“New York Times” bestselling author René Ahdieh has written a flock of young adult fictions that have captured many readers such as myself. From “The Beautiful” to “Flame in the Mist,” Ahdieh’s novels guide readers through numerous different worlds with such ease and precision that allows the readers to immerse themselves into the pages without a second thought. Her best one yet? “The Wrath and the Dawn.”

“The Wrath and the Dawn” follows eighteen year old Khalid, the secretive ruler of Khorasan who brings horror to a new family nightly. He takes a new bride, just to have her killed by sunrise. Until Shahrzad, a sixteen year old girl set out for revenge after her cousin was murdered in the king’s twisted routine. What she never expected was to be captivated by the cold king whom she once hated. Many questions remain. Will Shahrzad carry out her plan? What is the king hiding? Why didn’t he stick to his normal routine? In order to find out the answers to these questions, you’ll need to read the book. 

Ahdieh creates a riveting story centered around a love triangle between Shaharad’s first love and the very man that at any moment, can take her life away from her. Yet, with this complex storyline, Ahdieh manages to leave room for secondary characters who hold treacherous schemes of their own. Ahdieh’s ability to perfectly incorporate the secondary characters at the right moments allows readers to look at the multiple stories each character had to tell, regardless of their importance. 

The story is comparable to “The Shadows Between Us” which follows Alessandra, a woman tired of being overlooked with a plan to gain her power. Step one, win the Shadow King over. Step two, marry him. Step three, kill him and take his kingdom. But, what happens when she finds herself wanting to save him rather than kill him? As with “The Wrath and the Dawn,” “The Shadows Between Us” has a similar enemies to lovers plot but, “The Wrath and the Dawn” was the best of the both. Both the setting and characters were developed more thoughtfully . Nonetheless, “The Shadows Between Us” is an amazing book.

I highly recommend this novel for those interested in enemies to lovers as well as fantasy stories. It’s been one of the most detail oriented and fascinating stories I’ve read in a long time. Although, the twists and turns really throw readers in for a loop, so beware of that before deciding to read. If you’re more of an ebook or audiobook type of person, you’re able to get the novel using sites such as, https://www.audible.com, https://www.amazon.com and https://itunes.apple.com. If you’re not interested in those options, you can borrow it from your local library, buy it online at https://www.amazon.com or buy it in person at your local Barnes and Noble. Be sure to check with your local store if it is in stock beforehand.