#Because I LOVED writing Nahri and Ali????

[leafy-m]

alizayd for character opinion bingo 🧍🏽‍♀️

Thank you! 💖

Alizayd al Qahtani is the fucking best. There is no contest. He's empathetic, he's a sass machine, he's got a backbone made of righteous steel, he's a nerd raised to be a jock and was the best zulfiqari of his generation through sheer determination. He's the smartest (and tallest) man in the room that loves to help people and is also an oblivious social loser. He's a math genius and an economic wizard that outsmarted the Royal Treasury's best accountants as a teenager to secretly fund and make the Tanzeem's illegal transactions untraceable, and *During a Recession* got a millennia-old decrepit hospital to be completely rebuilt and functional in like 6 months. He also actually listens to people, and did possibly the most romantic thing in the series by building Nahri her private Cairo-themed office. He's self-sacrificing and self-denying to a fault and all he wants to do is fix things (and swim, and read), and he perfectly fits into soldier life and civilian life.

My man has the best character arc of the trilogy as he learns and grows past his early prejudice and indecision while sharpening his best traits. He is constantly reevaluating himself and his actions while still holding on to what matters to him, like his faith and his idealism that Daevabad can be improved. Even in the depths of his bitterness or grief, he always returns to trying to do the right thing, and not holding unrelated people responsible for the actions of others. He has the best motivational speeches in the series. His great grandpa is a crocodile and their scenes together are hilarious.

My man Alizayd has some Lord of the Rings: Return of the King-level epicness, in how he is descended from both Zaydi al Qahtani and the marid-blessed Armah. Zaydi, who rallied the djinn world against the genocidal Nahids and overthrew them to take Daevabad 1400 years earlier; and his ally Armah who commanded the marid to help take the city and Suleiman's Ring, and made the ultimate sacrifice by staying allied with the djinn. Ali is constantly compared to Zaydi in City of Brass and Kingdom of Copper, but there's this steady transfer of similarities to Armah in Kingdom of Copper and Empire of Gold, until Ali is truly representing both sides combined as he aids Nahri and a global army that he put together in three days to once again take back Daevabad from a genocidal Nahid. The man is a fucking legend, and with any other author or director it would unquestionably be at the forefront of the story. Instead it hides in background details foe readers to piece together, like it's barely worth mentioning.

This is because my man Ali also has the self-confidence/self-esteem of a shy beetle hiding six feet under the earth, and the author's subtle/vague writing style and inability to stand up for what she's trying to say when people misunderstand has created... how do I word this... A lot of wiggle room for bullshit?

Ali gets dragged a lot for being self-righteous and a fanatic, because characters that are threatened by him in the book call him that, and readers parrot it without any consideration or critical thought. Is it self-righteous to be against slavery? Or to create personal boundaries regarding drinking and premarital sex? Is it fanaticism when he argues against corruption, or practices his religion *in a completely normal way?* I dare say no! But Ali is both black and muslim, so he gets a shit load of shit from every corner, and with the author unable to really clear things up and too cowardly to even admit that Ali is her favorite character without immediately asking everyone to forget she said that (Oops. Also: no), it makes me very, very concerned for whoever ends up playing Ali in the Netflix show. Because if past is any pretext, he's definitely not gonna get paid enough for all the harassment he'll face. And if the author can't stand up for her characters and book themes now, how will she do it when the audience is much, much bigger and louder? :/

As much as I love Ali and his countless parallels with Nahri, and have a thousand headcanons for him (and a thousand fic & art ideas/wips), the series itself (or rather how it undid all its narrative themes in the end to appease loud fans who never understood what the series was trying to say in the first place, along with the author's blindspots regarding the Nahids/Daevas), has made me incredibly bitter. 🙃 I am someone who worships canon encyclopedically and remembers everything, and have come to the unfortunate realization that I cannot in good health ever read this series again.

So my beloved blorbo Ali exists for me in a weird dimension that I cannot really interact with anymore. Made worse because I still desperately want to see fandom stuff, but then also viciously tear apart everything I find. 💀

Idk how to end this. Thanks for the ask! ☺️

#The stupid thing is that I'm still trying to finish my fics #Because I LOVED writing Nahri and Ali???? #Like yes my god he deserved better; but when they worked it was So Good 😭💖 #And I feel guilty because We Fucking Won in River of Silver and I still can't get past my bitterness #Doesn't help that the final story is a time paradox and proves that no one on Team Daevabad is doing any due diligence with fact checking #Don't even get me started on the changes to the Gazebo scene -- I'm still mad about how she watered down his lines #I literally cannot think about this series without ranting #Even the good parts just remind me of how it gets fucked up later #And most people don't even notice??? All the praise I see makes me feel insane #And all the Dara fans and other readers completely misunderstanding the series makes me insane #I've never seen a series ask its readers to remember so many details and nuances; and then Get Worse the more you understand! #And not in the 'oh its so much more tragic' sense; but literally 'they stopped fact checking things' sense #It's a series that runs on vibes but is also completely against the vibes its sending out #Fuck I wish I could quit this series 😭 #How do other fandoms manage this kind of bullshit omg #Hhhh #Ok I'm done #Alizayd al Qahtani #The Daevabad Trilogy #Long post #My posts

[hylialeia]

thoughts on the Daevabad Trilogy, short version: holy shit that was good

longer version:

holy shit that was good.

I adored the writing style, the imagery, the worldbuilding, the characters, the character dynamics, and the pacing all the way through. I first picked up this series because of how Global Medievalism talked about it as a stepping stone away from Eurocentric medieval fantasy and it definitely delivered. this is tied with Spinning Silver for my favorite recent reads--which is even more impressive since SS was a standalone, meanwhile this series kept up a consistently high quality across three separate books.

after Fourth Wing masquerading as a rich, complex adult fantasy and then being What It Actually Was, this was an immensely satisfying series to pick up. it skirts the fantasy staple of the Inherently Evil Race/Species that so many works fall into (even asoiaf with the Others) and instead opts to explore in-depth religious and racial prejudices, revolutions, bigotry, power, and privilege in ways that can be frightening for a lot of authors (and readers). I can see why this series would frustrated a large swath of fantasy fans and not just because it steps completely away from the Europe-but-slightly-to-the-left settings that they're so familiar with; people looking for escapism and a palatable black-and-white conflict definitely wouldn't find it here.

that said, I also think the narrative did a fantastic job of showcasing the brutality of oppression, as well as cycles of revenge and violence, without turning into a sermon about how anyone who fights back is Just As Bad as the oppressor. you can sympathize with any faction within the trilogy while still seeing that there's a clear hierarchy. this is a series that asks the reader to be open minded and to sympathize with a variety of people's suffering while still condemning heinous actions, crimes, and ways of thinking. portrayals of violence, swearing, and sex aside, this is where I believe the adult label is earned. the Daevabad Trilogy outshines Fourth Wing in its entirety, actually following through on promises of depth, complexity, and exploration.

I don't think the series reaches into absolutely flawless territory; on reflection, there are a lot of scenes I wish we'd seen happening in the moment rather than summarized or briefly flashed back to. this goes especially for the end of the last book, Empire of Gold, which would have enhanced the pacing quite a bit. there's a bit of rushing through the final battle, and though it's still quite fantastic and follows through on a deal of foreshadowing and character build-up, it definitely feels over too soon. there are also a few loose ends and potential conflicts when it comes to the characters themselves that the series felt too tired to actually flesh out by the end. I can forgive that chiefly because of just how well-rounded and consistent the characters themselves are, even despite those instances.

and holy shit did I adore these characters. I've only seen the barest tip of the iceberg of discourse this series caused (which I'm sure was insane when it first came out), but thankfully the 10 million+ Way More Problematic Characters (that I also love) in asoiaf has made me immune to whatever the hell was going on over there. I also couldn't get involved in a ship war if you paid me.

