<I>Thanks to NetGalley for a providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.</I>

I probably liked this book least in the series, but I think for the reasons that most people are going to be very happy with the conclusion of the trilogy. I was disappointed to see this adult book series that deals with difficult topics and a bloody war conclude with a very neat & tidy Disney ending. I'm sure many readers will be thrilled that all the main characters have happy endings, but for me it came off as incredibly unrealistic. And Manizheh, who had been a nuanced villain in the previous book, just becomes a charactercher of evil in this one. I am glad this was the last book as Chakraborty's own established (very interesting) magic rules were starting to become pretty fuzzy around the edges to conveniently keep characters around. 

I also wasn't thrilled with some of the "big reveals" in this book because they just undid previous ones. I find using a reveal that goes like this: "Remember how you thought A, but then discovered it was B? Ha! It was really C all along!" to be on the lazier side of writing. I found one of the reveals that did this to be particularly irritating as the only purpose it seemed to serve was to further the "Nahri is actually perfect" narrative. 

I think this could have been a really powerful story if Chakraborty had been able to commit to more difficult decisions for her characters. However, I will say that she did do a good job of closing this chapter of Daevabad while leaving it naturally open for another series and I would not necessarily be against reading that.

I cannot rate this final book in the Daevabad trilogy high enough. We fell in love. We cried. We sobbed. We laughed. It was everything we wanted and more we didn’t know we needed.

Empire of Gold picks up moments after Kingdom of Copper ended. Nahri and Ali find themselves washed up on the shores of the Nile, just outside of Cairo. Magic is gone and Daevabad is in upheaval. Nahri, Ali, and Dara all face difficult choices and must come to terms with the consequences for themselves - and the magical community at large.

Empire of Gold follows a similar path to City of Brass, and watching our characters walk such a similar path 7 years later serves to compare and contrast how they have changed - and how they haven’t. The real strength of The Daevabad Trilogy has been the beautiful, complex, and often morally grey characters, and they continue to shine here. Complex world building, complicated politics, and wonderfully imperfect characters come together once again to weave a lush, fantastical ending that fans of the series won’t be able to put down.

I’m absolutely terrible at finishing series but, after the ending of The Kingdom of Copper, I needed to know what happened to all of my favorites. Luckily, The Empire of Gold was the absolutely perfect ending to this amazing series. I’m very rarely fully satisfied with how a series ends but this one hit all of the right notes for me. I’m sad to say goodbye to these characters and this world but I know I’ll be revisiting them again soon for a reread.

If you like high fantasy, I’d absolutely recommend picking this series up! And I’ll be preordering the author’s new series, which is a historical fantasy pitched as Sinbad the Sailor meets Oceans 11. 

*Disclaimer: I received a digital advance copy of this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Let me tell you - the Daevabad Trilogy ends perfectly. It was bittersweet reading the last pages and saying goodbye to some of my favorite characters of all time. 

THE EMPIRE OF GOLD picks up immediately after the chaotic and dramatic events of THE KINGDOM OF COPPER. Nahri and Ali find themselves in Egypt and unsure of their next steps. With magic gone from Daevabad, Dara struggles to comprehend and support Manizeh's new repressive reign. The lives of other characters hang by threads which I will not spoil. 

S.A. Chakraborty effortlessly weaves together important themes in Islamicate/Middle Eastern history and culture with great character development, madcap pacing, and shocking twists (my jaw hit the floor MANY times). When I first assigned my students THE CITY OF BRASS, many chose to write about the suppression of the shafit and Daeva under Ghassan and how it paralleled with politics in the Middle East both past and present. I wish I could talk to those same students about EMPIRE. Dara's arc is very grim in comparison to Ali and Nahri's but Chakraborty does an excellent job breaking down what happens over a conquest, how rulers can have the best intentions but still harm their people, and what it means to follow one's conscience. 

Chakraborty expands the world of Daevabad in exciting ways by taking readers to new parts of the map, introducing characters from regions not yet traveled to, and also integrates pre-Islamicate folklore and religion. For any writer who wants to write a fantastical/revisionist history of a time period or place and do it well, I would start with the Daevabad Trilogy as their first reading assignment. 

Where some series end on sour or less than perfect endings, I loved how EMPIRE wrapped up threads and also left me imagining what happens next for our beloved characters. If Chakraborty ever wanted to write a duology or another trilogy with these characters set 10, 20, 50 years in the future, I would be the first person in line to buy it. 

