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pivoinnne's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
5.0
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
jollygreenreader's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? Yes
5.0
jenhurst's review against another edition
5.0
Absolute perfection. Amazing. I need more! I’m already obsessed with nautical fantasy but I loved how it explored the Indian Ocean. Plus, Amina is a mother and I’d guess around 40. A completely underrepresent demographic in literature.
lilocat's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
baileyreneec'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
4.25
An amazing fantasy story about a retired pirate who goes on one more adventure! I really liked the way that the story was told from Amina's perspective, but was actually her telling the story to Jamal. Amina is a fascinating character, one who has been through trauma and has many scars, mental and physical, from her many journeys. The rest of the characters are great as well, and the worldbuilding is awesome. The plot had a great momentum and drove the story the whole way through.
rarora's review
adventurous
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
4.5
simone3993's review
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-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
5.0
elidia's review
adventurous
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? Yes
4.75
bibliobrandie's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, what a fun and entertaining ride! Amina is such a great character. She's a middle-aged mother (honestly, the world needs more middle-aged mothers as fantasy heroes) in medieval Oman and she loves being a mom but she also misses her pirating days and her life aboard her ship and the Indian Ocean. She gets the gang together for one last lucrative heist but it's nothing like she's experienced before. This world is filled with magical artifacts, mythological creatures, sea monsters, an evil sorcerer, and she even stumbles upon a magic world (this part made me think of the old Disney movies where the actors end up in a cartoon world). This would make for an excellent movie or series because all of the characters are just so vivid. I loved how they were complicated and imperfect and yet you still love them. Raksh, her evil and hilarious husband, is such a great character. The whole tale is told by a scribe who is nameless (until the very end, I loved that!). I guess pirate fantasy was just what I needed right now. Can't wait for the next book!