Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - The Rose and the Dagger

“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.”

I loved this conclusion; it was both expected and not what I was expecting at the same time.

What I enjoyed:

Irsa. I am starting with her as my new favourite character (Shahrzad is still alright, less decisive this round) as the presence and growth was so important. I’m glad we had her POV added.
Even though Shahrzad and Khalid were apart more in this book, the romance was clear. We get passion, we get action, though it remains that Shazi is not just the damsel in distress while Khalid is not always the knight in shining armour. They get their eventual happy ending.
Renee Ahdieh knows how to write a scene. I swear at times I could feel the fabrics or taste the herbs that were described. It’s world-building at its finest!

Adding this final point. To be clear this is not something I loved, but rather how it was addressed.

TW: Attempted rape. A scene addressed the horrendous acts a side character could have taken were acknowledged in this book. It also further showed the fight Shazi had in her!

What I didn’t enjoy

While the first book focused so much on the curse, it was brushed under the carpet (ha, flying carpet humour) in a brief plot point.
Despina. Not her character and the reveal (I actually liked that since I truly didn’t see it coming) but I felt like her role as a spy was not utilized to its full potential. Also her and Jalal, was hoping for more scenes between them.
The magic system didn’t always make sense to me. Maybe I misunderstood but
Shahrzad’s father has to kill a horse but Shahrzad can just absorb it… like a sponge??

This is one of the first duologies where I’ve given both books the same rating. I don’t think this is a bad things, but further shows how equal in romance, action, heartbreak, tension, humour, and passion they are.

Content Warnings

meghansarmiento97's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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haleyatucker's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

chef’s kiss

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plumpaperbacks's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I finally did it. I finally read this book. It only took me seven years to get to. Not my finest reading moment, but patting myself on the back for it nonetheless.

Where the first book focused on the enemies to lovers romance and the complexities of its characters, this one focused more on world-building, politics and war. The pacing was about the same, the romance still present, but there was something about The Rose and the Dagger that didn’t live up to its predecessor; I just can’t pinpoint it.

Maybe it was that I predicted nearly all of the plot twists, and the ones I didn’t predict were resolved too quickly to have much of an impact. Maybe it was that I found I didn’t care about most of the characters, or the budding romance between two of them. Maybe it was the disproportionate amount of planning vs action, or the abruptness of the ending. Maybe it was all of the above.

The saving grace was the characters I did care about: Shahrzad, Khalid, Despina and Jalal. If I didn’t like them so much, if I wasn’t so thoroughly invested in Shazi and Khalid’s romance, I suspect this review would be very different, my rating lower. But luckily, I have a weak spot for fierce, ambitious girls and the soft, traumatized-and-in-need-of-a-hug boys that adore them. I also have a weak spot for snarky best friends. And it was those weak spots that ensured I did like at least some aspects of this book.

Don’t get me wrong, this wasn’t a bad book. Despite my criticisms of it and my preference for her later work, Ahdieh is undeniably an excellent storyteller. And although this duology isn’t a favorite of mine, it’s still enjoyable, and I’m glad I finally finished it.

(Also, I want to put this here so I don’t forget: I noticed an interesting amount of similarities between this and the Sands of Arawiya duology by Hafsah Faizal. Both feature fierce girl protagonists, traumatized-and-in-need-of-a-hug love interests, and snarky side characters to round out the found family, whose relationships develop in unexpected ways. The protagonists of both books have shyer younger sisters with a knack for medicine that come into their own over the course of the story. Both stories also feature an enemies to lovers ship you can’t help but go down with, and a magical book you probably shouldn’t trust.) (I’m not saying anyone copied anyone else. I quite like both duologies. These are just my own early-hours-of-the-morning musings.)

Representation

full POC cast

Content Warnings

britgirlreading's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

kenziewol's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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