#jahandar al-khayzuran

[fish-champ16]

idc what y’all say i blame Tariq for Rahim’s death 100%

bro wants to act on his own impulse? fine, go ahead, but don’t risk others while you go pull that stupid shit. 

[clockworkbee]

“It must be a special book.”

“All books are special, dear.”

—Irsa and Jahandar, from The Wrath & The Dawn

[baileysbabbles]

I’m almost done with The Wrath and the Dawn and it’s definitely growing on me a lot. I think I was so annoyed and confused with the beginning that I let that stop me from enjoying the rest of the book but once I kind of let that go I’ve been able to feel more emotion towards the story. There are still things that really annoy me though.

I’ve really started to feel a lot more emotion from Shahrzad. In the beginning I didn’t feel a lot from her and she was kind of hard for me to understand because of that. I really like her because she’s so witty and clever and sort of sneakily, but not really, rude. She’s very passionate about what she believes and feels and I feel like we don’t always get that from female YA protagonists.

I still really don’t like Khalid that much but I guess he’s grown on me a little bit. Some of his layers have kind of peeled back and we’ve gotten to see more of his thoughts and feelings and secrets but he’s still too stubborn and uncooperative and secretive. He’s just kind of a flat character and most of the things he does annoy me. The only thing about him that feels real to me is how much he loves Shahrzad but he can’t just clearly show it or say it. He always skirts around it. The way he treats Shahrzad just kind of annoys me too. He can’t just completely be himself with her but he still feels like Shahrzad should be truthful and kind to him and she should be presented like his queen. That probably doesn’t make any sense but I don’t really know how else to describe why he annoys me. I do feel like their relationship isn’t nearly as forced anymore. I feel like Shahrzad and Khalid do truly care about each other but I still don’t ship them. They are too much alike and it is unhealthy for them. They are both stubborn and prideful and secretive. Anytime they are fighting in any way they seem to be able to talk for two minutes and their feelings for each other just make the situation magically better and what the other person did doesn’t matter anymore.

One relationship that does feel forced to me is Despina and Shahrzad’s friendship. They share nothing in common and show no real care for each other to make me believe that they are really friends.

I really like Jalal. He’s a good friend and ally for Shahrzad and Khalid to have in their side. He is very wise and loyal.

I still kind of like Tariq but he is worrying me because I feel like he is going to do something very reckless and it will end very badly for someone I like. I don’t really ship him and Shahrzad anymore because she doesn’t truly love him anymore and he deserves someone who does.

Something else that really annoys me is the plot. A few times now we have been given a few pages from Jahandar’s point of view. I really like these few pages because I like Jahandar and whatever he’s doing is very intriguing but once those few pages are over his storyline is completely forgotten about and we are just left with a bunch of questions until the next random few pages from his point of view. I also feel like we were introduced to this grand plan of Tariq and Rahim’s and now we don’t know anything more about it or if it’s going according to plan. I just feel like there are some things that were introduced and then forgotten about that left me with a lot of questions.

[bookiemonsterph]

The Wrath And The Dawn

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?

Title: The Wrath and The Dawn Series: The Wrath and The Dawn Author: Renee Ahdieh Pages:  432 pages (Paperback) Published: April 5th 2016 by Penguin Young Readers Group (first published May 12th 2015) Characters: Shahrzad al-Khayzuran, Khalid Ibn al-Rashid, Tariq Imran al-Ziyad, Jahandar al-Khayzuran Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Adventure, Retellings

I have one thing to say. Khalid. Khalid was everything. This whole book was everything. I honestly have no words for it right now, other than brilliant, mind blowing and breathtaking, of course. Never in my life have I read a story more captivating than this one. All it took was the first three pages and I was completely hooked. It was a truly mesmerizing tale of love and sacrifice, an exquisite piece of fantasy literature based on one of the most intriguing stories of all time. A Thousand and One Nights has always been one of my favorite fairytales and Renee Ahdieh managed to capture its theme exceptionally well. I’m having a really hard time finding a book that will satisfy me after this one, and combined with the fact that I’m currently going through college exams and don’t have a lot of time to read in the first place, I think I’m heading for the worse book hangover of all times.

