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seanml's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
There are many conflicting words and opinions that The City of Brass brings about. The most important one though is this: promising. It's marketed as adult fantasy, and yet you'll find many instances of tropes and ideas popular in young adult literature. The person of low social class thrust into a very powerful position of luxury, the romance between a normal person and a god-like but very dangerous but VERY hot individual, a healthy dose of normal person thrust into magical world they didn't know was there a la Harry Potter. Much of the dialogue sounds very modern despite the story taking place in the 1800s and many characters being hundreds of years older than that. Moving past all that, I would still recommend this book. Chakraborty understands her world and her characters well enough to give the reader investment and interest in this world. The novel's biggest selling point is the society she creates - the conflict between a pureblood upper caste and a mixed lower caste is nothing new in literature, but Chakraborty treats the plot with precision and care. No side is made out to be a faceless villain, but there's also no preachy sense of 'both sides are equally bad' going on. There's no sense of preachiness at all: the world feels lived in and at its natural conclusion of thousands of years of buildup rather than artificially held together for the plot. The pros outweigh the cons and I hear the sequels improve in spades. 8/10.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gore, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, Colonisation, War, and Classism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia and Outing
linluvsbooks's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Fun and adventurous and well written.
Many complex themes are explored and the perspectives of several sides are presented. This is a smart book, more than an adventurous romp (which would’ve been great as well).
I keep telling myself not to fall into any more trilogies but then I return to fantasy and they’re inevitable…
Many complex themes are explored and the perspectives of several sides are presented. This is a smart book, more than an adventurous romp (which would’ve been great as well).
I keep telling myself not to fall into any more trilogies but then I return to fantasy and they’re inevitable…
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Blood
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, and Classism
Minor: Addiction, Cursing, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Self harm, Kidnapping, and War