Everything about it looked and sounded appealing (in the eyes of a child, through the TV screen, I suppose), pulling off one unforgettable con after another, living off your wits and charm etc… sadly, I had neither the wit nor the charm to pull anything off and had to settle for a normal childhood. So, obviously this was my chance to live vicariously through Nahri and I jumped on that wagon faster than a speeding bullet. But the death of his people and loss of his beloved Nahri have unleashed the worst demons of Dara’s dark past. To vanquish them, he must face some ugly truths about his history and put himself at the mercy of those he once considered enemies. Alone in the desert night, Ali learns some new things about himself and his dear friend Lubayd. Language: English Words: 3,935 Chapters: 1/1 Collections: 1 Comments: 5 Kudos: 22 Bookmarks: 3 Hits: 276 Altar Diplomacy: The marriage between Nahri and Muntandhir. Neither of them are the least bit interested in being married to each other, and Ghassan knows it, but he wants to create a symbolic link between his new dynasty and the Nahids they overthrew. Absolutely phenomenal. One of the most brilliant, razor-sharp books I've had the pleasure of reading that isn't just an alternative fantastical history, but an interrogative one; one that grabs colonial history and the Industrial Revolution, turns it over, and shakes it out, pointing out the rotten roots empire grows from and making damn clear the work, the sacrifice, and yes, as the title says the necessity of violence in ripping it all apart. This book was also just so damn CLEVER in how it applied the magical aspects. If I can be a total nerd, the linguistic stuff was not just profound in how it was used, it was really neat to learn!

It isn't long before the uneasy peace between Daevabad's factions erupts into violence. Nahri, Dara, and Ali have to find a way not only to survive the various political upheavals, but do so in a way that allows them to retain their self-respect and morality—which is no easy task.

Customer reviews

Deadly Scratch: The magical poison of zulfiqar swords is universally deadly and defeats even Nahid healing, so the Geziri fighting style emphasizes mobility and shallow slashes. At the end of Kingdom of Copper, Muntadhir is cut, but the Seal of Suleiman disables the magic before it can finish him off. Sibling Yin-Yang: Ali is diligent, responsible, socially awkward, and as tightly wound as a spring. His older brother Muntadhir is relaxed, jovial, charming, and gives an air of sybaritic indulgence. Both have a lot more going on, though. An extravagant feast of a book—spicy and bloody, dizzyingly magical, and still, somehow, utterly believable.”- Laini Taylor Manizheh proves to be worse than Ghassan. She's far from a model parent to her long-lost daughter and son, completely ignores their wishes, and uses the safety of one to manipulate the other. The frustrated pursuers have made Cairo a no-go zone for Nahri, so she and the djinn, Dara (which is a small portion of his entire name) head for the place where people of his sort reside, the world capital of the magical races, Daevabad, the Brass City of the title.

But when Nahri accidentally summons Dara, an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior to her side during one of her cons, she’s forced to reconsider her beliefs. For Dara tells Nahri an extraordinary 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. Inherent in the System: One major obstacle Nahri and Ali realize in the third book is that Ghassan and Manizheh are the cleverest, most experienced, and most determined people they know—and neither of them have been able to make Daevabad a peaceful place to live, even after spending decades trying to do so. Hive Mind: Marids can share their feelings, thoughts, and memories with each other as though they are one entity because they are water-based creatures. Bestselling author S. A. Chakraborty’s acclaimed Daevabad Trilogy gets expanded with this new compilation of stories from before, during, and after the events of The City of Brass, The Kingdom of Copper, and The Empire of Gold, all from the perspective of characters both beloved and hated, and even those without a voice in the novels. The River of Silver gathers material both seen and new—including a special coda fans will need to read—making this the perfect complement to those incredible novels. ownvoices Muslim rep!!! in fantasy!!!! which is so so important!!!! (I can’t comment on the rep so I recommend you read May’s ownvoices review!)Knowing a djinn's name gives you power over them, especially if you're an ifrit or marid. Ali was never taught this, and answering the marid when asked allows them to use him as a weapon in the first book. Jumping Off the Slippery Slope: Manizheh crafts a biochemical weapon to kill Geziris, but doesn't have time to refine it from an uncontrollable fog into a short-range weapon before retaking Daevabad. Dara begs her not to use it and tells her explicitly that she'll be no better than Ghassan if she unleashes it, but she responds that she doesn't care. Spurning Dara's warning of the treachery surrounding her, she embarks on a hesitant friendship with Alizayd, an idealistic prince who dreams of revolutionizing his father's corrupt regime. All too soon, Nahri 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.