Hi Steemians!
Today I'm sharing a new favourite with you, which rarely happens to be a book from the YA genre. Maybe you're as surprised as I am to note that The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty might just be that exception for me.
Unlike many other YA fantasies, this book does not shy away from some proper world building, and the world this is set in is fascinating. I love djinn stories and I learnt so much more about their mythology in this.
The characters are also great, particularly Nahri. She is such a breath of fresh air in the YA genre. For once we have a female main character who doesn't only SAY she does morally gray things and is a strong person but actually shows it as well. We meet her as a thief and charlatan, swindling money out of gullible men who come to her for palm readings and other "magicky" things she considers nonsense. But then something happens that opens her eyes to the world of the djinn and she realizes actual magic does exist and she might not actually be who she thought she was.
I love that Nahri is such a deeply flawed person. In the world of the djinn she's suddenly confronted with a myriad responsibilities that she never wanted. She quickly grows weary of this burden and often fails to live up to the expectations put on her. It all makes her seem so genuine and human. This isn't a life she had chosen for herself and to all of a sudden be thrust into it would throw anyone for a loop. She also doesn't let anyone tell her what to do, unless she can also get something out of it for herself. And even though there is a love interest in the picture that's a little too overprotective and bossy at times, she tells him multiple times that she doesn't need him to save her and is very adamant about making her own decisions. All of these qualities are unfortunately very rare in YA books and I was happy to find here the exception to the rule.
While the plot is slow paced and not a whole lot happens, this book definitely did a great job setting up this trilogy and I cannot wait to see where the story takes us next, especially since that cliffhanger at the end leaves more than a few questions to be answered. Highly recommend!
Have you read The City of Brass yet? If not, GET ON THAT ASAP!!
Happy reading!
xx
ivymuse