REVIEW: Empire of Gold by S.A Chakraborty

Empire of Gold follows the trail of destruction that Kingdom of Copper left behind. Throughout the novel, we follow Nahri, Ali and Dara through their point of views. Nahri and Ali have escaped Daevabad and have landed their arses in Cairo, Egypt a place where Nahri used to call home. They escaped with Suleiman’s seal leaving behind Daevabad without magic. The only people that have magic now is Dara and beings such as the ifrit, marid and peri can wield the magic of the land. Though having Suleiman’s seal is a good thing for them because that means Manizheh doesn’t have it, Ali cannot access its power.

Nahri and Ali’s main storyline is that of trying to get back to their homeland, Daevebad. But whilst in Cairo, Nahri starts to wonder whether going back is such a good idea and that she could have a pretty normal life in Cairo but Ali snaps her out of it and reminds her that her responsibility lies with the people of Daeva and that they have to do something to stop Manizheh. So, they decide to head back to Daevabad but along the way they encounter a very powerful and ancient Marid. The Marid reveals some shocking news about what Ali is experiencing with his powers and what is actually going on with him which then causes them to go to Ali’s mothers’ ancestral home instead of straight to Daevabad. He discovers that his connection to the Marid goes deeper than what it seems. Back in Daevabad, Dara is questioning himself about the actions that he has taken and starts to struggle with conscience about his past and what he could have done differently. Dara is unsure of what way his allegiances truly lie, to Nahri or to her mother, Manizheh.

Chakraborty delivers an exciting conclusion to the Daevabad trilogy. I absolutely loved this series and to see it is ending makes me really sad. Chakraborty makes this series intricate and detailed which is something that I love as it provides the reader a true insight into the world of Daevabad. One thing that I did enjoy was seeing the world outside Daevabad, especially when we went to visit Ali’s mothers’ ancestral home. Despite the dark side of this story, it is at times filled with light and happiness and it was those moments that I enjoyed the most.

4 out of 5 stars.