You do not have to convince me to read a book about djinn - excuse me, daevas as Chakraborty, author of my first read of the year, The City of Brass, refers to djinn. Or, as she writes it, as they refer to themselves.
I’ve always found the idea of djinn fascinating, even though it has mainly been presented to me in the form of a djinn being enslaved to humans and giving them anything they want. The idea was a little bit more prosaically presented in Robin William’s fantastic performance as Genie in Disney’s Aladdin, but up until now I’ve yet to read a book that gives the djinn - referred to as daevas in this book - the dynamic characterization that they deserve. Now that I’ve read The City of Brass, I will be on the hunt for more.
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...Summary from Goodreads
My Review
Chakraborty gives us three POVs in this exciting start to the Daevabad Trilogy beginning with the The City of Brass. Nahri, an intrepid young woman surviving in a hostile world; Dara, a mysterious daevas warrior with a dark past; and Ali, a daevas prince with a heart of gold struggling to serve his conscience in a world of political intrigue, oppression, and violence.
Without spoiling key points of the plot, let me just say that I had no desire to skip any POV presented. Each separate storyline, and the way they merged, separated again, and then clashed in the finale, was a fascinating read.
The setting is rich in Arabic, African, and Islamic myths, culture, and lore and the mythos of the world of The City of Brass is only one exciting element. The plot is a labyrinth of intrigue, love, and adventure. Chakraborty presents concepts of oppression and bigotry with a humane and delicate touch while presenting the reader with characters from every side to root for, fall for, and mourn for.
I was delighted to sail through this book, and having read her Adventures of Almina Al-Sirafi, I knew I could trust Chakraborty to deliver. If you’re looking for an exciting adventure filled with action, magic, love, betrayal, and hope, The City of Brass is a book I would instantly recommend. Especially to lovers of all things fantasy.