A bit slow in the middle, and some characters *cough* Dara *cough* are a little hard to listen to winge after a while, but overall I liked seeing the continuous world building and getting to know our characters more and seeing how what has happened to and around them has shaped them. It's definitely interesting to look at the question of how to stop racism when everybody hates everybody and all three groups have done horrible things whenever they have been in power. Usually in books these issues are simplified a lot, so it's nice to see S.A. Chakraborty really going in on them.

 Spectacular. Show stopping. Amazing. I throw all the praise at this book, because it's so beautifully written and it builds so well on the previous book. It dives deeper into the meaninglessness of vengeance vs. the true healing power of justice. Because the shafit aren't wrong and the Daevas aren't wrong and those clamoring for a better life aren't wrong, but since no one can address the pains of the past without murder, no one can devise a way to move forward. Well, Nahri and Ali could, but no one ever listens to the best characters.

This book also skyrocketed Ali to the top of my list of favorite characters. The previous book of "the oppressed can have some rights" is burned away as he gains more confidence in his own moral clarity and is able to see a life outside of the palace (also, Aqisa and Lubayd are the best additions the vast cast of characters). Muntadhir plummeted pretty far down the list with the petty jealousy and the fear his father beat into him taking over his love for his siblings, Jamshid and what he knows is right. Like, the whole

lie to embarrass Ali and then causing a massacre and like only realizing after the fact that all this death was his fault? Fuck him. Though the ending reconciliation was pretty damn satisfying. But also, fuck him.

 

 I empathize with him, but it's also part of the cycle of revenge and status quo and trying to please their abusive father to become an abuser himself. I also liked the expanded role for Zaynab and Hastet, and it was nice seeing Nahri finding female allies. Additionally, Dara (a character I like in spite of my morals) slowly figuring out Just Following Orders is a paltry excuse when he's doing atrocities. 

Overall, a stunning sequel. I cannot wait to read the final installment. 

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~~~~~
The City of Brass – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Disclaimer: The amazing humans at HarperCollins Canada were kind enough to send me an arc of The Kingdom of Copper in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions below are my own unless otherwise stated.

“Because a lost little girl from Cairo thought she was living in some sort of fairy tale. And because for all her supposed cleverness, she couldn’t see that the dashing hero who saved her was actually its monster.”

As soon as I finished The City of Brass (TCOB), I knew I wanted to jump right back into Daevabad with The Kingdom of Copper (TKOC). TCOB was easily one of my most favourite books of 2018, and TKOC is easily my most favourite arc of 2018 and one of my most anticipated releases of 2019!

“If we live, you’re taking the blame for destroying all those books.”

First of all, the world S.A. Chakraborty created in book one is somehow even more magical in book two. I truly felt like I was in Daevabad watching the story happen before my eyes. It has been a while since a book has so fully immersed me into it’s story, and to have it happen with both books in a series is pretty much unheard of for me. It was pure magic.

“It’s such a monumentally absurd story — even for you — to concoct that I’m assuming there’s a chance it’s the truth.”

TKOC’s prologue killed me! I screamed about four times in the first twenty pages, and then realized I hadn’t even started Chapter One. You know a book is good when just setting the scene gives you all kinds of emotions.

The prologue shows the immediate aftermath of the events of book one, and then Chapter One jumps ahead five years! FIVE YEARS! My poor babies. As much as it hurts my heart to think of what my favourite daevas went through during that time (and you do learn a bit about that time), it worked really well for the story and for the development of the characters.

“You know, for a magical being, you have a terrible sense of adventure.”

Speaking of characters, we get some new ones in this book who I absolutely loved (and hated in the best possible way)! They add to the political intrigue of the story, and help unravel the many questions left after book one (thank goodness!).

We also get a new POV in this book from someone that I adore! It is, however, a spoiler based on the events of book one, so I won’t tell you who it is…

“I know what it’s like to have ambitions, to be the cleverest in the room — and have those ambitions crushed. To have men who are less than you bully and threaten you into a place you know you don’t belong.”

I’d also like to take a minute to talk about Nahri. She is one of the best female characters I’ve ever read. She is strong, fierce, kind, loyal, and brave. BUT she is believable!

Her emotions are often conflicted, but she does her best to stick to her values. She is forced into terrible situations and is often afraid, but she remains brave and fights with all her might. She is betrayed in many ways, big and small, and it hurts her to the core, but she finds a way to keep moving forward for the sake of the people she wants to protect. She is probably going to be one of my all-time favourite heroines because she is imperfectly perfect in every way.

There were also several points where she would speak and I’d be screaming, “YASSSS!” I love her.

“I’ve had enough of men hurting me because they were upset.”

One of my favourite things about this series is that, in a way, you can understand where each character is coming from, and yet, they do truly horrible things… Chakraborty does an amazing job of creating this morally-grey area where each person’s actions make sense based on what they are fighting for. In my opinion, there is a clear “right” side, but not all of my favourites are on that side, and worse (or better), I can understand why.

Each person is fighting for their own beliefs, their own values, their own right to live without fear.

Chakraborty took what is happening in our world today, and flawlessly incorporated it into this book. It will break your heart, it will make you cry, and it will devastate you. It will also give you hope, and make you want to fight for a better world. Her writing is truly magnificent.

“Nahri was not feeling optimistic.”

NEITHER AM I! Ha. Ha. Kidding… But that ending! Again, if you don’t like cliffhangers… prepare yourself! Pretty much all of my questions from book one were answered in this book, but I have so many new ones now! The twists in this book are absolutely fantastic. Some of them are foreshadowed, but all of them will make your heart skip a beat – or in my case, about seven beats! I am desperate for book three now and just hope everything turns out okay for my daevas!

Also, Jamshid still deserves better. MUCH better.

The Kingdom of Copper releases on January 22, 2019.

*All quotes above were taken from an advance reader’s edition of the book, and are subject to change in the final release.

Have you read The City of Brass? What did you think? Are you ready for The Kingdom of Copper?