Fantasy

The City of Zirdai

The City of Zirdai

  • Downloads：8366
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-05-19 09:16:28
  • Update Date：2025-09-23
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Maria V. Snyder
  • ISBN：B08TZS13S1
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

With her indomitable style， New York Times bestselling author Maria V。 Snyder returns with an electric new fantasy series that will keep you on the edge of your seat。

Through her courage and tenacity， Shyla Sun-Kissed has awoken the power of The Eyes of Tamburah。 But this feat only marks the beginning of the challenges that the magical order， the Invisible Sword， faces to free the underground city of Zirdai。

Though they have allies among the monks and splinter cells inside the city， Shyla knows the Invisible Sword doesn't have the strength to win。 With the group fracturing due to the strain of losses from their latest ordeal， thinly veiled suspicions and endless disagreements， it's up to Shyla to forge a new united order。

When both the draconian Water Prince and brutal Heliacal Priestess learn of Shyla's new powers， life becomes even more complicated as they will stop at nothing to capture Shyla and take the magic of The Eyes for themselves。 Hunted at every turn and unable to hide， Shyla and the Invisible Sword must use every resource at their command - and unearth new ones - in their race to save the city from destruction。 But their enemies always seem to be one step ahead。 And the cost to win the battle may be more than Shyla would ever be willing to pay。。。

Praise for The Eyes of Tamburah:

'Combines the sassiness and adventure of Tomb Raider， the twisted darkness of Blade Runner， and the secrets and mythology of Prince of Persia。' Bronwyn Eley， Booktopia

'An enjoyable desert-inspired treasure hunt that was full of action and plot twists。 It keeps you on the edge of your seat and you find yourself addicted to turning the page。' Morgan， Mashleas Reads

Download

Reviews

Emily Rainsford ，

This is one of those reviews I struggle to write because I really enjoyed this book and I'm not really sure what else to say about that lol！ I love the unique world Snyder has created。 The story is full of action and the end gets pretty wild and full of betrayals and twists and turns。There's a character who gets forgiven who I don't think should have been， but alas。 I'm waiting for that to come back and bite them on the bum honestly。 I still struggle to feel any chemistry between Shyla and Rendo This is one of those reviews I struggle to write because I really enjoyed this book and I'm not really sure what else to say about that lol！ I love the unique world Snyder has created。 The story is full of action and the end gets pretty wild and full of betrayals and twists and turns。There's a character who gets forgiven who I don't think should have been， but alas。 I'm waiting for that to come back and bite them on the bum honestly。 I still struggle to feel any chemistry between Shyla and Rendor， there always seemed to be so much more spark with Jayden。 And a lot of the secondary characters all just blurred together and weren't very well defined， like Elek， Ximen， Jaft etc。Nonetheless， somehow I find myself forgiving all that because they're just kind of quirky books and I've enjoyed them anyway。 Snyder has a way of ending chapters right in the middle of something happening that makes you just-one-more-chapter yourself into the early hours。 The ending leaves a biggggg thread hanging and I can't wait for the third book！ 。。。more

Bec （booktineus） ，

That ending got WILD。 Review to come

Blue ，

Want to see more。。。 Bookstagram Website Thank you Harper Collins Australia for this book in exchange for an honest reviewI think the whole time that I have been on bookstagram I have heard nothing but amazing things about Maria’s work and after staying up extremely late to read this one， I can understand why。 I like to think of myself as a bear and hibernation occurs at night-time， so for a book to keep me up and wide awake， it is damn interesting。 If you are after a fast-paced fantasy series th Want to see more。。。 Bookstagram Website Thank you Harper Collins Australia for this book in exchange for an honest reviewI think the whole time that I have been on bookstagram I have heard nothing but amazing things about Maria’s work and after staying up extremely late to read this one， I can understand why。 I like to think of myself as a bear and hibernation occurs at night-time， so for a book to keep me up and wide awake， it is damn interesting。 If you are after a fast-paced fantasy series that will have you on your knees with plot twists， turn of events at the mercy of beloved characters， than this is the kind of book that you want to be reading！ 。。。more

