Fantasy Discussion Group…

The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy, #1)

S.A. Chakraborty

Start date: April 1, 2019

Finish date: April 30, 2019

Discussion: Book of the Month

Why we're reading this: Goodreads Book of the Month, April 2019
[close] Goodreads Book of the Month, April 2019

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Book of the Month

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What Members Thought

Jul 20, 2021 Erin rated it really liked it

Shelves: own, fantasy

I'm glad I finally decided to pick this one up! This book offers a lush setting from the magical Daevavad location to the intricate lore weaved into the world building. The book hooked me fairly quickly and the times I actually sat down to read I found myself speeding through the book fairly quickly.

I also appreciated that this book was told in a dual perspective. We get Nahri, the con artist from Cairo who accidentally summons a djinn and ends up thrust into the world of Daevabad. And Ali, a pr ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Feb 05, 2020 Kahlia rated it liked it · review of another edition

I've been sitting on this review for almost a week because I'm still in two minds about how I felt, despite continuing to turn things over in my head:

- Fantastic world building. This book draws together multiple elements of various Middle Eastern and Islamic cultures incredibly well, and the descriptions of Daevabad in particular were incredible.
- A fairly mediocre, slow moving plot. Nahri's story in particular, felt like riding a particularly slow moving carpet with how little happened at tim ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Apr 28, 2019 Mark rated it liked it · review of another edition

Some promising elements but not really my cup of tea in the end. I was very interested by the initial setting - Cairo with magical elements - and was a bit disappointed that the action quickly moved away into a world effectively insulated from that one.
I think my real issue may have been that the book took its cues from the parts of modern UF that I don't really enjoy. E.g. our MC with magical gifts is suddenly told they're the heir to some powerful magical tradition and dragged off to join thi ...more

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Mar 24, 2019 Ed rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, book-club

If I had read this story on fanfiction.net in approximately 2006, I might have been impressed. I might even have loved it.
Unfortunately, I'm not 14 anymore, and I actually paid money for this book.

Whilst I don't have a problem with young adult novels in general; this book reads in large part like someone trying to tick of every YA trope on their checklist, and as such feels repetitive and at worst cynical.
You have the snarky female lead who is ostracised from her community but is actually so mu ...more

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