Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S.A. Chakraborty

67 reviews

kassidyreads's review against another edition

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adventurous slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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frog_appreciator's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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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toopunkrockforshul's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Overall an enjoyable book! There were some parts that felt a little incongruous and the ending wasn't as satisfying as it could have been, but the characters were really interesting as was the worldbuilding!
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blacksphinx's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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tamara_joy's review against another edition

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adventurous 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

4.0

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annie_tonk's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny inspiring 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

5.0

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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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palmkd's review against another edition

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adventurous 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? It's complicated

5.0

This is definitely a new favorite for me. Amina retired from her life on the seas 10 years ago to live a quiet and peaceful life with her daughter. Obviously things did not go as planned or we wouldn't be setting off on this adventure!

Join Amina as her scribe tells her riveting story full of pirates, religion, multiple ex-husbands, demons (and/or other supernatural beings of creative names), adventure, spells, magical creatures, potion masters and previously untold legends.

The audio is masterfully done, really awesome job by Lameece Issaq and Amin El Gamal.

The first in a new trilogy, this is not one to miss!
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mahra's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny tense slow-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

"To be a woman is to have your story misremembered. Discarded. Twisted."

Amina Al-Sirafi, the Legend that you are.

Oh, I loved this so much. Incredible read.

Amina Al-Sirafi is a fierce pirate captain who retired and spent the past few years raising her daughter. A mysterious benefactor offers her a mission and a prize that no pirate worth their salt would refuse. She is then forced to reunite with her former crew and embarks on a long journey across the Arabian Gulf and the Indian Ocean.

This book is essentially a heist story, set on the sea, in a fantasy world.

We finally have a middle-aged female main character. She is a muslim woman, and the author does not make her turn against her religion or remove her hijab. Who would have thought this was possible? *eyeroll* And for that, S. A. Chakraborty, I thank you. How refreshing!

The prose? Immaculate. The worldbuilding? Immersive. The characters? Captivating.
The twist at the end with the narrator was very heartwarming.


Why not a five stars then? Well, the story took a crazy turn
(the bird people etc. lol)
. I was VERY worried. And while the author ultimately stuck the landing, it was really perplexing. It actually took me out of the story.

Still, it is one of my favorite reads of 2023. I cannot wait to see what happens next. 
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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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