Rachel ，

Sheerly amazing。Though it must be said that this is the second book in a trilogy。 To truly appreciate this book you need to read the first one， “The Eyes of Tamburah。”Snyder did a phenomenal job with “The Eyes of Tamburah，” creating a dystopian world that both fits into the familiar YA/NA niche while also bringing something new to the genre。 In the sequel， she expands on this new world， giving it more dimension and fleshing out the world in which our protagonist， Shyla， lives。 We get to experien Sheerly amazing。Though it must be said that this is the second book in a trilogy。 To truly appreciate this book you need to read the first one， “The Eyes of Tamburah。”Snyder did a phenomenal job with “The Eyes of Tamburah，” creating a dystopian world that both fits into the familiar YA/NA niche while also bringing something new to the genre。 In the sequel， she expands on this new world， giving it more dimension and fleshing out the world in which our protagonist， Shyla， lives。 We get to experience Shyla’s trepidation about her new powers as well as her discovery of how powerful she is without them。Shyla may be an adult， but we get to see her grow as a person and learn to accept help when it’s needed。 This sequel enhances her as a character by showing her ingenuity， empathy， and diligent work to better those around her。 And while there is a romance subplot， it doesn’t overwhelm the overall story of Shyla embracing her strength。 We also get to see more of the Invisible Sword and learn how they operate， fighting against the unjust tyranny in Koraha。This book reads almost like a finale until the very end。 No spoilers， but there are some quite satisfying conclusions to some storylines/plot threads from the first novel。 It DOES end on a bit of a cliffhanger， but it’s one the does not detract from the overall story。Overall， this book earned 5 stars。Thank you to the author for providing me with an advanced reading copy。 。。。more

MissJLovesReading ，

Well， another Maria V Snyder book and another amazing read。 I have read every single book Maria has ever published and I have loved each and every one。 I would buy her shopping list if I could， such is my love for her books and writing。 The City Of Zirdai （thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an electronic copy in exchange for an honest review） is a great follow up from The Eyes Of Tamburah and a novel filled with unique plots， exciting action and interesting characters。 M Well， another Maria V Snyder book and another amazing read。 I have read every single book Maria has ever published and I have loved each and every one。 I would buy her shopping list if I could， such is my love for her books and writing。 The City Of Zirdai （thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an electronic copy in exchange for an honest review） is a great follow up from The Eyes Of Tamburah and a novel filled with unique plots， exciting action and interesting characters。 Maria's writing transports you to a world where you can feel the sand under your feet and the heat in the breeze。 Where you feel the need to keep an eye on the dangerous sun and feel your heart race with the need to race through the lower levels of the city。 Maria's novels always have an immense amount of action and absolutely zero 'filler'， and The City Of Zirdai is no exception。 So much action happens and so many exciting twists and turns occur， that I raced through this book as I usually do all of her novels。 This series is so unique and so different to the majority of Young Adult novels out there today， that it creates a very exciting and intriguing feel to it when reading。 The magic system is fun and continually evolving， the pacing is fantastic as usual and allows the reader to never be bored。 The thoroughly enjoyable characters are changing and developing page by page， and the romance is sweet and very much a side event to the action， mystery and plot， all whilst being a romance that leaves me cheering from the sidelines with banners， streamers and maybe even some fireworks！ As someone who loves a good amount of romance in my fantasy novels， I felt there was slightly too little in this one for my tastes （less than The Study Series if you've read that one）， however I know many people who this would be perfect as they don't like too much。 I will say， though， that the first book in this series has a lot more romance and the enemies to lovers trope with the two main characters is great fun to read and left me smiling the whole way through。 As is usual from Maria V Snyder， readers are left with a bit of a cliff-hanger at the end of the book to make us want the next instalment right away， but with enough cohesion and finalisation to feel more than happy with the ending。 With books like hers where you want to close your eyes and be transported to the world she created so flawlessly， to jump into a fantasy world that you love and characters you feel you know personally， it's never easy to wait for the next book but the excitement that comes with knowing another is coming helps a little！4。5 stars！ 。。。more

