The Empire of Gold: 3 (Daevabad Trilogy)

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He’s definitely pampered, but he stood his ground when it counted, when everything else was taken from him. Throughout the novel, we see the ways in which the past, both recent and distant, is something of a prison for the characters. Today I am reviewing one of my most anticipated reads for 2020 and the final installment in the Daevabad trilogy – The Empire of Gold.

All three books flip between the protagonists of three different characters, all vying for the control of Daevabad, the city at the core of their world. When Nahri realizes what has happened to him, why he’s done some of the things he’s done to Daevabad…your heart shatters alongside hers.

It could be just me, but it seems like there have been a lot of fantasy novels that have a title in the “ ____ of ______” format lately.

The ending was ultimately satisfying, without getting into spoilery territory, I appreciated that it fitted with the overall story and there was no everything gets wrapped up in a big neat bow, all the characters end in a good place but it’s clear that there is still a long way to go before Ali and Nahri’s vision for a united Daevabad comes to pass, which I felt was very realistic for this world, the tribes aren’t going to abandon their beliefs about the other tribes overnight. Instead, she got effectively held hostage, forced into a marriage she didn’t want, and then discovered that her mother is a monster. In a world where such complications brew the ending is sure to be bittersweet, heartbreaking, and bloody. The reserved, aloof and second youngest daughter of the chaebol founder and heiress to the business empire, she and Tae-joo get married, although they both don't love each other.Among other awards and nominations which will be added here soon, the Daevabad Trilogy was nominated for a Hugo Award, a 2021 Best Series finalist.

I think this is in part to the fact that there was quite a different tone for most of the book between what was happening in the city with Dara and Manizheh – grim and dark, with escalating violence and betrayals – and the journey of Nahri and Ali, which for the most part felt a lot lighter and more adventurous.The Daevabad trilogy up till this point has been largely confined to either Daevabad or Egypt, so it was pretty cool to get to see Ta Ntry in this book and discover more of the world Chakraborty has created here. As he progresses into the complicated story of his own true identify and grows closer to Nahri, he begins to see the overarching complications of love, interaction, and history.

Ali offers a look at how a devout person (reflecting Chakraborty’s Islamic faith) might contend with systemic injustice.

The places in which I felt like screaming: when Dara tells Nahri he’s leaving and will never be able to step foot inside Daevabad again while acknowledging the fact that she will never be able to step foot outside of Daevabad ever again and anytime Nahri flirts with or kisses Ali. In the previous book, it was Ali and Nahri, but in this one, it was only Dara and it was very limited how much time we got to spend with him. The ending of Kingdom of Copper left me freaking out and desperately grasping at my sister’s copy of Empire of Gold.