The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi
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- Create Date：2023-02-27 07:52:07
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：S.A. Chakraborty
- ISBN：0008381348
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Summary
Shannon Chakraborty， the bestselling author of The City of Brass， spins a new trilogy of magic and mayhem on the high seas in this tale of pirates and sorcerers， forbidden artifacts and ancient mysteries， in one woman’s determined quest to seize a final chance at glory—and write her own legend。
Amina al-Sirafi should be content。 After a storied and scandalous career as one of the Indian Ocean’s most notorious pirates， she’s survived backstabbing rogues， vengeful merchant princes， several husbands， and one actual demon to retire peacefully with her family to a life of piety， motherhood， and absolutely nothing that hints of the supernatural。
But when she’s tracked down by the obscenely wealthy mother of a former crewman， she’s offered a job no bandit could refuse: retrieve her comrade’s kidnapped daughter for a kingly sum。 The chance to have one last adventure with her crew， do right by an old friend， and win a fortune that will secure her family’s future forever？ It seems like such an obvious choice that it must be God’s will。
Yet the deeper Amina dives， the more it becomes alarmingly clear there’s more to this job， and the girl’s disappearance， than she was led to believe。 For there’s always risk in wanting to become a legend， to seize one last chance at glory， to savor just a bit more power…and the price might be your very soul。
Amina al-Sirafi should be content。 After a storied and scandalous career as one of the Indian Ocean’s most notorious pirates， she’s survived backstabbing rogues， vengeful merchant princes， several husbands， and one actual demon to retire peacefully with her family to a life of piety， motherhood， and absolutely nothing that hints of the supernatural。
But when she’s tracked down by the obscenely wealthy mother of a former crewman， she’s offered a job no bandit could refuse: retrieve her comrade’s kidnapped daughter for a kingly sum。 The chance to have one last adventure with her crew， do right by an old friend， and win a fortune that will secure her family’s future forever？ It seems like such an obvious choice that it must be God’s will。
Yet the deeper Amina dives， the more it becomes alarmingly clear there’s more to this job， and the girl’s disappearance， than she was led to believe。 For there’s always risk in wanting to become a legend， to seize one last chance at glory， to savor just a bit more power…and the price might be your very soul。
Reviews
Jen
，
Wow， I just couldn't put this book down。 It's fantastic。 I'm going to let it sit and write more， but it's just。 Damn。 It's so good。 Thanks， bookstore， for putting it out early！ Wow， I just couldn't put this book down。 It's fantastic。 I'm going to let it sit and write more， but it's just。 Damn。 It's so good。 Thanks， bookstore， for putting it out early！ 。。。more
Jonathon Chapman
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Absolutely in love with this new series！ I was on vacation and saw that Chakraborty had a new book out。 Remembering the enjoyment I got from the Daevabad series， I knew I had to have it。 I couldn't put the book down！ I can't wait to see if this will become a series。 Absolutely in love with this new series！ I was on vacation and saw that Chakraborty had a new book out。 Remembering the enjoyment I got from the Daevabad series， I knew I had to have it。 I couldn't put the book down！ I can't wait to see if this will become a series。 。。。more
Mary Nolan-Fesmire
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Really amazing adventure。 Long book。。。but worth the read。 Historically very interesting as well。
Sarah
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Amina Al-Sirafi is an unapologetic， brash， and big-hearted female Pirate captain with a long， scandalous history full of rogues， and several husbands。 But all that is in the past now…or is it？ A lucrative offer from a loaded socialite to find her granddaughter is too tempting to pass up。 Amina rounds up her old crew and sets sail， but of course nothing could be that easy…This was such a blast！ I love a good romp and this one had me from the first couple chapters。 The crew are great， the banter i Amina Al-Sirafi is an unapologetic， brash， and big-hearted female Pirate captain with a long， scandalous history full of rogues， and several husbands。 But all that is in the past now…or is it？ A lucrative offer from a loaded socialite to find her granddaughter is too tempting to pass up。 Amina rounds up her old crew and sets sail， but of course nothing could be that easy…This was such a blast！ I love a good romp and this one had me from the first couple chapters。 The crew are great， the banter is spot-on， and the story keeps you hooked straight through to the end。 I also love the setting。 We are at the height of East-West trade in the Indian Ocean， one of my favorite times and places I studied。 Even closer to my heart is that Amina even has an ex-husband from Srivijaya （7th-12th century modern day Indonesia）。 I can only hope in the next books the crew goes further East and hopefully run into the Sulu Kingdom and some Bugis pirates。 Here’s a fun fact: Our use of “booeyman” actually comes from European traders fear of the “Bugis，” pirates known for the backend teeth （due to betelnut chewing）。 And the audiobook of this one is a masterpiece - Lameece Issaq’s narration was lively and engaging。 She has a wonderful storyteller’s voice that draws you in and keeps you captivated。 Ultimately， come for the adventure and magic; stay for the captivating cast of characters。 A good time and a great escape awaits！ Definitely for fans of The Mummy， the Indiana Jones movies， and the Amelia Peabody series！ Definitely add to you tbr - it's set to be released on March 7 by Harper Voyager。 。。。more
Alex Z （azeebooks）
