erebus53's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Wading back into the fraught and politically interwoven world of the Daeva, could begin to get overwhelming. I was very interested to see what happened to my favourite characters though.
This book finally sees people talking about what happens when the heir to the kingdom, Muntadhir, falls in love with a man art arms. Dammit why can't you all just let them be happy! And wait, in the last book didn't we find out that Jamshid has even more secrets about his person that even he is probably unaware of...? I had to find out more, and I do wish it took less that 20 chapters to unfold! But there is so much to unfold in a place where you arrange marriages for political reasons, and when everyone is lying to each other - things get messy in a great bit hurry.
Meanwhile back in the small desert town of Bir Nabat, the exiled prince finally seems to have stopped getting regular visits from assassins. He's knuckled down in serious service to the community as an irrigator and well builder and is starting to bring prosperity to a place that was dwindling into the dust. Less said about magical water powers the better, but everyone close to him knows that he doesn't come up for air nearly enough to seem.. normal, and he's awfully good at falling asleep in random places and accidentally waking up having "found" a brand new spring.
And then one of his rich cousins turns up with a year's worth of taxes in cursed salt, that only someone with their bloodline can return to Daevabad, and if it doesn't get there then there might be military retribution so .. he's wrangled back to his home city, consequences be damned.
Seems that everyone is preparing for the biggest festival in decades, and also that everyone who ever wanted to attack anyone is waiting for that time to do all their "plans".
Nahri petitions her father-in-law Ghassan, to bankroll a rebuild of the hospital her people once used, and to be able to treat the half-blood Shafit there as well as anybody else. She and Ali are working to try and patch up relations within the city, but their idealism can only get people so far..
Civil unrest is at an all time high, and meanwhile, plotting in the background Manizheh has her own plans, and central to them is re-re-resurrecting Darayavahoush. Again. Poor b*stard. We get to find a bit more about the history and magic of the land, the nature of Ifrits and the Marid.
Oooh this gets messy. I'm not a super fan of battles, but I do like big reveals. It's tense and frustrating when you have enough information to cobble together what's going on, but the characters haven't been told yet. Why do revolutions have to be so messy!!? That poor library. That tower... hey people were using that! I might ned a bit of a break before I delve into future volumes.
This book finally sees people talking about what happens when the heir to the kingdom, Muntadhir, falls in love with a man art arms. Dammit why can't you all just let them be happy! And wait, in the last book didn't we find out that Jamshid has even more secrets about his person that even he is probably unaware of...? I had to find out more, and I do wish it took less that 20 chapters to unfold! But there is so much to unfold in a place where you arrange marriages for political reasons, and when everyone is lying to each other - things get messy in a great bit hurry.
Meanwhile back in the small desert town of Bir Nabat, the exiled prince finally seems to have stopped getting regular visits from assassins. He's knuckled down in serious service to the community as an irrigator and well builder and is starting to bring prosperity to a place that was dwindling into the dust. Less said about magical water powers the better, but everyone close to him knows that he doesn't come up for air nearly enough to seem.. normal, and he's awfully good at falling asleep in random places and accidentally waking up having "found" a brand new spring.
And then one of his rich cousins turns up with a year's worth of taxes in cursed salt, that only someone with their bloodline can return to Daevabad, and if it doesn't get there then there might be military retribution so .. he's wrangled back to his home city, consequences be damned.
Seems that everyone is preparing for the biggest festival in decades, and also that everyone who ever wanted to attack anyone is waiting for that time to do all their "plans".
Nahri petitions her father-in-law Ghassan, to bankroll a rebuild of the hospital her people once used, and to be able to treat the half-blood Shafit there as well as anybody else. She and Ali are working to try and patch up relations within the city, but their idealism can only get people so far..
Civil unrest is at an all time high, and meanwhile, plotting in the background Manizheh has her own plans, and central to them is re-re-resurrecting Darayavahoush. Again. Poor b*stard. We get to find a bit more about the history and magic of the land, the nature of Ifrits and the Marid.
Oooh this gets messy. I'm not a super fan of battles, but I do like big reveals. It's tense and frustrating when you have enough information to cobble together what's going on, but the characters haven't been told yet. Why do revolutions have to be so messy!!? That poor library. That tower... hey people were using that! I might ned a bit of a break before I delve into future volumes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Blood, Bullying, Classism, Cursing, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, and War
ariel790's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
4.0
Set 5 years after the events of the first, Nahri is subjugated to deal with the politics of Davabad in order to survive.
