Great short story collection to revisit the world of what started out as an excellent trilogy. I enjoyed getting to see more from these characters.

I’ve been obsessed with S. A. Chakraborty’s writing and the world of the Daevabad Trilogy ever since my little sister pressed her copy of “The City of Brass” into my hand and said, “You will love this.” (For the record, I ended up buying the next two books in the series before she did.) Not only do I love fantasy novels set in the Middle East, but I am always down to read epic fantasy written by female writers, since white males dominated that genre for so long. It’s gotten a lot better, but I will always want to be in line to read epic fantasy written by females. Even more so when the books aren’t even about white people (because we’ve been the stars of books for far too long). 

Now, here’s where I tell you that what’s important to note about this book is the title. These are “tales” of the Daevabad Trilogy. You’ll see at the very beginning of the book that Chakraborty has a detailed explanation of what is in this book and how it came to be: during the pandemic, she was having trouble writing, so she went through her research notes and other writings she had done while writing the trilogy. Most of this was roughly written or only partially drafted, so she just worked on it so she was working on something, and out came these fully fleshed short stories from a world she loved and knew. 

To speak of which story is which, and who stars in them would kind of be a spoiler in itself, because they go in chronological order. But, for all of you die hard Chakraborty fans, there is an alternative epilogue for “The Empire of Gold”, and I know I find alternative endings fascinating. 

If you haven’t read the Daevabad Trilogy yet, please go and read it, and then read this, and it’ll make an epic fantasy lover out of you. 

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for granting me access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review. 

File Under: Fantasy/Historical Fantasy/Epic Fantasy/5 Star Books/Collections/Fantasy Series/Historical Fantasy/OwnVoices

I really enjoyed this book and cannot wait to read more,  I loved the writing and the characters and the pace.

I cheated a little on the Read Around the World prompt but I went in with good faith. One of the main characters in the books is from Cairo and the Daevabad series has spent time there. In this book it doesn't seem like Cairo is a setting but somewhere in north Africa where the veil is thin between the supernatural and natural world does seem like it's a setting.

This is a book of short stories about the characters from the Daevabad trilogy. It seems like the author wrote up different vignettes and character development that never made it into the books but she wanted to share them anyway. You will definitely want to have read the trilogy before reading this book!

The stories are in chronological order and spoiler warnings are posted for each story, depending on how far in the series that story is set. If you ever wondered what Hatset thought when she met Ghassan and they married to have Ali and Zaynab, or what it was like for Muntadhir to meet his bodyguard and the man he grew to love, or what the next steps for Nahri and Ali might have been once the series ended, you can learn all of that here.

I had forgotten a few of the characters, I confess, and had a bit of a hard time getting going with the book, but I was drawn into the frightening, repressive and dazzling world of Daevabad once again. Side note: reading all of these stories made me notice how much the author loves a gem encrusted item! No complaints, though.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for providing me with an advanced copy. What follows is my (late) honest review. 

There’s a lot I appreciate about this book, both plot-wise and structure-wise. Structurewise, I appreciate how short this book was—especially having just finished Empire of Gold. I found it much easier to read than the main series because of how it was separated out, and the explanations at the beginning of each story explaining where it fits within the greater series was extremely useful. 

The River of Silver enriches an already very rich world, and I loved getting to learn more about our side characters, before during and after the events of the main series. Muntadhir and Jamshid’s romance in particular was something I loved learning more about, and I was thrilled to get some Zaynab POVs.

Overall, there really isn’t much I didn’t like. Some of the earlier stories felt slow to me and were harder to get through. There wasn’t nearly enough Dara—and this is honestly my biggest complaint, in part because he’s my favorite character and in part because there’s just so much that could be done with him. I’ll admit too that the final story was disappointing to me. I might be in the minority of this, but Ali frustrated me throughout the series and I never felt any romantic chemistry even in the most romantic scenes between him and Nahri. I thought I’d finally escaped getting hints of romance shoved down my throat after EOG, just for the last story—and likely the last story in this universe I’ll ever read—to shove it on me some more.

Ahhh it was so nice returning to the stories of Daevabad even just for a little bit. I've missed these characters and Chakraborty's writing is descriptive. What a great way to escape.

I loved the return to the world, and seeing not only where characters started but also where some are after the events of the series. Overall I thought that the book was beautifully written and enriches the series overall.

When S.A. Chakraborty concluded The Daevabad Trilogy, I thought that was it – that it was all over. Then she hinted at something else she was working on from this world, and my hopes lifted right back up into the stratosphere. And here it is - The River of Silver, an anthology of short stories set around the main series of events.

Have you ever felt like there was more to explore in The Daevabad Trilogy? Or did you ever want to see a piece of the story through a different character's perspective? Well, I have good news for you because The River of Silver does exactly that.

This anthology collects fifteen short stories from this world. Some are set before the series kicks off, some happen directly in the middle, and others follow the conclusion. In other words, it's a nice variety of stories to dive into.

Continue reading to see my quick take on each short in this anthology. If you look below, you'll see that every short story is basically named after the primary perspective, which is different – but quite effective!

Manizheh
Rating: ★★★★
Set decades before The City of Brass. I think this short hurt a lot more than I expected. It's easy to feel sympathy for Manizheh's character, at least at first. Once my brain picked up on what was happening – and remembered all the pain she caused – things got a bit more complicated.

Duriya
Rating: ★★★★★
Set about a year before Manizheh's perspective (above) takes place. Oh, I love this one so, SO much. Duriya is Nahri's mother, and while we hear quite a bit about her (or her family line) we don't get to know a whole lot about the woman herself. So it was refreshing to see the world from her eyes, even if just for a little bit.

Hatset
Rating: ★★★★★
Set decades before The City of Brass. Since we learned more about one mother (Duriya), it only makes sense that we would also learn about another famous mother. Hatset is the mother of Ali and Zaynab, and once again, it was refreshing to see her take on the world. I sort of love how carefully she planned everything out. Gotta respect that.

Muntadhir
Rating: ★★★★
Set a few years before The City of Brass. Muntadhir gets a chance to have his say in this story. Readers can even see a bit of his budding romance (I'll leave it at that, so I don't spoil anything for those that haven't read the books yet).

Jamshid
Rating: ★★★★
Set a year after Muntadhir's chapter. Jamshid reminds me of a puppy – he's loyal, dependable, and desperate to make those he cares about happy. It hurts to see, even in the early days before, everything got so complicated and messed up.

Dara
Rating: ★★★★★
Set early in The City of Brass. Dara! I missed seeing Dara's perspective, so this was fun to dive back into. This small moment from Dara and Nahri's chaotic run makes it easier to see them as two people in a shitty situation.

Jamshid
Rating: ★★★★
Set near the end of The City of Brass. Back to Jamshid! I love the rep in this short story, and it did a good job of reminding us of the complexity of Jamshid's situation. He's being torn by love and loyalties, and it's going to cost him.

Ali
Rating: ★★★★
Set after The City of Brass. This is our first look at Ali's perspective (for this anthology, that is). The whole story is a satirical take on folktales, which I adore the concept of. However, I did struggle to get into it a little bit.

The Scout
Rating: ★★★★
Originally the alternative prologue for The Kingdom of Copper. I hate to say it, but I'm happy that this wasn't the prologue we got. It's still a worthwhile read, and in fairness, it probably does set the right tone. But still.

Nahri
Rating: ★★★★★
Set during The Kingdom of Copper. Finally! I had missed Nahri so much, so I was really looking forward to finding a few of her short stories in this anthology. This short hits hard in that it contains a conversation between Nahri and Muntadhir while they were (unwillingly) married. As you might imagine, it's quite intense and has a lot of implications. Still, it made me like Muntadhir a bit more.

Ali
Rating: ★★★★★
Set during The Kingdom of Copper. I forgot about this! So at one point, Ali was put in charge of several things (a few of which he demanded to take control over because this is Ali we're talking about). One such thing was designing a garden for Nahri. I love it.

Zaynab
Rating: ★★★★
Set after The Kingdom of Copper. I was not expecting to see a short from Zaynab's perspective, but I'm here for it! You can really tell that she's her mother's daughter, especially in this anthology, where both get a chance to shine.

Muntadhir
Rating: ★★★★★
Set at the end of The Empire of Gold. Haha! This one absolutely made me laugh. Picture “ruin that dress” but with a slightly more formal twist. It's perfect. I actually wish this had made it into the original novel.

