Teaser Tuesday: The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm.
To play along just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh.

The Wrath and the Dawn –
G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books
for Young Readers

“Are you a good spy?”
“The best.”
“A good spy would hide her identity.”
“The best spies don’t have to.”
— Chapter 5

“You can’t foresee the future. And there’s nothing you can do about the past.”
“You’re wrong. I can learn from it . . .”
— Chapter 9

Potentially leading question: Have you ever been to an Arabian style palace or its remains? My family took me on a trip to southern Spain when I was younger where we visited the Alhambra palace. I vividly remember that my imagination was running wild in that amazing place and I was thinking how life must have been there. I also remember that I was fascinated by the idea that women were this prized possession that had to be kept away from prying eyes ... and I remember wondering if all those women actually liked being such a possession. All these and many more memories came to mind during this book which is so refreshingly located in a culture so very different from my own but still has this incredible mix of inspiring characters.
There are a few aspects that make this story great but not awesome. I would have liked a little more emotional insight in certain moments instead of a tactful fade to black or character cut. And if the retelling of some of the Arabian Nights myths is such an important part of the story, I wish it would have had more prominence regarding Shahrzad spinning those tales. But apart from that I have to say that I absolutely adored how she slowly but surely dug through the caliph’s defences ... and her own reservations as well.
I also really liked the side characters. I want a Despina and a Jalal ... and possibly a Tariq, but I’m not quite convinced that he isn’t a stubborn and possibly blinded fanatic. I’ll have to see what happens in the continuation of the story ... which won’t be out until next year. Oh cruel world!

Are you going on any summer travels? This might be via books or in person. Share your destinations and teasers in the comments!