I think the first book made a good call only having Nahri and Ali's POVs not just from a technical standpoint (Dara's POV wouldn't have added much, and may have even spoiled some meaningful twists) but also in priming the reader for what is the heart of the entire trilogy: their dynamic. Nahri and Ali carry the series whether they're young, platonic best friends who should be enemies, awkward ex-friends who still get a long way too well, or best friends who are deeply in love which each other but too traumatized to admit it. they both stand incredibly well as individuals (evidenced by the fact that they don't even meet until over the halfway mark in the first book), with Ali being a particular favorite of mine from the very beginning. their opposite upbringings yet similar interests made them a fantastic duo, one where it made sense the impact each one would have on the other's journey. there's something so incredibly endearing about their inability to legitimately dislike each other despite their circumstances, one that makes sense based on their already established personalities; they propel the series' most meaningful moments.

for the elephant in the room: as frustrating as Dara's POV could be I found it a worthy and fascinating addition in the later books, one that I think a lot of people missed the weight of if they were too busy excusing him/hating him. his perspective, biased and misguided as it often was, provided so much rich exploration of the trilogy's overall themes: militarism, religious fanaticism, prejudice, free will, just war, revolution, cycles of violence, conditioning and abuse, etc. that so much of this seemed to fall to the wayside in a strive to decide if he was excusable or not (and thus a viable love interest or not) is a huge shame. his ending was, to me, profoundly satisfying; not redeemed but finally allowed to act of his own free will, no longer bound by outside magic or internalized religious obligation. I never violently disliked Dara and Nahri's romantic entanglement so much as I knew it was doomed from the moment Ali had a POV chapter.

the secondary characters were no less engaging for me, especially as their prominence grew throughout the books, antagonists or otherwise. it was refreshing to see Muntadhir and Jamshid's individual characters (and thus their relationship) become a more prominent aspect of the story--again, especially after the tokenism in Fourth Wing. side characters always seemed to have deeper personalities and roles to play, with even early character deaths like Anas having lasting impacts for our main POVs. their presence was as vital to the immersion and depth of the world as much as the setting and imagery--which are also aspects that completely blew me away. from character, technical, to thematic standpoints, the Daevabad Trilogy absolutely amazed me.

final thoughts and rating: if you give me a book where two married characters are in love with the other's brother and expect me not to give it a high rating you're insane. 8/10. maybe even 9/10. go read these books.

#spoiler warning for people who want to read this series (which you should) #thank you chakraborty for Thee character dynamic of all time #ali love of my life. apple of my eye. <3 #the daevabad trilogy

[thexgrayxlady]

What I Read in July and August

Jade City by Fonda Lee - 4.25/5.0 I'm hooked. The characters were complex and fascinating to follow. I genuinely enjoyed that there was so much gray morality and watching the world evolving around the characters and how they react to it is fascinating. And while I was devastated by the scene at the docks, the fall out and the way it impacted everything else was incredible, doubly so because it wasn't supposed to happen that way. Watching Hilo suddenly shoved into a role that he isn't suited to and Shae coming into a role that she is very suited to, but isn't ready for yet, and the mistakes they make in the process, was great. On top of this, the magic system is just so. so cool. I can't wait to read Jade War.

Empire of Gold by S.A. Chakraborty - 4.75/5.0 I love this series so much and I don't know why I waited so long to read this book. I think I just didn't want it to end. Nahri is such an interesting and nuanced character and I really loved reading from her perspective. Her and Ali are so cute and I love them so much. Manizheh is an amazing antagonist. Like, the definition of, "cool motive, still genocide." Dara remains The Worst (derogatory), but he's awful in a way that's very believable. I still couldn't wait for his chapters to be over and I honestly would have liked to learn about what's going on in Daevabad from another perspective just so that I didn't have to read quite so much, "Oh woe is me. I put the leopards eating faces party in power and now they are eating faces I didn't think they'd eat." I think the book was paced very well, with sections that felt very fast and others that moved at an appropriately languid pace, and it did not feel eight hundred pages long. However, I think that the very end of a very long book is the absolute wrong time to bring in the animal sidekick and I wish the Peris came up more in the earlier books. Still, I love it so much.

The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi - 4.0/5.0 This book very earnestly just wants to be a good time and it is. It is a very good time. The characters are all likeable, if prone leaning on the fourth wall in a way that sometimes feels a little too marvel for my taste. The plot is not terribly deep, but it's not trying to be. And I can't find it in myself to fault the author for just wanting to write a fun book. The only thing I found myself really wanting more of was more thorough descriptions of the Kaiju. Like, even after spending so much time on page with her, I'm still not sure what Bella looks like and I think that was a missed opportunity.

Fatal Enquiry by Will Thomas - 0.5/5.0 This book is so thoroughly unenjoyable I don't think that I want to send it back to the book box whence it came. If you want an iteration of Holmes and Watson wherein Watson is genuinely stupid and Holmes is an unrepentant jackass, and a deeply stupid mystery that gets solved off page, this is for you. If not for the fact that A Discovery of Witches is so damn long, it would be the worst thing I've read this year.

Shadowblack by Sebastien de Castell - 3.5/5.0 This was a fun little adventure. I like how the main character uses the little magic he has in creative ways. I like that this is mostly self contained, but doesn't waste a lot of time reiterating the world building from the previous book.

Monsterous Heart by Claire McKenna - 2.25/5.0 This book has a fantastic setting with airships and lighthouses and kraken and plesiosaurs and blood magic and it's wasted on a bland romance. There's some really good, well written, atmospheric bits in this book and that just makes the rest of it infuriating in it's mediocrity.

Velocity Weapon by Megan E. O'Keefe - 3.75/5.0 This book is a blast. There was some kind of fun twist in every chapter and it kept me wanting to come back for more. The frequent plot developments that recontextualized the characters we thought we knew and understood, for the most part, felt natural and a part of a greater whole. The characters themselves were enjoyable and while I wasn't sold on the romance at first, it grew on me. I think the fast pace and frequent twists would have been a little frustrating if I hadn't been reading it in half hour increments on my lunch break, but as it was it was a really good time. I really hope I find more of the series at the used book store, but if I don't I'm considering putting an order in at Thrift Books.

Dark Star Rising by Bennet S. Coles - 2.0/5.0 This series has asked the question, "what if treasure planet was kind of boring?" I don't think it takes enough advantage of the sci-fi portion of the setting, which is disappointing because sci-fi sailing ships in space has a lot of potential. Instead, you could replace the names of the different planets with places on earth and it would change nothing. While the characters are serviceable, most of the minor ones blend together in a mush that made me have to go back and reread portions to remember who they were talking to. I could have done without the very quickly resolved love triangle subplot. Or the romance subplot altogether. Like, it's just too bland for me to even properly dislike it.

The Dark Griffin by K.J. Taylor - 2.5/5.0 On the one hand, this was a very generic fantasy read. On the other, you know that scene from Dragon Age Origins where the Warden is pestering Wynne about whether or not a story has griffins? That's pretty much me in every fantasy novel. The griffins are great. The main character doesn't have much, if any character. There are more than a few plot moments that feel like the author panicked trying to figure out how to get the characters from point A to point B. However, the ending was interesting enough that I find the next book in the series at the library or used book super store, I'd probably continue it.

