Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Aranybirodalom” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Aranybirodalom

(The Daevabad Trilogy #3)

S.A. Chakraborty (Goodreads Author),

Benkő Ferenc (Translator)

4.52 · Rating details · 15,852 ratings · 2,714 reviews

A Dévábád-trilógia utolsó kötetében egy szélhámosnő és egy idealista dzsinn herceg szövetségre lép, hogy megmentsék a mágikus királyságukat egy pusztító polgárháborútól.

Dévábád elbukott.

A város varázserejébe kerülő kegyetlen ostrom után Banu Manézse, a Náhidok vezére és újjáélesztett parancsnoka, Dára kénytelenek helyrehozni a bomladozó szövetségüket, valamint kibékíteni ...more

Get A Copy

Hardcover

Published September 17th 2020 by Agave (first published June 11th 2020)

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Aranybirodalom, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 4.52 ·

Rating details

· 15,852 ratings · 2,714 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of Aranybirodalom

Jul 18, 2020 Regan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This was literally perfect

flag 841 likes · Like · see review

Feb 19, 2019 Mecca-Amirah Jackson rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Super update: 4/16/2020

Just got the ARC! 😂 Time to put the money where my mouth is

Update: 1/14/2020

I still stand by what I said.

2/19/2019:

Nahri and Ali better not get together romantically or I will revolt. ...more

flag 285 likes · Like · see review

Apr 19, 2020 Nilufer Ozmekik rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Quick confession: When I saw the page numbers of the book, I draw the blanket on my face and try to hide from the book. Nearly 800 pages! I’m so happy it was not a paperback, I’m holding right now! I don’t want to look like wrestler after finishing my reading (I was looking like giant when I finished Dark Tower series of Stephen King book! It gave me cries to look at my triceps!)

Of course the other two books of the installment were long, too but when I start reading something (and you may guess Quick confession: When I saw the page numbers of the book, I draw the blanket on my face and try to hide from the book. Nearly 800 pages! I’m so happy it was not a paperback, I’m holding right now! I don’t want to look like wrestler after finishing my reading (I was looking like giant when I finished Dark Tower series of Stephen King book! It gave me cries to look at my triceps!)

Of course the other two books of the installment were long, too but when I start reading something (and you may guess I’m reading two times faster than normal people. But This overusing your brain and killing your brain cells softly technique earned me scrutinizing and suspicious looks and daily at least 10 emails: are you a robot? You cannot read all of them. FYI” Yes I can and yes I will!) time stops! I stop eating ( thankfully I resume my drinking habits, thanks to my stocked straw collection!
After the quarantine: it’s five o’clock at some place in the earth, cheers!), becoming more asocial (which makes my husband happier and my neighbors happiest), living and feeling the book fully.

But I felt so likely because I already invested in this series for so long and after the cliffhanger of second book, I was really curious about the story’s progression so I want to yell at myself to have second thoughts to start this one. So I grabbed it. It already glued to my hands, my mind, my heart and to my soul. Here we go! Let’s get lost in the story inspired by Arabian nights!

I have to admit: The strongest thing about the book is its unique, impeccably detailed, layered, well-crafted characterization. Interestingly one of my favorite characters is Dara. I know his POV was darker, more gruesome and depressing when you compare with other two POVS but I found those parts more realistic, stunning and vivid. The emotional part of the story fed by slow burn Alizayd and Nahri’s romance. I enjoyed the characters’ development and their inner journeys. They grew, they lost, they hurt, they ached and experienced versions of them were much brighter and likable.

I got really surprised but I root for Muntadhir and Zaynab a lot and I wished they have their own POVS ( I know the book would have more pages than War and Peace with their additional narrations but I still wanted to read their inner thoughts and wanted to learn more about the characters!) Fingers crossed, maybe we get a spinoff and see the supporting characters have their own books!

The conclusion was amazing. There are so many unexpected twists make you flabbergasted, shocked. (My spidey senses retired throughout my reading so I didn’t see any of them coming)

I’m so happy to read this ARC but I also feel sad and nostalgic as usual when a trilogy ends and I have to say goodbye to all those characters I invested for a long time.