Book 2 is more about the ins and outs between royalty. Brothers torn between their father, Nahri pulled between them, the king, queen, and people of her heritage.
Compared to the first, the authors writing has matured. Conversations between characters have a better flow, descriptions of settings, objects have more details. I feel she really captured the essence of sibling rivalry. However, due to the change of focus, the pacing is a lot slower. It isn't until about 70% in where everything comes together and the action hits. Makes for a different, yet complimentary story. The 1st still my favorite of the two, but 2 was still exciting and has me wanting to read the 3rd.
Book 2 is more about the ins and outs between royalty. Brothers torn between their father, Nahri pulled between them, the king, queen, and people of her heritage.
Compared to the first, the authors writing has matured. Conversations between characters have a better flow, descriptions of settings, objects have more details. I feel she really captured the essence of sibling rivalry. However, due to the change of focus, the pacing is a lot slower. It isn't until about 70% in where everything comes together and the action hits. Makes for a different, yet complimentary story. The 1st still my favorite of the two, but 2 was still exciting and has me wanting to read the 3rd.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Confinement, War, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Child death, Death, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Trafficking, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Medical content, and Murder
brynalexa's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I was consistently shocked through the entire book. The story never goes where you’re expecting it to. Somehow a cast of treacherous characters making terrible decisions works. Brilliant.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexism, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Death, Gore, Kidnapping, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Rape, Toxic relationship, Violence, Classism, Racism, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Mass/school shootings, Misogyny, Stalking, Body horror, Cursing, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infidelity, Medical content, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Child abuse, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Suicide, War, Miscarriage, Slavery, and Torture
nabecker13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Genocide, War, Violence, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Child death, Kidnapping, Gun violence, Abandonment, Trafficking, Medical trauma, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, and Alcoholism
Minor: Self harm
laurenkimoto'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? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Spoiler
wow I’ve been reading too much contemporary romance that I forgot that high fantasy has themes and/or acts of genocide</>spoiler
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Racism, Violence, Alcoholism, Blood, Child death, Classism, Colonisation, Torture, Xenophobia, Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Medical content, Medical trauma, Sexism, Slavery, and War
Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Gun violence, Homophobia, Alcohol, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Abandonment, Addiction, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Infertility, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Religious bigotry
tinybluepixel's review against another edition
adventurous
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Gore, Grief, Torture, War, Medical content, Medical trauma, Violence, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Murder, and Slavery
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Body horror, Child abuse, Classism, Religious bigotry, Addiction, Child death, Death of parent, and Slavery
Minor: Rape, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Terminal illness
claudiamacpherson's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Classism, Colonisation, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Genocide, Grief, Gore, Hate crime, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Violence, War, and Xenophobia
Minor: Gun violence, Police brutality, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture
just_one_more_paige's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.0
It has been, embarrassingly, years since I read City of Brass. In my defense, this book wasn't published yet, at the time, for me to have continued with the series then (though I do remember wishing it was). Anyways, as with The Poppy War series, I waited wayyyy too long between the first and second books (I had to find more than one summary/review, outside of my own, to read and recap so I remembered enough of the characters and details to feel ready to continue). But, silver lining (in both cases actually), the third and final book has also been published now, so I can jump right to it! And let me tell you, I plan to do just that.
While the novel starts with a short intro that gives some small insight into the immediate aftermath of the events of book one (Nahri's marriage, Dara's death, Ali's banishment), it jumps very quickly to "five years later." Nahri is doing her best to survive her life at court, basically confined to her healing rooms both physically and in action/attention, without any of the allies that made her first days in court bearable, trapped and powerless within the city and palace that are hers by right. Ali managed to survive a brutal introduction to the arid lands of his ancestors, as well as a slew of assassins, and has made a sort of life for himself, leaning into (while keeping very secret) the water-based gifts given to him by the marid. Dara was brought back from the dead (again) by a very unexpected hand, to help train and lead a force (of partially dubious provenance) with the goal of returning Daevabad's riginaly rulers to their rightful place. These three storylines unfold simultaneously, and slowly in convergence, against a complex political/religious/personal backdrop, coming to a head with violent consequences as a once-per-century djinn celebration kicks off.
