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A review by medievalfantasyqueen
The Kingdom of Copper by S.A. Chakraborty
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? Yes
5.0
This is definitely a 5-star read. Upon finishing The City of Brass, I checked out some non-spoiler reviews of The Kingdom of Copper and I saw that there were some people who did not quite enjoy their read, claiming that KoC suffers from 'middle-book syndrome'. That was a bit of a bummer for me, but I decided to continue reading anyway, to forge my own perception of it.
And my, I was impressed. Extremely, extremely, impressed. The Kingdom of Copper works like a pressure cooker and I was gripped throughout. Characters are so nuanced, so complicated, no one is black/white and everyone has a reasonable justification for their acts, just like people do! There is no "haha I am evil" or any of those types of nonsense we sometimes get for justifying 'villains'. In Kingdom of Copper, the heat is intense as the plot picks up and you feel like you are in the middle of a battlefield because things travel at breakneck speed and you have barely anytime to breathe or grieve for characters when it drops in.
SPOILER regarding major characterMuntadhir gave me the most 180 degrees of turn in terms of my emotions towards him. I started with sympathising with him, got annoyed with him, felt a need more than once to slap him, got very angry with him, groaned at him, and then nodded along with him, and then, when that moment happened, I was utterly, completely terrified for him and I quickly started to become fond of him. He is precisely the kind of character I fall for, and I am so glad he is written so damn well.
What some may find as a lack, I find as a joy, and that is the lack of romance (at least, as defined in typical terms) in this book. The handling of arranged marriage is another aspect I was impressed with. The genocide? Shocking and visceral. The deaths? Unexpected and painful. The twists? Shocking and relevant. The pacing is perfect, the storytelling style is gorgeous, and everything is just so perfect and I daresay this has become one of my most favourite series of all time.
And the ending is one of my favourite type of endingsin middle books - the soft, and yet frightening one akin to the snow falling at the end of season 7 of Game of Thrones.
Onward to Empire of Gold!
And my, I was impressed. Extremely, extremely, impressed. The Kingdom of Copper works like a pressure cooker and I was gripped throughout. Characters are so nuanced, so complicated, no one is black/white and everyone has a reasonable justification for their acts, just like people do! There is no "haha I am evil" or any of those types of nonsense we sometimes get for justifying 'villains'. In Kingdom of Copper, the heat is intense as the plot picks up and you feel like you are in the middle of a battlefield because things travel at breakneck speed and you have barely anytime to breathe or grieve for characters when it drops in.
SPOILER regarding major character
What some may find as a lack, I find as a joy, and that is the lack of romance (at least, as defined in typical terms) in this book. The handling of arranged marriage is another aspect I was impressed with. The genocide? Shocking and visceral. The deaths? Unexpected and painful. The twists? Shocking and relevant. The pacing is perfect, the storytelling style is gorgeous, and everything is just so perfect and I daresay this has become one of my most favourite series of all time.
And the ending is one of my favourite type of endings
Onward to Empire of Gold!