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kenzibir's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Violence, and War
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
karydiazc's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
These books have been some of my favourites this year so far.
It was a bit hard for me to submerge into the story when I first started this books because of the culture I knew almost nothing about, but three books later, here I am, absolutely in love with this magical world and it's characters.
This was a fitting ending for the series.
I must admit I'm usually expecting at least a few deaths from the principal characters in the last book of a story about war, and when everyone survives or there was just one or two characters lost I'm a bit disappointed. This book is the exception.
Everyone who survived lost many things along the way and the political maneuvers were just right in my opinion.
Every single character kept following their path and growing either into their own darkness or their own ligh, respectively.
I didn't actually hate any of the characters because none of them were villains just for the sake of it (okay, maybe just one or two, but not as important), everyone had their motivations for the way they acted and they truly were thinking that their decisions were the best ones for their current situation and that, in my opinion is what makes a great character.
They weren't just doing things for the sake of the plot getting a bit interesting, they felt like real people who tried their best to maneuver in a political environment keen on ending their lives, while also doing what they could to save their respective people and loved ones.
The world building was exquisite. From the busy streets of Cairo, in Egypt to the great city of Daevabad, even after being consumed and destructed by the war.
I also have to say that I'm absolutely thankful to the author for bot making this story centered on love and who was going to end with whom.
Now, for the spoilers:
The ending made me so sad. Dara saying goodbye to Nahri, the love of his life, knowing they would not see each other ever again. Because despite everything they suffered in the war and at the hands of Manizheh they still cared for each other (even if for Nahri it wasn't love anymore).
I knew Dara would go to retrieve the amulets of the enslaved djins, but still it was sad seeing him go (I would love to see more of him on his journey to retrieve the relics).
I did wanted Ali and Nahri to end up together, but my heart broke for everything Dara was put through. Being forced into slavery once again and by no less than by the woman he followed and trusted to lead the Daeva to their past glory.
Speaking of Ali, he was so charming in almost a naïve way because of his innocence in some aspects, while being the most cunning in others.
His life was and absolute rollercoaster during these books, which helped him to grow up so much as a character. I think he deserved the way his family (the most important part, at least) managed to stay alive and relatively safe.
I would be completely up for Chakraborty to write novellas of Muntadhir and Jamshid, and of Zaynab exploring outside of Daevabad. Even if the siblings weren't principal characters, they have my heart too.
Nahri was absolutely one of my favourites not just from this book, but I think she has become also one of my favourite female leads in a book. She was just so smart and always did the best she could with what she was given.
From the start she was thrown into an entirely different world filled with magic and revelations of her life. Instead of crumbling and wasting away at the hands of her enemies, she pushed through an managed to gain the life she wanted at the end.
I'm also really thankful that she want thrown into the "I'll speak my mind to absolutely everyone, no matter how powerful they are and get away with it somehow", as I've seen in quite a lot of books trying to portray a strong woman.
I honestly don't know what else to say. I loved this books so much and I'll probably be re reading them in the future.
I'm sure that if I had read this series in the past, they would have become my absolute personality.
It was a bit hard for me to submerge into the story when I first started this books because of the culture I knew almost nothing about, but three books later, here I am, absolutely in love with this magical world and it's characters.
This was a fitting ending for the series.
I must admit I'm usually expecting at least a few deaths from the principal characters in the last book of a story about war, and when everyone survives or there was just one or two characters lost I'm a bit disappointed. This book is the exception.
Everyone who survived lost many things along the way and the political maneuvers were just right in my opinion.
Every single character kept following their path and growing either into their own darkness or their own ligh, respectively.
I didn't actually hate any of the characters because none of them were villains just for the sake of it (okay, maybe just one or two, but not as important), everyone had their motivations for the way they acted and they truly were thinking that their decisions were the best ones for their current situation and that, in my opinion is what makes a great character.
They weren't just doing things for the sake of the plot getting a bit interesting, they felt like real people who tried their best to maneuver in a political environment keen on ending their lives, while also doing what they could to save their respective people and loved ones.
The world building was exquisite. From the busy streets of Cairo, in Egypt to the great city of Daevabad, even after being consumed and destructed by the war.
