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readwithria's review against another edition
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
3.0
I want to preface this review with the fact that I enjoyed this book. I think the world is very interesting and - for the most part - well built. However, there was a significant lack of plot for a large portion of the book.
Nahri and Ali’s viewpoints give the reader an insider and outsider view of Daevabad. The series is clearly meant to have Nahri as the main protagonist, however Nahri’s POV chapters have little to no plot in them. She is unable to make choices for a large portion of the book due to lack of knowledge <Spoiler> she spends the first 48% of the book traveling </Spoiler> and when she finally does make a decision it happens off page.
Ali, on the other hand, does seem to have more of a plot going on. It’s more of a plot via purposeful lack of action than a plot of action, but it’s definitely there. I found Ali hard to like at the beginning of the book due to his hardcore religious biases, but that gets easier to deal with as the book progresses.
All in all, City of Brass felt like a lot of exposition until the last point of action. Many of the main characters lacked agency, and the pacing was a little weird. I think that for a debut novel it did a great job of introducing us to the world, and I will be continuing to read the series.
Nahri and Ali’s viewpoints give the reader an insider and outsider view of Daevabad. The series is clearly meant to have Nahri as the main protagonist, however Nahri’s POV chapters have little to no plot in them. She is unable to make choices for a large portion of the book due to lack of knowledge <Spoiler> she spends the first 48% of the book traveling </Spoiler> and when she finally does make a decision it happens off page.
Ali, on the other hand, does seem to have more of a plot going on. It’s more of a plot via purposeful lack of action than a plot of action, but it’s definitely there. I found Ali hard to like at the beginning of the book due to his hardcore religious biases, but that gets easier to deal with as the book progresses.
All in all, City of Brass felt like a lot of exposition until the last point of action. Many of the main characters lacked agency, and the pacing was a little weird. I think that for a debut novel it did a great job of introducing us to the world, and I will be continuing to read the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Violence, and War
beckycarter97's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Religious bigotry, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
Minor: Rape
eeeeva's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Murder, Slavery, and War
thoughtsontomes's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
I was entranced from the beginning of this book. Politics, schemes, magic, brutality, and beauty all wrapped into one. I cannot wait to continue with the series.
I’ll be doing a full review and discussion on my channel.
Re-read 2022: I adore this book and it was just as good on re-read as there were many things I had forgotten. The scope of these themes, wrapped up in the immersive setting and with characters that you both love and hate, this remains one of the best books I have ever read and I'm excited to read this whole series this year.
I’ll be doing a full review and discussion on my channel.
Re-read 2022: I adore this book and it was just as good on re-read as there were many things I had forgotten. The scope of these themes, wrapped up in the immersive setting and with characters that you both love and hate, this remains one of the best books I have ever read and I'm excited to read this whole series this year.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Religious bigotry, and Blood
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
alwyshaveabook82's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
as one expects this second volume is grim. Partway through I wondered if any one of the power-hungry could be trusted. The political shenanigans among immortals with hidden histories are complicated. The ending gave me a glimmer of hope that the good-hearted youth may be able to reduce the cruelty in their world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, and War
Put on warnings because this is adult fantasy -just the next thing to read after Harry Potterteri_b's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I have always been interested into stories that feature djinns and take place in sandy environments.
Now finally, I made it to this trilogy.
Loved to go to Daevabad and discover the many layers of the city and its inhabitants.
Was at the beginning rather lost with all the specific names and concepts that were thrown at me. After a while the story took over and it became a read that just wanted to be finished.
Now, I am curious to see how the story continues.
Now finally, I made it to this trilogy.
Loved to go to Daevabad and discover the many layers of the city and its inhabitants.
Was at the beginning rather lost with all the specific names and concepts that were thrown at me. After a while the story took over and it became a read that just wanted to be finished.
Now, I am curious to see how the story continues.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Racism
Moderate: Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Racism, Torture, Violence, and War
cameronreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? No
5.0
Y'all this book! I haven't read a book with such a complex cast and plot in a while. The characters were so immensely developed; each with their own complex backstory and motivations, all of which were thoroughly believable. The worldbuilding was amazingly done, and the politics and history was rich without being too complicated or hard to read. I loved the writing and the plot, and was completely gripped from the moment I read the first sentence to the epilogue. It was incredibly unique, unpredictable, and exciting. I did have a slight issue with the ancient immortal x young woman trope, as well as the mild queerbaiting (which I hope will be confirmed in the sequel), but otherwise I adored this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Torture, and War
Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Child death, Cursing, and Slavery
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