The River of Silver is somewhat of a companion to the City of Brass trilogy. I’m talking alternative endings, stories from before, in between, and some additions.

I was really impressed by how much it added to the trilogy. A couple of the stories gave more context, like a behind the scenes look, at things that happen in the trilogy. And it made me fall in love even more with all the books!

I also appreciated that it covered multiple characters and was consistent with their stories and personalities. I almost wish it were longer because it’s just as captivating as the books!

The River of Silver is one of those books that is short, easy to read, and feels like it was written when the other books were done. I mean, some of these stories may have been (and judging by the intros to some of the chapters, they were cut or retooled from previous drafts). It's just... I miss these characters. (It does warm my heart to find out her new series takes place within the same universe!)

My favorite stories have to be with Ali, Zaynab, Jamshid, Muntadhir, Nahri, and Dara.

I am SLIGHTLY bummed that Zaynab is pining over her warrior friend / bodyguard / companion. I kind of wanted her to hook up with Dara in the future. I also want series about them becoming reluctant friends to lovers... but it seems there are other plans.

The Ali / Nahri stories are gorgeous and maybe - just maybe - this will shut the haters up about the two of them together. Their relationship reminds me of a slow burn clean regency romance. The love he has for her is adorable and that he is so delicate with her but respects her is just - perfection.

Jamshid and Muntadhir are cute. I think that in the beginning he was such a whimpy boy but as time went on, his mark / bind re: powers was removed, and everything he went through he became a lot better. I'd also like to read a book about the two of them.

I just loved this entire collection of stories. Maybe one day someone will throw them into the correct spots in the books. For now, it's cute to read and eases the Daevabad hole in my heart.

I don’t want to say much, I know this is connected to her other series - so I’d rather people go into this and see how. But I loved this and adored this so much , it was unbelievable. I cannot wait to see how the story progresses in the future - but I am so happy and so content!

This collection of stories from Daevabad was so wonderful. It was so fun to return to these beloved characters in a way that fleshed out the ending a bit without watering down any of Chakraborty's incredibly well-done conclusion to the series. I finished with a deep desire to both reread the entire trilogy, and also hear more about certain adventures -- Ie. Zaynab, Dara, and Aqisa's quest. (Praying we get a new book out of that!!) I was also struck by the stories about Jamshid and Muntadhir, and enjoyed learning more about the beginning of their relationship, as well as their reconciliation. All in all, River of Silver is an awesome add-on to the canon!

This was so much fun. S.A. Chakraborty is a beautiful story teller and it was so fun to revisit these characters. It’s amazing how emotionally invested I was in even the most minor characters. It adds depth to an already amazing trilogy.

Her writing never lets me down.

I'm a huge fan of this author and particularly of the Daevabad series so I was nearly guaranteed to like this title, and I did! The promise of these books is being able drink in the richness of a fascinating world, learning the culture of the djinn, and all the strife and conflict roiling from Daevabad's denizens like smoke from a flaming brazier.
Though this book is 'just' deleted scenes and outtakes, they form enough of their own story to be interesting on their own, and if you've read the other books, it's a wonderful bit of insight into characters who may not have had much screen time or other facets of characters who did. Truly an excellent experience. You can read my full review on:

https://alligatorsandaneurysms.wordpress.com/2022/10/14/a-river-of-silver-review-more-than-just-deleted-scenes-outtakes/

The River of Silver takes us back to the world of Chakraborty’s Daevabad, offering an anthology of fifteen tales, snippets, prologues, and cut scenes that enrich the world of the novels, provide fresh new insight into many of the series’ characters, and give additional context for some of the events we’ve already seen unfold. Best of all, almost all of the entries focus on characters who are not Nahid heroine Nahri or her thousands of years old Afshin, Darayavahoush, allowing various supporting and background figures from the larger world of the trilogy to take center stage at last. (Though one the few that do, including Dara and Nahri’s initial journey through a human market to Daevabad and a scene from early in her marriage to the emir Muntadir, are two of the book’s best.)

The stories within The River of Silver vary in length and tone, and many (most?) are as deftly bittersweet as Chakraborty’s larger trilogy. Some fill in emotional gaps from the novels, while others feel almost as though they could be standalone adventures that just happen to take place in the same universe. And still more occur in the spaces between the books, giving us a glimpse at what happened to various characters during the breaks between each novel, detailing events that had only been previously referred to in throwaway lines of exposition.

The River of Silver is a sort of errata to the Daevabad Trilogy, containing a mix of new stories and sections cut from earlier drafts. Given the immense scope of the original trilogy and all of the players, it's satisfying to return to the world to see both side and main characters/relationships fleshed out.

In particular, this volume makes Muntadhir more sympathetic. I was especially touched by the last story— while I never found the relationship between Ali and Nahri compelling, this sweet addendum made me understand it much better. This really made me want to reread the original trilogy with this new appreciation.

I’m so happy to dive back into this world! A collection of short stories featuring characters from the City of Brass trilogy, this book will only make sense if you’ve read that trilogy. But as someone who loved (and highly recommends) those books, it was like a delicious cup of tea. The author said in a preface that they were written for her comfort/to get out of writers block during the pandemic, and that is what they felt like. But I’m so grateful that she decided to share them, and can’t wait to see more original work from her!

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*