I rarely read a book that is perfect.
But this one. This one is utter perfection. I have not seen this much beauty in a novel in so, so long. I have not one word of criticism against this masterpiece.
There is nothing I can say. None of the words in my head are enough to say what this book is and the things it demanded I feel. I have never felt so angry, so heartbroken, so ridiculously confused by that ending. I. Am. Broken.
Every single word in this entire book just drove me to the point of madness and insanity, and there is no turning back. Reading this book is like the cure to a disease. It’s like getting into an argument with someone and then picking up this book and you feel the tension in your stomach slowly uncoil. It’s like cold water on a hot summer day like the pouring rain a cup of coffee and a book in your hand. It’s like the Garden of Eden but you don’t get punished for stealing this book from the Tree of Knowledge; you get rewarded. It’s like summer vacation with nothing but an endless TBR list.
This book is joonam. My everything.
I can’t fall in love with a book without first falling for its characters, so yes, I will be screaming about them shortly.
Shahrzad. A blessed beauty to this damned world. Someone so fierce, so brave, so respectable. Someone who can endure. Someone who is impossible not to look up to. A brave warrior. My heart. My moon. She is the only light this world has ever seen and one day they will all know it. Shahrzad is so much and she deserves more than the world offers because she is brave and beautiful and unafraid. And I think that’s what makes her so strong; in that her soul doesn't know how to to give up. She will keep going even after the sky has fallen and honestly this is all I need from my protagonists, and Ms. Reneé just did this thing perfectly.
(I love you Tariq but you need to move on. You are so last season. Good night.)
(Jalal and Despina. I literally gave birth to them. MY BABIES)
(I love you too, Rahjput. Rest.)
Now let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Khalid. I was so prepared to change him to my number one book crush but that ending really struck a chord in my heart because I know he’s going to kill Shahrzad now and no one, no one messes with my queen. I don’t care if he loves her still. He will burn. I will burn him if he tries to kill Shahrzad.