As we journey through this land we meet many other species from all elements (Earth, Wind, Air and Fire) which all make for a lush world with a complex history. For this reason alone I docked it a star however, the world building inspired by Middle Eastern Folklore is truly captivating. I’d like to say that I connected with any of these characters but I didn’t & I’m a reader who loves character driven stories. Everyone has an agenda & even those looking out for the interest of the under privileged will cross lines for the greater good. There are no purely good/evil characters in this story. In City Of Brass we get a diverse cast of characters from different socioeconomic backgrounds. It’s my goal to always read diversely and it makes my heart feel whole when I see a cast of characters in a Fantasy that are for the mostly all people of color. There’s an outright decrees to stifle their uprising by any means necessary which leads to the loss of lives. At the very heart of this book is the story of a people who are being oppressed by the nobility for having mixed blood with humans. We get court politics, Nahri training with her new found magical abilities, and oppression. What Nahri doesn’t expect is that a lot of old tensions are still brewing & she’s walking right into a culminating rebellion beneath the surface.
We also get to learn a lot of history as it relates to the 6 Djinn tribes. Their journey to Daevabad comes with many challenges & attacks. Nahri is curious enough to want to find out if the magic she’s only heard of in stories actually exists. Dara tells Nahri of the magic that runs in her blood as a Shafit (mixed Djinn\human) & that she belongs in Daevabad where she will be safer than in Cairo’s streets. Dara tells Nahri of Daevabad, a magical land home to the City of Brass. Dara is bound to Nahri in ways she doesn’t yet understand at the start of her journey. This all changes when she manages to conjure up a Djinn Warrior who is just as cunning as she is. Nahri knows her way around & makes a living using sleight of hand, whether it’s palm readings, zars (ceremony where Nahri is hired to sort of exorcise a demon who has taken possession of a person), or healings she takes the opportunity to swindle the nobility of Cairo. Chakraborty is one of the books I’ve had on my list of Must Read Fantasy Books for way too long! in this book we meet Nahri who is a con woman in the streets of Cairo. The book, published in 2017, won the World Fantasy Award and was nominated for both the Locus Awards and the British Fantasy Awards.Title: City Of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy #1)Ĭity of Brass by S.A. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy. I loved the magic that Nahri and the other characters wield. The characters are just as complicated and multi-faceted. The worlds in the novel are complex and not your usual epic fantasy fare. And sets Nahri on a journey toward her destiny. The song wakens both a demon and a djinn. She knows a few words of the language, although not where it comes from. It’s what her clients see and believe as healing.ĭuring a ceremony to placate the spirits, Nahri sings a song that must have been passed down from her lost parents.
She has actual healing power but most of her work uses fake magic. Nahri’s too-black eyes stand out as foreign. She doesn’t remember her family and has no roots. She works out of a stall on the street and lives her life on the edge. The story begins in Cairo with Nahri, a healer, dealing with a client. I’ve heard of djinn but that’s the extent of my familiarity. The book revolves around mythology that’s absolutely foreign to me. It’s mostly set in a fictional country called Daevastana located vaguely northwest of India. I decided to read this one after a friend raved about it. The City of Brass: The Daevabad Trilogy, Book 1 by S.A.