Chakraborty’s writing style is delightful - I could see the city of Daevabad so clearly in my mind. Yes, the pacing of this book struggles at the start (a problem across a lot of fantasy since there is so much to introduce) and I was ready for the story to land in the city of brass sooner. In general, though, it was SO refreshing to read a tale based on Middle Eastern history & myths. I enjoyed the cast of characters and the dual perspective, and while I did prefer Nahri’s POV, I was still very engaged when it switched to Ali. The almost-love-triangle plot points were far less interesting than the rest of the story (and I didn’t quite ‘get’ Nahri’s quick attraction to Dara) … but the rest of the plot was so juicy that it made up for that. The book ended with a whole bunch of cliffhangers. I can’t wait to get my hands on the second book.