Unfortunately this book was not for me, it was a bit slower than I would like and it just didn't hold my attention. I am sure other people will love it!

This copy was kindly gifted to me from the publisher in exchange for an honest review (submitted on Instagram)

After absolutely adoring the first book I expected to be swept away by this one but I definitely wasn’t. I think the time jump, whilst necessary, was one thing which put me off. Also, I could see Dara once more descending down the wrong path and it frustrated the hell out of me. But my biggest thing? The fact we once more hinting at a building spark between Nahri and Ali I just didn’t believe. I think I would have liked it more to have their friendship slowly build once more because their growing friendship was one I enjoyed in the first book.

What this book does well is help you question who the bad guy is. Just like the first, so many people were working towards their own goals and they weren’t always bad for what they were doing but the way they were doing it was wrong if that makes sense? It made me question what is right and wrong and the shades of grey which exist in trying to help people.

I probably won’t finish the series. Or I will but it will take me while. I just hate to see characters I love descend down a wrong path.

This month I have really lost my reading mojo making it hard for me to sit and read, so I needed a book that would get me back on track. I reviewed The City of Brass in June and absolutely loved it, so I thought I would read the second book of the trilogy from S.A Chakraborty, A Kingdom of Copper. This book takes up the story five years later as the City of Daevabad prepares for the festival of Navasatem to celebrate their freedom. But as preparations begin there is still touble in Daevabad between the different tribes and the shafit people, half human half djinn, are being persecuted and tensions are running high. Plots within the city and from outside theaten the King and tie the fates of Prince Ali, Nahri and Dara together, building to a shocking and bloody conslusion.

I haved to say picking up A Kingdom of Copper and returning to the magical world of Daevabad was the answer to my reading problems. The characters felt familiar, and I love the richness and the imaginary world that S.A Chakraborty created. The three main characters are all back, Nahri is know unhappily married to the Emir (future King) of Daevabad Muntadhir. She is still using her powers of healing in the palace hospital, but is feeling trapped and wants to do more. Her latest project is to reopen the hospital her ancestors had before the war, and open it to treat everyone, includung the shafit, and is prepared to fight for it. This opens new realtionships for her with a wonderful, if grumpy shafit doctor who I hope is in the next book. Nahri is still a woman who will fight for her beliefs, and useing the cunning from her life on the streets in the human world, is willing to wait and play the long game. Prince Ali is in exile, trying to evade those wanting to assasinate him at the orders of his father. A change of fate sees him back in Daevabad for the festival of Navasatem, and again at loggerheads with his father. He returns with friends and protectors Aqisa and Lubayd, who help him and Nahri and keep them safe. Dara I’m not saying much about due to the ending of the last book, but he is back with some old friends.

The world of Daevabad and the magical lands beyond it’s walls is rich and sumptous in it’s detail. The rich colours, the sights, the different tribes of djinn and the complex historical background is stunning and really draws you in. S.A Chakraborty uses this magical land to highlight important themes that we are facing in our own world; prejudice, slavery, racism, feminist issues and class. The political machinations, plots and divisions of those in power also mirror our lives and keep the tension building as the book builds pace, racing towards the conclusion.

There was a lot of expectation for The Kingdom of Copper as I fell in love with the first book and it’s characters, and it did live up to my expectations and gave me my reading mojo back. I adored being back in this magical world, revisiting old characters and meeting some memorable new ones. The rich and sumptuous detail needs to be savoured and I drunk in every word and immeresed myself in this stunning read. The conclusion was shocking and left me wanting more and I can’t wait to find the time to read the final book The Empire of Gold and learn the fates of those involved. Another stunningly fabulous read from S.A Chakraborty.

I don't know how much I can say about the Daevabad series that hasn't already been said. It's one of the best fantasy series out there right now, and Kingdom of Copper is my favourite in the trilogy.. Kingdom of Copper takes the story from the first book and kicks it into high gear with new heartbreak, betrayal, unrest, and evolving relationships.

An amazing book in this series. We get to see the characters in a while new light, understanding the world of Daevabad better. A fantastic book and I can't wait for the next book in this series. Need to know what happens next!

This book deserves all the love in the world. It's absolutely perfect and it wrecked me in the best way possible!! The characters, the plot, the world-building, the writing... All of it is so, so, so very amazing that I'm short of words right now!