But let’s focus on the brilliance of this book and its amazing plot, which I would characterize with one word enthralling. That’s such an awesome word, isn’t it? Fitting because this book was awesome too. This book was a wild ride of conflicting emotions. Every single page and paragraph compels you to read further and I was dying to know the reason behind Khalid’s murderous sprint by the end of the first chapter! Granted, the plot might be a bit slow at times but Renee’s writing totally makes up for it and the intrigue and suspense is enough to keep you going until you’ve finally reached the end. I also have to talk a bit about the themes the book explores and the depth of the story and its characters. I found myself in a constant struggle to differentiate between the heroes and villains. The book teaches a wonderful lesson that nothing is black and white and that all is not always what it seems. Khalid, who is supposedly the villain, turns out to be the biggest victim of them all, while Jahandar, who is just a man looking for a way to save his daughter in the beginning of the book, ends up turning into the worst villain, even if his actions are somewhat justified. Even Tariq, who fights for his love, makes you question whether he’s right or wrong to do so and I was constantly conflicted about how to feel about him throughout the whole book. And that’s what I love about this book, the fact that it was real and honest and played with some important lessons in life without sugar coating situations.

And then the characters. Every single one of them had an impressive depth of personality that only added more brilliance to the story. Honestly, the characters are what really made this book for me and I was impressed by how much I connected with them in a very short time. Shahrzad has become one of my favorite female protagonists ever. She’s brave, strong and smart and managed to annoy me only once in the entire book which is a huge accomplishment. She uses her intelligence to survive when so many others have died, enchanting the caliph by weaving tales so mesmerizing that the king could not bear to kill her. And I have to add that I found those stories extremely interesting as well, even though they weren’t part of the main plot.

And then there is Khalid. Khalid is such a conflicted character. You know you have to hate him because he has killed so many girls for seemingly no reason, but at the same time you know there is more behind his seemingly cold and cruel personality and you want to get to know him and understand what defines his actions. And once you do, you can’t help but fall in love, just like Shahrzad fell in love.

Shahrzad’s relationship with Khalid is truly one of the most complex ones I’ve encountered in books and they weren’t even truly together for the most part of the book but I loved how she managed to love him even through hating him for what he’d done and how that love changed him and brought out his softer his softer side. And I also loved how Shahrzad became Khalid’s entire world and how he was willing to sacrifice everything for her. Shahrzad was determined to hate Khalid from the beginning and even though she never stopped holding him accountable for his actions, she recognized that what happened wasn’t entirely his fault and managed to forgive him and even love him once she got to know him better. But even though she did forgive him she still held him accountable for his actions and he held himself accountable as well. Excuses were never made and that’s what I loved about these two the most. That their relationship was so real and honest and that they managed to love each other despite the circumstances that defined them both.

Also, Tariq. I couldn’t help but love him even though I had decided pretty much from the beginning of the book that I wanted Shahrzad to be with Khalid. I found his character extremely interesting and the fact that he was so determined to fight for his love against all odds truly won me over, even though I kinda hated him for considering Khalid a monster. I’m really curious to see how his character and his relationship with Shahrzad will evolve over the second book and I do hope Renee will give him a happy ending. The side characters were also very well developed but I believe Renee could have worked more with them and give us more information about their past. I loved Jalal but unfortunately Despina left me completely indifferent. Rahim was also great and I though his humor added a nice light touch to the seriousness of the story.

Isn’t that just beautiful? Renee’s writing truly captivated me. The whole story and especially those last few chapters were mind blowing. My heart was literally racing while I was reading them. The writing was exquisite and the dialogue – especially between Khalid and Shahrzad was simply beautiful. I died a hundred times over while reading this. Especially towards the end. And that last chapter only left me wanting more. I wish May was here already.

The world building was also excellent. I loved the Persian setting and found myself transported into a fascinating world of Middle Eastern origins, rich with plenty of cultural references that I found extremely interesting  to read about. And I also loved the fact Renee wasn’t afraid to use non-English terms in this and thought it added a lot to the setting and the reality of the story.

Final rating: What else is there to say? This was simply brilliant. A total page turner and a book that deserves to be called a masterpiece in my opinion. One of the most beautiful stories I’ve read in a while. This was easily a five star rating for me, although I wish I could give it a lot more than just five stars. I can’t wait for May to be here already, so I can finally get my hands on The Rose and the Dagger and continue with this amazing story. And if you haven’t read this book yet, waste no time in doing so. You won’t regret it.

