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googlegirl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Violence, Mass/school shootings, Murder, and War
Moderate: Alcoholism, Misogyny, Sexism, and Slavery
exorbts's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Genocide, Violence, Blood, Islamophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, and Classism
claudiamacpherson's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Gun violence, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Police brutality
readwithria's review against another edition
- 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
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.
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.
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.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury
readandfindout's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Themes: 4 stars
Characters: 4.5 stars
Plot: 4.5 stars
Worldbuilding: 4.5 stars
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Murder, and War
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexism, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent
redthistle's review against another edition
- 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 have finished the entire series and I believe that this book was my favorite of the trilogy.
I loved the development of all of the characters throughout this book. Every character has both lovable traits and flaws. The development of the world, its politics and social justice issues in particular, are incredibly interesting and complex. The magic of the world is engrossing and continues to be a delight.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Racial slurs, Islamophobia, and Medical content
hanarama's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
- Expanded world building
- Tense political intrigue
- Good use of dramatic irony
- Character motivations expanded and explored more closely
- Intense final act.
- Some character's decisions feel contrived/convenient
- Complicate characters
- Opposing POVs
- Political intrigue
- Looming threats
A massive improvement over City of Brass. I really fell in love with this book and I was lukewarm on CoB, which felt very slow and many characters felt unsympathetic.
Chakraborty has fixed many of these issues with KoC. She takes greater care to make all of her characters feel more sympathetic in this book, while keeping their moral complexities in tact. And she again delivers an absolute gut punch of an ending.
KoC takes place five years after the events of CoB. Even as Ali is exiled, Daevabad seems intent on drawing him back into its political machinations. Nahri has taken her place as Banu Nahida and struggles against the yoke of King Ghassan's rule. With a once-in-a-century celebration looming and an unseen enemy plotting revenge on the city, the characters' lives weave together as everyone angles to achieve their own goals.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, and Mass/school shootings
achingallover's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Infidelity, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
tahsintries's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.25
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child death, Hate crime, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent
alexandrapaul's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Alcoholism, Blood, Medical content, and Death of parent