#the daevabad trilogy

[eerna]

sketches of friends (this time for real)

#the daevabad trilogy #the city of brass #the kingdom of copper #alizayd al qahtani #nahri e-nahid #eernart

[vaguelyaperson]

the worst part of being a voracious reader is reading all these amazing series that deserve a vibrant fandom and movie/show deals yesterday, but there are only a few passionate fans doing their best and like five fanarts. mother I crave more attention for my book blorbos

#the daevabad trilogy #the city of brass #akata witch #the riyria revelations #theft of swords #between earth and sky #black sun #the radiant emperor #she who became the sun #rook and rose #the mask of mirrors #raybearer

[daevabadfanart]

Character cards of Nahri, Ali, Dara, Muntadhir, Zaynab, Jamshid, and Manizheh, from Fae Crate's 2020: The Empire of Gold Hangover Recovery Kit. Drawn by m_maf_f on Instagram with collaboration from the author S. A. Chakraborty.

#Nahri e-Nahid #Alizayd al Qahtani #Darayavahoush e-Afshin #Muntadhir al Qahtani #Zaynab al Qahtani #Jamshid e-Pramukh #Manizheh e-Nahid #Kingdom of Copper #Empire of Gold #The Daevabad Trilogy #Daevabad merch #Shannon-approved art #artist: m_maf_f

[queer-book-character-tournament]

Character, book, and author names under the cut

August Landry- One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

Vlad Blutstein- Hunger Pangs: True Love Bites by Joy Demorra

Jamshid e-Pramukh- The Daevabad Trilogy/The City of Brass by Shannon Chakraborty

Jordan Hennessy (the original)- The Dreamer Trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater

#August Landry #One Last Stop #Casey McQuiston #Vlad Blutstein #Hunger Pangs #True Love Bites #Hunger Pangs: True Love Bites #Joy Demorra #Jamshid e-Pramukh #The Daevabad Trilogy #The City of Brass #Shannon Chakraborty #Jordan Hennessy #The Dreamer Trilogy #tdt #The Raven Cycle #trc #Maggie Stiefvater #polls #lgbt books #queer book character tournament 2

[bookcub]

Best Books of 2023

I've already written quite a bit about these books and have a tag #best books of 2023 where I also include my honorable mentions, so here is a rapid fire of my best books of the year!

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi

The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen

Little Thieves by Margaret Owen

The Daevabad Trilogy by S.A. Chakraborty

Kindred by Octavia Butler

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

Refusing Compulsory Sexuality: A Black Asexual's Lens on Our Sex-Obsessed Culture by Sherronda J Brown

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty

Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo

The Feast Makers by H. A. Clarke

The Mirror Season by Anne-Marie McLemore

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

They Called Us Enemy by George Takei

Painted Devils by Margaret Owen

Sisters of the Neversea by Cynthia Leitich Smith

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

#best books of 2023 #the last tale of the flower bride #the magic fish #little thieves #the daevabad trilogy #kindred #spinning silver #refusing compulsory sexuality #the adventures of amina al sirafi #the scapegracers #family lore

[luce1ence]

“I didn’t say he was going to burn in helI,” he defended. “I suggested he repent before that happened”.

everybody meet my newest favourite character Alizayd al Qahtani 🫶

#alizayd al qahtani #the daevabad trilogy #empire of gold #city of brass #kingdom of copper

[spiritintheinkwell]

Nahri's outfit for the Navasatem procession.

Nice feather-patterned chador you got there... shame if something were to happen to it...

#the daevabad trilogy #the kingdom of copper #nahri e nahid #fan art #diversebookfanart

[ofrabjousnight]

Heartwarming: Two Worst Guys You Know Also Hate Each Other

#daevabad #the daevabad trilogy #kaveh e-pramukh #ghassan al qahtani #meme #she speaks

[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

[literaryelise]

#daevabad #the daevabad trilogy #books #sff books #fantasy books #muntadhir al qahtani #darayavahoush e afshin #city of brass #kingdom of copper #empire of gold

[eerna]

royal siblings living in my mind rent free

#the daevabad trilogy #the city of brass #alizayd al qahtani #zaynab al qahtani #muntadhir al qahtani #eernart

[vaguelyaperson]

actually I'm tired of "realistic" endings. we should have more stereotypical, against the odds, sappy happy endings in stories. it's good for our health and ability to hope.

#atla #the owl house #the daevabad trilogy #just finished the trilogy and my heart is full #it's so soft and sappy and I love it

[daevabadfanart]

Alternative dust jackets for The City of Brass, The Kingdom of Copper, and The Empire of Gold, from Fae Crate's 2020: The Empire of Gold Hangover Recovery Kit. Drawn by Gabriella Bujdoso on Instagram with collaboration from the author S. A. Chakraborty.

#Nahri e-Nahid #Darayavahoush e-Afshin #Alizayd al Qahtani #Manizheh e-Nahid #Mishmish #Khayzur #Marid #Ifrit #Peri #Shedu #City of Brass #Kingdom of Copper #Empire of Gold #The Daevabad Trilogy #Daevabad merch #Shannon-approved art #artist: Gabriella Bujdoso

[lucimiir]

Ah yes. Me. My wife. And my brother who she’s having an affair with and her brother who I’m having an affair with

#daevabad #the daevabad trilogy #muntadhir al qahtani #nahri e nahid #alizayd al qahtani #jamshid e nahid #jamshid e pramukh #kingdom of copper #empire of gold

[marosii]

Ifrit Dara

#just finished this series and hyperfixating a bit #the daevabad trilogy #empire of gold #darayavahoush e afshin #afshin #city of brass spoilers #daevabad fanart #my art #art #fanart #digital art #marosii art #book fanart

[bookcub]

Book Rec of Djinn . . .Jinn. .. Jinni. . .

Rated on how likely the jinn would be my friend

The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah- Qadir is the jinn with the largest role and I cannot decide if he would find me mildly amusing or mildly annoying. Either way, he would probably not be talkative and not view me as a threat or a priority.

5/10

The Daevabad Trilogy by SA Chakraborty- While the term djinn is a controversial one in this world, there are plenty of djinn to choose from. Nahri might be my friend, if she didn't see me as an easy mark (which is very likely). I would very much enjoy her company if she didn't have her defenses up. Ali would probably find me interesting as a human and ask me a mixture of interesting and boring questions. Both would care if I died, unlike Dara, who wouldn't care if he accidentally caused my death.

6/10

A Master of Djinn by P Djeli Clark- I don't want to cause any spoilers but our main djinn would absolutely find me adorable, if not easily manipulated. We could definitely have a few fun nights for sure.

7/10

This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi- Alizah would 1000% defend me with her life and successfully save it, but I am uncertain how receptive she would be to friendship, considering how guarded she is. I, however, would absolutely put in the effort for her.

7.5/10

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir- If I remember book two correctly, I would absolutely never become friends with this jinn. And I think they would actively want to kill me.

0/10

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker - Ahmed would not be friends with me and be very very rude to me, although he would not kill me. I would rather be friends with Chava, the golem instead. We would be besties.

1/10

Nayra and the Djinn by Iasmin Omar Ata-

Majan is a delight and I think we are likely to get along fairly well, although certainly not to the extent Nayra and Marjan have bonded. But we could tell each other stories and reignite some of the spark in each other's lives, encouraging exploration and connection. A fun and emotional time!!

8/10

#the daevabad trilogy #the stardust thief #the golem and the jinni #nayra and the djinn #an ember in the ashes #this woven kingdom #a master of djinn #tahereh mafi #Chelsea abdullah #sabaa tahir #sa chakraborty #p djeli clark #helene wecker #iasmin omar ata #my book recs #djinn #jinni