Cover Image: The City of Brass

The City of Brass

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Member Reviews

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

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Nahri barely gets by on her cons and healing in Cairo. When she accidentally summons a djinn warrior through magic she doesn’t know she has, he helps her run for her life, trying to find safety. They travel to Daevabad, where she begins to find herself and her magic, and he faces his past. Action, deception, and magic. Intriguing, but intricate and somewhat confusing in its depth.

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This book was not my usual genre, but it was interesting. The characters were complex and likable. The plot moved a lot at a good pace.

Thank you to the Book Club Girls, NetGalley and Scribd for making this book available. #Netgalley #Thecityof brass

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Middle Eastern fantasy? really. I did not realize, this when I requested it. This genre is not relatable for me.. It may be okay as a movie, but not a book for me.

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This was such a great fantasy novel. I loved the Golem and the Jinni so I had a good feeling that I would love this! Nahri and Dara have the the best connection and I really enjoyed the journey they went on. I am really looking forward to the the next books in the series!

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I’ve heard so many great things about this book. Why oh why did I wait so long to read it?! It was amazing. I love the feeling of discovering such a rare gem of a book. I got sucked in literally from the first few pages and couldn’t put it down. I’ve always been fascinated by the culture and folktales of old Arabia. This novel brings new life to those stories while remaining true to and reverent of their source. This was such a deeply imaginative novel that somehow still felt completely real and believable. Action, adventure, politics, scheming, intrigues, romance - this book has it all. The three main characters - Nahri, Ali, and Dara - are so well-fleshed out and realized, so different from each other, each of them so interesting in their own right. I can’t wait to see what happens next! I borrowed this book from the library and I want to dive into the second book right away, but I’m torn because I want to wait for the special edition set of all three books coming out this summer so I can buy it. I highly recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction that also love a good dose of epic fantasy thrown in the mix. What a GREAT book!

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This was a really good fantasy magical book for a middle grade student. I plan on getting me a copy for my students to share and love.

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It’s astonishing that someone can write about such an intricate, compelling, complex world. Especially a debut author. The City of Brass really stands out due to its setting and diversity. The novel is set in Northern Africa, Cairo, and to the fantasy city of Daevabad. Because the novel was so intricate it did take a long time to find its rhythm and was a bit slow to start. The novel rapidly speeds up in its second act and the ending seemed abrupt which I guess was deliberate leaving the reader curious to see what will happen next. The final battle seems to comes out of nowhere and it leaves many loose threads hanging. There were a bit too many djinn classifications, and characters, and authentic language used, that lost me in this novel as well.

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This book grabbed my attention since the beginning. It isn’t a genre that I usually read but the story was very enticing. If you want to learn about a magical world, djinns, daevas and other mystical crestures, this is the book for you.

The story takes place in a magical city of brass where we meet different types of characters that even though are from the magical world suffer the same heartbreaks and tribulations that as, mere mortals.

There are lots of twists and turns in the story that makes you want to continue reading the book.

OVerall I enjoyed reading this book.

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I've been looking for another epic fantasy series that I can really sink my teeth into, and this is it! If you've ever been interested in Middle Eastern settings, strong female lead characters, or djinns, then this is absolutely the book for you. It was shocking to see this was a debut novel, as the world building is fantastic.

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Puh, this book was a monster! The number of pages was a bit intimidating, but the world and character building was fantastic! What I liked about this book were the two POVs. On the one hand, we see the events through Nahri's eyes. We are "live in her head" and experience her emotions when she summons the daeva warrior, and not just any daeva warrior, but the best one ever. Over the course of the 533 pages we find out that he does not deserve the bad reputation he has even though he had to do horrible things. The other POV is the djinn prince Ali. Unlike his father and brother, he is not cruel. He is selfless and compassionate. Unfortunately, those are not the kind of traits his family wants to see in a djinn heir. Nahri and Dava crossing paths with Ali and his family triggers a series of crazy events.

This was a fun adventure!

Thank you, Netgalley, for a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion!

