Reviews with content warning for Torture - The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi

Loved the historical and geographical context, it's not a period I knew much about.

The fantasy appeared maybe a bit late in the story, I was confused about how "normal" and then suddenly how "magical" things were. It's set in a non magical world, but then when surnatural is introduced, it doesn't shock the characters very much...

A few anachronisms in the vocabulary used by the MC/narrator wrt the historical period the story is set in.

I also appreciated the diversity of characters (ethnicity, faith, LGBT+,...)

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hailstorm3812's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny 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

This was super fun. I love Amina and the mythos and pirate vibes. I'm excited to see more, specifically in the relationship developments with her family. It was a great audiobook that made the reveal at the end have an extra layer. Though I kind of wish I can read it physically and likely will on the reread which may bump it up to 5 stars.

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flyupinthesky's review

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adventurous fast-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

5.0

Although I have had this on my tbr pile for a while, I was a bit nervous as a mood reader that I wanted a pirate story. This isn’t just a 5 star read, this is now one of my top books of all time. I am now going to read everything else this lengendary storyteller has to offer. She has crafted these magnificent and very flawed characters which you can’t help but be gripped by their tale. A swashbuckling adventure as well as nuance, found family, piracy and magic. I was so enthralled, I couldn’t stop turning the page.

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nightstitch96's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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chloebrandon's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I really enjoyed the initial light-handedness of magic in this book and how historically believable the world building is (although I am very uninformed on the 12th century in the Indian Ocean, so take that with a big grain of salt). Although

the fantasy elements don't really pick up until the last hundred or so pages,

I enjoyed the purely historical fiction elements and clearly well-researched world building, based on Chakraborty's extensive further reading section. In retrospect I honestly think I would have enjoyed this book slightly more if it were purely historical fiction with no fantasy elements, which may be hypocritical of me to say because I likely would not have picked it up in the first place had it not been marked in the fantasy genre. The introduction of some of the fantasy elements felt slightly rushed and out of place which is the reason for the imperfect score. However, I enjoyed the themes of motherhood, parenting, long friendships,

the revelation of Jamal's part in the story as the scribe,

and just how kick-ass Amina and Dalila are.

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