The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

Synopsis: 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...

Review: Whew, this book was a ride. I loved Nahri because she's incredibly smart and knows what she wants. As she comes to terms with her connection to magic, she becomes more and more interesting to read about. Then there's Dara. He's the best kind of sassy character. I'm not sure how I feel about his relationship with Nahri yet. I don't know if it just felt too quick, or if there's something legitimately wrong about the two of them together, but there's something that keeps me from enjoying them together. I want to know more about Ali and his siblings. Despite having half the book dedicated to Ali, I feel like we have only scratched the surface of him as a character. Not to mention his vapid sister and indulgent brother. Their family intrigues me and I can't wait to see where they end up throughout the rest of the series.

The setting and the story in The City of Brass was beautiful. Reading a fantasy book that is set in Egypt was incredible. I will say that it was a bit difficult to remember when the book was set. That was my only glaring issue with the overall setting. Everything else was fascinating, and seeing how the human world collided with the magical world was delightful. As large as this book is, I found myself constantly turning the pages because of how engaging the story was. The entire story is built around the idea of privilege and racial conflicts. Even from the start, Nahri is aware of how she and her culture is looked down upon. This carries into the magical world as she learns exactly how unwanted her family and Dara are. The way Chakraborty brought these things together was masterful. She makes interesting choices in what the characters end up doing as well. There are so many moving pieces in this book and it will be great to see how things progress in the next book.

Beautiful, engaging story with fantastic characters. Can't wait for book 2

5 howls

Side note: There are some Arabic phrases used in The City of Brass. If you don't know any Arabic, that's obviously fine. But if you're interested in how some of these phrases are said, I would suggested checking out a Youtuber named Mike. He teaches Arabic and he teaches English but, more than anything, he takes care in the way he teaches himself. When he meets people from various north African or Middle Eastern countries, he asks how they say certain things or what phrases they use that no other Arabic speaking country might use. He is very understanding of the language he has learned and he never settles with what knowledge he currently has. I'm going to link his channel here for anyone who wants to check him out. https://www.youtube.com/user/StepByStepArabic