I didn't realise this was a sequel when I requested it, and I ultimately didn't get on with the first book, so this wasn't going to be a good fit for me, but it's well-written and deserves the love it seems to be getting from everyone else!

I chose this book as I had the first one which I started reading and couldn’t get into it although I had such high hopes for it so due to it not engaging me I never attempted to read this book as only requested as the first was on my next read list. I may try again as it sounds brill

After the events of The City of Brass, Nahri's life in Daevabad sees her following the role of her ancestors as a gifted healer. But Nahri has little control in her life, with the king watching her every move, and the man that once protected her gone. She dreams of her home of Cairo.
Prince Ali has survived countless attempts on his life after being cast from Daevabad by his father. Ali misses his home, his family, and Nahri. He struggles to control the strange new powers he's had since the events at the lake, powers the marid (water spirits) have given him.
Things in Daevabad are tense, and when an unknown enemy seeks to attack the city during a celebration, the city and the people within it may never be the same again.

I was a huge fan of The City of Brass, so I was excited and slightly scared to read the sequel, but I'm happy to say that it didn't disappoint.
One of my favourite things about the Daevabad books are the characters - they're all so complex and relatable. I love Nahri. She's witty and determined and is definitely someone I would want to be friends with. I felt sorry for her and Ali as they both had little control in their lives and didn't have an easy time of things.
The setting is so interesting and I don't think I could ever get bored of reading descriptions of the palace or the different quarters.
It did take me a while to get used to the terms again (there are quite a few), but it probably didn't help that I didn't re-read the first book before reading this (I only read a recap).
The plot was quite slow paced with things ramping up towards the end, which doesn't always work for me, but in this case it did as I really love all the aspects of the book. There were some plot twists, some of which I didn't see coming. It was quite dark in places, but there were funny comments from the characters to at least try and make it a bit lighter.
The writing style is very easy to follow and had me gripped.
While I didn't enjoy this quite as much as The City of Brass, it was still a very good read and a worthy sequel. I'm scared to read the third book, The Empire of Gold now! I don't want this series to end!

Overall, this was a very enjoyable read that I would recommend.

Let me say first that I did not read the first part, meaning I missed the beginning of the story. In this case, to me, this was a huge disadvantage.

Magnificent world created here and intriguing story. Well written and hands down one of the best I read this year.

I absolutely loved The City of Brass by S A Chakraborty (read that review before this one), so I was extremely excited to get a review copy (from Harper Voyager) of its sequel, The Kingdom of Copper.  And I was not disappointed!


The Kingdom of Copper picks up Nahri's story about five years after the climactic events that end The City of Brass.  She is living in Daevabad, married to Prince Muntadhir and the effective prisoner of the king as a hostage for her people's good behaviour.  She is grieving the loss of her Afshin, Dara, and the betrayal of Prince Ali, a man she thought was a friend.  But the king's repressive policies are starting to have inevitable consequences, and rebellion is brewing, fomented by the mother Nahri believed to be dead. 


Everything I loved about the first book is here in its sequel.  But it has a much darker tone than the adventure/romance of the first book.  Nahri is tougher and more cynical as she learns to operate effectively within the constraints of her role at court.  Dara has fallen in with rebels and is being driven down a dark and violent path.  The moral Prince Ali only wants to live in quiet peace, helping the people of his adopted community, but he finds himself dragged back into Daevabad politics against his will, and at risk of becoming a rallying point for those wanting to overthrow the king's rule.  Allegiances shift, and hidden agendas come to the surface. 


This is a great book, and a worthy sequel.  I can't wait to see what the final volume has in store!


Goodreads rating: 4*

highlights
character interaction
world

Overall
I really enjoyed coming back to this magical world of djinns and deavas, their political intrigues, their romantic and not so romantic relationships, the acts of revenge, the hate, the good deeds, and the failed deeds. It's an intense read. I loved the magic the most.

After book 1 I was a massive Dara and Nahri fan, but after book 2 I'm not so sure...

The story
The story takes place right after the first book and then skips ahead 5 years later. I had heard this before I started as people were quite surprised by it and the comment was everywhere. So I knew it would happen but not how or when. I felt it was well done, and to be honest it felt right. It would have been too much of everything in this book happened right after book 1. the gap felt natural and I liked it. It also added more natural tension that can only be built over time, by doing the 5-year skip the simmering tension makes sense and don't feel forced.

