Wow. With this book, Chakraborty once again managed to write something both beautiful and epic. A worthy conclusion to an amazingly original trilogy.

Apart from a few suboptimal pacing decisions, The Empire of Gold has everything one might desire in the final installment of a trilogy. Not only are all mysteries sufficiently clarified, but every character gets a fitting ending to their arc.  Some of it might be heartbreaking, but ultimately everything feels at its place.

To name some spoiler-free elements that particularly impressed me:

• The scene with Nahri’s real name
• The revelations of Nahri’s family history
• The conclusion to Dara’s arc
• The almost fateful machinations that bound the main characters together, long before the trilogy’s story even began.

I must admit I was initially doubtful that all loose ends could be neatly tied up, but Chakraborty managed it. The few open endings that remain are deliberate. Interesting enough to simply spark your imagination about the other stories that could be told, but not so large as to be frustrating.

By the way, I once again want to express my appreciation for the way in which Middle-Eastern mythologies are incorporated in these books. This time some Egyptian elements – amongst other things – came to light, and I can’t help but appreciate the thoughtful creativity behind it. Bonus points for the excellent religious representation.

In my opinion, this trilogy deserves every praise it gets.