The Kingdom of Copper

A Novel

By: S. A. Chakraborty

Narrated by: Soneela Nankani

Length: 23 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's Summary

S. A. Chakraborty continues the sweeping adventure begun in The City of Brass - "the best adult fantasy I’ve read since The Name of the Wind" (number-one New York Times best-selling author Sabaa Tahir) - conjuring a world where djinn summon flames with the snap of a finger and waters run deep with old magic; where blood can be dangerous as any spell and a clever con artist from Cairo will alter the fate of a kingdom.

Nahri’s life changed forever the moment she accidentally summoned Dara, a formidable, mysterious djinn, during one of her schemes. Whisked from her home in Cairo, she was thrust into the dazzling royal court of Daevabad - and quickly discovered she would need all her grifter instincts to survive there. 

Now, with Daevabad entrenched in the dark aftermath of a devastating battle, Nahri must forge a new path for herself. But even as she embraces her heritage and the power it holds, she knows she’s been trapped in a gilded cage, watched by a king who rules from the throne that once belonged to her family - and one misstep will doom her tribe....

Meanwhile, Ali has been exiled for daring to defy his father. Hunted by assassins, adrift on the unforgiving copper sands of his ancestral land, he is forced to rely on the frightening abilities the marid - the unpredictable water spirits - have gifted him. But in doing so, he threatens to unearth a terrible secret his family has long kept buried.

As a new century approaches and the djinn gather within Daevabad's towering brass walls for celebrations, a threat brews unseen in the desolate North. It’s a force that would bring a storm of fire straight to the city’s gates...and one that seeks the aid of a warrior trapped between worlds, torn between a violent duty he can never escape and a peace he fears he will never deserve.

©2019 Shannon Chakraborty (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers

Breathtaking

I honestly don’t know where to start. This book was written so very well the story is just so great and the twist and turns it took will take your breath away.

Honestly it’s hard to find a book written so well nowadays.

Most of it dragged on and in and was unconvincing until the end.

Loved the first book. The second book, however, dragged and only picked up towards the end.

The writer does not do a convincing job of writing politics. Most of the major characters seemed either whiney (the female protagonist) OR just not credible.

For instance there is ill feelings between one of the major players and his family, and yet the reason for the animosity between that character and his family did not seem credible to me whatsoever. I had a very difficult time believing that particular character’s sibling would turn on that character, and the catalyst for this change was simply not strong enough to be believable.

As a result those interactions were comedic due to the melodrama of the forced or contrived conflict in that sibling relationship. Towards the end there’s a sudden change in attitudes between these characters that again is really not supported by the character development in the book. Frankly it was annoying.

There were a lot of interesting complex political scenarios introduced that had great potential for great writing, but that were dealt with in a far too idealistic and naive manner, that again I found entirely unrealistic. There’s a review by some magazine that compares these books to the political intrigue found in the Game of Thrones books by George RR Martin, which I found hilariously wanting. I assure you this series does not even begin to compare to George RR Martin’s writings.

Overall the story dragged so much that it took me months to finish it. I nearly returned it and only finished because the narrator was fantastic, but the story so slow and unrealistic that I mostly used it to fall asleep to at night. As a result it was painstaking slow to make progress or headway with the book. There were a couple chapters alone that it took me a month to endure nightly attempts to finish before falling asleep due to boredom.

I was, however, pleasantly surprised when towards the end of the book the author FINALLY came to her own and wrote as intriguingly as she did in her first book.

Hope

Wow! what just happened.

I am not sure what I am feeling after this. The story was amazing. And i never thought the second book could be so much better! Now to wait for the third...... READ THIS BOOK!!! That's all you need to know. Amazing.

My fav new fantasy writer

The detail of Ms.Chakraborty’s conceived world is incredible. You can close your eyes as your listening to Soneela’s calm voice and imagine yourself walking the streets of Daevabad alongside daevas, shafit and djinn. The politics of Daevabad are also spot on. In war, no one is innocent, yet both sides believe they’re justified in committing horrible atrocities because the other side has committed horrible atrocities. It becomes a bloody, tragic cycle and in the end both sides have equally as much blood on their hands. I like that there’s not a clear cut “good side” and “bad side” in the djinn/shafit/Daeva war, it makes it much more realistic. This is a beautiful work of fantasy, my only complaint is that I have to wait for the next book to find out what happens next because it does end with quite a cliffhanger.

Masterfully written

I usually always want a book I really like to become a movie but not this one. The author has done such a great job of taking you into the unknown and completely believing in this world he created that a movie could never do justice to it. The narrator also does a great job bringing it to life.
At its cutest it is a mix of Aladin with Prince of Persia (yes, the game) and at its best a satire of how humanity has behaved.

I love this story.

I love this story. This is a great world and I enjoyed the feel. The story is great.

probably my favorite fantasy series right now

awesome book, great performance, can't recommend this it enough, probably my favorite fantasy series right now

Mesmerizing!!!!!!

An amazing sequel that sucked me in and left me longing for more! Read it!

A satisfying sequel

I thoroughly enjoyed the narrator and the story. Oftentimes "Book 2" in a trilogy is the weak link of setup from the opening novel that snagged our attention to the resolution in book 3 that ties everything together. That was not my experience with Kingdom of Copper. While it did a great job of furthering character growth and rising tensions for the overarching plotline, it also felt like a grand tale in itself instead of just a middle piece.

So good

I just loved this book so much. I love the complex characters and the slightly complicated storyline. So many people and politics to keep track of made it feel like such a fully fleshed our world. I felt like I was on the edge of my seat for most of the book. I can’t wait for the next one!