The world-building
The world is pretty well built up from book 1, but this book added a lot to it as well. It felt bigger and wider as if it stretched during this book. By the end of the book, I have questions about the world and its creatures which is good.

It's a well-formed and well-shaped world. It's detailed and intricate and feels full and rich and inviting. I really want to walk through those streets (with security !) and taste some of that food.

The magic/Science
The magic in these books has always been fascinating to me and we got a lot more of it in this book as Nahri find new ways of using her abilities, but also at the very end it becomes apparent that the magic is more or less than what it seems...! I still haven't made up my mind about if the ending added something or took something away.

The characters
There were three narrators in this book; Nahri, Ali and Dara

Nahri is a character I liked from page 1 in the first book. Her cunningness and slyness with the core of goodness and equality are truly fascinating and the combination makes a good character to read about. I really enjoy her narrative.

Ali is the naive and narrowminded one who just wants justice and equality for all but doesn't always play it out in his head before jumping in. I find him a bit too naive but also he isn't the "obvious naive" and the "annoyingly naive" character, it's difficult to describe but it's very well done.

Dara is the enslaved djinn who helped Nahri get to Deavabad in the first book. And who (spoilers from book 1) gets killed at the end of book 1. Now let be honest, there wouldn't be a book 2 unless Dara was in it.... *wink wink nudge nudge*.

LGBT+?
Yes, a little bit on the side

The writing
I love the writing in these books. It's so well done. She is turning out to be one of my favourite authors.

Summary
Very interesting world and magic system, fascinating story and plotline.
Very enjoyable and I can't wait to see where it goes from here!

I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy with some cultural elements.

With the aftermath of events in The City of Brass in recent memory, can Nahri build bridges and forge a new future for her people?

The Kingdom of Copper is the second book in the Daevabad Trilogy, you can see my 4* review of The City of Brass, which is the first in the series here - https://www.kindig.co.uk/post/review-the-city-of-brass. Overall I enjoyed this second installment although I did feel like it suffered from second-book-in-a-trilogy syndrome in some respects as parts of the middle of the plot felt a little like filler and it didn’t move forward much until the end but it was still a solid read. I had lamented the fact that Nahri seemed to lose her personality around men in the first book, particularly with the Dara plotline but this didn’t seem to happen much in this book. Admittedly this may be because Dara has much less of a part in this book which I thought was a bit of a shame as he gets a lot more interesting in this plotline!

As in the first book, I felt there were a few things that could have been explained in better detail. Relics, for example become quite a big feature in this book – especially bringing up the fact that everyone wears one which is something I had not picked up on or remembered from the previous book. As with the first book, the ending is an action packed cliff-hanger and I’m excited to see the conclusion of this trilogy when the next one is released.

Over The Kingdom of Copper is a solid next installment of the Deavabad Trilogy and I’m looking forward to Book 3. Thank you to NetGalley & Harper Collins UK – HarperVoyager for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger Warnings: This book features prejudice and discrimination akin to racism, poisoning, discussion of self-harm, discussion of genocide, discussion of past wars, battles, and death.

I absolutely adored The City of Brass when I read it last year, and have been patiently but desperately waiting for the sequel ever since. The Kingdom of Copper was absolutely worth the wait! It was incredible, and so epic!

After a prologue that seems to be set a few months after the end of The City of Brass, the majority of The Kingdom of Copper is set five years later. Forced to do so by King Ghassan, Nahri is now married to the emir, Prince Muntadhir, and has her every move watched. If she puts even a toe out of line, Ghassan will have others punished in her stead. He rules with an iron fist, and there's very little she can do without permission. She's stuck working in the infirmary with Nisreen, her mentor, and allowed to do little else, while watching as Ghassan hurts others with his tyrannical rule, not being able to do anything to help.

Ali is in Bir Nabat, a small village in Am Gezira that took him in after he was wounded after being chased by assassins. Because of his possession by the marid, he has some residual abilities relating to water, and Bir Nabat, once a place of drought and poverty, is now thriving and green. While they may not have a lot, they have food and water. He loves his small life here, helping the village and keeping everything going, and he himself is thriving. But the schemes of others pull him back to Daevabad.

