she cries – I was literally ugly crying (inside). SO GOOD.

When Jalal and Khalid had their falling out, I was so upset. I loved their banter together, but seeing Jalal so hurt and Khalid so confused just sent me through a rollercoaster of emotions. I wish Jalal had been in TRATD more. I missed him so much. He was barely there in the beginning, and then he showed up in the end. When he told Khalid he was going to be a father, I totally thought Khalid knew he was talking about Despina. Then when Despina left with the Rajput, I thought Khalid would say something to Jalal, but I guess he's sort of oblivious to what's going on around him, which is totally like Khalid. I wish we could have seen a better reunion b/w the two though.

Speaking of Despina, when she walked out all regal-like, I literally wanted to throw my book cause I was pissed that she was a spy and was the daughter of the Sultan of Parthia. But then I totally guessed that she was going to help Shazi escape. I loved seeing more of Vikram too, and he actually talked for once!!! The reunion scene b/w Despina and Jalal felt like something out of a movie, which I think really worked well for their characters!

Okay, so...the ending. The reviews I've read, a lot of them mentioned that the ending was kind of too fast. And I totally agree. I felt like the whole book was building up to a huge battle scene, but then that didn't end up happening. The "battle" (if you can call it that), was briefly mentioned, then the Sultan surrendered, and it was over. I liked the strategics when it came to the battle, but I live for that stuff and would have loved for it to be more fully explored. I did like how Yasmine came onto the good side and spoke out against her father. And I liked seeing the Sultan terrified cause he's horrible and I hate him lol

But the thing I want to talk about is Jahandar. I was hoping for a redemption arc. And it kind of happened, but I didn't really like the way it was done.

I had a feeling that the book was connected to the curse, but Artan's Aunt also mentioned it being related to Artan's parents which was never really clarified. When Khalid broke the curse...eh I don't know...I was expecting something crazy to happen. Like Jahandar riding up on a horse shooting fireballs at him to try and prevent him from destroying the book. But it was over so quickly, especially considering that the curse was such a huge part of the series – it was almost too well tied up. I was really hoping that Jahandar would realize his mistake and do something while he was in Amardha, but that didn't happen either. Then we have a "Snape" moment at the very end, when Jahandar gets angry and stabs Khalid because Khalid took everything from him, then realizes his mistake so gives his life in exchange for his daughter's happiness. I guess this was supposed to redeem him, but I just didn't feel it. It was a nice thing that he did, but I don't think it makes up for his other actions. I'm just glad Shazi didn't pull a Harry and name her son after Jahandar.

The last chapter of the book was just plain ADORABLE! Seeing Khalid as a dad made my heart squeal and I love him even more! I love how Irsa is becoming a healer and how Tariq has moved on (I'd totally like to see a short story of him and Yasmine together!). And Jalal and Despina have a cute little girl and I JUST WANT TO HUG ALL OF THEM! I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!

This turned out to be a lot longer than I wanted, but I feel like I mentioned quite a few things I wasn't totally happy with, but ended up giving this book a 4 stars anyway. The only way to explain it is that overall everything was really good, even though it wasn't to the same extent as TWATD. The ending was cute, the writing was perfect, and the character development was amazing! Despite the few flaws, I highly recommend this series!

So short!! I wish we got more from Khalid's perspective!

3.5/5 stars

This was such a wonderful surprise and a really fun (and sometimes creepy) read! I especially fell in love with the whimsical writing style - it fit so well with the theme of the story. Also the diversity in this book was just A+++

I had my eye on this book because I had heard that the main character is asexual. And since I've never really read a book with an open asexual character, I was really excited! The book didn't disappoint, but...about 3/4 of the way through the book, I did see some tweets about how the asexual representation in the book wasn't actually good representation. I didn't end up reading the tweets cause I didn't want to spoil myself, and after finishing the book, I couldn't find them again, so I'm afraid I don't know if it was done right. I do know that the asexual spectrum is...well, a spectrum. And it's hard to deny someone's experiences as being authentic just because they don't match with the "norm". Hopefully I can find those tweets again at some point and see what people have been saying.

I loved the creepy, murder mystery aspect of the story! I'll admit that I was guessing for most of the book (but then I suck at guessing stuff like that). After that moment with Loriel though, I knew who it was right away. I will admit that this book is quite gruesome and graphic when it comes to describing the murder scenes, so that's something to be aware of.

I found all the characters to be really interesting (especially Kade), but I felt like the book itself was too short. I wanted more character development and more story. I felt like Nancy's character didn't do much at all except follow the other characters around and help dispose dead bodies. And the end was sort of sudden?? I don't know why, but I wasn't expecting it to happen that soon. I was almost hoping it would show Nancy moving on (somewhat) and helping Kade out with the school.

The ending was pretty much why this book didn't get 4 stars. But overall, I loved the writing and the concept was so unique and different! I loved hearing about the different worlds these characters went to and what they did there. Highly recommend since it's a quick, easy read!