The Rose and the Dagger

March 15, 2016
Passion and betrayal; swordfights, spells, and sacrifice; and (of course) a flying carpet--all spill over in this culmination of the lush reimagining of The Arabian Nights that began with The Wrath and the Dawn (2015). Amid a devastating magical storm, Shahrzad is torn from her beloved Khalid, the cursed caliph of Khorasan. Held captive by her first love and the alliance massing against the reputed "bloodthirsty monster" Khalid, Shahrzad will need all her wits, courage, and stubbornness to break the curse, stop the war, and master her own awakening powers. Ahdieh plunges readers immediately into a complex tangle of political intrigue, dark magic, and twisted relationships with little explanation; various subplots are dropped along the way and other events never clearly explained. But the crowded, scattershot narrative is more than sustained by the heady prose, mixing poetic allusion and trenchant earthiness, redolent of exotic scents and sights and textures. The fairy-tale plotting is grounded in pure, raw emotion: Khalid's tortured nobility and leashed self-loathing, Shahrzad's brazen ingenuity and fiery devotion, and every other character's overflowing shame, rage, compassion, pain, loyalty, frustration, desire, loneliness, guilt, grief, and oily ambition. Above all there is the shattering, triumphant catharsis of love--between man and woman, parent and child, teacher and student, sisters and cousins, friends old and new. In a story about stories, love is "the power to speak without words." Thrillingly full of feeling. (Fantasy. 14 & up)

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Starred review from May 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-This sequel picks up right where The Wrath and the Dawn left off. Shahrzad is enduring a self-inflicted banishment to the desert since her father's attempt at magic left the city of Rey in ruins. Intent on discovering a way to end Khalid's terrible curse, she and her sister care for their ailing father while negotiating the dangerous political tensions in their camp. Shahrzad must learn whom she can trust while seeking the most potent, and therefore volatile, magic in the world. Meanwhile, Khalid is still in Rey, secretly helping to rebuild the city while suffering from the painful consequences of resisting the mandate of his curse. Fans of the previous volume will not be disappointed with the second installment of this epic retelling of One Thousand and One Nights. This entry succeeds in every way. Beautiful, lyrical writing combines with a cohesive plot, richly drawn backdrop, and just the right mix of action and romance to create an undeniable new classic. The author does not summarize the events of the first book, so some readers will be confused until they remember the secondary characters and their significance. However, the fascinating protagonists, nonstop action, and compelling dialogue will suck them back in and hold them there right up until the thrilling conclusion.

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2016
Grades 9-12 The romantic adventure begun in The Wrath and the Dawn (2015) comes to a thundering conclusion. Where the first book focused primarily on political intrigue and Shahrzad's growing feelings for the not-so-murderous Khalid, this sequel brings the more fantastical aspects of this world into the foreground. Though she now knows the truth about Khalid's curse, Shahrzad is separated from her beloved and back with her family and a group of rebels clamoring for Khalid's death. Determined to help set things right, Shahrzad attempts to tap into her latent magic and defeat both the curse and the broiling unrest in her citybut victory won't be easily won. While this plot isn't quite as tightly controlled as its predecessor, the things that made readers turn out for book onefiery romance, a spirited heroine, shifting loyaltiesare all very much in play here, and the development of Shahrzad's relationship with her sister adds an extra element. With more than a few heartrending twists and turns, this is a worthy finale. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Ahdieh's debut was a smash hit, and this sequel-conclusion will be an even greater draw.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)