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Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for an advance review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review。Out February 28， 2023。5 starsIs there anything better than a fantasy set at sea？ Oh， wait。。。 it’s a Medieval Middle Eastern Fantasy set on the Indian Ocean。 Yeah， that’s better。 Shannon Chakraborty did it again， this is going to be an amazing series。 We follow our titular character Amina Al-Sirafi who is dragged out of retirement with the promise of riches if she finds a noblewoman’ Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for an advance review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review。Out February 28， 2023。5 starsIs there anything better than a fantasy set at sea？ Oh， wait。。。 it’s a Medieval Middle Eastern Fantasy set on the Indian Ocean。 Yeah， that’s better。 Shannon Chakraborty did it again， this is going to be an amazing series。 We follow our titular character Amina Al-Sirafi who is dragged out of retirement with the promise of riches if she finds a noblewoman’s missing granddaughter。 There is so much action， so much lore， and so much humour。 This is right up there with the Daevabad Trilogy。 The way Chakraborty weaves these tales feels like something from a fairy tale but at the same time so rooted in reality。 Her characters are wonderfully fleshed out and the relationships feel complicated and real。 I really loved the aspect of Amina’s internal fight of her passion for adventure vs her desire to be with her family。 I feel like that’s a very universal feeling for a lot of women and hell yeah it’s ok to want both。 Also as a sidenote， loved the representation in this book for the LGBT+ community！ It's always nice to see LGBT+ characters as a norm and automatically welcomed。 Warms your heart， it does。 Anyway I’m officially a fan girl。 Sign me up for anything Shannon Chakraborty writes in the future！！ 。。。more
Leigh's Little Library
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This is the first book I've read of Shannon's and it's got me wanting to read City of Brass。 If her writing is the same style as in this book， I think I will really enjoy it。 I loved how this book was written。 I love that it was a middle aged woman that was the main protagonist。 She was fierce， loyal， witty and human！ She has a family to protect so her decisions now， are not what she would have done in her younger years。 Her friends are amazing。 Delila， Tinbu and Majid brought humour and kept Am This is the first book I've read of Shannon's and it's got me wanting to read City of Brass。 If her writing is the same style as in this book， I think I will really enjoy it。 I loved how this book was written。 I love that it was a middle aged woman that was the main protagonist。 She was fierce， loyal， witty and human！ She has a family to protect so her decisions now， are not what she would have done in her younger years。 Her friends are amazing。 Delila， Tinbu and Majid brought humour and kept Amina grounded。 Even though they had not seen one another in over a decade， they still would do anything for their captain （but would never admit it）。 Amina is sent on an adventure that turns out to be more than what she had bargained for。 Searching for someone who may not wish to be found。 This adventure is dangerous and Amina meets some unlikely and fantastical beings along the way。 I thought Raksh was brilliant。 I can't say much about him but I loved his character。 I hate that books with so much adventure and so many characters are so hard to review without giving too much away。 Because I want to talk about them all and how much I liked certain things or characters without it ruining anything for someone who wants to read it。 I did not expect that little surprise at the end though but I loved it！It's a definite 5 star read from me。 I honestly need to start reading the synopsis of books before reading them because I didn't know， until near the end， that this was the first book in a series。 I was hoping for an ending and getting frustrated that something wasn't being said， BUT if there are more books to come， I might just get the ending I'm hoping for。 。。。more
Justine Sharp
，
I really wanted to love this book as I have a special edition coming from Fairyloot and the description sounded like nothing I had read previously。 Which is definitely the case。 On reflection I think a pirate fantasy is too far out of my usual reading genre and while it was entertaining and well written I did manage to read to the end but it definitely took me longer to read than anything else I've recently read。 3。5 stars。 I really wanted to love this book as I have a special edition coming from Fairyloot and the description sounded like nothing I had read previously。 Which is definitely the case。 On reflection I think a pirate fantasy is too far out of my usual reading genre and while it was entertaining and well written I did manage to read to the end but it definitely took me longer to read than anything else I've recently read。 3。5 stars。 。。。more
Daniella
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dnf p。 172Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for providing an eARC to review！This book just sadly is not for me。 After trying The City of Brass earlier this year and not being able to get into it， I was hoping I would enjoy this as it seems to lean more adventure than fantasy/romance。 At this point， though， I feel maybe Chakraborty just isn't the author for me。As someone who doesn't tend to enjoy funny books or books where motherhood is a central theme， I probably should have known better dnf p。 172Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for providing an eARC to review！This book just sadly is not for me。 After trying The City of Brass earlier this year and not being able to get into it， I was hoping I would enjoy this as it seems to lean more adventure than fantasy/romance。 At this point， though， I feel maybe Chakraborty just isn't the author for me。As someone who doesn't tend to enjoy funny books or books where motherhood is a central theme， I probably should have known better than to pick this up。 