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*I'm sorry these images are sub-par compared to my pervious ones. I've been so busy and these pics don't represent how beautiful this book is! also my blog did a thing where the entire format f'ed up, I'm so angry so I have been trying to fix that fml....enjoy this tho!
POC?
WOC?
Hot POC guy?
POC NAMES?
HIT ME THE HELL UP!!!!!!
THIS WAS TREMENDOUS AND SO PROFOUND I AM STILL SHOOK
Sorry I was away for two weeks? I had mock exams. Anyways, lets please take a moment to appreciate this book cover. It. Is. So. Beautiful.
Even though this did give me Winners Curse/Red Queen vibes, it is nothing like those books at all!
This was such a different type of fantasy book I have ever read. I haven't read all that much tbh to be an expert but I have read enough to comment on this. (If you're curious, I have read four of the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas (Heir of Fire and Queen of Shadows both of which have reviews on this blog), Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard, two books in The Winners Curse by Marie Rutkoski, Shadow and Bone and Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo)
This is predominantly a romance fantasy book. I mean I wish the world building was more of a focus interwoven with this beautiful romance but its not.
This is the goodreads synopsis:
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 possible? It's an unforgivable betrayal. Still, Shahrzad has come to understand all is not as it seems in this palace of marble and stone. She resolves to uncover whatever secrets lurk and, despite her love, be ready to take Khalid's life as retribution for the many lives he's stolen. Can their love survive this world of stories and secrets?
I actually don't know what type of area geographically this is based of. Like I know its fantasy and its a made up world - Khoressan. But there are cultural parallels to desi culture, maybe Persia/Arabia/India/Pakistan that is referenced throughout, additionally tales and myths that are also referenced related to the culture. This makes me believe the is some intertextuality in this book, none of which is bad at all! I really loved how diverse and 'not-white- this book was; it was really refreshing for me to read. Especially after reading fantasy books where predominant central characters are pale ghosts.
I honestly wish I loved it more. I wish this became my fav book ever but it was ~alright~. Kinda predictable in my opinion. I mean when you hear the synopsis is about a girl who is almost a 'tribute' to marry a King to only be killed at sunrise is like saying 'yeah ok but this is our main character and obvs she won't be killed, rather she'll live and they'll fall in love because she is sooo special'..... I mean come ON. I saw all of that coming the minute I read the premiss. I don't think I will be reading the next book in this series. I am actually shook that loads of book reviewers I follow avidly, all loved this book (5/5 star love) and I'm just not feeling it when I wished (I so wished) I did. I just wanted more out of it....I really don't know how to feel about this. I didn't expect the main character Sherzhad to be obsequious at all and she isn't but I also wasn't expecting this to be kinda predictable.
Another major thing that irked me was the lack of world building in a powerful fantasy novel. I think just a little backstory or definitive remarks on the world, the magic, the people would have benefited me more. I just wish....there was more. There is probably going to be more in the next book that is already out but I just don't think I have the time and effort to continue because it was just 'okay' nothing that blew me away since I legit predicted the entire book from the start.
(Sorry it's v short, I've been hassling loads of work/revision before my exams and I just wanted to get something up!) HOWEVER, do check out these linked posts below for some actually legit reviews. I will probably come back to this review and edit it more because it is short and meh.
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