The Empire of Gold

I think it's somewhat fitting that I finished reading this book 1 year to the day after it was published. Chakraborty definitely earned all 5 paw prints on this book, although it was quite a fight for a while.

This series had heartbreak, betrayal, sacrifice, and prejudice. It ended with everyone having happy endings, but not quite in the way that I had expected in the beginning.

I don't know that I would have ever visited Daevabad, had it not been for this reading challenge. If I did, it would have been extremely far down on my list, and only because of the stunning covers. (That alone is reason enough for me to buy them, just don't tell my husband WINK)

This book was so LOOOOOONG! Halfway through this book (and the other 2, actually), I found myself getting bored. I powered through though, and I'm so glad I did. I listened up to Nahri's last chapter and the epilogue this morning, and it was hard to listen to it. I didn't want it to end!

It took me longer than I'd care to admit to make my way through this hefty tome, but I come away satisfied and content with the way everything is brought to a close. The Empire of Gold brings this expansive trilogy to a rousing conclusion. 

The journeys of our three main characters are given plenty of time to breath, while being really well-balanced against each other. Chakraborty's writing continues to impress and it flows beautifully once again in this book. I'm excited to see what Chakraborty writes next, as this trilogy is such an impressive achievement, especially as a debut.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

See this review and others at The Speculative Shelf.

What an ending to the trilogy! There is so much that Ali, Nahri, and Dara have to go through to get to the end. I was enthralled to see the different parts of the kingdom and the other species. There is so much history to wade through as well. I am ready to go back and read it all again. I just love being in this world.

The plot, much like Kingdom of Copper was pretty slow, but there were lots of really good character moments. However, it did not feel like a drag building up to the climax. Many of the ‘plot twists' were shocking to the characters, but they do not leave much on an effect on the reader, largely because of Dara's POV where the author showed all the bad stuff already, so nothing tragic came as a surprise.
Yet still, three books in and I still do not understand why Nahids are seen as such a goody-two-shoes and perfect leaders, when pretty much all backstory and the current rule just always proves otherwise. In some ways even Ghassan's rule does not seem as bad as Nahids.
It was interesting to finally see other parts of the world and not just Daevabad and meet new characters and expand on some of the old ones.

This series finished off just as strong as it started. I think the payoff was ultimately worth it though I would understand if people struggled to read all 2000ish pages of the trilogy to get there. There’s also a couple pacing issues that left some really interesting storylines getting less page time than some others, but overall a really great book and a very compelling series.

The City of Brass sparked my interest, unveiling a rich and vibrant world with complex characters. The Kingdom of Copper launched the series to new heights, playing with my emotions in ways few other series have. Together, the first two books of the Daevabad Trilogy had set my expectations unrealistically high for the final book. So how did it measure up?

S.A. Chakraborty stuck the landing. The Empire of Gold is her most impressive work yet.

After the second book trampled my heart to pieces, this one slowly began stitching it back together. It can be excruciating to watch characters I love act horrendously to each other, and I was worried that would dominate Empire of Gold. There's very little I love more in a book than being pleasantly surprised by how wholesome and supportive characters can be to each other. Without giving too much away, let's just say I was happily surprised on more than one occasion.

The story starts out a little slow, allowing the characters to recover from and process the traumatic events of Kingdom of Copper and put the final pieces in place for concluding each major character arc. For a book that's nearly 800 pages long, it was a refreshing change of pace before the epic conclusion.

Like most of my favorite books, the ending the Daevabad trilogy delivers is bittersweet. Granted, it leans more toward sweet than the bitterness I expected. This is not a book that shies away from death, but Chakraborty proves time and again that death is not the only way to torment a beloved character or pull on readers' heartstrings.

This is a book about family: the ones we're born with and the duty owed them, as well as the ones we choose and how far we'll go to help them. It's also a book about sacrifice. One of the main distinctions between the protagonists and antagonists of the series is whether they're willing to sacrifice themselves for others or vice versa. And—perhaps ironically in a story so strife with violent conflict—it's a book about peace.

Endings are a tricky thing. They have to feel final, but the lives of the surviving characters don't simply end with the turning of the last page. Chakraborty strikes a delicate balance between the two, closing the story with what could almost be a new beginning.

If The Empire of Gold is a bit of an emotional roller coaster, I have to say that it was an intensely enjoyable ride. Remember what I said about my heart being stitched back together? That can be every bit as painful as it sounds, but the end result makes it all worth it.

Listen to my podcast interview with S.A. Chakraborty talking about The Empire of Gold here.