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The City of Brass

Written by: S. A. Chakraborty
Narrated by: Soneela Nankani
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Publisher's Summary

Named one of The Best Books of the Year by Library Journal | Vulture | The Verge | SYFYWire

Step into The City of Brass, the spellbinding debut from S. A. Chakraborty perfect for fans of The Golem and the Jinni, The Grace of Kings, and Uprooted, in which the future of a magical Middle Eastern kingdom rests in the hands of a clever and defiant young con artist with miraculous healing gifts.

Nahri has never believed in magic. Certainly, she has power; on the streets of 18th-century Cairo, she’s a con woman of unsurpassed talent. But she knows better than anyone that the trades she uses to get by - palm readings, zars, and a mysterious gift for healing - are all tricks, both the means to the delightful end of swindling Ottoman nobles and a reliable way to survive.

But when Nahri accidentally summons Dara, an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior, to her side during one of her cons, she’s forced to reconsider her beliefs. For Dara tells Nahri an extraordinary tale: across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire and rivers where the mythical marid sleep, past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises and mountains where the circling birds of prey are more than what they seem, lies Daevabad, the legendary city of brass - a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound.

In Daevabad, within gilded brass walls laced with enchantments and behind the six gates of the six djinn tribes, old resentments run deep. And when Nahri decides to enter this world, her arrival threatens to ignite a war that has been simmering for centuries. Spurning Dara’s warning of the treachery surrounding her, she embarks on a hesitant friendship with Alizayd, an idealistic prince who dreams of revolutionizing his father’s corrupt regime. All too soon, Nahri learns that true power is fierce and brutal. That magic cannot shield her from the dangerous web of court politics. That even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences.

After all, there is a reason they say to be careful what you wish for....

This audiobook includes an episode of the Book Club Girl Podcast, featuring an interview with S. A. Chakraborty about The City of Brass.

©2017 Shannon Chakraborty (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

Featured Article: The Best Fantasy Audiobook Series

From grim worlds of gritty war and betrayal to light-hearted stories of romance, adventure, and magic, fantasy has it all. It’s the genre to listen to for a little escapism and a lot of enjoyment. And it’s one that is constantly updated with new names, new voices, and new stories to explore.

What listeners say about The City of Brass

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3 stars

The first quarter of the novel was refreshing and well delivered, but the world Chakraborty constructs with its vast mystery and intrigue narrows each chapter, ending up in a small place with a handful of characters bickering incessantly.

It took a few hours to get used to Nankani's over-delivery. She stresses the first syllable of every other word as a teenage girl would in describing something she's excited about. Suitable for a teenage drama.

Not buying the sequel.

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5 people found this helpful

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well done!

I was unconvinced at first. The blatant north american accent of the narrator is a bit jarring, but she is actually quite good, and I ignored it soon enough. Also, I had trouble keeping up with all the novel names, terms and social relationships. I am still unsure what some of the races are and how they interact.

The story is refreshing and though the "love interest " aspect is entirely predictable it doesn't unfold predictably at all.

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3 people found this helpful

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What flames will burn

I got this book after hearing about it somewhere else, though I don't know where, and after listening through it it may be one of my favourite books. I love the different world and in inclusion of new things but that manages to keep it from being too bogged down in explaining what those are, sometimes I am just expected to know them. I look forward to the next books.

#Audible1

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A great trilogy!

I just finished all 3 and highly recommend them. Find myself sad that they’re done, I just want more.

I found the world and insight into traditional middle-eastern culture and settings soooo refreshing. There are also some very diverse characters and story arcs. You can’t help but get so invested in them and feel their pain, happiness and struggles.

I think it’s worth noting that the first book is a bit different than the next two. The trilogy takes a very dark turn after the first and can be quite ruthless. I personally love it, but just a warning for the light-hearted.

Narrator was okay. You get used to her, but her male voices can be weird and mixed up.

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Great book and great performance

Bought this book following a recommandation knowing nothing about it or the author and I was not disappointed!

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Confused performance

I had a difficult time with the Audiobook differenciating between characters, male and female... I think I will will prefer the book version.

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Pleasantly surprised…

Slow start abut quickly captured my interest and couldn’t stop listening, trying to find out what happened next.

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Myth and Magic

I would encourage anyone who reads this to visit the author's web page to see the map and bibliography. This told me from the start that this is a well-researched fantasy. In case you think that's an oxymoron, I find the best fantasies to be historical ones (Guy Gavriel Kay, Carlos Ruis Zafon, Isabel Allende). The 'borrowing' of myth and legend from our own world in creating a fantastical one is entirely appropriate, because in the end, it is our world that the story is for. This is a powerful YA that examines the role of women and men in traditional societies and the consequences of long standing feuds on the current generation. The love story is complex and the characters, ambivalent, making them more believable, and indeed, more human despite their status as 'Daeva' or 'Ginn'. I'm definitely going to try the next book in the series.

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Great

Really enjoyed it I hope the next books are just as good! I enjoyed the world building it took a while for things to really pick up during some points but that helped me keep up with all the different characters and plots the characters are all very pretty different yet similar in some ways which I found entertaining. The romance was nice but not fully explored. I’d recommend.

