What an Explosive Debut! The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty [Audiobook Review]

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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…

SERIES: THE DAEVABAD TRILOGY, BOOK 1

LENGTH: 20 hrs and 1 min 

PUBLISHER: HARPERAUDIO

FIRST PUBLISHED: 2017, AUDIO PUBLISHED: 11/14/2017

NARRATOR: Soneela Nankani

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Heat Level: Mild

When Avon asked if anyone would be interested in reviewing The Kingdom of Copper, I decided to request it without knowing that it was book 2. I was planning to get book 1 myself until I received my book mail and discovered that they included all two books.

Let me tell you, requesting this book was NOT a mistake! The City of Brass was not something that I expected but it really surprised me in the best way possible! The City of Brass is S.A. Chakraborty’s adult fantasy debut and I was blown away by how amazing it is!

World Building

In fantasy, world-building is key, especially if it is the first book in the series and S.A. Chakraborty has a riveting way to craft her book. In fact, I felt that I was IN the book and could vividly see what the world looked like in Nahri’s eyes. When we finally arrive in Daevabad, the descriptions and even the history are written in a way that it does not feel like it was told to us. The amazing way that this book was written really blew me away.

Characters

The City of Brass is written in the third person but in two POVs – Nahri and Alizayd.

Nahri is an amazing character. She is a young con artist who doesn’t know her roots when she accidentally summons a jinn named Dara. Nahri’s POV is basically us – we know more about the world and Daevabad through her POV because she is also learning about her people and what her role is. Nahri is slowly finding her own in The City of brass and I can’t wait to find out how her character arc grows.

Prince Alizayd is another character who we meet a few chapters into the book. He is the idealistic prince who is groomed to be his older brother’s advisor. His POV is also unique because we get to know more about court politics and Ali’s world as he sees it – very idealistic. His importance is also not revealed until the climax of his book. I can’t WAIT to see where his arc grows in The Kingdom of Copper.

Darayavahush is another character that I absolutely love. He is the Daeva warrior that was accidentally summoned by Nahri. When we meet him, he is angry and really judgmental of Nahri. It is later that we find out the reasons why. I’m also curious about what happens to Dara after that shocking scene.

The other minor characters are also well-fleshed out and really play an important role in building this world. And while there are too many characters, I thought they were really useful in showing us court politics, the current state of Daevabad, and the different tribes that live in Daevabad.

Romance

There isn’t that much romance in The City of Brass. There is a spark of romance between Dara and Nahri, though. As a romance reader, I wish there was more. I can’t wait to see how this will be handled in The Kingdom of Copper, especially after the events at the end of the book.

Shocking Revelations

There are a lot of shocking revelations in the book and while it is a really, really long book, I was thoroughly captivated. There is a sort of cliffhanger at the end of this book and luckily, the second book, Kingdom of Copper is already available.

Audiobook

The City of Brass is read by Soneela Nankani and she was amazing. I borrowed the audiobook from the library because I thought it would be better and quicker for me to finish because I am a slow reader. What I loved about Soneela is that her pacing was perfect for the overall feel of the book. The voices that she uses are also great – even her male voices. I also liked her accent and it wasn’t distracting at all. In fact, I LOVED it!

If you haven’t picked up The City of Brass yet, please do so! I highly recommend it! Also, don’t forget to check out my review for The Kingdom of Copper next week!

The Daevabad Trilogy by S.A. Chakraborty

Do you like fantasy?

Can you recommend any fantasy or fantasy romance books that I should read?