The Empire of Gold: A Novel: The Daevabad Trilogy, Book 3

This review will probably contain spoilers!The Empire of Gold was an amazing conclusion to a truly epic trilogy. This book wraps everything up in such an incredibly satisfying way. As good as The City of Brass & The Kingdom of Copper are, TEoG stands high above them. Author S. A. Chakraborty delivers a beautifully written tale packed with excitement, adventure, & so many twists & turns. She is truly a master of plotting, as the many threads carried over from the previous two books weave & wend together into an intricate & engrossing tapestry.Throughout the series, I have enjoyed the characters, particularly Ali. Both he & Nahri experience so much character development in this book, coming to terms with their flaws & learning to trust themselves. Ali finally emerges as a full on hero, grown from the idealistic & naive child he was at the beginning of TCoB. Nahri's character arc is especially dear to me, as it took me awhile to warm up to her. Honestly, in the first book I found her a difficult character to like, but by the end of TKoC, I was rooting for her as she had begun to come into her own & figure out who she truly was. By the end of this book, she had finally figured herself out & there are several moments that she proves what a stone cold bada$$ she is! I found both Ali's & Nahri's growth arcs so believable & relatable. I also loved the organic growth of their relationship. It played out so realistically, as they went from forced companions to true friends, through betrayal & regaining each other's trust, to the final blossoming seeds of romance. Everything about the pair of them was beautifully crafted.As much as I loved the way Ali & Nahri grew & changed throughout this book, in my opinion the very best character arc was Dara's. Through the first two books, I didn't know what to think about Dara. In TCoB I saw him as Nahri did at first: a sort of swashbuckling hero, handsome & beloved. But his actions at the end of that book left me reeling just as much as it did her. Then his POV in TKoC did little to improve my opinion of him. I felt that he was a rather stagnant character, a follower too afraid to change from how he had always been. But his arc in TEoG blew that out of the water. In this book his walls were completely demolished. Everything he believed in was completely shaken, & when he finally managed to take some sort of stand, he is betrayed in the most bitter manner possible. His final act towards Manizheh was as devastating & shocking as it was well-written.Now, I have read a lot of reviews in which other readers were unhappy with how Dara's story ended, & that he & Nahri did not end up together. But I think it is a sign of Nahri's strength that after how badly he betrayed her in TCoB that she didn't take him back. Despite the feelings she had for him, she chose herself & showed self respect & I think that is a message we need to see more often, especially in YA. And to those who wish Dara would've gotten a HEA, I say: his story is not over yet, so maybe his HEA is still out there. I would actually call his ending a HFN, because for the first time in his entire existence, he is on a path that he chose. He is doing something that he feels will eventually redeem him, & more than anything, that is what he needs after the events of this book.I continue to be impressed with the worldbuilding in this series. By the time I started reading this book, I was already so wrapped up in Daevabad's political powerplays & the ever heightening stakes. Then this book takes us on a longer trip through the magical world outside of Daevabad. It was fascinating to finally learn more about the marid & their connection to Ali. Chakraborty painted such a vivid picture of the djinn world, interwoven with real bits of Arabic cultures. This is the best kind of fantasy world. It draws you in with broad strokes but before long you find that you have absorbed even the most minute of details. I was easily able to picture the stunning, vibrant settings of this book within my mind. Daevabad & the rest of the magical world will stay with me long after my completion of this series, in the best way possible.I could go on & on with more things I loved about this book, but I think this review is long enough already. Suffice to say that TEoG is a wrap up worthy of this incredible world & it's even more impressive characters. There is not a single thing about this book I would change. I am in awe of Chakraborty's skill as a writer. This was a book that I could not put down, where I was reading hundreds of pages in a single night without pause because the story was just that gripping. It cost me a few sleepless nights but it was so worth it. The last 200 or so pages were just nonstop action, packed with so much emotional punch. I simply adored this series in general & I already know that I will want to reread it sometime in the future.Bottom line, Five stars seems like too few for such a powerful novel. I would double that number if I could. But I can't, so I will just offer the highest of recommendations: if you haven't started The City of Brass, I strongly urge you to do so. If you have already read TCoB & The Kingdom of Copper, all I have to say to you is: what the heck are you waiting for?! The Empire of Gold is an amazing, awesome fantasy novel with characters you come to know intimately, a world that will spring to life in your imagination, & writing, plotting, & pacing that bring it together into one of the best books I've read in awhile.

