Why You Need The Rose and the Dagger in Your Life

Let's Flail (2)

Hello, hello. Raise your hand if you liked The Wrath and the Dawn. ::Raises hand, assumes that a lot of people reading this post do too, at least in their minds, because maybe they don’t follow directions as well as I do:: If you are one of those people, no doubt you’re excited for the conclusion of this gorgeous series, and hoping that it’s a strong book.

Now, raise your hand if you have not read The Wrath and the Dawn. Okay, you guys are going to have to go do that now. It’s out in paperback, for like, $6 and has a super pretty cover. Anyway, I am trying to make this as non-spoilery as possible for the first book, and completely non-spoilery for the second, but just… be cautious if you like going in completely blind I guess?

Why You Need The Rose and the Dagger in Your Life The Rose & the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh
Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers on April 26th 2016
Pages: 432

The much anticipated sequel to the breathtaking The Wrath and the Dawn, lauded by Publishers Weekly as "a potent page-turner of intrigue and romance."

I am surrounded on all sides by a desert. A guest, in a prison of sand and sun. My family is here. And I do not know whom I can trust.

In a land on the brink of war, Shahrzad has been torn from the love of her husband Khalid, the Caliph of Khorasan. She once believed him a monster, but his secrets revealed a man tormented by guilt and a powerful curse—one that might keep them apart forever. Reunited with her family, who have taken refuge with enemies of Khalid, and Tariq, her childhood sweetheart, she should be happy. But Tariq now commands forces set on destroying Khalid's empire. Shahrzad is almost a prisoner caught between loyalties to people she loves. But she refuses to be a pawn and devises a plan.

While her father, Jahandar, continues to play with magical forces he doesn't yet understand, Shahrzad tries to uncover powers that may lie dormant within her. With the help of a tattered old carpet and a tempestuous but sage young man, Shahrzad will attempt to break the curse and reunite with her one true love.

From the Hardcover edition.

Reasons You Need The Rose and the Dagger
  • Because Shazi is amazing. She is one of my favorite characters of ever. She’s just so strong and brave, but also has such real feelings and emotions. It’s easy to see how passionate she is about the people she loves and doing what she feels is right. That, to me, is the best kind of heroine.
  • The ship. There are no coherent words to describe my love of Shazi and Khalid. None. The actual only downside of book two is that there is less time for me to swoon. Because there’s a lot of stuff happening, and the swooning has to take a backseat. But no worries, there were tons of shippable moments!
  • We get to see a lot more of Shahrzad’s family! I love seeing family interaction, especially in a world like this where the stakes are so high. Shazi’s relationship with her sister is so great to read about as it transforms. Irsa has grown up a lot since Shazi left, and I loved watching them reconnect and grow stronger.
  • The plot was incredible and kept me guessing right until the end. This book is quite full of action, and really never a dull moment. I kept wondering which characters I was supposed to trust, much like Shazi and Khalid were! I really had no idea what the end game would be, and I loved that!
  • If possible, the writing is even more amazing than in the first book! I like to flag quotes that I like, and this book is full of my tiny flags! Even rereading them to write this review(ish), I had all the feels- they brought me right back into the story. Renee’s writing just evokes so much emotion, and brings the world and the characters to life so vividly.

Bottom Line: I am so sad that it is over, and I will miss these characters a lot, but I suppose that is what re-reads are for! If you liked the first book, you should love this one too! And if you haven’t started the series, now that you know that the second book is good, you should go start the first one!

5s

Have you read The Wrath and the Dawn? Did you pre-order The Rose and the Dagger the minute it was available like I did? How much do you ship Shazi and Khalid? These are vital questions, friends! 

Posted April 25, 2016 by Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight in Let's Flail, Review / 26 Comments

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26 responses to “Why You Need The Rose and the Dagger in Your Life

  1. Sam

    I just finished this book yesterday, and I agree with each and every thing you said. It was fantastic, and made me sad that this is only a duology. I cannot wait for more from Ahdieh.

  2. AHHH I’M SO EXCITED. I HAVE MINE ORDERED AND HOPEFULLY IT WIL COME TO ME SOOOOOOON. I’M SO EXCITED. DID I MENTION THAT YET?! *shrieks and flails* I usually don’t read reviews for books I’m mega-excited about, buuut, I love your review style too much. ? And this was very non-spoilery, so I’m a happy marmalade.
    Also I KNOW I sit here and complain that there aren’t enough duologies around but. I was actually really devastated when I realised this only was a duology. I WANT MORE BOOKS THOUGH. THESE CHARACTERS ARE TOO PRECIOUS TO BE FINISHED. *howls*

  3. This comes out here tomorrow and I am ready to drop everything and invest in my Kindle copy ASAP. I am SO glad to hear that we get more swoony moments between the OTP even though they’re limited – I was afraid they wouldn’t reunite for ages which would just break me. I didn’t warm up THAT much to Shazi during Book 1 but glad to hear she continues to do awesome to Rose & Dagger. Ahdieh’s writing in the first book was already descriptive and luscious, can’t wait to check out how she elevates her craft with this one! Thanks for hyping me up XD!

