City of stairs

This book was one of my favorite reads this year, completely blew me out of the water. Absolutely phenomenal.

Now imagine what if India (Saypuri) had been colonized by power-hungry Europeans (Continentals) who had mighty gods on their side helping them. Now imagine a young hero rising up to create a god-killing weapon, ending the colonial rule, and instead creating a new empire suppressing the former rulers and their beliefs.

That's pretty much the setting in a nutshell. After the Divinities were killed by a hero called The Kaj, parts of their cities disappeared in a catastrophic event, especially in Bulikov, the now-called City of Stairs. It is here that Ambassador Shara comes to investigate the death of her fellow Saypuri scholar, and finds herself flung into a conspiracy to bring the Divinities back. It's murder mystery meets fantasy meets political conspiracies, and it was outstanding.

Nice twists, nice medley of genres. Some twists I guessed, some I didn't. I think I'll look forward to Book 2. :)

A city whose gods were killed decades before; a culture oppressed and forbidden; a murder that points to a conspiracy with international implications: all this and a heroine that drinks more tea than China can produce!

City of Stairs is a spy-thriller-fantasy novel with socio-political themes. It is well-paced, entertaining, and includes horrific and explosive action along with its intrigue. Really, it's just an enjoyable book.