I’m rounding up 4.5 start to 5 and I’m closing it with red-rimmed eyes at 4.26 am in the morning! It was a long reading marathon for me but truly it was worth it!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins Voyager for sharing fantastic conclusion of trilogy in exchange my honest review! ...more

flag 195 likes · Like · see review

Mar 06, 2019 Angelica rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, arc, read-2020

You ever hesitate to pick up an especially long book? Like, you want to read it but then you see that page count? This was that book. But I'm so glad I did read it.

S.A. Chakraborty managed to create a concluding novel that brings so much new history and lore to her world, and yet manages to perfectly wrap up the story she had began to tell in The City of Brass.

In this book, the stakes are raised tenfold. The throne of Daevabad is at stake and the lives of every person in the city are in the bala ...more

flag 173 likes · Like · see review

Jan 09, 2019 Aimal (Bookshelves & Paperbacks) rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: cover-love, 1-star, indigenous-or-poc-protagonists, multi-pov, arcs, expected-more, diverse-2020, made-me-cry, 2020, adult-fiction

anyway this series is dead to me, dara i’ll get you out of there!!!!!!!!!

Update: 08/08/20 - Every time I think about this book, the more disappointment I feel and I want to take off yet another star, so here we are at a 2. Had it not been for Dara's arc and chapters, it may as well have been a 1. :) Everyone say thank you Darayavahoush e-Afshin for carrying this series on his back.

If you really want to know why this conclusion sucked, here's a 10k word long post with all my many grievances. Very ...more

flag 161 likes · Like · see review

Jan 02, 2020 Melanie marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2020, buddy-reads, historical, arc, ghosts, retellings, fantasy, demons, own-voices

flag 151 likes · Like · see review

May 17, 2020 Will Byrnes rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, books-of-the-year-2020, fantasy, favorites, all-time-favorites-fiction, young-adult

Do you know how many times I’ve had to do this? Forget healing, my specialty should be having my life destroyed and then being forced to rebuild from nothing.

---------------------------------------

Yet everything was just a touch off. There were empty spaces where conjured buildings should have stood, ugly pockmarks on the skyline. The brass walls were tarnished, the edifices—on closer inspection—riddled with missing bricks and blackened mortar. Defying any weather pattern Nahri knew, somehow

...more

flag 150 likes · Like · see review

Apr 11, 2019 mina reads™️ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: about-poc, arcs

I love this trilogy so much it’s unreal
More thoughts on my YouTube channel https://youtu.be/8NtUPX_koyY

Empire of Gold was truly a perfect finale in my opinion, it expanded the world so beautifully, it answered all my questions and even a few new ones I never thought to ask. It had adventure and plot twists and character development, and everything else I could have wanted from this wonderfully whimisical fantasy series. The way that Chakraborty is also able to naviagate discussions of the cyclic ...more

flag 128 likes · Like · see review

Apr 18, 2020 Charlotte May marked it as library-loans · review of another edition

I don’t usually care about the romances in books but I really hope Nahri and Ali are endgame and not Dara.

I hate the trope where a girl falls in love with a man/being that is like thousands of years older than them.

And I just love the friends to lovers trope!

Roll on June!!!!

flag 127 likes · Like · see review

Jan 16, 2020 Elle rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: author-is-nice, 2020

Now a Goodreads Choice finalist in Fantasy!

It’s really no secret how much I’ve adored this series. From the moment we met Nahri in The City of Brass, I knew this was going to be a special story. I’d like to just take a beat and thank Shannon Chakraborty for transporting us into a world of her own imagining; I feel truly lucky to have been able to experience her creation.

“Creator, every time I think I’ve found the bottom in all of this, I get some new story of murder and vengeance.”