Joy ，

I was lucky enough to read an advanced copy of The City of Zirdai。I loved The Eyes of Tamburah but The City of Zirdai was even better。 The stage was set in book one， but now Shyla， Redor and their allies get to really shine as we dive deeper in book two。 Two corrupt rulers， a hostile world， and a woman with untrained powers to best them all。 I was rooting for the Invisible Swords and was swept away as their story unfolded and twisted in ways I didn't see coming。 The pacing is fast， but I appreci I was lucky enough to read an advanced copy of The City of Zirdai。I loved The Eyes of Tamburah but The City of Zirdai was even better。 The stage was set in book one， but now Shyla， Redor and their allies get to really shine as we dive deeper in book two。 Two corrupt rulers， a hostile world， and a woman with untrained powers to best them all。 I was rooting for the Invisible Swords and was swept away as their story unfolded and twisted in ways I didn't see coming。 The pacing is fast， but I appreciated it as things are happening fast for Shyla as well and it helped to connect me with her character。 A sequel that exceeded my expectations！ Can't wait for more！ 。。。more

Madeline ，

I confess I finished this book a bit over a week ago， but have been procrastinating on writing a review。 Thanks/sorry to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC。The City of Zirdai is the second in a planned trilogy by Ms Snyder。 The series is set in a really fascinating world where the surface is largely uninhabitable for periods of the day （which is measured in angles， a pretty neat device） when the sun is at it's peak。 Life is lived underground and cities have dozens of levels， with the wealt I confess I finished this book a bit over a week ago， but have been procrastinating on writing a review。 Thanks/sorry to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC。The City of Zirdai is the second in a planned trilogy by Ms Snyder。 The series is set in a really fascinating world where the surface is largely uninhabitable for periods of the day （which is measured in angles， a pretty neat device） when the sun is at it's peak。 Life is lived underground and cities have dozens of levels， with the wealthiest parts of society living lowest down - protected from the heat and closer to the water source。 Unsurprisingly， water is a precious commodity in this environment and is ruthlessly controlled by the Water Prince。 Who is， not a spoiler， a bit of a despot。This book continues the story of Shayla and her experiences with learning about her emerging talents and the challenges of running an organisation。 They quest to deal with the injustices rampant in Zirdai。 And that's all I can say about this book。 I love the setting， but the plot and characters don't live up to the world Ms Snyder has created。 I could not tell you what really happened in the plot， or why。 Also， I struggled to remember any of the characters， and there are a lot。 None stood out as fully formed， even Shayla our heroine was largely two dimensional。 Not a real spoiler， but someone dies towards the end in what was clearly intended to be a sad and meaningful moment， but I could not for the life of me remember who they were。 I felt that way about pretty much all of the characters。 Shayla frequently mentioned her missing friend， Banqui， but again， could not remember who he was from the first book and just felt a little irritated when he was mentioned。Despite the slightly harsh words above， I will read the third in the series。 I like the setting so much that I hope the other issues can be pulled together for the final chapter of the story。 Whatever that story is。 。。。more

Helena of Eretz ✰ ，

So。。。who do I need to bribe to get an arc of this book？？？ It’s been pushed back to 2021 and Netgalley has this archived。 NO FAIR 😭😭😭

