library binding, 448 pages
Published April 25, 2017 by Turtleback.
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 …
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.
A good story marred by over-wrought writing, although the romance genre is so unfamiliar to me that perhaps the style is standard?
A good story marred by over-wrought writing, although the romance genre is so unfamiliar to me that perhaps the style is standard?
A good story marred by over-wrought writing, although the romance genre is so unfamiliar to me that perhaps the style is standard?
Wow. This was pretty bad, I'm so glad it's finally over. The last 30 or so pages seemed to drag on for several eternities. Ok, yeah, to be fair, it's probably not actually as horrible as to deserve only one star. But by now I'm just so immensely tired of its tedious linguistic mannerisms, its lack of plot or relatable character motivation and its inexplicable narrative decisions. Every potentially interesting decision or character development takes place off screen. A likable side character - and let me tell you, there's certainly no abundance of those - is killed off for no reason whatsoever besides perhaps a little bit of Joss-Whedon-style emotional manipulation. Other side characters, who could have been fleshed out figures with heads of their own, change their minds out of the blue in order to fit the contrived ending, which is reached in spite of no arc of suspense …
Wow. This was pretty bad, I'm so glad it's finally over. The last 30 or so pages seemed to drag on for several eternities. Ok, yeah, to be fair, it's probably not actually as horrible as to deserve only one star. But by now I'm just so immensely tired of its tedious linguistic mannerisms, its lack of plot or relatable character motivation and its inexplicable narrative decisions. Every potentially interesting decision or character development takes place off screen. A likable side character - and let me tell you, there's certainly no abundance of those - is killed off for no reason whatsoever besides perhaps a little bit of Joss-Whedon-style emotional manipulation. Other side characters, who could have been fleshed out figures with heads of their own, change their minds out of the blue in order to fit the contrived ending, which is reached in spite of no arc of suspense whatsoever leading there.
I don't even want to discuss the moral failings of this book anymore, you know. I'm tired. Where book one managed to keep me entertained by rooting itself in a few compelling old tropes, book two has no such redeeming qualities. Imagine your own happy ending after book one, your imagination can only do better than this.
...
Okay, now I feel mean and unfair. It wasn't that bad. I finished it! Which does mean something - if I completely dislike a book I stop reading. I cared about some of the characters, though not anymore by the time I reached the end. I'm sure if I thought about it I'd find more little things I didn't dislike. Perhaps two stars, then. Let's sleep on it.
