Search

Search only in certain items:

A Thousand Nights
A Thousand Nights
E.K. Johnston | 2016 | Children
6
7.2 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Lo – Melkhiin is the king of the desert and has had 300 wives that have lived for no longer than a month – he has a reputation and all girls and women that are at a marriageable age are worried they will be the next one. No one is safe! No one knows what happens to these women and how they see their death it just happens.

The king now roams the villages for a new wife, a nameless young woman beautifies herself so that the king chooses her over her sister and the other women in her village and other towns across the desert.

Our nameless heroine is determined to live for more than a day, with her fearless courage and bravery she tells the king stories of the love she has for her family and the way of life.

First of all the cover for this book is beautiful, with a purple ribbon which is referenced in the story. It is one of the most beautiful books that I own.

So to the actual story itself, I have not read the original version of A thousand and one nights so unfortunately I cannot compare. The book is set in the desert, which you get a feel for but I don’t think it’s described at it’s best. In this book the female protagonist doesn’t have a name, actually pretty much everyone has no name apart from 3 people who included Lo-Melkhiin himself, which is annoying, I like to be able to have a name and then I can imagine what they look like.

The female protagonist is brave, courageous, stong and wise despite her upbringing, her and her sister have this indestructible bond between them, even though they are half sisters they are like twins and do anything for one another without question… its unconditional love.

Unfortunately I didn’t feel any connection with the characters in this book, it could be that they had no names or personalities whatsoever! It lacked in character development.

There wasn’t any romance in this book at all so if you’re not really a fan of lovey dovey this is the book for you. There wasn’t much action apart from the last 20 pages or so, if you’re expecting wars and fighting it’s not going to happen

The names that were used to describe her stepmum so to speak and grandfather was tiresome e.g. my sisters mother and my fathers fathers father got really annoying, I was literally rolling my eyes every time I read it (enough already) It took the enjoyment out of reading it for me, even if it is the way they speak.

I haven’t read a persian story folklore book before, so it was a new experience, the writing is very beautiful and the relationship with the sisters is done well. This was an enjoyable read but could have been done better.

I rated this 3.5 out of 5 stars
  
The Wrath and the Dawn
The Wrath and the Dawn
Renee Ahdieh | 2015 | Young Adult (YA)
10
8.7 (6 Ratings)
Book Rating
Okay, can we start off with this cover? I mean, it is freaking gorgeous!!!

As a rendition of A Thousand and One Nights, this had quite a few references to the original story, namely the stories told within the entirety of the novel. I love the stories and I hope they continue through the rest of the series.

I picked this book up quite a while ago, but I never got around to reading it. I had heard so many great things about it, but I didn't trust the reviews for some strange reason. So there it sat, staring at me from my shelf like I was betraying it or something. So, I picked it up. And I was not disappointed at all.

I loved the simplicity of it all. Not saying this is not a complex story; it most definitely is!! The characters do not feel like they are inflated to something more than human that a lot of stories tend to gravitate toward to today. They were all relatively normal (well at least in the story). Khalid, don't get me started on him. I absolutely adore him. If you have not read the book yet, do it and you'll see what I mean. I won't put anything too specific, except that I love him. Shazi is an amazingly strong woman. Not only is she able to stay feminine while she is kicking ass, she is so freaking sassy!!! I love the quick wit she has in any situation. It is very refreshing to see a woman character like her!

The descriptions of both the characters and the places around them drew me in and made me feel as if I was there, hiding in the shadows, able to smell the roses and lilac. I want Shazi's wardrobe, just saying. It seems so freaking beautiful!

I hope we get more of a backstory in the coming novels. I would love to see Khalid and Shazi as kids more to get a glimpse of why they are the way they are. The airs of mystery are well crafted, but I want some of those shrouds to be taken away so we can see the secrets underneath~~

Overall, I absolutely adored this novel and cannot wait until I get to read the next one!!

The Rose & The Dagger comes out 26 April!