Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

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

23 reviews

futureofmydays's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Colonisation, Alcoholism, Medical trauma, Murder, Alcohol, Blood, Death, Islamophobia, and Sexism

Moderate: Genocide, Grief, Slavery, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Classism, Homophobia, Torture, and Trafficking

Minor: Vomit

lauraglovestoread's review against another edition

adventurous funny inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

As a huge fan of her Daevabad series, I was very excited to pick up a copy of The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, the first in a planned new trilogy by Shannon Chakraborty, and it did not disappoint!  This installment follows Amina, a middle aged 'retired' pirate captain who is drawn back into the action of the seas as she is hired for a mission she cannot refuse. The plot is a solid well-paced pirate adventure, the cast of supporting characters is fantastic, and the protagonist is one to cheer for who I came to love very quickly.  I appreciate Chakraborty's thoughtful inclusion of diverse characters in all her work.  Can't wait to read the next in the series!

Compared to Daevabad, so far I would say this series feels a bit lighter in tone -- there is some more comic relief between the serious and heavy aspects, with themes of friendship and found family amongst the protagonist and her crew and the complexities of pursuing one's dreams while also prioritizing being a parent.  This book is also more rooted in historical research, with the very vast majority of the action taking place in twelfth century cities surrounding the Indian Ocean.  Chakraborty's inclusion of a section on recommended further reading is great.

Content warnings: violence, murder, death, blood, gore, body horror (not extensive or particularly severe), torture, war, colonialism, mention of past massacres and mass killings, sexism, misogyny, sexual assault (mentioned in context of a threat; not described in detail), cannibalism (off page, not described in any graphic or detailed way)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Violence, Murder, Misogyny, Blood, Death, and Sexism

Moderate: Colonisation

Minor: Body horror, Gore, Cannibalism, and Sexual assault

deathmetalpainter's review

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Torture, and Blood

Moderate: Slavery, Trafficking, Sexism, Alcohol, Death, Gore, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

brynalexa's review

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Kidnapping, Murder, Death of parent, Gore, Colonisation, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Body horror, Classism, Sexism, Slavery, Alcohol, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Grief, Misogyny, and War

Minor: Torture, Rape, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

niamhyjay's review against another edition

adventurous funny 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Sexism

Minor: Transphobia

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Cursing, Gore, Violence, and Torture

Moderate: Death of parent, Transphobia, Death, Sexism, and Slavery

sunnydale's review

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

j_squaredd's review against another edition

adventurous funny 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Sexism, and Violence

Moderate: Slavery, Transphobia, Vomit, Religious bigotry, and Sexual content

Minor: War, Sexual assault, Torture, and Sexual violence

lizsurber's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Toxic relationship, Violence, Abandonment, Body horror, Cursing, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Alcohol, Body shaming, Confinement, Animal death, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Slavery, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, and Sexism

Moderate: Transphobia, Sexual assault, and Rape

Minor: Deadnaming