I did think it was cool to see a book like this showing that fantasy heroines can be older （and mothers）， and that their adventure does not have to end with domesticity。 Amina is driven by wanting to protect her daughter and give her a better life， but also by wanting to prove to herself that she can still be the great captain she once was。 She's also reuniting with other members of her crew who have also moved on with their lives， so it's a bit of a ragtag team story too which is fun。 I also liked the setting of this rich Muslim world that shows the diversity of ethnicity， language， and religion。The humour and banter between the characters， though， just was not up my alley and I couldn't really find myself connecting to any of them。 This seems to fall into what I feel books like The Thursday Murder Club and Killers of a Certain Age would be like where the humour is that the characters are old and find themselves in situations where old people wouldn't ordinarily be？ Maybe in the future this would work for me but I felt it was getting quite repetitive when in almost every conversation we had to bring up the characters' age or ailments。Like City of Brass there is also a bit of a slower pace for the adventure to get going - there are some action scenes but the journey only really officially starts at the halfway mark and everything up to this point has been preparation。 I'm sure this works for some people， but when I don't really find myself interested in the characters， the slow pacing is not really keeping me invested。Sadly I just don't think Chakraborty's style is for me， but I'm so glad that people find so much joy in her Arab/Muslim centred stories and worlds。 It's important representation to have， and it was cool in this novel to see Amina's take on her faith despite doing some pretty horrible things as a pirate。 I just kind of wish this book was her in her pirate peak :/ 。。。more
Lila Taylor
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3。75/5 StarsAdventure！ Swashbuckling pirates！ Deals with a demon and mystical creatures on the high seas！ I have never read a historically accurate pirate fantasy novel before， but wow what a way to start！ This book was jam-packed with historical details， great characters， adventure， and plenty of action。 The cast of characters was varied and interesting。 Each person was unique and I enjoyed their relationships with Amina， but I wish we had gotten more interactions with each other without Amina 3。75/5 StarsAdventure！ Swashbuckling pirates！ Deals with a demon and mystical creatures on the high seas！ I have never read a historically accurate pirate fantasy novel before， but wow what a way to start！ This book was jam-packed with historical details， great characters， adventure， and plenty of action。 The cast of characters was varied and interesting。 Each person was unique and I enjoyed their relationships with Amina， but I wish we had gotten more interactions with each other without Amina being the subject- though I know it's her book and that's why she gets the page time。My only complaint was the slightly meandering plot。 I do feel as if it could have been shorter or more concise and the whole story still be just as meaningful。 Also， I wish the ending didn't feel quite so abrupt， even with the setup for another possible book。Overall， it was a good story， good characters and a fun premise but got a little lost in the sauce at times。Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this Audiobook， and as always my review will be genuine。 。。。more
L。
，
3。5！ When I got approved this from Netgalley （thank you）， I was so excited！ I’ve wanted to read something from this author for the longest time， this book sounded great and the cover art is absolutely stunning！ This had some really， really cool elements。 Muslim rep， pirates， a strong female leader/MC in her forties who accidentally married a demon？！ It was certainly pretty awesome。 I also enjoyed the way this was told， you can feel the love for storytelling from this author。 The research that wo 3。5！ When I got approved this from Netgalley （thank you）， I was so excited！ I’ve wanted to read something from this author for the longest time， this book sounded great and the cover art is absolutely stunning！ This had some really， really cool elements。 Muslim rep， pirates， a strong female leader/MC in her forties who accidentally married a demon？！ It was certainly pretty awesome。 I also enjoyed the way this was told， you can feel the love for storytelling from this author。 The research that would have been involved in writing this must have been hefty， also。 Unfortunately， I just didn’t gel with it that well。 I thought it was a challenge to get through as the writing felt dense and it was a lot of information compacted。 I’ll be re-reading it again in future when my brain isn’t as burnt out and tired to see if I can be a little more engaged， because this book definitely deserves a second chance。 I would still recommend it though！ 。。。more
Eleni K
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Full Review to Come - read for bookreporter。But as a preview， absolutely loved this from Amina’s character as a woman over 40 and a mother still allowed agency and ambitions without villainization for it！ For the found family crew and pirate heist vibes！ For how it read like a serial story being told night to night and the creativity of the format and structure！ This book is a story about legacy and unreliability in narratives， about motherhood and self， about faith and religion and wanting。 Adv Full Review to Come - read for bookreporter。But as a preview， absolutely loved this from Amina’s character as a woman over 40 and a mother still allowed agency and ambitions without villainization for it！ For the found family crew and pirate heist vibes！ For how it read like a serial story being told night to night and the creativity of the format and structure！ This book is a story about legacy and unreliability in narratives， about motherhood and self， about faith and religion and wanting。 Adventurous， thoughtful， mysterious， and sprinkled with humor and a rich world of well crafted characters and representation。Chakraborty clearly did her research of the time to make it feel historical even with the fantastical elements and I adored the author note as well of how this was done- by the end I cannot wait to join Amina and her crew on more of their chaotic adventures！ 。。。more
