A review by gracelikesorcas
The Empire of Gold by S.A. Chakraborty
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
I can’t believe how quickly I raced through this book. Yes, it’s a long book, but time means nothing when you get to return to this dazzling (or what used to be dazzling), captivating, and rich setting. Plus, we’re thrown right back into the political turmoil we were left with at the end of book 2. (I am so thankful I didn’t have to wait between books 2 and 3. I don’t know what I would have done with myself.)
I loved the POVs we got in this book. The characters are the absolute definition of morally grey. How can you even begin to understand the other side when you think you’re the only one that’s correct? And Chakraborty’s characterization was phenomenal. Nahri and Ali had such a journey in this book, and we got to explore MORE backstory which I was so so thrilled to read. (I’m SO invested in these two). Manizheh was a terrifying force to reckon with, and Dara & co… I didn’t know who to sympathize with. The motivations behind these characters gave such emotional depth that I found myself fully absorbed in their plight(s).
And those twists and reveals? They landed PERFECTLY, in my opinion. I thought I would be bothered by the amount of exposition we got, especially later in the book, but it all made so much sense and was so important that I didn’t mind at all. The creatures we encountered in this book were SO COOL and I love that the marids played a bigger part here. I truly forgot I was reading for a while, a testament to Chakraborty’s writing. She also draws such a delicate balance between lighthearted dialogue and the DEATH DEATH DEATH scenes, which
The only reason this book did not get 5 full stars is that I expected to get my heart fully ripped out and stomped on, a-la The Burning God by RF Kuang. Of course it’s not the same, but I expected some big huge grand finale that would leave me quaking in my boots. Especially since this big book is the end of a whole trilogy! I can’t think of a better way for this series to end, but I definitely feel hollow after reading it. Like… that’s it? We’re done? Did I want more action? A big confrontation? I have no idea. But I wanted MORE!