Georgia Kostopoulou

 

I’m so in love with this trilogy, I’m not sure I’ll be doing this right, but I’ll try even so! Once again I will be keeping this review spoiler free, but I will give as much information as I can!

“If you rule by violence, you should expect to be removed by violence.”
― S.A. Chakraborty, The Empire of Gold

It is pretty obvious that the Daevabad story is based on Arabian mythology and I’m more than glad to read about it! This world that S.A. Chakraborty has built, fascinates me to an extended I didn’t expect! The story in this book picks up right after “The Kingdom of Copper” left, with that huge cliffhanger! Thankfully, I had all the books on my shelves and was able to binge read them, so the cliffhanger was not something I couldn’t handle. I do feel sorry though, for those that read the books when they came out!

“I do not believe ambitious men who say the only route to peace and prosperity lies in giving them more power—particularly when they do it with lands and people who are not theirs.”
― S.A. Chakraborty, The Empire of Gold

Having said that, and due to the fact that I want to keep this as spoiler free as possible, all I can actually say is that after the devastating events that took place in the previous book, Daevabad is no longer the same. Where peace and happiness used to be, now fear has taken root. Many parts of the city have been destroyed. Many Daevas have been killed, as well as djinn. People that used to live in Daevabad have lost their homes and their loved ones, if not their lives as well. But so has happened to many visitors, that went there to celebrate and lost more than their magic. At least two of the main characters in this story have escaped.

“Luck is a fairy tale we use to make people feel better about the world being unfair as shit.”
― S.A. Chakraborty, The Empire of Gold

Nahri and Ali find themselves in Cairo and they try to put their pieces back together. They are no longer the same Nahri and Ali they used to be behind the walls of The City Of Brass. They’ve already lost so much, but they have to decide if they are going to stay there and mourn for all they’ve lost, or if they are going to do something about it. After all, they have something their enemies seek and they are not willing to give it away.

“You bet on whether or not I kissed your wife?” Ali was aghast. “What is wrong with the two of you?” When his brother and sister only cackled harder, he drew up. “I hate you. “I hate you both.”
― S.A. Chakraborty, The Empire of Gold

I loved reading about these two. Their life in Cairo was something they could choose for a peaceful future. But this would not be their choice now. They have matured enough over the books in order to put their duty first, to put others first and seek for a way to free their beloved Daevabad from its new tyrant. These two good friends, the youngest characters in the story, have come a long way. They have been through hell and fire and their actions in this last book show exactly that. How much they have grown, how much they have gained from their experiences.

“For a people who honored the ascent and descent of the sun, marking the first and last glimpse of its burning orb with quiet gratitude to their Creator, this time farthest from its presence was meant for being safe and asleep with their loved ones, a fire altar burning to keep the demons out. But Dara had no loved ones and was a demon himself, so here he was.”
― S.A. Chakraborty, The Empire of Gold

Which means that we continue to have three point of view in this book as well. We get to see the story through the eyes of Nahri, Ali and Dara. The last one is a more revealing view in this last book. Darayavahoush e-Afshin is suffering as well in this book. Yes, Nahri is going through a lot. Yes, Ali discovers his true identity in not the easiest way possible and fights with beasts and monsters for his beliefs and for those he loves. But Darayavahoush is being betrayed one more time by those he held in high esteem. And this betrayal is killing him time and again fir centuries now. He is the example of those that will never find peace, no matter how much they deserve it. Which means that I rooted a bit more on him in this book.

Overall, this whole trilogy is an amazing story, full of magic and string messages that I recommend to everyone willing to hear me!