I forgot how much I love tales being told within a main story. Ahmed wields Shaherazade's intelligence, naivete, love, fear, and desires alongside the stories she tells to become the shield against the killings of a betrayed and heartsick ruler.

Through these stories and as Shaherazade and her Malik journey to join a crusade against the invading Franks, we learn of the guilt and grief both carry.

I loved the fantastical stories that wend their way through this historical novel, enjoying the characters that graced the pages. Ahmed shares how women were seen in that time period, how some spoke up and others remained silent.

It is clear that Shaherazade was not wholly prepared for the weight of what she had committed to and there are challenges that she must face and overcome as she learns exactly what it means to be a wife, a sister, a protector, and a woman.

Retellings are notoriously more miss than hit for me. That aside, I could not get over Shaherazade's stupidity. She displays notoriously pick-me girl behavior. "I'm different. I'm not like the other girls. I can save him." Spoiler alert. She is none of the above.

Every Rising Sun by Jamila Ahmed is a debut historical literary reimagining of One Thousand and One Nights. The audiobook is narrated by Sulin Hasso. We follow our main character with a first-person point-of-view.

Shaherazade is a brilliant young woman, using her wit and political machinations to survive a mad Malik and the perils of the Third Crusade in twelfth century Persia. After accidentally finding the Malik's beloved wife in flagrante delicto with a lover, she accidentally starts a domino effect that may ruin the Seljuk Empire.

This book was masterfully researched. If you're not interested in history, especially the medieval Islamic world, you might not like this book. I, for one, love history, so this was right up my alley. The world-building here is layered and detailed thanks to the author's decade plus of research.

I also am a fan of nestled storytelling, and this novel is indeed a story within a story, sometimes further within a story. We get Shaherazade's personal story, the stories she tells, and the tapestry made from the socio-political aspects of the world at that time.

I liked the stories she told the best out of the three as they span so many different genres. Sometimes, however, they took me out of the main plot since they very literally pause the main storyline in order to be told.

The story also leans a bit YA, which makes some sense since Shaherazade is only eighteen or nineteen during the course of the book. She doesn't have a major growth arc either. I think the story could have been tightened up a bit in the "real world" side of things. The ending felt rushed.

The audiobook narrator does an amazing job, and I highly recommend reading the book that way, or in tandem with a physical copy (which is how I read this). Tandem reading helped me keep where we were in the narrative straight.

CW: murder, infidelity, war, loss of parent, misogyny

I listened to the audiobook for Every Rising Sun and thoroughly enjoyed both the format and the story! I am a sucker for books about storytelling and this one did not disappoint. With it being a retelling, reading this book made me really want to read One Thousand and One Nights. I definitely recommend for people that like historical fiction, the Crusades, political drama, and strong female character.

Is there anything better than a sexy storyteller? I think not.

And, of them all, Shaherazade is surely the best. That palpable promise as she looks over her shoulder, walking away. . ."What's this, compared with what happens next?" Mmm-hmmh!

Every Rising Sun by Jamila Ahmed filled a number of my nights listening to this fascinating reimagining of 1001 Nights, the ancient version. The author has set the story in medieval Persia - a place and time I haven't read much about - Arabian Nights (see Disney) might be the sum total. This book pushes all those walls down! I particularly enjoyed the luscious prose, descriptors that were brushes and pigment, washed over pages. Works of art. . .words of art rose up and told Shaherazade's many stories.

I look forward to whatever's next on Jamila Ahmed's easel. . .

*A sincere thank you to Jamila Ahmed, Macmillan Audio/Henry Holt & Company, and NetGalley for an ARC to read [listen to] and review.*

Actual Rating 2.5

It’s the 12th Century in Persia, and Shaherazade accidentally sees the Malik’s wife in a compromising position. Fearing that she and her family might be punished for her knowledge, she anonymously tells the Malik of his wife’s indiscretion. Furious and heartbroken, the Malik kills his wife and begins to marry and kill a new bride every night. Guilty for her role in this terror, Shaherazade volunteers to become his next wife, and comes up with a plot to extend her life. But as tensions escalate with the encroachment of Western Crusaders, Shaherazade realizes that more than just her life is at stake if she fails to calm the Malik.

The primary plot of this work focuses on Shaherazade, her husband, and the political conflicts going on at the time. Her stories are interspersed throughout this plot. Some of the stories are standalones, while some were multiple parts of a longer tale. It’s difficult, because as this was based on Shaherazade and her tales, I knew going in there were going to be many stories incorporated. While I enjoyed this aspect, it did make it where the primary plot suffered. So much time was spent on the stories that I lost track of Sherezade and the other characters in the primary plot. This was especially true near the end of the book; I felt the ending lost its impact because we kept disappearing into the stories. That being said, her tales were well written and entertaining overall.

