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    The City of Brass
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    The City of Brass
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    The City of Brass
    Audiobook19 hours

    The City of Brass

    Written by Shannon Chakraborty

    Narrated by Soneela Nankani

    4/5

    ()

    Unavailable in your country

    Unavailable in your country

    About this audiobook

    Discover this spellbinding debut from Sunday Times bestseller, S.A. Chakraborty.

    ‘An extravagant feast of a book – spicy and bloody, dizzyingly magical, and still, somehow, utterly believable’ Laini Taylor, Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author

    Among the bustling markets of eighteenth century Cairo, the city’s outcasts eke out a living swindling rich Ottoman nobles and foreign invaders alike.

    But alongside this new world the old stories linger. Tales of djinn and spirits. Of cities hidden among the swirling sands of the desert, full of enchantment, desire and riches. Where magic pours down every street, hanging in the air like dust.

    Many wish their lives could be filled with such wonder, but not Nahri. She knows the trades she uses to get by are just tricks and sleights of hand: there’s nothing magical about them. She only wishes to one day leave Cairo, but as the saying goes…

    Be careful what you wish for.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateMar 8, 2018
    ISBN9780008239435
    Unavailable
    The City of Brass
    Author

    Shannon Chakraborty

    Shannon Chakraborty is the author of the critically acclaimed and internationally bestselling Daevabad Trilogy. Her work has been translated into over a dozen languages and nominated for the Hugo, Locus, World Fantasy, Crawford, and Astounding awards. You can find her online at sachakraborty.com or on Instagram and Twitter as @SAChakrabooks.

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    Reviews for The City of Brass

    4/5

    1,167 ratings66 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Complex interesting plot. Gripping. Action filled. Can’t wait to read the next one.
    • 3/5
      I liked the pace, the level of intrigue, sass, mystery and, of course... Magic.
      I started with the next one already.
    • 3/5
      I think I would have liked this to be read with an accent that was not American. Maybe a middle Eastern accent.
    • 5/5
      The lore, the adventure and intrigue was wonderful. Looking forward to reading the next one.
    • 5/5
      I adored this story! And it was so well narrated by Nankani that I had no trouble identifying with several characters. I cannot wait to get my hands on the City of Copper, the second in the series.
    • 4/5
      Enjoyable book! Cannot wait to get to the next one
    • 5/5
      The City of Brass was an astounding read despite having a slow beginning and middle. The storytelling and prose, there are no words, well there are many, many words I could use but let’s just go with breathtaking, for now. In this world there is a fascinating magic system and everyone has a little bit of magic in them. Some are more inclined than others but the use of magic is not a strange occurrence and that was so much fun! Also, I am a huge fan of any story that includes Djinn and the plot and subplots in this story was out of this world. Just lovely!There is a ton of political machinations going on in this story, so if political intrigue is your thing then wow, you need to get this book! There are plenty of rules and laws that are applied to the different classes/ethnicities in this story and everything is for a reason, for better or worse. I applaud the amount of effort that went into building this political system and its inner workings because it is spot on and extremely detailed. For those like myself who don’t love political intrigue so much, it was a wee bit…yeah…all that.The characters are all inspiring and fleshed out amazingly well. I felt like I knew the characters intimately. They were very real to me. I feel like Nahri and Prince Alizayd were introduced as very strong characters in the beginning. I also was wondering for the longest time what Prince Ali’s role was in this story because it took forever for them to come together. Anyway, great characters in the beginning, loved them but they seemed to make rash choices and I felt like they regressed as the story went on. By the end I felt that their choices were relatively predictable and they lost their shine for me somewhat.Now I know I just mentioned something about predictability but that is actually what saved this story for me, the ending was nothing like I predicted. I was actually shocked a few times with the twists and turns that took place and that made me extremely happy. I will say that the epilogue alone was the deciding factor for my choice to continue the series. The story was beautifully written but without that epilogue I would not have had anything to really come back for because I was not so in love with the remaining main characters enough to want to continue the journey with them. Overall, The City of Brass was a wondrous story that was a delight to read despite my fussiness and I highly recommend it for all readers.
    • 4/5
      Interesting book. very well built world but did drag on a bit at times. could've been shorter but overall it's an enjoyable listen.
    • 2/5
      I couldn't get into this one, perhaps there were too many unfamiliar terms for me. The context didn't always help. Also the first part of the story seemed to be heading for one of those "they hate each other then they suddenly love each other" stories that is a pet peeve of mine. And there was a lot of pure blood/mixed blood nonsense, not my kind of fantasy. The book was just not a good match for me and I abandoned it. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
    • 5/5
      incredible! well spun and full of believable characters a young girl from Cairo comes to a whole new world she knew nothing about, a city with factions and politics in which neither side is clearly good or bad.
    • 5/5
      It was a re-read (I've read the entire trilogy in 2020 for the first time) and I have to say, I still love it.
    • 5/5
      Well narrated, good story, looking forward to the third book of the daevabad trilogy
    • 3/5
      This book is the story of a thief and orphan girl named Nahri who discovers that she is part of a magical, fantastical world that she never knew existed. I have mixed feelings about this book. On the plus side, it was wonderful to read a fantasy book that wasn't based in "western" mythology. There are far too few fantasy books like that. The writing was good, and the world building was interesting. My biggest problem with this book is that it was at least 200 pages too long. There were parts of it that dragged painfully and that added nothing to the story. This would have been a fantastic 300 page book but 526 was just absolutely unnecessary. Still, it's not a BAD book, and it's almost worth reading just for a taste of another culture that is so hard to find in fantasy literature.
    • 5/5
      *I received an ARC from the publisher thanks to Edelweiss. This does not affect my review.*