This is a series that I’ve taught to my undergrads and always recommend to friends and other fantasy fans. 

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

To be honest, I knew this book would be nothing less than amazing. As a writer, S. A. Chakraborty is something otherworldly. She has the capability to weave a really great story and take it in such interesting and fun directions.I loved City of Brass and I was just floored by The Kingdom of Copper because they are both an amazing set in such an intricate storyline. Chakraborty is such an intelligent writer who ends this trilogy in the perfect way--after taking us for such a crazy ride from beginning to end. A great book in a great series, and a definite must have for all libraries, and a definite read for any lover of fantasy or just a good damn book.

I could didn't see any of the coming. Well, like one or two but not the major things. Wow. I completely loved this. While you can not really say a lot without giving away things because this book has so much new information and scenery. We FINALLY get to know the history of some of the characters. 
And a year jerking goodbye from others. This was by far one of the best ends to a series and I would enjoy if we get some novellas out of it to see how things are going for some of the parties in the story.

hank you Netgalley and HarperCollins for the ARC.



This series has been a rollercoaster of emotions. I absolutely loved each book, which says a lot, I do think The Kingdom of Copper is my favorite.
Not to say this book wasn't amazing, because it was. It was definitely more dark and hard sometimes to read but still really fantastic.

Shannon's writing is exceptional. I honestly felt like these 780 pages lasted nothing. It was like watching a movie, it went quickly, like a breath of air. My favorite part was absolutely the characterization of the characters, their depth, their flaws. There is not a character who is absolutely perfect, who didn't commit something considered usually bad. There is not black and white. Everything is a mix of colors, and that's why I loved it.

Dara my precious boy. I loved him with an intensity in this book that I didn't expect. Yes he made a lot of mistakes, yes he did things that are unforgivable. But I see it. I see his soul, he's longing to deserve the happy ending he deserves.

Nahri and Jamshid have always been my favorite characters and I was so happy to see them and their development in this book. Platonic love is as important as romantic love and they are so precious to me.

I wished Muntadhir and Zaynab were more in this book, but I do understand why we had to focus on the other characters more. I wish we'll see them again one day, they do deserve their own spinoffs not going to lie here.

I have to admit, Menizheh was absolutely compelling to follow. It's hard for me to explain why I'm drown to evil characters with no remorse or redemption arc in their future.. but I am. She was absolutely awful, but wow, what a character!

“I would do it again, Dara. I would take your hand a thousand times over.”
Nahri and Dara will be Forever in my heart. I loved them immensely and I wished for so much more for them, but I do understand why this was the choice of the author. It was incredibly sad, but also very emotional and beautiful.

I will always keep this series in my heart, these characters and this magnificent world. These books gave me so much, and I'm glad I went through this journey with them.

A very satisfying, if slightly gory, resolution to a tale that has a little something for everyone: Political intrigue, romantic intrigue, magical intrigue, and more magic just for fun.

This is the best book I have read all year. S. A. Chakraborty ends this trilogy in brilliant fashion. I cannot recommend this trilogy enough to anyone and everyone. 

While I’m terribly sad this series is over, I cannot wait to read anything and everything this author will write in the future. 

The book hangover from this story is absolute. Thank you for writing such an amazing series!

Thank you to netgalley for the early copy, I will continue to recommend this series to my customers for years to come,

The end of a series is always a little bittersweet but when it came to The Empire of Gold, I was happy. Not that it ended because these books are fabulous, but that the characters finally found some peace.

Well, you know, most of them. It’s a fantasy filled with war and political intrigue, there’s going to be casualties and these books have a lot of characters.

It’s hard to avoid spoilers for the previous books this far in a series so if you haven’t read them, I recommend stopping here rather than reading further.

The Kingdom of Copper ended with me dying to know what happened next. It left all three point-of-view characters in precarious positions with the threat of a final conflict, one last battle, ever looming. And… I struggled with the first third of the book. If I’m being honest, it’s probably closer to the first half. Don’t get me wrong, the book is good but I wasn’t connecting with it like the first two books which I couldn’t put down from start to finish. The Empire of Gold is a bit slower. There’s a lot of character development which was great, but it slowed the pacing down a bit for me in the first half.

That said, there came a point in the story that everything exploded. This wasn’t just a final epic battle. And it all comes back to the characters. Each had a choice they had to make that would affect them for the rest of their lives and watching them struggle to reach that point was both beautiful and nerve-wracking.

