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keelirae113's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
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
The story has a slow start, but once I got past the world building I was hooked! A fantastic read for anyone who has ever been told there is a “respectable” life they need to fit themselves into. You aren’t too much and anyone who thinks you are can go find less.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexism, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Islamophobia, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria
Minor: Drug use, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Stalking, and Cultural appropriation
kiwij96's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-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? Yes
4.0
A middle aged female pirate is forced to come out of retirement for one more adventure. Re-recruiting her former crew to rescue the grandchild of a wealthy woman, who also happens to be the mother of another former crew member.
The story was engaging, with good characters: flawed people each with a deep history which brings them to life and makes them immediately likeable, and their relationships to each other are realistic and don't feel forced. And the plot developed at a reasonable pace, nothing felt rushed or out of place for the most part.
At about 65-70% of the way in, I personally felt like the plot lost its way a bit and absolutely could have been handled differently to make the book at least 100 pages shorter, and to be a fantastic standalone.The island bit was genuinely so messy and felt so rushed and unnecessary, I almost put the book down. Anything from landing on the island to the moment when they found Magnun felt like filler, filler which is unfortunately a plotpoint for the continuation of the series.
Raksh also had the potential to be such a fun character, but the amount of times he used the phrase "sexual intercourse" honestly made my skin crawl. That was just unnecessary.
The story was engaging, with good characters: flawed people each with a deep history which brings them to life and makes them immediately likeable, and their relationships to each other are realistic and don't feel forced. And the plot developed at a reasonable pace, nothing felt rushed or out of place for the most part.
At about 65-70% of the way in, I personally felt like the plot lost its way a bit and absolutely could have been handled differently to make the book at least 100 pages shorter, and to be a fantastic standalone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Alcohol
brittanylee0302's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
This book was okay but I lost my interest in it about halfway through. The cover of this book has a kraken wrapped around a boat with 'adventures' being in the title which made me think this was going to be a fast pace adventure filled read & it really wasn't. Amina as a character is amazing, she's an older woman who is a bad ass mom & has been a little promiscuous through her life. However, when she goes to rescue people throughout the book she kind of loses some of her bad ass qualities. Magic is introduced in this book early on but it seems like the author kind of forgot they were writing a magical book until certain parts (minus Amina's husband). Overall, I had really high expectations for certain things in this book & felt consistently let down over them. I enjoyed the characters but the story just fell flat for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Torture, Kidnapping, and Alcohol
Minor: Rape, Blood, and War
fkshg8465's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Such a fun book, with a huge and diverse cast of characters. I didn’t even mind the storytelling inside the storytelling format (usually highly annoyed by that), but that was because it was minimal and not as distracting as usual. Great book for all ages. Reminds me a bit of The Princess Bride - full of adventure and driven by the love for one person, plus the salvation of an entire species!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Gaslighting, Alcohol, War, and Classism
tabea1409's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
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: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
fanboyriot's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.0
♡ At Sea Battles
♡ Pirate Romance
♡ An Ultimate Pirate Adventure
This was filled with adventure, leaving no room for a dull moment. The cover of this book fit the vibe so well.
I had a lot of fun reading this, even if high fantasy isn’t typically my genre; this was so lovely. The attention to details, the world building, and of course, the plot were all so entertaining.
I really enjoyed how the author wrote adult characters who seemed realistic. Like the main character dealing with chronic pain for example, being a single parent and worrying about her daughter’s wellbeing, and having a past that left her untrusting of most people.
