I held off on reading this book because it seemed like one of *those* books - there's all this hype surrounding it, and everybody and their mother loves it, and it is *the* book. I'm stifling an eye roll as I type this, for the sheer reason that I shy away from that kind of book (or movie) because I rarely actually like them.

The exception proves the rule, this is not one of *those* books - of which there are many.

Easily a favorite of 2016, I really fell in love with this book and its setting. The setting and the emotions that you could lift off the page from the poetic descriptions were simply otherworldly. This is one of those transport-you-somewhere-else books. Poof.

This book is heavy with romance. Not insta-love, but actual romance. Not lusty, teen passion. Romance. Enjoyable, honest to goodness romance. But, wait. That's not all. There is a mystery element, betrayal, vengeance, and more. This was such a well-rounded tale, and it's so well-written that I could not wait to read the sequel, [b:The Rose & the Dagger|23308084|The Rose & the Dagger (The Wrath & the Dawn, #2)|Renee Ahdieh|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1443797156s/23308084.jpg|42862750]. So, I suppose, in a way, I'm glad that I delayed reading it because I only had to wait two months before the sequel came out.

The main characters, Shahrzad and Khalid, were so multi-dimensional and fully fleshed out that I could not put the book down. I think you fall in love along with them - with the two of them separate, the two of them together, and the world in which they live.

The one gripe I have with the book is that there is *one* little decision made at the end of the book that I thought felt out of character and made me a touch dissatisfied with the ending, which, in turn, is unsettling for the beginning of the second book. But, we shall see.