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eeeeva's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Blood, and War
Moderate: Grief and Cursing
stormwise's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.5
The conclusion of the Daevabad trilogy picks up right where The Kingdom of Copper ended, starts running, and doesn't stop for 752 pages. (Maybe picking this up immediately after reading The Lord of the Rings was a bit ambitious?)
Political tensions run high as the sudden absence of magic in the wake of Daevabad's violent conquest impacts every aspect of Daeva, djinn and shafit life.
Dara, the only Daeva retaining his ability to cast magic, struggles not only against Manizheh's efforts to turn him into a weapon but also his own internal conflict about his role and actions during the conquest of Daevabad.
Meanwhile, Ali and Nahri delve deeper into their pasts as they travel from Egypt to Ta Ntry, unravelling secrets about themselves, their heritage and their vast, magical world.
As a reader, finally unlocking the mysteries of the marid was VERY satisfying - the worldbuilding truly is magnificent. The climax of the story hit just right - it really felt like the protagonists had earned their victory and that the antagonists had real motivations and reasons for their actions. Also, diversity win! The gay couples survived!
If you're a fantasy fan who likes chunky books filled with magic, intrigue and truly phenomenal action sequences then please read this trilogy. Big content warnings, however, for explicit descriptions of medical procedures and a lot of fantasy-coded xenophobia and genocide.
Dara, the only Daeva retaining his ability to cast magic, struggles not only against Manizheh's efforts to turn him into a weapon but also his own internal conflict about his role and actions during the conquest of Daevabad.
Meanwhile, Ali and Nahri delve deeper into their pasts as they travel from Egypt to Ta Ntry, unravelling secrets about themselves, their heritage and their vast, magical world.
As a reader, finally unlocking the mysteries of the marid was VERY satisfying - the worldbuilding truly is magnificent. The climax of the story hit just right - it really felt like the protagonists had earned their victory and that the antagonists had real motivations and reasons for their actions. Also, diversity win! The gay couples survived!
If you're a fantasy fan who likes chunky books filled with magic, intrigue and truly phenomenal action sequences then please read this trilogy. Big content warnings, however, for explicit descriptions of medical procedures and a lot of fantasy-coded xenophobia and genocide.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Torture
Moderate: Xenophobia
booksthatburn's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-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
5.0
THE EMPIRE OF GOLD is a satisfying conclusion to the amazing Daevabad Trilogy, taking its time tying up everything and everyone with suitable endings, as much as is possible for conflicts that brewed for millennia.
Dara's character arc is particularly good, but there's much to love for Nahri and Ali as well. The pacing is excellent, the characters’ motivations are coherent even as events become bloodier, and I’m very satisfied with the ending. It's everything I loved about the first two, but with more catharsis and resolution since it's the final book in the trilogy. The longer page count let the story take how long it needed, with space for things to play out at a wonderful pace.
This wraps up a bunch of stuff left hanging from the previous book. There's a storyline that has most of its major elements here though it wasn't entirely new for this book. This is definitely a distinct phase of the larger story, with enough that's unique to it for it to stand out, but more than enough in common to be a great finale. The big things I can think of that get resolved here are working off of ground laid before, so nothing is wholly new but the way things are developed and complicated makes it feel fresh. As the last book, things are wrapped up very well. The characters get endings that are right for them and I like how things work out for Daevabad as a whole. A few things are left open, but it's the openness of possibility for the characters who made it to the end of the book. The main characters are the same and their narrative voices have stayed consistent, with some changes in how they think about certain events. This wouldn't make sense if someone started here and hadn't read the first books. There's enough story here that if someone persisted after the first few chapters they might have a good time, but a lot of what makes this so good is dependent on knowing what the characters and their city have been through, without that knowledge the resolutions wouldn't be as meaningful. If you're intrigued by book three, please go back to the beginning and read the whole trilogy.
I loved this and I'm sad there isn't more, but there's plenty to linger over.
