Review: The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retelling, Romance
Published: 05/12/15 by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books
Series: The Wrath and the Dawn
Pages: 388
Format: Library Hardback
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Amazon | Goodreads | Indigo

Goodreads Summary
Every dawn brings horror to a different family in a land ruled by a killer. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise. So it is a suspicious surprise when sixteen-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry Khalid. But she does so with a clever plan to stay alive and exact revenge on the Caliph for the murder of her best friend and countless other girls. Shazi's wit and will, indeed, get her through to the dawn that no others have seen, but with a catch . . . she’s falling in love with the very boy who killed her dearest friend.

She discovers that the murderous boy-king is not all that he seems and neither are the deaths of so many girls. Shazi is determined to uncover the reason for the murders and to break the cycle once and for all. 

Review:
This book seriously makes me want to watch Aladdin again. 

The Wrath and the Dawn is a fun, exotic, and interesting retelling of 1001 Nights. Even though I don't really even know the original... oppies. Ever since starting this book I have had the song "Arabian Nights" from Aladdin stuck in my head. I did really enjoy this book. My biggest problem with it was that I found the beginning quite slow. I wasn't invested in the story or the characters until after the first 1/4 of the book. However, I did eventually buy into the story and thoroughly enjoyed it. 

I am a sucker for romance, I accept that as a fact in my life and don't deny myself cheesy romance. I really enjoyed Shazi and Khalid together, it might not be the easiest romance to buy into but I really enjoyed them. They definitely have chemistry, and you can really tell from the way the author described them together. However, I am going to be super annoyed if there is a love triangle going on in the next book. Shazi and Tariq have history but she knows she loves Khalid and doesn't feel any connection to Tariq anymore. 

Shazi is also a strong female character which is really good to see. She doesn't have to become strong, she just is from page one. I liked seeing her be brave at every turn because becoming Khalid's bride was incredibly brave. I also like how she doesn't want to be Khalid's possession, I am like that in my relationships too so I loved seeing that. Khalid is your fairly typical distant romantic interest. You know he is keeping a secret and most of the book which you are craving to find out what that is. I did like this plot point, I kind of guessed it early on but I still enjoyed it. You really learn why he is the way he is and you definitely feel for him.

One thing that I really loved in this book was the description of the food they were eating. OMG, it made me starving. I have been craving flat bread dipped in oil for days now. If Renee Ahdieh gives up on fiction, she could make a killing as a food blogger. 

Conclusion: The Wrath and the Dawn was pretty awesome. I can see why so many people enjoy it. If you love romance with substance this is for you. I can really see this book taking some interesting turns in the next instalment. I would definitely recommend this book, 2 thumbs up! 

Review: The Ugly Stepsister - Aya Ling

I received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Retelling 
Published: 06/12/15 
Pages: 452
Format: ARC ebook, Netgalley
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars
Goodreads | Amazon | Indigo

Goodreads Description: 

When Kat accidentally rips apart an old picture book, she's magically transported into the world of Cinderella--as Katriona, one of the ugly stepsisters! Life turns upside down now that she’s a highborn lady and must learn how to survive the social season, including how to get through the door in a huge metal hoop skirt. To get back, she'll have to complete the story, right to the end of happily ever after. But the odds are huge: the other stepsister is drop-dead gorgeous, the fairy godmother is nowhere to be found, and the prince, despite being insanely hot, openly dislikes balls. Can she ever return to the modern world?

My Thoughts: 

Yup, I loved the shit out of this book. I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did which makes the reading experience even better. This book is like when Pride and Prejudice meets Cinderella. It is a retelling of Cinderella but it is a version of Cinderella similar to Ever After (the movie) and less of the original tale. Kat, our leading lady, is a avid reader and makes hilarious references to books we all know and love (aka Harry Potter, Narnia, Jane Austin's). 

There was little that I didn't like about this book. The first I felt like the pacing at the beginning was very rushed but I didn't mind since that got us into the retelling super quick and that's what I was really there for. My biggest issues was the pretences that Kat was brought into "Story Land".  The book was made by goblins so when she broke it she was transported into the story. To get home she has to complete the story, I just found this a bit weird but I could overlook it for what actually happens during the story.

Now, what I love is everything else. I think I just love royalty but I  ship Prince Edward so hard it hurts. Kat describes him as Mr. Darcy but better looking. He is most definitely swoon worthy. There is a slow burn romance that literally killed me. My heart still hurts and I might have had a huge lump in my throat at the end. The romance is everything, and it hurts. 

The characters are all interesting and I really liked that it took place during the Social Season with all the ladies looking for suitors/husbands. There was also a good political subplot that gives this books so much more than just your basic retelling. I really loved this version of Cinderella. Highly recommend! 

Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Oh man, this was definitely fun and a pretty good start to a new series. A Court of Thorns and Roses, is a re-telling of Beauty and the Beast but instead of a standard "Beast" there is faeries. This books has been everywhere and everyone seems to love it. However, in the beginning it took me some time to get into and I wasn't 100% sold on this novel. 

I found the first 100 pages quite slow, and it took me a decent amount of time to become invested in the story. But I do understand the need for a slow build. It is the first in a new series so you do need to set the stage for the rest of the books. Once the story, got going it didn't take a lot of time to get invested in the characters. 

And the characters in this book are pretty awesome. Our lead, Feyre, is "a normal human". I did like Feyre, she is strong and quite sure of herself. I enjoyed how she wasn't self conscious and remained true to herself and her feelings. The leading man in this book is Tamlin. I had a hard time picturing Tamlin, but I think I just wanted him to be tall dark and handsome instead of blond and etherial. However, there was some steamy scenes between Feyre and Tamlin. 

ACOTAR is classified as "New Adult" so there definitely is steamy. But I was a little let down and was expecting more steamy. I feel like I missed the part where Feyre went from hating Tamlin to loving him because I totally forget why it even happened. However, I think I just find the Beauty and the Beast story a bit far fetched to start with. 

The best part of this novel is end. I love the turn that the story took and how the Beauty and the Beast story intertwines with the story of the faerie kingdom. However, I am not sure about the potential love triangle that may be introduced. It may not happen but it may. I feel like what Feyre went through for Tamlin means they are meant to be together. 

(cough cough, this means you Rhys) 

Conclusions: Solid start to a new series and it's definitely enjoyable. Slow to start but the ending makes up for that. A solid steamy romance and lots of world building/politics. I can see this becoming a fantastic series with 2 more badass books. 

Rating: 4/5 Stars