I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to the Daevabad world yet, so I’m extremely glad that there was a short story collection to follow up the trilogy. And I loved this book too! I think it really proves how expansive the Daevabad world is. There are so many stories to tell that we haven’t heard yet (and I hope she writes them!). I want to read more about Dara’s journey, Zaynab’s adventures, and the future of Daevabad. And this collection has stoked that flame. I’m looking forward to whatever Shannon Chakraborty writes. I’ll read it all!

The River of Silver by S.A. Chakraborty is a must-have collection for fans of fantasy and romance, particularly those who have devoured the Daevabad Trilogy and are eager to delve deeper into the world of magic, djinn, and adventure, as this book offers a rich tapestry of stories that will transport readers to a world of wonder and enchantment.

I will never tire of Chakraborty’s stories. I will 100% read anything and everything she writes. This entire series put her in my favorites of all time.

The River of Silver was exactly what I needed-- an excuse to return to Daevabad and wallow in my feelings for all of these wonderful, heart-wrenching characters. The book offers little moments plotted across the entire span of the series, from before it started to after it ended, giving little vignettes into the characters' experiences, some of whom we've never heard from directly before. As if I didn't already shed tears when I finished the trilogy, my final moments with Ali and Nahri led to another teary goodbye with this novella.

This is a quick read, but I felt the need to stop and savor each chapter. Chakraborty's writing is as immersive as always, even in these small chunks. It's a testament to the staying power of the characters that no new overarching plot is needed to make each moment impactful and worthwhile. Whether I was in the mind of a hated villain or a beloved side character, this novella elicited new empathy and understanding from me, which I view as another of Chakraborty's talents. She's always twisting things around to make me consider things from a new angle.

My parting comment is that I was delighted to see sapphic queer vibes confirmed in this follow-up, a love story I thought would remain nebulous but ends up so sweet and pointed here. I think fans will also be happy to get yet more closure on where some of our favorites end up after the series ends, getting to view what emerges from the chaos of the last book and what new hopes and fresh beginnings will draw the characters onward. Chakraborty is an auto-buy author for me, and I loved this brief but impactful read. Thanks to Harper Voyager for my copy to read and review!

I love Daevabad and Shannon doesn't disappoint with stories and I will miss these characters desperately.

Amazing trilogy and loved the little cherry on top! It was so great to be back in this world and see my favorite characters! I would 100% recommend this series! I cannot wait to reread this series again!

Do not read this if you haven’t finished the Daevabad Trilogy! Oh my gosh I freaking love this series and this collection of stories and missing pieces is just the crème de la crème. The icing on the cake of a wonderful world. I love it when an author can bring you back into a world they’ve created and you enjoyed in the past.

I LOVED the Daevabad trilogy (although it took me an embarrassing amount of time to realize it was a gender bent Aladdin retelling). I went into this book with high hopes and what can I say? S.A. Chakraborty never disappoints.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

This was an expanded look at the Daevabad trilogy. I loved getting to go back to the world, but these would have been amazing as short stories or novellas that came out along side the trilogy as there were definitely moments I forgot who people were or why something had/was happening.

I definitely will be doing a trilogy reread and trying to piece these in where they should go.

I love the Daevabad trilogy, I actually need to go reread it because it's been a while, but the world of Daevabad is one of my favorite fantastical worlds and any stories set there, I will always be here for.

Very enjoyable! Loved Daevabad series and knew I’d love this. Chakraborty is a master story crafted and world builder.

The River of Silver by S. A. Chakraborty - 4/5

General Fiction (Adult) - Sci Fi & Fantasy - OwnVoices

Reading The River of Silver brought back so many characters, worlds and memories from the Daevabad Trilogy. This story is an easy read even if you have not yet read the Daevabad trilogy as it is not a continuation of the stories and characters but a look into their lives as they are now. I wish the story was a tad longer as I was not ready to say goodbye just yet.

Diving into this one is different POVs from characters and a collection of short stories.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC.

I should have reread the original trilogy so I remembered more of what happened and how things left off, so that this could’ve made more sense. Other than that, I loved seeing these characters again

Being back in this world of the Daevabad trilogy via this collection of short stories means everything to me. I absolutely love Chakraborty’s characters and this magical realm where djinn and humans collide. I loved that some stories were set prior to The City of Brass, which just expands this world even more. But we also get many within the trilogy’s timeline, and I love that additional insight.

Can we get more, please? I never want to leave.

A wonderful addition to the Daevabad world! I do wish these stories had been released with their respective novels because I feel like they do wonders for character development but I understand that it's not always possible due to editing restraints.

Such a fun collection!

There is very little from SA Chakraborty that I wont read, and this is not exception.

I read the Daevabad Trilogy and was SO excited to see that there was another book coming out.. and the fact that it was a collection of short stories/deleted scenes made me so happy. I was so excited to be back in that world again.. and it makes me want to go back and reread the entire trilogy again.

I loved how i was able to get another view into the world, because Chakraborty does world building in such a phenomenal way. Her writing is absolutely amazing as well… and even though its been years since I read this trilogy it was like pulling on an old sweater and feeling so comfortable going back to read these deleted scenese/epilogues. I’m so glad Chakraborty decided to release this and ill absolutely be purchasing a physical copy

Are you tired of hearing me talk about Chakraborty yet? Well TOO BAD! I picked this one up at a conference last fall because I love the Daevabad series so much, but I didn’t have high expectations because I usually hate short stores. However, I read it after a reread of the series, and it added so much to get a little extra insight into what what going on before the events of the series, and even during. But the story featuring Dara, Zaynab and Aqisa after everything happened would have been worth the price of admission — I love this world so much, and was so grateful to get a little extra time in it.

The Daevabad series is one of my absolute favorite series of all time and I was excited to read these stories that were cut from the original books. Much like deleted scenes from a movie, these short stories - from various POVs - help fill out the plot and add extra perspectives.

It’s been awhile since I read the books, so I had to reacquaint myself with some of the characters and happenings, but I felt like I was able to do that quickly. I loved these extra peeks into the characters I loved so much, especially Dara and Nahri. The Daevabad world is so rich and wonderful, it was great to step back into it, even for just a little bit.

As someone who hasn't yet read the Daevebad trilogy (I know I know! I'm getting there!) I thought reading these shorts would be a good introduction to Chakroborty's writing and world.

While I really enjoyed each of these little snippets of the character's lives and stories, I will definitely have to re-read them again AFTER reading the trilogy. It is obvious that they will be better enjoyed with more background.
That being said, I found the each little snippet intriguing and wanted to know more about each character I met- so I guess I got what I wanted.
Very enjoyable, regardless of whether or not one has read the series, but from reading other reviews, undoubtedly better with more background!