The Kingdom of Copper (The Daevabad Trilogy, #2)
***Description is spoiler for 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 family — and 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.
Author: S.A. Chakraborty | Publisher: Harper Voyager
Rating: 5/5
Thank you so much to Harper Voyager for sending me a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I. Love. This. Trilogy. Chakraborty has built an impressively intricate universe with a terrifying political climate, deep characters, a rich history, and a suspenseful storyline.
The prologue takes place right after the first book ended, and it doesn't waste ANY TIME drawing you in. You finish it, and you're like, omg. Then chapter one picks up five years later. You get three POVs: Nahri, Alizayd, and Dara. (Now there's a trio of voices if I ever saw one!)
The ways Chakraborty keeps you hung in suspense are really effective — she drops hints and nuggets all the time, but the characters always allow the subject to be changed or get distracted before you get too much. I found myself wishing that they would just ASK MORE ABOUT THAT, PLEASE. It makes the story un-put-down-able.
I was also really impressed by the political tangle Chakraborty has spun this world into. No one is clearly ever right, both sides of the fight have noble causes and corrupt causes, and I'm really not even sure who I want to come out on top at the end. I want the good guys from each side to band together against all the bad guys, but because those good guys don't know that they're all good, I don't know if that will ever really happen. Arghh.
Can I have book three, like ... now, please? Please?