#calipha shahrzad

[nate-macauley]

HOLY FUCKING SHIT THE DESPINA PLOT TWOST IN THE ROSE AND THE DAGGER FUCKED ME UP BADLY

[vesperascorpio]

It was a bedraggled band of souls that trudged through the sands toward the Caliph of Khorasan’s encampment.

 Three young women—all dressed in torn finery, two of them smelling of sewage—made their way before the guards tasked with keeping watch over the camp’s entrance at night. When a hulking warrior with skin of burnished copper came into view, the soldiers drew their swords. Two came to stand before him.

The smallest of the three girls spoke first.

 “I’d like to speak to the caliph.” She tucked a poorly shorn wave of hair behind an ear, smudging even more dirt across her face in the process.  At that, the leader of the night guard began laughing. “And I’d like a harem and a flagon of wine, while we’re at it.”  The girl’s eyes flashed through a myriad of colors before settling on green. “Don’t be a fool.”  “Don’t presume to lecture me, you filthy little—”  The brute of a warrior moved to strike. But was stayed by the smallest girl before he could proceed.  “Watch your words, soldier,” the plump girl with the disheveled crown of curls said in an imperious tone. “That’s the Calipha of Khorasan.”  The soldier’s sense of humor began to fade. “And I’m the Shahrban of Rey.”  “I’m afraid you’re not,” the imperious girl replied. “He’s older. And not nearly as stupid.”  The other soldiers could not help but laugh at her rejoinder.  “Enough!” The last girl—the most striking one—finally stepped forward. “My name is Yasmine el-Sharif, and I demand to speak with—”  “And I demand a moment alone with you.” The soldier in charge grinned before reaching to pull her in for a kiss.  Before the hulking warrior could stop her, the tiny girl with the badly shorn hair leapt onto him with the fury of a crazed monkey. She began pummeling him in the head and neck with both fists.  His soldiers laughed uproariously.  “It was just a kiss!” the soldier protested. When he failed to pull her off immediately, several other soldiers came to his aid.  In a blur of movement, the barrel-chested man accompanying them disarmed the soldiers. He blew onto one of their swords, setting it aflame. Then he held the burning weapon before their leader’s face.  “Wait . . .” One of the soldiers staggered back.  Another tripped onto the sand in his haste to flee. “That—that’s the Rajput!”  “Get the captain of the guard,” the wielder of fire said. “Now.”

[hearteyesv]

"Do you worry about me, Khalid Ibn al-Rashid?" The caliph hesitated, and that said more than words ever could. "There was a time I did. But the fact that you waited until Shahrzad slept to touch her shows me you know she would not approve. You will not disrespect her in such a manner again. Nor will you disrespect me."

how can you not love Khalid!!! he's the definition of a whole ass gentleman who respect women, particularly Shazi, and doesn't take any advantage of them when they're unconscious!!! unlike Tariq ugh what a perv additionally he was so sure that Shazi wouldn't like that Tariq touches her, he just KNOWS that Shazi loves Khalid only!!! also, the way the caliph threatens Tariq to never disrespect her ever again... THE POWER HE HOLDS!! king shit only

[coffeequeen73]

The Wrath and the Dawn ** Love is a shade of what I feel. **

[ohcolourin]

The wrath and the dawn by Renee Ahdieh

~

Redbubble link: https://goo.gl/43cLQ8

[heylucien]

I’m bored so here’s how I picture The Wrath and the Dawn characters:

1. Ms Brat Calipha, Shahrzad

2. My king of kings, Khalid

3. Baby daddy Jalal

4. Lil falcon boy, Tariq

5. The Greek angel, Despina (I know she’s blonde but these just felt so her vibe)

[manikas-whims]

“Do better than this, Shazi. My queen is without limitations. Boundless in all that she does. Show them.”

