Scan barcode
cadimy's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Violence, and Kidnapping
Minor: Cursing
bzliz's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
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
4.5
It took me altogether far too long to finish this book. It was first hampered by my borrowed copy being uncomfortable to hold. Those book of the month books are satisfyingly uniform on a shelf but annoying for my wrists when I want to read them. I switched to a digital copy and then had to contend with the slog as Amina pulls her crew together, which is the main reason I can’t give this five stars. Each small victory was interesting but it took so long I felt myself getting impatient to get to the meat of the story. It picked up for me after Amina’s second meeting with Salima and then I was fully bought in.
Having a main character who is an older woman, highly competent, and a parent who still has their own dreams and goals was such a nice reprieve from young, inexperienced narrators who are always five steps behind the Big Bad but somehow manage to prevail. Amina is a beautifully written character and her supporting cast is equally captivating. They are devoted to her yet not subservient like she’s their only reason for breathing. The villains and the morally ambiguous characters are just as developed and I’m thankful they received the same treatment rather than being caricatures of evil.
I was not ready for the trippy turn around the 70% mark but I loved it. It cemented for me how perfectly this would work if adapted to a TV series. It gave the much needed push to boost Amina to become someone worthy of the tales told about her. It’s also such an interesting juxtaposition of fantasy elements intermingled with historical bureaucracy and religious and political machinations.
Most of the characters ascribe to a faith and it is frequently discussed and referenced. In my opinion, it is never preachy or pushing any kind of agenda on anyone, it is merely as simple as believing. If any religious aspects of a book make you uncomfortable, this is not the book for you. Likewise, there is talk of genocidal crusades, horrific murders and threats of sexual violence. Skip this if you’re sensitive to those topics. For anyone else, I do recommend giving this a try.
Having a main character who is an older woman, highly competent, and a parent who still has their own dreams and goals was such a nice reprieve from young, inexperienced narrators who are always five steps behind the Big Bad but somehow manage to prevail. Amina is a beautifully written character and her supporting cast is equally captivating. They are devoted to her yet not subservient like she’s their only reason for breathing. The villains and the morally ambiguous characters are just as developed and I’m thankful they received the same treatment rather than being caricatures of evil.
I was not ready for the trippy turn around the 70% mark but I loved it. It cemented for me how perfectly this would work if adapted to a TV series. It gave the much needed push to boost Amina to become someone worthy of the tales told about her. It’s also such an interesting juxtaposition of fantasy elements intermingled with historical bureaucracy and religious and political machinations.
Most of the characters ascribe to a faith and it is frequently discussed and referenced. In my opinion, it is never preachy or pushing any kind of agenda on anyone, it is merely as simple as believing. If any religious aspects of a book make you uncomfortable, this is not the book for you. Likewise, there is talk of genocidal crusades, horrific murders and threats of sexual violence. Skip this if you’re sensitive to those topics. For anyone else, I do recommend giving this a try.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual violence, Body horror, and Death
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Slavery, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Classism, Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, Homophobia, Transphobia, Dysphoria, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, and Sexism
brittanylee0302's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
This book was okay but I lost my interest in it about halfway through. The cover of this book has a kraken wrapped around a boat with 'adventures' being in the title which made me think this was going to be a fast pace adventure filled read & it really wasn't. Amina as a character is amazing, she's an older woman who is a bad ass mom & has been a little promiscuous through her life. However, when she goes to rescue people throughout the book she kind of loses some of her bad ass qualities. Magic is introduced in this book early on but it seems like the author kind of forgot they were writing a magical book until certain parts (minus Amina's husband). Overall, I had really high expectations for certain things in this book & felt consistently let down over them. I enjoyed the characters but the story just fell flat for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Kidnapping, and Torture
Minor: War, Blood, and Rape
tabea1409's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
mysterious
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Cursing, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Torture, Violence, War, Death of parent, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Death, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Blood, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, and Slavery
fanboyriot's review against another edition
adventurous
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? It's complicated
4.0
♡ At Sea Battles
♡ Pirate Romance
♡ An Ultimate Pirate Adventure
This was filled with adventure, leaving no room for a dull moment. The cover of this book fit the vibe so well.
