Renée Ahdieh author page

Renée Ahdieh biography

Renée Ahdieh is an American author of young adult fantasy, historical fantasy and children’s picture books. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is a number one New York Times bestselling novelist. Her books have appeared on the Sunday Times and USA Today bestseller lists.

Her debut novel, The Wrath & the Dawn, was published by G. P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers in May 2015. Inspired by One Thousand and One Nights, it follows Shahrzad, a sixteen-year-old who volunteers to marry a caliph whose previous brides have been executed, intending to avenge her best friend’s death. The sequel, The Rose & the Dagger, followed in 2016. The Wrath & the Dawn was subsequently included in Time magazine’s selection of the 100 best fantasy books of all time.

Ahdieh’s second young adult fantasy series began with Flame in the Mist (2017), followed by Smoke in the Sun (2018). Set in a fictionalised version of feudal Japan, the duology centres on Mariko, the daughter of a samurai who disguises herself as a boy to investigate an attempt on her life. The books were published in the UK by Hodder & Stoughton.

Her next series, The Beautiful, introduced a supernatural mystery set in nineteenth-century New Orleans. Published between 2019 and 2023, the quartet comprises The Beautiful, The Damned, The Righteous and The Ruined. The UK editions were published by Hodderscape.

Ahdieh made her picture book debut with Emilio Sloth’s Modern Manners, illustrated by Alea Marley and published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on 22 October 2024. The story follows a punctual sloth travelling through London to meet a friend for scones, exploring courtesy, friendship and consideration for others.