Although Dara was killed by Ali, was brought back to life (not a spoiler, we find this out in the prologue) by Manizheh, a Nahid everyone but a small number of Daeva believe dead - and Nahri's mother. Now he takes him commands from Manizheh, training former Daeva soldiers for Manizheh's plans to attack and retake Daevabad. He's really struggling with being a Nahid's Afshin again; while he believes the Nahids should rule Daevabad, and it is his purpose to obey, he's having regrets over the orders he has followed in the past, and is concerned about what he may commanded to do as Manizheh seeks revenge.

This is where everyone is when the book starts. Navasatem is coming up, a celebration to mark the turn of the century, and everyone has plans for it. Having made it back to Daevabad, Ghassan forbids Ali from leaving until after Navasatem, which is six months away. Ali takes this hard, as Bir Nabat is the only place he wants to be, his brother Muntadhir absolutely cannot stand him, and Nahri wants nothing to do with him. When Nahri discovers the existence of the ruins of a former Nahid hospital, she is desperate to see it to its former glory, to open its doors to more people, to train others as healers, and to team up with shafit - half human, half djinn - healers, to heal all - djinn and shafit alike. It seems such a small thing, but it means everything to her, and with Ghassan being Ghassan, she knows she needs help to get him to approve it, so she ropes in Ali to help with the business side of things, because he owes her. She cannot bear to be around him after he killed Dara, but bringing the hospital back to life, and trying to take a step to build peace between the Daeva and the shafit, when prejudices are still rife, and tensions at an all time high, is too important. Ali is all too keen to help, to try and fix things with Nahri, and it's actually something he's good at and believes in himself. Meanwhile, Dara is helping Manizheh with her plans, becoming more and more uneasy with what they're going to do, but, as Manizheh says, the plans will go ahead with or without him, but without him, those they care about are more likely to die.

And I can't say much more. While I was thoroughly enjoying reading The Kingdom of Copper, until maybe just over half way through, I was thinking this going to be more of a "set-up" book. A book where certain things needed to happen after The City of Brass, that allowed certain events to take place in the final book. But I was completely wrong. It's more like the first half of the book is the set-up for the second half. It is slower, it's quieter, after the explosive end of The City of Brass, but it's moving pieces into place for what's to come. And it's interesting! Seeing these relationships that are nothing like they were, and seeing if gaps can be bridged, friendships repaired, or seeing other relationships disintegrate. Seeing certain characters really struggle with what is happening around them and not being able to do anything about it. Seeing loyalty become doubt. Seeing eyes open and conclusions made. The second half of this book is absolutely epic, so full of action and with so many twists, and it's incredible! But it can only happen with the quieter first half.

For me, The City of Brass was all about prejudice and discrimination. The various conflicts between tribes, the despicable ill-treatment of the Shafit. But The Kingdom of Copper is about asking what's right and what's wrong. Where The City of Brass was all loyalty to your tribe and your people, which we saw through Nahri's conversations with Ali and Dara, The Kingdom of Brass is about the very same characters asking themselves what they can abide, and what they cannot. What can be forgiven, and what cannot. It's about them seeing that, time and time again, it's been a vicious circle of violence breeding violence. It's about people not being able to stand with their family or their people, but instead standing for what is right. We see them start to see the djinn not as separate tribes, but as one people, and the Shafit not as "dirt bloods" but family - they're half djinn, after all. We see our characters really think about things, questioning what they know and all they've seen and experienced. Justice and vengeance are not the same thing, and they start to realise that things have to stop somewhere, or it will never end. Decisions are made to stop it, even if it is seen as a betrayal by their own. But while that's all well and good, there are still those with more power, who have their own ideas. And some things others put into motion that you can't stop. And when catastrophe strikes, whose side will our characters be on?

I thought the ending of The City of Brass was explosive, but mate, it's nothing compared to how The Kingdom of Copper ends. The action! The twists! The consequences! The emotion and the heartbreak! It was just mind-blowingly good. The events at the end of this book are astronomical, and no-one is going to be unchanged. I am in a place where I have absolutely no idea how things will play out in the third and final book in the trilogy, The Empire of Gold, and it's so damn exciting! But I also think it's going to be unbelievably emotional, as well as really up the ante in regards to politics and action. The Kingdom of Copper was epic, but The Empire of Gold is going to be colossal, and I absolutely cannot wait!

Thank you to HarperVoyager via NetGalley for the eProof.