An Alternative Epilogue to The Empire of Gold
Rating: ★★★★
As the title indicates, this was originally to be the epilogue for The Empire of Gold. I can see why this was almost the epilogue. It does a great job of showing us what sort of path Dara will have to follow if he wants to keep true to his word. But I can also see why the other epilogue was chosen.

Nahri
Rating: ★★★★★
Set a little over a year after The Empire of Gold. Aww. This is arguably the sweetest inclusion to the entire series, and you have to read it. Especially if you ship Nahri/Ali, that is all I will say.

I absolutely love this world and I didn't think I would ever get to experience another first in it. I love these short stories and getting to see more sides to characters we either met briefly or not at all. The writing is just as incredible and made me long for a reread and visit with these characters again.

When the one reviewer chose not to cover this one and it landed in my email I was so over joyed!! This was such a great book! This book had everything to bring me back to the world of Daevabad and this is where I so want to be.  From short stories to cut chapters this was a book I devoured within one setting. I need more!

I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley/Publishers in exchange of an honest review.

I'm so happy to be thrown back into the series with these little glimpses. This book can also be read as a companion novel to the other books because of the well placed disclaimer for each story. It offered an insight into the "villians'" back story and characters you have grown to love and admire.  I never felt that the essence of the characters had diminished anywhere in the story. I don't think I need to comment on the phenomenal writing by Shannon.

Reading the first story broke me. I could see the making of a "villain" and came to truly appreciate the carefully crafted character by Shannon. I understood the trials and tribulations faced by the character and see how it affected the character. The second story left me wanting for more. More for the characters I saw and started to love. I really hope this story will lead to a book in the future.  I equally loved and enjoyed the rest of the stories but I felt that the first two stories needed a special mention. After reading this book, I felt that all the characters are at peace now! Jamshid & Muntadhir, Zaynab and Nahri & Ali got a blissful and heartwarming ending. There couldn't have been a happier ending in this storyline.

I don't have any cons about the book. I simply loved and enjoyed this book and the whole series. If you need a sign to go read this series now, then here it is! *SIGN*

** I received a copy from netgalley/the publisher for an honest review**

In my opinion I don’t believe this was totally needed. I felt some of the tales were good and I’m glad I read them but for the rest I just felt they were not needed. Still overall this was a good book. The writing was fantastic as always and I really appreciated the author explaining when each tale took place and whether or not it was spoiling anything

This trilogy was seriously amazing and if you love a fantasy series with stunning world building then you have to pick this one up! While I do think the trilogy was perfect, I thought the short stories added a lot to the world and the characters. Each story had a blurb at the beginning which explained where it fits among the books, if there's spoilers (and for which books) and sometimes some information about when it was written. I love when authors give this insight and I'm so glad I got to read this one!

I highly recommend this book for fans of the series (and you should become a fan if you're not).

Finished reading 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒂𝒆𝒗𝒂𝒃𝒂𝒅 𝑻𝒓𝒊𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒚 and craving more adventures set in the same world?? Then 𝑹𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝑺𝒊𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒓 is the book for you and is the answer to all our hopes and prayers if you’re a 𝑫𝒂𝒆𝒗𝒂𝒃𝒂𝒅 groupie like me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 brilliant stars

A delightful collection of 15 short stories from a range of main and side characters, this companion novel for 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒂𝒆𝒗𝒂𝒃𝒂𝒅 𝑻𝒓𝒊𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒚 happens before, during, and after the events of the trilogy. A wonderful glimpse into events going on behind the scenes, I can sleep more peacefully at night knowing I’ve read this beautiful book!

Five stories happen before the start of 𝑪𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝑩𝒓𝒂𝒔𝒔, the first book in the series. Eight stories take place concurrently with the trilogy. And this one of the many many reasons I love Shannon Chakraborty: she provides us with an alternate epilogue and a final bonus chapter post epilogue! I loved both endings equally and am just all around obsessed with this epic adult fantasy story and it’s amazing characters.

For all of reasons above, I would recommend reading this novel after finishing the trilogy! I think the reader will enjoy this book more having more background and understanding of the characters and the world of Daevabad.

The Daevabad series has a special place in my heart, and I was beyond thrilled to read The River of Silver. 

