A perfect anthology, in my mind, has a constant throughline tying the stories together. There’s some kind of overlying theme or ending story that makes the work as a whole cohesive - beyond just the world it’s set in. The River of Silver, while revisiting the lush world of the Daevabad trilogy, reads much less like an anthology and much more like a collection of chapters S.A. Chakraborty couldn’t find a way to slot into the main storyline of the series and still wanted to publish. Each short story is completely independent of each other and follow no sense of order or timeline - some containing spoilers for the entire series and some that can be read even before the first book. Which is puzzling, because there’s definitely not enough “meat” in each story to guarantee a new reader to the series would enjoy any one of them without a fair amount of background information.

I’m a shameless Jamshid fan, and come away from this book aware that I would have much preferred a full novella that focused solely on him than these short, completely disconnected short stories spanning centuries. This anthology is for the superfans of the series, the readers that want every bit of additional exposure to the world and each of the characters now that the trilogy has concluded. As a casual enjoyer of the series I find myself not necessarily disappointed that these little tidbits didn’t blow me away. But I’m not sure I’ll remember them beyond a passing thought of “oh that’s some interesting new context.”

In the end, if this was S.A. Chakraborty’s way of formally sharing with the world scenes she never managed to work into the final published Daevabad trilogy - I’m sure it was a cathartic and fulfilling experience to release. It’s nothing close to my personal idea of a structurally sound anthology, but I’m still going to read anything else she releases. I just think her writing and attention to character detail shines more in her 500+ page tomes where she has the time to really illustrate the complexity of her vision. These kinds of short, disconnected random collections of stories aren’t really the pieces to a cohesive anthology, but stories I’m sure fans of the series will resonate with them nonetheless.

Thank you to the publisher Harper Voyager for providing an e-ARC via NetGalley for an honest review.

I *cherished* the Daevabad trilogy when I finished it. It is going to be one of those book series that I will read for the rest of my life. I thought I had the closure I needed, but River of Silver was just so much fun. I love that we got to spend more time with side characters, even though I love Ali and Nahri and Dara. I was most happy to see more from Jamshid and Muntadhir and of course Manizheh. If you loved the Daevabad trilogy, you will not regret picking this one up.

The Daevabad trilogy are some of my all-time favorite books, so I was so thrilled about this collection of short stories. That said, I often struggle with reading deleted scenes and bonus chapters because I feel like once a story has concluded, I don't need to go back. Thankfully that wasn't the case at all with The River of Silver! Chakraborty's beautiful prose instantly drew me back to this magical world and I really enjoyed getting new insights into my favorite characters. I definitely recommend all Daevabad fans read this book!

AS usual SA Chakraborty does a masterpiece . Loved returning to Daevabad and meeting characters old and new . Cant wait for her new pirate triology

S. A. Chakraborty is absolutely one of my favorite authors, without a doubt. I've read City of Brass no less than four times, and the others just as often. When I saw the River of Silver announced, I was both anxious and extremely excited. The world of Daevabad is one I would love to immerse myself in always, but I was curious to see if/how these short stories would change my feelings.

The River of Silver was delightful. It gave me another taste of Daevabad without changing original story lines. The alternative epilogues gave us a beautiful taste of stronger relationships, healing relationships. Finishing this book made me hungry all over again for more. Chakraborty is a master with words, world building, character development. All in all, she's just simply a master. I cannot wait to see what else she creates.

I enjoyed diving back into this world after reading the trilogy! It was full of short stories set chronologically starting from before the first book. Definitely read the trilogy first as the short story’s contain spoilers!

4/5 stars!

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a stunning collection of bonus chapters and an alternate ending for the City of Brass trilogy. If you have read the trilogy, this book does contain spoilers, so make sure you're ready! I was curious about the additional chapters and so I dove right in and I do not regret a single moment. The author's style and voice are impeccable and I love the deep investment in characters that we're awarded in The River of Silver. If you're looking for just a bit more City of Brass to love, you'll enjoy these chapters. It took me a minute to understand what was happening as each chapter might spoil a different book in the trilogy. Be sure to read the chapter headings! I didn't think I could love the characters more than I already did, but this proved me wrong. Loved every minute of the book.

This is a collection of short stories set in the same world as the Daevabad trilogy and following a bunch of your favorite characters. If you were a fan of the original books, there is more to love here and you're definitely going to want to pick it up. I loved returning to visit with all my favorites!

This anthology takes place ranging from decades before the events of City of Brass through decades after Empire of Gold. The review will not contain spoilers, however, this collection should be read after the Daevabad trilogy, as there are spoilers for the main story arc.

