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books_and_cream_cheese's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
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
Eine großartig erzählte Piratengeschichte! Mit wilden Seeräubern, Monstern und Zauberei für das abenteuerlustige Kind in mir, das mit Augenklappe und Stock durch den Garten rennt und Schätze im Sandkasten sucht, kombiniert mit tiefergreifenden Themen über Identität und Mutterschaft. Die bunte Welt des arabischen Raums im Mittelalter und die lebhaften Figuren, die die Geschichte bevölkern, sind absolut fantastisch und hauchen jeder Seite Leben ein. Absolut empfehlenswert für alle, die Lust auf ein Abenteuer haben - und für mich ein neues Lieblingsbuch.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Blood, Grief, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
h4ppycupcake's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-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? No
4.0
The beginning of the book was very very slow. I thought about DNFing about a million times, but at about 60% the book got very good and stayed good all the way to the end. I’m glad I finished it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Islamophobia, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
readingatbedtime's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
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
I have to say….5 🌟 ALLLLLL THE WAAAAYYYY!!! I’m not a huge 1st person POV kind of reader but this was written so beautifully and wonderfully that I hardly noticed it was in that POV!! It was absolutely fantastic with romance (not too much, though!) adventure with life or death scenarios all while having a Muslim pirate as the main character. I LOVED all of the characters and could not get enough of them! I can’t wait for the next installment of this novel because I need more of all of them!!
Family bonds, friends new and old, sarcasm, and bad ass characters were all apart of this fabulous book!!
Please don’t sit on this one like I did. Read it ASAP!!!
Family bonds, friends new and old, sarcasm, and bad ass characters were all apart of this fabulous book!!
Please don’t sit on this one like I did. Read it ASAP!!!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Physical abuse
karatics's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Gore, Misogyny, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Deadnaming, Infidelity, Rape, Slavery, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Murder, Alcohol, and Colonisation
Moderate: Cursing and Misogyny
Minor: Sexual content
bel017's review against another edition
adventurous
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Excellent world building, fabulous characters, a theatrical plot. Exactly what I needed to read right now. There's magic and faraway lands mixed with real historical places, and thoughtful contemplation of being a working mother.
I adore Amina's pragmatic voice. I relate so much to that mentality of getting on with the job in front of you, even though you'd really rather have a lie down. Her competence, humor and practically, and the way she accepts magical forces as just another idiotic thing she has to deal with was a delight.
I loved Amina's pull between motherhood and her own desires, though I would have liked to have seen that more resolved. And the plot points put in to make this the first book of a series felt forced; this is a complete tale, why does everything have to be a series now?
I adore Amina's pragmatic voice. I relate so much to that mentality of getting on with the job in front of you, even though you'd really rather have a lie down. Her competence, humor and practically, and the way she accepts magical forces as just another idiotic thing she has to deal with was a delight.
I loved Amina's pull between motherhood and her own desires, though I would have liked to have seen that more resolved. And the plot points put in to make this the first book of a series felt forced; this is a complete tale, why does everything have to be a series now?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body horror, Confinement, Physical abuse, Slavery, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Alcohol
hannahbailey's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
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? Yes
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley for a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review! Because this was an e-arc, I'm unable to share my kindle notes but here are a few highlights that stood out to me:
"For while the pious claim money doesn't buy happiness, I can attest from personal experience that poverty buys nothing."
"I pressed my knife where his legs met. 'The first offense costs a tooth. The second, something far dearer.'" what a legend
"People may call my kind sea rats, but let me tell you, rats know when to fucking run"
"This man could manifest as a beam of celestial light, and he chose to use that power to spy on a naked woman?"
"You plague of a woman, if you could just listen to reason!" I too would like to be referred to as a plague of a woman 😌
I really enjoyed this epic tale of a female pirate coming back from retirement for one last adventure -- the reward so high she couldn't turn it down. The blend of religion and magic was really well done, the sense of mystery and unanswered questions throughout was also really compelling. I liked that many of the magical creatures were humanoid in nature, meaning the MC could converse with them with her trademark wit and swearing!
Whilst the front cover (both US and UK) suggests a world of magic, high seas and adventure, be prepared for graphic scenes of violence, injury and death. There's also blackmailing, demons and a queen of poisons too so definitely not for the faint-hearted. I always love characters exploring motherhood, sisterhood and the found family trope. The novel has all this and more with a diverse cast of characters and exploration of gender identity (although MC is cis-hetero-female). Lots of action and battle scenes as well as more tender moments of powerful friendship. Fans of Samantha Shannon's The Priory of the Orange Tree and Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows would enjoy this. I love learning through fiction, and with this novel I learned more about Islam, Arab culture and the pre-colonial world of the Indian ocean. Read the Author's note for further reading on these subjects!
As a 500-page book, I really struggled at the beginning to stay interested as it felt a lot of pages had passed before the adventure really got going. However, it's worth pushing through as the plot quickly ramps up.
TW: violence, blood/gore/injury, death, threat of sexual violence, torture, body horror, kidnapping, alcoholism, misogyny, slavery
"For while the pious claim money doesn't buy happiness, I can attest from personal experience that poverty buys nothing."
"I pressed my knife where his legs met. 'The first offense costs a tooth. The second, something far dearer.'" what a legend
"People may call my kind sea rats, but let me tell you, rats know when to fucking run"
"This man could manifest as a beam of celestial light, and he chose to use that power to spy on a naked woman?"
"You plague of a woman, if you could just listen to reason!" I too would like to be referred to as a plague of a woman 😌
I really enjoyed this epic tale of a female pirate coming back from retirement for one last adventure -- the reward so high she couldn't turn it down. The blend of religion and magic was really well done, the sense of mystery and unanswered questions throughout was also really compelling. I liked that many of the magical creatures were humanoid in nature, meaning the MC could converse with them with her trademark wit and swearing!
Whilst the front cover (both US and UK) suggests a world of magic, high seas and adventure, be prepared for graphic scenes of violence, injury and death. There's also blackmailing, demons and a queen of poisons too so definitely not for the faint-hearted. I always love characters exploring motherhood, sisterhood and the found family trope. The novel has all this and more with a diverse cast of characters and exploration of gender identity (although MC is cis-hetero-female). Lots of action and battle scenes as well as more tender moments of powerful friendship. Fans of Samantha Shannon's The Priory of the Orange Tree and Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows would enjoy this. I love learning through fiction, and with this novel I learned more about Islam, Arab culture and the pre-colonial world of the Indian ocean. Read the Author's note for further reading on these subjects!
As a 500-page book, I really struggled at the beginning to stay interested as it felt a lot of pages had passed before the adventure really got going. However, it's worth pushing through as the plot quickly ramps up.
TW: violence, blood/gore/injury, death, threat of sexual violence, torture, body horror, kidnapping, alcoholism, misogyny, slavery
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
faduma's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, Murder, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail