Month: September 2023

The Kingdom of Copper (The Daevabad Trilogy, #2) by S.A. Chakraborty

The Kingdom of Copper (The Daevabad Trilogy, #2) by S.A. Chakraborty

Readers return to the magical world of the city of Daevabad in The Kingdom of Copper, the second book in the Daevabad trilogy.

This story begins a few years after the conclusion of the last book. Nahri has solidified her place in Daevabad with a strategic marriage. Ali has been exiled to a far land because of his actions in the previous book. And Dara, one of my favorite characters, finds himself in service to a djinn whom he believed was long dead.

… goodness has gotten me nowhere in Daevabad. Everyone I try to help ends up worse off.” pg 202, ebook

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The characters continue to be neither right nor wrong in this entry in the series, but all end up in some gray place in-between. They all take actions that they believe are right and sometimes actions that they believe are necessary. Sometimes the outcome is good, but other times it turns out very, very badly.

I like that about this book. S.A. Chakraborty does a good job of distilling the messiness of life and the clash of four or five different cultures in one city. Even though this is a fantasy tale, I feel like this story could really happen, relationship-wise, out in the real world.

“You were created to burn, to exist between worlds- not to form yourself into armies and pledge your lives to leaders who would toss them away.” pg 396

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Of all the storylines, I was most interested in Dara’s perspective and seeing where the author was going to take this ancient being who had suffered so much heartache in his past. That being said, I didn’t enjoy his part of the story.

He’s so passionate but he’s always being used and abused by the people around him. I’d like to see him having a bigger say over his life and who is around him. I suppose it remains to be seen in the third book if he is finally able to embrace the freedom that he longs for so badly.

I was fortunate that the entire series is published so I’m able to read the books one after another and am able to keep all of the intricacies of the story straight in my head. I can’t imagine having years between reading books in this series. It would be too hard to remember.

The build up of the story felt a little slow to me, especially in the middle of the book. But, towards the end, when things began happening, they all went at once. It made for a very exciting ending which I felt was well done for the large cast of characters.

Highly recommended for fantasy readers.

Thanks for reading!

The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy, #1) by S.A. Chakraborty

The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy, #1) by S.A. Chakraborty

Nahri lives alone in Cairo and makes her daily bread by targeting gullible citizens and stealing. But one night, during a false ritual to free a young woman from an evil spirit, Nahri draws the attention of something magical and powerful, and her life is never the same again.

“I have made them both content, but the djinn is a strong one and has likely been with her since birth.” pg 20, ebook

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Prince Alizayd al Qahtani, the second in line to the throne, lives in Daevabad. He works to better the lives of the humans who live there, along with the different tribes of djinn. This is perilous work as his father, the sultan, does not value human lives the same way.

“A city rose from the smoky map in Daevastana, in the center of a dark lake. Its walls gleamed like brass, beautiful against the dark sky.”

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The City of Brass is told from Nahri and Ali’s points of view. It is a beautiful, multi-layered story that combines elements of Islam and magic.

At first, I had trouble keeping track of all of the different types of djinn. But, after about a quarter of the story, things clicked into place and I really enjoyed the tale.

“We’re souled beings like humans, but we were created from fire, not earth.” pg 101, ebook

From enslaved djinn to the evil ifrit, this story keeps the reader guessing what is going to happen next. There’s a lot of politics in here as well as a magical history that slowly unfolds as the tale progresses.

The characters are neither entirely good nor bad, but instead are a realistic shade of gray. Everyone, it seems, has committed actions they are not proud of, and cling to beliefs that may not necessarily serve them.

It makes for an engaging story as these warring beliefs bump into each other.

Highly recommended for fantasy readers. Thanks for reading!

Light Bringer (Red Rising Saga, #6) by Pierce Brown

Light Bringer (Red Rising Saga, #6) by Pierce Brown

Darrow continues the fight against the Society in Light Bringer, the sixth entry in the Red Rising Saga.

The last book focused on the war in the Core especially around Mercury. This book takes readers out to “the Rim” and examines what is going on in the deeper parts of space.

“Cut off from communication with the outside world, I have no way of knowing the course of the war I began. No way of knowing if Virginia and Victra have managed to weather the united power of the Golds of the Rim and the Core.” pg 3, ebook.

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As usual, I loved Pierce Brown’s characters and pacing. His stories always seem to progress at a good clip and, after thousands of pages, I’m still invested in what is going on.

In this book, unlike the last, I feel like there were more light hearted moments. Dark Age, the previous book in the series, certainly lived up to its name.

“I have seen things a Red miner was never meant to see – unspeakable horrors, impossible beauty.” pg 6, ebook

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That being said, as this series continues forward, I think Brown has killed off so many beloved characters that it is going to be hard for me to continue to care what happens. I felt the same way about Game of Thrones after a few books.

He’s introduced a few new characters whom I love, Lyria being the top of that list. But he couldn’t possibly replace some of the names- that I won’t list here because spoilers.

“I just think you’re a good man and you have a huge heart and I don’t think people say that enough.” pg 465, ebook

I’m curious what other readers of the series think. Overall, I think this is a masterful work of fantasy and I can’t wait for the last book which should be epic. Highly recommended for fantasy readers.

Thanks for reading!