I had so much respect for Nahri in this book. Here is a young woman who just wants to live her life, who has the responsibility of a kingdom on her shoulders that she never asked for. And she just takes it all in stride. She makes mistakes and they have consequences, and as a reader, I was right there alongside her and it was… powerful.

Also the romance was A+. Minimal in a way that felt natural to the characters and the events transpiring but also so sweet and the burn was on point. It felt earned.

Then there’s Alizayd. You know, while I didn’t dislike him in The City of Brass, I can’t say he was my favorite character either. I warmed up to him in The Kingdom of Copper but I was ALL in by the time I got to this book. He changed so much over the course of the series and seeing him finally accept parts of himself, accept his own desires, and realize his place in the world… perfect.

And finally, there’s Dara.

I… struggled with his chapters. He went from being my ship with Nahri in book 1 to a character with his own goals and motivations in book 2, but in The Empire of Gold he went dark. His chapters as he examines everything he was raised to believe, to be, everything he fought for and had to believe to mentally survive, it goes to a place of morality the books hadn’t quite hit on in this way until now. I didn’t enjoy his chapters as much as the other characters but they were needed. He needed it to grow as a character. And I think it ultimately made the ending that much more satisfying.

Because, really, that’s what I’m looking for in a final book of a series. A good ending. Sure, I want the story to build up even more, keep the tension high and the stakes higher than previous books, but it all comes down to the ending and it makes or breaks a series.

The Empire of Gold made it and then some. It was, by far, the best ending I could have hoped for based on how the books play out. There’s just enough of the unknown that you can imagine how things might be beyond the page, but it’s also satisfying as a reader to see this chapter close for these characters and this world.

If you had any doubts about this series, or were waiting on the reviews for the final book before starting, just stop reading now and go grab a copy of The City of Brass and GET READING! I haven’t had a series ending hit me like this since A Conjuring of Light finishing out the Shades of Magic books. 12/10 would recommend the Daevabad Trilogy and honestly all future works by S.A. Chakraborty because I have no doubt they’ll be amazing.

The Empire of Gold, the final installment of the Daevabad Trilogy, by S.A. Chakraborty was one of my most highly anticipated releases of the year and my expectations, obviously, were sky high. Luckily for me, this nearly eight hundred page novel was absolutely perfect and lived up to all of my expectations. Honestly, the whole trilogy has been perfect. It's exactly the kind of historical fantasy that I love with lushly detailed world-building and characters that could walk right off of the page. And, yes, Dara is still my favorite of the main cast. This is easily one of the best books of 2020 and it's a brilliant series finale. I still can't believe that I was approved for this ARC, so thanks again to NetGalley for this opportunity. I can't wait to read whatever the author decides to write in the future and I can't wait to see the upcoming Netflix adaptation of this trilogy. It's going to be marvelous, I can see it now!

4.5/5

Thank you NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for an honest review!

My three words: mythical epic, fast-paced, elaborate

The much-anticipated conclusion of the Daevabad Trilogy does not disappoint. This is a spoiler-free review, so all I will say as far as plot is that it picks up right where Kingdom of Copper leaves off.

This novel hits the ground running from chapter one. The previous two installments in the trilogy were much slower and deliberately paced, but this conclusive book was 740 pages of excitement. I honestly had a hard time putting this book down! It went from one exciting plot point to another and I couldn't wait to see what would happen next.

I loved so much about this book! The characters were well-developed, and the conclusion for each of them was really appropriate for who they are. One of the elements I loved in this book that set it apart from its predecessors is that it contained a lot more mythology and mythological creatures. This made the story seem more expansive, beyond Daevabad and Cairo into other realms. I also liked that I was slightly surprised at some of the elements of the story and its conclusion, but nothing about the narrative seemed inappropriate for the characters.

The only reason I gave this book 4.5 instead of 5 stars is because we didn't get as much Dara as we did Nahri and Ali. The story up to this point has been fairly evenly split between the three perspectives, but this book was largely devoted to Nahri and Ali. I don't want to spoil anything, but I will say I understand why the author didn't give Dara as much time. He is basically a fully-formed ancient warrior, and I would argue that his characterization leaves little room for growth so he would naturally have less "say" in the development of the narrative. I personally like his character so I noticed the smaller portion of Dara chapters in this novel in particular. 

Overall, I highly recommend this series. It is a great readalike for the Winternight Trilogy or Game of Thrones and these characters and the city of Daevabad will stay with me for a long time.

