The River of Silver by S.A. Chakraborty
A prospective new queen joins a court whose lethal history may overwhelm her own political savvy.
An imprisoned royal from a fallen dynasty and a young woman wrenched from her home cross paths in an enchanted garden.
A pair of scouts stumble upon a secret in a cursed winter wood that will turn over their world.
Now together in one place, these stories of Daevabad enrich a world already teeming with magic and wonder. From Manizah’s first steps towards rebellion to adventures that take place after The Empire of Gold, this is a must-have collection for those who can’t get enough of Nahri, Ali, and Dara and all that unfolded around them.
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Revisiting the Daevabad world with entirely new stories was probably the highlight of my spring (you know, besides warm weather and travel ;)). This world is so encompassing and rich that I could stay in it forever so when I realized there was an audiobook of new stories taking place throughout that series, I HAD to listen. And when I tell you I sobbed the entire time while listening to it on a plane ride, I’m not exaggerating (well, only a little). These short stories take place before, throughout, and after the original trilogy so if you haven’t read that trilogy yet, there will be spoilers. We get glimpses into the final threads of Manizeh’s tolerance, we get to see how Nahri’s parents met, we get more insight into Jamshid and Muntadhir’s relationship, we see Hatset’s first impressions of her new husband and kingdom, we see Dara’s struggle for atonement, and we get a little more closure on Nahri and Ali and what the future holds for them. As you go throughout the book, each intro had a note from the author of when that particular scene takes place and which books it may possibly spoil which I think was such a nice touch.
My favourite part of this novella was the insight it gave into the background of the story. We learned a few surprising truth’s about Nahri’s past in the books but getting to actually see how her parents met, and how the Nahid’s were treated before her time was eye opening, you can understand the Daeva fury in the early books a little better with that. This novella also made me see sides of this story I never thought I wanted to but am glad I did. To me, Manizeh is inhuman. I don’t find one aspect of her character forgivable or worth empathizing with. And then Chakraborty does what she does best and makes me feel BAD for the VILLAIN. Because nothing in these books is ever black or white and I think that is the ultimate beauty of them, exploring the different levels of morality and motivation. It was crucial in my opinion to see into Manizeh’s past in leaving behind all that she loves in order to understand the turning point of someone who wanted to do good for her people into someone who only thrived on revenge.
Not only did this book provide some background stories, it also provided POV changes that we didn’t get during the trilogy. We didn’t get to see how Muntadhir felt being imprisoned in his own palace, we didn’t get to see Ali’s adventures during the five years he was banished. Now we do and gaining that insight gave me more respect for what these characters accomplished and makes me want to read the third book over again to see if I can spot those character differences now. My favourite part of this book however, was that we got extra closure + an alternate epilogue (it says “alternate” but it’s really just another ‘after’ as nothing has changed). Seeing Dara mistrusted and alone broke my heart as he was my favourite character in the series. I don’t think I’ve ever met a character that has been through SO MUCH and still carries on. But seeing Nahri thriving with loved ones, finally feeling accepted and at home gave a comfort that the end of the original story never did. It’s different being told “they lived happily ever after” vs. actually SEEING the “after” taking place.
This is definitely a comfort read and an emotional visit to all of our old favourite characters but the storytelling was just as rich and the characters just as loveable. I highly recommend reading this if you like the Daevabad world. Five stars.