YA Buddy Readers' Corner ♥ discussion

"The much anticipated sequel to the breathtaking The Wrath and the Dawn, lauded by Publishers Weekly as "a potent page-turner of intrigue and romance."

I am surrounded on all sides by a desert. A guest, in a prison of sand and sun. My family is here. And I do not know whom I can trust.

In a land on the brink of war, Shahrzad has been torn from the love of her husband Khalid, the Caliph of Khorasan. She once believed him a monster, but his secrets revealed a man tormented by guilt and a powerful curse—one that might keep them apart forever. Reunited with her family, who have taken refuge with enemies of Khalid, and Tariq, her childhood sweetheart, she should be happy. But Tariq now commands forces set on destroying Khalid's empire. Shahrzad is almost a prisoner caught between loyalties to people she loves. But she refuses to be a pawn and devises a plan.

While her father, Jahandar, continues to play with magical forces he doesn't yet understand, Shahrzad tries to uncover powers that may lie dormant within her. With the help of a tattered old carpet and a tempestuous but sage young man, Shahrzad will attempt to break the curse and reunite with her one true love."

Feel free to join!

I'm in!

Me too :)

Thinking about joining

Who's reading? Anybody got their copy yet? I'm not sure if I should read this first or Raven King.

I got my hands on The Raven King first so I'm reading that one. Starting this soon since I always fly through that series' books.

I've got my copy, and am starting right now!

I ended up buying two... An ebook, to read right away and a hardback that will take a month to get here

Thing is, I live in Brazil, so Amazon Brazil has to import the book from the US

Stories and Secrets (view spoiler)[ I hope they're not apart for too long, otherwise this will get too angsty (hide spoiler)]

An indelible line
(view spoiler)[I have a feeling it's Reza who's going to betray them, I'm not sure if I remember correctly, but at the end of The wrath and the dawn, he makes a deal with Salim. As for Irsa, i have a feeling she's going to be a strong character and her romance with Rahim is cute (hide spoiler)]

Alright, so I finished it. It took me about 3 and a half hours of continuous reading, but I was completely hooked! This was amazing. I'm probably gonna start with the 3 short stories once I'm done with Raven King. It's too bad the one I want to read most (Despina and Jalal's story- they're captivating) is the one that isn't free on kindle. Oh, well.

I'm just going to sort of talk about the chapters that struck me or something like that, so like, I don't know, I wanna know how you guys felt about them.

An arrow to the heart
(view spoiler)[Holy hell, Tariq shot Sharzad!? He intended it for Khalid, yes, but he should have known what she would do. She would have done the same for him, that bastard. (hide spoiler)]

A brother and a home- (view spoiler)[Irsa and Khalid have a promising relationship. I want a nice, big epilogue (I'm not quite happy with what I got, but it was still cute. ) (hide spoiler)]

Bartering, lies and betrayal
(view spoiler)[Oh, thank the gods Despina was on their side. I died when she was revealed as a princess of Parthia. I'd forgotten about the initial chapter. I should have know she'd have such a role. I'd always liked her. (hide spoiler)]

Ending: (view spoiler)[Rahim was one of my favorite characters. Utterly loyal, yet completely unlike Tariq in the ways that matter. He loved Irsa deeply, he made her feel she wasn't quite alone. I feel she'll get over it, even though she'll remember him. She might get together with Tariq, though that might be a little weird (hide spoiler)]

Feyde wrote: "An indelible line
[spoilers removed]"

I'm still a little lost with the characters. But I have to agree with you, (view spoiler)[ her sister will likely play a strong role here. And I'm not happy with her father. If it were up to me, he'd never wake up. (hide spoiler)]

Willing To Learn (around 19%): (view spoiler)[ you gotta be kidding me... Her dad is legit insane. (hide spoiler)]

A Rose Unfurling (around 25%): (view spoiler)[ Okay, enough of the everything falling apart. How was Khalid supposed to know it was Despina that Jalal was talking about? That's what happens when you keep identities secret. (hide spoiler)]

Tati wrote: " A Rose Unfurling (around 25%): [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I know. Jalal was an amazing character and strong presence in The Wrath and The Dawn- I liked him more than Khalid. But here, he's turning up only when Despina comes into play. And really, how the hell was Khalid supposed to know? Love really does make people blind. (hide spoiler)]

Tati wrote: " Willing To Learn (around 19%): [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[He is. I'd never imagined the lengths he's go for magic and power. (hide spoiler)]

Melissa wrote: "I'm so jealous I want to read it and my book hasn't turned up today so looks like I have to wait until Thursday "

That's too bad, but I think it'll be worth the wait:)

Once And For All : (view spoiler)[ that Jandahar really is stupid... I hope Khalid doesn't show him any mercy, to be honest. (hide spoiler)]

Feyde wrote: "I'm just going to sort of talk about the chapters that struck me or something like that, so like, I don't know, I wanna know how you guys felt about them.

An arrow to the heart
[spoilers removed]"

Holy hell indeed! (view spoiler)[ and things were going so well. Too well, come to think of it... (hide spoiler)]

Feyde wrote: "A brother and a home- [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ This had me on the edge of my seat! Khalid, are you crazy? Offering a chance like that?? (hide spoiler)]

I'm finished. And I'm a bit of wreck right now

I get what you mean. This book was perfection.

the first one was a teeny bit better, I thought, but they both got 5 stars from me, which is pretty rare

Ok no, I liked this one better

I finished it this morning
I am really happy that it ended (not that I didn't like it but I am
beyond happy about knowing kind of everything about it).
I am satisfied about it.
Did anyone notice how amazing are the words Renee uses?

