The City of Brass: A Novel (The Daevabad Trilogy)

Written beautifully, captivating, intelligent, exotic. Our heroine is just beginning to learn who she is, who she can be. I am sure the author will continue to take us on that magic carpet ride in the next book. I cannot wait.

So I'm kind of torn on this book. I loved the storyline, although I didn't like how it ended. Hopefully a sequel will fix that. My problem with the book was all the complicated names and backstory. It was hard to keep track of everything and it doesn't help when you don't have a clue how to pronounce any of the names in the book. However, it did keep me interested and reading.

There is an art to telling a story well, and this author is gifted. There is a rich world of vibrant characters, layered politics, tribal feuds, and a clever twist that tells you this story is far from over. Please don't be too long in releasing the sequel.

Over the past year, I have read several impressive debut novels (Katherine Arden and Ruth Emmie Lang specifically come to mind) where authors have built unique and magical worlds in which the reader can lose themselves. S. A. Chakraborty joins this group with a novel that is mesmerizing and steeped in Arabic and Persian folklore. The City of Brass takes its title from a less well-known tale in A Thousand and One Nights/"The Arabian Nights". As in The Arabian Nights, Chakraborty's City of Brass is set in a world of djinn, ifrits, marids, and daevas* - ancient Avestan/Persian creatures that were considered chaos-promoting and deemed false gods by the Zoroastrians. Here, we travel the paths of the legendary Silk Road and Spice Route, from the bazaars of Cairo to the foothills of the Hindu Kush, Ancient Persia and the legendary City of Brass, Daevabad.

Equal parts fantasy and political intrigue, the first book of The Daevabad trilogy gives us alternating chapters about two main characters, Nahri, a girl with a mysterious history, and Ali, a djinn prince, in a story arc that brings them steadily closer to meeting one another. The inscrutable daeva Dara, a third main character, who rescues and protects Nahri, provides a vivid and visceral presence and has a recent past as mysterious as Nahri's. Chakraborty manages to make what becomes a love triangle an enjoyable read and everyone knows how I loathe love triangles. Nahri's relationship with Dara, grounded in emotion versus that with Ali, grounded in intellectual companionship, forms one of many interesting elements of the book. The misfortunes of being an idealistic second son, and the political implications of racism and slavery figure prominently in this tale. After the rather stunning last few chapters, I am eagerly awaiting The Kingdom of Copper. Although...

"Be careful what you wish for..."

Just terrific to bring the great Arabic story telling tradition into the modern fantasy world. I loved the dryail, the bisuals. Spent the night thinking if a 3 part movie or a TV series would be better!

I loved this book! The world was different than the usual fantasy world. I rooted for the characters - even when they were at odds with each other. I will miss them! Please write book 2! I assume there will be a book 2?

This is really a great story. Extremely well written with engaging dialogue and marvelous pacing. Absolutely refreshing subject matter, both politically and mythologically. Harsh and beautiful. Read it is my recommendation.

Wow. All I can say is wow! What an incredible debut novel. This was one of those books that I dreaded finishing and tried to savor every single page.

As a student of Middle Eastern history and someone who previously lived in the region, I deeply appreciate the authenticity and attention to detail in capturing the regional folklore and ethnic/linguist diversity. The characters were complex, nuanced, and so well layered. I found myself changing attitudes towards almost all of them as the story progressed. There were no good or bad guys--only characters trying to do what they thought was right. This was handled so well by the author and reminiscent of The Thief and Queen of Attolia by Megan Whelan Turner.

As an aside, I am so tired of fantasy novels set in a quasi-European Medieval setting. City of Brass was a breath of fresh air with its rich Middle Eastern backdrop. Thank you S.A. Chakraborty for such an awesome story!!! I can't wait for book 2.

One of the best new fantasy books i have read in years. Nahri enters a strange world that has been cooked from humans for thousands of years after growing up in the human world. Betrayal from the ruling Al qatanni family is only just the beginning of her peril. This book offers readers a story that immersed you into its heart and keeps you wanting more. I can't wait to see what comes next.

Fun setting but where's the action? Our street-wise heroine gets transported by a genie (or efreet, or equivalent) and various situations follow each other but it's not clear where all this is headed. I put down the book a while ago and haven't resumed it.

Wow. All I can say is wow! What an incredible debut novel. This was one of those books that I dreaded finishing and tried to savor every single page.

As a student of Middle Eastern history and someone who previously lived in the region, I deeply appreciate the authenticity and attention to detail in capturing the regional folklore and ethnic/linguist diversity. The characters were complex, nuanced, and so well layered. I found myself changing attitudes towards almost all of them as the story progressed. There were no good or bad guys--only characters trying to do what they thought was right. This was handled so well by the author and reminiscent of The Thief and Queen of Attolia by Megan Whelan Turner.

As an aside, I am so tired of fantasy novels set in a quasi-European Medieval setting. City of Brass was a breath of fresh air with its rich Middle Eastern backdrop. Thank you S.A. Chakraborty for such an awesome story!!! I can't wait for book 2.

One of the best new fantasy books i have read in years. Nahri enters a strange world that has been cooked from humans for thousands of years after growing up in the human world. Betrayal from the ruling Al qatanni family is only just the beginning of her peril. This book offers readers a story that immersed you into its heart and keeps you wanting more. I can't wait to see what comes next.

Fun setting but where's the action? Our street-wise heroine gets transported by a genie (or efreet, or equivalent) and various situations follow each other but it's not clear where all this is headed. I put down the book a while ago and haven't resumed it.

ARC provided by Harper Voyager in exchange for an honest review.

The City of Brass was unlike any Fantasy novel I’ve read before, and I completely adored it. This debut novel is easily one of the best books I’ve read in 2017, and I will sing its praises even after its release on November 14th, 2017. Please guys, don’t sleep on this story, because it has not received the hype it deserves.

This is the first book in an own voices Muslim Fantasy series, that walks the line between Young Adult and Adult, and switches between two very different points of view. One point of view is a girl in her early twenties, who remembers nothing of her childhood, and is living near Cairo, Egypt. Her name is Nahri and she is a street healer by day, and a con-woman and thief by night. Nahri has a natural affinity for healing people, and can magically see what the problem is. Sometimes she can wish it away, other times it is not so easy. Many people realize Nahri’s talents and believe her magic to also work spiritually, which is why she gets hired a lot to cleanse and heal people at Zar Ceremonies, where she leads dances and prayers to be rid of demons/ifrits, which she doesn't believe in.

Our story truly starts at a Zar Ceremony where Nahri is doing the steps she normally does while really just putting on a show to get paid at the end of the night, except this time she actually does feel something after an old song is sung. After a turn of events, Nahri ends up in a cemetery where she begins to pray and accidentally summons a djinn daeva warrior.

And Dara isn’t just any daeva warrior. He is the best warrior to have ever lived, and he has a very tormented past, because, let’s be real, what brooding male protagonist doesn’t? Dara soon realizes that Nahri isn’t completely human, and that ifrits will soon be after both of them. He then tells her about a city that is hidden behind brass walls, that will completely keep them safe from said ifrits.

We get to see our second point of view, which is from a young djinn prince named Ali, who lives in the magical hidden city of Daevabad. In Daevabad Ali’s brother, Muntadhir, is the promised king, even though their father, Ghassan, currently rules, and Ali is training to become what his brother needs him to be once he takes the throne. I loved Ali’s selflessness and his unconditional love for his family, because in this world, Ali will never marry or have children, but will be groomed to serve and protect Muntadhir with his life. Ali is completely okay with what is promised of his life, and he completely dedicates his life to God. Yet, with devoting his life to God, he starts to see the unfair treatment among the citizens.

People in this world can use magic, including humans, even though there are different ways, kinds, and extremes. This is a historical novel set in our time in the early 1800s, which barely touches upon the Ottoman Empire. Yet, we do get to briefly see how some of the Turkish people treated the Egyptians, and we even get to see some French Soldiers. I’m getting off topic, but basically what I’m trying to say is that even though this is for sure a fantasy novel, it ties in with our real world, and this makes humans a key part of this story.

➽Beings of Earth - Humans.
➽Beings of Water - Marid (water elementals).
➽Beings of Air - Peri, Rukh, Shedu (all flying creatures).
➽Beings of Fire - Daevas, Djinns, Ifrit.

With all these beings, come different powers and abilities. I loved this fantastical element and it truly made this story feel so whimsical. Also, Dijnns and daevas are the same, but “daeva” is an ancient term that means fire elementals, and after a war was over, everyone started calling themselves the human word for “daeva” which is “djinn”. But many people hold on to their daeva roots, since they have very different roles in Daevabad. Also, there are six tribes. But our dear Nahri though, is something completely different, very rare, and very sought after.

But ultimately this is a story about oppression, and what it means to believe that your blood is more pure than someone else. The mixed bloods in this world, shafits, are treated horribly and without a second thought. They are killed for crimes they didn’t commit, just to make the pure bloods feel safer. They aren’t allowed even close to the same luxuries pure bloods are, but they aren’t even allowed significant food or any medical treatment. Their children are stolen and sold away, most the time time as working slaves or pleasure slaves. This story can feel so very real at times and, in my opinion, S.A. Chakraborty writes this systemic oppression beautifully to mirror our world today.

“It’s not just a word […] That slur has been used to demonize our tribe for centuries. It’s what people spit when they rip off our women’s veils and beat our men. It’s what the authorities charge us with whenever they want to raid our homes and seize our property.”

Besides that, this is such a beautiful Middle Eastern story, that ties in so much of the culture’s folklore in an absolutely beautiful and seamless way. I completely recommend with my whole heart. I loved it and I couldn’t put it down. And the cover? Goosebumps.

This is the diverse fantasy novel I’ve been searching for. The fantasy world needs more diverse stories like this, and the world needs to see the diverse stories can be easily consumed and loved and, most importantly, worth buying. Everyone in this story is beautifully brown, we get to see some of these characters interact in mosques, we get to see our main character wearing a headscarf. I mean, I don’t think I’ve ever read a fantasy novel with these minor elements that are real life for so many readers. And this story is so amazing and so very beautifully written, too. I cannot wait to get my hands on The Kingdom of Copper in 2018!

I loved The City of Brass and it is one of the best author debuts I’ve ever read in my entire life. But I will say, the ending of this book ripped my heart out three times, so be prepared for that. This story was amazing, the characters are beyond words, the prose is exceptional, and the messages and representation are so very important. This book is heartfelt and powerful. Please give this a try come November 14th, 2017.

Trigger Warnings for graphic violence, human trafficking, rape, slavery, and war.

This book had so much potential but ultimately was a let down. The narrative jumps around, and is a bit hard to follow because things happen so fast there was no build up to understand what is going on, things just happen and the reader is left with questions that never get answered. It started off that I was really interested in Nahri and her hidden past then the story just became nothing but the two main characters arguing with each other all the time, which to me is really tiresome, but,yes,of course they are becoming romantically attracted!.. and never get to really show it because a mythical creature attacks or a love triangle is thrown in with Ali the prince. If you add a djinn and a magic carpet to a mediocre story it becomes a wonderful fantasy? (not really). Then it turns into a bunch of political intrigue and tribal fighting and I am no longer interested. Because the author did not know where to then go with the story a main character is killed off and the book suddenly ends leaving the reader with no doubt that they are being set up for a sequel (or trilogy in this case) which I have no desire to read. It is the first work of an author that should have had more story and character development and editing before being lauded as a great fantasy. A nice try but it never actually gets off the ground.

Started promising. The free preview drew me in with the promise of strong writing and an exotic, romantic location. However, the author has no idea how to add sexual tension to a scene because it's thrown in inappropriately at odd times, and it's boxy and awkward. So annoying, in fact, that I can't make it past Chapter 5. Waste of $12!!

The City of Brass,  S. A. Chakraborty

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: Sci-fi and Fantasy

I was so excited to get this book, I'd read the the store sample and it seemed a fun and unusual read. Thankfully there's a glossary included because its full of new and curious people and creatures.
I loved the world the author has created, I could feel the heat, the hustle and bustle and that was really well done. I liked the different beings too, felt very magical, almost reminded me of the old Sinbad et al films my kids used to love.
I started off liking Nahri, but as the story grew she seemed to lose that spark of independence, that charisma that drew me to her, and by the second half just seemed a whiny girl. I loved Dara, honest in as far as a Daeva is honest, like so many of their type they often circumvent the truth and talk in riddles almost. It's clear he doesn't like Nahri, and they scratch up against one another, both full of distrust. Nahri has no choice though, you can't go home as they say, so she has to go forward with him. She also wants to know more about her past, and hopefully a better future. When we first meet him Dara seems jaded, tired of his life, of all the things he's done, many of which weigh heavily on him. He seems to view taking Nahri as a chore almost, something he has to do but doesn't want to. Then we meet Ali, second son of the king. I wanted to like him but though he seemed to have a good heart he was very naive for his position and I didn't see him as being a strong character when it was needed, in contrast to Dara who would do what was needed without hesitation. Ali didn't like the way things were run, could have stopped up, could have tried to right things but seemed too apathetic really, content to fund small changes and quiet his conscience that way.
The story though seemed to meander, little interludes of drama breaking it, but I never really understood the point, didn't see where it was going, what was the aim. It just seemed to drift, Dara, Nehru and Ali seemed to react only to events, never had any real plans, were never working towards a purpose, it felt like they were just drifting towards the city, fighting through minor mishaps and skirmishes but no actual plan other than to get there. I couldn't help feeling “and then what will they do?”
Then the ending – and to be fair I skim read from about 40% as I was bored but wanted to see how it ended. I hate it when that happens, when someone major is lost, and I just have the horrible feeling that its going to be one of those rabbit out of the hat successes, where that character isn't lost, returns despite all appearances, and I just don't like that. (Think Dallas in the early 1980's for those of you old enough to remember!) I didn't want them to go, but hate that kind of comeback. I'm sort of talking in riddles here, but trying not to give anything away as of course there are many readers for whom this is the perfect novel. Sadly I'm not one of them. With a few changes I could have loved this, more direction and planning, some shaping of key characters, it's so full of potential, such a unique and fascinating world, but as it is is a series I'll pass.

Stars: Two and a half. So much I could have loved, but the story itself let it down.

ARC supplied for review purposes by Netgalley and Publishers

The City of Brass is S.A. Chakraborty’s absolutely spellbinding debut novel, an epic fantasy set in Cairo and the Middle East.
I came across Chakraborty’s Twitter feed about two months before the book came out and found her tweet-thread about just how much she nerded out over ancient Egyptian and Middle Eastern history and mythology while she wrote The City of Brass and her enthusiasm just oozed out of my screen. I had seen a mention of the book earlier in the day, but after seeing her tweets, I just had to read it. So, I requested and was granted an ARC by the publisher.

I was absolutely transported by Chakraborty’s descriptive storytelling. She sets the scene so completely that I could hear the noises of bazaars and mobs. I could feel the heat of Cairo on my skin – quite the feat since Seattle has been chilly and damp lately. I could clearly picture the scenes she set and in those scenes, she brings Nahri, Ali, and Dara to life.

Nahri is the magical, unbelieving thief at the center of City of Brass though she doesn’t know it at the start. She’s motivated not by greed, but by a necessary selfishness that comes from scraping out a living on the streets from a very young age. Nahri is Nahri’s number one, and she’s not going to apologize for who and what she is. She felt believable and even when her actions surprised me, ultimately they make sense for her character.

Dara is a broken Daeva man from a broken clan, broken past, and broken family. Just about the only thing unbroken about him is his fierce spirit – but even that fierce spirit is tested. He is untamed fire, a hero and a horror. But Dara is driven by loyalty and duty, which is where he finds his strength.

