Reviews with content warning for Death - The Kingdom of Copper

Second in a trilogy, and I didn’t like it quite as much as the first, but it was still very enjoyable! (I think it dragged just a bit too much at the beginning for me.) I liked how the political intrigue played out and you see the characters respond to their situations. Many characters, especially Nahri and Ali, are given real development. I like that none of the characters are perfect, sometimes morally grey, sometimes just stupid. I don’t always like how their choices, but I still find them believable.

Nahri’s choices still drive me crazy sometimes and WTF @Dara how could you make the same monumental mistake a second time. I love Ali’s passion but like damn sometimes someone just needs to put a hand over his mouth! Ghassan deserved worse. I still hope for the best for Jamshid and Muntadhir, but this hope might hurt me later… Maybe a hot take, but Ali deserves Nahri far more than Dara.

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pvbobrien's review against another edition

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adventurous tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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exorbts's review against another edition

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adventurous reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

Disclaimer *this is a spoilery rambling of my feelings, no professional review here*

it took me two months to finish this book and no need to say it was tremendously disappointing.
too many conveniences esp. the last sixth of the book.

I just wanna fathom why do authors give their main characters centuries to die and don't even kill them (ahm Muntadhir) I hate this soo much.

And even though I love him in TCOB, I loved to hate Montadhir in this book.
The author did a good job showing how being a spoiled brat who's indulgent in extravagance, sins, and sumptuous luxuries make his heart rot in Dissatisfaction، and start desiring harams/ wrongdoings ( his whole relationship with Jamshid)
قال تعالى:(إِنَّكُمۡ لَتَأۡتُونَ ٱلرِّجَالَ شَهۡوَةٗ مِّن دُونِ ٱلنِّسَآءِۚ بَلۡ أَنتُمۡ قَوۡمٞ مُّسۡرِفُونَ) (81)

Also, his greed over the throne even though his brother didn't show any interest.

and this man (Muntadhir) btw reminds me of an Abbasi Poet named "Dik al-Jinn", he resembles him so much in his unfaithfulness and desires except Muntadhir is no poet.

also, there were some expressions the characters did that made me roll my eyes -yeah like this one-
, because the Arabic culture is different from the English so why use English expressions!!?
I guess with all this research that the authors did I'm still being greedy?!

I still didn't like that the author made Muntadihr and Jamshid qu**r!
bad.. since they were actually my favorite characters and I loved their friendship in TCOB, but alas!

but the good part here is I started loving Ali more than in the first book. also an unpopular opinion but I still adore Dara and I really wished he would end up with Nahri.

guess I'm continuing since I have the last book.

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abigails_books's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

"Daevabad had crushed everyone in it...Fear and hate ruled the city—built up by centuries of spilled blood and the resulting grievances. It was a place where everyone was so busy trying to survive and ensure their loved ones survived that there was no room to build new trust."

Summary: With its vibrant prose, political intricacies, and slow-growing, tender love, The Kingdom of Copper by S.A. Chakraborty went above and beyond my expectations for the follow-up to The Daevabad Trilogy’s first novel, The City of Brass.

The novel picks up the story five years after the events of the City of Brass took place. We meet up with Nahri, Muntadhir, and Jamshid, stuck—especially in Nahri’s case I’d say imprisoned—in Daevabad; while we find Ali in Bir Nabat, a quiet community where he’s grown from a privileged prince into a fierce yet kind man, and Dara, brought back to ‘life,’ as the first Daeva or Djinn to be freed from Suleiman’s curse, meaning he now takes a new form that is less conducive to the human world.

Chakraborty navigates the thin line of disappointment, betrayal, and loss of love and life between Nahri and her respective, yet completely different, relationships with Ali and Dara.

What begins as an angered encounter after seeing Ali again after five years, the two slowly return to friendly graces and discover they are working for the same goals—a world where all the designations that separate their people no longer matter. But they are alone in a crowd of many who will do anything but let that happen.

The ties that bind Ali and Nahri together are strengthened as a deep connection between the two begins to solidify into something very tangibly sweet, tender, funny, and even heartbreaking. Meanwhile, Nahri’s connection to her first love, Dara, dwindles away as he seeks to start another war that will tear the progress Nahri and Ali have made, apart.

"To believe that the boy who'd taught her to conjure a flame was real, and that the man he'd become was not manipulating her yet again, to believe that not everyone and everything in this miserable city had to be second guessed."

Thoughts: To me some of the most powerful themes weaved into this story are the ways fragility between the separate groups—and two people who are especially drawn to each other but were born to be enemies—and the yearn to return to a society that values personhood over tribe, humanity (for lack of a better word) over violence. And all the while, Chakraborty ties in an incredibly slow-burn romance that allows all the complex feelings of hatred and admiration and the desire to avenge generations of loss.