I had a lot of fun reading this, even if high fantasy isn’t typically my genre; this was so lovely. The attention to details, the world building, and of course, the plot were all so entertaining.
I really enjoyed how the author wrote adult characters who seemed realistic. Like the main character dealing with chronic pain for example, being a single parent and worrying about her daughter’s wellbeing, and having a past that left her untrusting of most people.
Spice Level: 🌶️ (1/5)
Angst Level: 💧 (1/5)
POV: First Person
Release Date: 28, February 2023
Rep: BIPOC (Main and Side Characters), Trans (Side Character), LGBTQIA+ (Side Characters)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Torture, Death, Misogyny, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Violence, Blood, and Gore
Moderate: Animal death, Slavery, Classism, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Vomit, Colonisation, Sexism, War, Grief, and Transphobia
Minor: Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Rape, Trafficking, Abandonment, Cannibalism, Addiction, Dysphoria, and Pregnancy
renpuspita's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
tense
fast-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
5.0
EASILY ONE OF MY TOP READS FOR 2024
I can write so many things why I have a blast while reading The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, beside I REALLY LOVE The Daevabad Trilogy. But, one thing that I want to highlight is discussion about faith. It's rare to read a Muslim character in fantasy novel. It's also rarer to read a pirate Muslim woman. While Amina is a Islam practitioner from the moment she was born, she is what I called in my Indonesian slang, Islam KTP, lol. See, in her pirates era, Amina drunk alcohols, kill many people, steals, flirting with men, etc etc. I will not shocked if she eat pork, hahaha. So, when she finally retire, she try to atone for her sins. She doing her sholat, dzikir and much more, although still somehow fall into her past misdeeds. Like, maybe stealing one or two or appreciate men's physique (at last, Amina is a honest woman!). Nah, I will not condemn her so. I find Amina's faith fascinating because...it's resonated with me. I'm right now in my lowest state regarding my Islamic faith, and there's a reason behind that. Nope, I'm not drink wine or alcohol and eating pork, or stealing so my sins maybe not that big like Amina was, but who am I to judge myself since I rarely doing my sholat, rarely pray to Allah and maybe many other sins that maybe will make me go through the far deepest pit of hellfire? I think maybe that's why I love this book because how Chakraborty write about Amina and her faith, how Amina is still a human, prone to sins and to mistake, but still try to atone and searching redemption!
Compared to Daevabad Trilogy, Amina al-Sirafi is lighter in tone. Daevabad is full of political intrigue and secrets regarding the daeva and their mythology. Amina al-Sirafi is about adventure! A swashbuckling story that left me breathless and pouring over the pages, impatiently want to know what will happen with Amina and her merry band of crews of Marawati ships. This book also heavy in found family troupe and all of the characters are in their 40-ish, including Amina. I think this book also have a same premise with the Bone Maker, in which the main character that already in their 40-50-ish become hermit and estranged from their friends. But I can assure that the execution is different. I enjoyed both The Bone Maker and The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi.
If you have read Daevabad, then you know that Chakraborty did a vast and massive research while writing her books. In this book, Chakraborty also provide her source regarding the pirates world especially in 12th century. While the book is fictional, some of the elements can be traced to its origins. I like the myth behind the Moon of the Saba and snickered when knowing the real explanation behind the artifact. Reading this book is never a dull moment! The story told entirely from Amina's first PoV in a form of her telling her story (and pursuits) to a young scribe named Jamal al-Hilli. So, basically some part can be tongue-in-cheek to read. I'm not kidding when said that the book's tone is light although there's some life and death moments, problems just keep coming for Amina and her crews and also Amina try to keep her daughter, Marjana, safe from harm.