Ali is the second son of the king in Daevabad, raised in The Citadel in order to become his brother’s security minister when his brother ascends the throne. Ali finds himself at the center of a tangled web he helped others weave around him by playing upon his good intentions, naivete, and religious zeal. Ali was the character I had the hardest time with. For someone raised from childhood in a military setting, he was surprisingly soft-hearted. As someone to be a fixture at court he was surprisingly naive.

Nahri, Dara, and Ali are at the center of the war for the soul of Daevabad, the City of Brass. Battles are fought in a swirling, fast-paced plot that kept me turning the pages until I reached the dreaded end of the novel. Thankfully, The City of Brass is the first book in the Daevabad trilogy, so I have two more novels packed full of their adventures to look forward to. I can only hope Chakraborty takes us to new locations. I’m just aching for new places for her to describe.

I received a free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Publisher!

5/5 Stars

I honestly wanted to cry after I finished this beautiful, amazing, incredible, outstanding and engrossing novel. I now have to wait at least a year for the next book and I honestly don’t know how I will be able to do this. I think I’ll re-read this book about 6 more times before the next one is out, or I am lucky enough to get an ARC of it.

This book is 1000 Arabian Nights mixed with A Court of Thorns and Rosesrolled into one, with extremely diverse characters, beautifully portrayed religion, incredibly complex and unique world and flawless writing. I honestly cannot believe that this is Miss Chakraborty’s first novel.

SLIGHT SPOILERS

The story is told from two main POV’s. We begin the tale in 18th century Cairo with Nahri, a young orphaned woman who has the affinity to heal and languages, who grew up on the streets, is tough, funny and yet kind. She has one wish – to make enough money to pay someone to teach her to read and study medicine. One night, while healing a sick girl of a demon (something Nahri never believed is possible since no magic or daemons exist), she gets herself in trouble by singing in a tongue that has never been heard in the human world. Her mistake costs her, as her chant wakes the infrit sleeping inside the human child who goes after Nahri. In desperation, Nahri calls on Dara, an incredibly powerful djinn slave who saves her and takes Nahri to Daevabad – the home of all djinn. Here, Nahri learns that she is the last surviving member of her tribe, a shafit or a halfblood, and her ability to heal is something that Daevabad has been waiting for for a very long time. Did I mention that Dara is hot? Like REALLY HOT, and even Nahri cannot keep her head straight around him.

Our other MC is the 2nd in line to the throne of Daevabad – Ali. Prince Ali is extremely intelligent, a great swordsman and has an enormous heart. His enormous heart is what leads him into trouble. Ali believes that Daeva’s treatment of the shafit is wrong and that they deserve to be treated just like any other djinn in Daevabad. We, the readers, first meet Ali as he is trying to rescue slave shafit children from and if this doesn’t endear him to your heart – I do not know what will. Ali’s character is extremely complex. While I admire and love his principles, I think he is very hot headed a lot of the time. He gets multiple chances to calm down and think about his actions, yet his righteousness prevents him from seeing all sides of the situation. BUT this is part of his character! He is young, he is naïve, he thinks he is all knowing and of course he has to fail to grow. His character development in this novel is astounding! Did I mention he’s hot? Like REALLY HOT too? I mean what else do you want?!

Both Nahri and Ali are incredible characters and you really cannot help but fall in love with both. They are complex, well written and most importantly real.

My other favorite aspect of the book is the way that Miss Chakraborty speaks of Islam. It is with respect, deep understanding, compassion, love and honor. Reading this gorgeous book you get a deeper understanding of what Islam is about – sure it is not the complete picture, but you do get the feeling that there is much more to the religion than just what you see and hear on TV. Miss Chakraborty does this very skillfully, showing you that religion is not responsible for creating monsters; people are responsible for creating monsters. The interchange of the real and the fantasy is so well done that you will believe every word Miss Chakraborty wrote. This book is everything that I have ever wanted in fantasy.

And now, I sigh, sit down and wait for book 2…is it November 2018 yet?

P.S. I would like to request that Miss Chakraborty writes a book with all the recipes mentioned in this book because everything sounded DELICIOUS!

**Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy**

If I was rating the first half of THE CITY OF BRASS, it wouldn't get very many stars. I nearly put the book down at 25% and never picked it up again - but this book has received a lot of love lately, and I wanted so very much to like it that I pushed through. And I am so glad I did. By the end of THE CITY OF BRASS, I understood the hype and I was reading this book like it was the air I need to live.

THE CITY OF BRASS is fantasy straight up, with a ton of political intrigue, complicated relationships, and ambiguously moral characters. The reason the first half dragged for me (once you get past the first three chapters or so, which are pretty engaging and action-packed) was there is a lot of world-building. As it switched back and forth between the two main narrators, there is a lot of information given to the reader. As I got more drawn in, I compared it to a very rich chocolate cake. It's delicious, and you really want to eat it, but you know you can't in large quantities. That's how I felt about the book - in order to absorb all the information I was being given, it was important that I didn't try to overindulge.

But the second half of the book - oh, the second half. This is where all the set up pays off. Even somebody who didn't totally understand all the political machinations (me) was able to feel the emotions and enjoy the action and drama that ensued. Fight scenes and sly remarks and secret friendships abound! And the ending - I was gutted. For a book I felt like I almost had to force myself to get into, I am desperate for book two, and am dying to know what is going to happen next.

I'm not sure I can say too many good things about this book, especially the characters. The complex characters - including those who seemed terrible - were able to elicit my sympathy because of the situations they were in. Chakraborty never gave any of them an easy out. Nahri, one of the main narrators, is one of my new favorite heroines. She is a strong, amazing woman who starts to come into her own by the end of the book (the last line before the epilogue!). I absolutely could not get enough of her point of view chapters. Even Ali, the other narrator, who grated on my nerves a bit in the beginning, had me falling so hard for him by the end. The transitions and growth of the various characters was amazing and definitely the strongest part of THE CITY OF BRASS.

My advice - use the glossary at the back if you get a little confused (maybe take some notes of which character is which tribe, that kind of thing). But definitely do not miss this masterpiece of a fantasy book - a beautiful, Middle Eastern inspired piece of writing that is both delightful and devastating (in the best possible way). The only reason this book didn't get five bats from me was the beginning, but in the end, it is totally worth it.

This debut fantasy novel is truly splendid, embedding the 18th century Middle East with the magic of the djinn.

Nahri is a con artist making her living on the streets of Cairo. While she knows some of the things she can do are not ordinary (she can perceive illness in a person just by touching them), she doesn’t really believe in magic. That is, until she accidentally summons a djinn. But once the magical world is made aware of Nahri’s presense, it’s not safe for her to continue her life in Cairo, and the djinn, Dara, insists that she go to Daevabad, a kingdom of djinn and humans with djinn blood.

But Daevabad is filled with political instability. Prince Ali, the other viewpoint character, is secretly going against his father’s wishes and funding a so called “terrorist” organization that helps the citizens with human ancestry, who are a large and oppressed underclass in Daevabad. The djinn tribe that historically ruled Daevabad (but no longer) religiously supported the inferiority of those with human ancestry and banned the mingling of blood. Their royal family was renown for being supernatural healers, but the last of them died years ago. Or so everyone thought.

At this point you can probably see how dropping Nahri into Daevabad is akin to dropping a lit match into a barrel of gunpowder. Chakraborty excels at writing political fantasy and courtly intrigue. Since the story type is sort of familiar (plucky orphan girl discovers she has magical powers and an important position in a royal court), I was worried that it could end up seeming tired. I never felt that way at all. Chakraborty’s writing keeps the story fresh, and I would count it among some of my other favorite court fantasies, such as The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison.

I loved the world Chakraborty created. It’s lush and detailed enough to feel vibrant and real, and I’m always glad to get away from Euro-centric settings. I particuarly liked how Chakraborty created different tribes of djinn, each with their own culture, history, powers, and tensions with the other tribes. The background of Daevabad’s history never felt extraneous, and it made The City of Brass that much more memorable.

I enjoyed Nahri’s cleverness and determination; plus, I have a fondness for con artist protagonists that she plays into perfectly. However, I wasn’t sure how much agency she had in the story. Her initial action sets off her introduction to the magical world, but I’m not sure what impacts her actions have afterwords. That said, I think she’s being set up to do a lot more in the sequels (The City of Brass is the first in a trilogy).

I was rather surprised when Ali’s perspective first showed up, as the back blurb gave no clue there was a POV character other than Nahri. At first, I would want to get through his sections to get back to Nahri’s, but then I found myself looking forward to Ali’s sections more. He’s the younger son of the king, being raised to be the military right hand of his older brother. He’s more religious than is the norm for the court, and he’s prejudiced against the other major religious group in the city, the tribe his ancestors conquered to rule Daevabad. Yet he’s also more empathetic than others might guess, and he cares strongly about the plight of those with human ancestry in Daevabad, who are generally mistreated by the full blood djinn. His idealism threatens to get him into trouble more than once. In short, I found him to be a very complex character, and by the end of The City of Brass, he was clearly my favorite.

Good news for me — The City of Brass wasn’t heavy on the romance. Oh, there was some. Dara, the djinn who Nahri first meets, is remarkably handsome. Believe me, Nahri lets us know. Yes, he has tragedies in his past, but I still found him to be one of those annoyingly possessive alpha male type love interests. And here we get to the remarkable bit: the narrative doesn’t idealize it! I can’t say much more for spoiler reasons, but I found it to be delightfully subversive.

The beginning of The City of Brass might have been a bit slow, but by the second half I had trouble putting it down. It’s intricate, beautiful, and possibly one of the best fantasy books I read in 2017. If you’re looking for historical fantasy, non-Western fantasy or a young adult cross over, I suggest you read The City of Brass.

I received an ARC in exchange for a free and honest review.

Rating: 4.5 stars

The City of Brass is a stunning debut novel that has magic and political intrigue galore. Chakraborty did an exquisite job of bringing this world and these characters to life. Even though this book is over 500 pages, I felt as if it was too short. I would happily have read another 500 pages set in this world (so good thing it’s a trilogy!)

Nahri, the main character and a con artist, is a wonderfully morally gray and sassy character. Even if I didn’t like the story and the writing so much, I would continue reading solely for her. In general, the character development was A+ in The City of Brass. I felt as if both Ali, the second viewpoint character, and Nahri grew significantly over the course of the book. The dual viewpoints worked perfectly to expand the scope of the story and to present a fuller view of the world.

The world-building was very well done in general. I did occasionally get confused over terminology though. Since a majority of the book was very orientated around the political and religious conflicts in Daevabad, I felt lost sometimes and struggled to keep everything straight. However, despite my confusion, I really enjoyed the intricately woven plot, particularly when it became clear what everything was building toward. I was constantly changing my opinions about which characters were good and which were evil. Everything was beautifully nuanced, Chakraborty did an amazing job of portraying that which side is the “right” one depends entirely on your viewpoint.

I would absolutely recommend The City of Brass to any YA or adult fantasy fan. This book was a beautifully written story that stays with you long after you turn the final page. I’m going to be desperately awaiting book two. I can’t wait to immerse myself in this captivating world again (particularly after that ending!!!)

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Mediocre as best and confusingly bad at worst. Characters were uninteresting, the city was uninteresting and the world was uninteresting. The only interesting part was the time period, which was abandoned plot-wise after the first act.

As other 1-and-2-star raters have pointed out, Chakraborty's writing is lacking, and it shows that this is her first novel. The characters are somewhat forgettable, portrayed as two-dimensional and lacking the depth that allows us to connect with them fully. The books reads like a young adult novel, which is unintended and unfortunate.
I did like the idea of taking various real-world middle-eastern conflicts and setting the core of them into a magical time period, but alas - that's where it ended for me. We're in the late 1700's for no particular reason. We abandon time once we get to Daevabad. And then, magic becomes all but a convenient story mechanism. There's almost no point to magic in this kingdom because practically no one uses it. These are djinn of various tribes yet they seem to rarely use (or even know about) magic.
I found myself struggling to care about the story or the characters, and by the end was rushing to simply finish the book because I'd paid for it. I think Mrs. Chakraborty would be well served to examine the work of her magical peers - Deborah Harkness, Lev Grossman and Patrick Rothfuss - in order to really understand how to world-and-character-build and tell a tale of magic that is worth remembering. In a sea of accomplished speculative fiction, this one gets lost.

S.A. Chakraborty’s The City of Brass is an all-encompassing fantasy with great characters and a world that’s spellbindingly brilliant. Orphaned and penniless, Nahri has managed to survive on the streets of Cairo, stealing and swindling her marks out of money. When she inadvertently summons a dangerous djinn, Nahri discovers the fantastical stories she grew up hearing are rooted in truth. Chakraborty’s world is deliciously multilayered and I loved that with every page, we discovered something new. Nahri was an easy character to like. She’s cunning and resourceful; she wants more than what life has dealt her and is willing to do what is needed to get it. I really enjoyed Dara, not just because he’s the kind of brooding character I’m immediately drawn to, but because like Nahri, he is also thrown into a world he doesn’t quite understand. The world as Dara left it has shifted. His people are no longer in control of the city of Daevabad; instead, the Qahtani, a djinn family, have taken over. The royal family have tried to find a balance in their city between djinn, daeva, and the shafit (offspring of djinn and humans). Their methods are not always humane. Ali is King Ghassan’s second son, both a scholar and a warrior; his own convictions often pit him against his own father. Ali was often times a frustrating character. I liked that he wanted to be better than the example his father and often his brother gave him, but his self-righteousness and naivete made me want to shake him by the shoulders. Chakraborty does a fantastic job giving voice to every side in this story. The internal conflict in Daevabad is not new and the characters’ decisions have far reaching consequences. The City of Brass is a perfect read for those looking for a dynamic fantasy and complex characters.

My favorite book series is Iain M. Banks’s Culture. Each book offers a self-contained story of its own time and place within the vast universe of the Culture. Sure, it’s helpful to have the incremental, accumulated knowledge of the Culture that comes from reading multiple books, but you don’t have to keep track of characters and timelines. I also appreciate series like Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and Vandermeer’s Southern Reach that are really just one long book broken into smaller volumes. I like the idea of these long-scale, cohesive works that can be consumed all at once.

I’m more hesitant with series like S.A. Chakraborty’s planned Daevabad Trilogy that kicks off with The City of Brass. As is often the case, this first book is not self-contained, instead establishing the foundation for what comes next. As a result, there’s a lot of exposition here. A LOT. I’ll commend Chakraborty in that it didn’t feel like exposition until near the end when I realized the whole book was merely setup. It’s all questions and no answers.

Starting in pre-industrial Cairo, we meet Nahri, a grifter with secret abilities to heal herself and detect illness in others. While running one of her scams, she accidentally summons Dara, a djinn being pursued by ghouls. They escape Cairo, and before long, Dara realizes Nahri might be not only part djinn but also descended from a family of healers previously thought to be extinct. They head to the safest place Dara can think of: Daevabad, the city of brass, for thousands of years the seat of power within the invisible world of the djinn. Once there, the current ruler accepts Nahri’s claim as a healer, giving her a place of honor within the palace and putting her to work. Of course, nothing is what it seems, and everyone has secrets and schemes that threaten the fragile peace within Daevabad and the greater society of the djinn.

Chakraborty’s prose is beautiful and flows really well. This is a compulsively readable book. However, the story itself feels very old-fashioned. It’s all kings and princes and soldiers and palace intrigue, and I mean that literally. This book is mostly about men: the king, his sons, their buddies. I can think of only two female characters that aren’t completely disposable, and one of them is Nahri. I guess I expected better since the author is a woman. There’s also a fair amount of religion, particularly of the Middle Eastern, monotheistic variety, and I found it tiresome and distracting.

However, because this story isn’t self-contained, I feel like I don’t have enough information to have a firm opinion. Maybe those traditional tropes will be turned on their heads; maybe not. I have to say that the ending was spectacular, the last 40 or 50 pages so intense that I couldn't put the book down, but now I have to wait another year to see where it goes. I know that’s not an issue for other people, but I’m kind of annoyed by how incomplete it feels. That said, the ending was compelling enough that I feel (tentatively) positive about this book and really do want to read the next to find out how Chakraborty plays the long game.

