Read History

2026 | Score: 3.5

I think if I was 13 and a girl I would have enjoyed this book a lot more. Nothing in particular was terrible about it, just kind of boring for most of it, then when they tried to shove in actions a lot of the characters decisions felt unrealistic. The egyptian/persian/muslim influence is cool, just needs a better plot and character development and dialogue.

Format: Book

Days: 8

Date: 1/28/2026 -> 2/5/2026

Summary

City of Brass
S. A. Chakraborty
The Daevabad Trilogy #1

Nahri is an orphan living in Cairo, around 1800 I think. She has magical abilities to sense what is wrong with people and heal some things. She uses these abilities to con others and burgal them. Her only friend is a nearby apothecary named Yaqub. She hopes to go to a university in Istanbul and learn to be a doctor one day. She is performing a ritual to scam some local poor people out of their money to help their daughter, but seems to accidentally do actual magic. The young girl is actually possessed by something and chases her into a cemetery. Nahri is about to be killed when a warrior appears from the sky and saves her. He tells her the girl is possessed by an Ifrit, his name is Dara and he is a Daeva, not a djinn, saying that he is a djinn upsets him and that Nahri is a Shafit, a half-djinn half-human mutt, who pureblooded Daeva like him look down upon. But healing magic is rare and means she is part Nahid, the old ruling family of Daevabad.

They flee together for the Djinn city of Daevabad, meeting his bird Peri air-being friend Kahzul along the way. They get attacked various times by various beings like Rukhs and then more Ifrit who say Nahri’s mother Menziheh wants her alive. She also learns Dara is like a classic slave genie and has killed a lot of people.

We also get POV chapters from Ali, Prince Alizahyr Al Qahtani of Daevabad, who secretly funded and helped the Tanzeem, a rebel group in the city fighting for Shafit rights. Their are different “tribes” of Djinn, with the Daeva being the most stuck up and racist and cruel to shafit. Ali is training to become the Qaid, basically the guard commander / military authority in the city.

Dara and Nahri arrive and are treated well. 1400 years ago their was a war and the Qahtani family took Daevabad from the Daeva / Nahid. Dara fought in that war, and still holds a grudge. Suleiman took their powers or some nonsense. Dara is an Afhsin warrior so his service is dedicated to the Nahid (Nahri is one). They both get used to the city and Ali and Nahri slowly become friends. The Daeva are racist but very nice to Nahri since she is one technically. Lots of dumb stuff happens and then Nahri loves Dara but also kind of Ali but is promised to Ali’s older brother Mundhatir, who does not like her at all. Eventually Dara tries to flee the city with Nahri but Ali intercedes so they kidnap him also. Ambush, lots of people die. Ali seems dead but then gets possessed by a Marid (water entity) and kills Dara. Nahri is sad. Ali is exiled by his father to hide his water possession nonsense, and his brother lies to make Nahri seem guilty. She is forced to submit ti king man. We learn that the Daeva are hiding some big secret and that Nahri may be able to revive Dara.