Spice Level: 🌶️ (1/5)
Angst Level: 💧 (1/5)
POV: First Person
Release Date: 28, February 2023
Rep: BIPOC (Main and Side Characters), Trans (Side Character), LGBTQIA+ (Side Characters)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Classism
Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Dysphoria
lesliehirgelt's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Slavery
renpuspita's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
tense
fast-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
EASILY ONE OF MY TOP READS FOR 2024
I can write so many things why I have a blast while reading The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, beside I REALLY LOVE The Daevabad Trilogy. But, one thing that I want to highlight is discussion about faith. It's rare to read a Muslim character in fantasy novel. It's also rarer to read a pirate Muslim woman. While Amina is a Islam practitioner from the moment she was born, she is what I called in my Indonesian slang, Islam KTP, lol. See, in her pirates era, Amina drunk alcohols, kill many people, steals, flirting with men, etc etc. I will not shocked if she eat pork, hahaha. So, when she finally retire, she try to atone for her sins. She doing her sholat, dzikir and much more, although still somehow fall into her past misdeeds. Like, maybe stealing one or two or appreciate men's physique (at last, Amina is a honest woman!). Nah, I will not condemn her so. I find Amina's faith fascinating because...it's resonated with me. I'm right now in my lowest state regarding my Islamic faith, and there's a reason behind that. Nope, I'm not drink wine or alcohol and eating pork, or stealing so my sins maybe not that big like Amina was, but who am I to judge myself since I rarely doing my sholat, rarely pray to Allah and maybe many other sins that maybe will make me go through the far deepest pit of hellfire? I think maybe that's why I love this book because how Chakraborty write about Amina and her faith, how Amina is still a human, prone to sins and to mistake, but still try to atone and searching redemption!
Compared to Daevabad Trilogy, Amina al-Sirafi is lighter in tone. Daevabad is full of political intrigue and secrets regarding the daeva and their mythology. Amina al-Sirafi is about adventure! A swashbuckling story that left me breathless and pouring over the pages, impatiently want to know what will happen with Amina and her merry band of crews of Marawati ships. This book also heavy in found family troupe and all of the characters are in their 40-ish, including Amina. I think this book also have a same premise with the Bone Maker, in which the main character that already in their 40-50-ish become hermit and estranged from their friends. But I can assure that the execution is different. I enjoyed both The Bone Maker and The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi.
If you have read Daevabad, then you know that Chakraborty did a vast and massive research while writing her books. In this book, Chakraborty also provide her source regarding the pirates world especially in 12th century. While the book is fictional, some of the elements can be traced to its origins. I like the myth behind the Moon of the Saba and snickered when knowing the real explanation behind the artifact. Reading this book is never a dull moment! The story told entirely from Amina's first PoV in a form of her telling her story (and pursuits) to a young scribe named Jamal al-Hilli. So, basically some part can be tongue-in-cheek to read. I'm not kidding when said that the book's tone is light although there's some life and death moments, problems just keep coming for Amina and her crews and also Amina try to keep her daughter, Marjana, safe from harm.
The found family trope is well wonder and I like that Amina and her crews reunited and they are also eager for any chance of adventure. Amina's crews also diverse, from Dalila, a Christian woman famed with her poisons and hail from Banu Sasan. Amina's first mate, a gay Hindu man named Tinbu that managed to keep Marawati in a good shape and almost got hanged because of brigand crime but saved by Amina and Dalila. There's Majed, a navigator that already in his third hajji, a big brother figure to Amina and while he already have family, his longing to make a map of world is stronger so he decide to go with Amina in retrieving the kidnapped granddaughter of wealthy woman in Aden who also threatened Amina if Amina can't bring the said granddaughter back. Do I forgot to said that Amina also have four husband?? Not in the same time, mind you, but the fourth husband, Raksh is an actual demon that want to make Amina as a legend, but also cunning. He's also father of Marjana, but Amina still keep that fact to herself so I wondering how long Raksh will keep in the dark regarding Marjana and what is his reaction if he knew he's a father. I also still wondering, what is exactly Raksh. He's not a marid for sure, and also not a peri. If he's an ifrit, since he said he's a being of discord, I remember that ifrit is nastier while Raksh feel like...a himbo, lel. He's also still married to Amina although Amina left him in the chest 10 years prior to the story, and still married in the end of the book. So yeah, curious about them, although I assure there's no romance. The love aspect is more like Amina's mother love for Marjana and I think she has none for Raskh since that demon also responsible for her late crew's death.
I can go on and on about The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi but know this that I really love this book and will recommend it if you searching for a fantasy with adventure, treasure hunting, found family trope, mysterious artifact, treacherous creatures and interesting thought regarding religion and faith.
