The second book in this trilogy was very similar to the first; the first 75% is backstory and buildup and the last 25% on the edge of your seat action, excitement, and indecision. I remember pausing about halfway through this book, enjoying the story, but wondering what happened to the magic of the first one. But trust me, it comes back with a vengeance. It’s almost as if S.A. Chakraborty purposely holds off to reward the patient and the dedicated.

Like the first, I kept changing my mind about the characters throughout The Kingdom of Copper. Nahri is sometimes fierce and powerful, gaining knowledge and intelligence from books and the world around her, standing up for herself and those she cares for, testing her bonds and breaking them where she can. Sometimes, though, she’s selfish and obstructive, not able to see the big picture and causing problems where they could have easily been avoided. Holding grudges against actions she would have taken herself and failing to see others as anything more than what they can provide for her. Ali is similar; so sure he can decide to be one way – not cause any problems or drama – and then ten pages later breaking the promises he just made in a moment of responsive spontaneity. He’s lost some of his naivety but this hasn’t tampered with his view on how the world should be, instead, it’s made him start to realise what needs to be done to actually see this better world that he believes should exist. His inability to see past his immediate actions into the future reactions they cause is so incredibly frustrating sometimes, but other times this exact trait allows him to do the right thing and have it actually work out for the best.