The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty

The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy, #1)

by S. A. Chakraborty

Discover this spellbinding debut from S.A. Chakraborty.

'An extravagant feast of a book - spicy and bloody, dizzyingly magical, and still, somehow, utterly believable' Laini Taylor, Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author

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.

Reviewed by Martha G on

4 of 5 stars

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I was torn as to how many stars to give this book. It took me a long time to read it. The first half I found interesting as Nahri and Dara are on an adventure to get to safety. The second half the pace of the book changed and there were so many names/tribes/languages that I found it a bit confusing. Little did I know there is a dictionary of sorts at the back of the book. It had it's ups and downs, trying to do a little too much as well as build a whole magical world as part of a trilogy. In the end, I was satisfied and I care enough about the characters to want to read the next book when it comes out. I would give it 3.5 stars and rounded up to 4 for creating such a cool world, with magic and interesting characters.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 15 June, 2018: Finished reading
  • 15 June, 2018: Reviewed