Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

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

26 reviews

purplepenning's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

Re-read for book club and loved it just as much the second time. Retired lady pirate gets the crew back together for one last job — shenanigans and legends ensue.  Perfection. No notes. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Rape, Slavery, and Abandonment

faduma's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, Murder, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

sarahyjackson's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful 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

I am absolutely undone by how incandescently wonderful this book was: the prose, the characters, the setting, the narrative. I loved it dearly and cannot wait to take to the high seas with Amina again, soon!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Transphobia and Xenophobia

bethanycrowepowell's review against another edition

adventurous 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? It's complicated

5.0

A rollicking woman-led Sinbad type adventure on glittering, lethal seas.

Amina al-Sarafi left her beloved ship for many good reasons. She’s pulled out of retirement not because those reasons are gone, but because one of her biggest regrets has come knocking. The chance at fabulous wealth (which was missing from her sudden flight to the hinterlands) doesn’t hurt. Amina’s swagger and cynicism captured my heart, while her regrets and maturity made this feel more weighty as a fabulous adventure.

Chakraborty’s skill at turning the screws of stakes and evoking marvelous but dangerous worlds clinch this as a new favorite.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore and Violence

Moderate: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Torture, Violence, and Alcohol

Minor: Sexual violence, Slavery, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, and Dysphoria

Everything "phobia" in these content warnings are not presented in a positive light. The graphic violence/gore are mainly in the last third of the book when dealing with a horrifying villain, but I was glad to be skimming text instead of listening by audio to that part!

bookaddictkatie's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Alcohol and Colonisation

Minor: Death, Slavery, Transphobia, and Xenophobia

A great adventure in a book that is anti-colonialism, pro-Islam, and trans-supportive. The only thing I think people might find very triggering is the violence.

jashanac's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

I read a NetGalley e-arc of this and I am simultaneously very happy with that decision and also mad at myself because I LOVED this book and now I have to wait until MARCH to get my hands on a copy! 

This was SUCH a fun read... there was not one single scene or chapter or moment that felt superfluous or like it was dragging on... and I could see everything happening SO VIVIDLY. Chakraborty really wrote the hell out of this book. 

I loved the characters, specifically the Marawati crew and their dynamic together -- top notch! 

I could see everything in this book -- the environment, the characters, the action-- SO vividly... and not because it was overly descriptive or anything. It was just... efficiently descriptive? I loved it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, and Murder

Moderate: Torture, Xenophobia, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Transphobia, Islamophobia, and Dysphoria

The "Minor" CWs are quite minor, specifically the transphobia and dysphoria. It's just one character mentioning in one brief conversation that they experience gender dysphoria and that a family member has shut them down any time they try to talk about it.