The Rose & the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The much anticipated sequel to The Wrath and the Dawn, which I could not wait to read after having raced through the first book. Sadly, I was disappointed with the entire story.
The strength and reserve we saw in the protagonist in the first installment turned into plain emo behaviour, isolation from people trying to help her and a sense of inflated self-worth. Her counterpart and love interest came across as a mere shell of his former self and not with respect and within the context of the story, but because of a lack commitment to the character.
With regards to the plot it felt like the real objective was kept from the reader in order to create anticipation and mystery. It was forced and added a sense of annoyance instead of the magic the author was able to create in the first installment.
The writing lacked the passion the reader fell in love with the first time around. It made me very sleepy and I lost my interest in the story.
Overall, I am being generous with a three-star rating because of the loveliness of the first installment. Popular opinion will probably speak against me, but if asked if I would recommend this book, I can only shrug my shoulders.
