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boba_nbooks's review against another edition
- 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
Author of the Daevabad Trilogy, S.A. Chakraborty, brings us back to this beautiful and dangerous world through the story of a middle-aged, human, ex-pirate: Amina al-Sirafi.
The name "Amina al-Sirafi" strikes fear into the hearts of many due to her scandalous pirating career. Now, she's settled at home with her mother and daughter. She should be content. But when the wealthy mother of a former crewman shows up at her door begging Amina into finding her granddaughter, she thinks it's a sign from God to have one last adventure with her friends before she officially retires. Little does she know that this task will lead her and her crew into mysteries and legends Amina could've only dreamed of.
S.A. Chakraborty took elements of a classic pirate story--a diverse and fun-loving crew, a quest for treasure, fearsome creatures--and added her own twist to it. The Daevabad Trilogy has to be one of my favorite fantasy series, so diving back into this world was so much fun.
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Torture, and Alcohol
Minor: Rape, Sexual content, Slavery, and Transphobia
im_john_laurens's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Gore and Violence
Minor: Slavery
maryellen's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Death, Gore, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content and Slavery
megsug's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Gore and Violence
Minor: Sexual violence and Transphobia
amburrella's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Gore and Murder
Minor: Sexual content and Kidnapping
celery's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
chrisb913's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Torture, and Alcohol
Minor: Rape, Slavery, and Transphobia
yrc's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.0
I enjoyed the humor in this book greatly, the epic and larger than life adventures against both wicked men and sea monsters alike. I also felt that the swashbuckling tone was sourly needed as a scratch to my itch. Life can't be taken seriously every second of each day.
Amina is a wonderous character and actually goes through the hardships of being separated from family, limitations of age and biases towards women, which was a refreshing character arc often not seen enough in fantasy.
The rest of the crew was terrific as well, especially Dalila and Mahjed. The historical touches were fun to encounter and the narrators did a magnificent job with this text. 4 starts and recommended if you are looking for a fun book, that doesn't shy away from dark situations but does it with style and purpose.
Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Religious bigotry
julian7's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
I only have two complaints about the book. First, I wish we had gotten more of the side characters! I feel like there was so much focus on them in the first part of the story, when Amina was “getting the band back together,” only for them to disappear into the background once Raksh showed up. I enjoyed Raksh, don’t get me wrong, but I would have loved to learn more about the other characters, like Tinbu and Majed, who seemed so interesting.
My other complaint is that the first third of the book went by very slowly, and the last two thirds felt much more fast-paced and a little too busy. A medium pacing throughout the whole book would have felt more cohesive.
I’ll probably read the sequels, and I hope we get to learn more about the side characters and Raksh returns eventually. đź¤
Graphic: Deadnaming, Death, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Torture, and Alcohol
Minor: Rape, Slavery, Transphobia, and War
kristenreads's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror