Author: S. A. Chakraborty
Publisher: by Harper Voyager
Number of Pages: 625 Pages
Genre: Fantasy / Mythology/ Historical Fiction
Rating: 5 stars
Description:
Return to Daevabad in the spellbinding sequel to THE CITY OF BRASS.
Nahri’s life changed forever the moment she accidentally summoned Dara, a formidable, mysterious djinn, during one of her schemes. Whisked from her home in Cairo, she was thrust into the dazzling royal court of Daevabad and quickly discovered she would need all her grifter instincts to survive there.
Now, with Daevabad entrenched in the dark aftermath of the battle that saw Dara slain at Prince Ali’s hand, Nahri must forge a new path for herself, without the protection of the guardian who stole her heart or the counsel of the prince she considered a friend. But even as she embraces her heritage and the power it holds, she knows she’s been trapped in a gilded cage, watched by a king who rules from the throne that once belonged to her familyand one misstep will doom her tribe.
Meanwhile, Ali has been exiled for daring to defy his father. Hunted by assassins, adrift on the unforgiving copper sands of his ancestral land, he is forced to rely on the frightening abilities the marid, the unpredictable water spirits, have gifted him. But in doing so, he threatens to unearth a terrible secret his family has long kept buried.
And as a new century approaches and the djinn gather within Daevabad’s towering brass walls for celebrations, a threat brews unseen in the desolate north. It’s a force that would bring a storm of fire straight to the city’s gates . . . and one that seeks the aid of a warrior trapped between worlds, torn between a violent duty he can never escape and a peace he fears he will never deserve.
My Review:
I read The Kingdom of Copper few months after reading The City of Brass and my first thought was, ‘Why did I not read this book immediately after?’
The perfect sequel we all wanted! Let me explain why.. (Yup I know that’s why I’m here, even though I’m a liiiitle late)
‘Alizayd Al Qahtani didn’t make it a month with his Caravan’
If one can remember how the first book ended, the first sentence of the second book gave the jolt of a tension words could! All I read was the first line and my heart was in my mouth! The rest of the incidents until Ali survived, was a blur of actions.
The prologue of the book gives us a glimpse of what happened in the lives of all Nahri, Ali and Dara after that fateful battle. The prologue of the book had me glued to the book! If my reading phase was slow, it was only because I didn’t want this series to end too soon.
The story in “The Kingdom of Copper” begins five years after the shocking end of “The City of Brass,” which actually provides plenty of time for all the events that had occurred by the start of the book. Here we see Nahri, Dara, and Ali facing their own trials but separated from each other. The time jump made even more sense as we observe how the characters had toughened and grown in strength over the years. Did I say Dara? Yes, I did. (And you’ll know why… 🙂 )
The book was utter chaos from the beginning where it kept me in my toes! Fast phased compared to ‘The City of Brass’. The book gets complicated with each chapter. The world, the setting and the political dynamics, everything gets complex. Another fact that I enjoyed was that we get to explore the places beyond Deavabad, through the eyes of our beloved characters scattered across different parts of the world.
Talking of Daevabad, it is very interesting how certain factors can be related to the real world. Especially the social frictions. We get to explore different quarters of Daevabad and its people and how bad the relationship between them is. The story delves deep into themes such as power, oppression, and the consequences of historical injustices. The way Ghassan and the rest of the power-hungry rulers have used the differences among their people to maintain their power, the way the powerless are oppressed, and how the past decisions of the rulers and Nahids have impacted the lives of the present Daevabadis mirror how a society in real life works, and it is scary.
‘The Kingdom of Copper’ is narrated using three POV’s and that makes it even more interesting. We read the story through Nahri, Ali as well as Dara’s POV’s. After reading this book, I don’t think anyone would be able to hate Dara and I fell in love with Ali a bit more. The character growth in the book is incredible. Nahri evolves a lot as a character in this book. From a con artist to the wife of a crown prince and as a Nahid healer, she matures emotionally and gains a better understanding of her magical abilities as a healer.
As for Ali, he reemerges as a warrior in this book. Once a naïve prince ends up challenging his own beliefs and the oppressive regime once he was a part of. Ali’s character growth was my favourite in this book. (I may be bias here :p )
Dara’s character was the most complicated one where he struggles between his loyalty to Nahri and his role as the scourge. His past and his current situation makes him a very complex character, blurring the lines between a hero and villain. I mean I couldn’t decide if I should pity him or hate him.
Manizeh was someone we had heard about but, meeting for the first time. The amount of anger and hatred in her makes her the perfect antagonist while the readers may also pity her.
The story delves deep into the complex power and political dynamics of Deavabad. The struggle for the throne and the Suleiman’s seal drives most of the conflicts where it ends up ruining the relationships between different social groups. Another theme that is discussed throughout this book is the question of identity and heritage. For an example, Nahri struggles with her identity as a Nahid healer and a princess while Dara struggles with his newfound identity.
The book also questions the cost of anger and revenge. Manizeh’s revenge is one aspect that navigates the story and impacts a large number of people. The novel explores the injustices faced by different people in the city, particularly the Shafit (mixed blooded Jinn). The way each character’s change and growth was shaping the future of a city covered the broader idea of how personal growth transforms a society. The book continues to explain how the actions of past shapes the present through the ruler’s past decisions and the consequences of them. The aftermath of a war, highlighting the toll it takes on a society’s people was another aspect that was discussed in this book.
Now, did I enjoy this book? Definitely!! This was the perfect sequel to ‘The City of Brass’ and that ending!! That is what we call a jaw dropping, spectacular, gives you the chills kind of an ending!
Added to my ‘Stories that live in my head rent free’ list! Highly recommended!
Until next time,
Yours,
Amna. xoxo
The Book Witch of Hogwarts 