Empire of Gold is a fitting finale to the epic Daevabad series. It is beautifully written and bittersweet in a way that is necessary for the conclusion of the story. The characters have been through violence, betrayal, heartbreak, and loss. No one makes it out unscathed and a perfectly wrapped up happily ever after was never in the books for them.This series is not one to grab when you want a bit of light reading or a fun escape from reality. But that is part of what makes it such a beautiful read- it is heart wrenching, thought provoking, and gloriously deep.Empire of Gold picks up almost immediately where Kingdom of Copper left off and from there it rarely lets off the gas. However, despite the fast pace, it in no way reads like an action piece. The plot is intricately woven and it remains wonderfully character driven. The interaction between the characters and letting us see the world from their point of view is something the author excels at. The characters are painfully human in their mistakes, triumphs, motivations, and emotions which is what makes the story so powerful.Ali remains the wholesome and overwhelmingly good person that he began as, yet he still has come a long way from the rather emotionally immature man at the start of the series as who tended to see the world as black and white. He is fantastic, however I think the characters who truly shined are Nahri and Dara.Nahri grew so much throughout the series. In Empire of Gold, Nahri embraces her role as a leader and someone with the power to change the world for the better. She is fierce and determined not to succumb to the cycle of vengeance and hatred that has plagued the world.And then there’s Dara. Dara’s heinous actions throughout the series paint him as a villain, however I find him very difficult to hate. Dara is the product of that cycle of hatred and his character illustrates the danger and blindness that results when a person truly thinks that they are working for the greater good. His story is tragic, and while his actions are inexcusable, it also makes you reflect on what led him to where he ended up and how a person could be driven to that point. The conclusion to Dara’s story was perfect, in my opinion.The characters are never black and white. Even ones such as Manizheh that appear pure evil, and in a way are, we can see that it didn’t have to be that way. She is the result of oppression, loss, and generations of violence and prejudice that have poisoned her past the point of redemption.It is rare for a work of fiction to so perfectly hold up the mirror to humanity and reveal our own strengths and flaws within the characters, but the author has done just that. This series, makes you think, makes you question, and makes you reflect on how you would act when put in the characters shoes. And that is the sign of a fantastic novel.

In terms of the physical book - when I ordered this one, it wasn't the same format at the version of Kingdom of Copper that I ordered. It has pretty standard thickness for pages, which the other had thinner pages, and this made this book BIG. It's about twice as thick as my copy of Kingdom of Copper, even though it's around than 200 pages longer. This one also has the cover that's missing 5cm off it, if that's something that bugs you, but it is also the version with the book club questions and an alternative epilogue at the end.That was long, but damn was that worth.It follows the same book structure as the first two, with the first half being more low key than the second. Although I really should just say less high key, if that's a thing.This book had a number of setting changes, but it balanced them well and didn't feel like any of them were too long. This book also did the thing where they time skip some forward, as it did in the other two, but this time is was primarily used to hide a plot point, which almost always made itself known in the same chapter, which I found a lot better than the time skips in Kingdom of Copper. The character development was beautiful all the way through, the story was exciting and the descriptions of everything made it easy to visualize what every place looked and felt like.I love this series so much. I wouldn't be upset if we got more to it in literally any capacity, but it was a very good wrap up for the series as it is now. The ending did however leave room for more, so one can hope!

I love this whole series with all my heart. Rich with history and great characters and locations, the plot is exquisite it managed to surprise me quite a lot and I even cried on that scene with dara and Nahri. For some reason I think there's going to be a sequel or something. Anyway. 10/10

This book is perhaps one of my favorite series endings of all time. S.A. Chakraborty bottled perfection, ate it, and transferred it all over this masterpiece. I didn’t think I could love this series any more than I thought I did, but I was wrong. Every book is better than the last. I can’t believe it’s over. I don’t want it to be over. This series has it all: complex politics, wonderful world-building, constant character growth, deep emotional baggage.There are books you read and then go back on your shelf. Then there are others that stay with you even after they’re over. This book. This book. I laughed, gasped, cried, screamed. I stayed well past my self-imposed bedtime to read more, and then cried the moment I realized I was nearing its end. This was the perfect ending for this series. Perfect.