Adjectiveplusnoun ，

I received a free ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for a review。 All opinions are my own。 If you enjoy this review， please consider visiting my blog for moreI didn’t realise this was the second book in a series when I requested it， and I prefer to read series in order。 That being said， I have read books out of order before and followed and appreciated the plot， so I think my opinion on this book is still valid。 I did not enjoy The City of Zirdai overall。 There were parts of the book I I received a free ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for a review。 All opinions are my own。 If you enjoy this review， please consider visiting my blog for moreI didn’t realise this was the second book in a series when I requested it， and I prefer to read series in order。 That being said， I have read books out of order before and followed and appreciated the plot， so I think my opinion on this book is still valid。 I did not enjoy The City of Zirdai overall。 There were parts of the book I enjoyed， but I think the book was conceived far more as book two in a series， than as a story in its own right。 The characters in this novel often seemed poorly motivated。 The society of the Invisible Sword could have been a high point of the book—I’m a big fan of the found family trope and I think the Invisible Sword could have been that。 However， perhaps because I didn’t know the characters already， I found their interactions to be surface level and unrealistic。 Shyla was not an interesting main character， and I thought her motivations were usually weak。 Her relationships never rang true， and her emotional struggles were difficult to empathise with。 The magic and spiritual system of the world was hazy and at times， overly convenient， again undermining the tension of the book and ability for the plot to matter。 Jayden was a well-written character， and I thought the friction he had with Shyla was believable and interesting。 I also liked his interactions with Mojag， and thought their interactions were heart-warming。 Rendor’s character arc was also interesting， and I wish he and Jayden had had more to do with the plot。 Some of the social issues covered in the book could have been interesting and thought provoking， done correctly， but instead the guards and priests that served as supporting antagonists never seemed believable as real people。 The priestess and the prince likewise weren’t fleshed out very much in this novel， and as I have not read book one， you may struggle to see them as compelling antagonists。 This made the abuses of power， bias towards the ‘sun kissed’ （the issue of having what seems to be a blond girl get discriminated against for her hair colour is something I don’t even want to get into） and struggles to form a functioning government instead seem like flimsy reasons to progress the plot。 There were quite a few twists that were genuinely unexpected towards the end of the book， but as I had no real investment in the characters or seeing their goals met， I didn’t really care。 The book was slow at times， and even when the plot was fast-paced， I found myself getting bored and having to struggle to want to continue。 I have no doubt that I would have enjoyed this book more had I read book one， but judged on its own merits， I do not think The City of Zirdai holds up。 If you are interested in reading Maria V Snyder’s work， I very much enjoyed her Study novels， and her Healer series is also one I would recommend。 If you read The Eyes of Tamburah and enjoyed it， chances are you’ll appreciate learning what happens to the characters in The City of Zirdai。 This book releases on the 21st June。 。。。more

Maria V。 Snyder ，

This book was fun to write and picks off almost right after book 1， The Eyes of Tamburah。 Unfortunately， the release date for this book has been pushed back to June 2021。 Due to the pandemic and a few other issues。 Not on my end - the book is written and ready to go。 In fact， feel free to read the first chapter here （warning spoilers for The Eyes of Tamburah）: https://www。mariavsnyder。com/books/th。。。 This book was fun to write and picks off almost right after book 1， The Eyes of Tamburah。 Unfortunately， the release date for this book has been pushed back to June 2021。 Due to the pandemic and a few other issues。 Not on my end - the book is written and ready to go。 In fact， feel free to read the first chapter here （warning spoilers for The Eyes of Tamburah）: https://www。mariavsnyder。com/books/th。。。 。。。more

Kylie ，

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC in exchange of a fair review。 Yet another extremely well written title by MVS， where world building， character development and the story itself combine to make for an immersive， thoroughly enjoyable reader experience。 In this title we see Shyla establishing her leadership of the Invisible Swords， expanding their operations and continuing in her quest to free the people of the city of Zirdai from its corrupt rulers。

