These Books Among Us

The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh (420 pages) My Rating 4.5 Stars Date Read: 24 May 2016 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. Bu...

The Moth and the Flame by Renee Ahdieh (37 pages) My Rating: 4.5 Stars Date Read: 17 May 2016 Synopsis: It started as playful, if barbed, banter before rising to a fateful wager with a most notorious rake—the Captain of the Guard, Jalal al-Khoury—who may have finally met his match in a lovely, if haughty, handmaiden, Despina. But she, too, seems to have met her match in the handsome Jalal. What begins as a tempestuous battle of will and wit in short order becomes a passionate affair spurred on by tragedy of the worst kind. My Review: Oh My Goodness!! Despina and Jalal are the actual cutest! I love their relationship. Getting to see the budding feelings between the two was adorable. I also like the insight of the backstory from the first novel as well. Overall, a really fun story to read!

The Mirror and the Maze by Renee Ahdieh (11 pages) My Rating: 4.5 Stars Date Read: 10 May 2016 Synopsis: The city of Rey is burning. With smoke billowing, fires blazing and his people fleeing, Khalid races back to defend his city, and protect his queen. But Khalid is too late to do either. He and his men arrive to find the city in ruins, nothing but a maze of destruction, and Shahrzad is gone. But who could have wrought such devastation? Khalid fears he may already know the answer, the price of choosing love over the people of Rey all too evident. My Review: This was another one of the moments we get to see inside of Khalid's head that I absolutely loved being able to see. If you were a fan of the novels, look into reading the short stories. They will give you a better insight into the characters!

The Crown and the Arrow by Renee Ahdieh My Rating: 4.5  Stars Date Read: 10 May 2016 Synopsis: Seventy-one days and seventy-one nights had come and gone since Khalid began killing his brides. This dawn, Khalid would mark the loss of the seventy-second girl, Shahrzad al-Khayzuran. Khalid didn’t know how many more of these dawns he could take. And there was something about this latest girl that piqued his interest. Not only had she volunteered to marry him, but at their wedding ceremony, she had seemed not the least bit afraid. In fact, what he had seen in her eyes was nothing short of pure hatred. She was about to lose her life. Why wasn’t she afraid? Why did she hate him so? He had never before gone to his wife’s chambers before her death at dawn. Tonight would be different. My Review: I love this series and I have enjoyed reading these little snippets into the characters, specifically Khalid, that we wouldn't have otherwise been able to see!!

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh (404 pages) My Rating: 4.5 Stars Date Read: 6 April 2016 Synopsis: One Life to One Dawn. In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad's dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph's reign of terror once and for all. Night after night, Shahrzad beguiles Khalid, weaving stories that enchant, ensuring her survival, though she knows each dawn could be her last. But something she never expected begins to happen: Khalid is nothing like what she'd imagined him to be. This monster is a boy with a tormented heart. Incredibly, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love. How is this pos...