Well, if I finished the first book thinking that Chakraborty was a star with world-building, I am finishing this second book convinced that very few are as good as she is. The setting is so alive. Daevabad itself remains as vivid and gilded as before, but with 600 more pages of layered history, descriptions, and interactions of the peoples. Plus, we get additional "outside the city" perspectives and growth more here as well, with Ali's time in Am Gezira and his mother's home (Ta Ntry) and tribe (the Ayaanle). As a major part of this spectacular world-building, I must mention the complex and detailed political (and religious, though mostly in overlap) maneuvering/machinations/plotting/scheming. There is so much “trading decency for a throne” …or power in these pages. You can, quite simply, lose yourself in it. But like, in the best way. With this comes some very deep familial cruelty and misguided loyalty that is heartbreaking to read at times. We always hurt the ones we love the most, when threatened. And so many times here, acting to protect someone you love, especially by withholding truth/information, ends up doing more harm than good. Thematically tough, but so real. Overall, just some of the most lush world-building I've ever read.
Character-wise, I have only similar praise to give. Nahri, Ali and Dara all benefit greatly, in terms of depth, throughout this novel. And I remain very into the way they subvert what the normal love triangle looks like. There is additional attention paid to side characters, originals like Muntadhir and Zaynad and Hatset and Jamshid and Kaveh, but also some newly introduced ones like Aqisa, the ifrit, some shafit, and a few others that I won't necessarily name, in order to avoid spoilers. I loved it all. And I have to say, I was least into Nahri's development, honestly. I wanted her to be...more. But I guess I understand her constraints, she did stay consistent with her goal of saving lives (any lives), and she did have a few breakout moments towards the end, so I am hoping that the final book does her arc a little more justice.
As far as the plot is concerned, I almost have to say that, at least for the first like two thirds of the novel, there wasn't one. Now, don't get me wrong, I was deeply invested in the development of place and character, and the build-up of it all, because I knew something was coming. There was a deep feeling of unrest, almost anticipatory uneasiness, both in the story/characters and within myself as a reader. And I loved the way that feeling escalated as we got closer and closer to what I just knew was impending doom. However, outside that feeling, very little actually happened...so I would caution you to be sure that's the type of book you are in the mood for, before picking this one up. However, of note, when the action began, with about a quarter of the book left (ish), things got real. The pacing, with perspectives jumping from Dara to Ali to Nahri with perfect timing, was phenomenal. Edge of one's seat type reading. Worth the wait in the build-up for sure. And with the cliffs that each of our main characters end on (plus, some additional "characters to watch," including both of Ali's siblings, Zaynab and Muntadhir, as well as Jamshid and Aqisa), I am quite ready to pick up the final installation, and watch the ending unfold, as soon as possible.
Chakraborty puts a deep focus on uncovering/unveiling the truth of history and the stories that are now accepted as truth, despite what the reality actually was, for reasons of maintaining power or avoiding guilt. She really demonstrates how only with the correct information can current consequences of violent/unfair history be rectified. Because after generations and centuries of curses and revenges and betrayals and death, how else (better than the endless examples of how those who are oppressed and given no other option/recourse will rise up with violence, without mercy) can people(s) overcome a legacy like that? (Ummmm, sound familiar to present day much? I think big yes.)
With captivating storytelling, intricate political and locational detail, discerning character development, and well-paced (when it arrives) action, Chakraborty transports the reader on a fantastic Middle Eastern history and culture inspired journey. It's a mythical, magical and entirely absorbing adventure. I cannot wait to see how it ends!
“People do not thrive under tyrants, Alizayd; they do not come up with innovations when they're busy trying to stay alive, or offer creative ideas when error is punished…”
“You don’t need to be a weapon to be an asset.”
“I’m tired of everyone in this city feeding on vengeance. I'm tired of teaching our children to hate and fear other children because their parents are our enemies. And I'm sick and tired of acting like the only way to save our people is to cut down all who might oppose us, as if our enemies won't return the favor the instant power shifts.” (Basically, sums up all of Ali/Dara/Nahri's vibes in this book.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Medical content, Murder, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Violence, War, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Colonisation, Confinement, Infidelity, and Slavery
lorie336's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
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
A whole different vibe from the first book, this was depressing, political, gray characters, but we learn more about our three main perspectives. There is still adventure especially the last 100 pages, the author knows how to write an epic fantasy world.
