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The Kingdom of Copper

(The Daevabad Trilogy #2)

S.A. Chakraborty (Goodreads Author)

4.57 · Rating details · 234 ratings · 147 reviews

Return to Daevabad in the spellbinding sequel to THE CITY OF BRASS.

Nahri’s life changed forever the moment she accidentally summoned Dara, a formidable, mysterious djinn, during one of her schemes. Whisked from her home in Cairo, she was thrust into the dazzling royal court of Daevabadand quickly discovered she would need all her grifter instincts to survive there.

Now, wit ...more

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Hardcover, UK Edition, 619 pages

Expected publication: February 21st 2019 by HarperVoyager (first published January 8th 2019)

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Aug 08, 2017 Melanie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: demons, fantasy, historical, magic, paranormal, romance, own-voices, ghosts, arc, buddy-reads

ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

1.) The City of Brass ★★★★★

“It is time we get some vengeance for what they have done.”

Friends, this was such a phenomenal installment that was such a treat to read. This is an own voices Muslim Fantasy series, and a historical setting of the early 1800s, which barely touches upon the Ottoman Empire. And The Kingdom of Copper picks up five years after the events of The City of Brass

This is a story about djinn, and ma ...more

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Aug 21, 2017 Aimal (Bookshelves & Paperbacks) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: releases-2019, diverse-2019, 5-stars, adult-fiction, arcs, cover-love, fantasy, favorites, indigenous-or-poc-protagonists, made-me-cry

Please note this review contains spoilers for the first book in the series.

A big thank you to Harper Voyager for sending me a copy for review!

The sequel to S. A. Chakraborty’s magnificent The City of Brass largely takes place five years after the events of the first book. There’s a prologue at the beginning, detailing the immediate aftermath for each of our three main characters. However, the major bulk of the novel takes place several years after Darayavahoush’s ‘death,’ Alizaydi al Qahtani’s possession by the marid and subsequent exile, and Nahri’s political arranged marriage to the crowned prince of Daevabad.

In The Kingdom of Copper, we witness each of these characters embark on a journey quite unlike anything they’ve ever experienced before. Nahri finds herself surrounded with strangers, her previous allies (Ali and Dara) nowhere to be found. For five years, she must navigate royal life and the palace alone. Although her relationship with her husband Muntadhir is cordial, Nahri nevertheless feels utterly alone. With nobody but her mentor by her side, she continues to practice healing as best as she can.

Alizayd al Qahtani builds for himself a life in exile in the barren lands of Bir Nabat. With his newfound abilities with water, Ali can play an especially useful role in the sustenance of his new home. He forms new alliances, new friendships, and has become comfortable in this new-found life.

Darayavahoush has been brought back to life by Manizheh, much to his dismay, in a physical form that he is enraged by. Manizheh is laying down plans to take back Daevabad, and restore the Daeva tribe to its original glory with the Nahids at its head. Dara reverts back to his old role as a dutiful warrior, and is forced to face his past while making decisions about his future.

The City of Brass is a sweeping epic fantasy, chock-full of djinn and mythical creatures, lavish world-building, political intrigue, a romance fraught with tension, and characters you will grow deeply attached to. What The City of Brass did best, believe it or not, this sequel does even better.

The world-building is switched up two notches, as we get to see more characters (albeit minor ones) from other tribes. Scenes such as feasts and festivals allow the reader to see short, but detailed, glimpses of these other tribes’ cultures and customs, while more minor characters are introduced that are not from the Daeva or Geziri tribes. We encountered some mythical creatures, such as rivers that turn into serpents, and winged reptiles, but we see even more. There is far more magic in this book than there was in the first one, including elemental magic at the hands of Ali, and Nahri’s strange bond with the Nahid palace, as well as Dara’s new physical form. The history of Daevabad and its tribes is further expanded upon. The enhancement in the already complex world-building makes the reading experience lush and captivating.