The found family trope is well wonder and I like that Amina and her crews reunited and they are also eager for any chance of adventure. Amina's crews also diverse, from Dalila, a Christian woman famed with her poisons and hail from Banu Sasan. Amina's first mate, a gay Hindu man named Tinbu that managed to keep Marawati in a good shape and almost got hanged because of brigand crime but saved by Amina and Dalila. There's Majed, a navigator that already in his third hajji, a big brother figure to Amina and while he already have family, his longing to make a map of world is stronger so he decide to go with Amina in retrieving the kidnapped granddaughter of wealthy woman in Aden who also threatened Amina if Amina can't bring the said granddaughter back. Do I forgot to said that Amina also have four husband?? Not in the same time, mind you, but the fourth husband, Raksh is an actual demon that want to make Amina as a legend, but also cunning. He's also father of Marjana, but Amina still keep that fact to herself so I wondering how long Raksh will keep in the dark regarding Marjana and what is his reaction if he knew he's a father. I also still wondering, what is exactly Raksh. He's not a marid for sure, and also not a peri. If he's an ifrit, since he said he's a being of discord, I remember that ifrit is nastier while Raksh feel like...a himbo, lel. He's also still married to Amina although Amina left him in the chest 10 years prior to the story, and still married in the end of the book. So yeah, curious about them, although I assure there's no romance. The love aspect is more like Amina's mother love for Marjana and I think she has none for Raskh since that demon also responsible for her late crew's death.
I can go on and on about The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi but know this that I really love this book and will recommend it if you searching for a fantasy with adventure, treasure hunting, found family trope, mysterious artifact, treacherous creatures and interesting thought regarding religion and faith.
I can write so many things why I have a blast while reading The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, beside I REALLY LOVE The Daevabad Trilogy. But, one thing that I want to highlight is discussion about faith. It's rare to read a Muslim character in fantasy novel. It's also rarer to read a pirate Muslim woman. While Amina is a Islam practitioner from the moment she was born, she is what I called in my Indonesian slang, Islam KTP, lol. See, in her pirates era, Amina drunk alcohols, kill many people, steals, flirting with men, etc etc. I will not shocked if she eat pork, hahaha. So, when she finally retire, she try to atone for her sins. She doing her sholat, dzikir and much more, although still somehow fall into her past misdeeds. Like, maybe stealing one or two or appreciate men's physique (at last, Amina is a honest woman!). Nah, I will not condemn her so. I find Amina's faith fascinating because...it's resonated with me. I'm right now in my lowest state regarding my Islamic faith, and there's a reason behind that. Nope, I'm not drink wine or alcohol and eating pork, or stealing so my sins maybe not that big like Amina was, but who am I to judge myself since I rarely doing my sholat, rarely pray to Allah and maybe many other sins that maybe will make me go through the far deepest pit of hellfire? I think maybe that's why I love this book because how Chakraborty write about Amina and her faith, how Amina is still a human, prone to sins and to mistake, but still try to atone and searching redemption!
Compared to Daevabad Trilogy, Amina al-Sirafi is lighter in tone. Daevabad is full of political intrigue and secrets regarding the daeva and their mythology. Amina al-Sirafi is about adventure! A swashbuckling story that left me breathless and pouring over the pages, impatiently want to know what will happen with Amina and her merry band of crews of Marawati ships. This book also heavy in found family troupe and all of the characters are in their 40-ish, including Amina. I think this book also have a same premise with the Bone Maker, in which the main character that already in their 40-50-ish become hermit and estranged from their friends. But I can assure that the execution is different. I enjoyed both The Bone Maker and The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi.
If you have read Daevabad, then you know that Chakraborty did a vast and massive research while writing her books. In this book, Chakraborty also provide her source regarding the pirates world especially in 12th century. While the book is fictional, some of the elements can be traced to its origins. I like the myth behind the Moon of the Saba and snickered when knowing the real explanation behind the artifact. Reading this book is never a dull moment! The story told entirely from Amina's first PoV in a form of her telling her story (and pursuits) to a young scribe named Jamal al-Hilli. So, basically some part can be tongue-in-cheek to read. I'm not kidding when said that the book's tone is light although there's some life and death moments, problems just keep coming for Amina and her crews and also Amina try to keep her daughter, Marjana, safe from harm.