I had a difficult time with the characters of this one. The characterization didn’t feel consistent and there were no explanations given for the changes. Shaherazade used her stories, intelligence, and quick tongue to manipulate people (which I quite liked!), but there were many instances where she made stupid decisions or was painfully naïve, simply for the sake of moving the plot forward. And aside from Shaherazade and the male MC, the remaining characters lacked depth and felt like they only fulfilled their prescribed roles rather than being fully rounded, real people. This greatly detracted from my overall enjoyment of the work.

What I did enjoy was how well the author incorporated the setting and world into this tale. I loved the political and social aspects that were included. Set during the Crusades, there is plenty of conflict used as a backdrop for this work, and it made the primary plot fascinating, incorporating added depth to the story.

I wanted to like this one more, especially as I find the premise to be brilliant. If you enjoy slower historical fiction and tales within tales, you might enjoy this one. I listened to the audiobook version of this work, and the narrator did an amazing job.

Every Rising Sun is a beautifully written retelling of the Middle Eastern folktales, One Thousand and One Nights.

The writing is immersive, placing me back in time, in this desert life of Sultans and war, when women did as they were told while quietly manipulating the situation.

The story is complex, requiring patience, as events slowly unfold and intertwine. Because the core of this tale is a series of stories within a story, attention to details is a necessity.

I started off alternating between the print and audiobook. I absolutely loved Sulin Hasso’s narration, and I wound up mostly sticking to the audio.

*Thanks to Henry Holt for the print copy and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook download!*

I've been loving all of the modern, feminist retellings of old classics and mythology lately, so when I saw that this book was a retelling of 1001 Nights, I was excited to check it out! I love the idea of hearing this story told directly from Shaherazade herself.

Let me start by saying that this book was quite a bit different than I was expecting. Going in, I thought it would be a lot of action and adventure and while there was some of that, it was a lot more quiet and reflective. We do get the storytelling as a means of staying alive in marriage and there are battles and wars, but those moments are brief and spaced out significantly by the stories that Shaherezade is telling.

That said, the pacing felt a little bit uneven to me. It's a difficult task to have a main storyline and then weave different stories in and out of that, I think that the main storyline of Shaherezade's life went at one speed, while the stories she was weaving went much more quickly leading to that unevenness.

For me, the highlight of the book was Shaherazade's storytelling, which in some ways is a shame. She's obviously a famed storyteller, so it makes sense that the stories would be engaging. As the story was about her life and perspective, I wanted it to be as exciting and interesting as the stories and it wasn't. It's not to say that it was boring, but it did occasionally drag in places.

One of the strengths in this book is the beautiful description. The various settings really did come alive quite vividly. I think this is what made the stories so strong as well...because I could really visualize what was happening.

Characterization was a little bit hit and miss. Shaherazade was fairly well fleshed out. She's brave, a bit impulsive, loyal, and just. She marries the Malik to save all of the other girls from death and goes to him with a plan to save herself via storytelling. She negotiates battles and. treaties with her stories. We see her time and again being a bit reckless, but using her intellect to sort out the situations. It's just a shame that the rest of the characters didn't have as much depth. The Malik is barely explored and we receive no real understanding of his motivations and actions until toward the end of the story. He's mostly just sullen and angry and while we know he's been wounded by his first wife's affair, we don't really get any insight into the depth of it or why he's snapped so drastically,. Dunya, Shaherazade's sister and best friend also receives very little attention until the end.

I did listen to this book on audio and the narrator was really good. The pronunciation of names, locations, and Persian words were beautifully done and really added to the experience. I was also very easily able to distinguish between the different characters, the main timeline, and the stories being told. It was very well done audio.

All in all, I found this book enjoyable and I think it's worth the read if you enjoy feminist retellings. Middle Eastern stories, and strong female characters.

Thank you to Netgalley, Jamila Ahmed, and Henry Holt & Co. This in no way affects the objectivity of my review.

A tangent to the story put forth in One Thousand and One Nights, Every Rising Sun champions Shaherazade as a means to show how women in the medieval Islamic world were able to accrue and retain power. After catching the Malik's wife in a tryst, a sequence of events pulls Shaherazade from the shadow of the court into it's very fulcrum. From there, court intrigue powers our plot both at home and on campaign against the Frankish Third Crusade.

