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

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The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S.A. Chakraborty

94 reviews

ienbdri's review against another edition

adventurous emotional lighthearted 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? It's complicated

3.75

It started off so strong but then it kinda morphed into your average fantasy novel. I loved the narration and following a hero that isn't 16, but the story just fell flat at some point. It was clearly preparing stuff for the next volumes but lost sight of the main adventure on the way. I literally forgot why they were traveling in the first place?

Spoiler

The magic birds just deciding her fate? A place between worlds without an explanation that really wasn't necessary for the story? Random magic without any system? Naaaaah.

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mariamsaidwhat's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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? It's complicated

5.0

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laguerrelewis's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring reflective 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

Chakraborty conjures a truly epic tale of adventure, weaving a tale that feels both fresh and wistfully nostalgic. Amina Al-Sirafi is a pirate worthy of legend, she and her crew are an utter delight to follow through this mystical tale of thievery, seafairing, magic artifacts, and good old-fashioned swashbuckling. For all the grandiosity, this story’s greatest strength is it’s emotional heart. The fears and hopes and loves of Amina Al-Sirafi are so palpable, you cannot help but empathize with her and want to see her succeed. What a wonderful read!

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onthesamepage's review against another edition

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adventurous funny slow-paced

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

4.0

I still find it hard to believe that in the year 2023, I have read an adult fantasy book (probably my favourite genre) that contains verses from the Quran within the text. This book is always going to have a special place in my heart for that alone.

But we'll come back to the Muslim representation. Let's talk about the fantasy parts first.

For this scribe has read a great many of these accounts and taken away another lesson: that to be a woman is to have your story misremembered. Discarded. Twisted.

I haven't read the Daevabad trilogy yet, and I don't think you necessarily need to to enjoy this book, but it might be useful to know that there are some crossover characters, and that the books are all set in the same world. I read this book as part of a readalong, and based on the discussions, I gather that a few parts of this may have more of an impact if you've read the trilogy.

The book is written as Amina narrating her story to a scribe named Jamal. It didn't happen a lot, but there were a couple of instances where Amina would interrupt her storytelling to make a snarky remark directed at Jamal, and I really liked those inserts. Without them it was easy to forget that this is her telling her story, and not just me reading a fantasy book written in first person.

"I am not distracted," I insisted. "I am murderously focused."

The story has a lot of journeying (she is a pirate, after all), "getting the gang back together", and then setting off on the actual quest. It's a pretty fun adventure, with interesting characters, and I really enjoyed reading it. I will say that the last quarter of the book relies a bit too much on a "deus ex machina" aspect in my opinion, and I kind of wish the author had allowed Amina to find another way to deal with the villain of the story.

Having this book open with "In the Name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate", as a Muslim, just felt very powerful. It really set the tone for me right off the bat, and the constant mentions of everyday Muslim things gave me this feeling of being seen. There were mentions of the prophets and some of the stories surrounding them (although I actually disagree with the version used here, but that's a small quibble).

And if one of these events made me feel as though I had no right to ever call upon God again, the other filled me with a driving need I could not deny. So I keep my daily prayers, even if I feel unworthy the entire time.

The story was full of these small mentions that never allowed me to forget that Amina is Muslim. She said, "God is greatest", before diving headlong into danger. She acknowledges that she has nobody to turn to but God when she finds herself with her back against the wall. She talks about how she used to drink, how she kissed men who were not her husband, and how she doesn't do those things anymore because she's trying to be a better Muslim. Good representation isn't about characters that are the perfect portrayal of what a Muslim should be, it's about this: being Muslim is part of Amina's character, and there's no possible way to ignore that.

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temperamentalprotagonist's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny informative mysterious tense 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

4.75

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karatics's review

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adventurous emotional funny inspiring 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

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marippe's review against another edition

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adventurous

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

Y'know it was a lot of fun. I like Amina's ability to be independent while admitting she likes the company of a man.
It had a lot of LGBTQ+ rep too, like wowie.
I kinda wish the world building was a bit stronger. I'd like to see more of the actually pirating and bonding with the new crew members along the way.

Spoiler

I didn't know the demons and birdpeople actually existed until she said she'd accidentally married one??? LOL

Spoiler

Raksh actually cracks me up, hes such a loser its fun.

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chimichannika's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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

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sunnydale's review against another edition

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adventurous funny informative inspiring 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

4.0

what a delightful read. the world was so rich, i immediately wanted to learn more about the historical context, and fortunately the author provided a bibliography! the audiobook is very well-produced, with two voice actors, sound effects in the "present-day" chapters, and adjustments made to address listeners instead of readers.

i love that the protagonist's faith is central to her character, and we're also able to see how it's developed throughout her life. her faith is sometimes messy, sometimes self-contradicting, but she also never doubts her core beliefs, and she's a more authentic character because of it.

irrelevant to the quality of the book, i noticed that "midnight" is the author's favorite adjective for anything dark. "midnight beach," "midnight ocean," "midnight fabric," etc. it felt like a scavenger hunt trying to find the word in each chapter, lol.

i would recommend this to fans of fantasy, especially those who are looking for non-western fantasy settings. i definitely recommend the audiobook, although you might want a print or ebook copy for the helpful bibliography.

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hendrixpants's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted 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

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