Where to begin...

First of all, a big thank you to HarperCollins Canada for sending me an arc of The Kingdom of Copper! My very first arc from HarperCollins was for The City of Brass, so I was almost in tears when the second book fell into my hands. This series has stolen my heart since the first book, and I'm so glad I can continue on with this journey!

Overall Rating: 5 stars!

This book was a whirlwind of a read. I don't think I can fully explain how I feel or what I'm thinking right now. I already know that I need to reread, and this time tab certain pages and sections just so I can keep track of everything that happened and the possible implications and all the heart wrenching moments *cue the tears* I'm already sad to be done with this world (for now), and I hurt inside cause I have to wait till 2021 to see how it all ends!



(picture of me begging for the third book)

THE WRITING & WORLD

I can never talk enough about Shannon's writing. It's beautifully delicious–and no, I'm not just talking about the food descriptions. I feel like I can almost taste the world she's created. Everything feels so tangible and real. It's like I'm actually there, tinkering away in the infirmary, making potions and healing salves. I can see myself wandering the palace gardens, or exploring the Daeva Temple, or even just pushing past the waves of djinn in the Grand Bazaar. And it's not just Daevabad.

We get to see so much more of this wonderful world! The glimpses of life in Am Gezira through Ali's perspective, the varying settings that take place in Dara's chapters. We get to experience every day life, we get to see culture and how it varies according to each tribe. Shannon's world as a whole feels more fleshed out and bigger in this second book, and I loved every second of it!

PLOT, PLOT, PLOT



Shannon is just incredible. I was literally sitting in awe at so many points in this book, wishing and hoping that one day I can write something just as good. There are so many little threads that intersect and intertwine perfectly. Everything has a place; a purpose. (I have no idea how she keeps track of all of this, let alone how she came up with any of this.) Add some drama and heartbreak, along with a barrel full of politics and history, and you get a melting pot of amazingness.

I mentioned in my review for The City of Brass how the story Shannon tells isn't very black or white. It's hard to pick one side and say "Okay, this side was in the right and I'm rooting for them to win!" There is no "right" side. There is no side that has done less wrong compared to the other. Both the shafit and the daevas have been persecuted and treated terribly. Both sides have made terrible decisions, justified by what they've gone through/are going through. It's all so very complex and deep. And Shannon shows this so well. We get glimpses of the confusion that not just Nahri, but every character in this book goes through, as more and more is revealed about the past. History is full of secrets and half-truths. It's embellished by the people who write it or live it. And there are always two sides to a story.

I don't want to get too much more into the plot, cause I do want this review to be mostly non-spoilery. But the entire book felt like I was on a rollercoaster blindfolded. My emotions were a mess.



One moment I would be terrified, the next I would be happy. Then a chapter later I would be horrified, and then I would be REALLY SAD. I just never knew what to expect. I was constantly on my toes. There were drops on this rollercoaster that I did not know about, and sharp turns that had me almost falling out of my seat. IT WAS A RIDE PEOPLE. And I enjoyed every second–including the pain and heartbreak.

SIDE CHARACTERS

If you thought this book would just focus on the main characters, you were wrong. I was wrong. I was not expecting this much. My heart wasn't ready at all.

Let's talk about Muntadhir. He is a flawed, complex, character who you want to slap across the face one second and then pat on the head the next and tell him it'll be okay. You might also want to murder him a few times. I came close to murdering him myself. However...Shannon writes his character just as well as she writes the plot itself. It's not as simple as it may seem. We see the pressure that Muntadhir is in, we see how scared he is and how he does his best to hide his weaknesses from a father who would openly exploit them. We see him warring between doing what is right and what is easy. And he chooses easy for a lot of it. And it makes sense. Muntadhir isn't idealistic and brash like Ali. He doesn't act first and think later. He has the self-preservation that Ali doesn't. He believes in living to change the future. Yet, he's too scared to stand up for the wrongs being done in the present. And that's realistic. Not everyone can be a hero. And the pressure and abuse Muntadhir has gone through at the hands of his father, aren't necessarily easy things to shrug off. Ali spent most of his life in the Citadel, away from his father and the life that Muntadhir had to lead. And while Ali resents how Muntadhir got to live in luxury and ease, he doesn't see what his father made his older brother go through. This quote honestly made me cry inside:

"And I am well aware of my duties; you've been beating their importance into me since I was a child."

Muntadhir does some horribly cruel stuff in this book–that scene near the end almost had me in tears. I wanted to murder him with my own hands. It hurts way more when someone close to you, a family member, does something purposely cruel, knowing how much it'll affect you. But we also see the reverse of it. We see how Ali treats Muntadhir, though a lot of his actions don't have the same forethought as Muntadhir's do, he does hurt him just the same through his lack of self-preservation and thoughtlessness and rash actions. Not to forget the many times Ali openly questioned Muntadhir's authority, not knowing how hard it was for his older brother to get to where he is today.

Then we have Zaynab. She wasn't my favourite in The City of Brass because of what she did to Nahri, but in this book I was squealing. She deserves so much more hype honestly. The scene where she takes Nahri off to explore and wander the Geziri district, how she plays along in harem politics, her attempts at trying to save her brothers' relationship, just everything! The scene where she goes to the Temple and single-handedly prevents what would have been a huge altercation between the Daevas and Ali. She has a way with words, and people tend to underestimate her cause she's so beautiful and a princess. I just kind of love her and I'm really hoping we get to see more of her in book three!

