queer_bookwyrm's review
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- 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
4 ⭐ CW: violence, torture, slavery, descriptions of blood and gore, kidnapping, rape, whipping
The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty is book one in the Daevabad trilogy. I've been meaning to read this for awhile, and I'm glad I finally did! I love intricate world building and morally gray characters, and we have plenty.
We follow Nahri, a thief in Cairo who can heal herself and others, although she mainly uses her ability to fleece her marks. During a "fake" ritual, she accidentally summons a daeva named Dara who is determined to take her to Daevabad, the City of Brass, because Nahri is not human. Dara is a daeva who was enslaved thousands of years ago, and was made to do terrible things, but Nahri trusts him anyway. I really like their dynamic throughout the books and the way it ebbs and flows.
We also follow Ali, the youngest son of the King and Future Qaid to his older brother, Muntadhir. Ali is young, brash, and self-righteous, which makes him quite annoying most of the time, ah youth. Ali is a bit of a contradiction, he believes in the rights of the shafit, a mix of human and djinn blood, but despises and wants to oppress the Daeva clan for their religion. Ali was a compelling character, though, being the second son, and fighting a moral war within himself: stop the mistreatment of shafit, or do as his father says. Speaking of his father, he is a fascinating character. He's not someone I'd say I like, but he's wonderfully complex and brilliant, if diabolical.
There is so much political and clan intrigue in this. It was all a little confusing and overwhelming at first, but it picks up once the world-building is established. Nahri makes a good stand in for the reader in Daevabad, so there is some exposition, but it doesn't feel like info dumping. I want to learn more about the Daeva religion and the shafit as well as more about Nahri's abilities.
Nahri is definitely my favorite character, but I also really liked Muntadhir, who is bisexual. He's your typical charming prince who often drinks too much and has too much fun with courtesans. I can't wait to see how he develops over the series.
The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty is book one in the Daevabad trilogy. I've been meaning to read this for awhile, and I'm glad I finally did! I love intricate world building and morally gray characters, and we have plenty.
We follow Nahri, a thief in Cairo who can heal herself and others, although she mainly uses her ability to fleece her marks. During a "fake" ritual, she accidentally summons a daeva named Dara who is determined to take her to Daevabad, the City of Brass, because Nahri is not human. Dara is a daeva who was enslaved thousands of years ago, and was made to do terrible things, but Nahri trusts him anyway. I really like their dynamic throughout the books and the way it ebbs and flows.
We also follow Ali, the youngest son of the King and Future Qaid to his older brother, Muntadhir. Ali is young, brash, and self-righteous, which makes him quite annoying most of the time, ah youth. Ali is a bit of a contradiction, he believes in the rights of the shafit, a mix of human and djinn blood, but despises and wants to oppress the Daeva clan for their religion. Ali was a compelling character, though, being the second son, and fighting a moral war within himself: stop the mistreatment of shafit, or do as his father says. Speaking of his father, he is a fascinating character. He's not someone I'd say I like, but he's wonderfully complex and brilliant, if diabolical.
There is so much political and clan intrigue in this. It was all a little confusing and overwhelming at first, but it picks up once the world-building is established. Nahri makes a good stand in for the reader in Daevabad, so there is some exposition, but it doesn't feel like info dumping. I want to learn more about the Daeva religion and the shafit as well as more about Nahri's abilities.
Nahri is definitely my favorite character, but I also really liked Muntadhir, who is bisexual. He's your typical charming prince who often drinks too much and has too much fun with courtesans. I can't wait to see how he develops over the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Rape, Slavery, Blood, and Gore
Minor: Kidnapping
brynalexa's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The world building is rich and the characters are complex. Hard to put down!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Hate crime, Gore, Kidnapping, Sexual violence, War, Child death, Torture, Medical content, Violence, Racism, Abandonment, Blood, Alcohol, Slavery, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Alcoholism, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Child death and Rape
slythjetta's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
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
Let me just say this audio is absolutely PERFECT to listen to as you drive.
City of Brass completely captivated my attention and I did not want it to end. Tbh, I have mixed feelings toward Dara and have no idea what to do with my emotions.
Nahri is in the worst situation possible and basically left to defenseless. Yes, she is a healer and has the attention that should have backfired in her face.
