The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

Adult, Fantasy

Step through time and be transported to the glittering, mythical city of Daevabad where creatures of legends reside. Follow con-artist, Nahri, as she explores the legendary city of brass and the mysterious origins of her power.

Non-Spoiler Review

(The Daevabad Trilogy #1)

Among the bustling markets of eighteenth-century Cairo, the city’s outcasts eke out a living swindling rich Ottoman nobles and foreign invaders alike.

But alongside this new world, the old stories linger. Tales of djinn and spirits. Of cities hidden among the swirling sands of the desert, full of enchantment, desire and riches. Where magic pours down every street, hanging in the air like dust.

Many wish their lives could be filled with such wonder, but not Nahri. She knows the trades she uses to get by are just tricks and sleights of hand: there’s nothing magical about them. She only wishes to one day leave Cairo, but as the saying goes…

Be careful what you wish for. 

"Greatness takes time, Banu Nahida, Often the mightiest things have the humblest beginnings." 

Recently this trilogy has been receiving so much hype around it with the release of the third book and all the attention has finally pushed me into reading the first book at last. I've had this on my shelf for years and have been procrastinating picking it up ever since. What better time to read it now that the whole series has been released.

World-Building: 

What I love about these Middle-Eastern/Egyptian inspired fantasy stories is how luscious the settings usually are. S.A. Chakraborty transported us in the middle of bustling cities surrounded by desert and ancient evils. The story is set in Cairo and Daevabad with the author placing so much attention to capturing the atmosphere of the bustling streets, the grandeur of the palace and the hot desert landscape. Not to mention, I'm always a massive fan of the food featured in the story because the way the author described them made my mouth water. The writing and the way everything was described made the story such an immersive experience as I could imagine myself on the busy streets of Daevabad and within the walls of the palace with the characters.  

There were a variety of mythical beasts introduced in this world. We have the djinn who were creatures of fire, the marid who were creatures of water, the peris who were creatures of air and lastly, the human who represented the earth (I think). There were so much more beings mentioned that I lost track of the others. The djinn were separated into 6 tribes that correlate to the different customs and locations across the world. There were also people of mixed blood known as shafit who had human blood and djinn blood, and thus were treated as third-rate citizens in the city. To learn more about the tribes and prominent figure, check out the author's website here. 

What I loved most about the world was the mythology. The world was steeped in tradition and beliefs that it brought the story to life and made me more invested in learning about this universe. The world-building and mythology were so well-crafted and was one of my favourite aspects of this book.

Characters:

In terms of the characters, I liked Nahri and the realistic portrayal of her character. When her life in Cairo was suddenly uprooted when she summoned the Daeva slave, Darayavahoush, and was swept away to the mythical city of Daevabad, she still missed her meagre life back in Cairo because it was all she ever knew. There was no doubt she enjoyed her first few weeks in the city as she received the things she dreamed of back in Cairo with relative ease, and anyone would feel a sense of joy at that. But over time, she felt caged by all the expectations other people placed upon her, realising that her life in Cairo maybe wasn't all that terrible given that she had freedom.  Her character arc was a reflection of the classic phrase "be careful what you wish for" because there are always consequences.  Though what made her character intriguing was the mystery of her parentage and how she ended up in Cairo. Being supposedly a shafit with the blood of the most prized Daeva family among her tribe, you can't help but wonder on how she came to be. This first book didn't really  shed that much light on the matter but I have an inkling that more answers will be revealed in future instalments. Now, to the part that had me a bit frustrated with her was her relationship with Dara. 

Art by Slaymate

And speaking of our brooding love interest, frankly, when he was described, my initial thoughts were "Oh here's another love interest that has fae-like features, unnatural power abilities and a dark past." Dara was a 1400+ Daeva slave with devastating powers that could literally tear down and demolish cities, and he was under contract with several power-hungry masters who used his power to terrorise the land. I swear this archetype follows me everywhere. At first, I was alright with his relationship with Nahri, albeit it was insta-lust/love and by now I'm tired of this trope. However, as the story progressed he got more and more aggressive and problematic for me to handle and while I love the fanart of these two, I don't want Nahri to end up with him. He kept so many secrets and I don't trust him. Dara had good intentions but definitely questionable actions which were why I  prefer Nahri to be with the second prince of Daevabad, Alizayd.

"Like you're namesake (Alizayd), I think you want to help the shafit to much that you'd be willing to bring the city down just to see them rise." 

Alizayd was probably my favourite character thus far. I greatly enjoyed his arc in how he was conflicted with his duty to his family and his own moral compass. He is a religious man who wanted the best for his city, although he was somewhat powerless to make that change without upsetting his father and the balance of their society. I enjoyed his banter and interactions with Nahri and they developed a genuine friendship despite their initial intentions. I personally don't see the romantic chemistry but there's no denying that I ship them as friends and ally. What happened to him at the ending broke my heart, but also has me intrigued in the direction his character is going. 

Art by Slaymate

There were other characters such as Ali's father, King Ghassan, his older brother, Muntadhir, his sister, Zaynab, Muntadhir's "best friend," Jamshid, Jamshid's father, Kaveh, Nahri's assistant, Nisreen, and so much more. I have a feeling that we will get more into Jamshid, Kaveh and Nisreen in the sequel given the massive mystery revealed in that epilogue. I honestly have no idea how people managed to wait for each of the books to come out because I'm dying to jump into the sequel soon. 

Plot/Story:

The story itself puts a twist on the classic genie aspect in that 1) there’s no lamp, 2) there’s apparently little restrictions on the magic and 3) you really get to see the immense catastrophe wrought by these powerful beings. Dara may have had what he considered good intentions to save his people, but he was terrifying when he unleashed his true power. I was a bit disappointed that his backstory was not fully revealed given and we were only given these snippets. However, what we did witness was a terrifying display of power and I’m so curious to know how he ended up in this “all-powerful” state when he was supposedly “freed” from being a djinn slave. 

Another aspect of this story is the build-up to this revolution that will likely ensue in the next books in this trilogy. I was actually expecting there to more of a spy/infiltration plot point but that wasn't the case. There were bits and pieces of the uprising but nothing concrete enough to say that a revolution occurred in the story. 

There was so much foreshadowing in this book, that it made for a fast-paced story since I wanted to know what was about to happen. Though at the same time, the story felt slow as it slowly unravels the world and featured those intimate character moments. The more I reflect on it, the more confused I am with the overall pacing of this book but not in a bad way. I think the audiobook helped in not only pronouncing all the difficult words for me but also at making the story feel fast-paced. I mean I read this book in 3 days and it has been a long while since that happened. 

The overall story and plot felt like a really long prologue. This first instalment definitely felt like the foundation for everything that is to come in this series. Chakraborty took time in crafting her world and introducing us to the vast cast of characters that it feels like something explosive is about to happen in the sequel. 

Overall Thoughts:

Overall, this book left me wanting more of the vibrant world and mythology, and the characters whose arcs I'm heavily invested in. I would've preferred to see more action and explore more of Daevabad. The romance between Nahri and Dara definitely irked me in the end, but I do hope Nahri and Ali's friendship survive after the ending of this book and we finally get some answers to the mysterious origins of Nahri. If you haven't picked this up, go do it and now's the perfect time to binge the series with all the books out. And I cannot wait to pick up the sequel soon.