I can write so many things why I have a blast while reading The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, beside I REALLY LOVE The Daevabad Trilogy. But, one thing that I want to highlight is discussion about faith. It's rare to read a Muslim character in fantasy novel. It's also rarer to read a pirate Muslim woman. While Amina is a Islam practitioner from the moment she was born, she is what I called in my Indonesian slang, Islam KTP, lol. See, in her pirates era, Amina drunk alcohols, kill many people, steals, flirting with men, etc etc. I will not shocked if she eat pork, hahaha. So, when she finally retire, she try to atone for her sins. She doing her sholat, dzikir and much more, although still somehow fall into her past misdeeds. Like, maybe stealing one or two or appreciate men's physique (at last, Amina is a honest woman!). Nah, I will not condemn her so. I find Amina's faith fascinating because...it's resonated with me. I'm right now in my lowest state regarding my Islamic faith, and there's a reason behind that. Nope, I'm not drink wine or alcohol and eating pork, or stealing so my sins maybe not that big like Amina was, but who am I to judge myself since I rarely doing my sholat, rarely pray to Allah and maybe many other sins that maybe will make me go through the far deepest pit of hellfire? I think maybe that's why I love this book because how Chakraborty write about Amina and her faith, how Amina is still a human, prone to sins and to mistake, but still try to atone and searching redemption!
Compared to Daevabad Trilogy, Amina al-Sirafi is lighter in tone. Daevabad is full of political intrigue and secrets regarding the daeva and their mythology. Amina al-Sirafi is about adventure! A swashbuckling story that left me breathless and pouring over the pages, impatiently want to know what will happen with Amina and her merry band of crews of Marawati ships. This book also heavy in found family troupe and all of the characters are in their 40-ish, including Amina. I think this book also have a same premise with the Bone Maker, in which the main character that already in their 40-50-ish become hermit and estranged from their friends. But I can assure that the execution is different. I enjoyed both The Bone Maker and The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi.
If you have read Daevabad, then you know that Chakraborty did a vast and massive research while writing her books. In this book, Chakraborty also provide her source regarding the pirates world especially in 12th century. While the book is fictional, some of the elements can be traced to its origins. I like the myth behind the Moon of the Saba and snickered when knowing the real explanation behind the artifact. Reading this book is never a dull moment! The story told entirely from Amina's first PoV in a form of her telling her story (and pursuits) to a young scribe named Jamal al-Hilli. So, basically some part can be tongue-in-cheek to read. I'm not kidding when said that the book's tone is light although there's some life and death moments, problems just keep coming for Amina and her crews and also Amina try to keep her daughter, Marjana, safe from harm.
The found family trope is well wonder and I like that Amina and her crews reunited and they are also eager for any chance of adventure. Amina's crews also diverse, from Dalila, a Christian woman famed with her poisons and hail from Banu Sasan. Amina's first mate, a gay Hindu man named Tinbu that managed to keep Marawati in a good shape and almost got hanged because of brigand crime but saved by Amina and Dalila. There's Majed, a navigator that already in his third hajji, a big brother figure to Amina and while he already have family, his longing to make a map of world is stronger so he decide to go with Amina in retrieving the kidnapped granddaughter of wealthy woman in Aden who also threatened Amina if Amina can't bring the said granddaughter back. Do I forgot to said that Amina also have four husband?? Not in the same time, mind you, but the fourth husband, Raksh is an actual demon that want to make Amina as a legend, but also cunning. He's also father of Marjana, but Amina still keep that fact to herself so I wondering how long Raksh will keep in the dark regarding Marjana and what is his reaction if he knew he's a father. I also still wondering, what is exactly Raksh. He's not a marid for sure, and also not a peri. If he's an ifrit, since he said he's a being of discord, I remember that ifrit is nastier while Raksh feel like...a himbo, lel. He's also still married to Amina although Amina left him in the chest 10 years prior to the story, and still married in the end of the book. So yeah, curious about them, although I assure there's no romance. The love aspect is more like Amina's mother love for Marjana and I think she has none for Raskh since that demon also responsible for her late crew's death.
I can go on and on about The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi but know this that I really love this book and will recommend it if you searching for a fantasy with adventure, treasure hunting, found family trope, mysterious artifact, treacherous creatures and interesting thought regarding religion and faith.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexism, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Sexual content, Slavery, and War
nerdbrarian's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
It starts out slow as the characters are introduced and entwined, but the payoff is so worth it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture and Violence
Minor: Alcoholism and Sexism
matcha_pages's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
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? No
5.0
Absolutely amazing, there needs to be more mature/older main leads in fantasy. Amina's life experiences as a seasoned female pirate and mother make for a witty, complex, and action packed adventure.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Slavery