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aileron's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Gore
Moderate: Alcohol and Body horror
Minor: Misogyny, Slavery, Transphobia, Kidnapping, and Sexual violence
shaipanda's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
This was an incredibly exciting and action filled book. I haven't been reading as much this year so I rushed to finish this before the archive date. As a result, there are still some parts of the book I have to come back to in order to call it fully finished. However, I did overall really enjoy this! I think if I'd read it at a more reasonable pace I probably would have enjoyed it slightly more but overall I really enjoyed the characters, the storyline, and the potential for more stories in this world. I also really loved the minor plot twist at the very end I found that to be really fun :)
I was personally not expecting anywhere near the amount of fantasy that ended up being in this book as I originally thought it was mostly just a pirate book, but I wasn't mad about discovering that just not what I originally expected.
Overall would definitely recommend! 4.5 stars
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Gore
Moderate: Alcohol, Body horror, Colonisation, Murder, Cursing, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Islamophobia, Rape, Transphobia, Slavery, Kidnapping, and Religious bigotry
blewballoon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Slavery, Cursing, Misogyny, Murder, Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexism
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Genocide, Transphobia, Vomit, War, Adult/minor relationship, and Sexual assault
deedireads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
TL;DR REVIEW:
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi is an adventurous, swashbuckling, gloriously fun time with an incredible cast of characters. It’s the start of a series (but feels like a standalone) and I can’t wait for more in this world!
For you if: You like pirate stories (especially when the pirate is a badass 40-year-old Muslim woman).
FULL REVIEW:
Shannon Chakraborty is a favorite author of mine, so I’ve been looking forward to The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi ever since it was announced. A pirate fantasy featuring a middle-aged woman main character? Say less!! And y’all, it does NOT disappoint.
At the heart of this story, of course, we have Amina al-Sirafi, a sexually liberated Muslim retired pirate in her 40s currently focused on raising her daughter. But when the head of a powerful and wealthy family tracks her down and offers Amina a life-changing sum to rescue her kidnapped granddaughter, Amina can’t refuse. She gathers her crew — including Dalila, poison master and Christian refugee; Tinbu, her first mate who really loves his cat; Majed, master navigator who worked with Amina’s father before her — and sets out. Oh, and did I mention that Amina was married to a super-hot demon?
This book is the start of a new series, but it could read like a standalone. Needless to say, I loved it. As you can tell, it stands out on its incredible cast of lovable characters alone. But it was also a very fun read; it’s definitely adventurous, but it’s also not as episodic as I expected from the title. There’s plenty of time to get to know these characters as they prepare to set off. And a super heartwarming revelation at the end that just sealed the deal of me loving it.
Also of note, this one was fab on audio! It kept me company as I peeled wallpaper in my house for hours, lol. Can’t wait for more books with these characters in this world!!
Graphic: Death, Body horror, and Violence
Moderate: Transphobia
Minor: Sexual violence
rosesforreading's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death and Blood
Moderate: Murder, Addiction, Body horror, Torture, Sexism, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, Violence, Kidnapping, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Islamophobia, Sexual content, Transphobia, Animal death, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Misogyny
lettuce_read's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Violence and Gore
Minor: Transphobia and Religious bigotry
mjwhitlock18's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Gore, and Death
Moderate: Alcohol, Torture, and Body horror
Minor: Sexism, Religious bigotry, Slavery, and Transphobia
jamie_reads_stuff's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Violence, Gore, Torture, and Colonisation
Moderate: Sexual assault, Transphobia, Murder, Vomit, Sexism, and Sexual violence
sarahyjackson's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Misogyny, Slavery, Sexual content, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Xenophobia and Transphobia
heartbrekker's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
All I can visualize from this line above is Shannon pounding it out on the keys with her entire heart and soul.
Shannon Chakraborty has truly done it again with creating an enriching world, centuries in the past, that delves into the folklore and cultures in the regions of SWANA. The Daevabad trilogy will always hold a special place in my heart, but it was beyond refreshing to see Shannon take on a different time period with a new cast of characters. She's pushing the boundaries of fantasy by spearheading this new trilogy with a middle aged mother, something that brings pure joy to my heart. I can see myself in ten to twenty years rereading this book, if I choose to have children or even not, merely because I'll be the same age as Amina al-Sirafi. We like to say that women are more than just motherhood, but a lot of time that sentiment doesn't hold out in fantasy books. Well, Shannon proves that 110% wrong.
