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

5.0

I was in a major reading slump; every fantasy book just felt the same nothing was interesting until I finally cracked open this book. I loved The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi it checked all the boxes of what I love in a book while still being unique. The story had the right amount of nail-biting action without dipping too far into the stress zone and making it not a good outlet for stress relief (I use reading to chill out, not to be anxious, I produce the anxiety on my own time). I loved the narration/ POV where the story was being told via Amina telling it to a scribe, and their dialogue interjects every once in a while, or theres a short chapter of notes from the scribe that gives the reader more context into the world. Also Amina loves to drop a well placed f-bomb which usually takes me away from the story but not in this case. 
I have no idea how to articulate all of my feelings about this book. Just know that I loved it, and if you're looking for a fantasy adventure without enduring an insane amount of world-building, this book is a great fit.