But for th ...more

flag 114 likes · Like · see review

Oct 13, 2018 halfirishgrin marked it as arc-to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020-release, poc-mc, sci-fi-fantasy, muslimshelfspace, historical

I honestly can't even *imagine* what direction this book will take after the events of book #2 but I AM SO FREAKING EXCITED and it'll 100% worth however damn long the wait is. I just want my children (ALI AND NAHRI) happy and safe ...more

flag 104 likes · Like · see review

Feb 12, 2020 Anissa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I am not okay.

flag 69 likes · Like · see review

Jul 09, 2020 Jonathan O'Neill rated it liked it · review of another edition

Update 22/7/20. Removing half a star. With a bit of time to reflect, I definitely preferred the second book and can't justify giving this one the same rating

***MAJOR SPOILERS***

City of Brass 3 ⭐
Kingdom of Copper 3.5 ⭐
Empire of Gold 3 ⭐

Daevabad Trilogy = 9.5/15 ⭐

Firstly, Congratulations to S.A.Chakraborty on completing her debut trilogy, what a fantastic and hard-earned achievement!
‘Empire of Gold’, despite suffering in the end, from a generic storyline, some under-developed and clichéd charact ...more

flag 70 likes · Like · see review

Jul 16, 2020 demi. ♡ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: gimme-some-tissue-papers, all-time-favorites

❥ 5 / 5 stars

Reading this trilogy is the best decision I’ve ever made so far this year. ♡︎

I love it. I love this trilogy so much I couldn’t put into words. It gave me tears sometimes, yes, but it also brought me so much joy. I don’t even know if I’ll be able to move on from this exceptional and amazing world since I feel like I’m completely bound to it and every single character in it already.

flag 67 likes · Like · see review

Mar 06, 2020 Nouf *LostinFantasy* rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: siblings, epic-fantasy, favorites, fantasy-sci-fi, favorite-characters, i-ship-it, family, 2020-release

I received an E-ARC of the book through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Actual Rating: 4.7/5 rounded up to a full 5!

If you know me at all you’ll know how much this series means to me. I’ve fallen in love with this world and characters since the first book released and I’ve been waiting desperately – and nervously – for the final book.

Now that I’ve read it I can definitely say that it solidifies the trilogy as one of my all time favorite book series ever.

The book was filled with ...more

flag 68 likes · Like · see review

Apr 22, 2020 micolreads rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: best-of-2020

This book was like those songs that start slow, almost soundless, but that just go up and up until you cannot not hear them.

This series made me realize that love is powerful, it can get you through a lot and make you stronger. But it's not everything. Friendship and family are always there when love is challenged. I thought i couldn't read more about Nahri and Dara being apart, but the fact that I enjoyed, that I loved them being in love but apart, just reminds me that you can do everything you ...more

flag 61 likes · Like · see review

Sep 02, 2019 Farheen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I can't be the only one who ships Ali and Nahri, right? 😭

Update: (view spoiler) ...more

flag 57 likes · Like · see review

Jul 04, 2020 Brenda Waworga rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

That was one hell of joy, i cannot rate this below 5⭐️ really, i love everysingle word.. everysingle moment... basically EVERYTHING from page one until the end, this is the conlusion i was hoping for even beyond!

I laughed, i cried, i screamed, i wept, i cheered, i message all my friends who already read this and fangirling with them!

ALL THE FEELS

This is such a emotional review i know, but i don't want to say much about it beside.. just gooo gooo read it if you haven't

Thank you S.A Chakrabor ...more

flag 51 likes · Like · see review

Jul 06, 2020 Deborah Obida rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: adult, fantasy

Empire of Gold is one of the best conclusion to a series that I've read in a while.

This book started just from where Kingdom of Copper ended. There is an abundance of action scenes, magic, great characters and unique plot. After finishing this series I think it's safe to say this is the first of it's kind that I've ever read. There was lots of revelations about Nahri's past and many other things like the marid and ifrits.

The entire series is set in a magical city and Egypt, mostly the former. Th ...more

flag 48 likes · Like · see review

May 02, 2020 Raquel Flockhart rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: adult, arc, own-voices, buddy-read, on-my-shelf, fantasy, read-in-2020

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

1. The City of Brass | ★★★★★
2. The Kingdom of Copper | ★★★★★
3. The Empire of Gold | ★★★★★

“Not wanting to be destroyed by despair doesn’t make you a coward, Ali. It makes you a survivor.”