Shaherazade tells stories nightly to Shahyar, both to keep her head (literally) and in desperation to gain the intimacy she so desires. Most of these stories are captivating and elevate themselves above the novel itself. Unfortunately, the foremost and longest story within a story that she tells does not live up to the standards of the other stories and what is meant to feel like the centerpiece feels woefully short.

Overall, the pacing feels a bit uneven, as long stretches meander and decisions are pushed further and further off. The entire Emir subplot is essential to the book but also dreadfully boring.

Novel feedback left at the below link:
https://www.netgalley.co.uk/book/277487/review/679839

🎧 The Audiobook Experience:
The audiobook, clocking at 16 hrs 13 minutes, is narrated by Sulin Hasso. Her narration is quite brilliant. When Shaherazade’s stories begin, Hasso’s voice also changes pitch to a greater oratory style. I loved her performance.
That said, keep in mind what I told you about the story structure. This book has Shaherazade’s personal story where she also has a tendency to go into her imagination and take a saunter there, as well as the local social and political upheavals in addition to many of her narrated stories, some of which are spread over several narrative sessions interspersed within her personal life story, and some of which contain sub-stories narrated by the characters in Shaherazade’s tales. If simply reading this sentence made your head reel in confusion, stick to reading the book. I’d recommend the audio version only to those attuned to hearing complicated multi-track stories on audio.

AHHHHHH!
I'm so thankful to Macmillan Audio, Netgalley, and Jamila Ahmed for granting me advanced audio, digital, and physical access to this sweet gem of book that held emotional weight that twisted into my with a sharp knife.

Every Rising Sun is one of the most beautifully told tales I've read in a while. Jamila Ahmed has a gorgeous voice and uses it incredibly effectively in this One Thousand and One Nights retelling. I really loved this retelling of Shaherezade's story and how Ahmed managed to create something wholly new and exciting and also very classic and also honors the originals. This book was absolutely alive with culture and vibrancy and I truly enjoyed being a part of this world and all the stories within it, if only for a while. I listened to the audiobook version of this one and that the narrator, Sulin Hasso, did a remarkable job. It was a joy to listen to and I sped right through this book. I'm almost a little shocked that thi s is a debut novel, but I'm more excited about the fact that this is only the start of Jamila Ahmed's work and I am so eager to read more from her!

Sulin Hasso did a fabulous job narrating Every Rising Sun. I actually read the epub of this book first and I was delighted to hear how the narrator voiced the different characters. The book itself is wonderful and Sulin Hasso's narration is beautiful and adds new dimension to the experience. Given that the book is about oral storytelling, it was important to have the voice actor and Sulin Hasso was a fantastic choice. I highly recommend this audiobook.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

~~~~~~~ A copy of my review from the print version ~~~~~~~

Every Rising Sun by Jamila Ahmed is a lyrical, dreamy rendition of Shaherezade's story. Jamila Ahmed studied medieval Islamic history and this book is imbued with her knowledge of the subject. Not only does she reimagine the story of Shaherezade and Shahryar, but she gives the reader a glimpse of the Crusades from the Muslim side. This text is rich, dripping with sensual prose and beautiful imagery. The meta-story of Shaherezade is compelling and the stories she weaves throughout are sumptuous. Every Rising Sun is a feast for the senses.

It should be noted that there are many Persian/Farsi, Arabic and other foreign words sprinkled throughout in dialogues. I believe they are generally easy to deduce from context (though I may not be the best judge as I speak Arabic...). Jaanem, for instance, was made clear to mean 'beloved' in the text. Googling it now, it means something like 'my dear' in Persian. Personally, I really enjoyed this and felt it added greatly to the world-building.

I was very excited for this book. I had first heard of the story of Shaherazadeh in the Daevabad trilogy, and I ultimately learned this story existed long before that. I was excited to learn the details beyond the surface-level story.

Jamila Ahmed is a fabulous writer from a prose standpoint. The sentences were beautiful. I just struggled with what she was trying to get across. Not much happened in this book, which would be fine if there was more character growth. It seemed like Shaherazadeh struggled with the same issues at the beginning of the story that she did in the end. I did not feel like I learned much about each character's personalities, and things were told to me instead of shown. Things got exciting about three chapters toward the end, but the issue was resolved fairly quickly and the ending felt very sudden. That being said, I felt like it was dragging a bit in the beginning.

This all being said, the narration was beautiful. This book has a lot of names and words that are not natural to a native English speaker, as well as numerous Arabic phrases scattered throughout, and I very much enjoyed hearing them through Sulin Hasso's beautiful voice. It very much added to the experience.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio. and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange or an honest review.