Dara's character arc is particularly good, but there's much to love for Nahri and Ali as well. The pacing is excellent, the characters’ motivations are coherent even as events become bloodier, and I’m very satisfied with the ending. It's everything I loved about the first two, but with more catharsis and resolution since it's the final book in the trilogy. The longer page count let the story take how long it needed, with space for things to play out at a wonderful pace.
This wraps up a bunch of stuff left hanging from the previous book. There's a storyline that has most of its major elements here though it wasn't entirely new for this book. This is definitely a distinct phase of the larger story, with enough that's unique to it for it to stand out, but more than enough in common to be a great finale. The big things I can think of that get resolved here are working off of ground laid before, so nothing is wholly new but the way things are developed and complicated makes it feel fresh. As the last book, things are wrapped up very well. The characters get endings that are right for them and I like how things work out for Daevabad as a whole. A few things are left open, but it's the openness of possibility for the characters who made it to the end of the book. The main characters are the same and their narrative voices have stayed consistent, with some changes in how they think about certain events. This wouldn't make sense if someone started here and hadn't read the first books. There's enough story here that if someone persisted after the first few chapters they might have a good time, but a lot of what makes this so good is dependent on knowing what the characters and their city have been through, without that knowledge the resolutions wouldn't be as meaningful. If you're intrigued by book three, please go back to the beginning and read the whole trilogy.
I loved this and I'm sad there isn't more, but there's plenty to linger over.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Slavery, Blood, Gore, Body horror, Medical content, Medical trauma, Violence, Torture, Genocide, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Cursing, Homophobia, Colonisation, Excrement, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Kidnapping and Sexual content
CW for eye injury (graphic), major character death (graphic).n_asyikin_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-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
The Empire of Gold started by reflecting the utter helplessness that derived after the storm of violence which besieged Daevabad. The befuddlement was central, the sense of responsibility & need to escape shaping many characters' thought. So the plot was rather slow in the beginning though I personally enjoyed the introspections; a form of character study rather typical in the series.
As always, Chakraborty wrote her world vividly. The fight scenes left me feeling exhilarated. The visual imageries I derived from her writing was some of the most captivating I've ever read. How could it not be with ancient magical creatures of air, water & fire intermingled with the djinns & human (i.e.pirates!) in a clash for power involving multiple otherworldly settings. The power in focus not just in the tangible form of physical strength & variant magic, but also strategic mindgame with worthy players who weren't afraid to push the limits.
Mistrust amongst the characters with astringent set of beliefs also meant that solutions weren't easily on hand. I liked how practically all characters had to address their own prejudices, had to unlearn & hold themselves accountable for their wrongdoings. It all led to a necessary revolution that started with the importance of collaboration. There was no "The Chosen One". This revolution involved a community fighting against a common enemy. But before reaching that point, I loved how Chakraborty depicted the danger of pigeonholing our view; the consequences of othering groups of people (or creatures) & demonizing said othered. The destructions & cruelties were, unfortunately, the only way for many to recognize the inhumanity of everything - but even then, many still resisted changes.
But above the political intrigues, perhaps it was the vulnerabilities shown I found moving. I shed a few tears for these imperfect, beloved group of characters. At the end, there were many forms of grieving: grieving over the lost of loved ones, grieving over the lost dreams, grieving over a love that was never meant to be. The ending may not be concrete, but it was fitting in its hopefulness. The bittersweetness seemed reflective of the uncertainties & very human imperfections explored in the story. The Empire of Gold was worth the maelstrom of emotions it would take you through!
____
In general, The Daevabad Trilogy is heavy in character study, more psychological rather than action-driven for most part. For some, the pace might feel slow. But I was hooked by the subtle mind games the characters were in, as they sussed each other out, built half-bonds only to see it broken & needing reconstruction. It was also interesting to infer how the characters were shaped by their past neglect & abandonment.
It also depicted how highly ingrained our views can be, chiseled & moulded often by biased history, made to edify, also (critically) glorify our existence. These characters had to have their foundations destroyed & what we saw subsequently was how one struggle to challenge what they knew about their world, hence, who they were.