It is always a bittersweet feeling when you reach the last sentence of one of your favourite series. The denial that you will not read more about characters you love, characters whose adventures you have been following for a while now. But, at the same time, I am so happy with how S.A. Chakraborty wrapped up this historical fantasy trilogy.

The Empire of Gold starts off right where The Kingdom of Copper left off. After the action-packed ending full of twists of the second book, everyone is picking sides and making hard decisions. I am still in awe of the character development, especially regarding Ali. I have always praised the complexity of these characters through the entire trilogy and this final instalment shows that evolution in a remarkable way.

The Persian, Babylonian and Egyptian mythological elements take a step forward, being some of the new creatures introduced in this book essential for the resolution of the plot. Chakraborty has connected the breadcrumbs she has been dropping since The City of Brass in a masterful way, bringing everything full circle. Moreover, although the ins and outs between the different tribes take a back seat in The Empire of Gold, the political strategies are as engrossing and intricate as in the first two books.

“It made it worse, this passing of a barbed baton between women who no matter how clever, how powerful, would always be known by the men to whom they were attached.”

I just love how the author tied everything in this conclusion, even going back to places and people that I did not think we would visit again. It was a beautiful way of saying goodbye to the story and, at the same time, a way of showing us the different paths the main characters might have been taken in other circumstances. The concept of how important is to make our own choices is quite emphasized in this book, as well as the conversations regarding colonialism and regarding how women’s voices have been silenced throughout history.

Also, this trilogy has, hands down, one the most beautiful slow burn romances ever. I actually love all the different relationships and dynamics between every single character, but this romance and the complexity of the bond of the Qahtani siblings were my absolutely favourites. Seriously, the portrayal of the different relationships in this trilogy, regardless of its nature, is amazing.

Overall, I truly believe The Empire of Gold is a perfect and fitting ending for one of my favourite trilogies. It is the first time I give 5 stars to every single book in a series apart from ASOIAF, so I think that says a lot about how much I love these books. I am going to miss reading about Nahri, Ali, Muntadhir, Jamshid, Hatset, Fiza and Zaynab. Also, that last sentence is literally perfection.

“I do not believe ambitious men who say the only route to peace and prosperity lies in giving them more power—particularly when they do it with lands and people who are not theirs.”

P.S.: I'm not English, so if you see any mistakes let me know so I can correct them, please.

Instagram | Twitter | Youtube | Tumblr

...more

flag 48 likes · Like · see review

Jul 27, 2019 Hafsah (on hiatus) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Fact: I stayed up all night to finish this 28 hr audiobook in under 3 days. And frankly I'm not sure whether to be impressed, or concerned about my priorities.

Fact 2: if Fact 1 doesn't evidence how compelling this story was, I don't know what will.

This was easilyy my MOST anticipated book for 2020, and (disregarding lessons learnt from my past experiences) I had raised my expectations extortionaly high. Yet...miraculously (thank god!) this time I was NOT disappointed.

That said, the one thing ...more

flag 46 likes · Like · see review

Sep 07, 2020 Ellie (faerieontheshelf) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: brick-books, court-politics, gorgeous-prose, historical-fantasy, much-love-so-much-love, fantasy, historical-set-in-the-past, antiheroes, i-am-crying-help, morally-grey

If you look up the word 'anguish' in the dictionary, you will find the last 100 or so pages of Empire of Gold.

But all jokes aside, this was a very accomplished ending to the trilogy. Character arcs were neatly resolved, narratives concluded, antagonists defeated. Every single character at the end of the book was pointed in a direction that I was incredibly pleased with, and I absolutely confess I wish we had a selection of post-ending short stories. ~~And that is the reason why I have a selection~~ ...more

flag 43 likes · Like · see review

Apr 08, 2020 Beatrice in Bookland rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: best-of-2020

"Nahri always smiled at her marks."

