What’s a book everyone who read raved about when it came out but you didn’t get around to until later? The City of Brass from The Daevabad Trilogy is that book for me! Ariel adored it and reviewed the last book on the blog. I am excited to have read this book with my friend, Emilie. Let’s take a look at the synopsis and then dive in.
The City of Brass
By S.A. Chakraborty | Goodreads | The Daevabad Trilogy #1
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 bound.
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…
The City of Brass – The discussion with Emilie
I am an avid reader of Fantasy and though I know of Middle Eastern Fantasy novels, this is the first one that has made it from my TBR to the read pile. Emilie, have you read any Fantasy novels prior to picking up The City of Brass that are set in the same area?
I’ve only read An Ember in the Ashes series prior to The City of Brass and it was my introduction to the world of djinns, ifrits and other elements. What I loved of The City of Brass is the different djinn tribes, they are all so unique and interesting. I hope we’ll see more of them in the next books! After this first experience with Middle Eastern Fantasy novels, do you want to pick more of them?
Yes, I would love to! An indie series already on my radar is Gunmetal Gods by Zamil Akhtar.
The City of Brass is an immersive tale from the very start. We meet Nahri, a healer and part-time-thief who is trying to make ends meet in the city of Cairo. She has some unique abilities – she understands and speaks every language that she has ever heard someone speak, she heals quickly and can sense illness. Her origins are a mystery to her and while she would like to know where she came from, she is too busy surviving. I loved how Cairo is described – the city, the market, the streets, the people, all of it. As an ancient city, it has seen many rulers and there are layers of history in the first couple pages of the book. Prior to picking up The City of Brass, I had finished Babel: An Arcane History of Translation which dives deep into colonialism. It was hard not to miss those references in The City of Brass. I also loved Nahri’s grasp of language and the role it plays throughout the book.
I also love how Cairo is described. I unfortunately didn’t know much about its history (war, colonialism and all of that) but it definitely makes me want to look into it more. I find it interesting. I also love Daevabad and its description, the city felt surreal and astonishing. I’ve read Babel too and I think we can also see the discrimination against the shafits in these references. I found it really interesting that Nahri is able to understand and speak any language but the Geziri’s (it was this one right?). I wonder why this one in particular, has it been explained and I missed it?
I think it was explained but I don’t remember anymore either haha.
A ritual gone wrong leads to Nahri fleeing for her life with the help of a djinn named Dara. This opens a whole other world to her and me! I experienced her awe and wonder about her origins, Daevabad, its history, and the races of djinns. The world of The Daevabad Trilogy is rich with struggle, wonder, beauty, bloodshed, competition,… you name it! This first book does such an amazing job of pulling in the reader that I don’t know anyone who did not want to read book 2 after this. There are political undercurrents, beings that one should not associate with, magic that lights a sword on fire and an unrest that is bound to shake up the monarchy in the city.
I find this book has everything that makes a great fantasy book. The worldbuilding was simply incredible to me with the cities, the races of djinns, the magic also. It has compelling characters, nobody is either simply good or evil, they all have their flaws, their struggles, their qualities. I like how Ali has this duality between his family but also wanting to help the shafits, it was very interesting to see. There are so many intrigues, it seems like Nahri’s mother has an important role to come or she is working in the shadows, I’m intrigued to learn more about what happened to her. While reading the book, I just couldn’t stop marvelling about the story and the characters. I was also asking myself why it took me so long to pick it up when this series is everyone’s favorite!
Apart from Nahri, there is another perspective in the book. Ali is the second son of the ruling king of Daevabad. I think of him as the king’s Hand from Game of Thrones. Ali is younger than Nahri and has been training to be his brother’s Qaid for all of his life. He is educated, well-read and knowledgeable in matters of law, but practical experience is lacking. He has simple pleasures of books and knowledge. He is quite skeptical of Nahri when she first comes to the city but over time, they develop a close friendship. I enjoyed both of their perspectives and their friendship is a highlight of the book for me.
I really enjoyed Ali’s perspective. I love his duality over his loyalty toward his family but also his desire to help the shafits. It is true that his role reminds me of the Hand in Game of Thrones. I loved to see Ali and Nahri relationship evolve, I kind of wanted them to be more to be honest. I couldn’t bring myself to like Nahri with Dara, something was not right with me.
Daevabad is a divided city. Though daevas and shafits (daeva offsprings with humans) have lived there for centuries, unrest is growing. The shafit are regularly accused and punished for crimes they did not commit. Ali cannot stand this treatment and gets involved in trying to help the shafit have a better life. However, the consequences of going against his father’s policies serve and as the plot of The City of Brass unfolds, a number of key players emerge that I hadn’t expected. The characters and world continue to get bigger and bigger. Emilie, what were your thoughts on Daevabad, the history of its conquest and how the daevas came to be on earth?
I found the history and the conquest quite interesting. I love reading every little details about it. I like how the punishment for daevas was to be stuck in the human form, which of course means that there will be a relationship with humans, resulting in shafits. I knew there would be some kind of discrimination against shafits, it was to be expected and I think it represented society well. It is of course very unfair and I couldn’t stand it either but I liked that Ali tried to stand for them and help them, even though he was a bit naive.
Nahri needs a friend as she settles into Daevabad as the last surviving member of her daeva clan. Her powers of healing would be put to good use. But makes the mistakes of not taking the time to understand the world that has existed for centuries before she has. She is infatuated with Dara and though she knows he comes from a history of bloodshed and murder, she turns a blind eye to it. She looks like a shafit, without the unique daeva physical appearances, but she is a deava, a group she knew nothing about until she met Dara. She doesn’t see the big picture until the tensions become too high and lives of people she cares about are in danger. Nisreen is the daeva who is assigned to her and I enjoyed seeing her view of Daevabad, the deava culture, practices and the historical wars that shaped the city as it is today.
I loved the epilogue!! It sets up such a strong stage for the next book.
I am so excited for the next book too! I can’t wait to read more about Kaveh’s son and what it is going to mean for Nahri. Do you think they might end up working with each other?
I think so but we will have to find out.
I am so honored to have found another buddy who reads and discusses books to so much depth! Connect with Emilie on Instagram. Have you read The City of Brass? We want to hear your thoughts in the comments.
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