I loved learning what happened to our characters and we are thrust 5 years into the future where Nahri discovers more about her past yet she is trapped in the royal walls while Prince Ali was exiled and no longer wishes to return to Daevabad, but something or someone may force him. Again this was unputdownable and again this author creates relatable characters, issues that matter, politics, and a beautiful landscape. I am looking forward to reading the third installment of this trilogy.
I loved learning what happened to our characters and we are thrust 5 years into the future where Nahri discovers more about her past yet she is trapped in the royal walls while Prince Ali was exiled and no longer wishes to return to Daevabad, but something or someone may force him. Again this was unputdownable and again this author creates relatable characters, issues that matter, politics, and a beautiful landscape. I am looking forward to reading the third installment of this trilogy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Infidelity, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, and Physical abuse
booksthatburn's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
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
5.0
THE KINGDOM OF COPPER cashes in on the tension heralded by every political machination and twisted promise in THE CITY OF BRASS. Nahri, Ali, and Dara are at cross-purposes with each other and almost everyone else as Daevabad's brutality towards the Shafit begets more violence.
THE CITY OF BRASS set up a complicated system of alliances, slights, centuries-old grievances, and current injustices. In THE KINGDOM OF COPPER, the web gets a few more strands like slave auctions and mass murder of the oppressed, then pulls the strands tight to slaughter whoever gets in the way. It’s intricate, filled with conflicting allegiances, friendships, and hidden family. There’s some political theater, but almost every gesture carries behind it the threat of real violence against a plethora of minor and secondary characters, stacking death and misery higher and higher until the main characters can take it no more and the bloody showdown commences. There’s always another way that someone was terrible a long time ago and now a new person is ready to kill in the name of the long-dead. Three protagonists, all utterly convinced that their way of doing things is the one that will work, and a bevy of secondary characters all with their own deadly plans that cross and combine in unexpected ways to drench the city in blood.
I love the world building. A lot of the backstory was set up by the first book, but they live long lives and the pace at which new revelations occur is just right. In a world where there’s someone who knows what happened and might even have been there, it’s a matter of having the right protagonist ask the right question of the right person at the proper time… usually after a different protagonist tried to learn the same thing and was rebuffed. It’s a layered style that keeps any one character from knowing everything while making sure that by the time the reader gets the answer there’s been enough of a build up that it feels like a revelation. It even works when one character keeps trying to figure out something one of the other two already knows. Ali is my favorite, but together he, Nahri, and Dara combine to cover enough of the story’s angles to leave me very happy as a detail-hungry reader.
The pacing is excellent, the conclusion is stunning. I loved every minute and I’m ready to read the final book.
THE CITY OF BRASS set up a complicated system of alliances, slights, centuries-old grievances, and current injustices. In THE KINGDOM OF COPPER, the web gets a few more strands like slave auctions and mass murder of the oppressed, then pulls the strands tight to slaughter whoever gets in the way. It’s intricate, filled with conflicting allegiances, friendships, and hidden family. There’s some political theater, but almost every gesture carries behind it the threat of real violence against a plethora of minor and secondary characters, stacking death and misery higher and higher until the main characters can take it no more and the bloody showdown commences. There’s always another way that someone was terrible a long time ago and now a new person is ready to kill in the name of the long-dead. Three protagonists, all utterly convinced that their way of doing things is the one that will work, and a bevy of secondary characters all with their own deadly plans that cross and combine in unexpected ways to drench the city in blood.
I love the world building. A lot of the backstory was set up by the first book, but they live long lives and the pace at which new revelations occur is just right. In a world where there’s someone who knows what happened and might even have been there, it’s a matter of having the right protagonist ask the right question of the right person at the proper time… usually after a different protagonist tried to learn the same thing and was rebuffed. It’s a layered style that keeps any one character from knowing everything while making sure that by the time the reader gets the answer there’s been enough of a build up that it feels like a revelation. It even works when one character keeps trying to figure out something one of the other two already knows. Ali is my favorite, but together he, Nahri, and Dara combine to cover enough of the story’s angles to leave me very happy as a detail-hungry reader.
The pacing is excellent, the conclusion is stunning. I loved every minute and I’m ready to read the final book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Torture, and Death
Moderate: Sexism, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Slavery, Genocide, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Child death
Minor: Death of parent
CW for major character death (graphic).