One of this series’s absolute defining points is its foundational emphasis on politics. Daevabad is a ‘melting pot’ of a city, but it far from embraces the diversity within its walls. The shafit (half-djinn, half-human) are brutally oppressed, and the royal family’s bloody history with the Daeva tribe doesn’t help, either. There are prejudices among the different tribes towards each other that have lasted centuries. The tension between all these factions has always existed in this story, but while it simmers and bubbles in the first book, this tension transforms and explodes into true action in The Kingdom of Copper. With scheming, shady tactics, stubborn royals, rebellious princes, and Nahri determined to bring peace in the middle, the politics is taken to entirely new levels. It’s dangerous. Exciting, yet often disturbing in its sheer realness.

In fact, what makes this sequel so exciting is just how different it is from the first book without ever straying too far from its foundation. It never rambles or subverts from the main plot of the series, but despite this, it seems entirely new, especially with regards to its characters.

For example: in the first book, Nahri is very dependent on Dara, as he is her Afshin, someone who she knows and trusts in a sea of strangers. Her character was inexplicably tied to his, almost as if they were a package-deal. Their bond seemed so vital to the first story that its physical absence in The Kingdom of Copper made me wary – but I need not have been. It felt new, seeing them in such separate places to the point where Nahri doesn’t even know he’s alive for 90% of the book, but you could still sense their deep regard of each other throughout. Dara and Nahri don’t interact in this book until much later on, and this may discourage readers, but I think this decision allowed both characters to become their own people. Separating these two also allowed for more character development than could have been possible if they had remained a package-deal.

The book also felt new, because it was a lot less Nahri-centric than the first book. Chakraborty allows her other characters’ arcs and development to take center stage. Ali’s inner struggle with his possession by the marid, his own moral and religious values clashing with his duties to his family are fully fleshed out in this book. His warring loyalties and him coming to terms with what he ultimately values breathes new life into an already multi-dimensional, nuanced character, and I came to appreciate him ten-fold in this book.

Dara’s narrative is especially fascinating, because we haven’t seen his perspective before.
In this new time in his life, Dara is forced into a position in the narrative where he has to make a choice between his duty and wanting peace. Where the burden of his history and having to repeat his history is placed upon his shoulders. It’s hard to watch a character you love make bad decisions, but it makes narrative sense. And the complexity of these characters’ decisions and your constant “You’re doing the wrong thing, but I don’t want to see you get hurt either” is what makes this story so compelling.

The side characters, such as Ali’s siblings (Muntadhir and Zaynab) and Jamshid are given more time to shine, too. Their characters have their own internal and external conflicts. Ali’s relationship with Muntadhir has pretty much disintegrated, and seeing them fight as brothers – be cruel and petty and hurtful – was so exciting. We all know and love the main trio, but what makes this sequel soar above its predecessor is how much you learn to love these side characters too.

The antagonists in Manizheh and Ghassan were also incredible to watch, where they both have horrifying and redeeming qualities. It almost reminds me of Game of Thrones in its complexity. There are two awful people leading opposite sides of the conflict; so who do you root for? It puts the reader in a strange position where you’re rooting for people on both sides of the conflict, and you see two characters you love at each others’ throats, willing to do horrible things to each other.

I’m incredibly excited for the third book, albeit dreading it because it means it’ll be an end to a series I have grown to love and cherish. The truth is, I could talk forever about why I love this series, these characters and this world, and it’s hard for me to stop at a suitable place. But all I can say is that this series is a gem, and it could make its place on the shelf of fantasy greats if people gave it the chance. I’m so glad I gave it this chance; it’s been the best reading decision I’ve made in years.

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Dec 29, 2018 Will Byrnes rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Can you ever make a new world that properly addresses the wounds of the past? - from Lightspeed interview

The Kingdom of Copper is the second in S.A. Chakraborty’s Daevabad Trilogy, and it must be trying harder, as the first was amazing and this one is at least as good. I suppose you might pick this book up and have an entirely fine time reading it, but I would not advise it. If you have not read the first one, The City of Brass, jump on your flying carpet and dash off to your local bookstore. ( ...more

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Dec 19, 2018 Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arabian-nights, fantasy, arc, netgalley

Me at 60%: I think I actually like this sequel better than the first book!
Update: YES. Yes, it is better than the first book! ~~Genie~~ ~~djinni~~ DAEVA battles FTW! And most of the confusing bits from the first book have worked their way out. The story's a lot more coherent and the plot moves along much better.

