I had mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand, I appreciated this take on the story of Shaherazade, with frequent references to Islam, and the historical context of Saladin. The first half had me hooked and interested to see what would come next. Unfortunately, even though they travel and join Saladin in his fight against Richard the Lionheart, I found myself getting bored with Shaherazade's stories, and increasingly frustrated with the choices she was making, even though I could understand why this is the route the author took to tell this story. There was a lot of emphasis on how much power her stories hold, to the point that she was able to influence mighty kings, but I thought that part was kind of farfetched. I did like some of the tales, but others had a lot of blasphemy as well in a way that made me feel uncomfortable. This is very much a personal thing, however, and I think most people will enjoy this book.

Primarily took interest in this after reading Everything Sad Is Untrue (Nayeri) and wanted to know more about the folklore surrounding it. I was not expecting to be absolutely transported in Every Rising Sun. Will recommend.

Every Rising Sun by Jamila Ahmed is a re-imagining of the stories of the Arabian Nights. This debut novel envisions this tale through the eyes of Shaherazade, the storyteller of the Arabian Nights. I love seeing some of stories of my childhood brought to a new envisioning and perhaps to an audience that may not be as familiar with these tales. However, the book introduces some inconsistencies in the characters and an ending that leaves me unsatisfied for I do not see why or how.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2024/01/every-rising-sun.html

Reviewed for NetGalley.

In this One Thousand and One Nights reimagining, Shaherazade must use politics and wit to navigate the Persian courts as the Third Crusade rages. Set in 12th century Persia, Shaherazade discovers the Malik’s wife and her lover entwined. In retaliation for his wife’s infidelity, he beheads her, thus beginning the age-old cycle of the Malik beheading his new brides each night.

But with every beheading, his kingdom grows more and more enraged at the loss of these girls. To save her home from civil war, Shaherazade persuades the Malik to marry her and to stay alive, she weaves a tale each night and cuts it off before the end to ensure she live to see another day.

Meanwhile, Crusaders rampage across Palestine, and to quell his rage, Shaherazade and her father convince the Malik to join the Saladin’s fight in Palestine. Political intrigue and secrets follow Shaherazade through the courts and tents of war while also managing to keep her head on her shoulders literally.

You wouldn’t know this was Ahmed’s debut novel by her lush and intricately detailed writing style. Even more impressive was Ahmed’s ability to create vivid stories within the novel that left the reader wanting Shaherazade to continue, just like the Malik.

Exploring power dynamics, identity, abuse, war, and the ethical dilemmas each brings forth, Every Rising Sun confronts each head-on with achingly beautiful prose and nuggets of truth that will leave you in reflection.

A lush retelling of the iconic tale, Every Rising Sun will leave you yearning for the same rich stories Shaherazade told.

I read an e-ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company—this book was published July 18, 2023. This book takes place in 12th century Persia and is a retelling of One Thousand and One Nights from Shaherazade’s perspective. The premise and setting of this book were really intriguing to me but I found it very hard to get through this book. I feel really bad about not liking this book because it’s clear that the author put in a lot of research and effort to create this story and the prose is beautiful. The plot progressed very slowly in my opinion and I feel like not much happened even though it felt like a really long read. I wanted to like Shaherazade, but I don’t think she showed any character development and overall all the characters felt flat to me. This was a very tedious and boring read for me :’)

Thank you very much for the opportunity to read this book early! I really enjoyed it. I thought the writing was very well done, and the story kept me interested. I believe my students/patrons would also love this book and will be acquiring it for the library!

As someone who has only a superficial knowledge of A Thousand and One Nights, I loved this reimagining of the text and its focus on Shaherazade. The style was beautiful and engaging, and the moments when the characters were given space to shine were very enjoyable. I also liked the inclusion of the tales interspersed in the main narrative, but there were moments when they detracted from the flow of Shaherazade's arc itself.

Overall, I think Ahmed approached an ambitious task well, giving homage to A Thousand and One Nights while also making it her own, but sometimes it felt as if she was trying to do far too much in the space she had.

Beautifully written. I really enjoyed how this story included stories within the story. I grew up hearing this story (a children’s version) and was really looking forward to reading this book. It did not disappoint. The stories within were so descriptive and imaginative. The overarching story was different than any version I’ve ever heard before. Definitely worth the read! The main character is a force to be reckoned with and the image the reader has of the main character and of the king change throughout the book as well, which makes the story even more interesting. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy!

I’ve read a few retellings of this tale, but I think this is my favorite. The characters were all so well rounded and realized and felt like real people to me. I loved the way her tales were worked in to the narrative. Overall I really enjoyed this and I think it gives a voice to a subset of historical fiction that you don’t often get to read.

