Never Too Old For Y.A. & N.A. Books discussion

Okay members by Renee Ahdieh is the book you voted for the most for September's Book of the Month. If you haven't read it yet, grab a copy. And even if you have, come on over and discuss the book with us.

Just about to start it !!

3.75 stars
I really enjoyed this retelling of A Thousand and One Nights. The twist was interesting, the writing was excellent, and I loved the setting in the Middle East and how atmospheric it was. It took me a little while to get into the story, but once I did, I found it very engaging and got quite invested in the romance. There was some great drama going on that didn't seem too forced. And there was a great build-up to an explosive climax! I loved the passion and emotional clashes between Shahrzad and Khalid as they each tried to get what they wanted and struggled with their issues. There were decently developed and likable secondary characters. I will be eagerly awaiting the sequel.
However, it wasn't a perfect book. I felt like there wasn't enough world-building or explanations for the magic that is used. Who can do magic? How? What kind? We have very little idea. I'd also like to know more about the kingdom in general. What was Shahrzad's life like before the start of the book?
The plotting of the mystery surrounding why Khalid had killed his wives wasn't the best, IMO. I wish less had been given away right off the bat in the prologue, instead allowing small bits of information and clues to be given more slowly, while removing some of details and scenes I found extraneous.
I also felt like there was hardly any focus on the common people. The characters, including Khalid (the Caliph) and Shahrzad (the new queen), seem much more concerned with their own problems than with effectively ruling their country.
I wish there had been slightly less about the physical skills and beauty of the characters and more about their personalities and brains. But I think that's something largely peculiar to me.
Lastly, I didn't find the ending particularly well done. It seemed rather rushed. Plus, (view spoiler)[the males- Tariq, Rahim, and Jalal- all act like Shahrzad should just do what they say and like she shouldn't have a choice in the matter of whether she leaves or not. And it's not explained very well why Shazi actually decides to leave with Tariq and Rahim. It sounds like it's to go figure out what's going on with her father, but I wish the author had let us in on her thoughts at that moment. (hide spoiler)]

Plan on reading this one soon :) been looking forward to it for a while now so I'm excited that it's one of our BOTM.

Just finished this awesome and captivating read. I also had a little trouble getting into it at first. I think most of my problem was the fact that the story just kind of started. There wasn't too much background to start with unless you read the blurb first. So of course, I had trouble understanding what was going on for quite a few chapters. With that being said, once you started to get a good feel for the book and understood what was happening, it turned out to be one of the better reads I have read in a while. I thought the romance was written to an art where I had no trouble feeling it myself. I have to admit, I read this book in one sitting so maybe that's why I got emotionally involved in it. Either way, I'm very happy to have been given the opportunity to read this book. It's not something I would have picked out by myself. Definitely buying the sequel though. Would love to hear others thoughts.

One of my absolute favorites! Anyone who loves it too.... we should be friends :)

This was a great read. Not my favorite, but worth the read. The author did a great job crafting the universe. With all of the descriptions it was as if you could feel the pillows Shazi had in her room.

This one looks really good. Maybe it will get me back in the swing of things. I will see if I can find it.

Finally! I'll be starting this one today :) I hope I end up liking it.

I finished this one last night and it was pretty good. 3.5 stars for me. Found myself bored with the story on and off. The pace was rather slow throughout but overall a good story.

I read this last month and I agree that it was very slow pacing. I guess I didn't understand why Shazi fell for him so quickly when he wasn't even giving her a reason to, so the book was a dud for me.