Reviews with content warning for Slavery - The Empire of Gold

Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

The Empire of Gold by S.A. Chakraborty

62 reviews

achingallover's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny 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

incredible

i will not stop talking about this to anyone who will listen

i wanted more zaynab but that's literally my only critique

the chosen name thing!

just. perfection.

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maryellen's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

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totallyshelfaware's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny 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

This obliterated me. 5 stars.

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micheala's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful fast-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? It's complicated

4.5

I've been putting this book off for a while as I loved the first two books and I didn't want this trilogy to end. The thing that finally pushed me to pick it up was the fact that it was overdue at the library and I couldn't renew it and I felt bad not reading it or returning it lol

There really is no way to talk about the finally in a series without spoiling the rest of the series, so if you haven't read the Daevabad Trilogy, all I can say is I highly recommend it.

I'm not a particularly fast reader, but I finished this 750+ page book in 4 days. The pacing never feels like it's dragging or like any of those pages are simply filler. Everything feels important to the plot and necessary for this rich world and this stunning conclusion to an amazing trilogy.

We continue to have the three alternating POVs of Narhi, Ali and Dara and all three of those POVs feel like they were given equal importance (not like the author had a clear favourite that they wanted to spend more time with, like I'm currently encountering with another book)

I did spend a LOT of this book very frustrated with Dara, in that he keeps being willfully naive about what is going on and what he is assisting with. I mean it makes sense for his character, it's just annoying wanting him to get with it already. Plus spending so much time with Manizheh was infuriating - like I'm sure it was meant to be.

I liked seeing all the threads that were laid in the first two books concerning Ali and Narhi start coming together. Finding out the truth about both of their histories was very satisfying.

I also really appreciated the way things wrapped up. It's not all sunshine and rainbows (there was a genocide and civil war that just happened so it would have felt out of place if it had), but there was that hopeful tint to the events.

Overall this was a very satisfying conclusion to a series that I've very much enjoyed and I'm glade to finally have read it.

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leahsbooks's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This series has been absolutely amazing, and after finishing it, I’m both completely fulfilled and sad to see it come to a close. All in all, it was a great ending to the trilogy, although I’m hoping to see more come from the author.

The world-building continues to be absolutely incredible. This book ranges farther than the previous ones, allowing us to see even more of the wonders in this world. From the human streets of Cairo to Daevabad to other areas of the djinn world and even into the lands of the elementals, they’re all portrayed so beautifully and richly that I could feel as though I was right there with the characters with no effort on my part.

“The water arched around him like a tunnel, marshy roots and submerged trees stretching to hold up a glittering canopy of refracted celestial light, glimmering droplets, and dappled green lily pads. Fish and turtles swam past, the silvery whites of their bellies flickering like candles.”

Another area where this book really shines is the characters. They’re each so thoroughly created, realistic, and flawed, while the majority still retain that sense of lovability. It didn’t escape my notice that the major power players in this book were all female, while the male characters played supporting roles. Manizheh, Nahri, and Hatset were the strong women pulling the strings, and even though their motivations were very different, I loved that they found ways to reclaim power that had been denied to them.

I’ve loved Nahri from page 1 of book 1. She’s tough, smart, and not afraid to be who she is. However, her past has left her with no shortage of trauma, and she’s scared to get close to anyone. I can’t say I blame her. Fortunately, growing up in the human world has left her uniquely positioned to do well in a world where magic has disappeared. As usual, though, she’s forced to make some difficult decisions to save the world that she loves.

“Nahri had sworn never to be a pawn again, and yet here she was … forced to serve another master in order to save the people she loved.”

Ali has really grown on me over the course of the series. He’s begun to loosen up … slightly. His world has been turned upside down, and everything he ever believed changes in this book. He finds himself trapped in Cairo without magic, and there’s a slow-burn romance that builds throughout the book between him and Nahri. Even as he learns how to adjust his entire worldview, some things never change. Namely, his steadfast morals and his incredible lack of timing:

“‘Creator, it’s like you’re in a competition with yourself over picking the worst time to say something.’”

I seriously struggled with Dara throughout this book. I honestly felt for him in earlier books, but had a complete lack of empathy for him in the first half of the book. By the time he realized he was in a mess, he was too deep to get himself out of it. At that point, I found a little more compassion towards him. His POV chapters also gave us some more insight into what was going on with Manizheh. She was hard not to hate, although her history made it clear what made her the way she turned out to be.