— Caliph Khalid to his Calipha Shahrzad

when they're just sparring but the tension between them is 😩👌

[earlgreyandanime]

Ok, I absolutely freaked out with pure happiness when Khalid simply said, "My wife stays." And now I'm really hoping that in The Rose and the Dagger, there's a situation where Shahrzad gets to do the same thing. Like maybe she gets sick or is in labor or something and everyone is insisting Khalid leave the room and Shazi just grabs his hand and flat out states, "My husband stays." And no one dares to argue with her because they know better than to argue with the Calipha of Khorasan.

[agnesnessieart-blog]

Shahrzad al-Khayzuran

The Wrath and The Dawn is awesome!

[drunk-on-inejs-laughter]

Despina grabbed her wrist. “If you care about him at—” “I don’t.” “Stop lying, you miserable brat.” Shahrzad wrenched her arm free, glaring at Despina before turning to leave in a swirl of lustrous brocade. “You care about him,” Despina insisted. “And since secrets matter so much to you, I’ll divulge one.” Shahrzad halted in her tracks.

“You are safe, Shahrzad al-Khayzuran. Nothing will happen to you. For I have it on high authority that any attempt to harm you will be treated as a direct attempt on the life of our king.” Shahrzad’s stomach clenched. “Do you understand, Brat Calipha?” Despina continued. Shahrzad glanced over her shoulder at her handmaiden, in stalwart silence.

Despina sighed. “On pain of death . . . you are as important to him as his own life.”

I love this sm

[nate-macauley]

im afraid to read the rose and the dagger in case one of them dies so im just trying to delay it for as long as i can before my curiosity gets the better of me

[vesperascorpio]

Shahrzad had not intended to torment Khalid with the magic carpet.

Not at first.

But he brought it on himself. Truly, he did.

The moment the Caliph of Khorasan said—with coolly regal arrogance—that only a child would be afraid to fly, Shahrzad knew it was a challenge she was meant to take on.

Meant to see fall to glorious pieces.

After all, even she had been afraid at first. But Khalid need not know that.

As soon as he settled onto the carpet, Shahrzad coaxed it into the air without a word of warning.

A volley of expletives flew from Khalid’s mouth. They only became more foul as Shahrzad urged the carpet high above the city, in a twist of whistling wind. Laughing into the darkness, she spurred the magic carpet even faster, then rose to her knees. When Khalid tried to tug her back down—his eyes flashing—she sent a look of mocking scorn over one shoulder.

“Get down,” Khalid yelled over the wind, taking tight hold of her waist.

“Don’t be a bore!”

“You’ll fall.”

“No, I won’t.” She spread her arms wide.

“How do you know that?”

“I just do!”

“Get down,” he insisted, his jaw rigid. “Please!”

“Why?”

“Because you’re killing me, by degrees!”

Grumbling, Shahrzad eased back onto the carpet. Khalid pulled her into his chest, his breath fast against her neck.

A small part of her felt guilty.

The rest felt smug.

Serves him right. Perhaps the King of Kings won’t be so arrogant next time.

She grinned to herself. Khalid ceasing to be arrogant was just as unlikely as her ceasing to provoke him. It was simply too easy. And much too much fun.

“Are you finally starting to breathe in a normal fashion?” Shahrzad teased. “I must confess I find your behavior rather odd, considering you said only a child would be afraid to fly.”

“I wasn’t afraid.” Khalid wrapped a forearm of corded muscle around her.

She slanted a disbelieving look his way. “You just lied to me.”

“I wasn’t afraid,” he repeated. “I was terrified.”

When she laughed, Shahrzad was rewarded with one of his uncommonly effortless smiles. The kind that changed a face of shadows into one of light.

[toomuchtimenerd]

Review for ‘The Wrath and the Dawn’ by Renee Ahdieh

So I read The Wrath and the Dawn and its sequel, The Rose and the Dagger about a week ago, so hopefully my memory/thoughts/feelings have remained mostly intact. A great part of having pretty bad short term memory is that my book hangovers generally don’t last too long, but the downside is that I very quickly forget the intricate details of plots like... as soon as I finish the book or series. But I distinctly remember having a lot of feels after I finished this duology, so let’s see how this goes.