Ok, after the ride that was The Kingdom of Copper and where it ended in the second book, I picked this one up immediately and basically rode the wave till the book ended. It was a pretty satisfying end for the trilogy, I love the way it ended if I am being honest even if this is not a five star read, again. Oh, well.Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Voyager, I have had the pleasure of reading this ahead of its release (kinda). Frankly, I would have cried had I not had the third book in hand when I finished the second one. It’s that kind of cliffhanger. Anyway! Onto the last book in the series!If I am being honest, no matter how good the first two books in the series were, I was a bit afraid of this one and as I read on, I was becoming more worried as chapter after chapter unveiled things I did not think of imagining. I was really worried about 60% in as to what was actually going to happen. I was just worried that after such a good run so far, it would end on not so good note.It starts where the second book left off, Daevabad is out of Ghassan’s control, Manizeh has the control now and with Dara by her side. The result of this is Nahri and Ali escaping the city and in effect robbing Daevabad and its counterparts losing all magic entirely. Turns out, Suleiman’s Seal is not supposed to leave Daevabad’s borders. They are trying to find a solution that does not end in more bloodshed and more political disasters. Meanwhile, Dara has to live with the fact that despite him wishing for otherwise, he is, once again, responsible for another massacre. As the story moves, we see Dara realising that while he might have thought that it was his duty to follow the Nahids, it’s not perhaps the best life choice he had made in a while. Manizeh is ruthless and unnecessarily cruel and it’s affecting Dara’s beliefs and faith.As for Nahri and Ali, their relationship took a different turn than I was ready for. Ali’s crush was not a secret but it had grown into something more and what’s more, Nahri had finally started to see him as something else other than her friend-turned-enemy-turned-ally and I would rather it stayed platonic, but I can kinda see how it was going to happen anyway? It’s not my favourite part of the book and it kinda overshadows their actual friendship that was slowly growing. I wish it was explored more. On the other hand, I absolutely loved Dara’s arc on this one, I finally got a story where the girl doesn’t end up with a thousand year old guy simply because he was hot. Mind you, there’s far more to Dara than this but you know what? I don’t think Nahri and Dara could have lasted in the long run, they had differing opinions on how things should be/should have been. That’s what happens when there’s a literal thousand years of age difference.Speaking of relationships, I wish Muntadhir and Jamshid got a better more clear ending than the one we got, while I understand that they were clearly secondary characters and got a better ending than I could have hoped for, my greedy heart still wants more. As far as Al-Qahtani siblings are concerned, oh, goodness, what a brilliant trio they make! I loved their growth as a whole and just…so many feels!Now, let’s talk about character growth because there’s some that I had issues with. Dara was not one of them! He had such growth in this one, his chapters were so filled with tension and conflicting thoughts and feelings and I loved them. I might not have liked the fact that it took him a long time to realise that just because the Nahids demanded it, it did not mean it was the right thing to do. However when taken into consideration the sheer number of years he had spent thinking just that, I can see how some hard truths took time to be comfortable with. In Ali’s case, not talking about romance, it was him realising that his family and his heritage is more than his own perceptions of it. I especially loved the way we got to see Marid magic and how very vast the world really was compared to just the politics of Daevas. Nahri’s is perhaps the only growth that isn’t super drastic or momentous. We already knew her feelings about the Daevas and the djinns and the shafits and that was nothing new. However her birth origins were! They came out of nowhere after it being established throughout the trilogy.Okay, we are nearing the end of the review. It’s long, I know. So, I love that this book also followed the slow beginning, letting us settle in the mood and then it just lifts and lifts and then the action goes BAM! Then you are really in it for the ride, and what a ride this one was! From about seventy percent till the end, so much happened! I can’t begin to tell you how much actually happened. It’s just one long explosion. Yeah, let’s call it that. I loved the way this story ended, I loved that there was room for growth, for future for the characters of the series but also for the world of the Daevas. I absolutely loved Dara’s concluding story arc, it couldn’t have been more perfect, it is something I really, really appreciate. Thank you for this, S. A. Chakraborty! Nahri’s story also ended on a note that I am not terribly sad about, it’s the best ending she could have had and that stands for Ali too!It is not smooth sailing and it is, at times, a bit slow and meandering (don’t worry tho! I like my books like that! Especially fantasy ones) but overall, I really loved this trilogy with all my heart. Flaws and all. Flaws are just that touch of imperfection this series needed, I think. It’s just great and I am already thinking of ways to read it again. How much time should pass before a re-read, do you think?

