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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
Once upon a time, in kingdom who far away, a king was betrayed by his queen. He resolves to throw away love altogether. Instead, he would take a wife every month, and kill her the morning after her wedding night, unless one woman volunteers to marry him of her own free will and surrenders her life. To the Kingdom's surprise, Shahrazad steps in to risk her life. On the night of their wedding, she begins a story that not only prolongs her life, but might be a key to saving the king.
I've read this story when I was back in high school, and I remember liking it. Now, 7 years later, and the book still hooked me through. The story itself is simply told, and Dokey captures this setting of a far away kingdom. I love the light romance between Shahrazad and the king. The small stories that are told are nice as well. But what I loved most is Dokey's lyrical writing style. It captures that ethereal land and the characters in it. It's a magical read.
I've read this story when I was back in high school, and I remember liking it. Now, 7 years later, and the book still hooked me through. The story itself is simply told, and Dokey captures this setting of a far away kingdom. I love the light romance between Shahrazad and the king. The small stories that are told are nice as well. But what I loved most is Dokey's lyrical writing style. It captures that ethereal land and the characters in it. It's a magical read.
The book is a cute story if you like forever the stories of princes and such. I enjoyed it.
The only word that comes to mind is "captivating". I felt like the author wrote it really well and almost used parable/bible like language in it. She speaks periodically to the reader which keeps you engaged throughout the whole book. I enjoyed it.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
fast-paced
This was a good read - easy read with good morals and lessons. My daughters loved it also.
A Little boring. I've not heard this fairy tale or story before so I suppose it is lost on me the 'retelling' of it but still I didn't enjoy this very much sadly.
This book was just okay. I had recently read The 1,001 Arabian Nights, and I've read other retellings, of varying degrees of intrigue. This was somewhere in the middle. It was certainly brief, and was a little inconsistent in terms of pacing, but the story mostly made it from point A to point B.
My main gripe with this book was the language-the voice was wildly inconsistent and absolutely drove me crazy with bizarre turns of phrase. I certainly won't be reading this book again, but as "fairytale" retellings go, this one was passable and I don't regret reading it.
I recommend to fans of "fairytale" retellings that are looking for a light read. This is a light, younger-targeted read, but still diverting enough.
My main gripe with this book was the language-the voice was wildly inconsistent and absolutely drove me crazy with bizarre turns of phrase. I certainly won't be reading this book again, but as "fairytale" retellings go, this one was passable and I don't regret reading it.
I recommend to fans of "fairytale" retellings that are looking for a light read. This is a light, younger-targeted read, but still diverting enough.
I liked this retelling, and I know younger high school and elementary school me would have loved it like she loved the rest of the fairytale retellings in this series.
The writing is lyrical and like a fairytale; it gives you enough mystery to leave you wanting to find out what happens next. That being said, I definitely felt my age when reading this. There is an excess of metaphors and some miscommunication between the main couple (and thickheadedness on account of the king) that made me huff, but considering this is a short book, a fairytale and meant for a younger audience I'll let it slide.
The main issue that I have is that Shahrazad and Shahrayar are names that are so similar to each other that I got the two of them mixed up often enough that I had to take a closer look when I was reading to avoid confusion. That's just a me problem, though. These two did have good banter between them, and I did appreciate that.
I know this is ridiculous to point it out because it is literally what gets the story going after a slow start but the curse that Shahrayar's first wife puts on him made me chuckle. She curses him to never know peace until he finds "a woman whose heart you can see truly and therefore know it - one who can do the same with yours - you will find no peace by day or night."
Girl, come on. Why give him a way out of suffering if you wanted to kill him that badly.
I think that might be my age showing.
It was a nice quick read, and I liked the healthy sibling relationships that were portrayed in this story: the sisterly bond between Shahrazad and Dinarzad, and the brotherly bond between Shahrayar and Shazaman. I liked how they actually cared for each other, when one could argue they had reasons not to. They overcame obstacles together by working side by side and helping each other out instead of tearing each other down or getting caught up in petty jealousies and insecurities.
The writing is lyrical and like a fairytale; it gives you enough mystery to leave you wanting to find out what happens next. That being said, I definitely felt my age when reading this. There is an excess of metaphors and some miscommunication between the main couple (and thickheadedness on account of the king) that made me huff, but considering this is a short book, a fairytale and meant for a younger audience I'll let it slide.
The main issue that I have is that Shahrazad and Shahrayar are names that are so similar to each other that I got the two of them mixed up often enough that I had to take a closer look when I was reading to avoid confusion. That's just a me problem, though. These two did have good banter between them, and I did appreciate that.
I know this is ridiculous to point it out because it is literally what gets the story going after a slow start but the curse that Shahrayar's first wife puts on him made me chuckle. She curses him to never know peace until he finds "a woman whose heart you can see truly and therefore know it - one who can do the same with yours - you will find no peace by day or night."
Girl, come on. Why give him a way out of suffering if you wanted to kill him that badly.
I think that might be my age showing.
It was a nice quick read, and I liked the healthy sibling relationships that were portrayed in this story: the sisterly bond between Shahrazad and Dinarzad, and the brotherly bond between Shahrayar and Shazaman. I liked how they actually cared for each other, when one could argue they had reasons not to. They overcame obstacles together by working side by side and helping each other out instead of tearing each other down or getting caught up in petty jealousies and insecurities.
Spoiler
(like those asshole brothers of the first queen)
fast-paced
Honestly, this was a nice change of pace compared to what I've been reading lately. It was quick, witty, and kept me intrigued throughout the whole story.
I definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys fairy tales and is in a bit of a reading slump.
I definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys fairy tales and is in a bit of a reading slump.