I originally wanted to read The Wrath and the Dawn when it was first published in 2015, but I decided not to because I have a HUGE aversion to starting book series that are incomplete. Why? Well like I said, I have a pretty bad memory so I generally forget a lot of small details in a story pretty much as soon as I finish reading. This really isn’t helpful when the next book in a series is published at least a year after the previous book, and this is even more unhelpful considering I’m a relatively quick reader and can finish most books within a day or two if I’m on a binge. So I decided to skip Wrath and put it on the backburner, fully intending to pick it up as soon as its sequel came out in 2016. Well, 2016 was a hectic year for me in a lot of ways, and I ended up never reading Wrath... nor did I read any of the books that I had decided to shelve for later. But it’s okay! It’s 2020, and I have begun my unending quest to read all of the greatest YA fiction hits (and likely more). With that said, let’s dive in.

The Wrath and the Dawn is (in my opinion) a fast-paced story that takes place in the kingdom of Khorasan. Just googled it, and turns out Khorasan is a real historical region in what is now modern-day Iran. The story is a “retelling” or “reimagining” of a story from the ancient Arabic folktale collection known as One Thousand and One Nights, or otherwise known as Arabian Nights. I personally like the former title, as it sounds so much more... everlasting. Not sure if that’s the best word to describe it, or if it even makes sense, but I’m just gonna leave that note there. So the story is supposedly set during the golden age of the middle east and begins with our heroine Shahrzad getting married to the Caliph of Khorasan. At this point, the Caliph is known to have been marrying a new girl every day and having her executed at dawn. No one knows why, and when Shahrzad’s best friend becomes a victim to this madness our heroine takes it upon herself to take revenge. She volunteers to become the Caliph’s next bride and her game plan is to basically just stay alive long enough to kill the Caliph with her own hands... or something like that. 

Obviously she wasn’t successful, otherwise this series would have ended much sooner. Shahrzad manages to stay alive for the first two nights by telling stories, and while I personally have not read One Thousand and One Nights I assume that the stories Shahrzad told come directly from that collection. Shahrzad is later taken to be executed, but the Caliph himself stops the hanging and this is where we start to see the Caliph for more than what he seems to be. Their growing relationship begins to unfold at this point, and a lot of elements in the story such as magic and politics come to light. 

So let’s start with the romance, because I am a hardcore lover of all things romance and this is always my favorite topic to begin with. While I adore the Caliph and Shahrzad’s relationship, I can’t help but wonder “Why her?” By the time the Caliph marries Shahrzad, he has already married and executed 71 or 72 other women. What is it about her that actually makes him go like, “Oh wait. Maybe there is another way to end my curse. Maybe I don’t need to go through and kill 30 more brides.” We find out that the Caliph had quite a lot of appreciation and respect for all the brides he had to execute, so much so that he went and wrote each of their families a personalized letter about his sorrow and admiration for the girl (none of which he ever sent out). But what exactly was it about Shahrzad that made him decide he would rather suffer the consequences of his curse than see through its completion? Shahrzad captivated him with her storytelling, a trait that is supposedly reminiscent of the Caliph’s mother, whom the Caliph had a very close and loving relationship with until she met her tragic end. So I guess that’s something that brought out a side of the Caliph that was lost for a very long time after his mother died, but I still feel like that’s not quite enough to make me understand “Why Shahrzad?”. 