I also have to say that I'm absolutely thankful to the author for bot making this story centered on love and who was going to end with whom.
Now, for the spoilers:
I knew Dara would go to retrieve the amulets of the enslaved djins, but still it was sad seeing him go (I would love to see more of him on his journey to retrieve the relics).
I did wanted Ali and Nahri to end up together, but my heart broke for everything Dara was put through. Being forced into slavery once again and by no less than by the woman he followed and trusted to lead the Daeva to their past glory.
Speaking of Ali, he was so charming in almost a naïve way because of his innocence in some aspects, while being the most cunning in others.
His life was and absolute rollercoaster during these books, which helped him to grow up so much as a character. I think he deserved the way his family (the most important part, at least) managed to stay alive and relatively safe.
I would be completely up for Chakraborty to write novellas of Muntadhir and Jamshid, and of Zaynab exploring outside of Daevabad. Even if the siblings weren't principal characters, they have my heart too.
Nahri was absolutely one of my favourites not just from this book, but I think she has become also one of my favourite female leads in a book. She was just so smart and always did the best she could with what she was given.
From the start she was thrown into an entirely different world filled with magic and revelations of her life. Instead of crumbling and wasting away at the hands of her enemies, she pushed through an managed to gain the life she wanted at the end.
I'm also really thankful that she want thrown into the "I'll speak my mind to absolutely everyone, no matter how powerful they are and get away with it somehow", as I've seen in quite a lot of books trying to portray a strong woman.
I honestly don't know what else to say. I loved this books so much and I'll probably be re reading them in the future.
I'm sure that if I had read this series in the past, they would have become my absolute personality.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Self harm, Gaslighting, and Classism
Minor: Kidnapping and Pregnancy
mice_are_nice's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Racism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Genocide, Slavery, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content
mirrorstorm_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
I loved this series. Sad to see it end. Only criticism I have is how the bad guys (trying to stay spoiler free) ended up over the top maniacal evil villain by the end. Dara’s past and the question of if redemption is possible for someone plot was so well done in the series up to this point that I was shocked by the full on villain role they cast the ‘bad guys’. It still was an amazing end to a great series. Just was surprised by the decision.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Genocide, Racism, Slavery, and War
Minor: Homophobia and Torture
naddles's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Racism, Grief, and Religious bigotry
book_gremlin42's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
tense
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Self harm, Slavery, Violence, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
bobbyeight's review against another edition
adventurous
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
Nobody talk to me I am unwell
(But also thank you Shannon for writing these books. They mean the world to me.)
(But also thank you Shannon for writing these books. They mean the world to me.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and War
lesliehirgelt's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence and Classism
Minor: Child death
thenextbookdilemma's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
Y’all, nothing I can write can do these books justice, just please go read them!
This series is one of my favorites EVER. I feel it embedded in my heart and I mourn having finished it, I grieve the end of these characters’ stories.
This is a luscious, tangled epic fantasy inspired by the Muslim faith, ancient myths and magical djinn spirits. It will so thouroughly sweep you away through ancient Cairo to magical cities, into the clouds on flying carpets and winged beasts and into ocean depths with scaled monsters and sunken ships. It will fill you with wonder and it will squeeze your heart (and your stomach) at every point.
Nahri. A thief, a liar, a consummate survivor, she always smiles at her mark. Nahri is my favorite kind of protagonist—an acerbic, take no $hit, beat you at your own game, I don’t need a protector, kind of gal. She is a mongoose in a den of cobras (if you haven’t seen these videos, youtube them), constantly underestimated, constantly surprising people. Nahri’s story is tragic and powerful and about making a home in a place determined to crush you, and then defending that home with everything you have.
Ali. A self-righteous zealot, a misguided and privileged idealist. Ali struggles to reconcile his faith with the politics of his royal family. While initially one of my least favorite characters, I so completely enjoyed his character arc and self discovery. Ali spends this series finding out who is is, and choosing who he wants to be.
Dara. Dara’s story broke me again and again. I raged against his circumstances, past and present and yearned for a future he could deserve. Dara forces you to ask yourself many questions and reminds you that we are products of the environment we are shaped in.