(This review was originally posted as part of Cannonball Read 10: Sticking It to Cancer, One Book at a Time.)

"The City of Brass" by S.A. Chakraborty was in last year's Christmas package of books sent by HarperCollins. I started reading it just a few days ago. And within minutes of reading the first two chapters, I was swept away into a surreal world of almost immortal djinn warriors, magical beings, shapeshifters, and mythical creatures – both good and evil – of water, air, and earth.
Nahri, the main protagonist, is, basically, a con-artist. She does not believe in magic; now does she believe that she has any magical powers. Yet, as a con-artist of unsurpassed talent, with tricks, potions, and fake incantations, she convinces residents in a poverty-stricken neighbor of Cairo, that her “powers” are real. Although she is convinced they aren’t… Until, one fateful day during one of her “cons”, she conjures up Dara, a mysterious djinn warrior. He relates to her tales of Daevabad the mystical, magical City of Brass that lies beyond the vast, sun-scorched dessert. And to which, Dara painstakingly explains, Nahri is intricately, inimically, and inexplicably bound. He convinces her to take the dangerous journey with him to the city. The city that Nahri soon comes to realize, is her real home…
Set in the late 1880s, this is a powerfully – and very well – written novel that thoroughly captures not only the imagination but holds the reader hostage in spell-binding suspense, court intrigues, and events unimaginable in our real world. Exactly what fantasy is all about. And Chakraborty is a master, er, mistress of the genre. She has a way with words, character development, and an uncanny ability to describe imaginary places in such a way that one often pauses to wonder if the places she writes about aren’t actually real. Except, delightfully, they are not. Royal sheiks who can conjure fire at the snap of their fingers; shapeshifting creatures who can morph into any form; halflings that perform magic; rings imbued with unnatural powers…
Now, a hallmark of fantasy – both for children and adults – is the allegorical couching of themes and motifs within delicately crafted plot lines. The City of Brass is no exception. Chakraborty pulls no punches when she describes relations between the tribes of Daeva, the Ifrit, and the Nahid and al Qahtani families. Political dissent. Bigotry and racism. Ethic/species supremacy and protesting mobs… All are blatant in this author’s fantasy world and are frighteningly all-too reminiscent of their blatant presence in our own real one. Which makes this seemingly escape read, at least for me, one of the most intriguing and eye-opening novels I’ve read in a while.
Creatures of all species, including humans, can be both kind and cruel. Sympathetic, loving, and still harbor murderous thoughts. Can still be good and evil. Regardless of whether they live in a fantasy world created by a talented author with a vivid imagination or dwell in the mundane recesses of our daily lives.
With a fast-paced denouement and a cliff-hanger ending that begs for a sequel, this is a great timeless novel. I am glad I had added it to last year’s Christmas list. And on this year’s, for sure, will be The Kingdom of Copper, the second in Chakraborty’s The Daevabad Trilogy.
I can’t wait. I am just “dying” to know if Dara’s iron ring set with a large emerald will really work…
Enjoy the read!

The adventure was fun and the tribes of people and the different types of magical creatures were all creative. But, it had plenty of flaws. It was never explained how Dara’s initial opinion of Nahri changed and developed from finding her an obnoxious brat (which she was) to respecting and liking her. Yes, she did get less annoying later but the reader never benefited from seeing the gradual change. Instead, she was suddenly treated differently and acting differently with the change of a chapter and without explanation. Additionally, the politics were often difficult to follow and understand. People’s opinions and actions were inconsistent. There were too many tribes to keep track of. And, events would sometimes happen quickly without any explanation or follow-up later. As a reader, I just had to accept the current situation even though I didn’t really understand what was happening. Oh, and then there were a couple conveniences where characters shared information from the past about which the reader and other characters did not previously know but which should have been introduced sooner. It sometimes felt like the writer had realized she was in a hole and needed to create some sort of back-story to make the current situation work so she just declared that something had happened earlier without actually taking the time and making the effort to weave that circumstance into the previous storyline. However, despite its flaws, I enjoyed the ride overall and hope the sequel will be less clunky and the characters better developed. I also liked the exposure to Egypt and learning a little about the culture and belief systems.

***THIS BOOK WAS RECEIVED FROM A GOODREADS GIVEAWAY***

In S.A. Chakraborty’s debut novel, The City of Brass, we find some of the standard tropes that seem to be the foundation of the Young Adult genre. There are snippets of works like Harry Potter and Twilight that seem to leak through, their influences helping to shape the world that the author has created. However, while some of these tropes might be tired in any other setting, they are used to great effect here, as the author has created something grounded in culture and traditions that helps to enhance the fantasy world that lies just beyond our own.

While I did enjoy reading this book overall, there were a few weaknesses. The start of the story was action-packed and hooked me right from the get-go, but then the section leading up to the second half of the plot seemed to be bogged down with lots of exposition and world-building. It also wasn’t necessarily clear to me why the main character needed to go to the titular “City of Brass,” other than her brief hope that she’d be trained there. I also didn’t get the sense that the journey took months, as the traveling companions didn’t seem to be as exhausted from the trek as I thought they should be.

Despite this semi-minor weakness, the characters and the world were well developed and well thought out. I had to roll my eyes at the “love triangle,” mostly because it’s a cliché of the genre, but the three main characters involved in such romantic entanglements were unique and interesting individuals that made me want to keep reading. This book uses a lot of specific terminologies that took a little bit to pick up, especially from the perspective of a reader who isn’t as familiar with Middle Eastern languages. I was still able to pick it up via context, only needing the glossary at the end to confirm my suspicions.

An excellent debut that pulls from a rich and unique culture to create its fantasy, I give The City of Brass 4.0 stars out of 5.

pooled ink Reviews:
3.5 Stars

Well first of all it’s an impressive debut novel to be sure! The imagery, the plot, the writing, it unfolds with such unique flavor and grandeur that it’s to be commended. I certainly enjoyed the fresh take on this fantasy tale as it not only is inspired by Middle Eastern culture but is actually rooted and suffused with it. Egypt, Islam, and Middle Eastern myths are not mere facets to the story but are the story’s heart from whence the story blooms.

That being said it was easy to enjoy while reading but just as easy to put down and step away. My favorite aspect of this book was the world-building however it could admittedly become quite dense and overly-detailed in the writing, but the imagery and concepts were breathtaking. If you're able to persevere and utilize a determined imagination then you'll likely get swept away by it all.

THE CITY OF BRASS is a novel proud with magic, myths, and destiny. Spun together with an expert pen, adventure and politics whisk the reader away in this desert tale of family, oppression, fate, and love. Boldly told and adorned by a delicate hand, this historical fantasy deserves the praise it receives.

I am beside myself with how beautiful and complex this book was. What a brilliant piece of fiction. If you like complicated characters -- like you, b/c we all are, right? -- and a plot-line that goads you along with action and suspense and a yearning for what the hell is going to happen next, then you need to read this. The OMG moments literally made me say them out loud. My husband was like, "Guess you're liking that book?" I'm deeply jealous that this is this writer's first book, and I can't even keep my kitchen clean (much less finish any written thing). I can't wait to see the next book.

Oy, if you buy this or borrow or whatever, and you find yourself thinking, "I can't keep up with the histories and the different peoples, and the betrayals, etc," just hang in there. You'll get it, pieces will fall into place. And when they do, your head will spin lovely.

Book: The City of Brass
Author: S.A. Chakraborty
Rating: 5 Out of 5 Stars

This book has been on my to read list for awhile now. Sabaa Tahir has been talking about this book on her Facebook page for awhile now and I thought it showed a lot of promise. I will say that this is unlike any book that I’ve read before.

First off, this is a Muslim fantasy. I have never read a strictly Muslim fantasy before. I have read all kinds of Middle Eastern fantasies, but never anything like this. The world building and writing was just so well done. I don’t know, but I do think that this is one of the best world building books that I have read in a long time. I have never read anything like this-yeah, I’m probably going to be saying that a lot.

I really do feel like this is an under hyped book. I think it is not being the attention it deserves. The writing is beautiful and the amount of detail that goes into the writing is just amazing. I can tell that S.A has done a ton of research and put a lot of thought into creating this wonderful world. There are so just many elements and layers into the world.

I loved all of the characters and thought they were so well rounded. Nahri is one of our main characters. She is a twenty something healer and con on the streets. She lives in Egypt and knows nothing of her childhood. She can speak almost every language that she hears. She has an ability to heal almost everyone-by a magic that only she can sense. Someone realizes her talents and puts her work. Well, to make a long story short, she ends up summoning a daeva warrior.

So, Dara now enters the story. He is brooding with a tormented past. He’s also a good warrior, which makes him kind of dangerous. Still, he makes for a great character. He is the one who realizes that Nahri isn’t human and they start on a quest.

Ali is a young djinn prince, who lives in a magical city. He is selfless, loyal, and not afraid to do what he thinks is right. I loved him and just how long he is. He will never marry or have children, which just shows how loyal he is. Now, he kind of sounds like a boring character, but he’s not. I thought that these dynamics really made him stand out and I found him to be the most interesting character in the whole book.
There is also more going on here than what first meets the eye. There is a lot of oppression and emphasize on pureblood. If you aren’t pureblood, then you are treated horribly. Now, I know a lot of other books are exploring this right now, but I do think this is one of the best ones. I like how it’s not preaching at us, like so many seem to be doing, but is instead showing us in a very creative why what oppression does and what it can cause.

With all of this being saved, this is one of the best debuts that I have read in a long time and I am looking forward to more from this series and author. This is truly a must read book!

When I picked up The City of Brass, I was a little intimidated. 500+ pages of historical fiction is a big ask when I'm reading to a deadline. However, my worries turned out to be unfounded. The City of Brass was a delight from beginning to end and I tore through it in no time.

The story is told in close third person from two points of view. The first three chapters come from Nahri, a young woman with a magical talent for healing. As an orphan, she uses this talent to help swindle the rich. She is first and foremost a survivor, looking to get by and perhaps one day leave Cairo to train as a doctor. After one of her fake rituals goes wrong, she flees the city in the company of a djinn she accidentally summoned. He convinces her to travel to the mysterious city of Daevabad to learn the truth of her heritage.

Which is where the second POV character comes in. Alizayd al Qahtani is the second-born prince of Daevabad. He's a man of rigid convictions who finds himself sympathising with a rebel faction within the city. This puts him in a precarious position when his father places him in command of the city guard. It also places him at odds with Nahri.

This is a novel of shifting alliances and shades of grey, which is one of the reasons I loved it so much. None of the factions are shown as uniformly right, but engage in manipulation to further their ends. Even the faction advocating for the middle way arose from a history of violence, use dubious methods, and are mostly in it for their own power. The story also recognises that there are multiple factors at play--unlikely friendships form, despite political and religious differences.

Speaking of religious differences, it was refreshing to see an epic fantasy where the characters are predominantly Muslim. Nor is it made a big deal, though Ali's strict adherence to abstaining from alcohol is a source of friction between him and his brother. Being Own Voices allowed the story to include elements that I may have otherwise found dubious. Any story written by a white, non-Muslim author featuring a Prince Ali and a magic carpet would have had to do a lot of work to convince me it wasn't a stereotyped joke.

Despite starting out as historical fantasy, the historical elements don't play a large part. Once Nahri leaves Cairo, the story comes across more like a secondary world fantasy. It will be interesting to see if this shifts in later books.

The style was very readable and the pacing was faster than I was expecting, at least at first. It slows down in the middle of the book to concentrate on developing relationships between characters and factions, then picks up again at the end. I found the shifts in the status quo gave enough resolution to be satisfying while simultaneously opening up whole new issues to be dealt with in the next book.

The City of Brass was a brilliant start to a new series and to my reading year.

Nahri grew up in Cairo , Egypt almost dirt poor. Surviving by wits, she makes a living as a healer and a thief. She recently discovers Zar dancing as a way to Exorcise jinn. Her latest dance attracts the attention of the vile ifrit, evil demon like Jinn. Arriving at the city of the dead in Cairo and looking for way to escape the evil Ifrit she accidentally summons a warrior deva, who fought in the Jinn Deava wars of long ago.

At first Dara is rather disgusted to be dealing with a human, later he thinks she is shafit, half jinn and half human. Her Jinn blood is royal, descended from a line of strong Jinn healers her Dara vows to protect her but in order to protect her they must get to daevabad. There she will be safe from the jinn. There is but one problem, Dara is an outlaw there.

Arriving in the city after battling Ifrit and dragon in the desert they cross the Marid cursed lake. Once they get their the King of the city reveals that Nahri is full jinn. She is the last of healers. Once she gets to the city that is when the intrigue begins.

Daevabad is a city in turmoil. It used to belong to the Fire Worshipping Daeva but the Quatanis took it over. The remaining Daeva live in a state of privilege and discrimination at the same time. The other group is the shafit, half jinn half human they face constant discrimination and they live in poverty. The Tanzeem is an organization that’s helps them /but also plots terrorist attacks. Ali the King Ghassans youngest son from an Ayanle wife helps the shafit .Ayanle are another tribe of Jinn.

Plenty of conflict as King Ghassan tries to get Nahri to/marry Mutandir his oldest son. Yet Ali becomes friends with her and starts to develop a real affection for her. In the end crossed loyalties spark a confrontation of unreal proportion. THe Quatanis may have thee city but the Daeva want their city back and they are tired of being pushed around.

This book is a wonderful escape during a very cold, dreary January, but I'm sure I would welcome it as much any time of the year. Nahri is a strong female protagonist who discovers why she hasn't ever quite fit in when she accidentally conjures a djinn. This starts in 17th century Cairo but becomes a journey to Daevabad, the City of Brass, weaving a magical action tale. It's exotic and provides a 'safe' setting of dealing with racial tensions and issues cloaked in the mythical races/groups of Daevabad. Nahri is street wise and finds herself tested with her new acquaintances and learning that things she never believed in before are real. I'm really looking forward to the rest of the trilogy. This book has a dash of romance but is more about setting up things to come I suspect. The interrelationships were fun to read. I was a bit disappointed with the cover information (which I suppose the author has no or little control over) which called her a writer of speculative fiction. This is a work of fantasy and there's not a thing wrong with that. Speculative fiction seems a label for those who perceive their writing as 'serious' and can't stoop to fantasy and/or science fiction. I guess if one wants to get down to it, all fiction is speculative. However, none of that spoils the sheer pleasure of reading this book.

Disclosure: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

The City of Brass is a Middle Eastern Fantasy that I didn’t know I was looking for. This book was beyond amazing. The characters are extremely complex, the world-building rich, vibrant and multifaceted and the writing impeccable. A wondrous book to start out the new year, not bad if I say so myself.

The book is narrated from two different point-of-views; Nahri a con-artist living in Cairo and Ali, a Daeva (Djinn) prince of Daevabad whom are both young adults (18-20s). Nahri never really believed in magic, sure she has heard tales of evil Djinns but they were just that, tales. Even with healing abilities and her knowledge of most, if not all languages still made her a skeptic of all things magic. However, one night while trying to exorcise a demon from a child; Nahri sang in a foreign tongue even she wasn’t aware of and woke ifrit demons and a long forgotten warrior. From there Nahri is thrown head first into the world of Daevabad, caught between the different tribes of Djinns, elemental creatures hunting her, and a dangerous game of politics as everyone is trying to make her their pawn.

