Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

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

50 reviews

achingallover's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

Slow start but SO GOOD

I need to reread the daevabad trilogy now

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Classism, Grief, Alcohol, Death, Gore, Murder, Torture, Violence, and Vomit

lbelow's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

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

4.5

What an excellent adventure story! I loved the twists, the fantasy, and especially the main character. I loved that she is an older woman than your typical fantasy heroine. I loved that she has a daughter she would do anything for—and all the complications that brings to her quest. This was a book I did not want to put down!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Body horror, Cursing, Gore, and Murder

Threat of sexual assault.

kurumipanda's review against another edition

adventurous funny inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

Amina, an infamous smuggler/pirate, comes out of retirement and gets her crew back together for one last job. Plans go awry and both danger and hilarity ensue. Great adventure story with funny, distinct, and lively characters. Excellent as an audiobook; it has a frame narrative from a scribe who is relating Amina’s story as she told it to him, and Amina’s asides to him really come to life in audio. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Body horror, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Torture, Transphobia, War, Alcohol, Cannibalism, Classism, Sexual violence, and Slavery

laguerrelewis's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Death, Kidnapping, Body horror, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement and Religious bigotry

Minor: Deadnaming and Dysphoria

karatics's review

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, Body horror, Physical abuse, Cursing, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual content, Islamophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Cannibalism, Classism, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Alcoholism

Minor: Deadnaming, Rape, Slavery, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Infidelity

sunnydale's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Moderate: Xenophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Torture, Blood, Cursing, Murder, Alcohol, and Violence

Minor: Cannibalism, Colonisation, Alcoholism, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Islamophobia, Sexual violence, Slavery, Transphobia, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Death, and Death of parent

Violence and sexual content are at a PG-13 rating. There is a lot of swearing. The cat is fine.

kappafrog's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny informative mysterious tense slow-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

The historical setting was 10/10. I loved how rich the details were and how immersed I felt in the world of the 12th century Indian Ocean. Amina was also a great protagonist, very complex and easy to root for. The choice of setting and characters was exciting and refreshing.

The book got too violent for my tastes at times. Some of the plot armour the main characters had got pretty convoluted. Still, I look forward to seeing more in this series.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Death, Gore, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Classism, Violence, Alcohol, Sexism, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Grief, Genocide, Slavery, Torture, Transphobia, Alcoholism, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, Islamophobia, Vomit, and War

Minor: Rape, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, Infidelity, and Sexual assault

anni_swanilda'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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Grief, Death, and Gore

Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, and Vomit

Minor: Death of parent and Drug use

madamenovelist's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Colonisation, Body horror, Blood, Violence, Physical abuse, Animal death, Death, Torture, Vomit, Trafficking, Alcohol, and Murder

Moderate: Misogyny and Cursing

Minor: Sexual content

rheagoveas's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Body horror