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Amazing!

Such an incredible story with great characters and world building that draws you in.
S.A. Chakraborty has done well and the narration was spot on.

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  • Zahai
  • 2018-02-28

it's a love/hate thing

There is alot to like with this book (it being based on Middle Eastern folklore is fun) BUT nahri. Man is she a hard character to get behind, Im fairly certain that her only emotion is surprise followed by either 1) an apology or 2) anger. Her backstory doesn't really match up with the way she's written. My favorite character was Alizayd for sure, he goes a long way to redeeming the story. I suffered through Nahri because the politics, religion, racism and tribalism in the society was actually rather interesting and carried the story along. Of course the end was super intriguing and now I will have to torture myself listening to nahri for another book.

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  • Mike G
  • 2018-01-06

weird mixed bag that left me confused

what is this story. some bits are fantastic. some are weak. the author narrowly misses turning it into a teen monster romance... but fails to make it into anything else.
not sure if there is meant to be a sequel because there was a lot left hanging or incomplete. the main protagonist never finds her power or overcomes any real challenge. .. rather she seems to meekly get played by everyone around her while muttering to herself why shes a victim.
like i said some parts were great but many were not. its kind of like a mish-mash of ideas, concepts and characters that never gains any real coherence or direction.
if theres a sequel planned i may be tempted to find out what the hell is supposed to be happening... but not sure if i cared enough to spend a credit on it.
bought it in the premise that it was like "the golem and the jini"... but sadly it was nothing of the sort.

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  • JacDe
  • 2018-01-01

Narrator ruined the charaters for me

This may have been better with a different narrator. All the characters sounded like catty teenage girls. I enjoyed the story. Maybe better to read the book instead of this Audible version.

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  • T
  • 2019-01-22

Good story. Annoying narrator.

I think I would have liked the main character if the narrator had not made her sound like a bratty 11-year-old, and use such an insincere voice to portray her. This might not bother some people, but authenticity is important to me.
The cultural mythological and magical aspects of the book come together in pleasing in interesting ways. It has good internal continuity.

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54 people found this helpful

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  • Jenn
  • 2017-11-27

The right side is often a matter of perspective

Set in 18th century Cairo and the magical lands beyond, this novel is based in folklore, myth, and history of the Middle East. That said, with it's political tensions over wars past and present, conversations surrounding "purity" within the races, and religious underpinnings, one can easily relate this story about a con artist with magical healing powers and the world of the djinn to much of what's going on in the world to this day.

The characters are diverse from their socioeconomic statuses and "bloodlines" to their religious convictions and sexual preferences. The romance will make your heart ache and leave you wanting more. The pace is quick with beautiful writing and characters both developed and developing that give the story a great deal of depth. I listed to this on audio, and it was a great listen on a long flight!

It is a trilogy, so keep in mind that you'll likely have to wait until late 2018 before you get a next installment. The ending was pretty predictable even in the cliffhanger. That said, it doesn't make you want to read the next installment any less! If you enjoy Leigh Bardugo, Sarah J Maas, or Sabaa Tahir you'll really enjoy this novel.

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  • Deirdre
  • 2018-05-13

dreadful performance.

the narrator's performance was painful to listen to. the book itself is engrossing and enjoyable.

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33 people found this helpful

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  • Thomas Doxtater
  • 2017-12-15

Excellent concept, lackluster execution

This is an exciting, adventurous tale that should be more exciting than the resulting story is. it may be that the print edition is more effective in presenting the story, but the audiobook, I think, draws out the flaws in the storytelling more obviously and makes it harder to buy in to what should be a very enticing fantasy world.

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  • JF
  • 2017-12-19

Just buy it. Seriously.

This book is amazing. The world built by the author is entrancing, the romance is realistic and filled a slow burn that burns deep. Best of all the female protagonist is strong and brave despite fear. She’s not perfect, she’s not blank...Nahri is her own person from page 1 to end.

My unexpected favorite feature about this book is the weaving of the city/court politics and realistic flaws for every character. You will get frustrated with your heroine and sympathize with antagonists....and that is what makes this book great. The payoff is filled with emotion and opens wide open for the next book.

I cannot wait for more.

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  • Martha Moran
  • 2019-07-18

utter load of drivel

What can I say I hated most about this book which I could not finish because it Was so trite!?I think the fact that all the dialog is exactly the same like from a 2019 high school classroom and there was no effort to try to come up with dialog that sounded like an exotic world with genies and ancient cultures combined.


If you want to read a really good Imaginative genie series, go to the bartimaeus trilogy by Jonathan Stroud. That's a well written series!

The reading of "City of Brass" is really particularly atrocious also. I could wax on some more, but I won't.



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  • Matt Hodge
  • 2017-11-20

No Pay Off

This book has some super elements. The 2nd half however culminates in an incoherent mess. When it came to the epilogue I didn’t want anymore so I skipped. So much potential here but it never came together.

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25 people found this helpful