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

Reviews tagging 'Colonisation'

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

16 reviews

futureofmydays's review against another edition

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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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lauraglovestoread's review against another edition

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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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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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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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sunnydale's review

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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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sarasreading's review

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adventurous dark funny hopeful 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

4.5

4.5 stars but may bump it up. Easily one of the best reads of the year so far for me! Full of memorable characters, humor, heart, swashbuckling adventure, mysteries, magic, honestly what's not to love? I'm guessing there will be more, and I cannot wait!

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