1. The city of brass ★★★★★
2. The kingdom of copper ★★★★★

4.5

I don't even know what to say about this book, it was almost perfect.
The only thing I didn't appreciate was the romance - even tho I don't despise it - because I just wish these two had remained platonic friends. But I did like how nothing was rushed, especially in the last pages.

Dara has been my favorite character since his very first appearance in The city of brass and his ending - and his last scene ...more

flag 41 likes · Like · see review

Jan 20, 2021 Zitong Ren rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2021, action, epics, adult, contains-romance, lgbtqi, fantasy, adventure, diverse

And that’s the end of this series. Oof. Well. I have thoughts, naturally, I always have thoughts for some reason not that people care all that much, but I’m still writing this review.

I think that this is a good ending for these characters where everyone comes out surprisingly unscathed. It’s certainly not as dark or gruesome as a lot of adult fantasy, but certainly covering more adult themes. Now, I say that I think it is a good ending, and I liked how the author left about fifty pages after th And that’s the end of this series. Oof. Well. I have thoughts, naturally, I always have thoughts for some reason not that people care all that much, but I’m still writing this review.

I think that this is a good ending for these characters where everyone comes out surprisingly unscathed. It’s certainly not as dark or gruesome as a lot of adult fantasy, but certainly covering more adult themes. Now, I say that I think it is a good ending, and I liked how the author left about fifty pages after the climax for everything to resolve and calm down and I liked that it didn’t end too abruptly. However, there were things I could see coming and the final moment in the climax was a little too predictable as I sort of realised that there was really no other way it could have ended considering who these characters are. I’m not saying it’s cheap or anything, but’s what I expected to occur. It is somewhat bittersweet, though actually a lot happier than I expected which is almost nice for a change that books can have happier endings and still be a good one.

The characters, well, I loved Nahri, she’s brilliant and amazing and has a really good arc between the three books even if I can’t remember much from City of Brass because I read it a while back. I also really love Alizayd, whose personality I can somewhat relate to, with him being a huge nerd and all. I found that they have a really beautiful and heartwarming relationship between the two of them and I’m actually really happy at how Charkraborty handled their relationship at the end. Would I have welcomed more scenes of them doing certain things with each other, yeah of course absolutely, but I understand that this isn’t all about the romance and I’m glad about that, because while their friendship is a key component in the book as well as the romantic tension between the two, the author is also able to bring more light to more important elements of the novel. See, Nahri’s not this character that is suited for giving everything over some dude, because that’s not her final goal and because of her past, it is very clear that she’s not ready for certain things.

Now Dara, I mean I still don’t really care about him. I might have groaned every time we had a chapter from his POV. He is technically a really well written character, but he’s a war monger and I he is this immortal dude that’s been alive for forever and I’m just not ever really attached to his type of character. I might have actually wanted him to die when I was reading his book because ya know, authors generally give off characters, and if she was going to kill a POV character, I wanted it to be Dara. I just didn’t vibe with him, ok? I was at least satisfied by how his relationship with Nahri went. Am I cold hearted, maybe? Or I just don’t like his type of character.

The plot, much like Kingdom of Copper was pretty slow, but there were lots of really good character moments, especially between Nahri and Ali(gosh I love the two of them!). Also like, I don’t mind slow paced books at all, I mean, the amount of Epic Fantasy I digest on a yearly basis, like my goodness. As long as a book is slow paced, I generally expect good payoff at the end. Now, like I said before, while the way the climax ended was predictable, I thoroughly enjoyed the two hundred pages or so leading up to it, which I really enjoyed. There were just certain scenes that were really well written and Riza was a new character that I really liked. So, while the plot isn’t something I’ll be gushing over, I enjoyed it and the directions it took. I just found that many of the ‘plot twists’ were shocking to the characters, but didn’t leave much on an effect on me, largely because of Dara’ POV where the author showed all the bad stuff already, so nothing tragic came as a surprise.
The main antagonist, Manizheh honestly, where are these people’s brains out. I mean, Nahri and Ali already have pea sized brains, and then our main villain also just, well, she just didn’t think through things clearly. She worked as the antagonist, and I get that we are meant to somewhat feel for her, but if you are going to commit genocide, you don’t get sympathy points from me.