With that question aside, I do think their relationship is paced quite well and I am glad to see that Ahdieh didn’t just make them fall instalove with each other quite so fast. Shahrzad is filled with hatred for her husband, and while this does melt away by the end of the first book I think it is portrayed quite fittingly. The slight love triangle (if I can even call it that since it was just so obvious that the heroine would end up with the Caliph) was surprisingly not too annoying. I loved Tariq’s character; his devotion and loyalty are truly admirable in a man. I can’t help but feel bad for the guy though, considering he has been with Shahrzad their whole lives and he really was that close to asking for her hand in marriage before she decided to take off and kill the Caliph on her own. The reconciliation between Tariq and the Caliph in the second book, The Rose and the Dagger was also well-written. I still remember how much tension there was in that scene, right after Tariq fired the arrow intending for the Caliph and striking Shahrzad instead. As cheesy as it sounds, I could almost feel the anger stirring in the Caliph and the regret that filled Tariq’s mind. Tariq is seriously such an awesome dude, and in all honesty, I would ABSOLUTELY read a spin-off about him and Yasmine the Sultana. *Insert googly heart eyes here*

Now as for the Caliph himself, I’m conflicted. On one hand, I found his dedication to Shahrzad absolutely heartstopping especially after reading about the origins of his curse and his seriously tragic backstory. On the other hand, I do find him to be somewhat... bland aside from his immense love for the heroine. He’s a hurt boy who’s made lots of mistakes in his past so I guess it makes sense for him to be incredibly detached from his feelings. I think I just wish I saw a little more character development from him, especially by the end of the series. Mostly everything he does throughout pretty much the entire two books are driven by the sole fact that he loves Shahrzad and would rather destroy himself than to hurt her. While it’s implied, I really wished Ahdieh included at least a small blurb in the epilogue about the Caliph’s reconciliation with his former tutor, especially considering the tutor did A LOT for both the Caliph and Shahrzad. Furthermore, I understand the Caliph not wanting to marry Yasmine out of spite for her father but did he really need to be so emotionally detached from her despite her obviously caring about him a lot? Like, did he really need to be so utterly emotionally detached from literally EVERYONE except for Shahrzad? For the entirety of the series?? Hmmm. At least in my head, I envision him as such a hot dude with an amazing physique.

I also wanted to include a short note on Shahrzad’s father. I understand his emotions, his intent, and his motivations for all the shitty things he did (which admittedly are not entirely his fault as he was totally manipulated towards the end of the story). What I do not understand nor do I think will I EVER totally understand is his role at the very end of the story, right before the epilogue. So out of sheer rage over the Caliph destroying his grimoire of dark magic, Shahrzad’s father goes and stabs the Caliph right in the heart, killing him. Then immediately after everyone crowds around the Caliph in despair, he realizes he seriously fucked up and decides to give his life to perform blood magic one more time and give the Caliph his life back? I think I understand why Ahdieh wrote this ending this way, but I can’t help but feel like it came off as kind of lazy, tbh. I felt like she wanted to tie up the loose ends of the story and figured the quickest way to do it would just to have Shahrzad’s father kill himself (and then have Tariq’s uncle be betrayed by his sellswords). Maybe Tariq’s uncle’s end was necessary, but I feel like Shahrzad’s father’s death was lazy writing. I can’t understand why he would’ve needed to die, and if the author had been willing to write a couple more pages of dialogue I think she could’ve wrapped his arc up much better. 