Ali is the younger and second of two princes. He is training to be Qaid, the head of Djinn Royal Guard and to be his brother’s protector. Ali is a well-educated, passionate, kind hearted prince and one of the best swordsman Daevabad has seen since it’s last ruler, Zaydi was alive 1400 years ago. He would be the perfect son and prince if it wasn’t for his secret, or not so secret views of the Shafit people, those of mixed blood of Djinn and Humans. Ali believes the Shafit should have equals rights as the other tribes, but his father and the nobleman think otherwise.Being known as a Shafit sympathizer has damming consequences but Ali had a bigger secret that could condemn him to death if his father ever found out.

I’ve always found tales of Djinn fascinating but it wasn’t as prominent as other supernatural beings and it’s almost nonexistent on the literary front not counting the famous Arabian Nights Tales. Not only did Chakraborty put Djinn on the map but she also put Middle Eastern Fantasy at the forefront; bringing something fresh, new and unique to the Fantasy genre. After reading The City of Brass and being so enamored by the world and characters Chakraborty created, I did some research on Djinn mythology. I saw the basis of Djinn mythology and where she incorporated it into the story but she took the idea and completely made it her own; heavily expanding it to create a world that felt so realistic that one can’t resist the urge to go to Daevabad. I’m pretty sure anyone who has already read The City of Brass, wished Dara was real. Yes, please!

I absolutely loved The City of Brass! It’s hard to believe that this is a debut novel because Chakraborty writes like a seasoned author. If you want to be swept away on a magic carpet and go on an unforgettable adventure\; then you’ll want to read this book! The City of Brass will captivate you from the first page and have you begging for the sequel when you turn the last page. The City of Brass is wholly originally but it also reminded me of Disney’s Aladdin…but for adults! There’s a thief, a prince, a djinn and a magic carpet…need I say more? If you haven’t checked out this first in a new series then you need to hightail to the nearest bookstore, online retailer or library A.S.A.P. This is a book you don’t want to miss!

"Find out what you really are, what really exists in this world. Come to Daevabad where even a drop of Nahid blood will bring you honor and wealth beyond your imagining...Respect."

The City of Brass is a powerful #ownvoices debut novel people. S.A. Chakraborty’s debut novel follows the story of Nahri. She is an orphaned con artist living in eighteenth-century Cairo. She doesn’t know who she is, who her parents are, or how she is able to heal people. She also can understand and respond to seemingly any language without prior knowledge of the said language including a strange tongue she somehow knows even though she’s never heard anyone else speak it. Nahri is a 20 something young woman with no hope and does tons of swindling activities in order to survive. She has dreams of one day going to Istanbul to learn to heal properly. While executing a phony healing ceremony, she accidentally calls on Dara, a powerful djinn with a violent past and reveals that Nahri is part djinn, descended from a long line of healers. To be safe she must flee Cairo as she is a target for ifrit (evil djinn with no souls who are her family’s enemies). We then follow her and Dara as they make their way to Daevebad where only those with djinn blood can enter.  Daevabad is far from perfect the rulers oppress the shafit (half-djinn) and there is always the threat of rebellion and war. Nahri is actually part of the tribe that conflicted with the current ruling tribe. She swapped the oppressive powers of France and the Ottoman Empire in her native Egypt for a new set of injustices and oppression. 

1) Characters

"But terrified as she was, the sound of her native language was intoxicating, and she didn't want the mysterious stranger to stop speaking."

Nahri is a smart young woman with incredible healing abilities and a master of languages. I love how real she was we got to see her be confident and sarcastic but also very scared and make decisions that weren't always the best. We learn that she is a very powerful being from the Nahid tribe and the last of her kind. Her gifts are apart of Nahid culture. I want to see her really understand her people and not be swayed by the royals. Dara is a powerful Afshin that are connected to the Nahid. He sounds sexy and wonderful. I love how complex he is without even getting his point of view. But, I didn't like how some characters spoke of him but we didn't get to hear his POV. Ali was interesting but also a little insufferable. I want to see how far he will go and if he will actually do something about his corrupt family. The side characters were all very complex and a lot were morally grey and touched on real things.

2) Plot

"Go," he urged. "I promise not to go to war without your permission," he added with a sharp smile at the Qahtanis.

The plot of this story was exceptional and it beautifully highlighted Middle Eastern culture. The pace was amazing and picked up right away. There were many plot twists and I won't spoil them but just know that even if things appear gone I think the author is setting us up for something amazing in book two. 

3) Writing/World Building

"Because on the day of your judgment, Alizayd...when you're asked why you didn't stand up for what you knew was just..." He paused, his next words finding Ali's heart like an arrow. "Loyalty to your family won't excuse you."

The story is rich in Egyptian and Middle Eastern culture and history. As a PageHabit book, we got annotations from the author throughout the book which gives us the authors personal touch and feelings in the story. Since she has been to many of the places and I think part of the culture this really elevated the story. The dialogue is very well done as well. The City of Brass (Daevabad) sounds gorgeous and is a place of different tribes and people. The description that the author writes really transports you to this world.

4) Romance

But Dara went no further—though there was no denying the flash of regret in his eyes as his thumb lightly brushed her lower lip. "I'm coming back, Nahri," he promised. "You're my Banu Nahida. This is my city." His expression was defiant. "Nothing will keep me from either of you."

I really love Nahri and Dara and the relationship brewing. I don't know what will happen in book two but I know it will only get better. It was sexy and their banter was so fun.

This book was recommended to me as a "romance" novel, but I was pleasantly surprised to find it a much more complex fantasy novel with plenty of magic, action, and world building. And some romance thrown in the mix, too!

First, it has a unique setting for a fantasy novel and is based in the middle east, not in a generic European medieval setting. There are also heavy Islamic roots rather than Christian ones, something that stands out as extremely odd in the beginning of the book and fades to normalcy as you adjust. Overall I found that very refreshing and interesting. Obvious care has been put into creating a fully developed fantasy world with different species who have their own rich and complex histories, religions, and traditions. It touches on just enough mythology to seem familiar while simultaneously giving everything a good shaking up. I think this world building is the absolute strongest aspect of the book and it was completely fascinating to learn about the different cultures.

While we are quickly introduced to "the romantic interest" it is a slow burn. For being introduced to me as a romance novel, there is surprisingly little romance going on. Except a few brief sparks, the romance plays second fiddle to the complex world the author has built and the personal growth of the main characters. The romantic subplot is rather predictable, but in a way that is almost a relief as it allows the reader to focus on the more complex court intrigue and world politics. I was constantly worried that the "action" would be thrown aside in favor of the characters getting some action as so many books with romance seem to do, but it stayed subdued. I suspect it will play a larger role as the series progresses and the characters form deeper bonds.

The character growth was about what you'd expect from a first book in a series. Each character starts out very flat, able to be described in just a few words, but they each grow in depth as the story progresses and we learn more about them. Just when you think you have a character pegged, they turn around and surprise. That surprise leads to further understanding of the hidden depth of the characters. Perhaps this is a bit too heavy handed with so many "gotcha" moments sprinkled throughout that they stop being surprising, but several instances were particularly subtle and well done and they were very enjoyable to read even when I started to expect them.

I think the biggest con in The City of Brass is probably the dialogue. It tends to feel a bit immature, reducing otherwise mature characters to speaking like young children with a limited vocabulary. At times it loses its impact by breaking up text too often with "he said" "she said" "she gasped" "he blinked". Listening to it on audiobook made a world of difference, adding a great deal of nuance to otherwise flat statements, to the point where I preferred to finish with the audiobook instead of the book and I will probably pick up the next one as an audiobook only.

Some readers will likely find this book overly simple, while otherwise may find it unnecessarily complex, but for me it struck a nice middle ground. It was easy to make my way through this over a single holiday break and it left me feeling like I had explored a new and magical world. I absolutely cannot wait to see where the story goes from here and would absolutely recommend The City of Brass as a good palette cleanser if you're getting tired of reading the same rehashed fantasy story. It's definitely going on my list to re-read later and I'm eagerly awaiting the next book.

This was quite an ambitious book, and I have to say that I was very impressed by it!

The first thing that I have to say about The City of Brass is that the diversity in this novel is fantastic, and I truly appreciated reading this own voices Muslim fantasy. Chakraborty has invested so much time, effort, and authenticity into this world. It was so unique and such a breath of fresh air. That being said, let's move into the content of the book!

The City of Brass centers on two main characters, Nahri and Ali, whose perspectives we switch back and forth between. Nahri is portrayed as being in her early twenties and living in Cairo, Egypt; she uses her mysterious magical ability at healing to help others during the daylight hours, but acts as a thief at night. I personally expected that to be a larger aspect of the novel, but it's actually a fairly short part of the beginning. Nahri does not know where her magical affinity comes from, but during one particular healing ceremony she attends she accidentally summons a djinn/daeva warrior named Dara, which is where her part in our story truly begins.

Ali is a young djinn prince who lives in a magical called Daevabad. Ali has an older brother named Muntadhir, and it is Muntadhir who is next in line for the throne. Ali, on the other hand, is being trained to become a sort of body guard/protector to Muntadhir, which essentially means that his life will be fixed solely on his own family, rather than creating his own. He also becomes extremely religious and lives his life in a devout manner. I found Ali to be an intriguing character, but not one that I was particularly fond of.

The relationships between all of the characters--and there are many characters!--vary greatly, and there is much tension at play between just about everyone. Although most of the characters were played in a consistent manner, I found Nahri's actions slightly inconsistent at times, as she seemed to go back and forth quite a bit with her actions and overall personality. Her relationship with Dara was probably one of the character relationships that I enjoyed the most, as I felt that there was a lot of intrigue between the two of them. In fact, I think that Dara is probably the character that I found the most interesting in this entire novel.

One of the main conflicts featured in this story is that of the injustice and oppression of different cultures and peoples because of blood status and purity. At heart, this is a common conflict that we can all probably understand from our own experiences in our world. This aspect of the novel is written extremely well. The violence and is incredibly--and unfortunately-- very real. The rest of the overall plot and goal of this story is one that I won't go into in more detail about because, for one, I don't want to accidentally spoil anything, and two, it's far too complex for me to even attempt.

Where my main issues with this novel began was with the world itself and the various blood groups, political issues, the histories, stories, cultures... Look, I love when an author puts a lot of thought and detail into a novel, but Chakraborty made this too complex. This story didn't need that much complexity, and even if it did, it simply wasn't done in a great manner. There was too much information thrown around at various times and I couldn't keep up with it at all. The writing just felt a bit messy and disjointed, and the pacing was extremely off. At times this novel flew by and I was completely hooked, but that was intermixed with far too many slow, explanatory parts that took away from everything else.

On the whole, I ended up enjoying this novel in the end, but there were far too many parts that I didn't like for me to give this a full four stars. It was beautifully written at times and I was able to see Chakraborty's writing skills soar, but then I felt as if she just got lot in this large, complex world at other times and reverted to a less-engaging style.

Overall, I've given The City of Brass three-and-three-quater-stars! Despite the faults, I would still recommend this to anyone looking for an exciting fantasy that features more diversity and a more unique overall setting.

Basic Keywords and Intro:

-Own Voices: Muslim debut Novel
-New Adult Fantasy Novel
-Dual Narrative : Nahri & Ali
-Nahri lives in Cairo, and remembers nothing about her past.
-She is a 20 something  street healer by day, and con person & thief by night.
-Gets hired to host Zar parties, which is a spiritual method of cleansing, healing, and getting rid of evil spirits.
-Doesn’t believe in Magic, but people believe in her powers, so hello money!
-Summons Dara, the greatest djinn Daeva warrior with a tormented past, by mistake.
-Dara protects Nahri from Ifrits, and takes her to a hidden city.
-Ali is the prince of a hidden city called Daevabad.
-Has a spoiled Brother who is going to be the promised king.
-Ali is selfless. But when what he believes in and what his family wants him to believe  become opposing poles of beliefs and motives, he is left confused and conflicted.

Points to address:

-Accurate representation of thoughts and mythical believes that Egyptian Citizens had believed in the past ( and might still have) .
-DARA! DARA! DARA! DARA!. LOVE HIM! LOVE HIM! LOVE HIM! LOVE HIM!
-The author managed to capture the fact that sometimes 2 opposing political parties, aren’t actually different sides of the same coin. Nope, they are simply the same side of 2 different coins. 
-The History that Dara was familiar with wasn’t the same one that Ali learned about from historical books. Through out the story, we get to see the sad truth that no-one wants to acknowledge in real life. Which is “ No two politically opposed Parties are 100%  completely honest .

-It is easier for us humans “ though the book is about djinns, but you know what I mean” to identify humans, believes, and events as black and white. I think the S.A, Chakraborty has managed to perfectly sum up how political parties run the system, so Kudos to her. 

-She shows us that life isn't Black & Whit; it is Black & Blue.

“You won’t be able to continue like this, Alizayd,” he warned. “ To keep walking a path between loyalty to your family and loyalty to what you know is right. One of these days, you’re going to have to make a choice.”

Things I liked:

-I really liked how the characters and politics were perfectly flawed.
-There hasn’t been a single boring chapter in this book.
-This story is soooooooooo good. No seriously, it is an amazing, kick ass, awesome sauce , magnificent book.

Things I didn’t like:

-The time I have to wait until the 2nd book, The Kingdom of Copper, is released.
-How Under-Hyped this book is!!!!!

I received an eARC in exchange with an honest review

The City of Brass is a fantastic and delightful new Fantasy series with phenomenal world-building, complex characters, a fast pace, and incredible twists. Told in dual POV, the story beautifully showcases Middle Eastern mythology and delivers a tale that is all kinds of enchanting.

S.A. Chakraborty’s writing is striking and it grasps your attention right away. The novel is rich in cultural and historical influences that only add depth to the already amazing world-building. There is a bit of humor, a lot of political intrigue, and quite a few mysteries to be solved. Combining all of that, Chakraborty writes what is certainly one of the best Fantasy novels of the year.

I loved this book so so so much I want to cry. The pace and plot development hold steady throughout all the book, making it super difficult to put this down. Chakraborty knows how to write conflict, and her words really translate emotion to the page. The reveals are also very well-done and pretty much all of them manage to surprise you.

The characters are all amazing, oh my god. This is told in dual POV: Nahri and Ali. They both have very distinct narrative voices and the shifts between their POVs flows smoothly. It is fun, at the beginning of the book, getting glimpses of the different places they find themselves in and, later on, how they come together.

Not all characters are likable, but they are developed all the same. They are all layered and contribute to moving the plot forward, as each have their own agendas. A few twists and very interesting revelations actually come from these side characters, which only makes this even better.

There’s only a very light romance in the book. The focus is very much on the political aspect of it, as well as the discovery of this new world Nahri finds herself in. There is action and death and so so so many questions left unanswered, but in a way that ties well with this first arc and leaves you wanting more.

The City of Brass just might be one of my favorite Fantasy novels ever. The world-building is amazing, the characters are intriguing and very well-developed, and the writing is beautiful. This is an enchanting new world that I can’t wait to get to know more. Recommended to all Fantasy fans!

The City of Brass is an enjoyable fantasy book with excellently described world. This book is full of politics and oppression. It felt very slow for most of the book and it mainly just felt like an introduction to the next book. While I loved the Daevabad, I wish we had spent more time in Cairo as I wanted to see and learn more. Action-packed and with a bit of romance but it didn’t take over the plot.

Nahri was a brilliant character to being with as she was very independent and resourceful, with an amazing ability, however, when she got to Daevabad is really regressed and didn’t make any decisions and just lost her spark. Ali is very devout and knows his own mind, even if he is influenced by those near him. Dara was the most interesting character as he has a dark past and was very intriguing, I just think this book would have been better if we had had his point of view.

While this book didn’t live up to the hype for me, I plan on reading the next book The Kingdom of Cooper, as I feel the next book will be better without having to explain everything. I would recommend The City of Brass to fans of The Hundredth Queen series and Rebel of the Sands series.

Based on review copy

4.5 stars

Plot: In 18th century Cairo, Nahri was an orphan con-woman with a knack for healing. One day, she unknowingly unleashed a long-forgotten djinn and forged on a journey to rediscover her past and serve her people.