This book pushes you to question what can be forgiven. What does redemption look like? Will vengeance only ever beget more vengeance? Do our differences really separate us? I love these characters so much, deep dark flaws and all, and I thank Chakraborty for taking me on this magical and devastating journey.
May the fires burn brightly for you.
This series is one of my favorites EVER. I feel it embedded in my heart and I mourn having finished it, I grieve the end of these characters’ stories.
This is a luscious, tangled epic fantasy inspired by the Muslim faith, ancient myths and magical djinn spirits. It will so thouroughly sweep you away through ancient Cairo to magical cities, into the clouds on flying carpets and winged beasts and into ocean depths with scaled monsters and sunken ships. It will fill you with wonder and it will squeeze your heart (and your stomach) at every point.
Nahri. A thief, a liar, a consummate survivor, she always smiles at her mark. Nahri is my favorite kind of protagonist—an acerbic, take no $hit, beat you at your own game, I don’t need a protector, kind of gal. She is a mongoose in a den of cobras (if you haven’t seen these videos, youtube them), constantly underestimated, constantly surprising people. Nahri’s story is tragic and powerful and about making a home in a place determined to crush you, and then defending that home with everything you have.
Ali. A self-righteous zealot, a misguided and privileged idealist. Ali struggles to reconcile his faith with the politics of his royal family. While initially one of my least favorite characters, I so completely enjoyed his character arc and self discovery. Ali spends this series finding out who is is, and choosing who he wants to be.
Dara. Dara’s story broke me again and again. I raged against his circumstances, past and present and yearned for a future he could deserve. Dara forces you to ask yourself many questions and reminds you that we are products of the environment we are shaped in.
This book pushes you to question what can be forgiven. What does redemption look like? Will vengeance only ever beget more vengeance? Do our differences really separate us? I love these characters so much, deep dark flaws and all, and I thank Chakraborty for taking me on this magical and devastating journey.
May the fires burn brightly for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Slavery, Violence, Trafficking, Murder, War, and Classism
espressoreader's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
This series is beautifully done. It covers uncomfortable topics such as racial diversity religious diversity, class diversity, and even sexual diversity without appearing to beat the socially woke drum. For this reason, this book actually makes a person consider these difficulties that other’s face without turning them off by making them feel drowned in a political concept, rather than in a story with dialogue. None of the characters in this book are perfect. All of them have their own individual preferences, and even prejudices regardless of how high up they are how low down they are all of them demonstrate a level of prejudice. However, this book allows you to look beyond their flaws and watch them grow above them Prince, Ali is considered to be a religious extremist. Though many, of his perceptions are not ones that I would share he holds them, and grows to respect people with whom he does not agree. I think Prince Ali is perhaps one of the most well written characters, and one that I identify with the best. He maintains his religion, understand the precepts that say some thing is wrong, and still treats those people with respect and recognizes their dignity.
Beyond this political intrigue, there is also a beautiful story line with friendship, betrayal, reconciliation and ultimately understanding. The story shows the impact of generational abuse post traumatic stress, and gaslighting. It shows the impact of unhealthy relationships at all levels, and it shows very competent people suffering from and overcoming the physical and emotional abuse.
It does all of these things, without appearing to be activist propaganda. It relates real emotion experiences and actions rather than just glossing over everything as he’s racist and he’s too religious. I find that this book was extremely respectful of all ideologies, and showed the strengths and weaknesses inherent with those ideologies, and the flawed ways they were represented by their followers. This was overall a great trilogy, and I would love to see more from this author.
Beyond this political intrigue, there is also a beautiful story line with friendship, betrayal, reconciliation and ultimately understanding. The story shows the impact of generational abuse post traumatic stress, and gaslighting. It shows the impact of unhealthy relationships at all levels, and it shows very competent people suffering from and overcoming the physical and emotional abuse.
It does all of these things, without appearing to be activist propaganda. It relates real emotion experiences and actions rather than just glossing over everything as he’s racist and he’s too religious. I find that this book was extremely respectful of all ideologies, and showed the strengths and weaknesses inherent with those ideologies, and the flawed ways they were represented by their followers. This was overall a great trilogy, and I would love to see more from this author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism