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Had to reblog this - this is the ultimate fan art <3 

Don’t think I’ll ever get over this series! 

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I think this series will be an absolute favourite of mine for a long time!

Currently reading Shadow Caster by Cinda Williams Chima, the second book in the Shattered Realms series which is set 20 years after the events of the Seven Realms series. 

Haven’t had too much time to read at the moment, but will post as soon as I can :)

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Review: The Rose and the Dagger, by Renee Ahdieh

The Rose and The Dagger is an exquisite, superb, satisfying and clever finale. It will render you speechless with its intensity. Crush your heart a bit every few pages. Transform you into an addict of its gorgeous prose. But its true beauty lies in the fact that, somehow, you welcome it all with open arms. The story follows the aftermath of the burning in the city of Rey that occurred only a week ago, picking up from where we left off in The Wrath and the Dawn. Rey—and its ruler—are vulnerable. Shahrzad and Khalid are separated from one another, yet longing to reunite. 

“A trickle of blood slid down his arm. He felt nothing. He only saw it. Because nothing hurt like missing her.” 

New relationships begin to emerge, and the characters and their stories develop, and the situation continues to become further tangled. We get to see the plot branch out with some incredible character development for Khalid, Irsa, Tariq, Rahim, and even Despina, with the story revolving around the strong characters and relationships with love, laughter, hatred, bitter betrayal, quite a few near death situations, plus deaths, action, suspense, mystery and friendships kindled. The plot was exceptional. It was mainly about the curse, and Shazi working hard to help Khalid to break it *insert major Aladdin feels*, but there were many other subplots occurring too. Some seemed to be really small things to begin with, but once we got further into the book, we saw just how much of an impact they all could have, as they began tying together into character arcs. 

“Your future is not set in stone, my dearest star. A coin truns on itself a number of times before it lands.” 

It was interesting to see the different POV’s of Khalid and Shazi throughout, where we could see how both main characters dealt with their time apart, and their own goals. However, we were also able to see Tariq and his struggle to let Shazi go, his childhood love and best friend. His protectiveness and ignorance to see that Khalid had her heart was annoying at times, but you really come to sympathise and feel for him as comes to terms with the fact that Shazi would never love him the way she did before. Whilst damaging at first, Tariq and Khalid come to respect each other, and eventually this helps them to ally with one another in the war against the Sultan, Khalid’s uncle, who wishes to take over the kingdom. 

The relationship between Khalid and Shahrzad was beautiful. Their understanding and faith in each other were so touching they made my blood sing. They were lovers, friends, husband and wife, allies, equals. Khalid struggled to find his way back to light, but he never shied away from all the ugly things he did. He acknowledged them. And tried to atone for them. Shahrzad, stubborn and ill-tempered, never stopped fighting to make her wishes come true, to prevent a war and save everyone she held dear. Irsa, sweet and fragile Irsa, she was forged into a strong woman. Tariq and Rahim proved how honourable they were, despite the occasional lapses in judgement and blind hatred that led Tariq to fatal mistakes. Every character was flawed in his own way, but all of them were deeply endearing.

“From the stars, to the stars.” 

Renee Ahdieh has established herself as a thorough, original and downright amazing author. There was big pressure on her shoulders due to the overwhelming and well deserved popularity of the first book, but she did not succumb to the nerves in order to give readers a meh book. No, she managed to take the world of Khorasan to greater heights. She managed to captivate her readers with developed characters, an engaging plot and swoons. Most importantly, she managed to prove that she's a kickass writer and the first book wasn't a fluke. Her style is different and compelling and I declare myself a definite fan. 

The Rose and The Dagger is an empowering, achingly beautiful sequel to one of the loveliest books ever. Soul-wrenching, yet uplifting all the same, this book has it all, from political vibes, Arabian spins on a famous story, doses of humour, gorgeous love stories interwoven with thrills of action, magic and a kaleidoscopic turn of events. It delivers the perfect kind of tale - one side dished with great amount of heartbreak. Even so, you want more, and that's what makes it best. “As always. As ever. As a rose to the sun.”