The found family trope is well wonder and I like that Amina and her crews reunited and they are also eager for any chance of adventure. Amina's crews also diverse, from Dalila, a Christian woman famed with her poisons and hail from Banu Sasan. Amina's first mate, a gay Hindu man named Tinbu that managed to keep Marawati in a good shape and almost got hanged because of brigand crime but saved by Amina and Dalila. There's Majed, a navigator that already in his third hajji, a big brother figure to Amina and while he already have family, his longing to make a map of world is stronger so he decide to go with Amina in retrieving the kidnapped granddaughter of wealthy woman in Aden who also threatened Amina if Amina can't bring the said granddaughter back. Do I forgot to said that Amina also have four husband?? Not in the same time, mind you, but the fourth husband, Raksh is an actual demon that want to make Amina as a legend, but also cunning. He's also father of Marjana, but Amina still keep that fact to herself so I wondering how long Raksh will keep in the dark regarding Marjana and what is his reaction if he knew he's a father. I also still wondering, what is exactly Raksh. He's not a marid for sure, and also not a peri. If he's an ifrit, since he said he's a being of discord, I remember that ifrit is nastier while Raksh feel like...a himbo, lel. He's also still married to Amina although Amina left him in the chest 10 years prior to the story, and still married in the end of the book. So yeah, curious about them, although I assure there's no romance. The love aspect is more like Amina's mother love for Marjana and I think she has none for Raskh since that demon also responsible for her late crew's death.
I can go on and on about The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi but know this that I really love this book and will recommend it if you searching for a fantasy with adventure, treasure hunting, found family trope, mysterious artifact, treacherous creatures and interesting thought regarding religion and faith.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Violence, Body horror, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, and Cursing
Moderate: Alcohol, Sexism, Murder, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
Minor: Slavery, Sexual content, and War
emilywemily6's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
- 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? No
5.0
I adored this book! I just couldn’t stop reading it. The narration was hilarious and I really enjoyed when the scribe and the narrator had little spats; the audiobook handled it really well and added to those moments. This historical fantasy pirate story has everything you could want. I loved Amina’s character and how the story focused on a retired smuggler who was now middle aged and on a “last” quest. She had depth and complexity and was very relatable. I’m so excited to read the future books in the series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Cursing, Misogyny, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Trafficking, Violence, Physical abuse, and Death
Moderate: Alcohol, Racism, Gore, Stalking, Animal cruelty, Religious bigotry, Grief, and Kidnapping
Minor: Sexual content, Transphobia, Pregnancy, and Colonisation
marioosa517's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Islamophobia, Genocide, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Violence, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Kidnapping, and Alcohol
Moderate: Pedophilia, Body horror, Cannibalism, Animal cruelty, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Genocide, Colonisation, Sexual harassment, and Violence
Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Biphobia, Death of parent, Infertility, Lesbophobia, Pregnancy, Rape, Drug use, Dysphoria, Homophobia, Transphobia, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
gardens_and_dragons's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Kidnapping, and Sexual content
abrielleemory's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
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? It's complicated
4.5
How and why I let this book sit on my shelf for so long is beyond me.
The City of Brass series will forever go down as one of my favorite fantasy series and one of the best series I read in 2023. However, Amina’s story is pulling its own weight.
Chakraborty’s writing is unmatched. Informational, comical, emotional, and so unbelievably thorough. I’ve seen that the next book in the series is set for September 2025, so it looks like I’ll be anxiously awaiting Amina’s story until then.
My only critique is that there was no character glossary like The City of Brass had. Chakraborty’s complex characters need a little organization. But, considering the last chapter, I understand why some names could not be identified.
The City of Brass series will forever go down as one of my favorite fantasy series and one of the best series I read in 2023. However, Amina’s story is pulling its own weight.
Chakraborty’s writing is unmatched. Informational, comical, emotional, and so unbelievably thorough. I’ve seen that the next book in the series is set for September 2025, so it looks like I’ll be anxiously awaiting Amina’s story until then.
My only critique is that there was no character glossary like The City of Brass had. Chakraborty’s complex characters need a little organization. But, considering the last chapter, I understand why some names could not be identified.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Body horror
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Kidnapping