Staff Pick
A retelling of One Thousand and One Nights that blends mystery, fantasy, intrigue, and romance! This timeless tale is updated in a thrilling novel with captivating characters, unique settings, and an electrifying plot! Shahrzad is a clever heroine who uses her wits and charm to stall her execution day by day while she works to unravel the secrets Khalid, the mysterious Caliph, is hiding. This book hits every note just right and leaves you wishing for more! Readers familiar with the One Thousand and One Nights mythos will love this fresh take on the classic tale, while new readers will be able to fall in love with Shahrzad for the first time. Recommended By Carrie L., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
A #1 New York Times Bestseller!
"A riveting Game of Thrones meets Arabian Nights love story." US Weekly
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
"Set against a backdrop of political intrigue and a simmering revolution, this is a carefully constructed narrative of uncertain loyalties, searing romance, and subtle magic in a harsh desert city." Booklist (Starred Review)
Review
"This book is a fairy tale, a mystery, and … promises to become a classic tale of its own." VOYA
Review
"Don’t be surprised if the pages melt away and you find yourself racing through warm, golden sands or drinking spiced wine in cool marble courtyards. This is an intoxicating gem of a story. You will fall in love, just as I did." Marie Lu, New York Times bestselling author of the Legend series and The Young Elites
Review
"Sumptuous detail… satisfyingly steamy scenes, along with some angsty push and pull moments between the two for optimal romantic tension." BCCB
Review
"Lushly imagined and powerfully characterized, it’s a potent page-turner of intrigue and romance." Publishers Weekly
About the Author
Renée Ahdieh is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling The Wrath and the Dawn and The Rose and the Dagger. In her spare time, she likes to dance salsa and collect shoes. She is passionate about all kinds of curry, rescue dogs, and college basketball. The first few years of her life were spent in a high-rise in South Korea; consequently, Renée enjoys having her head in the clouds. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her husband and their tiny overlord of a dog.