somewhat anti-climatic
3 stars

for a mature audience ( )

The last 130ish pages of this book were insane. I was feeling really anxious while reading this but it was incredible. ( )

The second book of the duology, The Rose and the Dagger, has Shahrzad able to be where she needs to be to help Khalid win against those set to destroy him.

The novel begins with Shahrzad "safe" with Tahriq, as he "rescues" her from her monster of a husband. He saw the love between them, but he can't make his heart believe it. It's only when Shazi plainly tells him, that he accepts her love for Khalid. Despite this acceptance, Tariq makes really bad decisions. Unlike Khalid, Tariq lets his emotions control him. Khalid knows that people are manipulating him--or trying to. Tariq, on the other hand, allows people to control him by messing with his emotions. In fact, most of the plot happens because of two things. One is Tariq's temper. His temper makes him take bad actions that create serious problems. Be prepared for some heartbreak, that I think can be blamed on Tariq and his inability to stay his emotions. The second is that Shahrzad is able to sneak about.

Shahrzad remembers a gift from book one: a ragged carpet. Upon experimenting with it, she discovers that she can ride this magical carpet. With this carpet, Shazi can visit Khalid and tell him what's going on in Tariq's camp--where an army is forming to overthrow the monstrous king. She can also visit the man who gave her the carpet. He can then help her find a way to break the curse that is upon Khalid. Kidnapped again, Shazi once again will have to find a way out in order to help Khalid know what's going on and win the battle against his uncle.

Spoilers. Be aware.

I very much enjoyed the book. I do feel there are strings left hanging. I find the lady who tells Khalid and Shazi how to break the curse as unbelieveable. Why would she help? I was surprised her suggestion worked. The boy (her nephew) shows up to help in the end. Why? What is the story with him and his aunt? Shazi's dad was also too much--his purpose was to create the problem and then make amends at the end, which put everything where it would have been had he just been a person who asks how his daughter is doing. Also, where is Radjat? What's his deal with Shazi's maid? Many characters really just lacked depth--they were convenient for the plot. I did enjoy the books very much, but I wished for better developed characters who were fully flushed out. ( )

( )

This actually wrapped up nicely but I was so disappointed I didn't get to learn more about Artan & his family ( )