SOLVED. 2000s Fantasy novel set in Middle East featuring djinns and main character called Fatima

[Annie]

I’d guess it was published around 2000-2010. There was some sort of quest involving the central character, who was a woman named (I think) Fatima, who was very feisty and brave, and also beautiful. She went into the underworld where she met a djinn and possibly they became lovers - but it wasn’t romantasy, it was more humorous in tone. There was also some sort of crack force of women known as the Luscious Doves, who were warriors but also irresistible to their victims.

Borrowed from a library in the UK I remember it having a blue cover. The author may have had a non-western name.

[Annie]

I believe it was a female author, possibly with a Middle Eastern name.

[Rainbowheart]

The Hakawati?

The third group of women wore robes of red. “These are the luscious doves, the most beautiful doves of all, and the most proficient; they trick men into assuming compromising positions and proceed to purloin the house’s belongings as their powerless prey watch. Every man wishes to drink from a luscious dove’s beauty cup, even when he knows it could be lethal.”

[Annie]

No that’s not it, although the description of the Luscious Doves is similar to how they were in the book I’m looking for.

[Annie]

Ok, I’ve had another look at it and I think the Hakawati is correct! The plot is not at all as I remember it, and the title doesn’t ring a bell at all, but I’ve read the opening pages and it’s definitely the book I remember. New to the group, how do I mark this as solved?

[Annie]

It appears in the UK it was published under the name The Storyteller, which is why I didn’t recognise the title.

[Rainbowheart]

Awesome, glad it was the right one!

One of the mods will move this to the Solved folder later.