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The City of Brass: A Novel

Read by:
Soneela Nankani
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Unabridged Audiobook

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Ratings
Book
41
Narrator
20
Release Date
November 14, 2017
Duration
20 hours 1 minute
Summary
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Library Journal | Vulture | The Verge | SYFYWireRead by Audiofile Golden Voice Narrator, Soneela Nankani

Step into The City of Brass, the spellbinding debut from S. A. Chakraborty perfect for fans of The Golem and the Jinni, The Grace of Kings, and Uprooted, in which the future of a magical Middle Eastern kingdom rests in the hands of a clever and defiant young con artist with miraculous healing gifts.

Nahri has never believed in magic. Certainly, she has power; on the streets of eighteenth-century Cairo, she’s a con woman of unsurpassed talent. But she knows better than anyone that the trades she uses to get by—palm readings, zars, and a mysterious gift for healing—are all tricks, both the means to the delightful end of swindling Ottoman nobles and a reliable way to survive.

But when Nahri accidentally summons Dara, an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior, to her side during one of her cons, she’s forced to reconsider her beliefs. For Dara tells Nahri an extraordinary tale: across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire and rivers where the mythical marid sleep, past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises and mountains where the circling birds of prey are more than what they seem, lies Daevabad, the legendary city of brass—a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound.

In Daevabad, within gilded brass walls laced with enchantments and behind the six gates of the six djinn tribes, old resentments run deep. And when Nahri decides to enter this world, her arrival threatens to ignite a war that has been simmering for centuries.

Spurning Dara’s warning of the treachery surrounding her, she embarks on a hesitant friendship with Alizayd, an idealistic prince who dreams of revolutionizing his father’s corrupt regime. All too soon, Nahri learns that true power is fierce and brutal. That magic cannot shield her from the dangerous web of court politics. That even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences.

After all, there is a reason they say to be careful what you wish for . . .

This audiobook includes an episode of the Book Club GirlPodcast, featuring an interview with S. A. Chakraborty about The City ofBrass.
Reviews
Profile Avatar Rachel R. Jan 2020

There’s about two chapters of fun, magical intrigue at the beginning and end of the book. The other 18 hours is just people yelling “What?” And almost dying but never actually dying.

Profile Avatar Stephanie S. Jun 2025

An incredible, lush listen. Amazing worldbuilding, complex and multifaceted characters, amazing pacing — one of my favorite fantasy books ever. I love that it alternates between a male and female perspective — so much classic fantasy has few (or no) significant female characters and I’m a bit over that. This is a rare book from dual perspectives that didn’t really have me preferring one over the other and that’s no mean feat for a writer. The settings are well described, as are the internal dialogues of the main characters— this author seems to do it all well. Don’t miss this gem. I’m on to start the second in the trilogy !!

Profile Avatar Anonymous Feb 2023

Great story, great reading! Also, great many use of the word credulous.

Profile Avatar Eleanor R. Sep 2021

Excellent book

Profile Avatar Nikki D. Jun 2021

I was hooked on this book from the very beginning! What a captivating story. Unfortunately I did not like the narrators style, it sounded more like she was narrating a children’s book than an adult fantasy, and I felt she made the main characters voice sound way more naive then I believe was intended by the author. But nonetheless I was able to overlook it and enjoy the book.

The City of Brass: A Novel

The City of Brass: A Novel

Author: S. A. Chakraborty
Read by: Soneela Nankani
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