Jovielyna wrote: "I finished it this morning
I am really happy that it ended (not that I didn't like it but I am
beyond happy about knowing kind of everything about it).
I am satisfied about it.
Did anyone notice h..."

Uh huh, I love her writing.

An indelible line
(view spoiler)[This chapter reminded me why I love Shazi. (hide spoiler)]

As a Rose Unfurling
(view spoiler)[I have a very strong urge to slap Jalal. (hide spoiler)]

Quirks wrote: "As a Rose Unfurling
[spoilers removed]"

Yes. This book sort of ruined his character for me:(

The Butterfly and the Brute (%22) (view spoiler)[What? Despina wants to marry Vikram, Khalid's bodyguard and move away with him? What about the baby? Jalal is going to be pissed. (hide spoiler)]

Tati wrote: " A Rose Unfurling (around 25%): [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[yep, Jalal's really overreacting. Khalid was right to say it was his responsibility to tell her how he felt (hide spoiler)]

An arrow to the Heart
(view spoiler)[I'm not sure I breathed until the word "shoulder" was mentioned. Stupid Tariq needs to stop.

And Irsa needs to stop with the "monster" thing. It's as if she doesn't believe anything Shazi told. Which leads me to...

What is up with the lack of faith in Shazi? Does she seem like the kind of person to be easily manipulated by a "murdering madman". Give her some credit! (hide spoiler)]

Quirks wrote: "An arrow to the Heart
I'm not sure I breathed until the word "shoulder" was mentioned. Stupid Tariq needs to stop.

And Irsa needs to stop with the "monster" thing. It's as if she doesn't believe a..."

(view spoiler)[Tariq is better after this, thankfully.

The thing is, she truly believed Khalid was a murdering madman she was going to kill in exchange for Shiva's life when she volunteered. So when she comes back wearing his ring and hesitating to side against him, people will wonder. I wouldn't have trusted her at all. (hide spoiler)]

Feyde wrote: "Quirks wrote: "An arrow to the Heart
I'm not sure I breathed until the word "shoulder" was mentioned. Stupid Tariq needs to stop.

And Irsa needs to stop with the "monster" thing. It's as if she do..."

But they (her family and friends) should have at least trusted that she's not stupid. That maybe she had a reason for the change of heart. It offends me how they disregarded her.

(view spoiler)[And yeah, Tariq is better. 70% done and liking him better now. I also like Omar. He's interesting. (hide spoiler)]

Life and Death in the Pages of a Book
(view spoiler)[The curse has been broken! I'm pretty sure. But even if there's a slight chance that it hasn't been, I'm just happy that the book's gone. (hide spoiler)]

Quirks wrote: "An arrow to the Heart
[spoilers removed]"

I agree, that annoyed me a bit with Irsa and everyone..

Once and for All (view spoiler)[her father is really insane (hide spoiler)]

An Arrow to the Heart (view spoiler)[Tariq is so stupid.. He shot Shazi?!! I can't believe him right now.. and why they're fighting and letting poor Shazi bleed.. (hide spoiler)]

Ending (view spoiler)[so much has happened. So sad about Rahim. Tariq got better as a character. Glad Despina returned to Jalal but their chapter was so short .. The Epilogue with Khalid and Shazi with their son was priceless. (hide spoiler)]

Finished! This book was so good!
So, I was thinking about Jalal... (view spoiler)[We all know his reachtion to Despina leaving was stupid (by the way, totally called it on Despina not going dark side) but I was thinking about why he reacted that way.
I think maybe he still felt guitly about sending Shazi away. And by blaming Khalid, it made it easier to deal with the guilt. (hide spoiler)]

Quirks wrote: "Finished! This book was so good!
So, I was thinking about Jalal... We all know his reachtion to Despina leaving was stupid (by the way, totally called it on Despina not going dark side) but I was t..."

(view spoiler)[That makes sense, I'm just glad Khalid didn't tell him she wanted to marry Vikram. Jalal would have completely lost it. I had a feeling Despina was on Shazi's side because in the first book it was clear she'd loved Jalal and here she's saying the baby was Vikram's- so yeah, kind of odd, but I forgot about it until the Rajput took her out. Of course, it wasn't a huge twist or anything (hide spoiler)]

Feyde wrote: "Quirks wrote: "Finished! This book was so good!
So, I was thinking about Jalal... We all know his reachtion to Despina leaving was stupid (by the way, totally called it on Despina not going dark si..."

(view spoiler)[ I wish we'd had a conversation with Jalal and Khalid in the end. Mend bridges and all. (hide spoiler)]

Quirks wrote: "Feyde wrote: "Quirks wrote: "Finished! This book was so good!
So, I was thinking about Jalal... We all know his reachtion to Despina leaving was stupid (by the way, totally called it on Despina not..."

(view spoiler)[I know. I'd always liked their relationship. They both were extremely loyal to each other, even if Jalal was the only one who admitted it out loud. I like to think Shazi and Jalal are the only people Khalid really cares about. (I don't mean he doesn't love the city of Rey, but that's different.) (hide spoiler)]

Maybe we'll get like a short story that takes place after the end, or something. I would love that.

I would totally read it. Have you read Despina and Jalal's short story? I really want to. It's called the Moth and the Flame, I think.

I read like half of it, then I got distracted by a new release. I need to finish it. It was really good.