I reviewed this for The Guardian.

[excerpted ending] In doing all this, the book does not merely produce effects comparable to those derived from the original text. Ahmed defamiliarises and dismantles what we think we know of Nights, so that our understanding and interaction with it evolve, too. And she proves that a classic remains an endless trove of profound truths and pleasures that writers and readers can discover with each new version.

In a Nutshell: Not a retelling of the original Arabian classic but a spinoff with Shaherazade at the helm. Mixed feelings. The storytelling elements retain the same spirit and appeal as in the original, but Shaherazade’s personal story is somewhat YA-ish in writing approach (though not so in content.)

Story Synopsis:
1191 ADE. Persia. When nineteen-year-old Shaherazade discovers that Malik Shahriyar’s wife Fataneh is cheating on him, she let’s Shahriyar know avout his wife’s infidelity through an anonymous poem. Shahriyar is devastated at the actions of the wife he treasured so much that he has her beheaded. He doesn’t stop at this, but marries three more virgins and has them beheaded after the wedding night. To stop the townspeople from rebelling and also put an end to the Malik’s murderous plans, Shaherazade volunteers to be Shahriyar’s next bride, much against the wishes of her father, the malik’s vizier. Shaherazade plans to use her storytelling talent to narrate a story every night, and leave it hanging in a way that the Malik will allow her to live another day just to know what happens.
The main story comes to us in the first person perspective of Shaherazade.


Think about certain bookish terms we use while reading or reviewing. Story-within-a-story, cliffhanger ending, unreliable narrator,… All of these originated in a compilation of Middle-Eastern folk tales written in Arabic during the ‘Islamic Golden Age.’ Titled ‘Alf Laylah wa-Laylah’, we know this collection by its English title, ‘One Thousand and One Nights’, or the more popular ‘Arabian Nights.’ Even if you haven’t read the English adaptation, you would be aware of some of its stories, such as “Alibaba and the Forty Thieves”, “Aladdin’s Wonderful Lamp”, and “The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor”. (Strictly speaking, they are not considered part of the original Arabic collection but were added much later by the French translator Antoine Galland. But that’s a story for another day.)

The framing device for the current book is somewhat similar to the original. The main story is about Shaherazade trying to save her neck (literally!) by narrating a story to her new husband. But this book doesn’t stop at that. Rather, it focusses on a triple agenda: Shaherazade’s personal life (her marriage, her relationship with her sister and her dad, and her other interactions), the local socio-historical events (Christian French crusaders attacking the Muslim-governed empires, local politics), and of course, Shaherazade’s stories (full-formed narratives that stand on their own.) I’ll analyse each aspect separately:

I. The Main Story: Shaherazade’s Personal Life
Shaherazade is the heroine of the original tale. Her sacrifice saves the life of many young girls, and she also saves the young Sultan from committing more unjustified murders. That angle is retained in this book as well, though Shahriyar murders only four wives before Shaherazade marries him in this retelling. However, Shaherazade isn’t portrayed as the benevolent girl that you might expect. Other than being a masterful narrator, she is quite a judgemental and conniving girl, using her brain and her tongue to manipulate people into following her ideas.

I am honestly not sure how to feel about her. On the one hand, there’s nothing like a Machiavellian character to provide a layered reading experience. On the other hand, Shaherazade doesn’t come across as consistent, wavering between intelligence and naïveté as per the demands of the plot. Some of her decisions were just befuddling! I am not sure if her young age was kept as a factor in her depiction because her portrayal was very much like a YA protagonist, which is NOT a compliment because I hate the “my heart did this, my cheeks did that, my stomach did something else’ kind of writing. As she goes only from nineteen to twenty in the course of this 430-page book, don’t even expect her to grow in maturity.

Shahriyar, on the contrary and despite some of his cruel actions, is an excellently written character until almost the end. His motivations are clear, and his decisions come from the head after his heart is broken. I loved the depth in his character, and wished all the characters had been so well fleshed out. Sadly, most of the remaining characters didn’t match up.

Surprisingly for a woman-oriented story, not one female character shows depth. Rather, all are somewhat flat and monotonous in the roles . Shaherazade’s sister Dunya would have been memorable because her arc had some amazing potential. But she is left on the sideburner except when she is needed to propel the novel in a different direction. I wish she had been utilised better.


II. The Socio-Politico-Historical Aspects:
The novel also highlights the threat to the town of Bam by the Oghuz Turks, and the even larger threat to the local Islamic Empire through the invading French Crusaders who used their Christian faith to attack all “infidels”.

