Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

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

101 reviews

kwthor's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious reflective fast-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

5.0


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bookwitch's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark funny inspiring 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

WOW. I was not expecting to love this book quite as much as I did. It was also the first time I both listened and read physically. The audiobook is fantastic (for those who enjoy that medium). 

Amina is a badass woman, the captain of her crew and has been in hiding for the last ten years. Known on the seas as a force (and collecting enemies because of it), Amina has been trying to keep her daughter safe by "disappearing." When she is approached to take on "one more job," it is a payday that she absolutely cannot refuse. She rounds up what she can find of her aging misfits, and sets off on an impossible last adventure.

Feeling both historical and fantastical at the same time, this author really gives us such a rich story with vibrant characters that bounce off the page. And like I said, the audiobook really lends itself to this beautifully rich book. The properly accented pronunciations and audio quality are the added texture to make this one of the best reads I've had in a little while. 

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octopus18's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted 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

3.75

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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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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sophiesmallhands's review

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adventurous emotional funny 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


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mamaewalk's review against another edition

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adventurous 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? No

5.0


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gleigh96'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? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

So much fun. I look forward to the sequel. Don’t mistake this for a children’s book, it has adult themes.

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boba_nbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective 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

Spice Rating: 🫑 / 5 🌶️

Author of the Daevabad Trilogy, S.A. Chakraborty, brings us back to this beautiful and dangerous world through the story of a middle-aged, human, ex-pirate: Amina al-Sirafi.

The name "Amina al-Sirafi" strikes fear into the hearts of many due to her scandalous pirating career. Now, she's settled at home with her mother and daughter. She should be content. But when the wealthy mother of a former crewman shows up at her door begging Amina into finding her granddaughter, she thinks it's a sign from God to have one last adventure with her friends before she officially retires. Little does she know that this task will lead her and her crew into mysteries and legends Amina could've only dreamed of.

S.A. Chakraborty took elements of a classic pirate story--a diverse and fun-loving crew, a quest for treasure, fearsome creatures--and added her own twist to it. The Daevabad Trilogy has to be one of my favorite fantasy series, so diving back into this world was so much fun.

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schnaucl's review against another edition

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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

4.5

I really enjoyed this book, which is the promising start to a new series.  

It was refreshing to read a book that wasn't set in the West and where Christianity wasn't the religion of most of the characters. 

I really liked all the characters, and it was nice having an older female lead character, and a mother at that.  The secondary characters were also really interesting and I'm looking forward to hopefully learning even more about them. 

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qiaokelibar's review against another edition

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adventurous 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? It's complicated

5.0

This is now in my top 5 favorite books of all time. The prose was engaging in a way I could only hope to emulate. The characters, from the heroine to even the smallest side character, were all so interesting and well fleshed-out. There were little mysteries peppered throughout that kept me guessing until the end - and the ending itself? Amazing!! The reveal of
the scribe's identity
had me doing cartwheels of joy (Lie: I'm literally laying in bed). I need everyone in my life to run to their nearest bookstore and buy themselves a copy ASAP. I can't wait until the next installment!!!

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