#Gray Reads Stuff #These are just my opinions #There was a lot in the last few weeks that TBCH can be summed up with it was fun I don't have many thoughts

[harmonicaorange]

200 pages into city of brass and the only thing disappointing me is i would have liked more of a slowburn for dara and nahri

#like the kind of slow burn where they don’t even kiss until book 2 #they haven’t reached daevabad yet and they’re already making out #not that they’re not adorable #but yeah i prefer tension and enemies to friends to lovers #than whatever they’ve currently got going on #also i heard quite a few bad reviews but the average rating on goodreads was high #so i took a chance and bought the first 2 books and i love it so far!! #very engaging writing and i like the world building #feels like i’m being submerged in the plot rather than just explained the plot #mine #even ali has interesting chapters #obviously they’re a bit slower than nahri’s because his is more political #i flyyy through nahri’s chapters #but still enjoyable #the city of brass #natasha reads

[kpop-er]

CITY OF BRASS, BOOK RECOMMENDATION

If you are looking for anything to read, I highly recommend the city of brass trilogy. It's seriously one of the greatest fantasy works I have ever read. Like, I cannot find the words to describe what this book did to me, it literally swallowed me.

Like the story line is unmatched, you have Nahri, a thief from Cairo, who has an incredible hidden power and then you have her deadly, a thousand year old warrior protector. After a turn of events Nahri gets brought to Daevabad, a hidden city full of djinns, which is under the rule of a cruel king.

The love story is enemies to lovers, but I will say that the love story is not the main focus. It's a lot about politics and reuniting the different tribes of the city, who all hate each other deeply. We get two povs, once nahri's and once ali's, who is the son of the cruel king and 2nd in line for the throne. Usually I hate stories which focus too much on the politics but this one was so gripping that I literally couldn't put the books down. I read all three in a span of a week. It has a satisfying ending, but I will say that it left me crying on more than one occasion lol. This book makes you get genuinely scared for a literal war criminal. I grew to care so deeply for the characters and was so devasted every time something tragic would happen. But like I said, it has a satisfying ending! So, go read it, you won't regret it.

This book series deserves so much more appreciation and S.A. Chakraborty deserves a serious round of applause for creating such an amazing world.

Because I'm terrible at writing summaries, here's the short summary of the book cover:

On the streets of eighteenth-century Cairo, Nahri is a con woman of unsurpassed skill. She makes her living swindling Ottoman nobles, hoping to one day earn enough to change her fortunes. But when Nahri accidentally summons Dara, an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior, during one of her cons, she learns that even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences.

Forced to flee Cairo, Dara and Nahri journey together across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire and rivers where the mythical marid sleep, past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises and mountains where the circling birds of prey are more than what they seem, to Daevabad, the legendary city of brass.

It’s a city steeped in magic and fire, where blood can be as dangerous as any spell; a city where old resentments run deep and the royal court rules with a tenuous grip; a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound—and where her very presence threatens to ignite a war that has been simmering for centuries.

Enjoy!!

#book #book review #book recommendation #fantasy #fantasy book #enemies to lovers #city of brass #daevabad trilogy #acotar #tog #got #acosf #fbaa #from blood and ash #a court of thorns and roses #a court of silver flames #game of thrones #throne of glass

[sixth-light]

Tagged by @morallygreywaren: “ Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favorite opening line. Then tag 10 of your favorite authors! “

Doing stories posted to AO3 only (I’m behind on transferring ficlets) in reverse chronological order. I think most people I would remember to tag have been tagged, so as is often the case, have you read this and thought “I wish someone would tag me”? You’re it! 

(Also I discovered an exciting new hellsite failure mode: I resized the window I was working in and Tumblr wiped my draft post I was half-way through typing, even though I didn’t refresh the page. AMAZING. so functional much website very wow.) 

Clusivity (Joe/Nicky, TOG): “Joe liked to think of himself as someone who kept an open mind about people.”

portrayal (Joe/Nicky, TOG): “The first thing Nicolò thought about Yusuf al-Kaysani, when they shook hands in front of three cameras, eight crew, and two members of his father’s PR team, was that he had an impressive amount of self-control.”

makes me want you more (Joe/Nicky, TOG): ““Are you done yet?” Joe asked Nile, after a full minute had passed and she showed no signs of overcoming her laughter.”

Acts of Kindness (Joe/Nicky, TOG): ““Come here,” Nicolò said, tugging at Yusuf’s arm, and Yusuf, of course, came at once.”

men of their word (Joe/Nicky, TOG): ““You’re all here today,” says Andromache, the Prince of the city, “because I’ve had enough.””

the map is not the territory (Joe/Nicky, TOG): “Yusuf was frowning at the big map on the windowless wall of the council room, mentally overlaying trade routes onto it, when he heard footsteps in the corridor.”

love at first sight (every single time) (Joe/Nicky, TOG): “When Nicky went to the bar to get another drink, the woman in the next booth bent around to whisper urgently to Joe.”

Apex Predators In Island Ecosystems (Freeman et al., in press) (Nile-centric gen, TOG): “Nile didn’t really start to believe there was anything to this whole dinosaur park thing until they were in Costa Rica, getting into the helicopter that was going to take them to the island.”

Known By Touch (Joe/Nicky, TOG): “Yusuf came back to the land of the living as a crow settled on his face.”

marriage of (in)convenience (Joe/Nicky, TOG):  “Booker liked to remind Joe, for years afterward, that he probably should have thought harder about why Nicky had proposed to him so quickly.”

make your own fun (Joe/Nicky, TOG): “Joe was sitting at his desk with a work project open, sketching idly in his notebook, when he heard someone else come into the office, accompanied by the sound of music from the party further along this floor.”

In Good Time (Ali & Muntadhir, The Daevabad Trilogy): ““I need your help,” Ali said to Nahri.”

all winners here (Joe/Nicky, TOG): ““You guys have never heard of gay chicken?” Nile said, that fateful evening.”

A Taste Of Home (Nile-centric teamfic, TOG): “Nile crossed the Canadian-US border into the country of her birth for the first time in six years, late one November – not nearly as cold as it should have been in New England this time of year, thanks, climate change – and realised that two days from now was going to be Thanksgiving.”

Good Enough To Be True (Joe/Nicky, TOG): ““You know what I need?” Joe says to Andy, one afternoon. “I need an arranged marriage.””

Husbandry (TOG/Heyer-verse fusion): ““Frederica!” Charis exclaimed, having barely taken her gloves off. “Frederica, I have heard the most astonishing news.””

prior probabilities (Joe/Nicky, TOG): ““We are very pleased to receive you,” the queen of Tunis tells Nicolò, “but I am afraid I have poor tidings as return for your journey: my son is not here.””

A State of Mutual Ignorance (Joe/Nicky, TOG): “For more than a month after he first kissed Nicolò, Yusuf sailed through the world in a soft, shiny haze of joy.”

home is how you make it (Joe/Nicky, TOG): “Over the last seven years or so, Nicolò had developed a set of rules to determine what he was facing when he returned to Genoa from Malta.”

The Same River Twice (Joe/Nicky, TOG): “Nicolò spends the night before they are due to arrive in the port of Genoa talking to himself in Ligurian.”

Thoughts inspired by this exercise: I never med a res I did not want to be in medias of, and I like dialogue. Oh, boy, do I like writing dialogue. 

Of these, I think my favourite is the opening line for men of their word, because it invites so many questions right away. The second is home is how you make it, because it’s the opener to a - in my opinion - rather deft layout of the story’s setting.

#tag memes #my fanfic

[bagheerita]

So I just finished Empire of Gold and need to gush about The Daevabad Trilogy for a minute.

(I try to be vague, but that's exactly when I up and hit you with low-key SPOILERS, so be aware.)

My rambling is only barely organized into the format of randomly selected topics in order to provide a vague outline for my outflowing of affection for each book.

CITY OF BRASS

Favorite character: Definitely Nahri. I love a woman who isn't afraid to go after what she wants, and boy howdy do I love me a pragmatist. AND do I love me a girl who can keep her head on her shoulders even when she's in-lust with man. As much as she is truly falling in love with Dara, she never forgets the way he looked at her when he thought she was shafit and his relief when Ghassan said she wasn't. She would have married him if he had offered I think, but she was smart enough to make him take the first step to cross the gap that his prejudice had put between them.