To save my favorite for last, I’m going to end with my thoughts on Despina aka probably my favorite character in the entire series and probably also one of my favorite side-kicks as well. Now, we are told pretty early on that Despina is a spy. Despina never clarifies for whom, so we just immediately assume Shahrzad’s thoughts: Despina’s purpose is to spy on Shahrzad for the Caliph. Turns out that’s only half true. Despina is a spy, yes, but it turns out she’s a spy for the Caliph’s uncle, Sultan of Parthia. And it turns out that the Sultan of Parthia is actually Despina’s biological father. Yes, the woman is half Grecian half Parthian. I can only IMAGINE how beautiful this woman is. Despina is first introduced as Shahrzad’s handmaiden and is pretty awesome in the sense that she’s just always there for Shahrzad. She’s there for her, but she’s also not the Calipha’s bitch. Despina leads everyone else to believe she is a simple handmaiden, but she hides a lot of secrets and motivations. She leads a romance with the Caliph’s cousin, a commander or guard of the military or something (my memory really is that bad, yes). She then goes and disappears in the second book, reappearing during her reintroduction as a PRINCESS of Parthia, to Shahrzad’s horror. For a brief couple of chapters, we all thought Despina betrayed Shahrzad and their friendship but it turns out Despina’s motivations run way deeper than that. No, Despina’s PISSED. She’s pissed because her dad is, quite frankly, a total cunt. And she’s pissed because she’s realized that no matter what she does for him, the Sultan of Parthia will never truly acknowledge her as his daughter the same way he does for Yasmine. And during her many years of servitude to her own father (as a way to earn his love, bleh) she realizes that she doesn’t care about her bloodline and her relationship to royalty. She doesn’t care that she’s actually a Princess of Parthia. Nah, she cares about the family she’s chosen for herself, and that family includes her romance with the Caliph’s cousin and their UNBORN CHILD. Despina’s entire character arc was seriously fabulous, and I would pay stupid money to read an entire spin-off about her life. Seriously. To top it all off, I was really about to drop the second book and leave it unfinished when I thought Despina had betrayed Shahrzad. My heart couldn’t take it. But I’m so glad that wasn’t the case, and I think Ahdieh wrote Despina’s character and journey INCREDIBLY beautifully and despite being a side character, I think she’s probably the most fleshed out and well-done character in the entire series. Case closed.

In conclusion, not a bad series at all. I’m not super critical of books that I read since I think I just have a really low standard. I can tolerate mostly anything aside from truly bad writing (think 50 Shades of Grey levels of bad writing... or fanfiction written by literal tweens with way too much emphasis on love triangles). While I wasn’t the BIGGEST fan of the male love interest, the romance that was shared between him and the heroine was nevertheless still very touching. I love how elegantly Ahdieh wove magical themes into the story, love love love her inclusion of the magic carpet which is probably one of my favorite magical elements from One Thousand and One Nights. Our heroine was strong-minded, kind-hearted, and had a “silver tongue” that I personally loved! God, if only I could spit firey comebacks as quick as she could. So many more middle school arguments would have gone in my favor. And finally Despina... *swoons*. 

[arch-wistcrias]

BELOW IS ALL YOU MAY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SHAHRZAD AL-KHAYZURAN, A CANON CHARACTER FROM THE WRATH & THE DAWN DUOLOGY. 

INTRODUCTION.

FULL NAME: Shahrzad al-Khayzuran  NICKNAMES: Shazi  ALIASES: The Calipha of Khorasan  AGE: 16-22  DATE OF BIRTH: April 19th  BIRTHPLACE: Rey ( similar to Nishapur ), Khorasan, Persia ( modern: Oxford, England )  SEX/GENDER: cis-female  RELIGION: mazdayasna / zoroastrianism ( modern: islam )  ORIENTATION: heterosexual  ETHNICITY: iranian  OCCUPATION: actual queen ( modern: writer )  LANGUAGES: old persian, english ( modern: turkish, farsi, english and basic french and arabic )  FAMILY:  Irsa Al-Khayzuran ( sister, alive ), Jahandar Al-Khayzuran ( father, deceased ), Khalid Ibn al-Rashid ( husband, alive ), Haroun Ibn Khalid ( son, alive ) 

APPEARANCE.