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The book is intriguing and imaginative fantasy set in a world of Islamic myth. Charkaborty drops the reader into an alternate timeline of Cairo in the Colonial age and almost immediately launches us on a wild adventure filled with djinn and monsters--some of them both. There's a lot here to be said about prejudice and tribalism and I, for one, cannot wait for the next installment.

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I enjoyed reading a fantasy that occurs in and around the mysterious Cairo. This is mythology I am not familiar with. The story seemed long to me since this isn't my usual genre. For fans of fantasy and YA this story is a good representation.
#TheCityofBrass #NetGalley

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This is not my typical genre so that might be why I had a very hard time following this book. I had to put it down several times and return to it to get it finished.

Nahri is a con artist on the streets in Cairo, Egypt and is doing palm readings and other scams. Somehow, she summons a djinn and they are off to the capital which is the brass city.

This book is the first in a trilogy but I don’t believe that I will be reading any more.

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I kept switching back and forth between the e-book and the audiobook. I honestly can’t say if I liked one more than the other. It took me a little bit to get into this novel and I was more interested in Nahri’s portions than Ali’s. I hate to admit this but Ali’s POV would come about and I had to keep rereading or replaying because I’d zone out. Took me longer than normal to get through this because of that. Not to mention the slow start to get to the meat and potatoes of the action.

Definitely a lot of world building in this one. An elaborate foundational setup in the beginning that drives a wonderful display of folklore and fantasy straight at the reader. I love folklore and the fact this novel has a well thought out history of djinn warriors and not little blue men popping out of lamps was awesome. Chakraborty did an amazing job taking a lot of the societal issues we have today and molding them gracefully into the slavery and condemnation of the different tribes in Daevabad. Mixed blood, slavery, rape, torture and basically genocide based on culture and blood. Very well done. My drawback is still the time it took to stop laying down the books architecture and pick up the plot pace. Though I feel she gave readers a feel for what is to come in future books by the end. So I am intrigued to continue onto the next book.

Nahri is really the only character I connected with. She holds the most depth and having a character stick to and remember her roots even in the face of riches made her stand out even more for me. Even with her own gifts she doesn’t believe in folklore and magic until she unleashes a mysterious djinn. Soon a whole new world (no pun intended) of magical beings and forces comes to light. She’s even faced with her own ancestry and past. She makes for an admirable MC. Honestly one of the better ones I have come across in a while.

Thank you to the Book Club Girls, NetGalley and Scribd for making this book available. I do plan to give the second novel in the near future

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Nahri has the ability to tell when someone is sick and is able to heal them. She doesn't know where this ability came from and one day she accidentally summons a mighty warrior Djinn who takes her on a magical ride.

This is book of a trilogy.

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Set against the lush backdrop of Egypt and the middle east, Coty of Brass is a political fantasy involving the djinn. It's rich, complex, and enthralling. I loved every second.

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This. Is. An. Amazing. Book. It’s the story of an orphaned young woman, who accidentally brings forth a djinn. When she’s attacked by ghouls, the djinn protects her, then, as all good genie do, he flies her off on a makeshift carpet. Of course, they have interesting and exciting adventures.

This book has remarkable world building, and the storytelling is equally wonderful. I enjoyed the characters and cared deeply about them. I sped through this book, until I reached the epilogue. Then I slowed down because I didn’t want the book to end. Yes, it was that good.

There are a ton of characters to keep track of, and several locations that are important to keep in mind. In the beginning, I actually had to make a chart to help me remember. It wasn’t long though until everything fell into place. Then it was a delight of a read.

I can’t wait until I can get my hands on the next book in this trilogy.

This is definitely a five star read. If you’re into fantasy, then I highly recommend this book.

I received a free ebook copy from the publisher through Netgalley. I thank them for their generosity, but it had no effect on this review. All opinions in this review reflect my true and honest reactions to reading this book.

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A fantastic start to an interesting series about a young thief and a Djinn warrior. The first couple of chapters were a bit hard to follow as it described the tribes/families. However, once your get through that the story really picks up and takes you for a wild ride! Highly enjoyable.

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While not my favorite genre, this book was interesting. Fans of sci-fi and fantasy will enjoy reading this. I, however, had difficulty following the storyline.

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