Stepping back into Daevabad for these character sketches and short stories was simply magical. As she says in her author’s note, in her original efforts in Daevabad, Chakraborty wrote many scenes for her side characters that never made it into the final drafts. It’s evident in the original trilogy that there is expressive depth of character to everyone, and that comes from this off-page development. This collection of stories gives us glimpses of Manizeh, Hatset, Muntadhir, Jamshid, and Zaynab, as well as returning us to Nahri, Ali, and Dara.

These stories contain beautiful and fierce moments, sly plot developments, and heartbreaking exchanges. I was glad to have recently reread the Daevabad trilogy this spring, so each of the characters was fresh in my mind. But this return to Daevabad through River of Silver was powerful and unique. Chakraborty’s storytelling layers and unfolds her world further.

I highly recommend anyone who has read and enjoyed the Daevabad trilogy pick this up.

Thank you to @harpervoyagerus and @netgally for an eARC for review. This is available now as an Audible exclusive and in print and ebook 10/11/22.

I'm not typically a big fan of collections of short stories set within a series' world. However, The River of Silver was one of the happier surprises of the summer. The way Chakraborty structured the book and the moments in their lives she focused on made me appreciate the Daevabad trilogy even more. Rather than feel like standalone tales, each chapter felt like it provided so much emotional depth and nuance to the stories I already knew. If you're a fan of the trilogy, I can't recommend The River of Silver more.

I’ll take any extra minute I can get to stay in the Daevabad universe, so I thoroughly enjoyed this book. My particular favorites were the extra Muntadhir and Jamshid chapters — I wish those two had a book all to themselves! I’m not sure every story in this collection was “necessary,” but that’s why they’re short stories on the side, not in the original books themselves. Seeing Ali in the garden with Nahri was a favorite scene for me. As always, Chakraborty’s writing is beautiful and draws you in. I have too many highlighted lines to even count them all up. For anyone who loved the original trilogy, definitely pick this up. Maybe someone can create a guide to show when to read each of these chapters while reading through the original trilogy — I think that would be the best way to experience them!

Even though this wasn’t a perfect collection and even though I didn’t give all the stories here 5/5 stars, I still absolutely loved these tales and think it is an essential read for anyone who enjoyed the original trilogy.

As someone who has realized I am not a fan of short story collections (even ones that are a part of series I love), I was definitely apprehensive going into this collection. But, from the very first story, I was so pleasantly surprised.

I absolutely adored getting to see into the minds of other characters—and even the main trio—before, during, and after the main books in the series. I love that this book was ordered chronologically as it was such a seamless read, and S.A. Chakraborty deserves the Pulitzer for putting in a short description of where each story fell in the timeline.

Again, while not every story was a favorite, I loved how they each played into a larger story. This collection works so amazingly once finished in totality and even if some stories are better than others, they work together in such a phenomenal, magical way. My main complaints with the original series regarding pacing were non-existent here as the stories were all pretty short so they had to get right to the heart of things.

Every story here was magical, whimsical, and amazingly written as to be expected.

INDIVIDUAL RATINGS:

1. Manizeh 🍃 4/5
2. Duriya 🏞 4/5
3. Hatset 👑 4/5
4. Muntadhir ⚔️ 5/5
5. Jamshid 🌌 4/5
6. Dara🧞‍♂️4/5
7. Jamshid 💫 3.75/5
8. Ali 🌊 5/5
9. The Scout ❄️ 6/5 (One of my favorite short stories of all time!!)
10. Nahri 💎 4/5
11. Ali ⛲️ 4.5/5
12. Zaynab 🧕🏾4/5
13. Muntadhir 💘4.25/5
14. An Alternative Epilogue to The Empire of Gold 🍀 3.75/5
15. Nahri 🏔 4.5/5

🌊🌌❄️

***4 Stars***
Overall,
It wasn’t what I wanted but it was something. I loved the Daevabad trilogy so much and like any reader will jump at any chance to dive back into the worlds they love. This collection of short stories gives us insight and view into side characters and a little bit more context on historical events. Seeing the world through there eyes gives more credence to the motivations of and a bit more of the why they acted certain ways later. My biggest hope going into this was getting more of an extended epilogue or one that May gives us insight into what happens after. While there was some of that it was not nearly as much as I wanted. Perhaps that’s just me being selfish. Overall I enjoyed diving back into this world.

Recommendation, if you have read the trilogy I would say this is for you. You will need to have read it to get the context of most of the scenes and the author does a good job telling you what books each story will spoil.