HEIGHT: 5′8″  WEIGHT: 125lbs BUILD: she is tall, with an average build.  COMPLEXION: golden, but more on the bronze side. she spends a lot of time in the sun and her skin soaks it up beautifully. being the Calipha she is also bathed in goat’s milk and uses rose oil to keep her skin soft and youthful, as well as rosewater to keep her skin bright.  EYE COLOR: as Calipha her hazel eyes are lined in kohl, but she does not usually bother with it day to day. modernly, she wears brown pencil liner a lot more.  HAIR COLOR & STYLE: her hair is wavy and shiny as Calipha. occasionally decorated with jewels, she uses raw olive oil to allow it to grow thick and healthy. her hair is described as having “gleamed like polished obsidian”, though in the sunlight it’s a dark brown. day to day, it tends to lie on the wild side, described as “vagabond hair”. it normally also smells like lilacs and rain, and sometimes olive oil and jasmine. in the second novel it’s cruedly shorn by the enemy’s guards, and falls to her shoulders in varying lengths. it grows back to her waist-length after, though.  NOTICEABLE FEATURES: the knowing smirk usually on her face. the way she carries herself with “poise and strength”. her “impudent” chin.  AESTHETICS & STYLE: damascus prints. sandy footprints. rubies and lapis lazuli and gold chains hanging down middle-parted hair or around a sun-soaked stomach. bejewelled daggers. black tea. fragranced lamps. golden coins. apple-scented smoke ( of the hookah / water pipe ). sugared dates. honeyed nuts. dried apricots. henna-ed hands, and its earthy scent. dried blood. FC: Medalion Rahimi 

HEALTH.

PHYSICAL DISORDERS: n/a  MENTAL DISORDERS: n/a  EATING HABITS: Shahrzad has a taste for decadent foods. she adores labnah and flat bread and jewelled rice, but has a fast metabolism ( that lucky bitch ). she regularly snacks on dates and pistachios, and drinks a lot of jasmine water, and water in general to stay hydrated. roast pigeon is her favorite food as a child, though not the most royal of dishes. ( modern Shahrzad lives for rice pudding and bastani [ saffron vanilla ice cream, usually with rosewater ]. she can’t stand the taste of maple syrup, however, since she used to it all the time as a kid and eventually grew to hate it, gagging whenever it hits her tongue. now she eats her pancakes with jam and nothing else. )  EXERCISE HABIT: running. often. it helps her clear her mind. sparring as well, but what burns a lot of calories and keeps her fit is actually using her powers as it takes more physical exertion than what one might expect. 

PERSONALITY.

POSITIVE TRAITS: inquisitive, strong-minded, courageous, enduring  NEGATIVE TRAITS: insolent, impatient, one-dimensional  TALENTS: storytelling, archery ( never needs to use the guides or aims ), staring people down  ZODIAC: Aries ( Taurus cusp )  HOGWARTS HOUSE: Gryffindor ( but a total hatstall because she could have been Ravenclaw )  NOTE: based heavily on Al-Khayzuran, an important figure in Iranian history. Like, it’s so obvious lmao. Scheherazade was said to be based off of her, and the stories based off of Harun ( as in Haroun, Shahrzad’s son ). "The histories do not detail Khayzuran's political achievements, but coins were struck in her name, palaces were named for her, and the cemetery in which subsequent Abbasid rulers were laid to rest carries her name, all testifying not only to status but also to civic largesse." Such as is Shahrzad’s legacy. 

ABOUT.

A magic-infused retelling of 1001 nights. IDR really remember a lot bc I need to reread so I could be mixing some things up. 

Basically Shahrzad’s best friend was killed by the Caliph ( king ) of Khorason. What she doesn’t know is that there is a curse upon the boy-king, Khalid, that he must marry and kill a girl of 16 every day for a 1000 nights for the curse to be lifted, or else the kingdom won’t have another night of rain again. Shahrzad volunteers to be the next girl to be wed and then killed, but she tricks Khalid by telling him stories that overspill into the dawn, and he is so bewitched by her that he resists killing her until eventually they have both fallen in love with one another. 

Shahrzad’s father meanwhile dabbles in dark magic in an attempt to save her. The kingdom goes up in flame. Shahrzad and Khalid are torn apart after she finds out the reason behind the girls’ murders. Basically Shahrzad also finds out she has the same powers as her father and learns to harvest and train them while she is living with the badawi tribes outside of Khorason.  Meanwhile the ruler of Parthia, a kingdom adjacent to Khorason is trying to kill Khalid and that’s just a mess. 

A lot of shit happens tbh, but obviously Shahrzad and Khalid live happily ever after ( although, her father did kill him and then gave up his life in return for Khalid’s after seeing how devastated Shahrzad was ) and they have a son they name Haroun. Also, she totally has a magic carpet. 