All in all, I did enjoy this and was satisfied by how it ended. It is set in an interesting world with a lot of cool stuff and while I didn’t love it, I had a really good time and I breezed through this book. 8/10 ...more

flag 40 likes · Like · see review

May 15, 2020 megs_bookrack marked it as to-read · review of another edition

I WON A GIVEAWAY!!!

Look at me go! It's like the world isn't falling apart after all...

I'd like to thank the Academy, William Morrow Books and Goodreads for this honor.

...more

flag 38 likes · Like · see review

Apr 02, 2020 Fadwa (Word Wonders) added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020-releases, fantasy, adult, historical-fiction, bipoc, sent-for-review, muslim-mc

Can't think... head empty.

Seriously though, I finished it. My favorite series. And I don't really know what to do with myself. I cried and laughed and cried some more. Loved things, hated things, saw the necessity in things even when I hated them. And just. Dara did that.

RTC!! ...more

flag 37 likes · Like · see review

Apr 09, 2020 Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arabian-nights, fantasy

A solid conclusion to this Arabian Nights-inspired fantasy. It has some great twists and turns.

RTC.

flag 37 likes · Like · see review

May 01, 2020 Veronica Belmont rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: sl-sword, fantasy, epic-fantasy

Ugh, so good. I'm so sad that this series is over, but so happy to have read it. The worldbuilding is something I will hold as a high standard for fantasy for years to come. ...more

flag 37 likes · Like · see review

Sep 08, 2020 Noura Khalid (theperksofbeingnoura) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 0-2020-reading-list, 5-star-reads, adult-sff, favourites, adult-fiction, fantasy, historical-fiction, muslim-authors

Where does one begin writing a review for a book or rather a trilogy that made one feel everything? I don’t truly know but I will attempt to write something that will show you at least a fraction of how I felt about this book.

The Empire of Gold is possibly one of the most intimidating books I’ve ever picked up and one of the ones I dreaded ending. Despite starting the trilogy this year, I felt like I had been a part of the world and known the characters for so much longer when it was in fact onl Where does one begin writing a review for a book or rather a trilogy that made one feel everything? I don’t truly know but I will attempt to write something that will show you at least a fraction of how I felt about this book.

The Empire of Gold is possibly one of the most intimidating books I’ve ever picked up and one of the ones I dreaded ending. Despite starting the trilogy this year, I felt like I had been a part of the world and known the characters for so much longer when it was in fact only a couple of months. With every page I turned the closer I felt to having to say goodbye and truthfully, I wasn’t ready to say goodbye just yet. Closing the book felt like letting go of a part of me and as much as that proves the books were amazing it was also very bittersweet.

I almost rushed through this book. I was enjoying it from the very beginning that I was going to read 400 pages in one go. After some thought I decided to take it slow instead. I wanted to savor every bit of the story even if it took me a month to get through. I’ve read so many books this year but nothing compares to this trilogy.

The writing was captivating from the very beginning. The second book ended on a cliffhanger so naturally the moment I opened The Empire of Gold I was hanging on to every word. I loved the writing, it never failed in holding my attention. The writing is one of the many things I love about this series. Not only is the writing gripping, but it’s also detailed in so many ways. It’s so immersive that everything feels like it’s coming alive, from the world to the scenery and the characters. If you’re looking for a book series that’s captivating in every way and lush then this is the one for you.

The book has the richest plot but the characters are what also makes this story what it is. Nahri was a favorite of mine since the first book. She had so many obstacles put in her way and she went through so much trauma, but she persisted and it made her stronger than she already was. I appreciated Ali so damn much in this series. When I read book one it took me a while to figure out how I felt about him. With book two I loved him so much more than I thought I would. With book three I feel like we delved deeper into his character and got to understand him on a different level. He was just so precious to me. I loved him before and ended up loving him even more with the conclusion.

