Reviews with content warning for Rape - The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi

I was thoroughly invested from the beginning and enjoyed myself the whole way through. Amina is a delightful character, and I felt a sense of wonder the whole time I was reading. First i’ve read by the author but I’ll definitely be checking out her other books :)

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miastr's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted 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? Yes

4.0

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samanthacorwin's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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meganpbell's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This swashbuckling, Middle Eastern mythology inspired historical fantasy follows a middle-aged single mom and former pirate captain as she’s coerced out of retirement for one more adventure. I loved the rep here—the older (and funny and caring and badass) main character, Muslim, Jewish, and Christian rep, and fantastic queer rep too! The length and the emphasis on plot over character development took this from a 5 star to a 4.5 star for me, but highly recommended if you’re in the mood for an adventure on the high seas!

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cameronreads's review against another edition

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4.0

There is a lot to like about this book. If you like pirate stories, you’ll love this; if you’re looking for an adventure with a middle-aged protagonist, you’ll love this; if you want a story with a rich magic and vibrant setting, you’ll love this. Chakraborty has the most wonderful way of writing setting. It really made this book for me. You can tell the amount of careful research that went into this book, but also the care that went into bringing the research to life. It feels so vibrant and magical.

I really liked Amina as a protagonist. It felt like such a rich perspective to follow a middle-aged mother who very much feels like her adventures are over into this magical adventure. However it was very clear that she was the centre of this book, and whilst I liked the moments of the other characters we get and the established found family they formed years ago, I wanted a bit more out of the side characters.

For some reason it took me a while to get into this book. I think it’s partially due to the first person perceptive - whilst the writing in this book is truly wonderful, I do tend not o struggle with first person regardless, especially when there’s only one POV. It makes the story feel very linear to me, which is fine but struggles to hold my personal short attention span. It also definitely picked up nearer the end - the beginning feels more historical, and it slowly morphs into a fantasy nearer the end, which I personally prefer more, so that might be another reason.

Still, I really enjoyed this book, and it will become a go-to recommendation for me.

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rosenplants's review against another edition

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adventurous funny 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? Yes

5.0

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rorikae's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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? Yes

5.0

'The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi' by Shannon Chakraborty is a fun and fast paced historical fantasy novel.
Amina al-Sirafi has put her pirate days behind her. Now she lives with her daughter and mother far away from the rumors about her younger days. But Amina's calm life is thrown into turmoil when a woman comes looking for her help and knows exactly who she is. Her granddaughter has been kidnapped and she offers Amina a pretty sum to go rescue her. Amina has no interest until she learns who the granddaughter is and how she's tied to Amina's past. She'll have to get the band back together if she has any hope of completing her quest.
Chakraborty has created such a fun historical fantasy novel full of great characters, peril, and a dash of the fantastic. I love pirate stories and this one does not disappoint. This novel is also a breath of fresh air among the troves of novels centered on character in their 20s. Amina and her crew are nearing middle age with a number of adventures behind them. Chakraborty does an excellent job of slowing rolling out information about Amina and her crew's past.
The audiobook of this is fantastic and actually leans into the frame story of Amina telling this tale herself. I'm so excited that this is the start of a series because I can't wait to go sailing with Amina and her crew again.

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brynalexa's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny tense fast-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

Amazingly perfect from the protagonist to the villain to the clever twist. So happy to see some nods to the Daevabad trilogy as well! Cannot wait for the second book!

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