Most impressive thing: The way the author uses her narrator to tell a story that the narrative character doesn't always fully understand. This mostly comes through Ali's chapters at this point cause he's a little naive, but it's really skillfully done.

��KINGDOM OF COPPER

Least favorite thing: There are some moments that just felt... weirdly written. There's three big ones that come to mind...

At the beginning- the way the writing describes the environment. I'm paraphrasing because it's been a week since I read it and I don’t remember details, but it's like "the only sound in the graveyard was the distant sound of cats fighting" then, five minutes later "The only sound was the sound of coins jingling in her basket."  Like, where were those coins five minutes ago?! Also, why does an experienced thief put coins in a jingly basket that is easy to steal or drop instead of hiding them on her person??? (That's super nitpicky, but it was the first chapter, so I noticed it more.)

The second big moment that annoyed me was... okay so Dara learns that Muntadhir is bisexual through mind-reading powers that he's never previously demonstrated? I mean, there are enough clues about how he does it, and it makes sense to the character's history that he can sense peoples’ desires, but it felt weird that this is the only time we really see him use this power- here, as the inciting incident to the third act, where so much of the plot revolves around it. Dara already knew that Ghassan was planning to force Nahri to marry Muntadhir, they'd already talked about this, so I'm not sure what about Muntadhir being in a relationship with a man, as opposed to the multiple women he’s slept with this week, was enough to make this prospect so immediately repugnant that Dara goes absolutely stupid about it and incites the climax of the book.

Then there's the epilogue that basically just exists to point out what we already learned about Muntadhir and Jamshid. I thought that was kind of unnecessary, as no one in this epilogue scene, including the reader, doesn't already know about this relationship. Though the epilogue does also contain what I think was supposed to be foreshadowing, but which sent me off on a weird mental tangent where I spent most of the second book thinking Jamshid was the reincarnation of Rustam...

Favorite character: Muntadhir, hands down. There is one scene in particular, where he sasses Dara while dying of poison that is just my favorite scene in the entire book. I mean, I think part of my enjoyment was that I had been worried that he was about to be a victim of the Bury Your Gays trope, so when he shows back up still not dead I was so relieved to see him I literally squeeeed, and then he's bragging to Dara about something I explicitly know didn't happen, just actively involved in assassinating his own character because he has nothing else he can give to save his brother at that point except trying to distract Dara by enraging him... omg, do I love me some brotherly feels- my second favorite scene was the three siblings in a closet plotting a coup.

Least favorite thing: Dara lying to himself and justifying Manizheh's actions for the entire book. I get that the fact that he was lied to and betrayed by the people in power that he should have been able to trust is a big part of his arc, but I was not excited to have his POV added to this book just to have him and everyone around him spout off more prejudiced victim narrative bullshit every time I flipped to his chapters, like I wasn't getting enough of that from practically every other character in the story.

Most impressive thing: The author draws some really great parallels and contrasts between the 3 main characters and their journeys that I absolutely love. In chapter 2, Nahri says something like "Where's your sense of adventure?" to her new friend and then literally in the next chapter Ali says "Have you no sense of inquisitiveness?" to his new friend. (I don't like to call ships that early in the story, but I was like- these two are fated to be best friends if not something more.)  A bit later in the story, Dara is presented with a choice: to do the easy thing or to do the Right thing, and he chooses the easy path even though he knows that it's wrong. After this, Ali is presented with a choice: to do the easy thing or the Right thing, and he does the Right thing, even though he knows that it ultimately probably won't help. I just really love that this story always feels like every narrative POV and every chapter fully develops the character and contributes to the world. 

I also really love the twists and turns that Ali and Nahri’s relationship has taken over these first two books. They really have grown as individuals, and have believed the best and worst of each other, and understand each other in a way that is a great foundation for a truly lasting friendship (which is, of course, the best bedrock for building a more intimate relationship).

 EMPIRE OF GOLD

Favorite character: Sobek. I have a soft spot for unrepentant murderers who have a soft spot for the people they find interesting.

Least favorite thing: It ended? I know this book was long enough to be an entire trilogy on its own, but I would have loved more at the end from the side characters. Like, I want 100 more pages just about Jamshid and Muntadhir. I was explicit confirmation of what Zaynab and Aquisa are up to, and a sequel trilogy about their adventures. I want more about Fiza and what her plans are for the future. I want orchard shenanigans with Mishmish. I want more about Sudha and her family. I want more about Nahri conning everyone into making a functional government, and I want more about the trials of everyone in the city learning to not hate and judge as a first reflex. Just MORE!

Most impressive thing: Overall I was just impressed with this entire book. If I had to pick one thing, I would probably say I was most impressed, and pleasantly surprised, by Dara's ending. By this point in the story, I was certain that Dara had transgressed every transgression that it was possible to transgress, and lied to himself the entire way, only deciding upon the Right course of action when it was exactly 2 minutes too late, so I was prepared for him to find Redemption in Death. But once again I was pleasantly surprised at this story's refusal to follow popular story tropes, when it instead granted him true freedom as he perhaps had never known in his life, and the ability to choose who he would live that life in service of- choosing to help those who, like him, had been victims of the ifrit. 

I want more stories like this, about characters who are unforgivable, but who are forgiven- not by people or by those they have wronged, but by the narrative itself. Who are able and allowed to rededicate their lives to something, choosing to see their own actions and commit to helping people instead of just blindly following.

 OVERALL

Favorite character: I want to say Nahri, though I also really appreciate Ali and his quiet growth from being naive and kind of annoying to a man who is finally comfortable with and understands himself. But I think I’m going to have to choose Jamshid. I really like characters who are honest with themselves about their motivations, and I really admire his willingness to be open to change, to having his entire world and beliefs be turned upside down and try to go with the new way of being instead of holding on to the past, to confess his sins and be honest with Nahri, to believe in the people he knows rather than in what others say about them when Manizheh tries to manipulate him, to have been through everything he's been through and still retain a sense of humor and a generally upbeat personality.

The author does a good job of presenting all of the characters as fully rounded people so that there isn't really a character that I find poorly written. I definitely disagree with a lot of characters, and dislike them as individual people, and Manizheh comes the closest to being someone I truly hate, but you can see the paths that brought these people to be who they are. There are some great lines- where I think it's Nahri who notes that Ghassan's father make him like he was by his abuse, as he had twisted Manizheh  up with his own abuse, and that Muntadhir could have easily become just like his father. All people have the potential inside of them to be good or to be evil, and they are formed by the circumstances of their lives, the choices they make, and the power they give to the relationships they have.  I also loved that, once she learns the truth about her parents, Nahri notes how much of herself she gets from her Egyptian mother, just as much as she got her Nahid heritage from Rustam, and that it's a part of her that she can be proud of and celebrate.

 Most impressive thing: I don't like "realistic" fantasy, where lots of people die, because that tends to be an excuse for the book to just be really depressing. This story really surprised me by being realistic but in a way that was still full of hope. Sometimes people are terrible, or they are broken by the world and can no longer see anything beyond their pain, and a lot of the time the institutions we have created are terrible and are built on terrible things. But there is still always a need for people who do the right thing, who stand up for those who are being treated unfairly, who are willing to make sacrifices to break down the "us" and "them" that divides people. Who are willing to see change not as something to be feared but as a beautiful potential.

Least MOST favorite thing:  As Chakraborty herself notes in her afterward:  "There are days when it feels silly and selfish to spend my days crafting tales of monsters and magic. But I still believe, desperately, in the power of stories. If you take any message from this trilogy, I hope it is to choose what's right even when it seems hopeless - especially when it seems hopeless. Stand for justice, be a light, and remember what it is we were promised by the One who knows better.

“With every hardship comes ease."