Now what I’m about to say might be an unpopular opinion (emphasis on might), but I still love Dara. I read a lot of comments about him after the final book and of course to each his own but I could never get myself to stop loving and caring about him. He went through so much and did so much in this book. I was questioning myself a lot about how I felt. I haven’t really come down to a conclusion aside from what I’ve already stated but his circumstances were different. I’m in no way excusing his action but I do have a comment to make. I think many people were expecting him to change, and in some ways he did, but his character and past was a lot messier than that. The author wrote something that feels so incredibly realistic and truthfully, people aren’t that simple. A lot of his choices and the things he did drove me crazy and I had so many thoughts while reading his chapters. He was shaped to be what he was by the people he trusted most and he was turned into a weapon by those same people. Something that this book proved you can’t let go of easily no matter how hard you try. Were his actions excusable? Absolutely not and I think about that often. He wasn’t the only person involved in those action though. I hardly find it fair that he’s the one who has to carry the weight of it all when the people who made him what he is didn’t spare a single thought. I just think him and his situation are a lot more complex than people make it out to be.

I might have mentioned this in my reviews of the other books but I’ll say it again, I loved that all the characters were flawed. They weren’t perfect in any way and I loved them all the same. I love books that show the realness and complexity of people.

*coughs* moving on, the story took me on the most anxiety inducing journey of my life. Every second was pure chaos and I spent so much time thinking about what was happening and going to happen that I lost sleep. My dreams weren’t very pleasant either for that matter. There was so much political intrigue and such strong world building. I feel like we were taken across the map in this one. We explored so much and all the events were a whirlwind. I loved how realistic everything was. Our characters had a war on their hands and things were bound to get worse. Not to mention the things that they had been through previously. There was a lot to untangle here from generations ago. I loved that it was handled but it was also going to take so much longer to deal with. There was a lot of healing to be done and it wasn’t all just going to disappear. Things would change but they would change slowly.

As with the previous book reviews, I’ve written so much more than I thought. Considering that this review is coming to you two months after I read the book. The ending wasn’t what I was expecting at all but I loved it. It was all so bittersweet but I feel like it wrapped up nicely. I couldn’t have started this trilogy at a more perfect moment. These books have officially taken over the entirety of my heart. I felt every emotion possible while reading each of these books and more so with the last one. If I could read it again like it was the first time I would. I think about these characters often and I’m looking forward to the short story collection that will be coming!

---

This trilogy has made me laugh, cry, scream and everything in between. It forever owns my heart. I'm so happy I experienced this book and got to meet these characters. Thank you for the heartbreak 😭❤ ...more

flag 35 likes · Like · see review

Jun 30, 2020 Rosamund Hodge added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020, fantasy

IT ABSOLUTELY GUTTED AND THEN HEALED ME.

flag 35 likes · Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Fantasy Book Club...: Daevabad Trilogy #3: The Empire of Gold—Finished Reading Spoilers OK	4	45	Nov 04, 2020 07:09AM
He could do better than 1 kiss!!!	5	58	Nov 01, 2020 01:43PM
Fantasy Book Club...: Daevabad Trilogy #3: The Empire of Gold—Roll call & First Impressions NO Spoilers	2	8	Oct 03, 2020 01:28PM
Goodreads Librari...: Please correct page number - Empire of Gold	2	19	Jul 08, 2020 05:05PM
The Procrastinato...: Empire of Gold (June 2020) Buddy Read Discussion - Laura ☾ & Mina	21	52	Jun 24, 2020 12:14AM

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Fantasy

1,425 users

Fiction

217 users

Historical > Historical Fiction

133 users

Adult

109 users

Fantasy > Magic

68 users

Fantasy > Mythology

68 users

Audiobook

63 users

Romance

51 users

Young Adult

51 users

Science Fiction Fantasy

47 users

See top shelves…

About S.A. Chakraborty

S.A. Chakraborty

5,701 followers

S. A. Chakraborty is the author of the critically acclaimed and internationally best-selling The Daevabad Trilogy. Her work has been nominated for the Locus, World Fantasy, Crawford, and Astounding awards. When not buried in books about thirteen-century con artists and Abbasid political intrigue, she enjoys hiking, knitting, and re-creating unnecessarily complicated medieval meals. You can find he ...more