And I loved every minute of Nahri's journey with Dara and how complex the djinn rivalries were. The City of Brass was told from the perspective of both Nahri and Ali, the prince to the current djinn royalty, so we got to see both sides of the story and understand why each side might see the other as the "enemy". There was a lot of cat-and-mouse play and new discoveries by the chapter, but I was intimidated in the beginning. There was a lot of djinn terminology that I didn't understand and I'm still a bit confused with the complex relationships between with djinn tribe, and I'm sure I'll have to give this one a reread before the sequel is released. And can we talk about that ending? The City of Brass had one of the most intense-showdowns I've read in a while and the cliffhanger was just cruel.

Characters: Nahri was just as you would expect: she was stubborn and wasn't afraid to speak her mind. I especially loved how she handled herself when presented with vipers wanting to see her fail. Dara, the mysterious djinn warrior, had a questionable past, and I think was the love interest? I'm unsure; while the romance was hinted at, it was nowhere near a focal point of the City of Brass. Ali, the second prince of the current royal family, was also a contender. Regardless of who romanced who, they were each interesting characters that I wanted to get to know more.

Worldbuilding: The amount of detail that went into The City of Brass was astounding, and I'm thankful for the glossary that Chakraborty included at the end; I highly recommend that readers utilize it since there was a lot of information to digest. I mentioned that it was overwhelming for me, but I wholly appreciate the amount of detail that the author poured into the City of Brass.

Short N Sweet: The City of Brass is imaginative and addictive; you'll want to pre-order the sequel as soon as you finish!

Intricate fantasy, frenetic romance, political intrigue, bloodthirsty violence. If you’re a fan of a story steeped in all four, you need to pick up this book. S. A. Chakraborty’s debut, THE CITY OF BRASS, kicks off an upcoming trilogy. There are parts of the work that stumble with certain common first-novel hitches, but overall, she brings to life a thrilling, page-turning adventure.

Eighteenth-century Cairo. Nahri is a young swindler with no known family and powers she doesn’t understand. She ekes out a living as a small-time con woman, healing small injuries and tricking the foolish. Except there’s something else to her talents --- something far more potent than she’d realized. The discovery introduces her to a mysterious djinn warrior, Dara, who recognizes the truth of her powers and identity. Together they journey to Daevabad, the city of brass, alit with djinn, turmoil and magic. The city opens up exciting possibilities for Nahri, but also unimaginable danger. Nahri and Dara cross paths with Prince Alizayd al Qahtani, the younger son of the Daevabad king, and the king has his own complicated plans for both of them, based on a centuries-old divide. While Nahri struggles to understand her place in this new world --- which is as dangerous as it is enchanting --- Alizayd must navigate his place within the deadly divide between the pure-blooded Daeva (djinn) and mixed-blooded.

The recap alone leaves me a bit breathless, and I’m leaving out quite a few details. Another reviewer has called this book syncretic, and it is that --- there’s a lot going on here, and it borrows inspiration from a bevy of places. She herself identified that the book began as something of “historical fanfiction.” Chakraborty is a history enthusiast with a scholar’s background as well as a convert to Islam, and it’s clear that she is deeply personally invested in the intricacies and intersections of Middle Eastern history, faith and folklore. As a reader, I adore epic fantasy and generally hold the belief that if the story can grip you and speak to you, can broaden your horizons and immerse you in a world you enjoy, you can do the work of learning its history. For me, this book did all four, and the task of following along was highly rewarding.

Still, for readers who aren’t necessarily accustomed to higher fantasy, there are parts of THE CITY OF BRASS that might overwhelm or blur together. Chakraborty has created such an immense world, with a painful, complex history that the characters are constantly learning more about, and sometimes it can be hard to keep track. However, the author’s enthusiasm is palpable and predominantly contagious. If readers get a bit lost, they can catch on again easily. Epic fantasy fans do it for Tolkien and George R. R. Martin. Ultimately, her sparkling, shifting plot propels the reader through the narrative.

As impressively immersive as this novel is, there were moments that stumbled and anachronistic language that distracted. I personally don’t often enjoy the “chosen one” narrative, as it doesn’t give me much to lean on to relate to the characters. There were times when, while I could still feel Chakraborty’s love and affection for her characters, I just didn’t connect on quite that level, even though I wished I could. I wanted more friendships developing. I wanted more to the romance, to feel it build and grow instead of showing up rather suddenly and predictably, though perhaps that just wasn’t my particular cup of tea. And I couldn’t help but notice moments in this 500+ page book --- which spans centuries and faiths and magical races --- that overtly danced around queerness, but never took the step to explore it even a little, which felt a bit disappointing.

That said, THE CITY OF BRASS is a debut and book one of a trilogy. And as a non-Muslim, I’m sure there are parts of the novel that may resonate more with other readers, and that’s not only entirely fine, but pretty great. I’m glad this book exists. What Chakraborty gives us is truly beautiful. And it’s complex because the real-life situations that inspired her are complex, and she has woven in --- very fluidly --- some seriously cool, grown-up magic. What I did take from it was simply marvelous, and I’m grateful that she has written such an expansive work of fantasy in this setting. I could feel the love she poured onto the page, and with it she created a very special, sparkling novel. And I absolutely devoured it. I am willing to reserve judgment on my above criticisms until I get to read book two, which I am eagerly looking forward to and imagine will smooth out some concerns.

Overall, this is a masterful debut. There were moments that gave me pause, but Chakraborty’s world washed over me. Her writing is excellent, lush and detailed. She illuminates sights, sounds and smells, and intricacies of magic, while also packing in page-turning action. I would definitely recommend it to fantasy fans.

Reviewed by Maya Gittelman

"Find out what you really are, what really exists in this world. Come to Daevabad where even a drop of Nahid blood will bring you honor and wealth beyond your imagining...Respect."

The City of Brass is a powerful #ownvoices debut novel people. S.A. Chakraborty’s debut novel follows the story of Nahri. She is an orphaned con artist living in eighteenth-century Cairo. She doesn’t know who she is, who her parents are, or how she is able to heal people. She also can understand and respond to seemingly any language without prior knowledge of the said language including a strange tongue she somehow knows even though she’s never heard anyone else speak it. Nahri is a 20 something young woman with no hope and does tons of swindling activities in order to survive. She has dreams of one day going to Istanbul to learn to heal properly. While executing a phony healing ceremony, she accidentally calls on Dara, a powerful djinn with a violent past and reveals that Nahri is part djinn, descended from a long line of healers. To be safe she must flee Cairo as she is a target for ifrit (evil djinn with no souls who are her family’s enemies). We then follow her and Dara as they make their way to Daevebad where only those with djinn blood can enter.  Daevabad is far from perfect the rulers oppress the shafit (half-djinn) and there is always the threat of rebellion and war. Nahri is actually part of the tribe that conflicted with the current ruling tribe. She swapped the oppressive powers of France and the Ottoman Empire in her native Egypt for a new set of injustices and oppression. 

1) Characters

"But terrified as she was, the sound of her native language was intoxicating, and she didn't want the mysterious stranger to stop speaking."

Nahri is a smart young woman with incredible healing abilities and a master of languages. I love how real she was we got to see her be confident and sarcastic but also very scared and make decisions that weren't always the best. We learn that she is a very powerful being from the Nahid tribe and the last of her kind. Her gifts are apart of Nahid culture. I want to see her really understand her people and not be swayed by the royals. Dara is a powerful Afshin that are connected to the Nahid. He sounds sexy and wonderful. I love how complex he is without even getting his point of view. But, I didn't like how some characters spoke of him but we didn't get to hear his POV. Ali was interesting but also a little insufferable. I want to see how far he will go and if he will actually do something about his corrupt family. The side characters were all very complex and a lot were morally grey and touched on real things.

2) Plot

"Go," he urged. "I promise not to go to war without your permission," he added with a sharp smile at the Qahtanis.

The plot of this story was exceptional and it beautifully highlighted Middle Eastern culture. The pace was amazing and picked up right away. There were many plot twists and I won't spoil them but just know that even if things appear gone I think the author is setting us up for something amazing in book two. 

3) Writing/World Building

"Because on the day of your judgment, Alizayd...when you're asked why you didn't stand up for what you knew was just..." He paused, his next words finding Ali's heart like an arrow. "Loyalty to your family won't excuse you."

The story is rich in Egyptian and Middle Eastern culture and history. As a PageHabit book, we got annotations from the author throughout the book which gives us the authors personal touch and feelings in the story. Since she has been to many of the places and I think part of the culture this really elevated the story. The dialogue is very well done as well. The City of Brass (Daevabad) sounds gorgeous and is a place of different tribes and people. The description that the author writes really transports you to this world.

4) Romance

But Dara went no further—though there was no denying the flash of regret in his eyes as his thumb lightly brushed her lower lip. "I'm coming back, Nahri," he promised. "You're my Banu Nahida. This is my city." His expression was defiant. "Nothing will keep me from either of you."

I really love Nahri and Dara and the relationship brewing. I don't know what will happen in book two but I know it will only get better. It was sexy and their banter was so fun.

This book was recommended to me as a "romance" novel, but I was pleasantly surprised to find it a much more complex fantasy novel with plenty of magic, action, and world building. And some romance thrown in the mix, too!

First, it has a unique setting for a fantasy novel and is based in the middle east, not in a generic European medieval setting. There are also heavy Islamic roots rather than Christian ones, something that stands out as extremely odd in the beginning of the book and fades to normalcy as you adjust. Overall I found that very refreshing and interesting. Obvious care has been put into creating a fully developed fantasy world with different species who have their own rich and complex histories, religions, and traditions. It touches on just enough mythology to seem familiar while simultaneously giving everything a good shaking up. I think this world building is the absolute strongest aspect of the book and it was completely fascinating to learn about the different cultures.

While we are quickly introduced to "the romantic interest" it is a slow burn. For being introduced to me as a romance novel, there is surprisingly little romance going on. Except a few brief sparks, the romance plays second fiddle to the complex world the author has built and the personal growth of the main characters. The romantic subplot is rather predictable, but in a way that is almost a relief as it allows the reader to focus on the more complex court intrigue and world politics. I was constantly worried that the "action" would be thrown aside in favor of the characters getting some action as so many books with romance seem to do, but it stayed subdued. I suspect it will play a larger role as the series progresses and the characters form deeper bonds.

The character growth was about what you'd expect from a first book in a series. Each character starts out very flat, able to be described in just a few words, but they each grow in depth as the story progresses and we learn more about them. Just when you think you have a character pegged, they turn around and surprise. That surprise leads to further understanding of the hidden depth of the characters. Perhaps this is a bit too heavy handed with so many "gotcha" moments sprinkled throughout that they stop being surprising, but several instances were particularly subtle and well done and they were very enjoyable to read even when I started to expect them.

I think the biggest con in The City of Brass is probably the dialogue. It tends to feel a bit immature, reducing otherwise mature characters to speaking like young children with a limited vocabulary. At times it loses its impact by breaking up text too often with "he said" "she said" "she gasped" "he blinked". Listening to it on audiobook made a world of difference, adding a great deal of nuance to otherwise flat statements, to the point where I preferred to finish with the audiobook instead of the book and I will probably pick up the next one as an audiobook only.

Some readers will likely find this book overly simple, while otherwise may find it unnecessarily complex, but for me it struck a nice middle ground. It was easy to make my way through this over a single holiday break and it left me feeling like I had explored a new and magical world. I absolutely cannot wait to see where the story goes from here and would absolutely recommend The City of Brass as a good palette cleanser if you're getting tired of reading the same rehashed fantasy story. It's definitely going on my list to re-read later and I'm eagerly awaiting the next book.

This was quite an ambitious book, and I have to say that I was very impressed by it!

The first thing that I have to say about The City of Brass is that the diversity in this novel is fantastic, and I truly appreciated reading this own voices Muslim fantasy. Chakraborty has invested so much time, effort, and authenticity into this world. It was so unique and such a breath of fresh air. That being said, let's move into the content of the book!

The City of Brass centers on two main characters, Nahri and Ali, whose perspectives we switch back and forth between. Nahri is portrayed as being in her early twenties and living in Cairo, Egypt; she uses her mysterious magical ability at healing to help others during the daylight hours, but acts as a thief at night. I personally expected that to be a larger aspect of the novel, but it's actually a fairly short part of the beginning. Nahri does not know where her magical affinity comes from, but during one particular healing ceremony she attends she accidentally summons a djinn/daeva warrior named Dara, which is where her part in our story truly begins.

Ali is a young djinn prince who lives in a magical called Daevabad. Ali has an older brother named Muntadhir, and it is Muntadhir who is next in line for the throne. Ali, on the other hand, is being trained to become a sort of body guard/protector to Muntadhir, which essentially means that his life will be fixed solely on his own family, rather than creating his own. He also becomes extremely religious and lives his life in a devout manner. I found Ali to be an intriguing character, but not one that I was particularly fond of.

The relationships between all of the characters--and there are many characters!--vary greatly, and there is much tension at play between just about everyone. Although most of the characters were played in a consistent manner, I found Nahri's actions slightly inconsistent at times, as she seemed to go back and forth quite a bit with her actions and overall personality. Her relationship with Dara was probably one of the character relationships that I enjoyed the most, as I felt that there was a lot of intrigue between the two of them. In fact, I think that Dara is probably the character that I found the most interesting in this entire novel.

One of the main conflicts featured in this story is that of the injustice and oppression of different cultures and peoples because of blood status and purity. At heart, this is a common conflict that we can all probably understand from our own experiences in our world. This aspect of the novel is written extremely well. The violence and is incredibly--and unfortunately-- very real. The rest of the overall plot and goal of this story is one that I won't go into in more detail about because, for one, I don't want to accidentally spoil anything, and two, it's far too complex for me to even attempt.

Where my main issues with this novel began was with the world itself and the various blood groups, political issues, the histories, stories, cultures... Look, I love when an author puts a lot of thought and detail into a novel, but Chakraborty made this too complex. This story didn't need that much complexity, and even if it did, it simply wasn't done in a great manner. There was too much information thrown around at various times and I couldn't keep up with it at all. The writing just felt a bit messy and disjointed, and the pacing was extremely off. At times this novel flew by and I was completely hooked, but that was intermixed with far too many slow, explanatory parts that took away from everything else.

On the whole, I ended up enjoying this novel in the end, but there were far too many parts that I didn't like for me to give this a full four stars. It was beautifully written at times and I was able to see Chakraborty's writing skills soar, but then I felt as if she just got lot in this large, complex world at other times and reverted to a less-engaging style.

Overall, I've given The City of Brass three-and-three-quater-stars! Despite the faults, I would still recommend this to anyone looking for an exciting fantasy that features more diversity and a more unique overall setting.

Basic Keywords and Intro:

-Own Voices: Muslim debut Novel
-New Adult Fantasy Novel
-Dual Narrative : Nahri & Ali
-Nahri lives in Cairo, and remembers nothing about her past.
-She is a 20 something  street healer by day, and con person & thief by night.
-Gets hired to host Zar parties, which is a spiritual method of cleansing, healing, and getting rid of evil spirits.
-Doesn’t believe in Magic, but people believe in her powers, so hello money!
-Summons Dara, the greatest djinn Daeva warrior with a tormented past, by mistake.
-Dara protects Nahri from Ifrits, and takes her to a hidden city.
-Ali is the prince of a hidden city called Daevabad.
-Has a spoiled Brother who is going to be the promised king.
-Ali is selfless. But when what he believes in and what his family wants him to believe  become opposing poles of beliefs and motives, he is left confused and conflicted.

