Okay. 
 It is official. 
 My heart belongs to Khalid Ibn al-Rashid. 
 swoons 
 The Wrath and the Dawn is one of my all time favourite books for so many reasons, and all the things that I absolutely adored about TWATD hold true in The Rose & the Dagger. 
 The luscious writing, the suggestion of feelings and reactions rather than spoon feeding it to readers, the shining gems of characters and the magic that has everyone in their clutches. The strength of love. 
 This sequel did not disappoint at all. In fact, there seemed to be more of everything. 
 I loved the expansion on magic that appeared here, without overpowering the story line but rather enriching it. 
 "Give me a meaningful love or a beautiful death!" 
 The characters.. We get to see even more of Khalid and Shahrzad, which I will gush about later. 
 Irsa really added to the story, she is such a sweet girl and it was enlightening to see how it was growing up with Shazi. 
 I couldn't help but flinch whenever Jahander's parts came up, no one wants to understand the madman. I can't imagine how he must have broken Sharhzad's heart. 
 Even Tariq managed to earn my affection, and he definitely seemed redeemable in this one! 
 Ahdieh made me feel so many emotions for this book, half of them begrudgingly for characters I tried not to care for. 
 "These were not the words of a madman. For the first time, Tariq saw what Shahrzad saw when she looked at Khalid Ibn al-Rashid. He saw a boy. Who loved a girl. More than anything in the world. And he hated him all the more for it." 
 There was a lot of progression in this book, the plot moved forward. The curse was better understood, threats became war and the falling in love became an unconquerable love that refused to yield. 
 Khalid.. 
 The force of his love was beautiful to see, the strength he still had despite the injustices life had forced upon him.. But my favourite thing about this fictional character that has wormed his way into my heart, is the way he 
 sees 
 things. 
 "When did you mean them?" 
 "I mean them now. Isn't that what matters?" 
 A muscle worked in Khalid's jaw. "Now is easy. It's easy to say what you want in a passing moment. That's why a harem waits outside your door and the mother of your child won't have you." He strode back to the palace. 
 "Then what is the right answer, sayyidi? What should I have said?" Jalal called out in exasperation. 
 "Always." 
 "Always?" 
 "And don't speak to me of this again until it is!" 
 "I've missed the silence of you listening to me." Shahrzad attempted a weak smile. "No one listens to me as you do." His expression turned quizzical. "You don't wait to speak," she clarified. "You truly listen." 
 "Only to you," Khalid replied gently." 
 Shazi is the same fierce girl with an indomitable will that I love almost as fiercely as Khalid. I can't imagining anyone not adoring her. 
 "Destiny was for fools. Sharzad would not wait for her life to happen. She would make it happen." 
 You deserve someone at her side who will feel you without needing to see you. 
 Evocative prose that left me sighing in reader's euphoria. 
 Two unforgettable, admirable characters who share a love stronger than the odds. 
 I think their love story is my favourite. 
 "In that moment of perfect balance, she understood. This peace? These worries silenced without effort? It was because they were two parts of a whole. He did not belong to her. And she did not belong to him. It was never about belonging to someone. It was about belonging together." 
 "When I was in the desert, I woke each day and carried on with my life, but it wasn't living; it was merely existing. I want to live. You are where I live." 
 "The moment I saw him running toward you that morning, I knew you were going to save him, just as he saved you." 
 "In the end, there is only time for love."