Book Review – The Empire of Gold by S.A. Chakraborty (spoiler review)
Daevabad has fallen.
After a brutal conquest stripped the city of its magic, Nahid leader Banu Manizheh and her resurrected commander, Dara, must try to repair their fraying alliance and stabilize a fractious, warring people.
But the bloodletting and loss of his beloved Nahri have unleashed the worst demons of Dara’s dark past. To vanquish them, he must face some ugly truths about his history and put himself at the mercy of those he once considered enemies.
Having narrowly escaped their murderous families and Daevabad’s deadly politics, Nahri and Ali, now safe in Cairo, face difficult choices of their own. While Nahri finds peace in the old rhythms and familiar comforts of her human home, she is haunted by the knowledge that the loved ones she left behind and the people who considered her a savior are at the mercy of a new tyrant. Ali, too, cannot help but look back, and is determined to return to rescue his city and the family that remains. Seeking support in his mother’s homeland, he discovers that his connection to the marid goes far deeper than expected and threatens not only his relationship with Nahri, but his very faith.
As peace grows more elusive and old players return, Nahri, Ali, and Dara come to understand that in order to remake the world, they may need to fight those they once loved… and take a stand for those they once hurt.
The final chapter in the bestselling, critically acclaimed Daevabad Trilogy, in which a con-woman and an idealistic djinn prince join forces to save a magical kingdom from a devastating civil war.
My rating:
Is there any way to review this other than to FLAIL MASSIVELY? I’m honestly not sure 😀
I have so much love for this series, and honestly this final book felt like perfection.
I loved that we get to see Nahri (and Ali) in Cairo, getting a glimpse of who she could have been in a different life. That was so pure and lovely!
In perfect contrast we also see Dara start to see how truly problematic Manizheh is, and see her destroy Devaebad, which I loved and hated. That city really felt like part of the book and it was so hard to see it ruined, but I loved it because it felt realistic. As did Manizheh’s utterly bananas response to everything. She really becomes unhinged and power crazy. She is so well done as a villain, honestly.
The insight into the Marid was fab too – especially Sobek. All the things that revolved around Ali and the Marid was just 😮 ESPECIALLY the chapter right before he goes to them. You will know what I mean!!! So stressful.
Zaynab and Muntadhir are also AMAZING in this, and I loved everything they do. It’s so good in Koc and through to this to see Muntadhir in particular soften a little, and realise some of the issues in the city.
I loved how it all played out – you get hits of hope and then it’s ripped away, then more hints of hope… Basically Shannon is evil 😀 But it’s so well done. It doesn’t feel at all rushed like some fights do, and it doesn’t feel one sided or that neither side suffers. The parts around the knife are just so heartbreaking. And while this is a slightly spoilery review, I will say that Dara’s ending is perfection and not what I thought.
In fact the ending overall felt perfect, as there’s a surprising amount of book left after the “end” to give us some wrap up, but it’s also not overdone – you still get a view of how things could be but nothing is set in stone.
This entire series is just wonderful, I highly recommend it.
Read my reviews for City of Brass and The Kingdom of Copper.
Buy The Empire of Gold from Waterstones.
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