Shahrzad is a teen-aged girl who volunteers to marry the
murderer of her best friend- the Caliph of Khorasan. Whenever the young Caliph
marries, his wife is found dead by dawn the next day. Shahrzad's best friend
was such a victim, and after her death, Shahrzad swears revenge. She leaves
behind her father, sister, love, and friends to pursue her task. She manages to
get through each night by telling stories that are able to captivate her
husband. While at the palace, Shahrzad looks for any opportunity to kill the
Caliph, while constantly observing him from afar. Meanwhile, those she had left
behind try to cope with her absence.
I enjoyed reading this book a lot and was unable to put it
down. The author includes so many details and descriptions to every character
and place in the book that I was able to imagine everything in my head as if
they were my own memories. The author was able to create an amazing story that
I recommended to my friends, telling them it was like a television drama, only
written down on paper. However, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone
younger than the teen level because of a few scenes. Another characteristic of
this book that I enjoyed very much is that it is like a unique retelling of The
Arabian Nights and included several details from individual stories.
Reviewed by anonymous, Grade 10
Glendale Central Library