Olivia
，
THE ADVENTURES OF AMINA AL-SIRAFI is a highly entertaining and swashbuckling high seas adventure/fantasy。 Amina is a retired pirate whose deeds are legendary， earning her a notorious and unbelievable reputation。 She now lives with her family and daughter in a home with a leaky roof that she would love to have repaired if she could spare the money for it。Everything changes when a wealthy woman arrives， having discerned her identity and seeking her help in recovering her granddaughter。 The money s THE ADVENTURES OF AMINA AL-SIRAFI is a highly entertaining and swashbuckling high seas adventure/fantasy。 Amina is a retired pirate whose deeds are legendary， earning her a notorious and unbelievable reputation。 She now lives with her family and daughter in a home with a leaky roof that she would love to have repaired if she could spare the money for it。Everything changes when a wealthy woman arrives， having discerned her identity and seeking her help in recovering her granddaughter。 The money she offers is undeniably life-changing， but it is her personal connection to a former member of the crew that sways the scales。 Amina plans to ask around for the smaller amount of money and expects that this should be a simple and safe enough task。 As she returns to her ship， left in the hands of someone she trusted when she retired， and as she regathers key members of her crew， including a woman who is an expert in poisons， she begins to realize nothing could be so simple， and embarks on a new adventure。This story was a slow build into adventure， unexpected twists， and supernatural surprises。 The book is told in a conversational tone， as though Amina were conveying the story to a friend。 With wry humor and witty sarcasm， this ended up being quite the clever and entertaining read。 Amina's voice and character really made the story what it was， and her perspectives on this historical world were really intriguing， providing context for the events ongoing and people involved in the conflicts。 The settings were rich， and the history seemed well-researched， coming to life amidst the fantastical story。The main characters were unexpected and absolutely made this into a riveting and entertaining read。 Beyond Amina， the expert in poisons was one of my favorites， and I loved seeing how all the characters had changed with her retirement - but also how she brought them back into the world in which they ruled the seas and defined their own moral codes。 The strength of the characters and the unique writing style really made this book a stand-out。The writing felt interspersed with gems and interesting stories， such that it took a bit longer to get through than others - there were sections that I delved into and considered more deeply， as they could be quite clever and thought-provoking。 While the beginning felt a bit slower， getting the hang of who everyone was and understanding Amina's retirement and the effort in coming out of it， the book began to move more quickly a third of the way in。 I ultimately found it quite entertaining and thoughtfully written。Overall， THE ADVENTURES OF AMINA AL-SIRAFI is a unique and humorous fantasy adventure that will take readers on an enthralling journey with high seas stakes and plenty of intrigue。 Please note that I received an ARC。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Shelby Dragone
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 An absolute JOY of a book。 Amina is a wonderful protagonist， and she and her scribe Jamal take us on a rollicking， sea-faring adventure。 The cast of characters are quirky and delightful， and feel so realistic。 I was enamored with each character from their introduction。Chakraborty addresses in their author’s note modern interpretations of historical tales， but she has done such a wonderful job of invoking a history that doesn’t feel so distant。 Amina is fiercely feminist， there is radical queer j An absolute JOY of a book。 Amina is a wonderful protagonist， and she and her scribe Jamal take us on a rollicking， sea-faring adventure。 The cast of characters are quirky and delightful， and feel so realistic。 I was enamored with each character from their introduction。Chakraborty addresses in their author’s note modern interpretations of historical tales， but she has done such a wonderful job of invoking a history that doesn’t feel so distant。 Amina is fiercely feminist， there is radical queer joy， and a beautiful representation of Muslim culture and faith paints the backdrop of Amina’s already intriguing world。 I cannot recommend this enough。 It’s beautifully told， and vast in scale。 The first true fantasy I’ve fallen in love with in a LONG long time。 I love it all— Magic！ Pirates！ A delightfully diverse and bad-ass crew！ Demons！ Bird-people！ The well deserved death of evil white men！！！ Read this book！！！！Many thanks to Harper Voyager for an advance review copy。 This hasn’t impacted my review in any way。 Read the damn book I beg of you！！ 。。。more
M。L。 Sexton
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Thank you Harper Collins for this advanced copy。 My full review can be read here: https://itsjustmoniqua。wixsite。com/it。。。 Thank you Harper Collins for this advanced copy。 My full review can be read here: https://itsjustmoniqua。wixsite。com/it。。。 。。。more
Cassidee Lanstra
，
9/10 RTC
Ceridwenn
，
