Reviews with content warning for Religious bigotry - The City of Brass

This was an epic story for me. I was hooked from the very first page and did not want to put it down Chakraborty has a way of writing characters, plot, and world building that just sucks you in.

First, the world building is top notch. She incorporates so many fantasy elements into real world history and blends the religions and history fo the time period so seamlessly for me. I was mesmerized not only by the real world depictions but also the way she uses the characters to almost tell stories about the history of Djinn and Daevas.

Second, the plot was plottin all over the place. There were twists I didn't see coming and even the ones I did, her descriptions of the story just were chef's kiss.

Lastly, the characters were so complex and brought to life. Every single character had strengths and weaknesses and I could not figure out who were the good guys and who were bad.

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jovanh's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

Not a bad book at all. Just not my genre and didn't grab my interest. Good world-building, and character motivation.

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yruss972's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

From a world building and fantasy fiction perspective, a good book. Would rather it if more of the magic system had found closure by the end of the first book. It's still unclear what the rules are.

From a message perspective, touches on lots of issues but, sadly, takes a stand on none of them. Comes disturbingly close to legitimizing terrorism especially naming the rebel group Tanzim.
Blurs all the lines on both sides of the conflict so no one is innocent and, when guilty, they are not at fault.
The author needs to visit Israel post October 7 and get some new perspective.

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mirrorstorm_'s review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense

Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

A little slow to get the main plot going once they reached the city. And then the ending came around too fast

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saracat's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I devoured this book. If I had started this book at the beginning of a weekend, I would not have slept before finishing it.

I did listen to the audiobook, so sometimes I lost track of who was who since many of the characters have titles and/or nicknames that they are called by. But, typically, back tracking about 30 seconds after pausing to think about who was in the scene typically straightened things out for me.

I loved the main characters and was really drawn in to the story. I really appreciated how one of the main characters just didn’t automatically become perfect at something simply because of some innate abilities. I also loved how grey things felt.

I can’t wait to jump into the next book. Especially after the epilogue in this one.

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ko_rax's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty is the first part of The Daevabad Trilogy and accompanies two opposing figures: A con woman with a natural affinity for healing, who is swept up by a world of magic, mythological creatures and ancient djinn, and magical heritage, and a royal prince, who is torn between his morals and loyalties.

Oh, what a read! I was so invested and time flew by.
Truthfully, the world build is vast, and throughout the first ten chapters or so it was difficult for me to remember important details concerning the relation-& allyships between mythological beings. However, as the story advanced, things added up on their own. I also liked the pacing, it fit the events well. Personally, my favourite element of this book is its character building and development. The majority of the characters were believable to me, especially Alizayd

(his inner turmoil made so much sense!)

.

Will pick up the second book as well!

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adlane22's review against another edition

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adventurous reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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mice_are_nice's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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