Just like the first book, this is a brilliant world to get lost in. Taking inspiration from Islamic cultures, mythology and traditions. its rich world is incomparable to any other. With magic and century long conflicts this installment is just as brilliant as the first in the series with writing that fully immerses you into the world and into the minds of fully rounded characters.

Nahri has discovered her heritage, and now has to survive the scheming city of Deavabad long enough to perhaps one day save it.
Ali and Dara were once her closest friends, but now they all find themselves on opposing sides.

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book starts where City of Brass left off, so you can witness the aftermath of all that happened.
This is quickly followed by a five year jump, which I found a little jarring to start with, but it really benefited the story, bringing it straight back to the brewing action.

Nahri is now married to Muntadhir, the crown prince of Deavabad. It's a political arrangement, but not altogether unpleasant. It allows Nahri to pursue her dream of healing on a grander scale, especially when she discovers the ruins of a nahid hospital.

Ali has survived all the would-be assassins that have come after him in his exile, and he finds a surprisingly pleasant life in Bir Nabat. It's a harsh, but straight-forward place, where Ali's skill at finding and manipulating water makes him very popular.
As time passes, the favourite son of King Ghassan is pressured into returning to Deavabad. He has to decide whether he will stand up for what is right, or let the city destroy itself.

Dara is reluctantly brought back from death, to serve the Nahids again. He trains his soldiers, and plots alongside the devilish Ifrit, on how to take Deavabad by force. His loyalty and blind devotion to the Nahids is put to the test, as he is reluctant for further bloodshed.

I loved this story. It's a big book, but it flows along easily. There is so much intrigue, danger, and double-crossing amongst the Deava. Everything is on a knife's edge, and I had no idea how this will play out!
With how things were left at the end, I cannot wait for the third and final installment!

All you need when you sit down to read this book, is something hot and creamy in a jewelled mug, Turkish delight and to step into your imagination.

This book is magical in every way. I was swept away on flying carpets, into jewelled skies looking down on shimmering lakes. I was totally transported to a world of exotic aromas; my senses dazzled by beautiful clothes in silks and satins of rich colours, while gossamer veils moved in a gentle evening breeze.

The story is well crafted and easily sweeps you along. It will leave you speechless as magic is used to destroy and bring about an evil ruling. At the same time there is tenderness and love In the story too.

I particularly enjoyed the end of the book as, for me, it felt full of a promise of more to come.

Super second book to this trilogy. It is such a rich, long book and, with only a couple of different POV characters, I was worried it would get boring or slow, but all details were there for a reason. Everything came to a very exciting ending - thankfully not just in the last 30 pages, but in the last 150! I love this world and this take on Medieval Islam and I can't wait to see what happens next. Exactly my kind of fantasy.

Sometimes you just look at a book and you know instantly that you’re going to be wrecked/heartbroken/desperate to know what happens next. And that was always going to be the case with this book.

The Kingdom of Copper is the second installment in the Daevabad trilogy and picks up five years after the ending of the first. Nahri is now married to Muntadhir, Ali is exiled in Am Gezira, and Dara has been brought back to life (again, will he ever catch a break with that). And there follows a 600-page epic full of politics and war and sibling angst. And it is amazing.

One of my favourite things about this trilogy so far has been how S. A. Chakraborty can make you feel sympathetic for these horribly flawed characters, even when they’re doing something stupid (Ali) or genocidal (Dara). She just writes them all so so well, you’ll find yourself wanting some end to the book where they all end up safe and/or at rest (Dara. Please, let him sleep). But they’re working against each other and it all makes it excrutiatingly angsty and painful. Particularly when it comes to Ali and Muntadhir (you stupid boys!). So you’re alternating between rooting for everyone and rolling your eyes at everyone and begging them to please be sensible and less rash (Ali).

And then the worldbuilding! Oh God, the worldbuilding is just so brilliant. You can really tell how much love and time and research has gone into it (really, you just need to follow the author on twitter to see that), and it really makes the book. It’s so intricately plotted and compelling and absorbing and I’m going to run out of adjectives, but if you read this series for any reason, let it be as a primer for worldbuilding.

Finally, I loved the slowburn of this book. Yeah, it took me a little while to read, but once I got into it, I couldn’t put it down, because it kept building up to something more, and then when that something more came? I was left a wreck.

So, in the end, I just find myself really, really glad that S. A. Chakraborty has already said my favourite characters are going to survive.