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rosesforreading'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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Blood
Moderate: Addiction, Body horror, Cursing, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual content, Transphobia, Islamophobia, and Religious bigotry
mjwhitlock18's review against another edition
adventurous
5.0
A foul-mouthed, middle-aged legendary pirate captain comes out of her retirement for one last perilous sea voyage to save a deceased friend’s daughter and potentially cement her family’s future, and ends up on quest to defeat a power-hungry murderous villain. I loved every second of this (I will read anything S. A. Chakraborty writes). Amina is a fantastic narrator with a sarcastic sense of humor, the mouth of a sailor (fitting), and complexity that makes her so interesting. She’s far from perfect (she accidentally married a demon), but she’s a badass mother who’d been told there was only one sort of respectful life for a woman, and she resoundly said fuck that. Amina’s friends and crew mates are also wonderfully grumbly and loyal, and along with the top tier prose and world building, this book exceeded my expectations. If you love a band of misfits, a useless ship cat, sweeping adventure with a hint of the fantastical, and a whole lot of found family - this is for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Torture, and Alcohol
Minor: Sexism, Slavery, Transphobia, and Religious bigotry
bettysbookishworld'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? Yes
5.0
I would like to thank NetGalley and Harper Voyager UK for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
If you like epic historical adventures full of pirates and magic, set in a fantasy world inspired by Middle East, this book is a right choice for you! It's one of the best written, engaging books with well-rounded characters I've read in long time.
We follow Amina, a retired pirate that got persuaded to go to one more adventure of her life. And it was a great journey full of dangers and unexpected turns of events! I love Amina as a main character. She's a very strong, experienced warrior with a legendary past and I loved her sarcastic nature so much. It was such breathe of fresh air to have a trully mature and complex character.
I couldn't put the book down as so many unexpected events were happening and the high stakes kept me going. The writing style got me transported into the magical world the author created. However, the first half was slower than the rest and even though I enjoyed it, it took me a while to actually connect to the story. After that though, I loved every second spent with Amina and her crew! I rooted for everyone and they had amazing dynamic between each other. You could feel and see that they had a past full of memories together which was so wholesome. I can't wait to read other Amina's adventures when they'll come out in the future and now I'm very much curious to try the Daevabad trilogy as well.
If you like epic historical adventures full of pirates and magic, set in a fantasy world inspired by Middle East, this book is a right choice for you! It's one of the best written, engaging books with well-rounded characters I've read in long time.
We follow Amina, a retired pirate that got persuaded to go to one more adventure of her life. And it was a great journey full of dangers and unexpected turns of events! I love Amina as a main character. She's a very strong, experienced warrior with a legendary past and I loved her sarcastic nature so much. It was such breathe of fresh air to have a trully mature and complex character.
I couldn't put the book down as so many unexpected events were happening and the high stakes kept me going. The writing style got me transported into the magical world the author created. However, the first half was slower than the rest and even though I enjoyed it, it took me a while to actually connect to the story. After that though, I loved every second spent with Amina and her crew! I rooted for everyone and they had amazing dynamic between each other. You could feel and see that they had a past full of memories together which was so wholesome. I can't wait to read other Amina's adventures when they'll come out in the future and now I'm very much curious to try the Daevabad trilogy as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Violence, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Genocide
Minor: Death, Slavery, Grief, and Alcohol
sarahyjackson's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? It's complicated
5.0
I am absolutely undone by how incandescently wonderful this book was: the prose, the characters, the setting, the narrative. I loved it dearly and cannot wait to take to the high seas with Amina again, soon!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Transphobia and Xenophobia
brontesauruses's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss+ for allowing me early(ish) access in exchange for an honest review!
It took a while to build up momentum, but it was so so good when it got going. Amina and her diverse group of friends/co-conspirators are so likeable and complex*. Also!! Everyone is middle aged! They're greying! Their joints hurt! But they still get to do cool shit.
The ending is satisfying on it's own (and might have made me tear up a little), but there is definitely room for more stories, and I hope we get them!
There....there are going to be more of them, right? 🥺
*Well, most of them are complex. The, uh, one who isn't is still very likeable, though lol.
It took a while to build up momentum, but it was so so good when it got going. Amina and her diverse group of friends/co-conspirators are so likeable and complex*. Also!! Everyone is middle aged! They're greying! Their joints hurt! But they still get to do cool shit.
The ending is satisfying on it's own (and might have made me tear up a little), but there is definitely room for more stories, and I hope we get them!
There....there are going to be more of them, right? 🥺
*Well, most of them are complex. The, uh, one who isn't is still very likeable, though lol.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Slavery, Blood, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal death, Sexual violence, and Islamophobia
ezwolf's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Amina Al-Sirafi is a retired pirate trying to live out her retirement in peace with her daughter and family. When the mother of one of Amina's long dead crewmates comes to hire her to retrieve her kidnapped granddaughter, Amina brings her crew together for one last adventure. As you may have guessed, this adventure does not go as planned.
I loved this book SO much! Amina's devotion to her daughter, her sense of humor, and her crew being more than her crew but being her family were what I enjoyed most. The end of the book had me crying, but and not for the reasons you might think. I can't wait to read about more of Amina's adventures!
I listened to the audiobook version and I thought it was done in a clever way, where at points the narrator, Amina, would turn away from the recorder and speak to the scribe detailing her adventures.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for making this available in exchange for an honest review.
I loved this book SO much! Amina's devotion to her daughter, her sense of humor, and her crew being more than her crew but being her family were what I enjoyed most. The end of the book had me crying, but and not for the reasons you might think. I can't wait to read about more of Amina's adventures!