I also believe in the power of stories, and I’m so excited to have been able to experience this one.  <3

#book fangasm #the daevabad trilogy #the daevabad trilogy spoilers

[bookramblings]

The Kingdom of Copper

Author: S.A. Chakraborty

Published by: Harper Voyager

Pages: 620

Format: Hardback

My Rating ★★★★

In Daevabad, where djinn can summon flames with a snap of their fingers, where rivers run deep with ancient magic, and blood can be as dangerous as any spell, a clever con artist from Cairo will alter the fate of a kingdom.

Nahri’s life changed forever when she accidentally summoned Dara, a formidable, mysterious djinn, during one of her schemes. Thrust into the dazzling royal court of Daevabad, she needed all of her grifter instincts to survive. Now, as Nahri embraces her heritage and her power, she must forge a new path.

Exiled for daring to defy his father, Ali ids adrift on the unforgiving sands of his ancestral land, hunted by assassins and forced to rely on frightening new abilities that threaten to reveal a terrible family secret.

As a new century approaches and the djinn gather within Daevabad’s brass walls to celebrate, a power in the desolate north will bring a storm of fire straight to the city’s gates…

My thoughts:

The Kingdom of Copper, the sequel to S. A. Chakraborty’s magnificent The City of Brass largely takes place five years after the events of the first book.

There’s a prologue at the beginning of the book which details the immediate aftermath for each of our three main characters. However, the major bulk of the novel takes place several years after Dara’s ‘death,’ Ali al Qahtani’s possession by the marid and subsequent exile, and Nahri’s political arranged marriage to the crowned prince of Daevabad.

Without giving too much away, our three main characters: Nahri, Ali and Dara are all very separated and living completely different lives than when we last saw them in the first instalment. They have each grown tremendously during the five years, and now all have very different goals. In The Kingdom of Copper, we witness each of these characters embark on a journey quite unlike anything they’ve ever experienced before.

This was such a phenomenal instalment and such a treat to read. This is part two in the Daevabad trilogy, an own voices Muslim Fantasy series that takes place in the historical setting of the early 1800s. It is such a beautiful Middle Eastern story, and I enjoyed how the author has yet again been able to tie in so much of the culture’s folklore in an absolutely beautiful way through her storytelling.

This is a story about djinn, and magical cities, and people being able to harness powers that they don’t fully understand. This is also a story about oppression, and privilege, and the terrible things people are willing to do in the name of pure blood. The mixed bloods in this world, shafits, are treated horribly and without a second thought.

For me, The Kingdom of Copper was simply impossible to put down, because I was so enthralled on every page. This 600+ page book is completely packed with action, and I never wanted it to end. I love S.A. Chakraborty’s writing, and I think she really expertly crafts three very different characters, with three very different perspectives, all of which I completely delighted in.

The story is fantastic, the characters are wonderful, and the messages and representation within are so important in achieving such an absorbing and unique read. This book is entertaining, thrilling, heartfelt and powerful. I highly recommend this series - I found The Kingdom of Copper such an addictive and entertaining read. I loved it just as much as the first book. Now I really can’t wait to get started on the third and final part with The Empire of Gold.

Overall reaction:

#book reviews #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #elsa #daevabad #the daevabad trilogy #the kingdom of copper #nahri #city of brass #kingdomofcopper #bookramblingsbyolivia

[teabooksmagic]

CITY OF BRASS BY S.A. CHAKRABORTY

Hii bookworms!! I’m so insanely excited to review this book (I’m also really proud of this picture because I wanted to capture this gorgeous cover in all its glory) ⁣ ⁣ QOTP: Have you read any Asian-based fantasy stories? ⁣ ⁣ AOTP: City of Brass is actually one of my first fantasy books with a full-Asian, particularly Muslim, background to it. ⁣ ⁣ 𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: 5/5 STARS⁣ ⁣ 𝗙𝗔𝗩𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦: Nahri and Dara (Dara is actually my favourite and I’m talking about that ending okay) ⁣ ⁣ 𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗙𝗔𝗩𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦: Not sure if I hate any characters, it’s difficult since the feud is so long-standing and intense. Maybe Ghassan, his controlling nature in general was annoying. ⁣ ⁣ 𝗙𝗔𝗩𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗔𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗦: This book is so intense that I actually felt like I was sucked into another world. The descriptions, the world-building, was done so vividly that it was impossible to not feel like you were in Cairo, in Daevabad, with all the characters. S.A. Chakraborty’s writing is evocative and detailed, her world-building creates a place that I constantly want to be submerged in. ⁣ ⁣ Onto the characters; I instantly loved Dara. There was something compelling about his character and his polarising ideals. Then Nahri, she was hilarious, intelligent and intensely street-wise. She was a great combination with Dara. The ending line of CoB, left me utterly shocked and desperate to read more (not going to spoil it by saying what it was). In terms of Ali, I’m not 100% sure on how I feel about him. I want to love him but I feel a great loyalty to Dara, so who knows. It’s difficult not to like him as well. I’m basically highly conflicted. ⁣ ⁣ 𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣𝗦: I honestly don’t even know anymore. I went in shipping Dara and Nahri, and I now I have no idea. Pre-warning, there is a love triangle but it’s not so complicated because the politics is going to keep you far more conflicted. ⁣ ⁣ 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗗 𝗙𝗢𝗥: readers looking for a strong, political, high-fantasy story.

#city of brass #s.a. chakraborty #empire of gold #bookish #book review #books #book club #bookworm #book recommendations #Book Lover #reading #currently reading #current read #kingdom of copper

[mkobooks]

The City of Brass - S.A. Chakraborty

Around the halfway mark The City of Brass, I went from confused to can’t put it down. In addition, as an aspiring fantasy writer, I found this concept of this book very inspiring.

The City of Brass is the first in a trilogy set in a magical version of the medieval Middle East. Nahri, our heroine, is a thief living in Cairo who makes her way duping the rich, foreign occupants of the city. She dreams about becoming a doctor because she has an inherent, magical talent for healing which she generally keeps secret. During one of her dupes, she accidentally summons Dara, a super-powered, undead warrior Daeva who saves her from ifrit, the evil demon cousins of the “djinn,” the magical beings in this world. Even though I read and enjoyed this book, there was a lot of terminology. I’m not sure if I didn’t fully understand Dara and his backstory and powers or if it was never fully explained (yet?). 

These ifrit and other evil beings chase Nahri and Dara out of Cairo and they’re forced to flee to the djinn-only city of Daevabad even though Dara is a fugitive and thinks he’ll get arrested as soon as he passes through the city gate.

Meanwhile, the prince of Daevabad, Ali, is secretly funding a sect of rebellious half-djinn-half-humans called shafit. Shafit are pretty angry because they’re second-class citizens and Ali, being super religious, genuinely wants to help them. That’s not the only conflict in Daevabad: the Daeva tribe of djinn don’t exactly get along with the other djinn tribes and there’s a long history of conflict that’s only recently been somewhat smoothed over. It doesn’t help that Daevabad used to be ruled by Daevas called Nahids. All the Nahid are dead now... or are they?

So, as you can guess, there is a lot of place-setting at the very start of this book. It’s as cumbersome to sum up as it was to read. However, once Nahri and Dara get to Daevabad, Nahri’s heritage as a Nahid is revealed, and she meets Ali and his family, things get much more interesting. It was probably this third quarter of the book that I enjoyed the most: Nahri’s troubles with adjusting to her new life, her friendship (or is it more?) with Ali versus her (unrequited?) feelings for Dara as well as the various political plots and learning the djinn magic and history in a more organic way.

The ending left me with more questions than answers, but it is the first book in a trilogy. I’m sure I’ll get around to reading the second and third installments sometime this year. 