[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 ) 

[brightbeautifulthings]

The Wrath & the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh

"'In my life, the one thing I have learned above all is that no individual can reach the height of their potential without the love of others. We are not meant to be alone, Shahrzad. The more a person pushes others away, the clearer it becomes he is in need of love the most.'"

Year Read: 2017

Rating: 4/5

Context: I've heard some great things about this book, and I was excited to get to it. I loved Susan Fletcher's Shadow Spinner when I was younger, which is more of a middle grade re-telling of the Shahrazad story.

About: Every dawn, Khalid Ibn al-Rashid, the Caliph of Khorasan, kills his bride. Shahrzad al-Khayzuran is filled with rage and grief over her best friend, Shiva's, murder. When she marries the cold-hearted King of Kings, she plans only to destroy him in the name of revenge for all the girls he's killed, but there's something about Khalid that makes her hesitate--and something about Shahrzad that stays his hand.

Thoughts: I wanted to love this book more than I did. The best things it has going for it are its world-building and its representative cast. A book where every single character is a person of color (except maybe the handmaiden? I'm not sure) shouldn't be as rare as it is, and I was happy to see that there wasn't a single case of white-washing in this story. Ahdieh's world is culturally rich and beautifully described, down to the food, the clothing, and the language. It's easy to imagine myself there in her world, with hints of magic lurking at the edges.

This is only a loose interpretation of 1,001 Nights, and I was sorry to see that storytelling actually features very little in the novel. It's clear early on that Khalid has reasons for killing his brides other than feelings of childish betrayal, and also that her storytelling ability is not the reason he lets Shahrzad live. While it's interesting plot-wise, it takes pretty much all of the punch out of Khalid's villainy and makes the love story between him and Shahrzad a little more saccharine. I'm more interested in characters who are actually monstrous earning redemption; it makes a love story difficult, if not outright impossible, but it's a more complex problem to work through.

For the most part, I like Shahrzad, but the other characters describe her as a force of nature far more often than we actually get to see it. She's strongly spoken but not prone to action; her fate is largely determined by the three men in her life: her husband, Khalid, her childhood sweetheart, Tariq, and her father, Jahandar. None of them particularly care about her wishes; they just charge in and make a mess of things trying to save her. There are also times when her "silver tongue" makes her seem like a petty brat. I like the spirit of her character, but I could take her more seriously if she picked her battles a little more carefully.

My biggest problem with The Wrath & the Dawn is not the writing or the characters, which are mostly fine, but that it's 80% love story, and I'm rarely interested in that. It ends up feeling rushed and contrived to me, and I don’t have any particular love for either romantic lead (or the quickly squashed love triangle with Tariq). For fans of the genre, it may go over better. There's not a lot in the way of plot in this novel, but it's clear that Ahdieh is laying some serious groundwork for the next. There are a lot of conflicts that lead up to what's basically a cliff-hanger, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of that play out in The Rose & the Dagger.

[baileysbabbles]

I just started The Rose and the Dagger and I definitely like this book better than the first one. I’m used to this plot and these characters now.

Everything is very somber and on edge right now and I don’t love that but it makes sense for the plot right now and I don’t hate it. Khalid is especially somber but I think this time is kind of good for him. It gives him a chance to reevaluate things and he’s using this time to help his city and connect with his people which is good for him. I just hope he comes out on the other side of this a better person.

I’m getting pretty annoyed with Shazi right now. She’s being very distant and secretive with people that could be her allies if she would let them. I don’t like the way she acts when Khalid is brought up annoys me too and I can’t really explain why. I think it’s because she gets irrationally angry very quickly and makes matters worse when she could be explaining to people who he really is and why she loves him.

I’m very not ready for this war but I hope Omar and Tariq can make good decisions and make things better.

I like that we get to see a lot more of Irsa in this book because I really like her. I hope she can find out her purpose. Her and Rahim are cute together too but I definitely wasn’t expecting them.

Jahandar is making me very nervous because he has become a little more than a little crazy.

I’m very invested in where the story is going right now.