How do you even start a review for a book that has torn your heart out in all the best ways? Empire of Gold is the long-awaited end to The Daevabad Trilogy and it was one of my most anticipated books of the year. It's only natural that I both loved and dreaded reading it. Alas, all good things must come to an end. Or in this book's case, a fiery and dramatic conclusion worthy of the Banu Nahida herself.

The story picks up almost immediately where the previous story left off, Nahri and Ali have teamed up and are figuring out how to save their friends and family from the chaos that is wreaking havoc on Daevadbad. Their journey together is full of angst, denial, and ultimately understanding. Dara's journey is similar because he has many revelations of his own, but he has severely limited freedom to express his new beliefs which broke my heart. However, the development of each character is INCREDIBLE. Chakraborty excels at putting her characters in challenging situations that push them to change for the better. This is incredibly evident by the end of the story and it makes the final chapters powerful.

What makes this story such a strong conclusion is that everything comes full circle. The characters all get answers, the mythology of the world holds relevance to the story, all the creatures mentioned briefly in the previous books all play roles here. Empire of Gold truly is a spectacular showcase of Chakraborty's use of world-building. Creatures that only get brief scenes or mentions get entire chapters dedicated to rounding out motivations and lore. The Daevabad Trilogy is like a giant puzzle and the first two books are good about giving the reader a general idea of the picture, but Empire of Gold has all the detail pieces that pull the puzzle together. 

Without going into spoiler territory, I'll say I was satisfied with the ending of this book. All the characters got exactly what their arcs were building towards and their endings were well deserved. This is rare for me to say because authors rarely handle endings the way I believe characters deserve. If you hold the Daevabad Trilogy just as near and dear to your heart as I do, I can confidently say you will enjoy the ending. That's not to say that sad things don't happen, there is a TON of angst and you might tear up at the end. However, Chakraborty does leave a few character paths open-ended which has me crossing my fingers for a new spin-off series. 

Overall, this is perhaps one of the best concluding novels to a trilogy that I've ever read. The character development is immaculate and the world-building shines even brighter than usual. This is one ending to a series you won't want to miss.

I just finished this one and had to immediately jump into this mini review because I have SO MANY FEELINGS. Admittedly, I found the first chunk of the book a little bit hard to get back into unlike nearly all of book two. But things did move along and it didn't necessarily drag. There was some hinting to a ship that I wasn't sure I wanted to happen... but then the second half of the book came down like a storm and I feel like I'm still catching my breath! 
It ended up quite the conclusion to the trouble brewing in Daevabad and I loved what she did with EVERYTHING in the end, even if I had earlier doubted. The last handful of chapters were just the perfect ending, a mixture of bittersweet, last minute revelations, hope and even an out loud laugh from myself. I only wish the romance had been a more integral part of the plot throughout these books, but what an amazing Arabian fantasy trilogy!

What can I possibly say? This series has everything and more. This conclusion did not disappoint! I recommend this series to everyone and it’s amazing to be able to recommend it as a whole. So many other series have at least 1 book I like less than others but not this one. This wrapped up Nahri’s story so nicely and broke my heart a little at the same time.

Cutesy tag lines for a review of The Empire of Gold, S. A. Chakraborty concluding novel for her DAEVABAD trilogy of humans, djinn, and water elementals really sort of write themselves:  “Chakraborty strikes gold with the final novel in . . . “  “Chakraborty is on fire with her newest . . . “  “Come on djinn, the water’s fine . . . “ [sorry].  But this series doesn’t do “cute;” it’s multi-layered and, though not without humor, serious in tone and topic.  So let’s just say the promise of its first two books, which garnered fours from me in prior reviews, is easily met here in the third, which brings an excellent trilogy to a highly satisfying if bittersweet close.  Some inevitable spoilers for books one and two below.

The Empire of Gold picks up pretty much right after the events of The Kingdom of Copper and as with the other, follows three (after a brief prologue) points of view: Nahri, Ali, and Dara. Nahri and Ali have escaped the conquest of Daevabad and end up magically transported to her former home city Cairo, with Ali carrying Suleiman’s seal, though he is unable to access its power. In fact, there is no magic at all amongst any of the djinn. Only Dara —back in Daevabad where he serves Manizheh in her brutal pacification of the city — and beings like the ifrit, marid, peri, and others can wield magic now. 