Sylvs （NOVELty Reads） ，

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest reviewPotential spoilers for The Eyes of Tamburah belowWhat a wild ride！ That was quite a sequel I must admit and so much better than The Eyes of Tamburah。 Although this book was much slower than the first one， it was totally worth it in the end with an ending like that！ The book follows the events of its predecessor where we see Shyla take on the responsibility of being the leader of the Invisible Sword。 We see her developing ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest reviewPotential spoilers for The Eyes of Tamburah belowWhat a wild ride！ That was quite a sequel I must admit and so much better than The Eyes of Tamburah。 Although this book was much slower than the first one， it was totally worth it in the end with an ending like that！ The book follows the events of its predecessor where we see Shyla take on the responsibility of being the leader of the Invisible Sword。 We see her developing her powers and fighting for justice and the freedom of her people。 For the first 300-or-so pages I found that these scenes where we learn more about Shyla's capabilities with the eyes to be very dragged out。 Sure we do see a lot of betrayal， a lot of loyalties shown and some new friendships but I just wanted the real action to begin。 That action didn't come until much later in the story but it was definitely worth the wait。I thought there was more character development in general and Shyla seemed to be less power-hungry than she was alluded to in The Eyes of Tamburah。 Although I understood the fact that she was trying to save her people， the eye stabbing in the first book （while important to the narrative） did make me believe she was doing it for power rather than to save her world。 In City of Zirdai that scene was mentioned a lot but Shyla seemed to be less power-driven and proven herself more as a leader。 In terms of romance， I still wasn't fully convinced on the relationship between Shyla and Rendor （especially since I was shipping her with Jayden the whole time）。 I reckon that with due time I might like him but maybe with another book he might grow on me indefinitely。 I just need a bit more convincing。 With the whole story structure， I found that （as mentioned previously） it was pretty slow to begin with and I wasn't necessarily invested in the story at that point。 Past page 350 it started to become more fast paced and I started enjoying myself a whole lot more as the plot was coming together。 I was very happy with how it all tied up and thought it was a pretty good conclusion to a great duology。All in all， I enjoyed this book。 It was so much better than The Eyes of Tamburah and I found myself really enjoying how the story came together at the end。 ACTUAL RATING: 3 STARS 。。。more

Abbie ，

The City of Zirdai continues on from The Eyes of Tamburah and will be released on the 16th of June。 It follows Shyla in her battle for good against corrupt leaders。Wow。 Like the first book this gripped me and didn't let go。 It draws you in and spits you out the other side longing for more。The world built in the first book is just as vivid， with more and more details coming through and helping to build up more of the picture。 The characters remain likeable and lifelike。 There are moments where I The City of Zirdai continues on from The Eyes of Tamburah and will be released on the 16th of June。 It follows Shyla in her battle for good against corrupt leaders。Wow。 Like the first book this gripped me and didn't let go。 It draws you in and spits you out the other side longing for more。The world built in the first book is just as vivid， with more and more details coming through and helping to build up more of the picture。 The characters remain likeable and lifelike。 There are moments where I could guess there was more going on that Shyla realised， and I wanted to shout at her。 The story is so vivid it feels like i lived itThis book broke my heart and lifted it up again。 It is the story of a strong woman growing into her self and her power。 It is a story of corruption， deceit， and a battle of good versus evil。 I loved it and cant wait for the next installment。 5 stars。 Highly recommended。 。。。more