Lubayd and Aqisa were also some of my favourites. Aqisa is just a badass honestly. I love her sneaking around the palace and into and out of the harem. But Lubayd, ugh, he's a sweetheart. I just see him as a huge cuddly teddy bear who you want to hug. The scenes with him and Aqisa teasing Ali are honestly my favourite. My poor alu prince chose great friends.

NAHRI

Nahri went through a hell of a lot in this book.

One thing I did want to get into was the first scene we get in the prologue. I wasn't expecting a

Spoiler

wedding night

scene and because of that it made the first little bit of the book kind of difficult to read. This is mostly a personal thing, but I just get really uncomfortable about stuff like that. And even though nothing crazy happens, it's the idea of something happening that terrified me. I guess it's one of my worst nightmares, and seeing it on the page, happening to a character I care about, scared me a bit more than I was expecting. (Just thought I'd add a warning for anyone reading this before reading the book)

But besides that, we see how she's technically a prisoner in her new home. She can't leave, she doesn't have a say in anything, and other people take the price for her stepping out of line. It's just horrible.

I did love seeing her working in the infirmary. She's learned so much since the last book and seeing her admit how much of a joy it is to be healing people like she's always wanted, made me feel all soft inside. Even her relationship with Muntadhir, though tumultuous, had moments that were endearing. Though they were constantly ruined, which explains the rollercoaster of emotions I went through.

Also, her realizing that Daevabad will never feel like home to her HURT LIKE HELL. Seeing her reminisce of Egypt and her life before, made me so sad. She honestly just deserves a good, long vacation, with no politics or drama, or people plotting against her.

^^^


DARA

My emerald-eyed son was a joy to read about. He had his own POV in this book and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Dara is as complex of a character as Muntadhir. He has done some horrible stuff and he's about to do more for the sake of a "better" future. The realization he comes to, knowing that in the end he isn't doing anything for the better, but only continuing on the cycle from the past, had me nodding my head up and down and crying proud tears inside.



He surprised me. Especially near the end. I do worry about how everything will affect his relationship with Nahri. And seeing how broken Dara feels at the end, I'm a bit scared for what book three will bring.

ALIZAYD AL QAHTANI AKA PRINCE ALU

I am never, ever going to get over the fact that my child, ALIZAYD AL QAHTANI, is an alu. He is an actual potato head. And I love my potato head so much. The next time I have alu salan, I will spend the entire time thinking of PRINCE ALU AND HIS RASH AND STUPID ADVENTURES IN DAEVABAD (as this book should be titled).

Also, I found a gif of a wild Prince Alu running away from his sense of self-preservation.



Ali gets a nice long rant from me. We see him grow a lot as a character in this book, especially in the beginning. It almost seems that his time away from home was good for his heart and soul. He matured and grew up and then was immediately tossed back into a cesspool and ruined everything. And despite all of that that, I wasn't annoyed the least. Yes, Ali makes stupid decisions. He listens to his heart more than his brain. Or he justifies his heart through his brain, and thinks he's all clever, and then Ghassan stabs him in the chest for fun. IT IS ALL SO MUCH FUN. But we see him grow despite all of that. He does get a bit more careful, but I think his rashness and his mistakes make for a more realistic character. If he got everything right the first time and there were never any repercussions, sure my blood pressure would be back to normal, but who cares about that when you can cry your eyes out and scream at a book.



It also goes to show what kind of a man Ghassan really is. Cause honestly, if I were in Ali's situation, I would probably not be making any good decisions either, cause there just aren't any. It's a mess. All of this is a mess. When you take into account the different parties that are involved, the politics, the religious beliefs, the history. None of it is straightforward. No one is telling the truth. Everyone has different plans. People are plotting behind each other's backs. Everyone thinks they know best. It's difficult navigating something like that. Honestly, I would probably be like Muntadhir if I were dropped into this world. I admire Ali for his guts, for his willingness to take the risk, for speaking his mind, and for FIGHTING. Yes, he makes mistakes. He takes drastic actions that come back to bite him, but he does it knowing, just like Nahri realizes near the end, that there are some sacrifices that are worth it. AND I LOVE HIM FOR IT.



THE ENDING

haha. That ending. So much happened in such a short space of time. It felt like watching a movie in my head, with the scenes changing, showing the different characters and what they're doing, and everything finally fitting together near the end.

I read the last 100 pages or so in about two hours, which is really fast for me. And I was terrified the entire time. I will say that a lot of people made it sound like the ending would hurt my soul and that I would shed real tears. I did not cry. I was very concerned and scared though. And my mind was going crazy with questions, so I didn't have time to process anything. But I was happy with where things left off. I have millions of questions, and I haven't even started theorizing (leaving that for my next reread), but to say I'm excited for the next book is not even close to accurate. I can't wait to see how everything ends. I'm scared for my children. Like really scared. I have no idea what is going to happen to them and I just want everyone to be happy.



This series is now one of my all time favourites. It is up there with Harry Potter, Tamora Pierce's works, and The Pureblood Pretense (the best HP/TP fanfic ever). Shannon is an inspiration not just for authors, she's an inspiration for Muslims everywhere. To see a book, with people like me, who worship the way I do, who believe in the things I do, who look like me...It's just incredible. Growing up, I never wrote stories where my characters looked or acted like I do. It just didn't seem right, or sound possible. But reading her words, experiencing her story, living in her world, makes me realize it is possible. And I have her to thank for that.



For those interested in my reactions to reading The Kingdom of Copper, here's the link to my Twitter thread.