Points to address:

-Accurate representation of thoughts and mythical believes that Egyptian Citizens had believed in the past ( and might still have) .
-DARA! DARA! DARA! DARA!. LOVE HIM! LOVE HIM! LOVE HIM! LOVE HIM!
-The author managed to capture the fact that sometimes 2 opposing political parties, aren’t actually different sides of the same coin. Nope, they are simply the same side of 2 different coins. 
-The History that Dara was familiar with wasn’t the same one that Ali learned about from historical books. Through out the story, we get to see the sad truth that no-one wants to acknowledge in real life. Which is “ No two politically opposed Parties are 100%  completely honest .

-It is easier for us humans “ though the book is about djinns, but you know what I mean” to identify humans, believes, and events as black and white. I think the S.A, Chakraborty has managed to perfectly sum up how political parties run the system, so Kudos to her. 

-She shows us that life isn't Black & Whit; it is Black & Blue.

“You won’t be able to continue like this, Alizayd,” he warned. “ To keep walking a path between loyalty to your family and loyalty to what you know is right. One of these days, you’re going to have to make a choice.”

Things I liked:

-I really liked how the characters and politics were perfectly flawed.
-There hasn’t been a single boring chapter in this book.
-This story is soooooooooo good. No seriously, it is an amazing, kick ass, awesome sauce , magnificent book.

Things I didn’t like:

-The time I have to wait until the 2nd book, The Kingdom of Copper, is released.
-How Under-Hyped this book is!!!!!

I received an eARC in exchange with an honest review

The City of Brass is a fantastic and delightful new Fantasy series with phenomenal world-building, complex characters, a fast pace, and incredible twists. Told in dual POV, the story beautifully showcases Middle Eastern mythology and delivers a tale that is all kinds of enchanting.

S.A. Chakraborty’s writing is striking and it grasps your attention right away. The novel is rich in cultural and historical influences that only add depth to the already amazing world-building. There is a bit of humor, a lot of political intrigue, and quite a few mysteries to be solved. Combining all of that, Chakraborty writes what is certainly one of the best Fantasy novels of the year.

I loved this book so so so much I want to cry. The pace and plot development hold steady throughout all the book, making it super difficult to put this down. Chakraborty knows how to write conflict, and her words really translate emotion to the page. The reveals are also very well-done and pretty much all of them manage to surprise you.

The characters are all amazing, oh my god. This is told in dual POV: Nahri and Ali. They both have very distinct narrative voices and the shifts between their POVs flows smoothly. It is fun, at the beginning of the book, getting glimpses of the different places they find themselves in and, later on, how they come together.

Not all characters are likable, but they are developed all the same. They are all layered and contribute to moving the plot forward, as each have their own agendas. A few twists and very interesting revelations actually come from these side characters, which only makes this even better.

There’s only a very light romance in the book. The focus is very much on the political aspect of it, as well as the discovery of this new world Nahri finds herself in. There is action and death and so so so many questions left unanswered, but in a way that ties well with this first arc and leaves you wanting more.

The City of Brass just might be one of my favorite Fantasy novels ever. The world-building is amazing, the characters are intriguing and very well-developed, and the writing is beautiful. This is an enchanting new world that I can’t wait to get to know more. Recommended to all Fantasy fans!

The City of Brass is an enjoyable fantasy book with excellently described world. This book is full of politics and oppression. It felt very slow for most of the book and it mainly just felt like an introduction to the next book. While I loved the Daevabad, I wish we had spent more time in Cairo as I wanted to see and learn more. Action-packed and with a bit of romance but it didn’t take over the plot.

Nahri was a brilliant character to being with as she was very independent and resourceful, with an amazing ability, however, when she got to Daevabad is really regressed and didn’t make any decisions and just lost her spark. Ali is very devout and knows his own mind, even if he is influenced by those near him. Dara was the most interesting character as he has a dark past and was very intriguing, I just think this book would have been better if we had had his point of view.

While this book didn’t live up to the hype for me, I plan on reading the next book The Kingdom of Cooper, as I feel the next book will be better without having to explain everything. I would recommend The City of Brass to fans of The Hundredth Queen series and Rebel of the Sands series.

Based on review copy

4.5 stars

Plot: In 18th century Cairo, Nahri was an orphan con-woman with a knack for healing. One day, she unknowingly unleashed a long-forgotten djinn and forged on a journey to rediscover her past and serve her people.

And I loved every minute of Nahri's journey with Dara and how complex the djinn rivalries were. The City of Brass was told from the perspective of both Nahri and Ali, the prince to the current djinn royalty, so we got to see both sides of the story and understand why each side might see the other as the "enemy". There was a lot of cat-and-mouse play and new discoveries by the chapter, but I was intimidated in the beginning. There was a lot of djinn terminology that I didn't understand and I'm still a bit confused with the complex relationships between with djinn tribe, and I'm sure I'll have to give this one a reread before the sequel is released. And can we talk about that ending? The City of Brass had one of the most intense-showdowns I've read in a while and the cliffhanger was just cruel.

Characters: Nahri was just as you would expect: she was stubborn and wasn't afraid to speak her mind. I especially loved how she handled herself when presented with vipers wanting to see her fail. Dara, the mysterious djinn warrior, had a questionable past, and I think was the love interest? I'm unsure; while the romance was hinted at, it was nowhere near a focal point of the City of Brass. Ali, the second prince of the current royal family, was also a contender. Regardless of who romanced who, they were each interesting characters that I wanted to get to know more.

Worldbuilding: The amount of detail that went into The City of Brass was astounding, and I'm thankful for the glossary that Chakraborty included at the end; I highly recommend that readers utilize it since there was a lot of information to digest. I mentioned that it was overwhelming for me, but I wholly appreciate the amount of detail that the author poured into the City of Brass.

Short N Sweet: The City of Brass is imaginative and addictive; you'll want to pre-order the sequel as soon as you finish!

Intricate fantasy, frenetic romance, political intrigue, bloodthirsty violence. If you’re a fan of a story steeped in all four, you need to pick up this book. S. A. Chakraborty’s debut, THE CITY OF BRASS, kicks off an upcoming trilogy. There are parts of the work that stumble with certain common first-novel hitches, but overall, she brings to life a thrilling, page-turning adventure.

Eighteenth-century Cairo. Nahri is a young swindler with no known family and powers she doesn’t understand. She ekes out a living as a small-time con woman, healing small injuries and tricking the foolish. Except there’s something else to her talents --- something far more potent than she’d realized. The discovery introduces her to a mysterious djinn warrior, Dara, who recognizes the truth of her powers and identity. Together they journey to Daevabad, the city of brass, alit with djinn, turmoil and magic. The city opens up exciting possibilities for Nahri, but also unimaginable danger. Nahri and Dara cross paths with Prince Alizayd al Qahtani, the younger son of the Daevabad king, and the king has his own complicated plans for both of them, based on a centuries-old divide. While Nahri struggles to understand her place in this new world --- which is as dangerous as it is enchanting --- Alizayd must navigate his place within the deadly divide between the pure-blooded Daeva (djinn) and mixed-blooded.

The recap alone leaves me a bit breathless, and I’m leaving out quite a few details. Another reviewer has called this book syncretic, and it is that --- there’s a lot going on here, and it borrows inspiration from a bevy of places. She herself identified that the book began as something of “historical fanfiction.” Chakraborty is a history enthusiast with a scholar’s background as well as a convert to Islam, and it’s clear that she is deeply personally invested in the intricacies and intersections of Middle Eastern history, faith and folklore. As a reader, I adore epic fantasy and generally hold the belief that if the story can grip you and speak to you, can broaden your horizons and immerse you in a world you enjoy, you can do the work of learning its history. For me, this book did all four, and the task of following along was highly rewarding.

Still, for readers who aren’t necessarily accustomed to higher fantasy, there are parts of THE CITY OF BRASS that might overwhelm or blur together. Chakraborty has created such an immense world, with a painful, complex history that the characters are constantly learning more about, and sometimes it can be hard to keep track. However, the author’s enthusiasm is palpable and predominantly contagious. If readers get a bit lost, they can catch on again easily. Epic fantasy fans do it for Tolkien and George R. R. Martin. Ultimately, her sparkling, shifting plot propels the reader through the narrative.

As impressively immersive as this novel is, there were moments that stumbled and anachronistic language that distracted. I personally don’t often enjoy the “chosen one” narrative, as it doesn’t give me much to lean on to relate to the characters. There were times when, while I could still feel Chakraborty’s love and affection for her characters, I just didn’t connect on quite that level, even though I wished I could. I wanted more friendships developing. I wanted more to the romance, to feel it build and grow instead of showing up rather suddenly and predictably, though perhaps that just wasn’t my particular cup of tea. And I couldn’t help but notice moments in this 500+ page book --- which spans centuries and faiths and magical races --- that overtly danced around queerness, but never took the step to explore it even a little, which felt a bit disappointing.

That said, THE CITY OF BRASS is a debut and book one of a trilogy. And as a non-Muslim, I’m sure there are parts of the novel that may resonate more with other readers, and that’s not only entirely fine, but pretty great. I’m glad this book exists. What Chakraborty gives us is truly beautiful. And it’s complex because the real-life situations that inspired her are complex, and she has woven in --- very fluidly --- some seriously cool, grown-up magic. What I did take from it was simply marvelous, and I’m grateful that she has written such an expansive work of fantasy in this setting. I could feel the love she poured onto the page, and with it she created a very special, sparkling novel. And I absolutely devoured it. I am willing to reserve judgment on my above criticisms until I get to read book two, which I am eagerly looking forward to and imagine will smooth out some concerns.

Overall, this is a masterful debut. There were moments that gave me pause, but Chakraborty’s world washed over me. Her writing is excellent, lush and detailed. She illuminates sights, sounds and smells, and intricacies of magic, while also packing in page-turning action. I would definitely recommend it to fantasy fans.

Reviewed by Maya Gittelman

Rich and intricately plotted, The City of Brass was a fantastical journey into the world of djinn and magic. Filled with political intrigue and mounting tensions, the story followed Nahri in her quest to find her people upon learning she's the last of her kind. With the help of a revered warrior, they travel across many lands to reach Daevabad, escaping death on the way, only to find out too late that this city of brass is far from safe for a girl of her kind.

Told in multiple perspectives, allowing a rare insight into both sides of the story, Chakraborty accomplished a slow, steady escalation of the story to its climax. Both lead and supporting characters were starkly vivid and necessary to the drive of the plot, each with difference purposes and endpoints. As the first in a trilogy, it was a densely-packed tale and won't be a quick read, but it managed to have me craving the next page even during slower moments. Nahri's journey throughout the story was tumultuous at best, but true to a young woman's stubbornness and independence when thrown into this situation. Her struggle for identity forced her to split herself into two halves; one that couldn't release her old self and one that tried desperately to fit in to an ill-fitting version of what was expected of her, and it was all too easy to see the two sides clash as the story developed. Though the romance is small and uncertain, I expect there to be more to come as I don't believe this is a core focus at this point, but it leaves me very curious for where the author plans to take it. Even as full of a story as this was, there are still many questions to answer and plenty more story to tell.

The City of Brass had a distinct direction that will leave the reader craving more. Chakraborty easily kept the objective of each character's path up in the air and there was an anxiousness felt upon turning the last page. A strong female lead, playing a political game and coming into her power, felt refreshing and altogether captivating. The only unfortunate thing is the expected wait for more of the story, but I'll gladly accept it when I'm this curious to see where it'll go.

I am going to start this review by gushing about how much I loved Chakraborty’s writing! The best part of reading this book was the descriptions – the clothes (ALL THE PRETTY!!!!), the food (on some occasions), the backstory – it all created a lush background to set this story against. I am not sure I can delve into the influences of the book, but it strongly has a faery-story-like vibe – the djinn/daeva are magical beings with prolonged lives, and a city hidden from humans where they gather all those of djinn blood. Nahri, a street-smart con artist, catches the attention of the djinns and ifrits when she accidentally summons a warrior during a zar. She is then forced to flee with him to Daevabad, where the djinn live, and once there, she gets caught up in their politics.

Now the story is told from two perspectives – Nahri for the most part, because it is HER story, but we also have Ali, or Prince Alizayd, the second prince of Daevabad, who is a devout young man, and is training to be Qaid (a position that seems like a bodyguard/Hand) for his older half brother, the emir Munthadhir, whom he loves like a sibling. For about half the book, Nahri and the warrior she summons, Dara, are trying to get to Daevabad and meanwhile, in Ali’s perspective, we see tensions brewing in the city, unknowingly ripe for the return of a descendant of the previous dynasty of rulers. It seems like Nahri is about to enter a pit of vipers, but as we get to know through the book, the situation is not as black and white as it seems.

Caste politics and apartheid-like views divide the people into djinn and daevas, and much as you think the daevas are about to be harassed for their religious beliefs, they also are the ones whose ancestors used to believe in genocide for the mixed-blooded of their people, so it is like super complicated. Religion is also a major part of the background of the book, and I loved how the author wove it and Middle-Eastern culture so nicely into this story. I know I am repeating it again, but the way she describes everything, man! The only small grievance I had was that the word for them were not used often; instead, they were simplified for a general audience, rather than just use words like shalwar (or similar garments), and include them in the glossary later.

The characters – Chakraborty has created an ensemble of complicated and grey-moral characters, which make Nahri’s complex about her background as a con artist seem silly. There is Dara – who is the grumbly warrior type that one would find adorable, kind, and swoony, but he also wasn’t a noble warrior (war crimes are not pushed under the rug in this one), Muntadhir, who I want to shake and say – just accept yourself and your feelings, man (He is so bi, it hurts me that he doesn’t want to follow his heart), the king, who is sort of lawful evil, I guess – he is horrifying in a way but he is also the one who has to hold a city of 6 different castes of djinn and keep them from murdering each other every day and I feel that, Ali, who maybe the mildest of the bunch, but still has a lot of hang-ups about what is proper, etc, and something tells me he won’t be accepting of his brother’s choice of crush. Nahri – oh, Nahri – she is such a smart cookie, and such a little rebel, but I didn’t really bond much to her. I love that she doesn’t forget her skills even when she is in the lap of luxury, and has a cunning mind to stand against the people trying to involve her in their schemes. She also frequently calls out shitty behaviour, so kudos to not being mesmerized by even her love interest.

The story is pretty interesting, and quite extensive plot-wise. There is lot I won’t be able to discuss here, but I have so many suspicions about so many things, my head is spinning, and all those are just hinting at what the plot of the second book might contain – the shape of it is still blurry, and I am so excited to uncover what it will be about. The pacing of this book could have been improved upon in some parts, like towards the start of the second third, and much of the later half of the last third. The climax was a bit confusing, especially concerning Suleiman’s seal, but I am hoping future books will clear that up. In summary, an amazing start to a fantastically constructed story.

City of Brass is a very good opening to a new fantasy series. I enjoyed the book and will probably read the next one. However, it wasn't perfect for me.
Pros include excellent world building, a less common setting (middle eastern & Arabic legends based although other people use it as well such ass Sami Shah and Saad Hossein to name two), an outstanding main feisty female character, easy to read the writing, and most character motivations that I could accept.
Cons? The pacing is quite uneven, for example, there is a very l-o-o-o-n-g chase sequence but later the same amount of action/time is in too few words. The ending is very unsatisfying with no significant plot threads finalised and more added even on the last page! I appreciate it is book one but as a reader, I need some whole threads. There are some significant later scenes, events, and character actions that appear out of context and nothing before or after provides any background or framework for accepting or understanding.
So, overall, for me a good to very good book but not excellent.

The City of Brass, which is volume 1 of The Daevabad Trilogy, is like Aladdin meets Casablanca meets Indiana Jones. I'm probably leaving out another comparable work but you get the idea.

The overall narrative consists of two stories that come together into one. First, there's Nahri, the Cairo-based young women who's barely getting by. She's also... odd. Odd as in there's something different about her. Second, there's the story of Ali, or Alizayd, the second son of the King of the mysterious city of Daevabad. And in the middle of it all is this enigmatic djinn (think: a kind of genie) named Dara, whose past is as shrouded in mystery as the others, if not more.

