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

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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brynalexa's review

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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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grizzlysnack's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny inspiring mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

A fantastical pirate story that is sure to keep you hooked from the first chapter! The characters are practically jumping off the pages as you read, and the world building in this book is both enthralling and terrifying!

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achingallover's review

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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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arantzazureads's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing 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

I’ll have to write more later, but suffice it to say this was the best book I’ve read in a long-ass time. Funny and witty and smart and fascinating, this reading experience felt like I was on an empowering D&D adventure. I loved that the colonizer was the bad guy and the research that went into the culture and lore and history and geography. It all felt so vividly real and rich without being purple prose or world building info dumps. I loved loved loved it. I hope we get more Amina! Maybe with Marjana in tow…! And OMG JAMAL!!!!! Seriously. New favorite author unlocked.

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kurumipanda's review

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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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laguerrelewis's review

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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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karatics's review against another edition

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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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