VERSES.

01. Canon ( compliant with most fantasy settings, such as acotar, game of thrones, tolkien, etc. )  02. Canon Divergent / TVD-inspired ( instead of being a human-witch/magician, she is an immortal-witch/magician [ able to be killed, but otherwise lives forever ] and outlives Khalid, going on to become a nomad of sorts, travelling from country to country ).  03. Modern ( Shahrzad’s father deals in translating old Persian texts and is part of the international federation of librarian associations and institutions. She’s lived in Turkey, England, Lebanon ( briefly ) and New York. Well read, and well travelled, she was published at the age of fifteen and by the age of twenty has three published novels as well as two poetry anthologies. She’s also been named one of Time’s most influential figures, and Vanity Fair’s 30 under 30. Her father tries to keep their Iranian heritage going strong, but Shahrzad barely remembers it during her adolescence. She goes to college in NYU, and  She ends up going back when she’s graduated college, working with women there to publish a third poetry anthology specifically about the modern Iranian women’s experiences. )   04. DC / Marvel / All Supernatural Verses ( Shahrzad has a gift: she writes stories and they come true, and it runs in her family. )  05. OUAT ( Shahrzad is the new Author of the stories. )  06. Harry Potter  07. Grishaverse ( Shahrzad collects the stories from the language of thorns, and publishes them; she travels searching for more folktales, as well as writes her own ) 

[aspiring-story-weaver]

Shazi is THE CALIPHA. The queen. The empress of our hearts. What a hero. Not a damsel, not afraid to play up her femininity to get what she wants, also not afraid to get blood on her hands and some revenge. Shahrzad IS the perfect protagonist

Women In Young Adult Literature

This Wednesday we’re celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women on International Women’s Day. I’d like to use that as an opportunity to talk about a few of my favorite female characters in Young Adult books. Careful if you haven’t read these books because of possible spoilers.

Cather Avery (Fangirl)

Cather Avery and her twin sister Wren are starting college and Wren has announced she wants to discover college on her own, leaving an introvert Cath hiding out in her dorm, writing fan fiction. I really liked that Fangirl was about Cath as a character at first and everything else second. Cath is shy and introvert but she’s also sure of who she is and isn’t ashamed of that.

Madeline Whittier (Everything Everything)

Madeline has a rare illness which prevents her from leaving her house, but Maddy is a happy teenage girl. She reads a lot, takes classes online, has a friend in the form of her nurse. Despite the fact that she was missing out on so much in her life, she keeps being optimistic. It is impossible not to like her. Of course, she was also moody and curious. This curiosity eventually leads her to uncover a secret that will change everything for her.

Glory O’Brien (Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future)

One evening Glory and her best friend mix up beer with the remains of a bat (that is as weird as it sounds). Next thing they know they can see people’s pasts and futures. Glory becomes obsessed with the second civil war and decided to write down every piece of information she gathers from seeing people’s futures. I loved how Glory handled seeing the future. She questioned everything in her past and present; her future, the strange hippie community across the street and especially her mother’s suicide and what I means for her.

Rose Hathaway (Vampire Academy-series)

Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir and thus fated to guard a Moroi. She’s determined to protect her best friend Lissa, a royal Moroi. Rose is sarcastic and insubordinate but she is fiercely loyal to Lissa. Over the course of the series Rose loves and loses Dimitri. The loss of him puts her friendship with Lissa and even her life at stake.

Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer trilogy and upcoming Shaw Confessions)

She has to power to kill people with a thought, but is she a villain? Throughout this trilogy, Mara tries to figure out what is happening with her. She means no harm, but around her people start dying under strange circumstances. She tries to understand her powers and is put in dangerous situations because of it. To get herself out of these situations she must use her power and questions who she is when she does.

