The Kingdom of Copper
By: S. A. Chakraborty
Reviewed by: Melissa Friedlund, Reference Assistant
Genre: Fantasy
Suggested Age: Teens, Adults
What is the book about? This is the second book in a planned trilogy that follows Nahri (a djinn healer), Ali (a djinn prince), and Dara (an ancient djinn warrior) as they struggle to find lives of meaning and import in the djinn world. Nahri has been married to the heir to the throne of Daevabad, Muntadhir, for five years. Her abilities with the Nahid healing magic have grown and she is looking for ways to improve the lives the second class, part-human citizens of the city. Ali has been living in exile far from Daevabad during that same time. His unexplained luck at being able to ferret out new sources of water has benefited the parched rural area he has been calling home, but he has been plagued by assassination attempts that have left him wary and guarded. Meanwhile, Dara has been coming to terms with his upgraded magical abilities while training new fighters to join him in the service of the power-hungry Nahid who was revealed at the end of book one, The City of Brass. Can these three find meaning in their new roles or will the king, Ghassan, cause enough torment and anguish that they decide to act? Is their cause just? How far are they willing to go?
My Review: I enjoyed listening to the audiobook version of this book. There were new characters and revealed secrets, but not too many unexpected surprises or plot twists, except maybe at the very end. I was struck by the recurrent theme of female empowerment. Whether you are rooting for someone specifically or not, the female characters really do seem to guide the course of the story, more so in this book than the first. While I found this noteworthy, I think it made for some decisions by characters that were a little less believable, but I just chalked it up to a complex fantastical society and a relatively new author. As I made my way through the book, I was trying to figure out the significance of “copper” in the title. The author seemed to use copper to represent danger, which was definitely an overriding theme in this book. Overall, I thought it was good and am anticipating the finale being published next year.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Schemes, Power plays, Revelations
Give This a Try if You Like…The City of Brass, The Golem and the Jinni, Aladdin
Rating: 4.5/5
About FDL Reads
FDL Reads is a series of weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.