This book was the absolute perfect conclusion to the most amazing trilogy I have ever read! This review will contain spoilers for the first two books so please don’t read this if you haven’t read the first two books. I have tried to keep this review spoiler free!Before I start my review let me just say, I love Alizayd with my whole heart and I will forever be thankful to Shannon for bringing him to life and giving me the complex nuanced Muslim rep of an apologetically practicing young Muslim I had been craving.This whole trilogy is phenomenal and Empire of Gold was an absolutely amazing conclusion which simultaneously left me satisfied and yet left me craving more stories of all the amazing characters. The story starts where The Kingdom of Copper ends which was a nice surprise as I had no idea what to expect with how much time had passed. But The Empire of Gold starts exactly where book two ends so we see the aftermath of everything that happened in The Kingdom of Copper.Shannon’s writing is extraordinary, I am completely immersed in the world that she has created, I can almost touch and taste everything and any and all food references left me craving it all. Her world building is absolutely phenomenal and in this book we get to explore new places that are part of the Daevabad world including Ta Nytry and all I want to do is go on holiday there, it sounds incredible.This trilogy has some of the most complex characters I have ever read and they all make you see their side of the story which makes it more complicated as to who you want to root for. No character is perfect, they all make bad decisions, things they regret and they all have to deal with the consequences of these decisions. It made each of them more compelling to read.We get the point of view of Nahri, Ali and Dara so we see what is happening both in Daevabad through Dara and outside Daevabad through Ali and Nahri. Through Ali and Nahri we see them trying to recover after ending up in Cairo and their chapters are much more light hearted and at times absolutely hilarious and it contrasts starkly with Dara’s point of view which is really dark and at times very difficult to read.I found myself going back to reread Ali and Nahri’s chapters and their banter and awkward flirting and skirting around their complicated feelings and honestly it was a joy to read. The first half of The Empire of Gold has some of my favourite scenes in the whole trilogy, especially chapter nine. I love that chapter with my whole heart!Nahri’s story arc was so wonderful to read. She goes from a con artist in the streets of Cairo to leading a rebellion and fighting for justice for all in Daevabad. I loved watching her grow throughout the trilogy. She has been through so much and because of her circumstances she finds it hard to trust people and open up to anyone in case she gets hurt but watching her slowly open up to Ali was so wonderful to see. She deserves to have someone in her life that she can trust and depend on and who won’t hold her back or dictate her life.Ali is of course my favourite character in the whole trilogy, it’s no secret how much I love him and watching him grow from the naïve teenager to the man we see by the end of the trilogy was truly wonderful. He is still socially awkward and has the absolute worst timing but he learns and grows so much throughout the books. He is still unapologetic in practicing his faith yet he has learned that Islam is not black and white and there is a lot more nuance to the religion than he initially believed. He also learns a lot about his families past and heritage which also affects him in many ways. Especially in chapter thirty seven I felt for him so much. His story by the end is one of a man who will rebuild his home and care for it’s people and he is still driven by social justice but just like he is there for Nahri, Nahri is also there for him to ground him when he may get carried away with his ideas of change.Dara’s story arc was fascinating to read, I really do not like him, he spends so much of the book saying how he has been made into a weapon, which is true and I hate how the Nahid council manipulated him into becoming who he is, yet it takes him far too long to learn and take a stand for himself. There is a scene where he is talking to Kartir about this and Kartir tells him to instead think of all those victims who died and to try to atone for his mistakes and I just wish he had learnt that earlier. I wanted him to realise that actually the shafit or jinns weren’t the ones who caused his life to become what it was it was in fact the Nahid council and to spend more time thinking about how to make amends for his actions. I felt like screaming ‘please Dara use your brain’ at him many times! It got to the point where it was very difficult for me to empathise with him anymore but there was a chapter that despite everything I truly felt for him and could not believe that Manizheh actually did that. But Shannon’s writing is truly exceptional that she created such a complex character that people see in so many different ways.We learn a lot and have many questions answered that have been on our minds since reading the first two books and yet I wanted more. If Shannon had written a thousand page book I would have happily read it, I am not ready to leave Daevabad. I am especially not ready to leave Ali, Nahri, Muntadhir, Jamshid and Zaynab. I want to know more I want to follow their lives post Empire of Gold. I especially wish we had gotten to see Muntadhir’s or Zaynab’s point of view in this book. It would have been so interesting too see what was happening in other parts of Daevabad and these two siblings trying to work out how to save everyone from within.I also loved seeing Ali and Nahri’s relationship develop over the trilogy. I loved how they were rivals and initially hostile towards each other and were forced to be around each other and ended up becoming friends and slowly we see something more. The fact that despite them developing more than friendship feelings for each other doesn’t stop them being friends was so wonderful to see. Ali is of course smitten (though he constantly denies this). Nahri slowly develops more feelings for Ali in Empire of Gold and when anyone points this out she also denies it but I really loved seeing such a healthy relationship in a book. Ali expects nothing from her, he knows that she finds it difficult to let people in and he lets her decide where their relationship goes. And of course the awkward flirting was absolutely hilarious to read. No smooth lines between these two idiots and I loved them for it!Shannon ended the trilogy beautifully, it isn’t a happily ever after, instead we get to see a hopeful new beginning for all of the characters as they navigate their lives with all the changes that will inevitably happen. This trilogy will forever hold a special place in my heart and I couldn’t have asked for a better conclusion.I have so much I want to know about their lives at the end but I also love the ending. I could talk about this book forever, there is so much more I want to say but I don’t want to spoil anyone so this will have to do for now.PS. I will never be ready to leave Daevabad so I am praying that Shannon returns here one day but I am also very excited about reading her next series which will involve pirates!