"You may be a pirate now, nakhudha, but it is neither crime nor gold that makes your heart beat. You are an explorer."
Amina al-Sirafi is a prickly, protective, thrice married mother who is currently retired from her old life on the seas as a famous explorer/ pirate, but she's forced to return to her old ways when a forceful client, a grandmother, threatens Amina into searching for the client's kidnapped granddaughter. And to be perfectly honest, all hell breaks lose from then on. From prison breaks to magical islands, Amina is pulled through the ringer trying to finish this job and return to her daughter. While this book is very much adventurous and epic in scope, the heart of it lies with the relationship between a mother and daughter. Their connection underscores so much of this book that in many ways nobody could fault Amina for any of her antics because they all come back to getting back home. This(!) was my favorite aspect to the book. Although, the humor and wit were an extremely close second! It wouldn't be a Shannon Chakraborty book without some chaotic sass/ jokes.
"What a wondrous experience to go anywhere you wish with only the wind."
I remember hearing somewhere, possibly on Shannon's social media pages, that this book would have a distant connection to the Daevabad trilogy, but I never thought it would be in this manner. Amina is as human as they come, besides her accidental demonic husband, who so happens to be the father of her daughter. She's not used to magic or even the idea of magical creatures/ beings. So when she washes up on an island of pure magic and sees daevas for the first time, I quite frankly howled with laughter as said daevas dashed back into the sea to possibly return back home to Daevabad. It was just such a wonderful cameo even if the individuals weren't anyone we knew. Albeit, there is a character from The City of Brass within this book, and I'm very intrigued to see if they continue to be a driving force of this trilogy. In many ways, The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi did a lot of set up for the next two books in the trilogy, which is one of my only real gripes because it muddled the pacing and focus, kinda whiplashing us back and forth. I believe, once the second book releases, I'm simply going to perish because Amina has such a deeper connection to the magical side of this world than ever before. Plus, Shannon has a particular talent for writing iconic second books in trilogies because The Kingdom of Copper is pure perfection/ still my favorite book by her. I'm actually hoping the crew can make some journeys further out into the Indian Ocean like eastern Asia, for example, because my whole heart wants Majed to check off his bucket list dream of visiting it. I have a feeling we'll definitely explore more, so my fingers are crossed in excitement.
"You do realize that if you want to be a proper storyteller, your words need to flow like warm honey, not choke like the stones of a dry academic."
Anyway, I loved the crew with my whole heart. I'm so happy that Shannon continues to write such diverse casts of characters with the best dynamics and chemistry. But the standout diversity of this book, for me, was honestly religion. Religion is a very complicated reality for books with historical settings. Most authors would merely brush the entire conversation under the rug, thinking it too complicated, but Shannon puts the pedal to the medal by having a multi-faith crew. She doesn't shy away. While I cannot speak on the Muslim representation, Dalila is a Christian, my culture, and I found her conversation with Amina after stumbling upon an island town to be one of the more profound scenes within the novel. It may even be my favorite scene because of the honesty and friendship that bubbles between them by the end. Dalila needed peace in that moment, and she wanted to be heard by Amina, and she was. It's one of the reasons why Amina is such a phenomenal captain. She listens when it counts!! It just made me happy to see these crew members respect one another's faith, especially when religion is such a testy point of conversation in our reality right now. If only our world could talk maturely about religion and RESPECT all religions like the example set in this book. I'm not asking for perfection; no one is, but it would be great.
"People do not take to the seas if the land offers better, and the kind of men lured to a life of smuggling and raiding are not gentle."
Overall, The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi is definitely worth a read through, and I'm super excited to see people see the mini cameos and slight connections to her debut series. These adventures are only gonna get more chaotic and rough as the series progresses, but I think Amina has a good foundational support system with her found family on the sea as well as her blood family back on land.
"...are not all mothers capable of being monsters when it comes to their children?"
Thank you to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Body horror
Moderate: Sexual assault, Transphobia, and Misogyny