A review by chloebrandon
The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S.A. Chakraborty

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I really enjoyed the initial light-handedness of magic in this book and how historically believable the world building is (although I am very uninformed on the 12th century in the Indian Ocean, so take that with a big grain of salt). Although
the fantasy elements don't really pick up until the last hundred or so pages,
I enjoyed the purely historical fiction elements and clearly well-researched world building, based on Chakraborty's extensive further reading section. In retrospect I honestly think I would have enjoyed this book slightly more if it were purely historical fiction with no fantasy elements, which may be hypocritical of me to say because I likely would not have picked it up in the first place had it not been marked in the fantasy genre. The introduction of some of the fantasy elements felt slightly rushed and out of place which is the reason for the imperfect score. However, I enjoyed the themes of motherhood, parenting, long friendships,
the revelation of Jamal's part in the story as the scribe,
and just how kick-ass Amina and Dalila are.
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