#joonam

When I saw this book had been acclaimed by my favourite author, Marie Lu of the Legend series, I instantly knew I had to read it. And when I saw that it was based off of 1001 Arabian nights and the mysterious and powerful Shahrazad’s story, I was even more intrigued. 

Renee Ahdieh’s story writing is so captivating and beautiful - each description and scene setting was a treat for the imagination and had me hooked from the get go. Coming from an South Asian background, I appreciated the authenticity of a mogul/ Indian empire-feel of the era depicted, from the lavish salwar kameez dress of the characters, as well as terms of endearment like sayyidi and joonam that were scattered throughout. The small touches of magical elements and the brilliant characters of the story meant that nothing was over or under done, and I must say story tellers like Ahdieh are rare. Think The Forbidden Wish meets Rebel of the Sands, and there you have a truly epic, and wonderful read that takes you on a slow burning, lyrical literary adventure, not unlike some of my favourite Bollywood tragic love stories. 

Shahrzad Al Khayzuran is out to seek revenge for the execution of her best friend Shiva, a former wife of Khalid Ibn Al Rashid, the 18 year old Caliph of Khorosan. The Caliph is known for being ruthless, heartless, and cruel - a monster. But the thing he is most known for is the fact that every day, he takes a different wife and every following dawn he kills her with a silk cord about her throat. Shazi doesn’t care why the king does this, she only cares about righting what has been wronged, and ensuring that this fate doesn’t come to another girl. She decides to volunteer to be this next wife, and is determined to stay alive. But things are not so simple, and we learn along with Shahrzad that there is a devastating and deeper reason behind the deaths of the Caliphs’s wives. 

“You said you understood; your life is forfeit. That was clear from the very beginning.” Shahrzad rose to her full height. She pulled back her shoulders and lifted her elfin chin. When she spoke, she matched the biting softness in his tone. “All our lives are forfeit, sayyidi. It is just a question of when. And I would like one more day.”

Despite Shahrzad’s intentions of revenge, both her and Khalid’s hearts win out, and they develop a love for each other that is bound to be doomed. 

“How can I desire him? After he killed Shiva? After he killed so many young girls, without explanation? What’s wrong with me?”

Both Shazi and Khalid are complex and well built characters. The fact that we are given so much back story and tells from their childhoods also gave these characters something that a lot of other books miss. Shazi is the heroine of the story, and the character I connected most with. Having to see her struggle with her heart and mind to figure out the right thing to do, had me struggling along with her. She is a fierce and witty take-no-bs badass girl, and her silver tongued attitude is a force to be reckoned with. Khalid is the male protagonist, and I can’t express enough how much I loved his character. With his smouldering, amber, tiger-like eyes, he isn’t a man of many words and the ones he uses he chooses wisely, which time and time again had me swooning. He has a scarred and horrible past, that have shaped him into the bitter young man he is now with secrets that haunt him.

“It’s a fitting punishment for a monster. To want something so much—to hold it in your arms—and know beyond a doubt you will never deserve it.”

The predicament they are in, where each is falling for the other, isn’t helped by the situation where each must decide if their love is worth the sacrifice that they must make. Besides the two main characters, we have Tariq - another steely eyed man and Shazi’s childhood love. He decides to set out and rescue Shazi from the clutches of the boy-king (Khalid), unbeknownst to the fact that there is a lot more to understand behind the recent tragedies, and a LOT more going on between Shazi and Khalid, which he soon learns ultimately breaking his heart yet not his loyalty to Shazi. The unfolding complications between all the personas adds a deepening suspense to the story that has on edge. 

Renee Ahideh manages a steady pace throughout the whole novel, where her writing is so beautiful and gripping. The brilliance behind how Shahrzad survives through the night is what had me hooked right away and every wonderful sentence after captivated ad kept me there. This novel brought a whole new meaning to stories having power, waiting so long to give us the true answer to the riddle, yet giving us little bits and pieces really worked so well for this book. The action scenes in this book are perfectly placed, not the gory bloodshed of An Ember in the Ashes, but just enough to have the right impact. Thrilling, seductive and incredibly enchanting, this book will have you devouring page after page 

🎬 Title: Joonam Story: Inspired by a powerful family memory and years spent away from the homeland her mother left, a young filmmaker embarks on a journey to explore the intricate histories of her mother and grandmother, alongside her own complex Iranian identity. ⭐ Rating: 10 (1 vote) 📅 Release date: December 1, 2023 ⏱️ Runtime: 1 hour, 40 minutes 🎭 Genres: Documentary, Family, Comedy, Drama 🎬…