One of the things I have really enjoyed about my #30Books30YearsChallenge so far is rediscovering genres that I used to read more of but that have somewhat fallen off my radar in recent years. Fantasy is one of those genres, and I was really excited ti finally make time for The City of Brass last month.
The story starts in 18th century Egypt with the character of Nahri and alternates perspectives between her and Ali, a prince of Daevabad, a fictional and magical middle eastern city. Nahri has always been a healer but never attributed her abilities to magic until she accidentally summons a djinn warrior. From there, she embarks on a quest that eventually will bring hr to Daevabad and an entirely new way of life.

I loved Nahri’s character, even if she was frustrating at time. Her relationships with the other characters were so realistic. One thing that is really big for me with fantasy is world building and I think Chakraborty did an excellent job with this here. She expertly weaves Middle Eastern cultures together with magical elements to make a world that is entirely unique. While it was hard to keep track of all the new words at the beginning (such as what exactly a djinn is), I enjoyed discovering the world through Nahri’s eyes. The story also incorporates an interesting mystery, that of who exactly Nahri is and where her parents are. I found myself reading on and on, wanting to know what was going to happen next. As it is the first book in a trilogy, it ends on a big cliffhanger. I immediately bought the next book and will be reading it ASAP!

I highly recommend if you are interested in Middle Eastern culture and/or enjoy fantasy or books with magical elements.