Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi

This book scratched such an itch I didn't know I had, which was just to read a book that felt like the kinds of things I would have grown up reading. It's a story with adventure, mystical creatures, and a crazy journey featuring strong characters, high stakes, and even higher sails. This sort of maritime mischief is what I was sort of hoping for from Tress of the Emerald Sea - that said, although they both just happen to involve pirates, strong female characters, and devilish binding contracts, they're definitely two different takes on a pirate story for me personally. Thankfully, I would say that the structure, pacing, and general vibe of this one resonated a lot better with me.

I think part of why I liked it so much is that while a lot of it is familiar and feel-good, there's a lot that's fresh, interesting, and otherwise inspired. I'm a sucker for the-gang-gets-back-together-again-to-pull-one-last-job, and it's great seeing the characters as real people with actual families and lives and that they're old.

Well. Like. Older than the typical anime protagonist where life ends after high school or whatever - it's a narrative that I've grown more and more disgruntled with, and the fact that Amina is a mother on top of all of this?
It goes against the grain on a lot of expectations, which is also why I really found it fascinating with how much culture is put into it. The interwoven folk tales, the language, the food, the customs, the clothing, and if you were lucky enough to listen to the honestly fantastic audio book, the language is so refreshing and interesting, especially with how Amina fits into it (or doesn't, as is one of the driving themes throughout the book). There's a mix of reverence for tradition, faith, and family juxtaposed with individuality, progressiveness, and staying true to oneself. I really loved Amina's character, and Raksh was also a fun foil that had a surprising amount of depth.

Sadly, I can't say the same for all of the characters - while I said Amina wasn't like the typical anime protagonist, the same couldn't be said for the other characters in my opinion.

Falco felt cartoonishly evil, and the trio of Tinbu, Majed, and especially Dalila felt rather trope-y to me. Maybe I just have an irrational dislike for Dalila because of how much she just felt like she was there solely to be crazy-old-mad-scientist-lady that didn't really see any growth through the story to me. But, the way that the others at the end of the story just.. are like "yeah, sign me up for another 4 adventures of all of this and ehhhhh it's fine I'll talk to my wife about it, I'm sure she'll be fine with me leaving again" and stuff. That said, part of those complaints can be sorta written off by the fact that this is told in the form of Amina's retelling - they're imperfect, and they're from her point of view, so... it doesn't really make sense for her to characterize Falco as anything other than a 100% crazy irredeemable Disney villain and to maybe not devote as much characterization to her friends compared to Raksh given her relationship with him? This still doesn't explain away Dalila, but I'll stop ragging on her.

Overall, I really liked the book - it was fun and while it had points of familiarity, it featured a world and culture that I don't often get to see represented with so much detail and care put in, and that really set it apart for me.

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jazzlibrariansbookcase's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

A solid read. Really good and fun characters, not overly wordy but wordy enough if you like the higher fantasy levels. There is swearing - but this makes it very fun. Read it if you want a fun time - it does take a hot second to get into but when you start to love Amina the book is so much fun

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bzliz's review against another edition

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adventurous funny 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

4.5

It took me altogether far too long to finish this book. It was first hampered by my borrowed copy being uncomfortable to hold. Those book of the month books are satisfyingly uniform on a shelf but annoying for my wrists when I want to read them. I switched to a digital copy and then had to contend with the slog as Amina pulls her crew together, which is the main reason I can’t give this five stars. Each small victory was interesting but it took so long I felt myself getting impatient to get to the meat of the story. It picked up for me after Amina’s second meeting with Salima and then I was fully bought in.

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.

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alexijai98's review against another edition

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adventurous funny medium-paced

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

I love you Amina Al-Sirafi

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kaylaswhitmore's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful inspiring 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

LOVED this book. As someone who can be quite picky about my fantasy fiction tropes, I feel that this Chakraborty managed to nail nearly all of my favorite ones. Strong female characters? Check. Immersive point of view? Check. Found family? Fucking CHECK. Balance between angst and fun? Check. Romance without excessive horniness? Check lol.

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!

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tabea1409's review against another edition

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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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fanboyriot's review against another edition

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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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lesliehirgelt's review against another edition

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adventurous 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? Yes

5.0

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