The City of Brass

by S. A. Chakraborty

Paperback, 576 pages

Published Dec. 6, 2018 by Harper Voyager.

ISBN:: 9780062678119

(4 reviews)

Nahri has never believed in magic. Certainly, she has power; on the streets of 18th century Cairo, she’s a con woman of unsurpassed talent. But she knows better than anyone that the trade she uses to get by—palm readings, zars, healings—are all tricks, sleights of hand, learned skills; a means to the delightful end of swindling Ottoman nobles.

But when Nahri accidentally summons an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior to her side during one of her cons, she’s forced to accept that the magical world she thought only existed in childhood stories is real. For the warrior tells her a new tale: across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire, and rivers where the mythical marid sleep; past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises, and mountains where the circling hawks are not what they seem, lies Daevabad, the legendary city of brass, a city to which Nahri is irrevocably …

In that city, behind gilded brass walls laced with enchantments, behind the six gates of the six djinn tribes, old resentments are simmering. And when Nahri decides to enter this world, she learns that true power is fierce and brutal. That magic cannot shield her from the dangerous web of court politics. That even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences.

After all, there is a reason they say be careful what you wish for...

14 editions

screamsbeneath reviewed The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty

Review of the Whole Series

5 stars

Having finished the series, I felt I was time to add a review. On the occasion I find myself interested in someone's take on an entire series before I commit, I'm often disappointed to not find a condensed review, so I though I'd try and provide that in the hope it helps someone.

I came to the series wanting more from the author, having finished The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi. I was drawn to the strong female and queer representation in a time and place where this is uncommon.

This series was a rollercoaster, I went from hating it to loving it almost as much as I cycled between those feelings for every main character. It took me a long time to realize how masterful the writing was to be able to add such nuance to the characters, their flaws and virtues filling a vessel that is far more than the sum of its parts. It takes a complex web of political intrigue and injects compassion into the brutal reality and it brings light to those that suffer most from the squabbles of the powerful. There is no true villain or hero to this story, just people on various stages of their life's path, trying to dig themselves out from the oppressive weight of their positions, the social expectations, and their ancestral legacy.

The pacing was questionable based on my own preferences at times, yet with the context of the whole I think it was satisfying. The lulls served as vignettes to deepen and enrich the characters and the world. It provided a sense of place that would have been lost in a high octane page turner. Even the companion stories in the fourth book add significant depth, though many of them are skippable if the main books weren't a hit for you. The main exceptions being by the alternate prologue and last story of the collection, which I vastly preferred over the prologue in the final book.

I recommend the whole series to those that like fantasy mixed with political intrigue, especially with a strong female voice.

astralmodem reviewed City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty

Almost great

4 stars

Content warning big spoilers!

The City of Brass was a very conflicting read for me. Initially I was hooked, and intrigued by both POV characters (Nahri, Ali), as well as Dara. Although soon after introductions, the plot seemed to gradually take a backseat to world building. This, combined with jumps in time within the story, worsened the already semi-uneasy pacing. Prior to their arrival to Daevabad, I was very annoyed with both Dara and Nahri, and confused by their seemingly forced romance. I had put the book down a number of times already, and considered dropping it for good. I'm glad that I didn't, as soon afterwards the plot picked up substantially. Ali grew on me quite a bit more after his meeting with Nahri; his chapters becoming the highlight of the read. I was also mostly enthralled with Nahri again, although frustrated that she almost became a secondary character in much of her own story. Excited to see what role she takes on in the following books, as I was a big fan of the independent, resourceful thief we met in Cairo.

Ultimately City of Brass was a worthy read, if not bogged down a bit by it's faults. I felt the action scenes throughout were really well done, as were the court politics (if not a bit confusing); not to mention the city of Daevabad itself (hell, the whole setting) was absolutely captivating as it was described. I'm willing to forgive the pacing issues and clumsy, forced dialogue at parts as this was Chakraborty's debut novel. The ending really 'sealed' the deal for me, and I will be continuing the series as soon as I can!

moving to outside.ofa.dog reviewed City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty

A big story with a lot of humanity in its magical beings

4 stars

Content warning major spoilers

This is kind of two books, of which the first half was fun but frustrating, and the second half generally better.

In the first half, we're introduced to two main characters in separate worlds. Nahri the orphan who has some strange powers and turns out to be at least partly Djinn-descended, possibly the last survivor of an important dynasty. And Ali a prince in a brutal dynasty that murdered most of Nahri's ancestors, and who is determined to do something about the cruelty. Nahri has to flee her old life for Ali's city. The writing is clunky at times, Ali's a little too good, and it's too obvious that Nahri's flight will succeed, so the epic battle with every kind of magical demon feels more farcical than exciting. But the book's great strength is that this "conclusion" is only halfway through it.

What made the second half work better for me is that Nahri's arrival is such a complicating event in everyone's life, most definitely including her own. Ali ends up thoroughly compromised in ways that make him a much more believable character, and the interwoven strands of everyone lying to and scheming around each other get much more interesting. And I think Chakraborty just took a while to hit her stride as a writer, which makes sense given that this was her first book and not originally written with publication in mind.

At the end I was still a little frustrated. The hooks for the sequel are slightly too obvious and undermine the completeness of this (already long) book, and there are a few too many deus ex machina. But considering how much better the book got as it went along, I am excited about the sequel.

Aneel

rated it

Dec. 17, 2018

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