I listened to the audiobook version and I thought it was done in a clever way, where at points the narrator, Amina, would turn away from the recorder and speak to the scribe detailing her adventures.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for making this available in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Grief, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism
Minor: Drug use, Sexual assault, Slavery, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria
takarakei's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
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? Yes
4.0
- mid-aged badass main character
- who is also a mother
- swashbuckling pirate adventures
- ancient magic
- reunited found family
- celestial/magical beings
- LGBTQIA+ representation
This book has a wonderful central theme about the complexity and depth of being a woman. How we contain multitudes. How someone can be both a mother and also want to pursue adventure and their own dreams.
The first half is a bit slow, and there's a lot of character set up before the plot gets going. But honestly the characters are so fun, & I really love the dynamic between Amina and her crew. The second half really gets intense and interesting and I didn't want to put it down. There's kiiiiiind of an enemies to lovers thing, it's hard to describe without giving much away: Amina's fourth husband and her are estranged for *reasons* and when he shows back up there is a lot of general animosity, exasperated dialogue and tension which will likely continue through the series. The ending of the main plot is fairly resolved, but it sets up very well for the rest of a series, which I am excited to read.
1.5/5 🌶️ (closed door) My personal preference would be a bit spicier (because Raksh is HOT), but maybe it will go there in future books idk?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Violence
Moderate: Death, Alcohol, and Colonisation
Minor: Alcoholism, Rape, Slavery, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, and Dysphoria
Minor discussion of rape in historical context, and Amina is threatened to be SA at one point (which doesn't happen)lauraslittlebooknook's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I wanna start of by highlighting just how *stunning* this book is! The cover art and the maps are just absolutely beautiful!! 😍😍
The story follows Amina al-Sirafi, a 40-something year old single mother living out her retirement from pirate life for a decade in relative peace and quiet, who is forced to done her pirates hat again and set off to rescue her deceased shipmate’s daughter from a horrific murderous villain.
This story has everything. Adventure, battles, pirates, sea monsters, magic, friendship and more. I was hooked to this one from the get-go. With so many mysteries to unravel and secrets to uncover, it was impossible to put this book down.
Chakraborty’s writing style is wonderful and makes for a quick paced read full of description and action. The dialogue is natural and quick witted, making for relatable and lovable characters.
Amina makes for an incredible protagonist, and I absolutely loved reading an epic fantasy with an *adult* female lead, dodgy knee and all! She’s fiercely loyal and devoted to her family, is distrustful of most (if not all) those she encounters and is not afraid to own her mistakes.
Her inner circle are equally outstanding, each with their own unique backstories and personalities; Dalila being my obvious favourite!
In addition to how fantastically written this story is, Chakraborty has made it so wonderfully inclusive with multiple religions, gay rep and trans rep all flowing seamlessly together in this diverse and exciting read!!
I absolutely loved this and I cannot wait for the next instalment in the series to see where Amina’s adventures take her next!!
I fucking loved it. You need to read this. It’s amazing.
The story follows Amina al-Sirafi, a 40-something year old single mother living out her retirement from pirate life for a decade in relative peace and quiet, who is forced to done her pirates hat again and set off to rescue her deceased shipmate’s daughter from a horrific murderous villain.
This story has everything. Adventure, battles, pirates, sea monsters, magic, friendship and more. I was hooked to this one from the get-go. With so many mysteries to unravel and secrets to uncover, it was impossible to put this book down.
Chakraborty’s writing style is wonderful and makes for a quick paced read full of description and action. The dialogue is natural and quick witted, making for relatable and lovable characters.
Amina makes for an incredible protagonist, and I absolutely loved reading an epic fantasy with an *adult* female lead, dodgy knee and all! She’s fiercely loyal and devoted to her family, is distrustful of most (if not all) those she encounters and is not afraid to own her mistakes.
Her inner circle are equally outstanding, each with their own unique backstories and personalities; Dalila being my obvious favourite!
In addition to how fantastically written this story is, Chakraborty has made it so wonderfully inclusive with multiple religions, gay rep and trans rep all flowing seamlessly together in this diverse and exciting read!!
I absolutely loved this and I cannot wait for the next instalment in the series to see where Amina’s adventures take her next!!
I fucking loved it. You need to read this. It’s amazing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Slavery and Death of parent
Minor: War
bethanycrowepowell's review against another edition
adventurous
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? It's complicated
5.0
A rollicking woman-led Sinbad type adventure on glittering, lethal seas.
Amina al-Sarafi left her beloved ship for many good reasons. She’s pulled out of retirement not because those reasons are gone, but because one of her biggest regrets has come knocking. The chance at fabulous wealth (which was missing from her sudden flight to the hinterlands) doesn’t hurt. Amina’s swagger and cynicism captured my heart, while her regrets and maturity made this feel more weighty as a fabulous adventure.
Chakraborty’s skill at turning the screws of stakes and evoking marvelous but dangerous worlds clinch this as a new favorite.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Torture, Violence, and Alcohol
Minor: Sexual violence, Slavery, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, and Dysphoria
Everything "phobia" in these content warnings are not presented in a positive light. The graphic violence/gore are mainly in the last third of the book when dealing with a horrifying villain, but I was glad to be skimming text instead of listening by audio to that part!bookaddictkatie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Alcohol and Colonisation
Minor: Death, Slavery, Transphobia, and Xenophobia
A great adventure in a book that is anti-colonialism, pro-Islam, and trans-supportive. The only thing I think people might find very triggering is the violence.
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