The short of it is, 1,400 years ago there was a war and though many djinn had put the war behind them, one particular group of individuals were not so willing to accept their current lot in life.įrom the first page to the last, this story tells their tale. There’s so much more going on, so much that takes place in the background, that it’s nearly impossible to put into words any shorter than the 526 pages Chakraborty already used to tell it. There’s a lot about the plot of City of Brass that I just can’t explain. She leaves behind the mask of a girl who was tossed around by circumstance and culture to become the champion and master of her fate. Nahri starts out as a unwilling, foolhardy girl who turns into a strong woman who forges her own path.

But the appearance of luxury hides an even deadlier enemy. Instead of thieves and cutthroats she deals with kings and politicians. Soon she finds herself living a life wholly different, yet strikingly similar to the one she led before. When her life is threatened, she’s whisked away to this magical city of brass called Daevabad where thousands upon thousands of djinn live. She struggles to get by, but it’s simple. Our main character, Nahri, is living a pretty basic life. The story in City of Brass is really one of survival. Certain types of metals are harmful to the djinn, and iron in particular seems to dampen their powers, so wearing an iron cuff essentially cripples the djinn’s magic. I found it interesting that the bangles or cuffs we see in Aladdin that represents genie’s slavery are also present in the story in a manner of speaking. Some djinn are bound to lamps as we think of them, but they can be bound other ordinary objects as well. Similar to Aladdin, this particular genie, Dara, used to be a slave bound to his vessel. That certainly is a part of the story, more of Dara’s history, but don’t misunderstand the plot because I used the word genie. Though he is a djinn, he doesn’t go around granting wishes left and right. The summoning also alerts a demon race called the ifrit who want to see Nahri dead at all costs.ĭara, it turns out, is her protector.

When one of these scams goes wrong, she ends up summoning a djinn, or better known as a genie, named Darayavahoush (Dara for short). The story begins a lowly urchin named Nahri who is swindling people out of their money so that she can survive. The story is reminiscent of a story known around the world about a young street rat named Aladdin.

The city of brass book review