City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

Title: The City of Brass

Author: S. A. Chakraborty
Page Count: 544
Rating: A
Format Read: Kindle  
Genre: Fantasy
Keywords: Egypt, Jin, Magic
Kid Appropriate: Teen and older

Synopsis from Goodreads:

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...

My Review:

I was lucky enough to get this for $1.99 during a Kindle Daily Deal this summer. My emotions in the beginning were always a bit mixed with this read. I never disliked it but I was constantly left craving more from the story, feeling as if everything was just barely scratching the surface. In the end this read blossomed with a roar of flames, promising an amazing sequel in store for this talented debut.

Character development was well done in this book, especially for the characters I considered secondary. I detested the idealistic Prince Ali for the first 60% of the story as his idealism and judgmental attitude alienated everyone around him. But as he grew closer to Nahri and saw the true potential ahead I loved the man and warrior he was growing into despite his continued naivete. I have high hopes for his continued growth and hopefully foiled assassinations in the future two books.

Nahri and Dara. Ugh I desperately wanted an affair worthy of being written in the stars for these two! I love them and the epilogue left me some hope for them but their path forward seemed underdeveloped and needlessly difficult throughout this book. There just was not enough of them together after the first part of this book.

Beautiful world and rich lore. I hope to see it expanded moving forward. Overall, a good debut, lovable characters, and an intense epilogue promising a rich future.