Every night, Khalid takes a new bride, and every morning, he buries one more. That is, until Shahrzad shocks everyone and volunteers to be next. Determined to be the one that finally ends all the hurt and heartbreak permeating Khorasan (and to get revenge for her dearest and best friend, Shiva), Shahrzad starts telling Khalid a story and buys herself some time. She begins looking for a weakness in the stony façade of the king, gathering intel from everyone she can while not letting on her plans, but what she doesn't plan on is falling in love. Meanwhile, her father is determined to save her by any means necessary, even if it means turning to deeply unstable black magic, and her childhood-friend-turned-first-love Tariq is ready to stage a coup d'etat to break her free. By the end, Shahrzad must decide if her love is more important than her life, her family, and her friends…
When I read the review of this in School Library Journal, I knew I had to read it. We've had endless retellings of classic fairytales like Cinderella and Snow White, so to see an author go with a story and characters not as well known is fantastic (though there's a touch of Beauty and the Beast in there, to be honest). I love Ahdieh's writing style. It's lyrical but spare, with each word perfectly picked to evoke the right emotion. Khalid and Shahrzad's romance grows slowly and steadily, but when it happens, oh boy, does it happen. In some ways it reminded me of Marie Rutkoski's exquisite The Winner's Curse, so fans of that book will probably find plenty to love about this one. Can't wait for part two!
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