In The Kingdom of Copper, book two of the Daevabad Trilogy by S. A. Chakraborty, we return to the intricacies of djinn politics. It picks up five years after the end of the previous book, The City of Brass, with Ali having spent those five years bringing water and growth to the Geziris. Dara has spent those five years working with Manizheh and training her troops in preparation to take Daevabad back by force while Nahri has spent that time working on gaining allies in the Quatani court and learning djinn healing from Nisreen. As events work on bringing them slowly back together each must decide where they stand as they face the future. Nahri decides to continue mending fences between djinn and shafit by rebuilding the demolished Nahid hospital. Ali is forced to return to Daevabad and must face his family as they each choose how they will go forward. Dara must decide if he will follow Manizheh despite any misgivings he may have about her methods and choices as they prepare to attack Daevabad. Ultimately, each of them will have a role to play in the future of djinn politics and Daevabad itself.
This book was really good and a great sequel to The City of Brass. I felt like it did a good job of continuing the intricate politics that were set up in the first book. There were new players on the scene and new things they had to take into account but it also made sure to return to the events and players from the first book. The level of detail and thought that went into this story is readily apparent as almost everything is extremely interwoven and interconnected to create an incredibly rich and vibrant story. Honestly, I typically find it rare to see such an incredibly detailed setting in terms of the culture that is present. Creating a culture is difficult but Chakraborty seems to have done a great job with hers. There were a few things that I found mildly surprising but that did not detract from the book. The first one was that there was a time gap of five years between the first and the second book. This was not something I was expecting but I didn’t necessarily think it was a bad thing. The book seems to imply that not a lot of significance happened during that time frame beyond the characters settling into their new roles in life which really actually helps set up the events of this book better. Another thing that surprised me was the addition of a new narrator. The first book is driven almost entirely by Ali and Nahri and they are the two narrators and protagonists of the story. While Dara was an important character he was not a narrator and did not drive the story the same way. In this book he is elevated to the role of narrator and protagonist as he now has his own storyline separate from the other two. I wasn’t sure what to make of this at first but in adding this it allowed for a slightly more well-rounded perspective. We get to see another side to the events that are building over the course of the book which allows us to better understand all of the character’s points of view. Overall, this was a great book and one that I am happy to give four out of five stars.
As you may have gathered this book is a great fantasy novel so if you happen to enjoy that genre than I suggest you consider trying this one out, especially if you happen to enjoy novels that exhibit great world-building as well. Just keep in mind this is the second book and you really should try the first one before reading this one. They are not designed to be read separately. If you don’t enjoy fantasy than I am not entirely sure how well you would enjoy this book but you are always welcome to try the series anyway. This book is aimed at a primarily adult audience and I would agree with that. There is a lot of violence and racism present in the text which may make it unsuitable for younger readers. At best, it should probably be read by nobody younger than their late teens. That being said it is a good book overall and I hope you will genuinely consider trying it out. As always feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.