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No. He was not here to wreak revenge. For revenge was trifling and hollow. No. He was not here to retrieve his wife. For his wife was not a thing to be retrieved. No. He was not here to negotiate a truce. For a truce suggested he wished to compromise. He was here to burn something to the ground.

The Wrath and the Dawn, by Renee Ahdieh 

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Shazi, I prefer the color blue to any other. The scent of lilacs in your hair is a source of constant torment. I despise figs. Lastly, I will never forget, all the days of my life, the memories of last night— For nothing, not the sun, not the rain, not even the brightest star in the darkest sky, could begin to compare to the wonder of you. Khalid

He was the unwanted second son of an unwanted second wife. Everything to one person, then nothing to no one.

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Imagery for The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh.

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It was because they were two parts of a whole. He did not belong to her. And she did not belong to him. It was never about belonging to someone. It was about belonging together.

Renee Ahdieh, The Rose and the Dagger 

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How is it over?! Just finished this beautiful story - review coming soon!

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Some of the visuals in this layout are from a Bollywood film called Bajirao Mastani, which I think encapsulates the whole scene, setting and feel of The Wrath and the Dawn perfectly. 

“Love is a force unto itself, sayyidi. For love, people consider the unthinkable.. and often achieve the impossible.“ - The Wrath and the Dawn, Renée Ahdieh

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Review: The Wrath and the Dawn, by Renee Ahdieh

When I saw this book had been acclaimed by my favourite author, Marie Lu of the Legend series, I instantly knew I had to read it. And when I saw that it was based off of 1001 Arabian nights and the mysterious and powerful Shahrazad’s story, I was even more intrigued. 

Renee Ahdieh’s story writing is so captivating and beautiful - each description and scene setting was a treat for the imagination and had me hooked from the get go. Coming from an South Asian background, I appreciated the authenticity of a mogul/ Indian empire-feel of the era depicted, from the lavish salwar kameez dress of the characters, as well as terms of endearment like sayyidi and joonam that were scattered throughout. The small touches of magical elements and the brilliant characters of the story meant that nothing was over or under done, and I must say story tellers like Ahdieh are rare. Think The Forbidden Wish meets Rebel of the Sands, and there you have a truly epic, and wonderful read that takes you on a slow burning, lyrical literary adventure, not unlike some of my favourite Bollywood tragic love stories. 

Shahrzad Al Khayzuran is out to seek revenge for the execution of her best friend Shiva, a former wife of Khalid Ibn Al Rashid, the 18 year old Caliph of Khorosan. The Caliph is known for being ruthless, heartless, and cruel - a monster. But the thing he is most known for is the fact that every day, he takes a different wife and every following dawn he kills her with a silk cord about her throat. Shazi doesn’t care why the king does this, she only cares about righting what has been wronged, and ensuring that this fate doesn’t come to another girl. She decides to volunteer to be this next wife, and is determined to stay alive. But things are not so simple, and we learn along with Shahrzad that there is a devastating and deeper reason behind the deaths of the Caliphs’s wives. 

“You said you understood; your life is forfeit. That was clear from the very beginning.” Shahrzad rose to her full height. She pulled back her shoulders and lifted her elfin chin. When she spoke, she matched the biting softness in his tone. “All our lives are forfeit, sayyidi. It is just a question of when. And I would like one more day.”

Despite Shahrzad’s intentions of revenge, both her and Khalid’s hearts win out, and they develop a love for each other that is bound to be doomed. 

“How can I desire him? After he killed Shiva? After he killed so many young girls, without explanation? What’s wrong with me?”