Centrally, The Daevabad Trilogy touched upon the concept of the self, how we must be critical of the sources that shaped our world, even if that meant going against your loved ones. That no matter how wrong your loved ones could be, you could still yearn for their love, grieved for the love they could show you - you wished they could show others - because that's just being human, in all our complicated shades. But perhaps that was also its frightening tenet, that evil often derived from normalcy. That it wasn't something glaringly obvious, that one wrong aspect of societal normalization, meant we could be the monsters we fear. The courage was in admitting it, then addressing & fixing the wrongs.
The Daevabad Trilogy were epic in every sense: bold in terms of its characters, expansive in terms of its exploration, & rich in terms of its settings. The world that Chakraborty created was fascinating. The fact that it was just as rich internally (introspection) as it was externally (physicality) was great for me. The Daevabad Trilogy were truly captivating.
As always, Chakraborty wrote her world vividly. The fight scenes left me feeling exhilarated. The visual imageries I derived from her writing was some of the most captivating I've ever read. How could it not be with ancient magical creatures of air, water & fire intermingled with the djinns & human (i.e.pirates!) in a clash for power involving multiple otherworldly settings. The power in focus not just in the tangible form of physical strength & variant magic, but also strategic mindgame with worthy players who weren't afraid to push the limits.
Mistrust amongst the characters with astringent set of beliefs also meant that solutions weren't easily on hand. I liked how practically all characters had to address their own prejudices, had to unlearn & hold themselves accountable for their wrongdoings. It all led to a necessary revolution that started with the importance of collaboration. There was no "The Chosen One". This revolution involved a community fighting against a common enemy. But before reaching that point, I loved how Chakraborty depicted the danger of pigeonholing our view; the consequences of othering groups of people (or creatures) & demonizing said othered. The destructions & cruelties were, unfortunately, the only way for many to recognize the inhumanity of everything - but even then, many still resisted changes.
But above the political intrigues, perhaps it was the vulnerabilities shown I found moving. I shed a few tears for these imperfect, beloved group of characters. At the end, there were many forms of grieving: grieving over the lost of loved ones, grieving over the lost dreams, grieving over a love that was never meant to be. The ending may not be concrete, but it was fitting in its hopefulness. The bittersweetness seemed reflective of the uncertainties & very human imperfections explored in the story. The Empire of Gold was worth the maelstrom of emotions it would take you through!
____
In general, The Daevabad Trilogy is heavy in character study, more psychological rather than action-driven for most part. For some, the pace might feel slow. But I was hooked by the subtle mind games the characters were in, as they sussed each other out, built half-bonds only to see it broken & needing reconstruction. It was also interesting to infer how the characters were shaped by their past neglect & abandonment.
It also depicted how highly ingrained our views can be, chiseled & moulded often by biased history, made to edify, also (critically) glorify our existence. These characters had to have their foundations destroyed & what we saw subsequently was how one struggle to challenge what they knew about their world, hence, who they were.
Centrally, The Daevabad Trilogy touched upon the concept of the self, how we must be critical of the sources that shaped our world, even if that meant going against your loved ones. That no matter how wrong your loved ones could be, you could still yearn for their love, grieved for the love they could show you - you wished they could show others - because that's just being human, in all our complicated shades. But perhaps that was also its frightening tenet, that evil often derived from normalcy. That it wasn't something glaringly obvious, that one wrong aspect of societal normalization, meant we could be the monsters we fear. The courage was in admitting it, then addressing & fixing the wrongs.