This series is a first for me where I basically got a "cheat code" after reading River of Silver. So I know who each character is and it actually helped me better get into the story. I tried listening to this audio first but got confused with many name mentions, but the novella helped me sort out who was who and I could envision them in my head better. (Yes, I did take thorough notes as where each novella story took place within the trilogy universe.)
So I am excited to delve into The Kingdom of Copper audio which LITERALLY became available today 2.20.23 form my libraries digital catalogue and I am so excited to start it!!! AAAAHHH!!!
City of Brass completely captivated my attention and I did not want it to end. Tbh, I have mixed feelings toward Dara and have no idea what to do with my emotions.
Nahri is in the worst situation possible and basically left to defenseless. Yes, she is a healer and has the attention that should have backfired in her face.
This series is a first for me where I basically got a "cheat code" after reading River of Silver. So I know who each character is and it actually helped me better get into the story. I tried listening to this audio first but got confused with many name mentions, but the novella helped me sort out who was who and I could envision them in my head better. (Yes, I did take thorough notes as where each novella story took place within the trilogy universe.)
So I am excited to delve into The Kingdom of Copper audio which LITERALLY became available today 2.20.23 form my libraries digital catalogue and I am so excited to start it!!! AAAAHHH!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Grief, Injury/injury detail, Medical trauma, Murder, Rape, Sexual content, Torture, Blood, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Self harm, Violence, War, Gore, Slavery, and Vomit
leftielady's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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? It's complicated
5.0
This is my first five star review of 2023.
I absolutely LOVE this book. I love the characters. The storyline and it's pace is fantastic. The world building and magic system is so unique. Amazing book and I will definitely be recommending it to others.
I absolutely LOVE this book. I love the characters. The storyline and it's pace is fantastic. The world building and magic system is so unique. Amazing book and I will definitely be recommending it to others.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery, Torture, Colonisation, War, Violence, Murder, Death, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Rape
saric7's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Great world building in a just ok plot.
Ali’s character kept this book from being terrible. I would love to have seen him get his own book instead of being tertiary and part of a subpar love triangle.
Ali’s character kept this book from being terrible. I would love to have seen him get his own book instead of being tertiary and part of a subpar love triangle.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Genocide, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, War, Slavery, Trafficking, and Racial slurs
Minor: Homophobia, Rape, and Abandonment
theletterdee's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Blood
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Rape
massivepizzacrust's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Fun and intriguing, if a bit dramatic. I'm not looking forward to this love triangle (I'm not fooled) but I'll definitely continue on in the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Racism, and Blood
Moderate: Rape
No on page sexual violence but it's mentioned very often.ellenisntcool's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The first 20% and last 20% had me hooked, I really enjoyed it. It was the middle the really dragged this down, as I felt confused about which tribe hates which and the conflicts that were happening. Overall, it's good if you want a political fantasy set in a historical time period (akin to Poppy War which is much better) then this is good! I'll pick up the second book for sure, but I would recommend reading reviews and borrowing from a library in case you find its not to your tastes.
(And also, because this is published by Harper Collins and you should support the HarperCollins Union that's still ongoing).
Spoiler
And not to mention the romance. It really came out of nowhere and the whole cave scene could be cut out as to me Dara and Nahri didn't have much chemistry, so it doesn't make sense that after a month of travels that we barely saw they'd almost have sex in said cave.(And also, because this is published by Harper Collins and you should support the HarperCollins Union that's still ongoing).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Child death
Moderate: Child abuse, Injury/injury detail, and Death
daniellaikonn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This book at times felt like it was Game of Thrones but make it YA. I love the complexity of the characters and the plot. There were times where I felt as if there were unnecessary scenes but overall the plot kept me intrigued for almost the whole book. For the length of the book it had a good pace and good plotline. The characters all had thier likes and dislikes and were all each unique in thier own ways. The writing of this novel was truly something. The way the author described things really made you feel as if you were there. If you want a good paced, long, captivating fantasy with creatures and magic and princes then this is the book for you.
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape
breadwitchery's review against another edition
adventurous
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: Violence, Death, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Child death, War, and Slavery
Minor: Vomit, Rape, Cursing, Child abuse, Ableism, and Pregnancy