Sorry to say but I was not impressed。 It was OK I guess， there are some good elements to it。。but so very simple in my opinion。 The storytelling is linear and it reads very young！I was expecting the writing to be more lush。 It’s like the author tried an off-hand， nonchalant tone， you know， but it just doesn’t work。 I was also expecting most of the adventures to happen at sea。 Most of them are on the islands or places they go to。 One great scene happens at sea but I wanted to know more of the pira Sorry to say but I was not impressed。 It was OK I guess， there are some good elements to it。。but so very simple in my opinion。 The storytelling is linear and it reads very young！I was expecting the writing to be more lush。 It’s like the author tried an off-hand， nonchalant tone， you know， but it just doesn’t work。 I was also expecting most of the adventures to happen at sea。 Most of them are on the islands or places they go to。 One great scene happens at sea but I wanted to know more of the pirate life on the ship。。Overall – the writing， the linear plot （from place A to place B to place C） – it was too simple for me。 Too simple for historical adult fantasy！ Here I said it！ Ok they’re 40 and she’s a mother but that aspect is written so stereotypically that it didn’t even feel relatable！ Thinking about her daughter and only thinking "my sweet sweet girl" or something along those lines wasn’t really deep！ Amina doesn’t have much depth to be honest and the side characters （Falco， Marjana， Majed or Salima） were very one-dimensional。 I really really liked Dalila！ She was the funniest one， more complex and the one I really wanted to know more about！ Raksh was also interesting and his dialogues were the best。The magical aspect is a bit all over the place， maybe too many things at once and not really introduced。 It’s one thing after the other all the time。I’m reaching the end of my review and I should now warn you that there is no romance in this book！ On one hand， I didn’t miss it。 On the other， I think the author is kind of baiting us with one but not providing satisfying and proper romance which can be frustrating and kind of in poor taste to taunt us with it but not deliver。 So yeah it was not bad but it wasn’t great either， it’s clearly oversold and clearly not adult （and if you’ve read the Daevabad trilogy， you know she can write more beautifully）I thank netgalley for providing an e-arc of this anticipated release for an honest review。 。。。more
Leah Newton
，
Amina al-Sirafi is enjoying a quiet， albeit lonely， retirement when she's lured back to the sea by a wealthy， blackmailing noblewoman。 If she succeeds in returning her wayward granddaughter， rescuing her from the hands of a dangerous tyrant， her reward will be beyond her wildest dreams。 If she fails， her life and the lives of her family are forfeit。 Left no choice， the already legendary nakhuda gets all of the old gang back together for one last job。 I don't even know what to say about this book Amina al-Sirafi is enjoying a quiet， albeit lonely， retirement when she's lured back to the sea by a wealthy， blackmailing noblewoman。 If she succeeds in returning her wayward granddaughter， rescuing her from the hands of a dangerous tyrant， her reward will be beyond her wildest dreams。 If she fails， her life and the lives of her family are forfeit。 Left no choice， the already legendary nakhuda gets all of the old gang back together for one last job。 I don't even know what to say about this book other than I LOVED IT。 Early contender for my favorite book of 2023。 Flawless adventure fantasy with a cast of characters that make you want to stand up and cheer。 I hope Chakraborty writes 20 more of these。 。。。more
Little Bad Books
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Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for the advanced copy。I’m going to make this short and sweet: get a copy of this book as soon as it comes out， especially if you’re in a reading rut。 This book will reignite your passion for reading via Chakraborty’s sorry， not sorry， female pirate。 I’m already recommending it to all my friends and colleagues （I work at a library） to share with everyone they know。 I’m not one for pirates and sea battle stuff but now I’m all in？ Yup， this book was THAT good。
Arden
，
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi follows the tale of Amina， a retired pirate trying to enjoy a quiet life with her daughter。 After being blackmailed into taking one last adventure to rescue the daughter of a deceased crew mate， Amina sets off to revisit her life as an infamous lady captain in a historical based， fantastical tale that sets her up to become a legend。This is a very well researched and written tale of a mother balancing the goals of keeping her family safe with the old desires of h The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi follows the tale of Amina， a retired pirate trying to enjoy a quiet life with her daughter。 After being blackmailed into taking one last adventure to rescue the daughter of a deceased crew mate， Amina sets off to revisit her life as an infamous lady captain in a historical based， fantastical tale that sets her up to become a legend。This is a very well researched and written tale of a mother balancing the goals of keeping her family safe with the old desires of her truest life at sea。 Encountering enemies magical and mundane， Amina walks a thin line of danger and adventure， trust and distrust， and the mistakes of the past with the potential of the future。 I found this enchanting from the start， with Amina's voice strong， clear， and entirely her own。 I was introduced to an area I had never been to before， either in person or in my reading， and loved Chakraborty's mix of history with the mystical。 I hope there are more adventures with Amina to come！ 。。。more
Jessie
