Review: The Kingdom of Copper

Title: The Kingdom of Copper
Author: S.A. Chakraborty
Genre: Adult Fantasy
Page Count: 544
Published by Harper Voyager
Date Published: January 22, 2019
You can find it here: Bookshop.org

Synopsis

Five years after the events of The City of Brass, Nahri finds herself settled in her role as the official and sole surviving Nahid healer in Daevabad. While she is becoming more and more confident in her abilities she knows she exists within a golden cage, forever under the watchful eye & thumb of the evil King Ghassan.

Meanwhile Ali has been banished by the King for his role in the climatic events that ended The City of Brass. Lost and wandering across the desert he relies upon his mysterious Marid-granted gifts to survive and eventually he is taken in by a small village. But his survival does not go unnoticed and events soon have Ali back in Daevabad … where not everyone is happy to see him, many with murderous intent.

While vengeful forces swirl around the magical city and terror & oppression reign within, the centuries-wrought tensions that have been building between the Daevas, the Nahids, and the Shafits will soon collide in an unforgettable battle that will tear everyone between duty and belief, loyalty and the truth.

Discussion

Let’s Talk Sequels in which we can’t say very much for spoilers sake:

It is truly a challenge to discuss The Kingdom of Copper without spoiling some of the ending of The City of Brass, but I will do my utmost best and be very generic in this review.

I will say this, this sequel is fantastic. Utterly brilliant and, surprising as it is, might even surpass The City of Brass. Maybe it is because I am familiar with the characters and pronunciations, having read The City of Brass and The Kingdom of Copper back to back, but whatever the reason this sequel truly shines.

The Kingdom of Copper jumps forward five years, and it was truly remarkable to see the subtle shift and maturity Chakraborty gave her characters. While Nahri and Ali are still both idealists, they have mellowed greatly, exhibiting slightly more caution, forward thinking, and plotting. While both are headstrong and often unable to hold their tongues, the hotheadedness both characters displayed in the series opener has shifted. I love seeing character growth like this, truly remarkable writing.

Let’s Talk Some More About Sequels, War, and Brilliant Writing:

Where The City of Brass took a wider, more general view of this world, The Kingdom of Copper narrows in. We are more focused on the characters, their motivations, their feelings, their inner conflicts. The city of Daevabad is brought more alive, as is the history and persecution of its citizens.

I think Chakraborty also does an excellent job displaying the cyclical nature of war. There truly isn’t any one “side” to be on here, even though the current treatment of the Shafit is deplorable, we are constantly being reminded of the persecution all sides have inflicted throughout the centuries. There is a lot of subtle parallelism and applications to our current political behaviours and social ignorance. And I was truly blown away by the subtle conversation on the devastation of gun violence, while only a small portion of the book, it was so well done and very powerful.

Because I cannot go into specifics without spoiling, I will just say, Chakraborty is a born storyteller. There are writers, then there are storytellers. Authors who posses the amazing ability to capture your attention, create fantastical worlds and characters, and weave in current observations on life, love, politics, and the human condition – she casts a spell that is hard to break; it is impossible to put this novel down.

Overall Thoughts:

An amazing sequel that quite possibly surpasses the brilliance of The City of Brass. I am blown away by the talent this author possesses – through her dynamic world building, her exemplarily crafted characters and the constant, careful building to an explosive, shocking conclusion … she’s left me woven in her spell and I cannot wait for the finale in June 2020. If you’re a fantasy lover sitting on this series … read it.

TBR Ranking: High

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