The stories within The River of Silver are a wonderful complement to the series. In chronological order, we are taken back to Daevabad, complete with spoiler warnings for each story and a timeline of when each scene took place.

It was glorious to return to this world. This collection added so much depth and gave a behind-the-scenes look that we weren’t privy to before.

If you’ve read and loved this series as much as I have, or even if you’re making your way through the series now, The River of Silver is a wonderful companion read.

Special thanks to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the ARC. All thoughts in this review are honest and my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Voyager, and SA Chakraborty for providing me with an eARC of this book. This is my honest review.
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To be very transparent, this is less of a coherent review and more of a blubbering, fangirling session 😂 The Daevabad trilogy is one of my favorite fantasy series of all time, so reading the River of Silver felt like coming home. I had already read some of the stories included here, but I honestly didn’t even mind. I missed this world and these characters so much! If I could read about them for the rest of time, I think I would. You get to see things that we’ve never seen before and little moments in between what we already know. Some of these stories even gave me a new perspective on a few characters. It’s a beautiful collection of stories told with so much warmth and care. There’s a reason SA Chakraborty is one of my favorite authors and this is just another stunning example.
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If you haven’t read the Daevabad trilogy, why not?! Please drop everything and go do that right now! And if you’ve already read the Daevabad trilogy, please do yourself a favor and pick up River of Silver. I promise you won’t regret it.
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The River of Silver is a compilation of stories set in the same world as SA Chakraborty’s Daevabad trilogy. It is available for purchase NOW in ebook, hardcover, and audiobook format.

”Daevabad had seemed the very definition of magic.”

These collected tales offer new insight into characters and hidden moments that readers didn’t necessarily get to experience during the original trilogy. We see the mourning that followed the death of Ghassan‘s first wife; the congenial start to Ghassan and Hatset’s marriage; the pure and wholesome chance encounter that eventually begets Nahri; and so much more. We experience Jamshid’s loyalty, Zaynab’s courage, Ghassan’s thoughtfulness, Manizeh’s humanity, and Daevabad’s magic anew. 

For sure, you’d have to be familiar with the series already in order to appreciate this book. I’d even say that, not only do you need to have read the first three books in order, but probably fairly recently. There are so many characters and plot lines referenced here, so if it’s been a while since you left the world of Daevabad, you might appreciate a refresher before diving back in. 

Admittedly, The River of Silver isn’t a necessary component of the Daevabad series. It is entirely possible to fall in love with the story and the characters, and to experience the fullness of Chakraborty’s unparalleled fantasy world, by only reading the original trilogy. This book is like the bonus content that they used to include on purchased DVDs - something extra special to enhance the experience, for you to enjoy if you’d like to, but choosing not to partake will in no way diminish the basics.

I loved this, simply because the Daevabad series is my favorite fantasy series to have ever been written, and any extra dose of Daeva/Nahid magic is a home run for me. All of the original characters were well-represented, and even the villains are humanized in new, moving ways. Five whole-hearted stars!

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A huge thank you to S.A. Chakraborty, Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Daevabad Trilogy is an all time fave of mine so I was 100% stoked to receive an ARC of this one. This book is a compilation of short stories and content about characters backgrounds, scenes the author wrote that didn’t end up in the trilogy, and some content about our fave characters after the events in EMPIRE OF GOLD. I loved being in the world of Daevabad again and seeing my fave characters some more. Bless the author for including notes about context and where these stories fit into the original books as well as a brief summary of what happened before. That made it a lot easier for me to get into this one. I’m weird with short story collections but this is one that absolutely worked for me!

In a way, the question of who will enjoy The River of Silver is a binary one. Did you like the Daevabad trilogy? Then you'll love getting these short stories, new perspectives on favorite characters and more depth to background ones. Haven't read Daevabad yet? Start at the beginning with City of Brass, then pick this one up when you've read the others. The stories all assume you've read the rest of the books and are filled with spoilers, though Chakraborty helpfully marks out which books are spoiled in each story. A wonderful return to an enchanting world.

It’s four stars if you’ve read the trilogy that this fills in the corners for.  If you haven’t read the trilogy it’d be a bad place to start.  She’s an excellent author on the more literary end of the father’s genre and would be a solid choice if you don’t usually read fantasy but want to try some.  I look forward to seeing more from this author and I hope she has ideas for new stories in different worlds.