I’ve had some light-hearted complaints about the overload of unfamiliar culture and terminology, but it wasn’t insurmountable. It’s helped me answer a question that’s been nagging me about my own writing: how much foreign-ness in a book is “too much”? I’ve been writing my own fantasy trilogy that’s heavily inspired by Southeast Asia: specifically the Malay archipelago and the overseas/Peranakan Chinese culture. I don’t expect most of my future readers to be familiar with this, but I’ve been leaning in hard to the clothes, the food, and some colorful Hokkien language. I’ll put a glossary in the back, it’ll be fine.

The City of Brass was a solid 3/5 for me. I was entertained, the setting was different from anything I’ve read in awhile, and I have opinions about the love triangle (Team Ali 100%; Dara is 1400 years old and undead). What more can I really ask for in a book?

The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty My rating: 3 of 5 stars View all my reviews

#book review #the city of brass #the daevabad trilogy #fantasy books #reading #just finished #writing #review

[mistwraiths]

5 stars

This is the last book of the trilogy so I'm not really going to do a little quick summary because I don't want to spoil anything. This series is about djinns and magic, and Arabic mythology.

I want to say that the first book in this trilogy, City of Brass, was possibly one of my first books that introduced me to Arabic mythology and other cultures than just the usual European fantasy or Greek/Roman/Norse mythology that's usually crammed down main media's throat. I wasn't actively pursuing books with different cultures back then. And I'm really sorry I didn't because jumping into this new world was so much fun. After this, I started actively searching for different authors and different books that showcased more diverse leads and myths, and that showcased different parts of the world.

S.A. Chakraborty's writing is lovely and captivating. Her world building, the deep and rich history of the races, and the realistic characters with hopes and flaws are where she shines the most. The political intrigue she writes is interesting and well developed. Nahri is such a fierce, intelligent character. Ali is a JOY. Dara is tragic.

This trilogy deals with old history, vengeance and the cycle of violence, of healing old wounds, and family bonds. There's a group of siblings that despite everything they love each other fiercely. Also, the gays do not die!!!!! It's also about hope and fighting for what's right, about equality, and when orders are bad do not blindly follow.

I could go on and on about this series. It's just so GOOD. Please give City of Brass a chance.

#s.a. chakraborty #the empire of gold #steph reads #steph's book review #book review

[tshepiso-reads-books]

A Wrap-Up of Sorts

I’ve been in a reviewing funk for basically all of July. There are several books I’d like to review but I just can’t get my brain to craft meaningful worlds and a sensical order no matter how hard I try. This is a problem because I generally don’t like to read books if I have books unreviewed and the backlog is starting to get a bit intimidating. So these are some mini-reviews for books I’ve read in the past 3 weeks.

Revenant Gun · Yoon Ha Lee

The conclusion to the Machineries of the Empire series was confusing, to say the least. I have struggled in the weeks since I read Revenant Gun to parse why Lee made the choices he did in this series. The new perspectives we follow and the ultimate villain of the story feels incongruous with the set up in the first two books and many of the character choices baffled me. However, despite my qualms, Lee did still manage to write an engaging story. I’ll always be attached to the characters in this series and Jedao and Cheris especially had my heart. I enjoyed learning the backstory of Kujen and delving into his particular backstory as well. I overall had a good time with this series but I think I’d need to reread it before I could state any definitive opinion on it.

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The Empire of Gold · S. A. Chakraborty

The Empire of Gold was the perfect conclusion to the Daevabad trilogy. Every moment of this book was brilliant and the journey Ali, Nahri and Dara went on throughout this series was excellent. I adored the themes explored throughout the series. The way Chakraborty handled what it truly means to redeem yourself and how to move past centuries of violence was perfectly done. I could see some finding this book slow but I found the pacing perfect. Chakraborty took the time to show growth in our characters by having them make meaning full sacrifices and confront their previous desires. This made the stakes and consequences of this series all the more impactful. Chakraborty truly put her characters through the wringer and they benefited from it.

I adored the political machinations throughout this book as I always have in the Daevabad series and was on the edge of my seat throughout this entire reading experience. I absolutely adored watching the conflict within Daevabad play out though my one criticism of the series would be that I wish we saw more of Zaynab and Aquisa. Chakraborty stepped up when it came to romance in this book and for the first time in the series I had a legitimate emotional connection to Ali and Nahri’s romance. The Empire of Gold was perfect in every way and certainly won’t disappoint fans of the previous two installments in the series. Anyone with even a minor interest in fantasy needs to pick the Daevabad trilogy.

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Loveless · Alice Oseman

Loveless was another Alice Oseman knockout YA contemporary. The story follows Georgia Warr a college freshman navigating her desire to be in a romantic relationship despite her seeming inability to find love. I will warn that Oseman has an incredibly close first-person narrative style that may make this book, and especially its first half, difficult to read. Georgia and the other prominent side characters in the series, like most teenagers, are very stuck in her own heads. They often jump to conclusions and make short-sided, selfish choices and fail to make obvious connections which may make this book a frustrating read. However, these aspects of the characters make our main cast feel all the more real.

Loveless is a coming of age story about a girl coming into her identity as asexual romantic and Oseman’s ownvoices depiction of that was stellar. Seeing Georgia going through the long and arduous process of discovering and accepting her sexuality was while occasionally frustrating heartwarming nonetheless. I’ve never experienced media with asexual romantic representation and I’m glad to see that this book might make teens who feel lost and confused comforted and understood. And the way Oseman unpacked and directed the various ways society enforces heteronormativity and allosexuality (feeling romantic and/or sexual attraction) was spot on and even helped me unpack my own feelings about my sexuality.

Oseman’s characters are naturalistic in a way that makes them very easy to connect to and the strong friendships at the core of the novel were wonderful to read about. The side characters in this story Rooney, Pip and Jason felt fully fleshed out and individual in a way that made the story feel whole. Oseman’s underlying message about the importance of friendships and their equal importance and meaning as romantic relationships really hit the mark with me. I’d highly recommend this book to anyone who loves grand romantic gestures, Shakespeare societies, and complex friendship dynamics.

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Prosper’s Demon · K. J. Parker

Prosper’s Demon was not an enjoyable reading experience. The story follows an unnamed morally grey exorcist. He discovers the genius philosopher, engineer and artist Prosper of Schanz is possessed by a particularly wily demon and the story unfolds from there.

Reading this book felt like listening to a scratched CD. K. J. Parker’s style in this novella was jumpy and skipped from place to place with no indication of where the story was going. Convoluted sentences structured in confusing ways were common and I often had to reread lines to fully understand what he was saying.

I also found it hard to connect to the narrator because Parker obfuscated his motivations and thought process in a way that made it impossible for me to care about him in any way. The story jumped from flashback to present timeline in a way that gave me narrative whiplash and while the story ultimately made sense by the time all the pieces fit together and our narrator’s plot revealed the story had already lost me. So while there was some interesting worldbuilding and I can see Parker’s style working for some this book just didn’t hit the mark for me.

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I can’t say whether or not I’ll come back to these books for stand-alone reviews but I’m glad to have gotten my thoughts out there for these books so I can move on with my life. I hope I’ll be in more of a reviewing mood in the future but I can’t be sure of that anytime soon. You may be seeing a lot more Recent Reads style wrap ups from me in the future.

#Loveless #Prosper's Demon #The EMpire of Gold #Revenant Gun #Book Review #mini reviews #Wrap Up

[mercythompson]

review for The Kingdom of Copper

book details:

Title: The Kingdom of Copper

Author: S.A. Chakraborty

Published: January/February 2019

Pages: 621

review details:

Stats: 4 out 5 stars

Read again: yes

review:

tl;dr: I LOVED THIS BOOK! The way the author hits you in the face with feelings, the way you learn to fall in love with the characters all over again, the introduction to MORE characters who are just as entertaining and fun to read as the ones before. I don't have enough words to explain how amazing it was to sink into this book and this universe because it was so rich and so real that I felt like Nahri, I felt like Ali, I felt like Dara. Chakraborty drags you into their heads and you don't want to leave them once you do!

