Reviews tagging 'Colonisation'

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

23 reviews

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

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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)

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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

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!

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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

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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

tinkeringcheck's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny lighthearted mysterious 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? Yes

4.25

The first 2/3 of this book was a VERY enthusiastic 5 stars for me. The slow burn of this found family of middle-aged former pirates getting the gang back together for one last (very personal) job just sucked me in. The descriptive-yet-witty narration does an incredible job of immersing you in their world and making this place and time come to life. And I absolutely adored Amina's old crew, who each felt like unique, fleshed out people. The story really sold their existing sibling-esque bonds, which is no easy feat for a story that picks up decades after those relationships were forged.

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

trans person

delighted by the nuanced rep and yet spoiled by well-meaning reviewers. (And also by annoying reviewers who think the mere existence of queer people is inherently political or ahistorical. Insert eye roll here.)

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Content Warnings

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

the big island and especially the cave there.

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:

Because of the threat the MC is overpowered and held down by a group of strong men/villain's goons. She's not sexually assaulted, but she is forced to drink something that has a drugging effect before she's saved. She has upsetting flashbacks to this multiple times to the point her friend asks if she was assaulted.

This could absolutely be upsetting to some readers and is a recurring part of the narration in the last 1/3 of the book.

mesulkin's review against another edition

adventurous funny 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Death, Kidnapping, Colonisation, Physical abuse, Violence, Slavery, Sexual violence, Murder, Pregnancy, Rape, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Cannibalism, Blood, Sexual content, Racism, and Gore

talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, Gore, Blood, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Body horror

Moderate: Animal death, Genocide, Kidnapping, Confinement, Classism, Islamophobia, Xenophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Dysphoria, War, Transphobia, Sexual assault, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Drug use, Slavery, Pedophilia, Cannibalism, and Vomit

futureofmydays's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Colonisation, Alcoholism, Medical trauma, Murder, Alcohol, Blood, Death, Islamophobia, and Sexism

Moderate: Genocide, Grief, Slavery, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Classism, Homophobia, Torture, and Trafficking

Minor: Vomit

laurareads87's review against another edition

adventurous funny inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

As a huge fan of her Daevabad series, I was very excited to pick up a copy of The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, the first in a planned new trilogy by Shannon Chakraborty, and it did not disappoint!  This installment follows Amina, a middle aged 'retired' pirate captain who is drawn back into the action of the seas as she is hired for a mission she cannot refuse. The plot is a solid well-paced pirate adventure, the cast of supporting characters is fantastic, and the protagonist is one to cheer for who I came to love very quickly.  I appreciate Chakraborty's thoughtful inclusion of diverse characters in all her work.  Can't wait to read the next in the series!

Compared to Daevabad, so far I would say this series feels a bit lighter in tone -- there is some more comic relief between the serious and heavy aspects, with themes of friendship and found family amongst the protagonist and her crew and the complexities of pursuing one's dreams while also prioritizing being a parent.  This book is also more rooted in historical research, with the very vast majority of the action taking place in twelfth century cities surrounding the Indian Ocean.  Chakraborty's inclusion of a section on recommended further reading is great.

Content warnings: violence, murder, death, blood, gore, body horror (not extensive or particularly severe), torture, war, colonialism, mention of past massacres and mass killings, sexism, misogyny, sexual assault (mentioned in context of a threat; not described in detail), cannibalism (off page, not described in any graphic or detailed way)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Violence, Murder, Misogyny, Blood, Death, and Sexism

Moderate: Colonisation

Minor: Body horror, Gore, Cannibalism, and Sexual assault

brynalexa's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny tense 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

5.0

Amazingly perfect from the protagonist to the villain to the clever twist. So happy to see some nods to the Daevabad trilogy as well! Cannot wait for the second book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Kidnapping, Murder, Death of parent, Gore, Colonisation, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Body horror, Classism, Sexism, Slavery, Alcohol, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Grief, Misogyny, and War

Minor: Torture, Rape, Sexual content, and Sexual violence