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This is my first Chakraborty book， but it definitely won't be my last。 It took me awhile to get into this book， one， because the tone was so unexpectedly irreverent that it took me a bit to get used to it and two， it really picks up speed about half way when the crew is reassembled。 The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi is written as if Amina is telling the story herself and it has all the fun asides and jokes of such storytelling。 Amina is funny and clever and crabby and very much over it all while This is my first Chakraborty book， but it definitely won't be my last。 It took me awhile to get into this book， one， because the tone was so unexpectedly irreverent that it took me a bit to get used to it and two， it really picks up speed about half way when the crew is reassembled。 The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi is written as if Amina is telling the story herself and it has all the fun asides and jokes of such storytelling。 Amina is funny and clever and crabby and very much over it all while simultaneously longing for the adventures of her youth。 When we meet Amina she is in her 40s with a child and knee problems and far away from the life at sea that the stories about her talk about。 With this one last call to adventure， Amina heads out again and gets the band back together。 I could spend pages and pages with Amina and her crew and I feel extremely lucky that we get two more books with them。 I really liked how we get a great resolution to the central conflict of this first book while also setting up future conflicts and intrigue。 You can tell how much research and care went into this book but it is never bogged down by the setting and the story flowed so well， never bogged down by world-building。 The world of Amina al-Sirafi is one of history and legend and fantastical elements that only enhance the world and the very real choices the inhabitants have to make。 I can't wait to spend even more time with Amina al-Sirafi and her motley crew in the future。 Thank you so much to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Yeram Lee
，
I actually haven't read a lot of fantasy that focuses on pirates and full on adventures but this one really did a great job with narration in Amina's POV and on top of that it really did a great job in providing full on details about the adventures。 It felt like I was part of the adventure which I loved！ At first， this book was a bit slow but once I read a couple of chapters， it got me hooked real fast！ I actually haven't read a lot of fantasy that focuses on pirates and full on adventures but this one really did a great job with narration in Amina's POV and on top of that it really did a great job in providing full on details about the adventures。 It felt like I was part of the adventure which I loved！ At first， this book was a bit slow but once I read a couple of chapters， it got me hooked real fast！ 。。。more
Ash ☼
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Thoughts to come！
Kirin
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It has been a long time since I have stopped reading a book because I simply do not want it to end。 Clearly I have no self control， so a day later I picked it back up and finished the 496 pages， but oh what a treat to be swept away aboard a magnificent tale with rich history， Muslim characters， Islamic references， developed fantasy world building， complex side characters， excitement， plot， adventure， and everything else you would expect from the author of the Daevabad series。 The book is an ad It has been a long time since I have stopped reading a book because I simply do not want it to end。 Clearly I have no self control， so a day later I picked it back up and finished the 496 pages， but oh what a treat to be swept away aboard a magnificent tale with rich history， Muslim characters， Islamic references， developed fantasy world building， complex side characters， excitement， plot， adventure， and everything else you would expect from the author of the Daevabad series。 The book is an adult read， and I really can't suggest it to YA readers， the protagonist is a middle aged mom with a foul mouth and a bad knee， there is cursing， and killing， hetero， gay and demon love interests among the main characters， a transgendered character， sex mentioned， drinking， and magic， it is all part of the story， but it isn't so in your face that older mature Muslim readers will be uncomfortable。 So why am I reviewing it here， I honestly don't know。 Clearly it is not to be shelved in the Islamic School Library， but there is so much authentic Islamic centering on every single page， that I want to give it space to remind/encourage us all that we don't have to hide or water down our faith in mainstream books- not if the writing， story， and characters are so incredible。 I really thought a historically set pirate fantasy would be hard to read， that the vocabulary and references would leave me lost and confused， but it is written so beautifully that the pages fly by and you forget you are reading; it is as if you are watching the story unfold in front of you。 Please consider preordering this book so that publishers know support exists for authentic OWN voice Muslim character led books， I have an e-version， but have also preordered a physical hard back copy here。SYNOPSIS:It has been a decade since the infamous nakhuda Amina al Sirafi has taken to the Indian Ocean to plunder and sail。 The stories of her have grown and traveled in her retirement， but life is now more about protecting her daughter and fixing her leaking roof。 When her previous life finds her and threatens her， however， she must return to her Marawati， call on her old friends， and put together a crew。 Told through a storyteller， with banter between Jamal and Amina， the fourth wall is broken and the reader knows that the hero will survive， yet the adventures of outsmarting Aden's defenses， peris， demons， Franks， pirates， and marids to prevent the Moon of Saba from being manipulated is a fast paced chaotic adventure that pulls you in from the first page。 The fairly linear story from one point of view （mostly）， connects the haunting past to the trials at hand， as the crew and characters are understood through their captain。 I don't want to give anything away， but the side characters are nuanced and developed in a way that you feel just as close to them as Amina does， and as she becomes frantic to save them， the reader too is invested in their choices and actions。 Pirate adventure， saving the day， a mom as a hero and a missing demon husband refound， yeah， don't read summaries of this book， just read the book。