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madamenovelist'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, Colonisation, Body horror, Blood, Violence, Physical abuse, Animal death, Death, Torture, Vomit, Trafficking, Alcohol, and Murder
Moderate: Misogyny and Cursing
Minor: Sexual content
hannahbailey's review
- 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
"For while the pious claim money doesn't buy happiness, I can attest from personal experience that poverty buys nothing."
"I pressed my knife where his legs met. 'The first offense costs a tooth. The second, something far dearer.'" what a legend
"People may call my kind sea rats, but let me tell you, rats know when to fucking run"
"This man could manifest as a beam of celestial light, and he chose to use that power to spy on a naked woman?"
"You plague of a woman, if you could just listen to reason!" I too would like to be referred to as a plague of a woman 😌
I really enjoyed this epic tale of a female pirate coming back from retirement for one last adventure -- the reward so high she couldn't turn it down. The blend of religion and magic was really well done, the sense of mystery and unanswered questions throughout was also really compelling. I liked that many of the magical creatures were humanoid in nature, meaning the MC could converse with them with her trademark wit and swearing!
Whilst the front cover (both US and UK) suggests a world of magic, high seas and adventure, be prepared for graphic scenes of violence, injury and death. There's also blackmailing, demons and a queen of poisons too so definitely not for the faint-hearted. I always love characters exploring motherhood, sisterhood and the found family trope. The novel has all this and more with a diverse cast of characters and exploration of gender identity (although MC is cis-hetero-female). Lots of action and battle scenes as well as more tender moments of powerful friendship. Fans of Samantha Shannon's The Priory of the Orange Tree and Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows would enjoy this. I love learning through fiction, and with this novel I learned more about Islam, Arab culture and the pre-colonial world of the Indian ocean. Read the Author's note for further reading on these subjects!
As a 500-page book, I really struggled at the beginning to stay interested as it felt a lot of pages had passed before the adventure really got going. However, it's worth pushing through as the plot quickly ramps up.
TW: violence, blood/gore/injury, death, threat of sexual violence, torture, body horror, kidnapping, alcoholism, misogyny, slavery
Graphic: Physical abuse, Violence, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Slavery, Murder, Blood, Kidnapping, Gore, Death, Misogyny, and Body horror
torturedreadersdept'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: Animal cruelty, Toxic relationship, Violence, Abandonment, Body horror, Cursing, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Alcohol, Body shaming, Confinement, Animal death, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Slavery, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: Transphobia, Sexual assault, and Rape
Minor: Deadnaming
cheye13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Moderate: Sexism, Animal cruelty, Death, Genocide, Gore, Torture, Grief, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Rape, Classism, Dysphoria, Slavery, Sexual content, Transphobia, and Alcohol
incident of mass murder and ritual human sacrifice off page but remains described in brief detail; instance of being stranded at sea; violent threats made against a child on numerous occasionarbramirez's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Death, Torture, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault
drlove2018'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
4.75
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Toxic relationship, Murder, Body horror, Gore, and Vomit
Moderate: Alcohol, Misogyny, Islamophobia, Transphobia, Deadnaming, Religious bigotry, and Slavery
haylzno'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
This is peak pirate fantasy - filled to the brim with adventure, mystical and celestial beings, found family, and raging sarcasm.
This will easily be a top 5 read for 2023
Graphic: Murder, Grief, Cursing, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Blood
Moderate: Slavery, War, Sexual content, and Sexual assault
beautifulpaxielreads'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
*slow claps for Shannon Chakraborty*
Seriously, where do I begin with how good this was? It brings together superb character development (and diverse characters!), well-paced action scenes with a real sense of danger, impressive historical detail (with a bibliography to back it up!), and interestingly incorporated fantasy. Oh, and it's a trilogy, so there's more of the same to come (hopefully).
The title character, Amina, practically leaps off the page. She's incredibly complex and defies stereotypes. She doesn't suffer fools (and anyone who thinks she cannot be a pirate captain because of her gender) and has a fierce instinct to protect those she loves, including her beloved only child, daughter Marjana.
I also thought that the villain was realistically and compellingly written.
I can't wait to see what Chakraborty has in store for us next.
Graphic: Blood, Gore, and Murder
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Body horror
Minor: Sexual content, Slavery, and Transphobia
boglord'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
5.0
Graphic: Death, Gore, Grief, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Murder, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Genocide, Mental illness, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Body horror, Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Classism, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Torture, War, Kidnapping, Vomit, Alcohol, Blood, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, and Sexism
Minor: Death of parent, Rape, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Dysphoria, Ableism, Addiction, Deadnaming, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Pedophilia, Racism, Slavery, and Trafficking
cozycaro's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Body horror, Blood, Cursing, Death, and Murder