Like many popular fantasy-esque books, in City of Brass there are rules of magic to learn and a political/geographical landscape to navigate in order for the climax to have its intended impact. S. A Chakraborty, in her debut work, makes this journey seem straightforward and effortless.

? My Thoughts

The City of Brass is an #OwnVoices Muslim fantasy set in 18th century Middle East. It’s a sprawling, intricate world of magical creatures and kingdoms, with a focus on the fire elementals—djinns. It’s a beautifully diverse book that features POC characters. The writing is gorgeous and vividly captures the richness of this magical world.

The story unfolds through two POVs but introduces so many great characters. The main characters of this first book are:

► Nahri : She is a con-artist in Cairo. Having grown up on the streets alone without an inkling of her childhood life, she does anything to get by. Nahri has always had an ability to heal people. She thinks nothing of it, assuming it is just a natural talent, but rumors have spread of her ‘psychic abilities’ and Nahri, being the clever hustler she is, uses that to her advantage. She performs sham rituals and leads ceremonies when she really doesn’t believe in magic at all. It is during such a ceremony, that she accidentally calls on a djinn warrior and sets off a whole army of demons and ghouls after herself.
► Dara : He is one of the greatest djinn warriors in history. He is guarded and extremely mysterious, but one thing is clear—he has a violent past that haunts his every step. Being the loyal soldier he is, Dara agrees to help Nahri escape to Daevabad, the city of brass, the only place she could be safe.
► Ali : Alizayd is the second character with a POV. He is the younger son of Daevabad’s current king. He was trained his whole life to serve his older brother, the crown prince, without question. But Ali disagrees with the workings of Daevabad. He loathes how shafits (djinn-human or mixed blood djinns) are treated and secretly funds a rebel group of the city. This gets him caught between the warring factions of the city.

This book is so complex and just so smartly incorporates difficult and incredibly important topics like systematic oppression, cultural/religious/racial tension, the long-lasting effects of war and all the blind hate and mistrust that comes with it. My praise for this book is never-ending but there are some small details that cemented my love for it:

– Everything is complex af. There are no clear-cut villainous characters or groups of people. Throughout the whole book, I could not decide who to side with. All the characters are messed up too so it made for a really stressful read.

– ALIZAYD IS EVERYTHING. He is not at all a likeable character. I mean he is grumpy 80% of the time and he makes some f***ed up choices, but his heart is in the right place. He is young but so self-aware; he has his own set of values and belief that he doesn’t waver from. I love how devout and religious he is and I love how he fights for what he believes. My favorite character in this book.

– The characters STRUGGLE. I was so stressed throughout this whole book. I can’t even explain how much pain that last few chapters subjected me to. Nahri struggles with learning magic and even makes mistakes that lead to injuring some of her healing patients. Ali struggles with having to choose between his family and his morals and dealing with the consequences of his actions. Dara struggles with his prejudices and his past that seems to be sneaking up closer to him by the minute.

– All this made The City of Brass an eerily realistic experience, making it easy to be incredibly attached to the characters and get hopelessly wrapped up in the story.

? Praise / Criticism

??Diversity factor: #OwnVoices Muslim rep
??Also POC characters and Middle Eastern settings
??Minor m/m pairing hinted at (probably explored in next books)
??Beautiful writing and intricate world-building
??Complex characters that you can’t help but love
??Slow-burn romance
??YA-ADULT crossover that doesn’t shy away from violence and heavy topics
??Unpredictable, stressful and realistic
.....................................................................................................
??The Djinn tribes and conflicts + Political intrigue were complicated and confusing
??(Not criticism but I recommend making use of the glossary at the back)
??Slower paced at some parts

? Trigger Warnings
►Violence (can be gory)
►Mentions of rape, assault and slavery

Received an ARC at BookCon 2017

The City of Brassis a magical work with a great story, multi-dimensional characters, and definitely one of my favorite new worlds. We follow Nahri as she's whisked to a world of magic and Daeva after a spell gone awry. There's sword fights, mythology, and more in this powerhouse of a debut.

One of the most impressive pieces was the world within a world. We open with Nahri's existence in Cairo and establish that before being thrust into the layers of Daevabad. The politics are intricate. If you're a fan of family drama, the Qahtanis have plenty. Each piece fits together like a puzzle and the pacing allows the reader room to breathe in order to process the many action set pieces and big reveals.

I greatly enjoyed how the characters played off of each other, with Dara being stuck between in "modern" Daevabad while still holding onto the sins of the past, Ali balancing his history returned, and Nahri learning of her true place in the world. The one gripe I had here was around the idea of introducing an inkling of a romance, which I wasn't sure was necessary. The relationships were compelling enough.

I am thrilled to see how the characters and this world evolve in Parts 2 and 3.

The world is rich, the characters are compelling, and this is just plain FUN. Seriously, I had so much fun reading this.

I did see some first novel/foundational novel pitfalls (this is Chakraborty's first book, and the first in a trilogy). The plot gets overly convoluted at some points, but at the end of the day I still found the politics a fun part of the book. Pacing is sometimes a bit funky, but the world felt so fully realized that I was happy to slow down a bit at times and just take in what Chakraborty has created.

Probably the biggest criticism I have is actually very minor, but it left me COMPLETELY confused for the first 140 pages. In this world, daeva is another word for djinn, considered by some to be the more polite term. It is ALSO the name of a specific tribe of deava (so there are Ayaanle daeva, Geziri daeva, and Daeva daeva). When another djinn refers to "Daeva," it is usually in reference to the tribe and not to the whole species. It took a while for one of the characters to clarify this, so I kept flipping back to the glossary to try to figure out what the hell I was missing, and why I was so confused. Since I was reading an ARC edition, that may have been fixed in the final copy.

I LOOOOVE Nahri. She's a new favorite character. At first, I got a bit nervous when I saw the first signs of what looked like the "overprotective love interest" trope, but Nahri SHUTS THAT SHIT DOWN. I loved her. She's complex, has such agency, and she's also pretty damn funny.

I CANNOT WAIT for the next installment.

Starting with praise for the Audible narrator! Soneela Nankani brought this book to life. The chief complaints on goodreads for this book were that it was slow and that certain major characters were unnecessary in the plot. But I never felt that way because Nankani gave them a unique voice and liveliness to the point that I couldn't imagine the story without them.
Are there lots of moments of info dumping and characters noticing strange details during intense moments? Sure, but I didn't mind because of the reader. And this is book 1 of who knows how many. Epic fantasy always involves plenty of world building in the beginning (see LOTR for reference). And I didn't mind it much in this one because the world was unfamiliar to me (18th century Cairo and beyond).
This book was set in a world that we haven't seen often in modern fantasy, and I was excited to see how the fantasy world and the Islamic themes would mesh. Unfortunately, the religion aspect of the world was either unimportant to the characters (Nahri) or portrayed as zealotry and close-mindedness (Alizayd). But that did not turn me off to the book because I came to love the complex characters and the rich world.
Overall, it was one of my favorites from 2017, and I can't wait for book 2!

This fantasy novel goes far on the strength of its worldbuilding, which depicts a gorgeous Middle Eastern setting inspired by Islamic folklore that's markedly different from the Eurocentric genre norm. While I sometimes had trouble keeping track of all the warring factions of djinn and I wish we hadn't left 18th-century Cairo so quickly, it's overall a rich and fleshed-out world that I enjoyed exploring. The characters and plot don't feel quite as revelatory for me, and the love story seems a bit perfunctory so far, but I'm hoping these are marks of a debut novelist that will only improve in the forthcoming sequels. There's a lot in this book of a magical young woman discovering her secret heritage that recalls Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke & Bone to me, and I will happily read on to chase that feeling.

Bravo! absolutely amazing. I loved it, all the details in all aspects. Peoples aren't always who they pretend to be. I have not read a book so intriguing since I first started reading the Game of Thrones series. But with an Arabian nights theme with mythological beings who live for centuries and have magical powers but they are oppressive to another tribe whom they consider lowly scum within their magical hidden island in the middle of a cursed lake. When a young human Nahri accidentally summons a genie our djinn as they book calls him, who end up having a feeling for each other only to separated with his death, then she is set to wed a prince... did that wet your appetite? Good, this was a wonderful book. Oh yeah, they travel can travel on a magic carpet! (

Set in 18th century Cairo and the magical lands beyond, this novel is based in folklore, myth, and history of the Middle East. That said, with it's political tensions over wars past and present, conversations surrounding "purity" within the races, and religious underpinnings, one can easily relate this story about a con artist with magical healing powers and the world of the djinn to much of what's going on in the world to this day.

The characters are diverse from their socioeconomic statuses and "bloodlines" to their religious convictions and sexual preferences. The romance will make your heart ache and leave you wanting more. The pace is quick with beautiful writing and characters both developed and developing that give the story a great deal of depth. I listed to this on audio, and it was a great listen on a long flight!

It is a trilogy, so keep in mind that you'll likely have to wait until late 2018 before you get a next installment. The ending was pretty predictable even in the cliffhanger. That said, it doesn't make you want to read the next installment any less! If you enjoy Leigh Bardugo, Sarah J Maas, or Sabaa Tahir you'll really enjoy this novel.

I am going to be blatantly honest and not sugar coat my opinion. At the very beginning I didn't like this book. It was slow and the new language was confusing. Remembering who was who was driving me crazy. After about 100 pages in, everything changed. I absolutely LOVED this book. I fell in love with Nahri and Dara instantly. The other characters were shady to me so I didn't trust them. I did like Ali. He was my favorite of the Qahtani. I liked that he was brave enough to go against his father. The ending was shocking. I found myself reading pages and pages and not being able to stop. After all the confusing language and having to reread some parts, I found myself sad when it was all over. Not because the book was disappointing but because I wanted more. I can't wait to read the next book. It won't be out until next year but I'm sure it will be worth it.

Fascinating premise and good writing. Other reviewers have called it intricate, I'm afraid I'm going to have to go with confusing. Be prepared to either take notes or flip back several chapters to figure out what the hell is going on.

I loved this book sooooooo much! The world was intricate and wonderfully described. The characters were all amazingly fleshed out and multi-faceted with their own motivations and goals that were weaved together with a fluidity that is rare to find(in my opinion). I was on the edge of my seat from page 1, and scared my dog as I screamed my way through the book. The plot took some unexpected twists and turns that were highly refreshing. As much as I love Nahri and Ali (Ali more so towards the end of the book, to be fair), my favorite character was -------- (I can't tell you the name, as that is not revealed in the synopsis or for a while in the book and I don't want to spoil as it is pretty relevant to the plot). I love this character sooooo much, and everytime they were in the story I was completely enamored of the layers and depth of personality (not that the other characters do not have depth and layers to their personalities, but wooooooooo buddy). I could literally go on forever about this book, and I highly, highly recommend anyone go out and get this book. I cannot wait for the sequel, The Kingdom of Copper, to come out in January 2019! So if you haven't read it yet (or you want to reread it), you have time to get yourself, your mom, dad, sibling, cousin, extended family, friend(s) a copy of this book.

This was absolutely one of the best books I have read in a long time. Chakraborty does such an incredible job of developing each character in their own specific story line in a way that you really come to know understand them both as individual story lines as well as how they come together for the main story. From the moment I laid my eyes on the first page, I was immediately hooked. Each word, sentence, and page drawing me deeper and deeper to the point I could see myself walking the streets of Daevabed alongside Nahri and Dara. This was one book that I did NOT want to end and I absolutely cannot wait until the next book in her series comes out.

My heart...it's just...it's full.

This book is 100% excellent. It's finely wrought and beautifully crafted, and it's engaging and entrancing and the characters are just excellent. It's twisty, too, with a climax and an ending and then an epilogue that I...I could never have imagined. It's a thousand times better than I would have dreamed.

I highly recommend this book!

Fast-paced and fun, it kept me speeding through to learn what happens next. The main character is clever and fresh, with a fun voice to read and experience. I look forward to seeing her as trickster and con woman in the next book. Only frustration is the main romance, which by the end didn't feel romantic so much as controlling. But that may well be what was intended--just frustrating to see main character's plans and agency interfered with.

I just finished reading "The City of Brass" by S.A. Chakraborty—it was magical and engrossing. Chakraborty has created a splendid world and fascinating characters who capture not only the imagination, but also the heart. I loved how the novel shifted from its focus on Nahri to Ali as it offered a more rounded view not only of these two characters, but also of the world that Chakraborty has created. I loved everything about this first installment in the Daevabad trilogy.

Compelling characters and a good plot, but the lack of a clear explanation of the relationships between the various tribes/political groups/types of beings makes much of the book somewhat confusing.

Using the name "Daeva" to refer to both a specific tribe as well as djinn in general is unnecessarily confusion, and much of the ancient history that frames the present day political conflicts is poorly explained for much of the book. .

Four and a half stars.
Gorgeous setting and fascinating world and magic. There's so many unexpected and original moments that the book doesn't fail to surprise. Some of the back history of the politics are quite confusing (and I still don't quite understand all of it).

544 pages flew by and there's still tons of threads that the next book will need to take care of!

Thanks to Harper Voyager for providing a copy of the book for review.

This book was wonderful! As a fantasy story set in the world of mythology with a strong female protagonist, it was already primed to be my kinda book, but then it went beyond my expectations. I got so sucked into the story that I burned through all ~550 pages in 3 days. I didn't realize when I started it that it was the 1st in a trilogy (got it on BOTM). Waiting for the next one will be SO hard!! I really fell in love with these characters and the mysteries surrounding them and want desperately to know what happens next. This was one of my favorite books of 2017. Please, go read it!!

This book has received a Discovering Diamonds Review:

Helen Hollick
founder #DDRevs

"The colors and sounds and scents were immersive, practically a virtual reality experience leaping out of the pages.The characters are all flawed and deeply human and even the ones you aren’t really supposed to like, you still find yourself caring about in some way or another."

This book was amazing!!! I'm so glad that I ran across this. I have read so many books lately that we're just, blah, it was great to finally read a book that was captivating. I can't wait to read the rest of the series to see how it ends. This story has magic, love, action, and everything in between. This story has a little bit for everyone and anyone looking for a little magic should read.

this book was absolutely amazing. it had lush scenery, evocative story lines, and captivating characters. I couldn't put it down because it was so wonderful.

disclaimer: I received this book from edelweiss in exchange for an honest book review

The language was facile and the descriptions read like she sees the book made into a movie. I still don’t understand what she thinks the word ‘seep’ means - because each time she uses it inappropriately.

Utterly captivating from the start "The City of Brass" tells the story of Nahri, an orphaned girl just trying to make her way through life in Cairo. She makes it clear from the beginning that she is strong, savvy, and doesn't need a man to save her, even one who appears in the form of a several thousand year old djinn (or Daeva as he prefers to be called). Full of magic, fire, blood, and fury the first book of this trilogy tells a tale that is surprisingly human considering most of its characters are born of fire, not of earth. A spellbinding tale leaving just enough suspense and questions to make you anxiously await the release of the second book.

I adored this book! I haven’t read too many historical fantasies but this one is at the top of my favorites list! I’ve always wanted to read novels set in Egypt, and haven’t found too many. This one definitely satisfied me! Loved the magical world building and the complex characters. Recommended for anyone who wants to escape winter into a desert summer read!

I also really liked that, for an adult book, it was pretty appropriate. Call me a prude, but I’m not one for sex or tons of violence in books, and this one would be good for teenagers to read as well!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher as part of a giveaway. I was not asked to do a review in exchange.

