Fantasy
Book 3 in the Daevabad Trilogy
Rating:
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.
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Review
For me, Empire of Gold begs the question, can you love a book, but hate certain parts of the story? Yes. I loved this trilogy! It is by far one of my favorite series, but I was certainly unhappy with parts of it. Which makes this review particularly hard to write.
Because I try to avoid giving spoilers I won’t talk about what I didn’t like about the book. And if I’m honest the fact that I feel so deeply about the characters in this book is a testament to how well the author wrote them. I knew when I started Empire of Gold I would likely end up with a broken heart, and I was right. Overall this book was fantastic.
I enjoyed seeing familiar faces and finally getting answers to questions I’ve had since reading book one. And the ending certainly left perhaps a spinoff option open. A little bit more closure for a lot of the characters would have been nice, though I wasn’t left unsatisfied, at least for the most part.
I will read any book that S.A. Chakraborty writes and even though I wasn’t crazy about this ending, I do still highly recommend this series.
