The Rose & the Dagger

By: Renée Ahdieh

Narrated by: Ariana Delawari

Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's Summary

Instant New York Times best seller

The much anticipated sequel to the breathtaking The Wrath and the Dawn, lauded by Publishers Weekly as "a potent page-turner of intrigue and romance."  

I am surrounded on all sides by a desert. A guest in a prison of sand and sun. My family is here. And I do not know whom I can trust. 

In a land on the brink of war, Shahrzad has been torn from the love of her husband, Khalid, the caliph of Khorasan. She once believed him a monster, but his secrets revealed a man tormented by guilt and a powerful curse - one that might keep them apart forever. Reunited with her family, who have taken refuge with enemies of Khalid, and Tariq, her childhood sweetheart, she should be happy. But Tariq now commands forces set on destroying Khalid's empire. Shahrzad is almost a prisoner caught between loyalties to people she loves. But she refuses to be a pawn and devises a plan. 

While her father, Jahandar, continues to play with magical forces he doesn't yet understand, Shahrzad tries to uncover powers that may lie dormant within her. With the help of a tattered old carpet and a tempestuous but sage young man, Shahrzad will attempt to break the curse and reunite with her one true love. 

©2016 Renée Ahdieh (P)2016 Listening Library

Critic Reviews

"A satisfying fast-paced conclusion, Ahdieh explores the difficulty of family, lasting loyalty, and love giving you a tale you won't soon forget." (InStyle)

"Whimsical, fantasy enthusiasts are sure to adore this sequel." (Buzzfeed)

“Beautiful, lyrical writing combines with a cohesive plot, richly drawn backdrop, and just the right mix of action and romance to create an undeniable new classic.” (School Library Journal, starred review)

Good story - bad narration

It was overall a good story with a solid plot which helped me get through listening to the entire two books. Honestly, the narration almost turned me off of wanting to finish it. The narrator actually made the story boring. There was little difference in any of the voices, if at all, and she spoke in the same monotone throughout the entire story. I think with the right narrator, the book could really come to life and make it a completely different experience.

I wish I had read this book instead of listened

Would you consider the audio edition of The Rose and the Dagger to be better than the print version?

No.

I had just finished listening to The Raven King and that narrator was so talented at telling the story. Considering that these books are based on the retelling of stories you would think the narrator would be just as strong.

It was like going to a Jr High school play where the kids just learned their lines the week before. I was more forgiving while listening to the first book thinking she just had to find her feet but by the end I didn't even want to keep listening

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The story and character development was well done, the story is what kept me listening!

So disappointed

This narrator, oh man. She sounds like she's reading out loud in English class. I remember not liking her with the first book, but the first book was so engaging that I could ignore the bad performance.

I was so excited for this book. But in my opinion, it didn't live up to the first one. The last half was better for sure, but by that point, I was so bored and sick of the narrator, that I just wanted the book to be over.

If you loved the first book like I did, get the print version of this one. I almost switched to Kindle, but I'm blind, and the robot voice would have butchered so many names.

Get this if you want the conclusion to the series

Personally, I enjoyed the first book better. Because I love the palace and the focus on Khalid and Sharzad's chemistry. This is not to say that we don't get the chemistry on Book 2. We do. But not as much as Book 1 in my opinion.

On the other hand, if you loved Book 1, I think it would be a shame not to get The Rose and the Dagger. The author made me care for those two lovebirds in Book 1. And it was a joy to see how their story concluded in Book 2.

Just be warned that you might be bored with the first half of this book as it was basically a build up of the second half. On the other hand, the second half (I feel) is so worth it

story great, narrator not so much.

narrator was so not good it took away from the awesomen story. but worth the read.

Loved it

A lot of people complain about the reader, but I thought she did fine. I enjoyed it. it's a wonderful story and I appreciate being able to listen to it.

Well done conclusion!

This was a great conclusion to the original story line. the narrator NAILED IT!! I wholeheartedly enjoyed this from beginning to end.

Started Out Strong But Ended Rushed

All in all a pleasurable read, but I didn't think it quite lived up to the build up of the last book.
Edit: Upon rereading this book, I've decided to bump it up to a 3 star rating. I'm not sure why I was so hard on it. I vividly remember reading it twice in a row to try to give it another chance, but never being able to focus on it, finding it to be incredibly slow moving and boring.
Maybe I'm just in a better headspace because I must have tuned out and skimmed most of this book. It was like reading it for the first time during this reread, and I liked it so much better this time around. I still don't think it's the perfect sequel to live up to the first book, which I still really like, but there is a lot here to enjoy that I didn't see the first time I read it.

Narrator not good

the audiobook narrator was absolutely horrendous. Sounds like their English teacher told them to enunciate more and they decided they’d over-enunciate every single word they’d say for the rest of their life. Their acting for side characters/children was absolutely cartoonish and odd.

I feel they’d do well in non-fiction. Not for this story when they could barely differentiate their voice for male and female characters.

Sequel was lackluster too. Could’ve added the breaking of the crust to the first book and it would’ve been a better standalone.

Disappointing

I loved the first book, but I read the physical copy. I'm not sure if switching to the audio version for the second book is why I didn't like it, but I listened to the sample first, which was fine. The narrator has a pleasant voice.

However, there is so much whispering at important moments. Instead of just getting a little softer and saying they whispered, she literally whispers then immediately goes back to being loud. Throughout the book, I felt like I was either missing information or blasting my ears as I adjusted the volume back and forth. I often felt confused about what was going on in the story.

When reading the first book myself, I also read some of the dialog as more playful or sarcastic, whereas it was all serious or dramatic in the narrators voice, which really changed the tone of the book for me and wasn't as fun or similar to real life.

kinda predictable and the ending was v. rushed.

eh definitely a ya book with several characters that needed more development. not unenjoyable but not necessarily satisfying.