The Kingdom of Copper is the second book in the Daevabad Trilogy, written by S.A. Chakraborty. If you haven’t read City of Brass, I cannot recommend it strongly enough that you should read it before continuing on.
Five years has passed since Nahri watched her protector, Dara, die at the hands of her friend, Alizayd, on the marid cursed lake that surrounds Daevabad. Stuck in an unhappy marriage with a vicious father in law, Nahri has been forced to curb her free spirit or watch her people suffer the consequences. Far from Daevabad, Alizayd has fought off assassin after assassin to stay alive in his exile. An exile less lonely than expected, but no sooner than Ali becomes settled and happy he is dragged back to Daevabad.
And nothing could prepare Nahri or Ali for the threat coming from the wilds to the north.
“You don’t stop fighting a war just because you’re losing battles. You change tactics.”
DEVELOPING CHARACTERS: SOMETIMES YOU HATE THEM [SPOILERS]
About 2/3 of the way through the Kingdom of Copper, I remember thinking “Wow, I don’t even like any of these characters.” They were frustrating, stupid, and selfish! None of that is a criticism of Chakraborty’s writing. It’s the opposite. Nahri has grown from a selfish thief into a socially conscious leader. Ali has embraced the fact that religious differences do not inherently equal disrespect for those differences, and sometimes a subtle approach is best. Sometimes not. And Dara wrestles with perhaps the basic of questions: what is he, and is he comfortable adding more blood to the oceans of it at his feet? How many have to die before enough is enough?
It is impossible to reach these points of character growth organically and keep characters likeable 100% of the time. They are imperfect and grating at times, which makes their virtuous moments shine through brilliantly. To be unafraid of making your favourites unlikable is a sign of an aware writer. To stick through when your favourites are unlikable is the sign of a good reader. I can’t wait until the third book comes out, and we can all see where these journeys end.
4/5 stars.
—L.J.
““A new, rather grisly lesson in Daevabad’s history.” Nahri made a face. “Just once, I’d like to learn of an event that was nothing but our ancestors conjuring rainbows and dancing in the street together.””
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