The Rose and the Dagger (#2) by Renee Ahdieh
Published by: GP Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers on April 26th, 2016
Genre: YA, Romance, Retellings, Fantasy
Pages: 416
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased

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Synopsis: The darker the sky, the brighter the stars.

In a land on the brink of war, Shahrzad is forced from the arms of her beloved husband, the Caliph of Khorasan. She once thought Khalid a monster—a merciless killer of wives, responsible for immeasurable heartache and pain—but as she unraveled his secrets, she found instead an extraordinary man and a love she could not deny. Still, a curse threatens to keep Shazi and Khalid apart forever.

Now she’s reunited with her family, who have found refuge in the desert, where a deadly force is gathering against Khalid—a force set on destroying his empire and commanded by Shazi’s spurned childhood sweetheart. Trapped between loyalties to those she loves, the only thing Shazi can do is act. Using the burgeoning magic within her as a guide, she strikes out on her own to end both this terrible curse and the brewing war once and for all. But to do it, she must evade enemies of her own to stay alive.

The saga that began with The Wrath and the Dawn takes its final turn as Shahrzad risks everything to find her way back to her one true love again.

Review: I had to get my hands on this one as soon as I finished The Wrath and the Dawn. I needed to know how it all came together. My only qualm was that it felt like this book was rushed and too much happened at once. I totally would have read a longer book if it meant things were taken a little more slowly.

The Characters – The romance isn’t the forefront of this one, however, it is still there and it is still amazing. Tariq has never been on my good list. I never saw him with Shazi in the first place. He seemed like he only wanted her when she was with someone else. He was just a big ‘ol ass in this one. Irsa was kind of meh for me. She didn’t really add much to the story. Shazi’s father also got on my nerves with all the choices he was making!

The Plot – A lot of action in this one. Still, the magical elements aren’t explained in this one but I’ve grown to be okay with it. The subtleness of it adds a nice touch. Like I said earlier, the last half of the book felt really rushed. Things just sort of happened out of nowhere! I would’ve loved it slowed down. However, it was good nonetheless. Good plot twists in there too!

The Cover – Beautiful! I love the cover design of this duology.

I was a little disappointed as it wasn’t as good as the first one, but what can ya do?

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