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machenn's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Cursing, Murder, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
yolanda_h's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
cleo_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
4.5 stars. Completely enjoyed this immersive fantasy about a retired pirate captain / smuggler who brings her crew back together for one last job. Set in the world surrounding the Indian Ocean in the 12th C, but with magic.
I love fantasy adventures with middle aged protagonists and Amina is delightful. This is a rollicking pirate fantasy that is also a meditation on motherhood and sacrifice, regrets and middle age.
There’s no romance and unlike 98% of the fiction I read, the protagonist is cis and straight. There are queer supporting characters though and found family. Be warned, there’s a fair bit of violence and descriptions of atrocities. And some body horror.
I love fantasy adventures with middle aged protagonists and Amina is delightful. This is a rollicking pirate fantasy that is also a meditation on motherhood and sacrifice, regrets and middle age.
There’s no romance and unlike 98% of the fiction I read, the protagonist is cis and straight. There are queer supporting characters though and found family. Be warned, there’s a fair bit of violence and descriptions of atrocities. And some body horror.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, and Body horror
Moderate: Gore and Violence
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, and Religious bigotry
maryhungerford's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Minor: Sexual harassment
questingnotcoasting'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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Gore
Minor: Rape and Slavery
relin's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I got stuck at 30% because I thought it was going to get spookier. Glad I followed my friend's advice and tried again because it was delightful and mystical. Nothing bad happens to the cat, and I'm excited for this to be a series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Classism, Alcohol, Death, Grief, Cursing, Violence, and Body horror
Moderate: Abandonment and Medical content
Minor: Trafficking and Slavery
Religious differencesthemis_biblos's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
"This man could manifest as a beam of celestial light, and he chose to use that power to spy on a naked woman?" - "Are you surprised?"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Death
catherinedsharp's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- 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
A fascinating blend of the real and fantastical with lots of adventure and emotion. Slow to read but it’s a pleasure not a drag, and the writing is always entertaining.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Blood, Violence, Gore, Confinement, Islamophobia, Death, and Grief
meant2breading's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
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
Yup. This is my new favorite book of all time. I do recognize in saying this that I read a lot and this could change as I get into more epic fantasy and sci-fi books, but there are AMPLE reasons why this has skyrocketed to the top. Here are some of my reasons why:
- A fierce pirate captain who is sailing the 12th century Indian Ocean and is respected by her crew?! And is a single mom?! Heck yes.
- Amina Al-Sirafi is an absolute badass. She is one of my favorite book characters of all time.
- Despite the book having dark twists throughout, there was great comic relief. I am here for the dark, magical twists though.
- When I say comic relief, this book had me laughing out loud multiple times. Very few books can do that!
- Diverse characters, many who are seriously awesome!
- The main characters are middle aged adults. It’s a nice change from reading many younger main characters and seeing their world through their eyes. Found this to also feel more relatable.
- I sincerely LOVED the centrality of friendship in this book.
- With this in mind, the side characters/her crew were incredibly enjoyable to read about and I was highly invested in their journeys too!
- The way the author weaved elements of the history at that time into the world she built. Amazing!
- To get the full pirate experience, I streamed Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack music as I read and it was immersive, really felt part of the adventure.
- Yes, ok, the pacing in this book is slightly off. All of the other aspects of this story more than made up for that for me. Plot + characters = spectacular! I loved it all, beginning to end!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol and Gore
bzliz's review against another edition
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.
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.
Content Warnings
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