Callon ，

The City of Zirdai picks up soon after the first book， with Shyla rebuilding the Invisible Swords。 I enjoyed the first book， and enjoyed this just as much。 Going back down into Zirdai， the Invisible Swords need to make themselves as independent as they can， from the city and from the monks， lest they put them in danger。I thought for the most part， it was well done。 I enjoyed seeing how Shyla would resolve the problems facing her， both as an individual and as the leader of a secret organisation。 The City of Zirdai picks up soon after the first book， with Shyla rebuilding the Invisible Swords。 I enjoyed the first book， and enjoyed this just as much。 Going back down into Zirdai， the Invisible Swords need to make themselves as independent as they can， from the city and from the monks， lest they put them in danger。I thought for the most part， it was well done。 I enjoyed seeing how Shyla would resolve the problems facing her， both as an individual and as the leader of a secret organisation。 My one main issue with this would be that the pacing was fairly rapid， essentially meaning that the story doesn't lull as much as others can。 While this would usually be a good things， a lot is happening constantly here， and the story tends to jump from one plot line to the other in quick succession。 In doing so， I felt that some of the plot elements that were being developed， specifically in regards to rebuilding the Invisible Swords， didn't actually eventuate， and were to a degree unnecessary。 It's not that they needed to be removed necessarily， more that they could have been introduced and developed in a different way， so that they were more points of interest rather than plot points。Without giving too much away， it was in regards to the relocation and reconstruction of the Invisible Swords base， with ideas being developed， but not actually being actioned， which fair the story is in a limited time。 But I feel construction could have at least been started， since time was taken to explore solutions。In saying that though， I really enjoyed this， and look forward to reading more。 If you have read the first one， definitely continue on with the series。 If you have read and enjoyed anything else Maria V。 Snyder has written， it's worth picking up this series as well。ARC copy received 。。。more

Nina {ᴡᴏʀᴅs ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ} ，

Many thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Australia for the arc in exchange for an honest review。 While I don't have time to write a detailed review now， the sequel to the Eyes of Tamburah is just as good。 But it's also much like the first book， action packed， a lot of moving between the city and various other main locations， and a few kidnappings and people being locked up again。I did very much enjoy the sequel - a biased opinion based on my love for Snyder's books。 It does have it's flaws。 The pa Many thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Australia for the arc in exchange for an honest review。 While I don't have time to write a detailed review now， the sequel to the Eyes of Tamburah is just as good。 But it's also much like the first book， action packed， a lot of moving between the city and various other main locations， and a few kidnappings and people being locked up again。I did very much enjoy the sequel - a biased opinion based on my love for Snyder's books。 It does have it's flaws。 The pacing is fast， so fast that so many things happen and you're in one and then out before you know it。 Shylah is also super proactive， which is a good and bad thing。 Good because she does things and doesn't waste time about it。 Bad because it makes you wonder just how complex everything should be if she could organise for it to be cracked open easily。 Nonetheless， it all comes together well enough。 A much more comprehensive review soon！ 。。。more

Angie ，

（ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review）I love everything I‘ve ever read by Maria V Snyder， but I think this series is my favourite。 The world that she has created is richly imagined， and nicely different to many standard fantasy world-building tropes。As usual， Snyder’s writing style is engaging and the plot moves along at a good pace。 City of Zirdai is a solid ‘book two’， with wonderful character development and an expansion of the world， and the stakes。 Our protagonist， Shy （ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review）I love everything I‘ve ever read by Maria V Snyder， but I think this series is my favourite。 The world that she has created is richly imagined， and nicely different to many standard fantasy world-building tropes。As usual， Snyder’s writing style is engaging and the plot moves along at a good pace。 City of Zirdai is a solid ‘book two’， with wonderful character development and an expansion of the world， and the stakes。 Our protagonist， Shyla Sun-Kissed， is also well written。 I love following her journey， both in terms of the plot and how she develops as a character。 She’s trying her best， but still makes mistakes， she loves and wants and feels the weight of her burdens， and。。。 gosh she really needs a nice relaxing holiday！All in all， I highly recommend this series for anyone who loves fantasy YA！ 。。。more

Louise ，

True rating: 4。5/5 RTC

Rosemary ，

Great series。 Really enjoying。

Sian ，

4。25ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review。

Hold-my-beer ，

I need it。I NEED IT

Mecca-Amirah Jackson ，

1/8/2021 Ummmm need this book like yesterday2/7/2020 -Yassssssssssss

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The City of Zirdai

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The City of Zirdai&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The City of Zirdai&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0