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

An absolute blast of a pirate novel that is both familiar and fresh. This time the fantastical journey on the high seas is lead by a mother in the Indian Ocean. Amina herself is the highlight of the book, she’s a witty badass who’s trying to move on from her not so great past. The world she lives in is richly detailed, magical, and diverse in cultures and people.

The plot is a lot of fun, including a treasure hunt for a magical artifact that monsters and backstabbing get in the way of. It could’ve been a little tighter though, the pacing at times being uneven and the book takes a very jarring fantasy shift in the second half.

Once done with the book I immediately wanted more of Amina and her crew. This doesn’t end on a cliffhanger, but does promise more to come that I wish would come sooner.

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meganpbell's review against another edition

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adventurous 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

This swashbuckling, Middle Eastern mythology inspired historical fantasy follows a middle-aged single mom and former pirate captain as she’s coerced out of retirement for one more adventure. I loved the rep here—the older (and funny and caring and badass) main character, Muslim, Jewish, and Christian rep, and fantastic queer rep too! The length and the emphasis on plot over character development took this from a 5 star to a 4.5 star for me, but highly recommended if you’re in the mood for an adventure on the high seas!

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rhi_'s review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced

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

4.0

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cameronreads's review against another edition

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4.0

There is a lot to like about this book. If you like pirate stories, you’ll love this; if you’re looking for an adventure with a middle-aged protagonist, you’ll love this; if you want a story with a rich magic and vibrant setting, you’ll love this. Chakraborty has the most wonderful way of writing setting. It really made this book for me. You can tell the amount of careful research that went into this book, but also the care that went into bringing the research to life. It feels so vibrant and magical.

I really liked Amina as a protagonist. It felt like such a rich perspective to follow a middle-aged mother who very much feels like her adventures are over into this magical adventure. However it was very clear that she was the centre of this book, and whilst I liked the moments of the other characters we get and the established found family they formed years ago, I wanted a bit more out of the side characters.

For some reason it took me a while to get into this book. I think it’s partially due to the first person perceptive - whilst the writing in this book is truly wonderful, I do tend not o struggle with first person regardless, especially when there’s only one POV. It makes the story feel very linear to me, which is fine but struggles to hold my personal short attention span. It also definitely picked up nearer the end - the beginning feels more historical, and it slowly morphs into a fantasy nearer the end, which I personally prefer more, so that might be another reason.

Still, I really enjoyed this book, and it will become a go-to recommendation for me.

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indigoriverboat's review against another edition

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adventurous 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

What a joyous romp! I loved reading about Amina Al-Safir, her reunited, old crew, the choices from her past that haunt her, and her love of her daughter. This book spins a wild, mystical tale with plenty of twists and turns, adventures both magical and mundane, and flawed, lovable characters. The pace really picks up in the last half of the book. I could not put it down.

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deathmetalpainter's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny inspiring relaxing fast-paced

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

5.0

Awesome fantasy novel with historical backing. It's not often I get to read of Arabian pirates.

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brynalexa's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny 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? No

5.0

Amazingly perfect from the protagonist to the villain to the clever twist. So happy to see some nods to the Daevabad trilogy as well! Cannot wait for the second book!

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