I finished reading this almost ten days ago and that's how long I needed to sit with my feelings over this trilogy before I sat down to write a proper review. First of all, spoiler warnings throughout this entire review, hence why I included the tl;dr section at the top and why the rest is under a cut.

From all the commentary in the first book about how evil they were, I'm surprised that Dara was changed this way, but in hindsight, they laid the groundwork. Everything we know about the series comes from biased perspectives (from Dara who was indoctrinated by the Nahids to go where they pointed and do what they said, to the point where he was a child soldier and a war criminal by their orders; from Ghassan, who has proven that he's willing to lie and bury any truths that might threaten the stability of his rule; from Ali who learned what he was taught from others throughout the first book). The more we delve into things as Nahri (an outsider in the first book and an honored albeit gilded cage style citizen of five years in the second) and with Ali (a prince turned outsider turned people's champion) and with Dara (a soldier turned doubting soldier), we see everything they learned is the truth, but a small kernel of it from only one point of view, and the more they see of these other truths, the more we start to see that no one is wholly good or wholly right.

Chakraborty does an incredible job of making you think you understand a side and you agree with a side only to spin the perspective around and see it from the view of another. In the end, you're seeing that they both want the same thing: peace and safety, and that want is being manipulated by the people who might have started off the same way, but ultimately changed in the end. We see this evident in Ghassan, who did wish to find a way to make peace with everyone and find a way for things to change, but also seemed unwilling to take the risk and therefore resisted ALL change.

Manizheh seems similar to him, but we also haven't seen all of her motives yet in the series. I imagine she wants the same stability for her people and her loved ones that the others do, but we also know that her motives are... more than a little suspect. The hints seem to imply a sort of mad queen direction with her - and we see her methods are almost barbaric. The gas at the end of the story was horrific to imagine, and segues nicely into my next point.

Dara is... I've never met a character who was so exasperating and intriguing at the same time. Throughout the first book, I recall my own embarrassment at some of his behavior and antics, and the second one had much of the same feelings while I was reading it. Despite this, he's one of my favorite characters because you really do see his internal struggles on all of this, and how desperate he is to make atonement for some things. Worse, you see how he almost does, and he almost finds peace, only to be dragged into battle yet again by a Nahid. The poor man never gets a break, and worse, they manipulate him into doing more things. His involvement with the gas nearly killed me, I wanted to scream at him about why he was letting this happen, that he KNOWS it's wrong, and how happy I was when he tried to stop it. How sad I was when he failed and went along with it because he believed it was the greater good. I'm not sure how Chakraborty will handle it in the next book for him, so many things happened that must have changed him as a person. They certainly changed his relationship with Nahri.

Which brings me to Nahri. I loved her so much in the first book, and I loved her just as much in the second one with only a little bit of bittersweet feelings for how she has grown. The second book picks up with a five year timeskip and in that time, she's embraced her heritage in a way she struggled to do in the first book. I'm thrilled she's somewhat finding a place where she belong, but also incredibly sad that their prejudice are starting to leak into her - as we see for her thoughts about the Shafit overtime. The brilliant thing about Nahri is how easily she adapts to things, and this is the downside to it, but this is what I love about Nahri the most! She changes, and she grows, and despite that her core traits haven't changed. A thief, yes, but a good person, too. She grows from her mistakes, and we see how willing she is to put up with these things heaped on her (Ghassan's requirements, the Daeve's requirements, the Nahid requirements, Nisreen's requirements, etc) slowly erode. Her first instance of change is when guards are attacking people (her people, if I recall) and she tries to stop them, but fails and instead has to bring it to the attention of Muntadhir (which ultimately seems to go nowhere). The next time something goes wrong, what does Nahri do? She doesn't make the same mistake, that's for sure, she launches straight into healing people and helping people, regardless of what it might mean for her or her gifts. I cried reading her line in the book when she talks about how ashamed people can be for allowing things to turn this way, I think the specific line went something like "how can you be a servant of the Creator if you allow atrocities" or something? I thought it was around the time the Shafit were hurt, but I think it might have been beforehand. And we clearly that her words aren't idle ones. The moment the attack on the Shafit occurs, she helps them regardless. It's why she's one of my favorite characters - she isn't boggled down as much by things that happened in the past, she's trying to make things better for the present.

The only other character in the series who attempts the same thing is Ali which is why he's probably my favorite male character (I'm sorry, Dara, I love you still, but this is different). So many times in a story, we see a good character turn out to be evil because that's the twist we expect on it, but that's not something that happens with Ali. He is a good person, we saw evidence of that in the first book when he was giving money away in the hopes of helping the poor, and we know the consequences of those actions. Nonetheless, he does it, and we only see him halting when he notices they are using the money for weapons alongside the rest. His fault in the first book could only be considered naivety and recklessness, consequences he feels throughout the first book and even more into the second one. None of his actions in the first book are forgotten, and everything that occurred has shaped him in so many ways. I just really love this man who is good and kind and brave, and if his downfalls are naivety and recklessness, there are worse traits to have! His POV was my favorite parts of the story because despite how trapped he was, he had the most wiggle room to change things and you notice how changes didn't occur until he came. Oh, the process for them was beginning long before him, but he was the catalyst for a great deal of them which is why his ending in the book was the ONLY one that didn't surprise me.

Speaking of which, nearly everything else about the ending surprised me and I mean this in a good way. I couldn't have predicted it was all going to lead up to a revolt, an invasion, and an assassinated occurring at the same time, nor could I imagine how our characters would be reunited for only a few moments only to be ripped apart once more. I spent the entire ending of this book crying, thinking about all we had learned about our characters (Nahri with family closer than she thought and then losing another one along the way, Dara struggling under the weight of what the Nahid require him to do, Ali torn between what's right and what's easy and choosing what's right again and again in the same reckless fashion we know and love) and when it was done, I couldn't wait for the last one. This book doesn't suffer from the second book slump, it was just as thrilling and engaging as the first one, and the only thing I worry now is how Chakraborty can manage to top this one.

So, all in all, this can be summed up as: I HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS OKay! And I also want the third book now so I'm very happy that it's only about a month away.

#daevabad trilogy #kingdom of copper #book review #book rec #mira reviews #repost from my goodreads

[literateramblings]

Review: The Kingdom of Copper

{ Steal some happiness for yourself }

In the rich world of Daevabad and the territories lying outside, SA Chakraborty weaves another rich tale of what it means to have a family, even and especially when it’s painful. The second in the Daevabad Trilogy, The Kingdom of Copper is no less enthralling than its predecessor, The City of Brass. There are minor issues keeping me from a full 5 star ranking, but I have such a love for the world and the characters that it has to be a 4.5 in my eyes.

The world building is without a doubt one of the strongest parts of Chakraborty’s works. Daevabad is rife with tribal wars and familial in-fighting, and the use of split perspectives from chapter to chapter mean that we’re endlessly told who hates who and why – and good luck keeping track, because in the span of fourteen thousand years it’s changed over and over and over again.

This ingrained prejudice and deep-seated resentment drives every action in the book, but (as in real life) it’s impossible to keep track of what actually happened, and who actually started it. Characters deal with the danger of escalating rebuttals, and as the reader it’s near impossible to remember just why the violence is happening. This mirrors the real world in such an uncanny way, and allegorically, it is an absolutely fantastic way to draw out the arbitrary nature of war.

The book uses dramatic irony to push us to like a range of characters equally, even when they themselves are constantly fighting. Going back again and again to split perspectives, we’re allowed to see so much of the world Chakraborty created. None of the potential for the rich world is wasted. Doing this, the plot develops so far in such a short number of chapters, all while allowing us to see each actor on every side of this war as sympathetic.

