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bzliz'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
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.
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
alexijai98'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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Slavery, Misogyny, and Sexism
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
quiet_reader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Murder, Death, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, and Violence
Moderate: Sexism, Deadnaming, Injury/Injury detail, and War
Minor: Slavery, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Transphobia, and Child abuse
marioosa517'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
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
trips'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
After that however, the book was a fast paced, exciting adventure that balanced humor and heavy topics well. Something I've come to expect from pirate stories! It was overall a delight to read and I look forward to reading another of Amina's Adventures.
Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Alcohol
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Sexual assault
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:
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