For the greatest crime of the poor in the eyes of the wealthy has always been to strike back. To fail to suffer in silence and instead disrupt their lives and their fantasies of a compassionate society that coincidentally set them on top. To say no.
From chapter 10 of The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi
I previously read Shannon Chakraborty work back in 2022, The City of Brass which is the first book in their Daevabad trilogy. I never got around to reading the remaining books in that trilogy and I don’t think I particularly want to but I am glad I read this prequel.
Its hard to remember the particulars of The City of Brass two years later but I’d say I enjoyed this one more. It retains the elements I liked from that book, namely the use of Islamic folklore and mythology and doesn’t have the issues I had with The City of Brass which I found to be overwrought in its world-building rather than its characters.
Boy howdy are there characters in this book. Each one is a treat, from the titular Amina Al-Sirafi to all her adventuring companions and even the antagonist while comically evil is really fun to read. This book is a fun historical fantasy adventure that doesn’t overstay its welcome and provides enough world-building to keep things interesting.