"Who's died in your arms? Who have you begged to come back, to look at one last time?"

I absolutely adored the way Nahri goes from angry, yet worried for, Ali to seeing his gentle heart, and wanting to help him get out—to live a happy life, even if it means she realizes she doesn’t want him to leave. The slow tenderness is extremely touching and felt almost viscerally real to me.

"He does care...recklessly so. Passionately so...He cares so much he's willing to risk himself and everyone around him, unwilling to accept a shade of gray or a lesser evil in service to the greater good."

This is not a love that is born out of ease, it’s a love born out of true understanding, complex desire, and simple adoration of another’s pure soul, somehow not marred despite the violence that seems to envelop their world.

"She cupped his cheek, her thumb brushing his beard. She didn't miss the sudden racing of his heart.
Nor the sadness rising in her own...
'Go steal some happiness for yourself, my friend,' she said softly. 'Trust me when I say the chance doesn't always come back.'"

"Nahri did not think she had it in her to watch the kind man who'd built her this office—this quiet homage to the home she still loved—the man who'd taught her to read and helped her summon flames for the first time—to be executed in the arena."

I could say a lot of things about Ali and his growth, but all I’ll say is in the first book he begrudgingly taught her how to read, and in this book he said this to his brother:

"She is worth ten of you."

And finally, the slowly woven story of Dara

and Manizheh, aka Nahri’s MOTHER

who plan to re-take Daevabad.

"You will make us monsters...'
'Then we will be monsters.'"

Violence comes, as to be expected with any takeover of a city, and Nahri finds herself on opposite sides of someone she’s always dreamt of, and someone she once loved.

I honestly do not have any negatives about this book. It was excellent and much faster-paced than the first novel due to world-building and Nahri’s journey to get to Daevabad. From the first two chapters of Kingdom of Copper, I was fully invested in the direction the story was taking and felt completely swept away by the new developments.

The mysteries of the series are slowly woven through this novel, but still leave more to be discovered in the finale, The Empire of Gold, which I appreciated. It’s answering some things, so not leaving us totally in the dark, but also enticing the reader to keep reading for full enlightenment.

This is one of the first sequels I’ve read where I felt the content and plot completely surpassed the beauty and perfection of the first. If I could give more than 5 stars, I would.

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claudiamacpherson's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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readwithria's review against another edition

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adventurous tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Kingdom of Copper improved upon an already interesting world.

I’m not usually a big fan of long time skips, I think they’re often used to forcibly create unknown information, BUT this book did an incredible job of acknowledging that time had passed without the time passage being the conflict. The characters were able to grow off page and return to the story more sure of themselves and their places in the world. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and think that it was a great choice!

This book brings in Dara as a POV character and for me, that was the hardest part of reading the book. I did not enjoy reading his chapters, and I usually would stop reading for the day once I got to a Dara chapter.

the chapters once he has realized how ruthless Manizheh is were even harder to read because he knows that she’s willing to hurt innocent people, he doesn’t like it, but he goes along with it anyway

I think that the pacing of this book worked much better than City of Brass. I also liked the fact that Nahri had grown into herself and had a lot more agency in this book. Her comfort with being the Banu Nahida was apparent, and her relationships with the other members of the palace felt believable given the years she had spent there as the wife to the Emir.

Ali had definitely grown a lot between books one and two, but his motivation felt a little weak to me.

I don’t fully understand where his shift in beliefs about the Daeva tribe came from. He went from hating their religion and their beliefs about the shafit to not seeming to care, and that shift felt like it came out of nowhere

My favorite non-POV characters have to be Jamshid and Zaynab. They both have so much gumption and a strong sense of who they are and where they fit in the world. It’s refreshing to see, especially given how much Nahri and Ali are changing their place in the world. I could talk about them forever, but this review is already getting long so I’m going to wrap it up here. I look forward to seeing how the trilogy concludes in Empire of Gold.

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just_one_more_paige's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

It has been, embarrassingly, years since I read City of Brass. In my defense, this book wasn't published yet, at the time, for me to have continued with the series then (though I do remember wishing it was). Anyways, as with The Poppy War series, I waited wayyyy too long between the first and second books (I had to find more than one summary/review, outside of my own, to read and recap so I remembered enough of the characters and details to feel ready to continue). But, silver lining (in both cases actually), the third and final book has also been published now, so I can jump right to it! And let me tell you, I plan to do just that.

