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A review by the_bookishkat
The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S.A. Chakraborty
adventurous
funny
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
To start with, all I have to say is: what an absolutely brilliant whirlwind of a story. It honestly had everything - pirates, magic, deep-rooted and vibrant settings and a whole cast of incredible characters. Unlike a lot of reviewers nowadays, I am yet to read any of S.A. Chakraborty's works, and honestly, to start here felt like a brilliant place to delve in.
Of course, I must begin by touching upon the incredible Amina Al-Sirafi. Her character was astoundingly written, enveloping the reader into the duality of the warm, caring mother and leader to the absolutely badass and rebellious nakhudha (pirate captain). I never once felt like I lost connection with her character - her antics are the perfect combination of funny and adventurous. You'll feel so invested in her actions that you won't stop rooting for her the entire way through the book.
Raksh. The impressively wimpy demon. Yet another character that provides an absolute flair to this storyline. No matter how frustrated you are at Amina's circumstances, he comes along to provide a witty spinelessness to everything. But the real brilliance of his character is that this cowardice constantly follows the reader alongside the knowledge that aside from his cowering, he could easily be one of the strongest characters present. Chakraborty has managed to interweave the supernatural elements of the book while maintaining an original and fresh concept to their integrations. Gone are the days when an automatically supernatural hero would come along and solve everything instantly!
The world of this book is rich and lively, and the world-building itself is exceptional. Layers upon layers of seamless setting description and references to the wider world allow for this novel to truly become wider than the action that we see - Amina's dreams to travel the world become echoed in the reader through their portrayals.
Overall, this is honestly an incredible book. I haven't read a book this good in a while and I strongly urge everyone to pick it up and enjoy the amusement and adventure of Amina's tales.
Thanks to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for an early release copy of the book!
Of course, I must begin by touching upon the incredible Amina Al-Sirafi. Her character was astoundingly written, enveloping the reader into the duality of the warm, caring mother and leader to the absolutely badass and rebellious nakhudha (pirate captain). I never once felt like I lost connection with her character - her antics are the perfect combination of funny and adventurous. You'll feel so invested in her actions that you won't stop rooting for her the entire way through the book.
Raksh. The impressively wimpy demon. Yet another character that provides an absolute flair to this storyline. No matter how frustrated you are at Amina's circumstances, he comes along to provide a witty spinelessness to everything. But the real brilliance of his character is that this cowardice constantly follows the reader alongside the knowledge that aside from his cowering, he could easily be one of the strongest characters present. Chakraborty has managed to interweave the supernatural elements of the book while maintaining an original and fresh concept to their integrations. Gone are the days when an automatically supernatural hero would come along and solve everything instantly!
The world of this book is rich and lively, and the world-building itself is exceptional. Layers upon layers of seamless setting description and references to the wider world allow for this novel to truly become wider than the action that we see - Amina's dreams to travel the world become echoed in the reader through their portrayals.
Overall, this is honestly an incredible book. I haven't read a book this good in a while and I strongly urge everyone to pick it up and enjoy the amusement and adventure of Amina's tales.
Thanks to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for an early release copy of the book!