A strong 4 stars, maybe 4.5. We'll see how it settles. Review to come!

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Nov 20, 2017 Kilikina marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018, acquire-at-all-costs, apocalyptic-land, assassins, fantasy, magical-powers, must-read, october, sequels, ya

ME AFTER READING THE LAST LINE OF THE DESCRIPTION

________

UPDATE: release date pushed back to January 2019........⚰⚰⚰

Dying for even a SLIVER of info about this! 😩 ...more

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Jan 03, 2019 Roshani Chokshi added it · review of another edition

Chakraborty's debut, CITY OF BRASS, was one of my top 10 reads of the year. Kingdom of Copper is without a doubt in my top 5 of 2019. Sprawling and opulent, the world of Daevabad and it's fascinating magical intrigue soars to new heights in this sequel. I continue to cheer for Nahri. Dahra is conflicted and broody as ever, and Ali...Oh Ali. He is my heart. I just want him to be happy *weeps*. Chakraborty pulls every emotional string with this sequel. At its heart, it is a story of family and the ...more

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Jan 10, 2018 Ruby marked it as to-read · review of another edition

My experiences with The Daevabad Trilogy thus far: A Graphic Journey

Me upon finishing The City of Brass:

Me upon realizing I have to wait 11 whole months until I can read the Kingdom of Copper:

Me, waiting for the next installment of this series like:

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Dec 14, 2018 Kristen Burns rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2018-books, review-copy, own-physical, fantasy, djinn-genies, historical-fantasy, paranormal-urban-fantasy, favorites, poc, cover-love

4.5 Stars

Review:
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher. This has not influenced my review.*

It is such a treat to find books that are this detailed and nuanced and feel so real. The writing, the characters, the story, the world building, it all came together so perfectly and was so well done that it felt like I was reading about real people. This was one of those books that legitimately made me forget I was reading. I was just there, fully immersed in the story.

Much like in the first ...more

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Jan 24, 2018 ♚ ember marked it as to-read · review of another edition

I would, like, 600% sell my soul to an ifrit to have this book in my hands right now. where are magic lamps when you need them?

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Oct 23, 2018 Fadwa (Word Wonders) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018-reads, 2019-releases, adult, fantasy, historical-fiction, muslim-mc, ownvoices, poc-indigenous-rep, sent-for-review, all-time-favourites

I'm a mess

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Dec 19, 2017 jia ✨ marked it as to-be-published · review of another edition

Shelves: diverse-reads, genre-fantasy-scifi, genre-historical-fiction

I NEED THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I CAN'T WAIT A YEAR TO READ THIS.

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Oct 28, 2018 Rosamund Hodge added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018, fantasy

Heart-pounding and heart-wrenching and an utterly perfect sequel.

flag 14 likes · Like · see review

Dec 28, 2017 julia ☆ [owls reads] marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

#1 The City of Brass: ★★★★★

*

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Dec 19, 2018 Jocelyn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: poc, ownvoices, folk-fairy-myth, althist-histfic, arcs

4.5 stars

*screams eternally*

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Dec 04, 2018 Maddie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Well I'm motherfucking broken.

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Dec 30, 2018 Vicky Who Reads rated it really liked it · review of another edition

4.5 stars

I’m obviously not the most experienced at reading or reviewing adult fantasy.

But unlike with The City of Brass (which I admit I read somewhat haphazardly), I really put my all into paying attention to The Kingdom of Copper.

And you know what?

It was so worth it.

Even though I remembered basically nothing from book 1 at the beginning of The Kingdom of Copper, somehow I managed to jog my memory as I read the sequel, and it was so subtle I cry at how well Chakraborty brought up book 1 wit ...more

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Oct 19, 2018 Merline rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: best-of-2018, 2019-most-anticipated

Shannon put her whole foot in this book. Do yourself a favor and treat yo self to this book and these characters and this world. Pre-order this. I need time to write a full review because I'm so emotional right now. my heart is full, but I'm emotional. ahhhhh. I need book 3. I don't know how I'll survive the wait.

