The City of Brass

What Readers Say

Readers consistently call The City of Brass "super well written," which is a low-key compliment that means more than it sounds — this is high fantasy with 624 pages of political intrigue and a magic system built around djinn, and it earns every page. The atmosphere is the thing: 18th-century Cairo and the hidden city of Daevabad feel textured and real rather than borrowed. Readers describe it as feeling like One Thousand and One Nights in the best way, not the Disney version.

The romance is present but doesn't overpower the politics. Readers who want a love story embedded in something larger specifically cite this as a reason to recommend it. Those looking for spice will need to look elsewhere — the relationship develops slowly and quietly.

Who It's For

Readers who want high fantasy with a cultural lens that isn't European. If you're tired of medieval England with elves and want something genuinely different in setting and mythology, the Daevabad trilogy is one of the most consistently recommended alternatives. People who like court intrigue, faction politics, and a protagonist who has to navigate a world she doesn't fully understand — Nahri is a Cairo con artist who gets pulled into a world she was never supposed to find.

Reading Context

First book in the Daevabad trilogy, followed by The Kingdom of Copper and The Empire of Gold. The series is complete, so no waiting. Finalists for the World Fantasy Award and Locus Award for Best First Novel. Readers who love this tend to pick up everything in the same vein — The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker and A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik come up as comparisons.