Thoroughly enjoyed this just as I did the trilogy. It was nice being back in this world and seeing the characters again. Beautifully done.

This whole collection really feels like a treat, and I devoured it. In an effort to keep this review spoiler-free, I will also keep it brief:

The River of Silver was a tremendously satisfying return to the world of Daevabad, with short stories set chronologically from before the beginning of the series to a charming endcap hinting at What Came Next. Readers get to learn stories that feel like glimpses behind the scenes and add depth and nuance to events and characters in the main trilogy. Oh, and there are lots of spoilers for the main trilogy in these stories, so I heartily recommend reading all three books before reading this one, although Chakraborty considerately warns readers before each story when, chronologically, the story is set, and what books it has spoilers for.

This was a rewarding read, and I’ve already acquired a copy for my personal collection. I recommend readers who loved the Daevabad Trilogy and crave more do the same.

I wish this book had been out when I finished reading the Daevabad trilogy last year, because a lot of these stories would be been more enjoyable if the details of the plot were fresher in my mind. That said, it was nice to revisit some of my favorite characters - namely Muntadhir and Zaynab.

I would recommend this to fans of the Daevabad trilogy, but I think reading it immediately after the rest of the trilogy will give you the best reading experience.

Just when I thought I couldn’t love the Daevabad series anymore, Chakraborty comes out with this beautiful collection of stories that add so much nuance to an already epic tale.

I am truly blown away at how much I loved each of these excerpts! Wild to say this, but thank goodness for the pandemic for causing her to revisit these scenes and publish them for us. There were so many things I loved about this…

First, I love how she opens with an author’s note to give some context as to how this collection came about. It’s always nice to know authors love their fictional worlds and characters, and reading about how these old stories brought her comfort while the world was so strange really made me feel joyful.

Second, at the start of each excerpt she gives a tiny blurb about where this story fits into the whole series as well as what it contains spoilers for. That means if you were just starting the series, you could actually use this as a complement to your reading as you go through each book without ruining any big reveals. Such a smart move on her part. Plus, all the excerpts are in chronological order.

Third, we get such a deeper look into the side characters of the series. Hatset, Zaynab, and Jamshid really shine in this collection. I would read a million more stories about each of them!

And finally, it’s just a testament to the world Chakraborty created that it felt so easy to slip right back into the storylines for each book of the series. What a phenomenal writer!

This is a no brainer: read the series (honestly the best fantasy series I’ve ever read), and then add even more joy to your life by reading this collection.

Big thanks to the publisher for making my dreams come true by giving me an eARC for this one. All thoughts in this review are mine.

Unputdownable. I loved being back in the world of Daevabad. This answered questions that I was still left with at the end of the trilogy and gave me new insight into characters I both loved and hated. Shannon makes you feel for them even when you want to send a Shedu after them. Could read stories in this world forever.

One would think that I had no more tears left after sobbing at the ending of Empire of Gold. And yet this short story collection made me tear up TWICE. This book is for everyone whose favorite characters were Jamshid and Muntadhir. That would be me. I feel like this was written for me.

None of these stories are necessary to read but they add beautiful depth and context to these characters. In particular, we get important conversations between Muntadhir and Jamshid and between Nahri and Alizayd (spoiler those conversations are the ones that made me tear up). There were two or three stories that felt a bit unnecessary but I still enjoyed S. A. Chakraborty's writing and world building.

Returning to my love of Muntadhir, his character really shined in this book. We get insight into his internal conflict, love for his siblings, and his relationship with Nahri, Jamshid, and his father. The insight we get into his character alone made this book five stars for me.

As much as I loved Dara I am glad that he was not the star of this book. The stories that involve him are short and served their purpose, but I appreciate that other characters took center stage. Nahri also takes more of a background role in this collection. I feel like this was fitting given that she is the main character. She is always relevant and in the background, but this book is devoted to exploring the side characters who did not get as much page time in the main trilogy.

I love that there were notes at the top of each chapter to indicate where the story fit and provide a bit of context for when and why it was written.

Now I just want to reread the trilogy!

This is a perfect addition to the Daevabad series. I absolutely love the series and having more was just what the doctor ordered. It's meticulously written, plotted and I cannot stress enough that Chakraborty truly never dumbs down her writing for her audience. It's always gorgeous prose. You can feel the sand under your toes and the heat in your hair. It's absolutely marvelous. Do I wish a couple things went a different way for *my* characters? Maybe. It's still a great ride.



Thank you for the arc