On the positive side, it was refreshing to see the perspective of a Muslim woman on the upcoming threats, with the Crusaders being shown as villains, so unlike most other stories that have the roles reversed. I loved this more accurate take on the Crusades, which were nothing but a mislabelled invasion of human rights.

At the same time, the Muslims aren’t cast as picture-perfect, and their patriarchal, misogynistic ways are visible in many scenes. But here too, there is a kind of balance. Shaherazade seems to be a part of many discussions with top-rung Muslim leaders, mostly while accompanied by Shahriyar, but sometimes, even on her own strength. This revolutionary feminist portrayal took me a while to adjust to, because I simply couldn’t digest the idea of a young Muslim girl being allowed in courts and allowed to speak to men not from her family, and even being present during military strategy discussions. However, the author’s parting note maintains that the era did have female Muslim leaders, and women were allowed a voice, unlike what current society insists. I will have to take her word for it for I am sure she has researched more into the topic.


III. Shaherazade’s Tales:
The framing device lends itself to multiple stories within stories that Shaherazade narrates in a gamut of raconteurial styles. Some of her stories are self-contained. Some have one character having multiple adventures (just like Sinbad does.) At times, the characters in her stories begin narrating a story of their own. These narrated stories cover a variety of genres such as romance, adventure, crime, fantasy and horror. I am not sure if author Jamila Ahmed actually wrote these stories for the book, or if she adapted some of the lesser-known tales from the original for this narrative. Either way, she has done a marvellous job on this aspect. Every story that Shaherazade narrates is a treat.

The only negative of the above is that Shaherazade‘s regular storytelling interrupts the main story: that of her own life. In the original book, this didn’t matter much as we hardly get to know anything about Shahriyar and Shaherazade. Their only purpose there was to be a conduit for the stories. However, as they both get a much meatier role in their retelling, waiting for their story in between the extended secondary tales was a test of my patience.


The Overall Writing Style:
Again, mixed feelings. The world-building is excellent, and I could visualise the gritty deserts as well as the lavish palaces easily through the author’s words. But this doesn’t mean that I could overlook the YA-kind of rambling in Shaherazade’s first person pov and the lack of character development.

This is such a complicated storyline, so to bring all the threads to a neat ending would have been a tough task, especially considering that this is a debut work. But the author manages this mostly well. It departs much from that of the original, but isn’t necessarily bad. In a way, I guess I like this better as it is more realistic, and Shahriyar is not absolved of all his sins. But it is too rushed and feels like a hasty tying up of all that’s left to discuss.

There are many Arabic/Persian words in the writing. As many of these are similar to Urdu/Hindi, I had no problem figuring out the meanings, but Western readers might need a glossary. At times though, there is a literal translation of the regional phrases and this sounds quite funny in English. For instance, “mere kaleje ka tukda” literally means “a piece of my liver” but is an idiom indicating someone dear. So to see one character call another “Oh my liver” made me burst into chuckles. It just doesn’t work in English!


All in all, this is an ambitious debut, and it meets several of the high standards it sets. But it would have worked better for me had the characters been more layered. While I have mentioned that the writing style is somewhat YA, do note that this is by no means a YA book and gets quite gory at times, just as the original did.
Recommended but not to everyone and not with enthusiasm. As a character-oriented story, the novel takes its time to progress. So if you are looking for quick thrills and surprising twists, this isn’t for you. But if you want to try an unusual kind of historical fiction, and set in a location you normally read only hackneyed things about courtesy the global media, this is a good one to try. It pays a nice modernised homage to one of the earliest folktale anthologies ever and also reminds us of how culturally rich the Islamic world once was; this attempt deserves praise.

3.25 stars.


My thanks to NetGalley, Henry Holt & Company for the DRC, and Macmillan Audio for the ALC of “Every Rising Sun”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.

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 find if there was more character growth. It seemed like Shaherazadeh struggled with the same issues in 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.

I didn't strongly dislike this, I just didn't feel the need to continue reading it about halfway through.

Thank you to Henry Holt & Co. and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange or an honest review.

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.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for this eARC. All opinions are my own.

The outlines of Shaherazade's story- that she conjured up tales to tell the Malik, each with a cliff hanger, in order to avoid being beheaded- are well known to most. That said this reimagining expands on the story, adding atmospherics and politics and emotions that will resonate. Know that it might take a few pages to get into the rhythm of the language but once you do, this becomes one you won't want to put down. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Terrific read.

Replete with Islamic and Middle Eastern culture, this novel tantalizes readers who are seeking something different.
A young woman has to outwit her groom, entertaining him with new stories or she will lose her head.
I did rail against the patriarchy but do realize that was the culture for the era of the book.
It’s a lively read.

I LOVED this book! It will no doubt be close to the top of the best books I've read this year.. It is brilliant!!

