Soo.... This book. If you've been following my updates you probably already know I wasn't a huge fan. There are a lot of things The City of Brass does right, and one very important thing it doesn't. I'm also going to cover this review with a disclaimer in saying that I think plenty of readers will enjoy this book. It might just be me. 
 I really loved Nahri's character from the beginning. She's a thief and a con artist. She has a smart mouth and doesn't really take crap from anyone. If you give her a hard time, she'll probably rob you blind. She is one of two main characters in this book. 
 The second main character was Prince Alizayd. He is a Qahtani prince of the djinn. It took me a long, long time to enjoy his character. It was at least fifty percent over (in a 500+ page book) by the time his story line became enjoyable, and I think most of the reason for that was because he finally meets with Nahri. By the end though, I was quite fond of him. He experiences the most character development out of any of them. 
 The setting is imaginative and beautifully told. The lore and history are intricate and detailed and filled with Arabic mythology. I imagine Chakraborty had a book length prologue to accompany all of it and keep it all straight. 
 The plot is action filled, which is why it is so very difficult for me to say that overall- I was bored. There is no over arching plot arc. Nahri narrowly escapes death. Nahri learns where she comes from. Nahri travels to Daevabad. Nahri moves into the palace. Nahri learns to heal.... There was no end goal here. No definitive destination the plot was moving toward. In a mystery plot, the end goal is solving the mystery. In a romance, it's a HEA ending. In a fantasy, it's completing a quest, or defeating the enemy or saving the kingdom. Here- I'm sure there is one eventually, but you don't know what it is. 
 In the end, if I had to pick one of the above, I guess I'd go with romance. The case for this is thin because honestly, the two love interests seemed to just randomly be in love with each other after a couple months riding in the desert. I had no idea either character was even interested in the other romantically until it happened and then BAM. They are confessing they're undying love for each other. But I can't make a case for any other end goal so I guess that's it? 
 There were times the dialogue felt stiff and cliched, predictable even. The history in the book is so complex it becomes confusing. I can't tell you why the Geziri (I've probably spelled this wrong) and the Daeva tribes dislike each other. I can't tell you why the Qahtani's rebelled against the revered Nahid. (I mean I have a vague understanding, but it is very vague.) 
 In the end I think this book could have used some significant trimming, some clarification, and significantly less ambiguous plot structure. The characters and world building were great, but just not enough to carry the entire novel. 
 Thank you to Edelweiss and Harper Voyager for providing an eARC for me to review.