WHY I LIKE IT:I was surprised at the religious redemption arcs and details that were included on truly every page， from the meaning of the translation of Ayat ul Kursi， to acknowledging past sins and striving to not repeat them， Amina al Sirafi practices her Islam in her five daily prayers， regular supplications， regular repentance， and view of the world and her place in it。 She isn't preachy， and much of what she faces tempts her to drink wine and fornicate again， but her struggles are really refreshing to see。 It isn't that she is Muslim and that is the framing for the al-ghayb elements alone， it is so part of her and thus of the book， that you can't help but feel seen。The gay character's lover is mentioned， neither are Muslim， but it is only a few lines in the entire book。 The transgendered character starts off uncomfortable with being forced to marry and hints that she doesn't feel feminine， Amina pieces together what she is saying and then at the end it shows that she is now identifying and carrying herself as a man。 It isn't a big part of the text， it has a strong effect on the story and it does touch on God's view of such things， as the character is Muslim。 The demon love interest SLIGHT SPOILER is Amina's husband that she thought she had killed， she has had a lot of husbands， but when he turns up alive， she realizes technically they are still married。 He asks her quite often to have sex。 It is usually is just that blunt with no romance or longing， and when they do partake in the act， it isn't overly graphic， it is "closed door。" There is killing and murder and deceit and lying and drinking， all things assumed would be in a pirate story。 None of it is overly glorified， but it is normalized。I really just love the characters and the fast paced action， the book leaves off implying there will be more tales to come and I hope there are。 （I keep writing what I love about the book and deleting it， because you know。。。。spoilers， ahh）。 。。。more
Kim
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I just finished listening to the 17-hours-long audiobook and am so excited about the potential for more stories in this universe！ I absolutely loved the book！ The main character， Amina， is just what I want from a female lead: she is a badass who does not suffer fools， but is also thoughtful， courageous， strong， daring， smart， and loving。 I very much liked the interactions with her crew。 No one in this story was perfect but the crew really cared for each other and was a lovely found family。 The s I just finished listening to the 17-hours-long audiobook and am so excited about the potential for more stories in this universe！ I absolutely loved the book！ The main character， Amina， is just what I want from a female lead: she is a badass who does not suffer fools， but is also thoughtful， courageous， strong， daring， smart， and loving。 I very much liked the interactions with her crew。 No one in this story was perfect but the crew really cared for each other and was a lovely found family。 The supernatural elements were fascinating！ I also enjoyed the humor sprinkled throughout the book with the brief bits of dialogue between Amina and the scribe。 These little interludes were used so effectively in the audiobook！ I feel the audio format worked really well for these tales that were supposed to be told orally by Amina herself。 I am interested to learn more about the sailors in this area and will definitely check out the historical references mentioned in the author’s note。 I do very much hope there will be more books coming regarding Amina’s next adventures。 I would love to come back and hear many more of her tales！ 。。。more
Mary
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amazing iconic inspiring i want to read at least 5-8 more books about Amina girlbossing her way across the indian ocean and kicking her terrible demon malewife's ass amazing iconic inspiring i want to read at least 5-8 more books about Amina girlbossing her way across the indian ocean and kicking her terrible demon malewife's ass 。。。more
andra
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The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi exceeded my expectations and BEYOND。 Judging by the book cover， I knew I was in for a wild ride， but that word isn't even enough to describe the feeling I had through out reading this book。 I love the way this book is narrated， by Amina herself but it's her narrating it to another character that we'll discover at the end of the book， and even though it's basically a first-person POV， you get these little pauses and comments by Amina as if she's bantering with th The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi exceeded my expectations and BEYOND。 Judging by the book cover， I knew I was in for a wild ride， but that word isn't even enough to describe the feeling I had through out reading this book。 I love the way this book is narrated， by Amina herself but it's her narrating it to another character that we'll discover at the end of the book， and even though it's basically a first-person POV， you get these little pauses and comments by Amina as if she's bantering with the said character， which makes the book funnier for me。 Amina herself is such an unapologetic and truthful main character， and I had fun following her around while she deals with all sorts of shenanigans and moral dilemma from her job， from wanting to still be a nakhuda but also wanting to go back home to her daughter， and when she feels like murdering a character but knowing how that would look like to God。 I wasn't expecting this book to be so funny as well！ I love the banter and the little quirks of each character。 Another thing I appreciated from this book was how well researched it is， and also how well diverse it is when it comes to the characters' faith。 Faith in this book is a recurring theme and I love how Shannon wrote about Amina doing her daily prayers and Amina mentioning the passages and Surahs from the Qur'an through out the book。 I also love how the crew respects each other's faith as well。 They haven't make it to my favorite found family yet， but they're getting there。 