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Jul 05, 2018 Acqua marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: adult, fantasy, db, tbr-sequels

This may be one of my most anticipated books for next year but this cover does kind of look as if someone is being abducted by aliens

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Jan 13, 2019 Kibby rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019-tbr-definite, arc-reads, books-i-own

This book is so good it makes me want to cry. Full review should be up tomorrow. Omg, what do I do with my life while I wait for book 3????

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Nov 06, 2018 Nada Hosny rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

the land whose essence still flowed in her blood and beat in her heart. Cairo, the city she missed so fiercely it took her breath away at times.

CRAZYYYY!
I'm gong crazy.
The book is from 3 POV: Nahri, Ali, and Dara.

I personally, don't like multiple POV, i get attracted to one side of the story and get bored when i get to the others pov. but did that happen in this book? NOOOO!
Every single chapter/POV was amazingly interesting! so PACKED AND INTENSE. but when a chapter ends and another one with ...more

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Apr 09, 2018 Angela marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: early-modern-era, middle-eastern, releases-2019, fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 04, 2018 Shehzeen Muzaffar marked it as to-read · review of another edition

2019? SERIOUSLY? AFTER THAT ENDing? I NEED IT NOW!!!!

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Dec 12, 2018 Brittany Kantack rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

HOLY HELL.
I wish I would not have read this before it came out. I wish I would have saved it for before the 3rd book was released so I could binge it like a favorite TV show.

I was hesitant to start this as the first book was *just okay* to me. I think the concept was really fresh, and something the YA fantasy community needed. It just didn't captivate me as much as this book did. I could not put this down. It was a page-turner. I devoured this book. It had my heart pounding with every page turn, ...more

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Dec 11, 2018 Lauren [DontGoBrekkerMyHeart] rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

My favorite book of 2018. Hands down.
RTC

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Dec 27, 2018 Madeline marked it as dnf · review of another edition

Shelves: owned-book

DNF -- The second book in a trilogy is too often used as a "filler" book. Not only does Kingdom of Copper fall into this category, it is 600 PAGES OF FILLER

This series has so much potential, but nothing warrants 600 pages of boring set-up. I just can't do it. 2019 is the year I don't force myself to finish books that don't interest me. Thank u, next.

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Nov 06, 2018 Nkisu rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I SHOULD'VE WAITED UNTIL BOOK THREE. MY BRAIN IS A MESS. HOW SHANNON WAS ABLE TO SURPASS THE PERFECTION THAT IS THE CITY OF BRASS, IS BEYOND ME. I'll need some time to collect myself before writing a full review because damn, this book.

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Sep 16, 2018 Kalie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019-favorites, fantasy

There's nothing like that feeling of sweet, sweet relief when the follow-up to one of your favorite reads of the last year ends up being just as wonderful. SWEET, SWEET RELIEF, my friends.

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Jan 17, 2019 Rea rated it it was amazing

Shelves: all-time-fav

YALL ARENT READY

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Oct 19, 2018 Emilly The Book Scamp rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, blood-magic, book-challenge-2018, fantasy, finished, five-stars, fuck-me-up, great-series, is-this-even-a-slow-burn, it-s-been-98-years

**Spoiler free for all my good guys and gals out there in the big, big world**

Once more, readers return to Daevabad only to find themselves stunned at its unimaginable glory.

And by stunned, I mean absolutely, gobsmacked, mouth open-and-home-to-three-generations of flies stunned.

This was absolutely amazing and a fabulous follow-up to S.A. Chakraborty’s debut, City of Brass.

Nahri is once more the center of attention as she languishes in, at once, the safest and most dangerous place in the world fo ...more

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Oct 13, 2018 Adiba Jaigirdar rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: arcs, sci-fi-fantasy

I can't. Holy shit. The City Of Brass was amazing but how has Chakraborty surpassed that amazingness tenfold? Full review when I pick my jaw off the floor and recover from that rollercoaster of emotions because MY GOD.

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About S.A. Chakraborty

S.A. Chakraborty

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S. A. Chakraborty is a speculative fiction writer from New York City. Her debut, The City of Brass, was the first book in The Daevabad Trilogy and has been short-listed for the Locus, British Fantasy and World Fantasy awards. When not buried in books about Mughal miniatures and Abbasid political intrigue, she enjoys hiking, knitting, and recreating unnecessarily complicated medieval meals for her ...more