“Dara was so sick of despairing over his fate, of guilt eating him alive. Now he was just furious. Furious at being used, at letting himself be used again and again.”

The pacing wasn’t consistent during this book. The first two parts were super slow. I kept plodding through them, trusting that things would speed up. And when they did, WOW! The action kicked off, and things started moving very quickly, so that the last 2 parts of the book flew by. I’m absolutely a Chakraborty fan for life, and will be eagerly awaiting her next project, regardless of what it is.

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dariusz's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring medium-paced

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

5.0

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cerilouisereads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional fast-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

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katrinarose's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Content Warnings

okays1331's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

"If what I have seen is true, it means there is peace for the worst of us. Rest for those who do not deserve it. It was beautiful. And it spoke to a mercy this world does not deserve."

Swoon. Sob. Laugh. Sob and sob some more. I am undone by the finale to the Daevabad trilogy. I care so much about these beautiful, terrible, broken Djinn. The writing conveys a depth of emotion that is impossible not to feel myself alongside the characters.

This book is so long (nearly 30 hours in audiobook), and it is a testament to Chakraborty's storytelling that I never wanted to put it down a single moment. Thank goodness a snow storm came along to lock me in the house with this story for a few days.

From the first book, the trilogy grew layering and deepening the mythology from the beginning of the first book which felt like a simple (albeit gorgeous) fairytale (that is right up until the end) to this finale full of rich details and history. It was all done effortlessly. Sometimes, in other high fantasy books, it can feel like the reader is trapped in pages of background reading before the story happens at all, but not here. The author builds it naturally into the story, so suddenly, I realized I could navigate Daevabad's complex politics and history with relative ease. That is until the next revelation shook up what I thought I knew. And wow, the way the history was unveiled made it increasingly hard to find the "right" side or make easy monsters of the antagonists. Even more so when Dara, one of the first people we meet and love in the whole series stands on wrong side of every story.

The author writes about grief, love, faith, forgiveness, and loyalty so beautifully and respectfully. The pain is wrenching and my heart hurts. The bonds are forged here. The characters through tragedy and bloodshed realize what is truly important to them. What they would kill and die for.

Some of my favorite moments that will stick with me.

-Ali finding himself in prayer and grief beside humans worshipping in Egypt taking comfort from reaching out to the same creator.

-Dara talking about death and the afterlife with his grieving enemy.

-Ali and Nahri finding space to be themselves and trust each other with their pain and fear.

-

Nahri performing surgery on Ali's heart with barely any magic after confessing their love for each other.

-Family learning to love and accept each other.

“You’re not the only one who’s had to pretend to be different while people with power insult the parts of you you never get to wear openly. I wish that you had trusted me, but more than that, I wish I had behaved in a way that would have encouraged you to trust me.” Jamshid

Jamshid kissing Muntadhir's fingers in the midst of his panic attack reminding him that Muntadhir woke him this way after Jamshid was shot "You said you were so afraid of hurting me that you knew not where else to touch".

At the release of Manizeh's command, Dara transforming from the fearsome Afshin of legend into a broken and desperate man falling to his knees to beg forgiveness for the things he has done and pleading with Nahri to surrender so that he will not have to hurt her or watch her die.

Ali sharing space and history with his Marid grandfather making the Marid no longer monsters, but another of the incredibly complex beings that share the magical world.

BUT all the characters are sassy as hell. It's so funny to hear them teasing each other or pulling one over on a powerful elder. Even Ali has grown a true sense of humor probably learning it from all his time with Nahri. Charkraborty knows exactly when to give us this little taste of laughter and love.

“ An excellent omen. Just really promising all around."

"

Alizayd

isn't dead...I made him swear it. And I think he's afraid of me."

Content Warnings

icfasntw's review against another edition

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adventurous dark fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

QUICK PITCH: The final book in Chakraborty's Daevabad Trilogy, sequel to The City of Brass and The Kingdom of Copper.

VERDICT: I really cooled down on this book. The first two featured a lot of politicking, which is always my favorite. The third book felt like part adventure novel, part "hanging out with the bad guys so you know how bad they are," and part wrapping up a bunch of threads that were introduced in earlier installments as quickly as possible. The result felt a bit rushed and didn't hold my attention like the first two.

SERIES: Overall, I think the series is all right. I thoroughly enjoyed the first two books and I love seeing fantasy stories from perspective other than "Western European." My biggest complaint is that I wish some of the longer threads, like

the marid

, had been introduced and explored more thoroughly in previous books instead of all solved at once at the end.

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