You know those plans that people describe as so crazy they just might work? Scheherazade‘s plan deserves a place right at the top of any list we might compile. Who looks at a serial wife-murdering sultan and says, I’m going to marry that guy and keep myself alive by telling a neverending series of stories. They say to fight fire with fire, so why not fight madness with madness? Even if Scheherazade wasn’t real, I like to think that her plan might have actually worked. Jamila Ahmed takes the kernel of Scheherazade’s story and departs from the version told in The Thousand and One Nights to deliver an incredible tale (tales?) of love, betrayal, magic, duty, and survival in the outstanding novel, Every Rising Sun.

One might think that the daughter of a vizier would know better about poking around the Arg-e-Bam, the fortress of the khan of Kerman but Scheherazade can maybe be excused for seeing things she shouldn’t’ve. After all, it’s not like she meant to catch the khatun in flagrante with someone who is definitely not her husband. Torn between her desire to tell the truth and the khatun’s threats, Scheherazade tries to find a middle path by writing a note and leaving it somewhere for the khan to find. When the khan finds the note and, shortly after, his wife in a compromising position, he orders the khatun’s execution. He also does the same for his next three wives. There is no sign that the khan—Shahryar—will stop. And that’s when Scheherazade comes up with her plan. If she can somehow delay Shahryar from ordering her execution, she hopes that his bloodlust will abate. She gambles on her inventive storytelling and cunning use of cliffhangers to keep her head on her shoulders.

And, somehow, it works. Ahmed uses stories from Scheherazade’s traditional repertoire to create layers of narrative for her character’s audience (and us) to be hooked on. Each story feeds into another as Scheherazade’s creations have adventures or explain how they came to be in peril or just march off on tangents. It takes a good bit of brainpower to keep track of it all but Ahmed’s version of events solidified around two main plot threads. First, there’s what’s happening with Scheherazade and Shahryar as their khanate is threatened by the Oghuz Turks and the larger Muslim world is under attack by European Crusaders. (Saladin has an extended role in this plotline.) Second, we are treated to the extended adventures of Jauhara, the daughter of an Egyptian governor, who finds herself in the middle of a mind-bending battle between good and evil. At every turn, Scheherazade and Jauhara have to find their way through other people’s wars to set the world aright again.

The more I read of Every Rising Sun, the more I loved it. Scheherazade pulled me in, too, with her clever problem-solving and diplomacy. Her world is one where everyone has a hammer and every problem is a nail and she’s the only person who bothers to rummage around in the rest of the toolbox to see if there’s a way out that doesn’t involve lots of casualties. But this book isn’t just about cleverness. It’s also about love and sacrifice. Scheherazade wouldn’t have embarked on her wild plan if she didn’t love the women of her country, if she didn’t want to watch Bam tear itself apart while the khan ran mad, and if she still didn’t carry the hope that maybe Shahryar could find it in himself to love her back.

Every Rising Sun is a stunning, beautifully written, high-drama novel that I can’t praise strongly enough. Readers, grab this one as soon as you can and let Scheherazade sweep you away with her stories.

I received this advance reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. This novel was a very interesting feminist retelling of Scheherazade, and provided a historical context for the story that was quite interesting to the reader. Highly recommended for any reader who enjoys feminist retellings such as of Greek mythology or ancient tales.

I really wanted to like this one but it just didn't hit the marks for me. However, I did enjoy reading the tale from a different perspective from the one I grew up with (western perspective).

Answer these questions: What makes this book different from all others? And why should anyone care?
This take on the famous One Thousand and One Nights was incredibly interesting to read. If you want to know more about Persian history this is a great read. As someone who has been taught about history from a Western perspective, I really enjoyed this new view.

Shaherazade is the fifth wife of the Malik after he beheaded his first four. The Mailk's first wife and true love, Fataneh, was found being unfaithful after an anonymous note from Shaherazade alerted him. She is now dealing with a broken and hurt man, who seems to only be calmed by her mesmerizing and skillful storytelling. They head to war as the crusades are underway and are threatening to take the Muslim empires. Shaherazade is out to turn the Malik back into the kind man she has known him to be before his heartbreak and to find ways to play a part in protecting her home through her great asset, her stories.

This is a beautifully written book. The storytelling is woven through the story of Shaherazade really well so that both can be enjoyed fully. There are many different loveable characters and the visuals the book creates are vast and well-constructed.

I really liked Shaherazade and felt like a learned some things about Persian history. I do not know the background of her beyond this book so I do not know if it is a part of the story, but I noticed a pattern that whenever she did something to help it generally lead to many more problems. That is not a criticism but just an observation. I would really recommend this book to someone who is interested in historical fiction.