      I started this one last year, but ended up putting it down. Why? One, because I had some review deadlines that I had to meet, and two, because early on, I knew this was one of those books that I would love so much that I wouldn't want it to end! So, after six months of putting off the ending, I finally finished this one...and I need more!

      I loved this book, and it really amazed me. I don't normally read things that are Muslim based, so the fact that I loved this one so much amazed me. I normally avoid books about religion because most are anti-Christian and just end up making me mad. This one wasn't like that at all, and only somewhat focused on religion, and mostly avoided using names.

      The characters? -Sigh- Where to start? I enjoyed Nahri's will to survive, and was intrigued by the fact that she was more than she appeared, and than she had magical powers that were strange and yet familiar to her. Dara? Okay, it seems that I fall quickly for at least one character in any YA fantasy that I love. From the first, I was a fan of Dara, but strangely, I also quickly found myself cheering for Ali.

      The world-building is complex and beautiful. I love all the characters and races in this. Many were only mentioned, so I'm hoping to see plenty more creatures throughout the series. The Daeva cities were unique and while not always the cleanest, they were impressive, and I loved seeing how the different tribes handled daily life.
    • 3/5
      We need diverse books, so it's good that this one is in the world.

      It's a very dramatic, intricate tale -- with sweeping blend of new and old mythologies surround the Djinn and their secret city, with a love triangle, court intrigue, mysterious origins, ancient and bitter feuds, caste and racial and religious tensions, oh, and some fascinating magical structures -- it's packed. It's so packed that I found it a bit overwhelming. Also, the characters are full of betrayal and almost anti-heroes, and I found them difficult to love. On the whole, I'm going to go with excellent book, but not my cup of tea. I hope other readers will find it to be their heart's delight.
    • 3/5
      It got better after halfway, but Ali was still the maker of his own problems.
    • 4/5
      a light tale to amuse the djinn in the room
    • 4/5
      Published as adult but reads like YA, in that it’s about identity formation and it MOVES. Total page-turner, despite being massive and ending on a cliffhanger.
    • 3/5
      I thought this was good, but not great. The setting, with its multiple species of magical beings of the elements and humans, is good and interesting. Unfortunately I thought it was poorly described. The characters are good though and definitely drive the story.
    • 3/5
      I liked the two POV characters (Nahri and Ali) and Jamshid, and the setting was interesting. The pacing felt kind of uneven -- the first half of the book dragged on with little happening, and the ending felt rushed and didn't resolve anything. There is a lot of political intrigue, which isn't really my thing, and little time spent on the oppressed shafit themselves as opposed to how they fit into everyone's schemes. I also have little patience for Nahri's continuing infatuation with Dara as he continues to demonstrate just how awful of a person he is.
    • 3/5
      This story was so much better when the main characters meet up in the palace but the first 100 pages did nothing for me reading about the journey to get to the city was a bit of a slog. Two stars for the start and four for the ending.
    • 3/5
      {First of 3 Daevabad trilogy ; fantasy, YA, Middle Eastern/ Eastern setting} (2017)In a semi-mythical Cairo of the past on an parallel Earth, Nahri makes a living pretending to small magics - until she accidentally releases a djinn, called Dara, in truth and then has to flee Cairo with him. He takes her to Daevabad, the legendary City of Brass, where the djinn live and turns her life upside down as she is thrown into a whole new world with its own politics which Nahri seems to be central to without knowing the history. But Dara, the only person she knows, seems to be reviled here.At the same time we also see Ali's story; he is the idealistic second son of the king in Daevabad.To be honest, although I enjoyed the story, I found the welter of unfamiliar peoples, languages, clothing, djinn tribes etc confusing. There are some tribes that are extinct but then they turn out to be part of larger tribes. The language of the Daevas seems to have three different names which are used interchangeably in consecutive sentences. Although there is a glossary of the different tribes I was still a bit lost, but I found this explanation a bit more helpful:The smoke flattened and condensed to form a thick map in the sky before her, Suleiman’s temple at the center. As she watched, blazing pinpricks of light spun out from the temple across the world, falling to the ground like meteorites and bouncing back as fully formed people.