While the novel starts with a short intro that gives some small insight into the immediate aftermath of the events of book one (Nahri's marriage, Dara's death, Ali's banishment), it jumps very quickly to "five years later." Nahri is doing her best to survive her life at court, basically confined to her healing rooms both physically and in action/attention, without any of the allies that made her first days in court bearable, trapped and powerless within the city and palace that are hers by right. Ali managed to survive a brutal introduction to the arid lands of his ancestors, as well as a slew of assassins, and has made a sort of life for himself, leaning into (while keeping very secret) the water-based gifts given to him by the marid. Dara was brought back from the dead (again) by a very unexpected hand, to help train and lead a force (of partially dubious provenance) with the goal of returning Daevabad's riginaly rulers to their rightful place. These three storylines unfold simultaneously, and slowly in convergence, against a complex political/religious/personal backdrop, coming to a head with violent consequences as a once-per-century djinn celebration kicks off.

Well, if I finished the first book thinking that Chakraborty was a star with world-building, I am finishing this second book convinced that very few are as good as she is. The setting is so alive. Daevabad itself remains as vivid and gilded as before, but with 600 more pages of layered history, descriptions, and interactions of the peoples. Plus, we get additional "outside the city" perspectives and growth more here as well, with Ali's time in Am Gezira and his mother's home (Ta Ntry) and tribe (the Ayaanle). As a major part of this spectacular world-building, I must mention the complex and detailed political (and religious, though mostly in overlap) maneuvering/machinations/plotting/scheming. There is so much “trading decency for a throne” …or power in these pages. You can, quite simply, lose yourself in it. But like, in the best way. With this comes some very deep familial cruelty and misguided loyalty that is heartbreaking to read at times. We always hurt the ones we love the most, when threatened. And so many times here, acting to protect someone you love, especially by withholding truth/information, ends up doing more harm than good. Thematically tough, but so real. Overall, just some of the most lush world-building I've ever read.

Character-wise, I have only similar praise to give. Nahri, Ali and Dara all benefit greatly, in terms of depth, throughout this novel. And I remain very into the way they subvert what the normal love triangle looks like. There is additional attention paid to side characters, originals like Muntadhir and Zaynad and Hatset and Jamshid and Kaveh, but also some newly introduced ones like Aqisa, the ifrit, some shafit, and a few others that I won't necessarily name, in order to avoid spoilers. I loved it all. And I have to say, I was least into Nahri's development, honestly. I wanted her to be...more. But I guess I understand her constraints, she did stay consistent with her goal of saving lives (any lives), and she did have a few breakout moments towards the end, so I am hoping that the final book does her arc a little more justice.

As far as the plot is concerned, I almost have to say that, at least for the first like two thirds of the novel, there wasn't one. Now, don't get me wrong, I was deeply invested in the development of place and character, and the build-up of it all, because I knew something was coming. There was a deep feeling of unrest, almost anticipatory uneasiness, both in the story/characters and within myself as a reader. And I loved the way that feeling escalated as we got closer and closer to what I just knew was impending doom. However, outside that feeling, very little actually happened...so I would caution you to be sure that's the type of book you are in the mood for, before picking this one up. However, of note, when the action began, with about a quarter of the book left (ish), things got real. The pacing, with perspectives jumping from Dara to Ali to Nahri with perfect timing, was phenomenal. Edge of one's seat type reading. Worth the wait in the build-up for sure. And with the cliffs that each of our main characters end on (plus, some additional "characters to watch," including both of Ali's siblings, Zaynab and Muntadhir, as well as Jamshid and Aqisa), I am quite ready to pick up the final installation, and watch the ending unfold, as soon as possible.

Chakraborty puts a deep focus on uncovering/unveiling the truth of history and the stories that are now accepted as truth, despite what the reality actually was, for reasons of maintaining power or avoiding guilt. She really demonstrates how only with the correct information can current consequences of violent/unfair history be rectified. Because after generations and centuries of curses and revenges and betrayals and death, how else (better than the endless examples of how those who are oppressed and given no other option/recourse will rise up with violence, without mercy) can people(s) overcome a legacy like that? (Ummmm, sound familiar to present day much? I think big yes.)

With captivating storytelling, intricate political and locational detail, discerning character development, and well-paced (when it arrives) action, Chakraborty transports the reader on a fantastic Middle Eastern history and culture inspired journey. It's a mythical, magical and entirely absorbing adventure. I cannot wait to see how it ends!

“People do not thrive under tyrants, Alizayd; they do not come up with innovations when they're busy trying to stay alive, or offer creative ideas when error is punished…”

“You don’t need to be a weapon to be an asset.”

“I’m tired of everyone in this city feeding on vengeance. I'm tired of teaching our children to hate and fear other children because their parents are our enemies. And I'm sick and tired of acting like the only way to save our people is to cut down all who might oppose us, as if our enemies won't return the favor the instant power shifts.” (Basically, sums up all of Ali/Dara/Nahri's vibes in this book.)

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eeeeva's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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