Starred Review ALA Booklist (Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2015)

Starred Review A mad king takes a new bride every night, only to kill her at dawn. A resourceful girl volunteers to be his wife and, by spinning part of a tantalizing story each evening, stays alive. It's an old story, but there is nothing tired about this adaption. Here, Shahrzad is rash and headstrong, marrying the caliph, Khalid, with the intent to avenge the death of her best friend, one of his earlier wives. But Khalid may not be the man or monster he appears, and soon the stories Shahrzad tells take a far backseat to the one she is living. Set against a backdrop of political intrigue and a simmering revolution, this is a carefully constructed narrative of uncertain loyalties, searing romance, and subtle magic in a harsh desert city. It's not a completely faultless debut e prose very occasionally turns purple, but that's a minor offense; the characters are redeemingly nuanced and well crafted. Even more impressive, Ahdieh is in complete control of her plot, tightly spooling out threads of the richly layered story just as surely as Shahrzad herself. The result is that the reader can't help but be absorbed by the time the crescendoing conclusion come d in true Arabian Nights fashion, it's a cliff-hanger. Like the caliph, we will just have to wait for the rest.

School Library Journal Starred Review (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Gr 9 Up-A reimagined tale based on One Thousand and One Nights and The Arabian Nights . In this version, the brave Shahrzad volunteers to marry the Caliph of Khorasan after her best friend is chosen as one of his virgin brides and is summarily murdered the next morning. She uses her storytelling skills, along with well-placed cliff-hangers, to keep herself alive while trying to discover a way to exact revenge on the Caliph. However, the longer she stays in the palace, the more she realizes there's more going on than just a murderous prince. While her feelings for the Caliph grow and change, the first love she left behind is busy plotting to overthrow the entire palace. When the various plotlines come together in a final conflict, the story is brought to a satisfying, if unexpected, ending. A quick moving plot and sassy, believable dialogue make this a compelling and enjoyable mystery, with just the right amount of romance and magic. The main characters are well drawn and surprisingly likable, while secondary characters also develop in endearing ways. The rich, Middle Eastern cultural context adds to the author's adept worldbuilding. Intimacy is dealt with in a straightforward way, without graphic details, and a subtle message of strength is portrayed through the brave independence of the protagonist. VERDICT This well-written mystery will be a surefire hit with teens. Sunnie Lovelace, Wallingford Public Library, CT

Voice of Youth Advocates

Shahrzad volunteers to be the caliph's bride, even though for months he has killed a bride a dayand even though her best friend was one of those brides. She goes to the palace scared and full of hatred for the monster who murdered her friend. While she tells a tale that spares her life for one night, the bulk of this novel is Shahrzad's own story of finding and falling in love with the man behind the monster.This is more than a love story, however. Shahrzad's father turns to black magic to save her, her first love storms the palace, and her best friend's father masterminds a revolution. Within the castle, Shahrzad puzzles over the decidedly unromantic secret behind the caliph's sad eyes. This book is a fairy tale, a mystery, and a welcome expansion providing a contrasting reason for the setup of the original One Thousand and One Nights. It promises to become a classic tale of its own and should attract readers of a wide range of genres, both young adult and adult. The story does not come to a conclusion, as Shahrzad is in the wind, the caliph's city is burning, and the revolution has a treasure chest of gold. Hopefully, Ahdieh has the rest of Shahrzad's story mapped out and will not keep readers waiting long for the next chapter of this story.Beth Karpas.