Probably on the next book heheh<33Speaking of the next book， I am excited to read more from Amina and her crew， especially after that last quarter of the book which made me unable to close my e-book。 This book was already a wild ride from the start， full of twists and challenges from the task Amina was given but I expected that one， because in a heist story， nothing of course goes to plan。 But the word "heist" itself is not even correct to describe the adventures in this book and nothing prepared me for the world I was pushed into in the last quarter。 To anyone looking for a fun adventure in fantasy but doesn't want to deal with a lot of the difficult world-building， I strongly recommend you to read The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi when it comes out next week。 For a book that is thick and intimidating， the world is so easy to get lost into without having to deal with the complicated intricate world building and magic system that usually entails such a book。 This book has pirates！！ magical and mythical objects！！ magical creatures！！！ absurd morally grey strong main characters！！ banter！！！ comedic writing！！ what more can you ask for？ 。。。more
Ashley
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I read an eARC of The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi in exchange for an honest review。 Thank you for this opportunity NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager。 The story is fun， a great adventure that starts with an old pirate who lives with her parents， helping keep their old home from falling apart。 Starting with trying to get a little extra money using her old skills， which backfires on her， and she ends up rescuing two little boys instead。 She started her pirate ways after hearing stories from h I read an eARC of The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi in exchange for an honest review。 Thank you for this opportunity NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager。 The story is fun， a great adventure that starts with an old pirate who lives with her parents， helping keep their old home from falling apart。 Starting with trying to get a little extra money using her old skills， which backfires on her， and she ends up rescuing two little boys instead。 She started her pirate ways after hearing stories from her grandfather and wanting to break free of the repressive ways of her people have on especially women。 One day a rich old woman shows up， and threatens her family including her little girl， and then demands she saves her granddaughter who is the daughter of one of the men in Amina’s old crew。 With the threat over her head， and the itch for adventure pushing her， she accepts and goes to collect her old crew。 This really was a fun story。 The story does a great job of bringing in a cast of colorful characters。 The best is the poisoner。 She is the most fun， but her stories of her old husband are a close second。 As the story goes on we learn more about her past， her regrets， and the complications of the political situations in this world that mirrors ours， but with touches of world-destroying magic。 As the story goes on， the magic becomes more and more dire and amazing。 In the end， while I wish it had a little more reflection on the issues it touched on， I loved the story overall。 It was fun， and I’d continue to read about her adventures if there were more stories。 。。。more
Afra Nabilah
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Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this advanced copy。Amina Al-Sirafi was a solid epic fantasy book with a strong female lead。 It showed readers how strong woman could be， with not just only physical strength。
Charlotte
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This lived up to all of my really high expectations。 It's safe to say now that Shannon Chakraborty is one of my favorite authors。 This lived up to all of my really high expectations。 It's safe to say now that Shannon Chakraborty is one of my favorite authors。 。。。more
Lauren
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Chakraborty’s Daevabad trilogy is one of my favorite series of all time （have you read The City of Brass yet？）， and when I heard that she was publishing something new， I was incredibly excited。 While THE ADVENTURES OF AMINA AL-SARAFI is a sharp pivot in tone， atmosphere， and character， the journey is no less captivating; the world created no less magical。 Motherhood has deeply impacted who I am as a person—I even wrote about it in my annual review for work。 Therefore， it’s no surprise that it ha Chakraborty’s Daevabad trilogy is one of my favorite series of all time （have you read The City of Brass yet？）， and when I heard that she was publishing something new， I was incredibly excited。 While THE ADVENTURES OF AMINA AL-SARAFI is a sharp pivot in tone， atmosphere， and character， the journey is no less captivating; the world created no less magical。 Motherhood has deeply impacted who I am as a person—I even wrote about it in my annual review for work。 Therefore， it’s no surprise that it has also altered the lens through which I view literature。 This book is a love letter to motherhood and womanhood， but it is written in such a way that ensures widespread appeal。 There were several passages that I highlighted because they perfectly captured the amalgam of feelings many women have as they struggle to balance who they are as a person in addition to who they are as a mother。Unlike anything I've ever read before and filled with humor， heart， and wit， THE ADVENTURES OF AMINA AL-SARAFI will have a lasting place on my shelves。 Additionally， the audiobook was phenomenal。 I usually struggle to provide an audio recommendation when people ask for one， but no longer。 The narrators did an INCREDIBLE job， and even though I was given an ALC， I will more than likely be purchasing a copy after publication because it’s just that good。 A massive thank you to Harper Voyager and Harper Audio for the gifted copies in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
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