The Kingdom of Copper

Usually I laugh at people who claim that books have torn out their heart, that authors are deliberately causing them pain, and that they can’t get enough of it. I don’t think I can anymore. Instead, weeks after finishing this book, I’m still a gibbering mess when I think about it and guys, it was so good. So. Good.

I am astounded at Chakraborty’s ability to dangle hope that everything will, for once, be okay even when I know how good she is at dashing it. I am astounded at the creativity she has in doubling down on making terrible things happen, like she opens up whole subplots just to make things worse in a different one, and the tension this all causes. Gods. I was snapping at people from being so keyed up because of everything show more converging, and I couldn’t help cheering people on in doing the right thing even when I knew it was all going to end in tears.

Also: More world-building! More fantastic plot twists! Character development! Hopes, dashed and then resurrected and dashed again! A masterful balance between characters and arcs and everything else! Things I’m not saying because spoilers! Excellent metaphors for and warnings about the dangers of intolerance and extremism and blindly following others! I should’ve expected Chakraborty to really dig into that one, based on the last book, but yeah. She really goes for it, it’s amazing.

Deeply suspect I’m going to be wailing and blithering about this book in equal measure until the third book comes out—and probably whining that it’s not already in my hands. If you haven’t read The City of Brass, you need to, and if you have, The Kingdom of Copper will absolutely not disappoint.

9.5/10

To bear in mind: Contains Highly Terrible People and the things they do, including torture, murder, manipulation, revenge plots, treating people of several genders as property, and attempted genocide. show less

This book is much more than simply a Fantasy tale. It is a far-reaching discourse on prejudice, political manipulation, abuse of power, and the everlasting cycle of wars that the world appears to be unable to break. You can view this book as dealing with conflict on a regional basis or on a global scale; the parallels are there and are applicable everywhere.

The personal interest is maintained by having well rounded characters from every faction involved. Chakraborty used these characters well to inform the reader of the views of people in each faction. She also uses their personal relationships and feelings to portray the struggle of individuals tied up in undesirable situations not of their making. The sad thing I see is the repeating show more ebb and flow of cruelty and war in the book reflected in the real world with us currently witnessing the resurgence of behaviours and attitudes that we thought were stopped for good seventy-five years ago. show less

9/10
Book 2 in the Daevabad trilogy picks up about 5 years after the events in The City of Brass (book 1), and the story is presented from the POV of Ali, Nahri, and Dara.
Positives:
The major characters continue to develop and change, especially as they face moral and ethical challenges and dilemmas that have no good options (and there are plenty of those).
All of the characters are conflicted and complicated—no cardboard “good guy, bad guy” characters.
The world-building continues to be first-rate.
The author finds many ways to make the reader think, really think, about how vengeance breeds violence, how cycles of war and retaliation bind and enslave people and limit their aspirations and development, how ignorance and fear of and show more disdain for the “other” color everyone’s world to some extent, how power seduces and corrupts, how it becomes easier and easier to rationalize the baby steps that lead to atrocities.
Negatives: maybe it’s just me, but I still find some of the distinctions to be unclear (djinn, daeva vs. Daeva, ifrit), exactly who was changed by Suleiman (who retained power and who didn’t), and how the slave rings and the relics worked.
Cliffhanger ending. show less

SHAN HOW COULD YOU??

I say this from the bottom of my heart - I love you, your writing, your world, your characters and your brain but I swear on my books you're gonna be the ruin of me.

In my review for The City of Brass (CoB) I spoke about how throughout its Nahri who has sense of certainty. If not so much in her present circumstances, she does have it in her ability to adapt, to turn the situation to her betterment (or at least survival). With the end of CoB, and the betrayals and heartbreaks that came with that ending, she's now cast adrift in a situation she can't fully grasp.

The Kingdom of Copper (KoC) picks up right where CoB left off - Dara is presumed dead by Ali, Ali is outcast and exiled (also presumed dead quite frankly) and show more Nahri finds herself forced to wed Muntadhir. I couldn't say which was a more heartbreaking reintroduction to the characters - this book is told from three different but at times overlapping viewpoints (Ali, Nahri and Dara).

I was so MAD at Ali at the end of CoB - mad that he let his own fears and weaknesses override the good sense that Nahri saw in him, mad that the events even came to such a deadly conclusion, just so mad. In hindsight though I'm just as mad, if not as heatedly at Dara and yes even Nahri. Dara is in this...circle of actions that he can't seem to turn away from. Not really. When we see him once more in KoC he is implored to just let it go, to just be at peace.

I don't know if he knows how to be at peace. I don't know if its a product of fiery nature or a product of what his masters made of him, but he doesn't seem to know how to just...be.

Nahri...we saw glimpses of the Nahri who could have been; the teasing girl, the mischievous and beautiful lady in CoB. If not for the attack that night. If not for her family's fall. If not, if not, if not. Because of her life she is resilient. Because of the palace of vipers she is thrust into, she becomes canny and jaded.

Meanwhile Ali learns a lesson in humility and good intentions, which I'm glad for because while I felt bad for him - for the fact he betrayed his friend and in turn found himself betrayed - I wanted to him to understand just how badly he had screwed up. LEARN AND DO BETTER ALI.

Dara...my heart was broken after the end of CoB, from grief mainly. My heart shattered after the end of KoC.

Guys...guys. If by some grace of some benevolent deity I survive this trilogy, I'm not sure my emotions will. I want happy fluffy endings. I want everyone to be happy. But I'm more pragmatist then idealist, so I know it won't happen. show less

Wow. Dont read the last 100 pages in a public place. Immediately starting book 3 is a must. The true genius of this series is that Chakraborty spins everything so tight that there is not a character you hate that you also don't love. Black is not white is not gray.

I have lost all sense of proportion over this series: I'm enjoying it too much to be judgemental (except when it comes to Dara YE GODS WHAT IS HE THINKING). The Kingdom of Copper is another explosive, richly-imagined slice of djinni politics and magical world-building - and it's not shy of asking oh-so-relevant questions.

Can a society move on from past injustices to take a new, inclusive, fairer shape – in the face of resistance from traditionalists? Can peace be forged in spite of atrocities by modern-day extremists? What acts can we forgive in the name of the greater good? Forget whether the ends justify the means – can we even agree what ends are acceptable?

This is thoughtful, sometimes provocative fantasy for our times. I show more can’t wait to see what answers it provides in its final instalment.

Although I dearly hope it includes Nahri telling Dara to get back in his bottle because she's had quite enough of his toxic attitudes.

Full review

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review, but I'll be buying a paperback too - I want this trilogy on my physical shelf. show less

This book had me rapt. It was full of political intrigue and scheming, in a way that reminded me of the best aspects of A Game of Thrones (but honestly this series is more enjoyable). With all the world-building groundwork having been accomplished in the first book, this one can afford to be much faster-paced, and is all the better for it.

Much of this book revolves around the main characters' efforts to do the right thing (mostly struggle in support of the oppressed shafit, and against blind tribalism) when they live in a society filled with powerful people who want to thwart every such effort. King Ghassan is, like in the first book, ruthlessly tyrannical, but the forces conspiring against him are just as bad. It makes for compelling show more reading and I'm very keen to move on to the third book now, to see what happens next. show less