Gwendolyn Shepard (Ruby Red)

Kerstin Gier gives us curious and funny heroines. These characteristics often put them in complicated situations. Take Gwendolyn, (Gwyneth in the US/UK editions) for example. She can travel through time but it isn’t nearly as fun as it sounds. She always taught her cousin would inherit the time travel gene, she isn’t ready to fulfill tasks that would take her across time. Yet, Gwendolyn uncovers the truth and stands her ground while taking on an ancient organization.

Shahrzad Al-Khayzuran (The Wrath and the Dawn)

She marries the Caliph, not to love him and be his bride, but to kill him. Khalid has had countless wives and has killed every one of them, including her best friend. But when Shahrzad finds out her husband is cursed she takes it upon herself to save him and their people. Shahrzad can come across as spoiled, but she also doesn’t take shit from anyone and doesn’t like to be told what to do.

Inej Ghafa & Nina Zenik (Six Of Crows)

Inej can climb the most impossible buildings. She grew up with loving parents but was separated from them and sold to a brothel. Her time there still causes her anxiety. Nina was a member of the second army in the Ravkan war. She’s a heartrender. Nina loves her power, she loves food and she loves Matthias, who is supposed to be her enemy, and she knows he loves her too. Nina is determined to show him Grisha aren’t evil like he has been told, to not only accept her but her kind as well. Inej and Nina are just as much a part of The Dregs as the boys and just as important for their mission.

Kestrel Trajan (The Winner’s trilogy)

As the general’s daughter Kestrel knows politics very well. She has always had a privileged life. When Valorians and Herrani’s go to war, Kestrel is put in a difficult position. Her people are in the wrong, but they are her people. Arin isn’t one of them. He’s her slave, the boy she’s in love with. She has to help his people. Kestrel is often put before terrible options but they are her only options and what do you choose when the outcome is bound to be horrible either way?

Verity (Code name Verity)

“Kiss me, Hardy. Kiss me, quick!” Well, if this book didn’t destroy me. Verity is captured by Nazi’s and tortured until she agrees to write down everything she knows - everything. The first half of the book is her confession, the second half is told from her best friend’s POV. Maddie and Verity are major friendship goals. Their story was so inspiring and completely heartbreaking at the same time.

Bianca (The DUFF)

The Designated Ugly Fat Friend is what Robbie calls Bianca, explaining that it isn’t a bad thing, but it’s a fact. Bianca tries to not let this bother her, but it does. She is the DUFF. Despite the fact that he hates Robbie the two of them start a friends-with-benefits relation, except for the “friends” part because they hate each other. The book discusses many others topics, such as friendship, neglect, alcoholism and divorce. Bianca uses the words ‘slut’ and ‘whore’ a lot throughout the book. In the end, she comes to a nice conclusion about these labels and ultimately it’s a good message. I would also recommend Kody’s other YA novels.

Linh Cinder (Cinder)

So far I’ve only read the first book in the Lunar Chronicles series, but it was enough to see that Cinder is bad-ass. She’s funny and sassy and the best mechanic in New Beijing. Instead of going to the Prince’ ball she’d rather use that opportunity to elope from her evil guardian. Things don’t go as planned when it’s discovered that Cinder is a Lunar, that she has powers, and that if the Lunar queen finds out, she will take Cinder to Luna and most likely kill her.

[cleopatraas]

Should I read The Wraith & the Dawn? What is it about?

READ IT RIGHT NOW OH MY GOD OKAY

DO YOU TRUST ME? YOU SHOULD. This is for everyone who hasn’t read the book. 

It’s basically a thousand and one nights, and if you don’t know what that is, here’s my own synopsis: 

Shahrzad volunteers to marry Khalid and becomes his Calipha the night she enters his palace. She goes in with the intent on murdering the young and reckless Caliph, who has been marrying girls and killing them the next morning since the start of his reign, before he kills her the next morning. 

I want say so much more but I don’t want to spoil!

It’s such a good book! Like seriously. You should read it. All of the characters are Middle Eastern and it’s just…gahhh. It’s so good and everyone is sexy and just ah. Read it. Please.