This mechanism does, admittedly, flag one issue I have with the book: that age old problem of plot armour. We know everything that goes on in and out of the walls of Daevabad. We know what is to come, what has been said, who is or isn’t alive or behind each plot. The characters don’t. They’re put in supposedly mortal peril, but they don’t know who’s truly behind the attacks – and how could they die not knowing? It is at times obvious that Nahri or Ali will just have to stay alive, and it dulls the edge of the anticipation we’re meant to feel. The writing is no less emotive, but when you’re aware that functionally, they have to be safe, it’s harder to feel as strongly about the danger they’re in.

That being said, I only mark this issue as minor, simply because the knowledge that readers have that causes this plot armour is absolutely essential. Up until the end, the book is clever. When something shocking happens, the reader is instantly called back to what we’ve learnt and stored away as a minor detail. The Kingdom of Copper doesn’t let any of the minor details dropped in throughout either book go to waste.  

 The bottom line? This book is fun, exciting, with rich characters in a rich world and an abundance of knowledge about the world of Daevabad that stays with you long after you set the book down.

#sa chakraborty #daevabad #the daevabad trilogy #the kingdom of copper #the city of brass #city of brass #kingdom of copper

[leafy-m]

So I finished the 600-page novel The Kingdom of Copper in three days because

This series is so good ya'll!!

The sequel to The City of Brass, this book continues the story of Nahri and Prince Ali and a huge cast of other characters as the forementioned city veers closer to civil war. What I loved the most about this book in particular is -- honestly, every scene with Ali, but especially where he's talking with his family or getting yelled at by Nahri. I just. It's so good! I love the writing and the dialogue and how these characters support each other and are exasperated by each other and it's heartbreaking when they're betrayed.

What is especially interesting about this series is how so many of these characters are on opposing sides or viewpoints but there are intersections where they agree and finding those points is where much of the story's politics lies. Even though there are characters that I don't agree with, because of the writing, I can see where they're coming from. I understand their motivations and the tragedy in how their 'good intentions' have been utterly corrupted by their methods.

Like King Ghassan: he is straight up awful and the story has you rooting against him with good reason, but I appreciated his love for his family in the few instances it showed through. I think the only character I straight-up didn't like was Kaveh, but even he has his understandable motivations. (but I don't care 'cause I don't like him.)

The other thing I like about this book is how it compares/contrasts Ali and Dara regarding the duties and loyalties of a soldier. I am not a fan of Dara, but I can't help but see him as a tragic warning of what could happen to Ali. I don't know how the third book will go, but I look forward to seeing what this conclusion will be.

I also like how this story shows how the horrors of the past keep fucking up the future. These sweet young adults are trying to build something good to bring unity, and these old folks entrenched in the past ideas and offenses just keep destroying it. It'll be interesting to see if there's some solution to this that isn't just burning the damn city to the ground.

Anyway! I highly recommend this series, the third book comes out June 2020, and I cannot wait to reread these books. 💖

#Jade reviews #the daevabad trilogy #the city of brass #The Kingdom of Copper #My posts

[rachaelslibrary]

Let’s Talk Books - Kingdom of Copper by S.A. Chakraborty

This series hurts my heart.  I am honestly so invested in it and I never expected to be.  Kingdom of Copper is the sequel to City of Brass, a book that I randomly picked up in a bookshop in Portland, because I needed something to read on the flight back home.  From page 50, I was hooked because it’s so well written.  Each character is unique, each location is so vivid it’s like you’re actually there, and for the first time in a long time, I felt as though I truly dove into that world the second I opened the book.

I never wrote a review for City of Brass because that was right when I was so busy, I literally had no time for Tumblr.  So here’s a small synopsis of a book that I don’t think is talked about nearly enough.

Nahri is an orphan, con artist and thief in Cairo.  She makes a living doing fake healings and exorcisms for desperate people, and spends her free time studying with an apothecary.  One night, her fake “exorcism” turns out to be a real one, and she ends up summoning two things.  One, an evil spirit out to get her, and two, Dara, a powerful djinn warrior, who used to be enslaved but is now free.  After Dara saves her, he realizes that she is at least part djinn as well, and decides to take her to Daevabad, a magical djinn city made of brass where she will be safe from the spirit that is now hunting her.

Once in Daevabad, Nahri’s past is slowly revealed, and she is thrust into the city’s politics.  Multiple tribes of Djinn live there, along with anyone of mixed djinn and human descent who are persecuted heavily by the king.  Dara, it turns out, is also a mystery himself, apparently a legendary warrior with ties to a family that used to rule the city - a family that Nahri is discovered to descend from.

The first book follows Nahri as she learns all about the Djinn world, her possible past, and her befriending Ali, the second born son of the king.  A lot of stuff goes down, plot twists and mysteries are unraveled and then the book ends.

The characters are soooooo well written.  Each one has their own distinct personality, and by the end it almost felt as if I knew each one of them personally.  The rich backstory behind the city and the different families - it’s immersive in the same way that the Game of Throne books are immersive.  The details are rich, the plot is intense, and I was so devastated when it was over and I had to wait six months for the second one to come out.

STOP READING HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT FINISHED THE FIRST BOOK

The second book, Kingdom of Copper, picks up five years later.  With Nahri now a fully fledged healer, having come into her Nahid abilities, and Ali an outcast prince who finds a home in his ancestral lands.  I can’t really say too much else without spoiling it, because the plot points start happening RIGHT AWAY.  Like for real, this book is so fast paced, but without losing the details and thoroughness of the writing that made the first one so magical.

There’s no way I wouldn’t rate it 5/5 stars.  

Now onto spoilers.

I fucking new Dara wasn’t dead!!  Just going to put it out there.  His little personality change at the end of the last book kind of bothered me a tad bit, but getting chapters from his viewpoint was really cool this time around.

Nahri and Mundatdir got married.  Like, I knew it was alluded to in the last book, but I didn’t actually expect it to happen.  The little snippets we got of them actually being good together were really good.  And I wish we would’ve seen more of them being happy, but he turned into a dick the second Ali came back to the city.  I understand why, but he still made me mad a few times.

Also fuck Nahri’s mom.  I don’t trust a single word that comes out of this bitch’s mouth.  She faked her death, has been chillin out in the wilderness the entire time just to plot to basically wipe out another tribe?  I get that her tribe was wiped out and she wants revenge, but there’s ways to do that that don’t involve massacring a good chunk of the city.  Plus she partnered with the Ifrit and made Dara listen to her...like all of his chapters when he started to question her were so devastating to me.  It was like, yes...just leave….just...oh okay...I guess not. And then a frustrated sigh.  Dara. Deserves. Better. 2k19.  His actions in this book were not great.  But he was being manipulated soooo hard core.  I hope the next book he gets a great redemption arc and becomes friends with Nahri again.  Especially because the whole book I was waiting for their reunion, which was ruined because he was a dumbass and tried to kill Ali/ almost killed Muntadir.  Like bitch...don’t!!

Muntadir did get a redemption arc though.  I loved when Ali was talking to him and Zaynab about overthrowing their father.  Hands down the best line of the book:

“Is this liquor?  Because I want to be completely intoxicated when Abba gets wind that his children are planning a coup in a fucking closet.”  I literally laughed out loud.

Let’s see...what else...I cried when Nisreen died, and again when Muntadir got stabbed.  Jamshid being revealed as Nahri’s brother was not something I was expecting at all.  Also when the skin of his back got burned off so he got to use magic...yasss.  The king died, which I was not expecting, but it does give space for Manizhed to be the big bad guy of the next book. I really, really just hope that the next book is Ali, Nahri, and Dara teaming up to take her down.  I’m ready for some good bickering between the three of them.

And now to start the longest wait of my life.  The Empire of Gold comes out on January 15th, 2020 and I cannot wait.

#books #reviews #city of brass #kingdom of copper #s.a. chakraborty #soooooo good #best book ever