I was drawn in by the synopsis and lovely cover art. As someone who is a fan of fantasy and the exotic the book starts off very promising. I really wanted to like the book but unfortunately not long in things become hard to follow. The story is very long at over 500 pages, and drawn out. Perhaps could be chopped down to a shorter story. I found myself becoming bored. The story just didn't draw me in. The writing was lacking and I was disappointed that I never felt that feeling of this is such a fantastic book I can't put it down....that feeling we all desire. Instead I felt like it was a slog to get through.

I found myself constantly having to refer to the glossary in the back for all of the non native English words. For this reason I could see this book not being a good audio book because readers / listener's would have even that much more of a difficult time following along and being that much more bored. As a book it's annoying to have to keep referring to the glossary and I could see ebook readers having a hard time flipping back and forth compared to a physical copy of the book.

I struggled to care about the story or the characters, not enough fantasy and too much political intrigue. By the end I was not only rushing to simply finish the book (out of good faith since I received this as a gift / contest win from the publisher) but also because I just wanted it to finally be over. I kept thinking is it just me? I kept wondering how the book received all these 5 star reviews. It's a difficult read and too hard to follow all the political roles, foreign terminology, and names that are unfamiliar. The POV changes often which adds to confusion and while it may work in some books, didn't here. It's putdownable and a snoozefest (I kept falling asleep). I think it needs more work instead of being turned into a trilogy and lauded as a great fantasy novel.

I'm all for diversity so I thought it was great to have a story about Muslim culture. I think teens or adults could enjoy it. It felt like it would make a good sci-fi /syfy channel movie but as a book not so much. It makes me sad to have to write a bad review for anything. I had such high hopes for this and was so excited to dive in that the disappointment level is still surprising for me. I wish the author the best in her future works.

I found this book through our public library after they posted a few of their favorite historical fictions and I'm so glad I did. I was engaged from the very beginning and had a hard time putting it down. I thought the characters were well thought out and interesting, each with their own unique personalities. I did feel taken back in time and could picture myself in the lands described in the book. Romance, suspense, many other emotions, this was an excellent read and I cannot wait for the sequel!

Fast paced, saucy characters!! Great premise! Great set up to a new different fascinating world. I loved the storyline and characters! Especially Dara and Nahri! I do wish they stayed a bit longer in Cairo as I love all things Egyptian! I’m hoping they dive even deeper into this in the book(s) to come. I need the next book now please! Great read!!

S.A. Chakraborty rocks! This book was the perfect way to usher in 2018. A richly imagined, vividly described magical and mystical world (or should I say worlds?) populated by characters (or should I say creatures?) with personalities and possibilities that collectively bring this fantasy to life.

I am hankering for the second book in the trilogy and hope that S.A. Chakroborty is busy writing (when she isn't parenting.)

Need I say more?
(copied verbatim from my Goodreads Review)

I was lucky enough to stumble upon an ARC of THE CITY OF BRASS. The first thing that caught my attention was that absolutely gorgeous cover (I know, I know, don't judge a book, and all...). After that, the main character Nahri, a shrewd con-artist with a magical ability to heal, really stole my heart with her no-nonsense attitude. There's magic, romance, political intrigue, and rich world building...all the makings of a wonderful novel. It didn't develop quite as much as I hoped it would, but as the first of a trilogy, it gave me everything it needed to make me come back for more!

What a wonderful way to start 2018.... Nothing like opening a book that draws you in and keeps you going the whole way. The biggest drawback is having to wait till 2019 for the next in the series. A wonderfully woven story with larger than life characters and a very colorful location. Great story for all ages.

I really enjoyed this book - and can not wait for the next one! Well written, very engaging characters with great development as the book gets deeper. I am not sure what age level it is meant for, but I am 60 and I loved it. I think it might be like a mid-series Harry Potter book, good for mid-teens to adults.

I listened to the audiobook, and while I didn’t enjoy the extra layer of attitude in the reader’s voice, I was enchanted by this story. I thoroughly enjoyed this tale, it’s atypical location for a fantasy, and discovering a mythology I was not familiar with. Now, I am anxiously awaiting the next book!!!

An outsider whisked away to a magical land she never knew existed -- the bedrock of fantasy novels, but using middle Eastern instead of Western mythology. If you like suspense filled fantasy but are tired of fairies and want something new, read City of Brass and then pre-order the sequel.

An incredibly vivid reimagination of Islamic lore with expansive world-building, morally complex characters and a plot that pulsates with nuance. Politics, prejudice, justice, love - it's all there, integrated seamlessly into a narrative that's just as much fun as it is thought-provoking.

In an absolute lightning bolt of a debut, the author has managed to reignite the long-banked fires of Arabian romance and faerie tales. In a story chock full of revenge plots, canny heroes, dashing princes, and villains who might not be all they seem, the pace never stops from the first dusty street of Napoleonic Cairo to the mysterious Brass City itself.

This novel is just frigging GOOD. There was not a moment of boredom in this enchanting story. I’m begging for more. But what are you doing reading my review? BUY THE BOOK.

I was absorbed from the first to the last page. I fell into the world she built. The characters were complex and layered, and even when you wanted to hate a character you couldn't. By the same token if you wanted to think them perfect angels you couldn't. Which is the point of writing good characters - fascinating, layered, and human. The magical beings, the palace intrigue, the war, the everything. I loved it all. Can't wait for the sequel.

Gorgeous fantasy set in the middle east. The story took a bit for me to get into. I didn't like any of the characters for quite some time, but did end up entirely swept up in their lives and loving it by the end.

I cannot get over how amazing this book is! After weeks of being in a book slump waiting for an intriguing and exciting new book to read I found S. A Chakrabortys the city of Brass and let me tell you I am back in another reading slump while waiting for book 2 to come out. This book is filled with an interesting protagonist and great well rounded supporting characters. The love interest, the magic, the twists and turns of the story make this a must read! I LOVED the Middle East setting. This is a must read!

I picked this up as a "walk-in" at the library, and I'm so glad I did. This was an excellent book. Other reviews will sketch out the plot and review the characters. I'm here just to say that SA Chakraborty, with a strong series, will join my top tier, along with authors such as Butcher, Brett, Esslemont, Erikson, Sanderson, Cameron, de Castell, May, Lynch, and Martin. That's how strong this debut was.

Read this book.

Ironic that CHAKRABORTY did not set out to write a (magnificent) novel (per her bio)! She's a true natural storymaker and storyteller. Wow. I had to slow myself down just to savor it. Haven't done that with a book in too too long. Delicious!

Oh, man, I loved this book. I haven’t read this genre in a while and felt intimidated by that fact, so it took me longer to start than it should have. I should have torn through it the moment I got it in the mail. I haven’t loved a story and its characters this much in quite some time. I can’t wait for the next book

Absolutely loved this book! It was my favorite read of 2017. S.A. Chakraborty does a fabulous job with the world building, and there is plenty of magic, mystery, and action - a bit reminiscent of Harry Potter in more than a few ways. Oh, and the main character is a strong female with super healing powers. What's not to like? I cannot wait for book two. When is it due out?

My only disappointment with The City Of Brass was that the next book in the series had not yet been written and so I reread The City of Brass which is definitely worth a second read. I can’t wait to find out more about the rich exotic world and the next adventures of the main characters now that the sequel is available.

I was absorbed from the first to the last page. I fell into the world she built. The characters were complex and layered, and even when you wanted to hate a character you couldn't. By the same token if you wanted to think them perfect angels you couldn't. Which is the point of writing good characters - fascinating, layered, and human. The magical beings, the palace intrigue, the war, the everything. I loved it all. Can't wait for the sequel.

Gorgeous fantasy set in the middle east. The story took a bit for me to get into. I didn't like any of the characters for quite some time, but did end up entirely swept up in their lives and loving it by the end.

I cannot get over how amazing this book is! After weeks of being in a book slump waiting for an intriguing and exciting new book to read I found S. A Chakrabortys the city of Brass and let me tell you I am back in another reading slump while waiting for book 2 to come out. This book is filled with an interesting protagonist and great well rounded supporting characters. The love interest, the magic, the twists and turns of the story make this a must read! I LOVED the Middle East setting. This is a must read!

I picked this up as a "walk-in" at the library, and I'm so glad I did. This was an excellent book. Other reviews will sketch out the plot and review the characters. I'm here just to say that SA Chakraborty, with a strong series, will join my top tier, along with authors such as Butcher, Brett, Esslemont, Erikson, Sanderson, Cameron, de Castell, May, Lynch, and Martin. That's how strong this debut was.

Read this book.

Ironic that CHAKRABORTY did not set out to write a (magnificent) novel (per her bio)! She's a true natural storymaker and storyteller. Wow. I had to slow myself down just to savor it. Haven't done that with a book in too too long. Delicious!

Oh, man, I loved this book. I haven’t read this genre in a while and felt intimidated by that fact, so it took me longer to start than it should have. I should have torn through it the moment I got it in the mail. I haven’t loved a story and its characters this much in quite some time. I can’t wait for the next book

Absolutely loved this book! It was my favorite read of 2017. S.A. Chakraborty does a fabulous job with the world building, and there is plenty of magic, mystery, and action - a bit reminiscent of Harry Potter in more than a few ways. Oh, and the main character is a strong female with super healing powers. What's not to like? I cannot wait for book two. When is it due out?

I devoured this book and enjoyed every single minute of it. Charkraborty walks a line between fantasy and YA, going between several POV. Everything about this book is gorgeous from the writing to the characters and world building. I cannot wait to read the rest of the series.

My only disappointment with The City Of Brass was that the next book in the series had not yet been written and so I reread The City of Brass which is definitely worth a second read. I can’t wait to find out more about the rich exotic world and the next adventures of the main characters now that the sequel is available.

I loved it. It took a bit for me to get into - perhaps I was too distracted by the holidays. But once I did, I could not put it down. For anyone wanting to be submerged into a different world this is the book for you. I love history and fantasy - combine the two and it is perfect. The only problem now is waiting for the next installment....... so S. A. Chakraborty I hope you are super busy writing :)

Had a chance to read an ARC, and wow, this is the best book I read in the last few years. It has a streetsmart heroine, a naive well meaning warrior-prince, and a badass djinn warrior, and it is is set in the mystical city of brass from middle eastern mythology. What else could you want?

If you are tired of reading about dragons and knights, but like a great fantasy, this is the book for you.

I found this to be a struggling waste of time. It is boring and stunted in places and, may I say, as misleading as the author's last name. Gave up after four attempts to go past the first 100-odd pages. Disappointing!

I made it through 10 percent of this book before I decided life is too precious to waste another moment. I can stick with a below average storyline if the writing is beautiful; there is no way I can muddle through even a great premise if the writing mimics an eighth grade book report. Such a shame.

This story completely captures the imagination. The characters are so skillfully drawn and entirely believable that I felt a strong affinity for them . The byzantine storyline is fascinating. I can't wait to read the next book.

? My Thoughts

The City of Brass is an #OwnVoices Muslim fantasy set in 18th century Middle East. It’s a sprawling, intricate world of magical creatures and kingdoms, with a focus on the fire elementals—djinns. It’s a beautifully diverse book that features POC characters. The writing is gorgeous and vividly captures the richness of this magical world.

The story unfolds through two POVs but introduces so many great characters. The main characters of this first book are:

► Nahri : She is a con-artist in Cairo. Having grown up on the streets alone without an inkling of her childhood life, she does anything to get by. Nahri has always had an ability to heal people. She thinks nothing of it, assuming it is just a natural talent, but rumors have spread of her ‘psychic abilities’ and Nahri, being the clever hustler she is, uses that to her advantage. She performs sham rituals and leads ceremonies when she really doesn’t believe in magic at all. It is during such a ceremony, that she accidentally calls on a djinn warrior and sets off a whole army of demons and ghouls after herself.
► Dara : He is one of the greatest djinn warriors in history. He is guarded and extremely mysterious, but one thing is clear—he has a violent past that haunts his every step. Being the loyal soldier he is, Dara agrees to help Nahri escape to Daevabad, the city of brass, the only place she could be safe.
► Ali : Alizayd is the second character with a POV. He is the younger son of Daevabad’s current king. He was trained his whole life to serve his older brother, the crown prince, without question. But Ali disagrees with the workings of Daevabad. He loathes how shafits (djinn-human or mixed blood djinns) are treated and secretly funds a rebel group of the city. This gets him caught between the warring factions of the city.

This book is so complex and just so smartly incorporates difficult and incredibly important topics like systematic oppression, cultural/religious/racial tension, the long-lasting effects of war and all the blind hate and mistrust that comes with it. My praise for this book is never-ending but there are some small details that cemented my love for it:

– Everything is complex af. There are no clear-cut villainous characters or groups of people. Throughout the whole book, I could not decide who to side with. All the characters are messed up too so it made for a really stressful read.

– ALIZAYD IS EVERYTHING. He is not at all a likeable character. I mean he is grumpy 80% of the time and he makes some f***ed up choices, but his heart is in the right place. He is young but so self-aware; he has his own set of values and belief that he doesn’t waver from. I love how devout and religious he is and I love how he fights for what he believes. My favorite character in this book.

– The characters STRUGGLE. I was so stressed throughout this whole book. I can’t even explain how much pain that last few chapters subjected me to. Nahri struggles with learning magic and even makes mistakes that lead to injuring some of her healing patients. Ali struggles with having to choose between his family and his morals and dealing with the consequences of his actions. Dara struggles with his prejudices and his past that seems to be sneaking up closer to him by the minute.

– All this made The City of Brass an eerily realistic experience, making it easy to be incredibly attached to the characters and get hopelessly wrapped up in the story.

? Praise / Criticism

??Diversity factor: #OwnVoices Muslim rep
??Also POC characters and Middle Eastern settings
??Minor m/m pairing hinted at (probably explored in next books)
??Beautiful writing and intricate world-building
??Complex characters that you can’t help but love
??Slow-burn romance
??YA-ADULT crossover that doesn’t shy away from violence and heavy topics
??Unpredictable, stressful and realistic
.....................................................................................................
??The Djinn tribes and conflicts + Political intrigue were complicated and confusing
??(Not criticism but I recommend making use of the glossary at the back)
??Slower paced at some parts

? Trigger Warnings
►Violence (can be gory)
►Mentions of rape, assault and slavery

What a beautiful and lyrical book this was. I was swept away to the streets of 18th century Cairo and I loved every minute of it. This book deserves the hype and more. The world building was so rich and beautiful. You can see and imagine yourself that you are with Nahri as she navigates through her journey. I'm speechless of how intricate and complicated this world is yet I was able to easily understand the conflicts and the politics.

You will love the characters, the setting, the world building, the plot, almost everything, if not everything. I'm still shaken by that ending. I still can't believe it. I need book 2 now.

I absolutely loved every, single detail of this story. The writing is so beautiful, so detailed and authentic. The MC is intriguing, you never really know what she's going to do next, and as for the love interest....Dara is unforgettable, and took the whole story to another level. I adore him. I adore a certain scene in a cave during a storm :-X The author's imagination is glorious, the stunning and intricate details are vivid and beautifully done, and the characterisation is skilful. I recommend pre-ordering this with all my heart. Unforgettable, and I cannot wait to see where the trilogy takes Nahira and Dara <3 <3 <3

This novel follows Nahri, an odd young woman who scratches out a living by swindling rich men with remedies for diseases they don't have, and using her secret healing abilities to help those who truly need it. She's an accomplished lockpick, a liar, and she does not believe in magic.
Until...(there's always an until), she accidentally calls an ancient djinn warrior to her aid and he reveals that she was never meant to be a part of the human world. She was always meant to be in Daevabad, the city of brass.

This book was spellbinding. It's far more than just a hero's journey. It calls on the rich tapestry of Middle Eastern mythology to create a glittering, ruthless, entirely addictive world. Filled with incredible creatures and a cast of characters that will tear your heart into a million pieces, City of Brass perfectly balances feminine power with shivery romance. If you love magic, folklore, or rags-to-riches stories with a twist, this is for you.