Both Shazi and Khalid are complex and well built characters. The fact that we are given so much back story and tells from their childhoods also gave these characters something that a lot of other books miss. Shazi is the heroine of the story, and the character I connected most with. Having to see her struggle with her heart and mind to figure out the right thing to do, had me struggling along with her. She is a fierce and witty take-no-bs badass girl, and her silver tongued attitude is a force to be reckoned with. Khalid is the male protagonist, and I can’t express enough how much I loved his character. With his smouldering, amber, tiger-like eyes, he isn’t a man of many words and the ones he uses he chooses wisely, which time and time again had me swooning. He has a scarred and horrible past, that have shaped him into the bitter young man he is now with secrets that haunt him.

“It’s a fitting punishment for a monster. To want something so much—to hold it in your arms—and know beyond a doubt you will never deserve it.”

The predicament they are in, where each is falling for the other, isn’t helped by the situation where each must decide if their love is worth the sacrifice that they must make. Besides the two main characters, we have Tariq - another steely eyed man and Shazi’s childhood love. He decides to set out and rescue Shazi from the clutches of the boy-king (Khalid), unbeknownst to the fact that there is a lot more to understand behind the recent tragedies, and a LOT more going on between Shazi and Khalid, which he soon learns ultimately breaking his heart yet not his loyalty to Shazi. The unfolding complications between all the personas adds a deepening suspense to the story that has on edge. 

Renee Ahideh manages a steady pace throughout the whole novel, where her writing is so beautiful and gripping. The brilliance behind how Shahrzad survives through the night is what had me hooked right away and every wonderful sentence after captivated ad kept me there. This novel brought a whole new meaning to stories having power, waiting so long to give us the true answer to the riddle, yet giving us little bits and pieces really worked so well for this book. The action scenes in this book are perfectly placed, not the gory bloodshed of An Ember in the Ashes, but just enough to have the right impact. Thrilling, seductive and incredibly enchanting, this book will have you devouring page after page 

Really, I can not praise this book enough. With its beautiful delivery, thoughtful scene and character development and delightfully mystery, it has all the components of a perfect YA novel, and I can not wait to see what comes next in this tragic journey. 

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Imagery for The Wrath and the Dawn, by Renee Ahedieh. 

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Current favourite! 

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Laia, from An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir. 

Digital Art painting by Bloody Damnit 

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one of my favorite books in 2015 - An Ember in the Ashes by @sabaatahir

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Review: A Torch Against the Night

Picking up where 'An Ember in the Ashes' left off, 'A Torch Against the Night' proved to be every bit as suspenseful and action-packed as the first book. Laia and Elias find themselves fighting to survive, as they try and evade the cruelty of the Commandant and the new emperor. There was never a dull moment. One thing that you should know going into this series is that the author isn't afraid to kill off characters. There were several surprising deaths along the way. As a result, there is a constant feeling of uncertainty.  This second book provided a deeper look into the events that led up to the rise of the Martial Empire. The details were very enlightening and cast a different light on current events. It became clear that there were far more players and influences than were previously known. As more and more of the backstory was revealed, I began to realize that things were not what they seemed. We are taken into the heart of the Empire as Laia and Elias fight their way north to liberate Laia’s brother from the horrors of Kauf Prison. Hunted by Empire soldiers, manipulated by the Commandant, and haunted by their pasts, Laia and Elias must outfox their enemies and confront the treacherousness of their own hearts. Friendships are put to the test. The true enemies are not always obvious. Secret alliances and betrayals kept me guessing the entire time, while supernatural influences became more prominent - the latter which seemed to come out of nowhere, so be prepared for a massive twist at the end, which I’m still not quite sure how I feel about. 

Even though I still have a million questions, I enjoyed this book immensely, despite being slightly disappointed with the turn of events. Nevertheless, I cannot wait until the next instalment to see how things work out for Elias and Laia. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that things will heat up a little, because I'm dying for some romance! 

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So long as you fight the darkness, you stand in the light.

A Torch Against the Night, by Sabaa Tahir 

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Review for this up next!