  4. Will you disown me if I tell you I didn’t enjoy the first book very much? D:
    Anyways, I’m really pleased that this was a hit of a sequel for you. I love it when a sequel is even better than the first one. There’s always that doubt that it won’t live up to the first book or that it will fail miserably. Doesn’t seem to be the case here so YAY! I have to say your description of the romance really makes me want to pick up this sequel but ahh I’m just not a fan of the flowery writing style this author has? Maybe one day, I’ll revisit this series and perhaps I’ll have more love for it then.
    Lovely review, Shannon!

  5. 5 stars?!? That is AWESOME!! I have this one preordered for my Kindle so I will be getting it tomorrow. I have to say though that I was SO WORRIED the sequel would not be as good. Maybe it’s because the sequel to Snow like Ashes was so disappointing? I ship these two people so much. I am beyond excited for this one.

  6. I just finally got around to reading The Wrath and the Dawn last week and I loved it, which you can see in the review I posted today that is linked below! I now totally need this one! So glad to hear that it didn’t suffer from second book syndrome and that it will live up to my hopes! I didn’t read much of your post because I didn’t want any spoilers, but I so need this book!

  7. *Raises hand up high* I adored Wrath & Dawn and I need this like AIR…especially after your glorious review Shannon! I want to swoon in the delicious prose, I want to bask in the awesomeness that is Shazi and I WANT THAT SHIP!!! ♥ Yeah, I’m kicking myself for not pre-ordering this one now but I will treat myself SOON 😀 Fantastic review^^

  8. *raises hand repeatedly like Hermione* Yes, I’ve read TWATD, and like doesn’t do it any justice. I can’t wait to read more Shazi and Khalid, and immerse myself in the amazing world. I WANT MORE KHALID AND SHAZI!

  9. Yessssssss I need to read this one!! I love The Wrath and the Dawn. How cool that there is more of Shazi’s family in this one. I can’t wait to see that. 😀

  10. YEAH! I am so glad to hear this Shannon! Sequels are tricky, so it’s great that this met – and even exceeded – your expectations. 🙂 Thanks for sharing and, as always, fabulous review! ♥

  11. I haven’t read The Wrath and The Dawn but I know I have to. I kind of want to listen to the audio to understand the accents more. But then I might get lost and may need the paperback. This is a problem, you see. Anyways, I’m glad this sequel was great! I mean, a 5 stars for a sequel?! That rarely happens! Great review, Shannon 🙂

  12. OMG OMG OMG. EVERY TIME I SEE TRATD ON THE INTERNET I LITERALLY FLAIL AROUND AND SCREAM MY FEELS AS I EXPERIENCE GOOSEBUMPS. I definitely LOVED The Wrath and the Dawn when I read it a few weeks (months?!) ago, AND I JUST CANNOT WAIT FOR THIS. LESS THAN 24 HOURS AWAY HONESTLY FEELS LIKE A YEAR. GAH. NOW I JUST CAN’T CONTROL MY FANGIRLING NEEDS. I NEED MORE SHAZI. I NEED MORE KHALID. AND ALSO MORE EXPOSURE FOR THE MAGIC CARPET, PLEASE.

    (P.S.: Loved your review, Shannon! xD)

  13. Ugh, you are making me so excited to get my copy of this book. My book is ordered and I am just waiting for it to be delivered. I am fully ready for a reread of the first book and to read this. If it arrives for this weekend I may not leave the house and it will totally be worth it.

  14. I haven’t read book one yet Shannon, but I know Kynn really loved this one too. i didn’t know it was only a duology though, which makes me want to grab book two now as well and read them back to back. I love the sound of the romance, and it sounds so beautifully written as well. You’re right, I need this book in my life. Awesome review, you’ve sold me <3

  15. I HAVE READ THE WRATH AND THE DAWN. But I just don’t feel like reading The Rose and the Dagger right away, you know? Mainly because I don’t have a copy of the book, and that I read the first book wayyyyy after it was released. So I’ll just keep on waiting…SORRY.

    But hey I’m glad it was FANTASTIC 🙂

  16. All of a sudden I’m wondering why I haven’t read TWATD yet. Especially since it’s already sitting on my shelf. Looking on the bright side, at least this way I’ll be able to marathon both books. Go me.

  17. I haven’t read the first book yet. I plan to binge read series if all books would be approved by my trusted bookish friends. I prefer to binge read series when all installments are released. I don’t like cliffhangers and hate when I have to wait for a year for the next book. For example I plan to start The Raven Cycle soon. So glad to hear you loved the second book. Also I haven’t realized until recently that this is duology, for some reason I thought there would be three books.

  18. I’ve read TWATD and I definitely had issues with it as you know, but I have preordered this one and I’m looking forward to it. (can we just say a paperback at $6 is unheard of in Australia – I’m super jealous!). I’m glad the development with Shazi’s family and the relationship is fleshed out a bit more, hopefully it means the insta-love is better. Glad to hear that you enjoyed it Shannon, I’m looking forward to reading my copy!

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