“He divided us into six tribes.” Dara pointed at a pale woman weighing jade coins at the eastern edge of the map, China perhaps. “The Tukharistanis.” He gestured south at a bejeweled dancer twirling in the Indian subcontinent. “The Agnivanshi.” A tiny rider burst out of the smoke, galloping across southern Arabia and brandishing a fiery sword. Dara pursed his lips and with a snap of his fingers lopped off its head. “The Geziri.” To the south of Egypt, a golden-eyed scholar tossed a brilliant teal scarf over his shoulder as he scanned a scroll. Dara nodded at him. “The Ayaanle,” he said and then pointed to a fire-haired man mending a boat on the Moroccan coast. “The Sahrayn.”“What about your people?”“Our people,” he corrected and gestured toward the flat plains of what looked like Persia to her, or perhaps Afghanistan. “Daevastana,” he said warmly. “The land of the Daevas.”She frowned. “Your tribe took the original name of the entire daeva race as your own?”Dara shrugged. “We were in charge.”Oddly, there are two chapters of the third book at the end of this e-book, followed by a prologue and glossary to this first book that would have been more useful at the beginning and finally a preview of the second book.3-3.5 stars
    • 5/5
      Spoilers contained here!Listened to the audiobook and loved it. Nahri doesn’t know that she’s the last in a line of magical healers. She accidentally summons a warrior, Darha and he fills her in. Then he takes her to Davabad where she settles into the palace as their healer. There’s lots more going on but that’s all I’ll say.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed the world building, and the characters were very interesting. I got a little confused about some of the terminology, and only discovered the glossary after I'd finished the book. :/ Don't be like me -- find and use the glossary!
    • 5/5
      Nahri is a twenty-ish con artist living in Cairo. She has special healing powers which she uses in her cons. But one of her cons turns her world upside down when she accidentally summons a djinn. She suddenly finds herself travelling with him to Daevabad, a magical city, the City of Brass from the title. There, as a guest in the royal court, she discovers more magic, friendship and scheming to rival her own.
    • 4/5
      I wasn't sure at first with this book - it seemed a little too much YA fantasy with the forbidden romance with the misunderstood "bad boy" and the poor woman who is secretly a princess. It was easy to read though and with small dip in the middle where I was a bit "so what?", the last quarter really tipped things up and I sped throught to the end and it became really interesting. People on LT seem to really like the series so I will get the next one soon.
    • 5/5
      One of the best new fantasy series in awhile
    • 3/5
      I think this Middle East-inspired fantasy was just not the story I was in the headspace for -- it was longer, with more complicated worldbuilding and fewer answers. Possibly I’d have followed the political intrigue of Daevabad better had I read this in one gulp (I got halfway through the 20-hour-long audiobook before it was due back at the library and I read half a dozen other things before I returned to this book, in ebook form. So I’m not in a position to comment on the pacing).I liked the two protagonists, enough that I’m curious about what happens to them next, but the second book is 23 hours long and undoubtedly it won’t resolve everything either. Maybe another day.
    • 5/5
      This was beautiful. I loved the world. I love the characters. I love the way that everyone is shades of good and bad and the complex political history. I'll admit to getting lost sometimes as to who did what in the past as far as tribes go, but overall that was me being ditzy, not the book not telling me. This plot goes to interesting places that you won't predict, and the sheer beauty of the world is something to enjoy. I love this book. Where's the sequel?
    • 5/5
      Magic, mystery, and danger in a historical setting—yes, please!I'm so glad I had the opportunity to listen to this book on audio. The narrator is a fantastic storyteller, and I was thoroughly engaged throughout.This is a slow-moving story with a strong sense of setting and atmosphere. The author takes her time orienting us in the characters' world, placing us right there alongside them. History and fantasy are woven together with incredible realism. I might have been less patient with the pacing had I been reading, but listening allowed me to float away and experience it all as it unfolded.The characters are all well-developed and complex, with constantly evolving dynamics in their relationships.I enjoyed every aspect of story. My only problem now is that I need the next two books, preferably in audio, because I need to know how it all turns out.*I won an audio download in a giveaway from HarperAudio.*