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catherinedsharp's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Blood, Violence, Gore, Confinement, Islamophobia, Death, and Grief
kaylaswhitmore'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
5.0
I found myself quickly enamored with the writing style as well as Amina’s narration. Normally, I can be pretty wishy-washy about first person POV, but Chakraborty’s choice felt so valid and intriguing. And her mastery of suspense and foreshadowing (often so tongue-in-cheek) kept me curious the whole way through. It was so much fun to bite into the tidbits of information we were given while waiting to truly discover the whole of the story, and I loved that the world felt just as wondrous to Amina as it did to me as the reader. For the first half of the book I was questioning what made the story “fantasy,” just as Amina was doubtful of magic—but when the fantastical elements did kick in? Boy, was it worth the wait. It felt so vivid and overwhelming and exciting, even as I was left wanting more of the world and its characters.
On the note of characters, I also highly appreciated how diverse the cast truly was—without it ever feeling like pandering. In fact, one of my favorite things about the story was how whimsical it felt despite remaining grounded in reality. I loved that Amina being a fearsome, female pirate was both acknowledged but not overly emphasized the way some historical fiction can be. I loved that Timbu was openly gay (at least to the crew and character), yet was not subject to cruelty and suffering based on his sexuality. I loved that Jamal was woven so craftily into the narration of the story without his trans/fluid identity ever feeling like a simple plot device. Chakraborty’s choices of characterization felt so genuine and charmingly blasé that I couldn’t help but wish for even more of each character.
As this is starting to get a bit lengthy, I’ll cut myself off here…but I do hope that she continues this world in some way so that my enjoyment of her writing can go on! I’ll definitely return to reading this book again, and hope that others have similar feelings as me!
Graphic: Murder, Physical abuse, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Cursing, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, and Gore
Moderate: Addiction, Slavery, Sexism, Alcohol, Misogyny, Alcoholism, Transphobia, Genocide, Grief, and Islamophobia
Minor: Deadnaming and Rape
tabea1409'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
4.0
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
- 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
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
lesliehirgelt'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
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Violence, Blood, Cursing, Death, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Death of parent
Minor: Slavery
emilywemily6'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? No
5.0
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
tinkeringcheck'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
And I especially - ESPECIALLY - loved Amina al-Sirafi as a POV character. She's a middle-aged sea rat with a bad knee and a penchant for swearing. She's sharp and funny, observant and ambitious, long-suffering and guilt-ridden. She's devoted to her family and crew and tries her best to balance both. She's faithful but certainly no saint. She's genuinely the most fascinating narrator I've read in recent memory and I love her SO much. And I don't usually like 1st person! Her narration, how she sees the world, and her relationships with her old crew just sparkle off the page.
I also loved the framing technique of Amina telling her story and her hilarious back-and-forth with the scribe writing it down. It's genuinely so fun, and it gives the scribe their own voice when they interject with asides and bits of historical letters to help you contextualize the ports and places in the story.
What fell a little flat for me was the pacing in the last 1/3 of the book. It felt like the story switched genres and backslid into stereotypical fantasy plotting, complete with a shoehorned quest to extend it into a series. Maybe I misjudged the genre (I went in mostly blind and have never read this author before) but I thought the story was stronger when the supernatural aspects lurked around the edges as a more unknown entity. Going full stereotypical fantasy killed some of that tension and mystery, and the cliché plotting weakened the writing for me. Personally, it just made those chapters a slog to get through.
But honestly, even if I found some of the pacing and plotting a bit disappointing, I still absolutely adored the characters and world-building. The pace picked back up for the climax and everything wrapped up in a satisfying way while promising future adventures with the most fun cast of characters I've read in a long time. Plus, on a superficial note, the cover is gorgeous (though my hardcover's sleeve seems designed for a book 100 pages thinner rip). If you can stomach the content warnings - which I'll go into below - I highly, highly recommend.
P.S. to fellow reviewers: It's possible to mention representation without spoiling things. Signed, a
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Body horror, Death, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Cursing, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Torture, Confinement, and Sexual assault
Minor: Classism, Colonisation, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cultural appropriation, Fire/Fire injury, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual content, Slavery, and Transphobia
1. The ship's cat is completely fine! He isn't harmed at all and is spoiled right to the end of the story.2. Most of the warnings in the moderate and minor sections are due to background societal issues in this time period. The narration is pretty lighthearted overall so most things are either briefly mentioned or actively challenged by the narrator.
3. The blood/gore/death/aftermath of torture/body horror is most prominent in the last 1/3 of the book, once they get to
4. The main character is implied to be a recovering alcoholic. The last time she got blackout drunk is relayed in detail as an important plot point in her past.
5. Gang rape is suddenly threatened by the villain on page 282 (hardcover ed.). Mild spoilers about what happens:
books_and_cream_cheese'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: Death and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Torture, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Slavery
imds'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
3.75
Graphic: Death, War, Abandonment, Kidnapping, Police brutality, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Misogyny, Trafficking, Blood, Gore, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Body shaming, Animal cruelty, and Slavery
h4ppycupcake's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Islamophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Grief, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, War, Body horror, Physical abuse, Murder, Blood, and Sexism