A review by tsunni
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by S.A. Chakraborty

adventurous funny mysterious tense 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? No

5.0

This is for me the perfect fantasy novel. It has a middle aged, appropriately emotionally complex protagonist with an interesting past, one with a young daughter that she shares an emotionally healthy and heartwarming relationship with. It has an accompanying cast of former comrades who are also middle aged, who all share realistically straightforward honest love and warmth for each other. It has an adventure plot that's exciting and fantastical and builds in all the right ways, that never compromises that emotional core. It's so accepting of people, of religion, and gender, and aging, and all the different aspects of people being people. And it's so incredibly well written, from the prose to the character voices; to the descriptions, the magic and cultures, the pacing and tension building and everything else. I finished reading this smiling. I hope there's more coming.