Whoa! I don't think I've ever been more terrified for characters in my entire life. They felt so real and alive, bleeding through the pages and worming their way into my heart. I cried. I laughed. I cried again.
BLURB
Nahri has never believed in magic. Certainly, she has power; on the streets of 18th century Cairo, she’s a con woman of unsurpassed talent. But she knows better than anyone that the trade she uses to get by—palm readings, zars, healings—are all tricks, sleights of hand, learned skills; a means to the delightful end of swindling Ottoman nobles.
But when Nahri accidentally summons an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior to her side during one of her cons, she’s forced to accept that the magical world she thought only existed in childhood stories is real. For the warrior tells her a new tale: across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire, and rivers where the mythical marid sleep; past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises, and mountains where the circling hawks are not what they seem, lies Daevabad, the legendary city of brass, a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound.
In that city, behind gilded brass walls laced with enchantments, behind the six gates of the six djinn tribes, old resentments are simmering. And when Nahri decides to enter this world, she learns that true power is fierce and brutal. That magic cannot shield her from the dangerous web of court politics. That even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences.
After all, there is a reason they say be careful what you wish for...
WORLD-BUILDING
This is a rich story, filled to the brim with magic, adventure, and most importantly, a tangible world that I wanted to stay in forever. The story begins in Cairo during the French campaign in the late 1700's, which was right up my alley! I love historical fantasy, and would love to read more. The author clearly knew what she was writing about, and made me want to dive head first and explore the rich culture myself.
CHARACTERS
As said, I've never been more scared for any character in my entire life. Dara was my favorite, but Nahri and Ali quickly grew on me. They were complex, unique, and most importantly, they were real. I think I would marry Dara in a heartbeat, though. Genuinely.
PLOT
The author did such an amazing job of making this book complex in the most magical, realistic way. Who's the villain? Who can't I trust? Who is telling the truth? I learned alongside the characters, trying to weed out the lies, trying to understand all that was being put into my head. The ending had me on the edge of my seat, sweaty fingers gripping the pages, tears dripping from my eyes. It was intense.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone in a reading slump, looking to expand their reading variety, or looking to grow as a writer. The plot twists, the characters, the world building, down to the smallest details like food, had be fully immersed. Now if you excuse, me, I shall go cry over how much emotional turmoil this book as put me through.
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