Scan barcode
queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty is book one in the Daevabad trilogy. I've been meaning to read this for awhile, and I'm glad I finally did! I love intricate world building and morally gray characters, and we have plenty.
We follow Nahri, a thief in Cairo who can heal herself and others, although she mainly uses her ability to fleece her marks. During a "fake" ritual, she accidentally summons a daeva named Dara who is determined to take her to Daevabad, the City of Brass, because Nahri is not human. Dara is a daeva who was enslaved thousands of years ago, and was made to do terrible things, but Nahri trusts him anyway. I really like their dynamic throughout the books and the way it ebbs and flows.
We also follow Ali, the youngest son of the King and Future Qaid to his older brother, Muntadhir. Ali is young, brash, and self-righteous, which makes him quite annoying most of the time, ah youth. Ali is a bit of a contradiction, he believes in the rights of the shafit, a mix of human and djinn blood, but despises and wants to oppress the Daeva clan for their religion. Ali was a compelling character, though, being the second son, and fighting a moral war within himself: stop the mistreatment of shafit, or do as his father says. Speaking of his father, he is a fascinating character. He's not someone I'd say I like, but he's wonderfully complex and brilliant, if diabolical.
There is so much political and clan intrigue in this. It was all a little confusing and overwhelming at first, but it picks up once the world-building is established. Nahri makes a good stand in for the reader in Daevabad, so there is some exposition, but it doesn't feel like info dumping. I want to learn more about the Daeva religion and the shafit as well as more about Nahri's abilities.
Nahri is definitely my favorite character, but I also really liked Muntadhir, who is bisexual. He's your typical charming prince who often drinks too much and has too much fun with courtesans. I can't wait to see how he develops over the series.
Graphic: Violence, Rape, Slavery, Blood, and Gore
Minor: Kidnapping
brynalexa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Murder, Hate crime, Gore, Kidnapping, Sexual violence, War, Child death, Torture, Medical content, Violence, Racism, Abandonment, Blood, Alcohol, Slavery, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Alcoholism, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Child death and Rape
halfbloodprincess_hogwarts's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
City of Brass completely captivated my attention and I did not want it to end. Tbh, I have mixed feelings toward Dara and have no idea what to do with my emotions.
Nahri is in the worst situation possible and basically left to defenseless. Yes, she is a healer and has the attention that should have backfired in her face.
This series is a first for me where I basically got a "cheat code" after reading River of Silver. So I know who each character is and it actually helped me better get into the story. I tried listening to this audio first but got confused with many name mentions, but the novella helped me sort out who was who and I could envision them in my head better. (Yes, I did take thorough notes as where each novella story took place within the trilogy universe.)
So I am excited to delve into The Kingdom of Copper audio which LITERALLY became available today 2.20.23 form my libraries digital catalogue and I am so excited to start it!!! AAAAHHH!!!
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Murder, Rape, Sexual content, Torture, Blood, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Self harm, Violence, War, Gore, Slavery, and Vomit
cutiemuffin23's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Torture, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, Genocide, Colonisation, Slavery, War, Xenophobia, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Emotional abuse, Cultural appropriation, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Antisemitism, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Infidelity, Infertility, Biphobia, Homophobia, Grief, Confinement, Child death, Child abuse, Death of parent, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Incest, and Alcohol
andemilytoo's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Violence, Murder, and Blood
Moderate: Slavery, Gore, Cursing, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Alcohol, and Fire/Fire injury
avie_j's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death, Blood, Violence, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Kidnapping
imds's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Classism, Confinement, Death of parent, Police brutality, Grief, Death, Child death, Trafficking, Terminal illness, Slavery, Religious bigotry, Blood, War, Violence, Sexual violence, Self harm, Homophobia, Outing, Kidnapping, and Genocide
madamenovelist's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Xenophobia, War, Slavery, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Drug use, Drug abuse, Death, Colonisation, Child death, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Trafficking, Torture, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Racism, Misogyny, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence
foxonabook's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
🧞♀️
Review: This has been on my TBR for over a year since I bought the trilogy with a Kobo gift voucher I’d received. I’m ashamed it’s taken me this long to finally read it because I didn’t know how much I needed a book inspired and influenced by the Middle Eastern culture until I’d read this.
🧞♀️
The world building is great, the characters are well rounded and the plot is not short of any action, twists or turns. I did feel like sometimes things or a character’s mood/motive shifted a little too quickly, but that’s just a minor detail.
🧞♀️
The only reason I’m not giving this 5 stars is because at points you could tell that this book wasn’t written by someone from the Middle East, and that broke the immersion for me. Though there is no denying that this is very well researched and clearly a labour of love, and I may be more sensitive to these things because of my own background 🤷🏽♀️
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Religious bigotry, Trafficking, Classism, Kidnapping, War, Medical content, Slavery, and Violence
relin's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Police brutality, Medical trauma, Slavery, Violence, Religious bigotry, Racial slurs, Kidnapping, Grief, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Murder, Medical content, and Genocide
Moderate: Classism, Colonisation, Hate crime, War, Outing, Alcohol, Cursing, and Self harm
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Drug use, and Xenophobia