Nahri and Ali’s POVs follow them as they spend time in Cairo, with Narhi growing ever more comfortable in her familiar haunts. But eventually her sense of responsibility to Daevabad and its people forces her to agree with Ali that they have to do something to save the city from Manizheh, and so the two head for Ali’s homeland in search of support. On the way, an encounter with an ancient and powerful marid reveals a shocking and perhaps devastating secret about Ali, one which later causes them to find different paths back to Daevabad.  Meanwhile, back in Daevabad, Dara is struggling, as always, with his conscience and the burden of his past, leaving it always unclear which way he’ll go.

Characterization has always been a strong point in the series and that continues here. What I particularly like is that Chakraborty doesn’t simply start off with sharp characterization but grows and deepens her characters so they don’t remain static throughout. She does this via a variety of methods:  putting them in complex situations, throwing them together with different characters, or revealing unknown aspects of a character’s past.  The characters are often forced to grow beyond themselves as they were, either by finding new sides of themselves or by building on already established character traits. Narhi is no longer simply the cynically clever con artist — she’s matured beyond that — but that element of her remains and comes into narrative play. Ali isn’t the same fundamentalist character from book one, though that aspect — and his shift away from it — drives various character and plot changes. Dara is the Scourge, but not only the Scourge. Though while Narhi and Ali both moves in somewhat linear fashion toward a different self, a future self, Dara more whipsaws back and forth between potential selves, between past and his possibility. And all of this blossoms wonderfully slowly as Chakraborty refuses to rush things but takes the necessary amount of time to build the characters up from who they were to who they become, alone and in relation to one another. 

I also loved the characterization of the marid and peri, who aren’t simply given human traits — “they’re just like us but more powerful!” — but remain just outside our comprehension. They are strange, fantastical, as they should be.

Plot-wise, if and how Daevabad will be saved is compelling and suspenseful, but the best part is how Chakraborty continues to not offer easy solutions. Not easy in terms of logistics but in terms of morality and cost. This is not just war, but civil war. One fueled by classism and racism/bigotry, by centuries of hatred and death and slaughter. People are not going to listen to reason, they aren’t going to surrender to overwhelming odds, they’re not going to pay attention to collateral damage or to the existence of “innocents.”  Restraint, in other words, is not on the menu. This is especially true of Dara, and it is his character I’d say where the heart of the story is invested in terms of the possibility of redemption, the responsibility of reparation.  Others, though they perhaps don’t bear the same burden of a millennia-long past, also must find their way (or not) past desires for vengeance over past wrongs, must learn not to necessarily forgive or forget them but place them behind, put them in the past so they stop being obstacles toward gaining a future. Not an easy task, and not one everyone succeeds at (or even tries to achieve). It is a harsh world, one that forces harsh decisions and exacts some harsh consequences. 

As has been the pattern in the prior novels, The Empire of Gold builds to an explosive climax in terms of action, and Chakraborty offers up some fantastic set scenes that I loved imagining on a purely visual level.  If the closing few chapters are less action oriented, they’re no less compelling thanks to the character suspense and emotional focus.

The Empire of Gold brings to a close one of the stronger recent series of fantasy works, one that combines an compelling and exciting plot, in-depth characterization, detailed and relatively fresh world creation, and a willingness to place serious concerns (race, class, imperialism, form of governance) at the forefront. I’m certainly looking forward to seeing where Chakraborty takes us next now that we’ve left Daevabad behind.

I just want to thank Harpercollins and NetGalley for letting me read this book early. I loved this series so much and sad it has finally come to an end.

Empire of Gold picks up where kingdom of Copper ends. Nahri and Alizard are on the run with Suilimans seal and Manizheh has taken over daevabad which has fallen. Dara also is at Manizheh side while also realizing what a monster she has become. Will he stand by his Nahid no matter what or make a difference?

First I want to say how much I loved this series, this is a fantasy series so underrated and the world building and magic was so fun to read. Fast paced almost the whole time and I am sad it has come to an end. 

This third installment was so good. It left so many doors open but in a good way. I am usually never satisfied with the end but I can honestly say I was satisfied. I cried and just loved how everything came together. I could not put this book down, I got attached to all the characters and loved everything that happened. 

5 stars

Absolutely fantastic read. Third book and the world building, character development, and story arc are everything I could have asked for. Put this on your TBR now!

This book not only met every expectation that I had, but it topped it. I read it almost two months ago and I"m *still* processing it, honestly. I'm so ready to see what Shannon does with her next books!!!