By Title: The Empire of Gold
Author: S.A. Chakraborty
Publication Date: 2020
Publishing House: Harper Voyager
This is book three in the The Daevabad Trilogy. I read the first book through Book of the Month and the second and third books I borrowed from the library. This review was supposed to be up last week but to be honest I was still contemplating the story because it made me feel all the feels.
Goodreads Synopsis:
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.
For this series as a whole but mostly for the events in books two and three I’m going to give a trigger warning as the is a lot of death, blood, and some abuse.
The Empire of Gold starts immediately after where book two ended, within the same breath. The first part of this book is the characters reflecting and healing or over-reacting to the events in book two. This series deals a lot with the characters learning what they are made of and the lines that they will or will not cross. Parts of this story tugged at my heartstrings while other parts had me cheering. This book is almost 800 pages and I devoured it.
Nahri survived in Egypt as a child, she survived in Daevabad for almost six years with a father-in-law that was constantly threatening her people. However, it is the events of this last part in the series that nearly break her, starting over again and again with nothing but the clothes on her back. Given the long and bloody history between their families Nahri and Ali should be enemies but their friendship holds this story together.
On the other side there is Dara. The right hand for Banu Manizheh. A man who just wants to do the right thing for his leaders and for his people but all he seems to be able to do is cover himself in the blood of the innocent. Despite her apparent “treasonous” act at the end of book two, Dara still has feelings for Narhi and as Banu Manizheh begins to change he wonders if he is following the right woman as leader.
I suggest this book to fans of the first two books in the series. I do not recommend reading this series out of order as things get complicated. I suggest this book for fans of magic, for fans of djinn, and for those that want a good read. Have you read this series? If so, what did you think? Let me know in the comments. Happy reading!
The Daevabad Trilogy Reviews:
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