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A review by eastcoastcandice
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by S.A. Chakraborty
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
One of my favourite reads this year. I enjoyed the audiobook - the performances from both voice actors were phenomenal. I found myself laughing a lot, and appreciated the interactions 'off screen' when 'Amina' would pull away from the mic and ask 'Jamal' a question or tell him to let her tell it her way... it made it feel like I was in the room with them and they were telling the story to an audience.
As a middle-aged woman, I have to say I appreciated that the charcters weren't all young, teen or early 20-somethings with the perfect beauty and grace that many fantasy book characters have. Having a FMC with a bad knee and wanting to return to her quieter life with her daughter and family instead of pine after a man or money was refreshing. Not that her eyes didn't stray that direction at times - she is human after all! I also found her interactions withRaksh hilarious and relatable on some level. Haven't we all had that partner we'd rather forget about?
One other note: I read this book immediately after finishing the Daevabad Trilogy (well, all four books) as I wanted to read more of Chakraborty's work. I knew it was set in the same part of the world and would have some of the same legends and mythology. However, I didn't realize it was intended to be in the exact same world, just centuries before the Daevabad stories. For example, the first timethe marid were mentioned, it suddenly felt familiar - especially later on when one had a close interaction with Amina. And I was so happy when the peri arrived - it seemed they were the same group from the Empire of Gold - and Khayzur, too! It was nice to revisit some of the background characters from her previous books.
That said, this book stands on its own and you don't need to read the author's other work to enjoy it!
As a middle-aged woman, I have to say I appreciated that the charcters weren't all young, teen or early 20-somethings with the perfect beauty and grace that many fantasy book characters have. Having a FMC with a bad knee and wanting to return to her quieter life with her daughter and family instead of pine after a man or money was refreshing. Not that her eyes didn't stray that direction at times - she is human after all! I also found her interactions with
One other note: I read this book immediately after finishing the Daevabad Trilogy (well, all four books) as I wanted to read more of Chakraborty's work. I knew it was set in the same part of the world and would have some of the same legends and mythology. However, I didn't realize it was intended to be in the exact same world, just centuries before the Daevabad stories. For example, the first time
That said, this book stands on its own and you don't need to read the author's other work to enjoy it!