The Daevabad Trilogy were epic in every sense: bold in terms of its characters, expansive in terms of its exploration, & rich in terms of its settings. The world that Chakraborty created was fascinating. The fact that it was just as rich internally (introspection) as it was externally (physicality) was great for me. The Daevabad Trilogy were truly captivating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Violence
Moderate: Xenophobia
chaptertraveller's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Racism, Religious bigotry, Slavery, Torture, Violence, and War
jackiepreston's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Murder, Torture, and Violence
ehmannky's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
A fantastic end to a fantastic series. It's amazing that a book this big went by so quickly--I couldn't put it down (even after I had spoiled some things for myself). I love the ending. I loved the way that the characters have grown from book one, especially Ali. He went from a kind of meh character in the first book to my favorite by the end. I loved the emphasis on ending cycles of violence by being the first to refuse to retaliate and search for justice and not vengeance. I also liked the emphasis on atonement--for both your own sins and for those who came before, and the refusal of letting crimes happen because "it wasn't you it was your ancestors" who did them.
Chakraborty is a fabulous writer, I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.
Chakraborty is a fabulous writer, I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Genocide, Medical content, and Torture
Minor: Homophobia and Vomit
hanarama's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
slow-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
4.0
The Good:
• Sympathetic opposing POVs
• Interesting setting and world building
• Pleasant writing style
• Satisfying ending
The Bad:
• Portions or the final showdown felt overly convenient.
• Information kept from reader.
You Might Like this if You Like:
• Epic fantasy
• Unique world building
• Big final battles
As the conclusion to the Daevabad trilogy, I feel mostly positive, but a tad mixed.
Coming off of the excellent second installment, Chakraborty initially allows her readers a well needed chance to breath and absorb everything that happened thus far. This also gives her ample time to set up the different factions as they were left off. This allows the reader to really absorb the growing threats and to see the characters in new settings.
And this book brings a few new settings that really help to flesh out the world. While the previous books took place mostly within Daevabad, this book takes place mostly outside of the city. It was really cool to see parts of the Djinn world that have only been mentioned previously.
However despite the great first and second acts, I felt like the final showdown was a bit lacking. Though the overall conclusion was satisfying, I rolled my eyes a couple of times during the battle. It felt as though it were written as a screenplay rather than a book. Some key information wasn't given to readers beforehand, leading to some silly, Marvel-style reveals. Further, it felt like everything and anything went right for the heroes, erasing a good chunk of the tension I had felt leading up to the conclusion. It felt really out of left field as Chakraborty has previously written very tense and engaging battle sequences.
Non-battle reveals did shock me though, and felt well executed, and satisfying. The mains all got appropriate endings. Overall, a good read.
• Sympathetic opposing POVs
• Interesting setting and world building
• Pleasant writing style
• Satisfying ending
The Bad:
• Portions or the final showdown felt overly convenient.
• Information kept from reader.
You Might Like this if You Like:
• Epic fantasy
• Unique world building
• Big final battles
As the conclusion to the Daevabad trilogy, I feel mostly positive, but a tad mixed.
Coming off of the excellent second installment, Chakraborty initially allows her readers a well needed chance to breath and absorb everything that happened thus far. This also gives her ample time to set up the different factions as they were left off. This allows the reader to really absorb the growing threats and to see the characters in new settings.
And this book brings a few new settings that really help to flesh out the world. While the previous books took place mostly within Daevabad, this book takes place mostly outside of the city. It was really cool to see parts of the Djinn world that have only been mentioned previously.
However despite the great first and second acts, I felt like the final showdown was a bit lacking. Though the overall conclusion was satisfying, I rolled my eyes a couple of times during the battle. It felt as though it were written as a screenplay rather than a book. Some key information wasn't given to readers beforehand, leading to some silly, Marvel-style reveals. Further, it felt like everything and anything went right for the heroes, erasing a good chunk of the tension I had felt leading up to the conclusion. It felt really out of left field as Chakraborty has previously written very tense and engaging battle sequences.
Non-battle reveals did shock me though, and felt well executed, and satisfying. The mains all got appropriate endings. Overall, a good read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Suicide attempt, Slavery, Self harm, Murder, Medical content, Genocide, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Medical content, Murder, Racism, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, and Vomit
maryellen's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Slavery, Torture, and Violence