Scan barcode
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
yuripiano's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-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
3.25
This book scratched such an itch I didn't know I had, which was just to read a book that felt like the kinds of things I would have grown up reading. It's a story with adventure, mystical creatures, and a crazy journey featuring strong characters, high stakes, and even higher sails. This sort of maritime mischief is what I was sort of hoping for from Tress of the Emerald Sea - that said, although they both just happen to involve pirates, strong female characters, and devilish binding contracts, they're definitely two different takes on a pirate story for me personally. Thankfully, I would say that the structure, pacing, and general vibe of this one resonated a lot better with me.
I think part of why I liked it so much is that while a lot of it is familiar and feel-good, there's a lot that's fresh, interesting, and otherwise inspired. I'm a sucker for the-gang-gets-back-together-again-to-pull-one-last-job, and it's great seeing the characters as real people with actual families and lives and that they're old.
Well. Like. Older than the typical anime protagonist where life ends after high school or whatever - it's a narrative that I've grown more and more disgruntled with, and the fact that Amina is a mother on top of all of this?
It goes against the grain on a lot of expectations, which is also why I really found it fascinating with how much culture is put into it. The interwoven folk tales, the language, the food, the customs, the clothing, and if you were lucky enough to listen to the honestly fantastic audio book, the language is so refreshing and interesting, especially with how Amina fits into it (or doesn't, as is one of the driving themes throughout the book). There's a mix of reverence for tradition, faith, and family juxtaposed with individuality, progressiveness, and staying true to oneself. I really loved Amina's character, and Raksh was also a fun foil that had a surprising amount of depth.
Sadly, I can't say the same for all of the characters - while I said Amina wasn't like the typical anime protagonist, the same couldn't be said for the other characters in my opinion.Falco felt cartoonishly evil, and the trio of Tinbu, Majed, and especially Dalila felt rather trope-y to me. Maybe I just have an irrational dislike for Dalila because of how much she just felt like she was there solely to be crazy-old-mad-scientist-lady that didn't really see any growth through the story to me. But, the way that the others at the end of the story just.. are like "yeah, sign me up for another 4 adventures of all of this and ehhhhh it's fine I'll talk to my wife about it, I'm sure she'll be fine with me leaving again" and stuff. That said, part of those complaints can be sorta written off by the fact that this is told in the form of Amina's retelling - they're imperfect, and they're from her point of view, so... it doesn't really make sense for her to characterize Falco as anything other than a 100% crazy irredeemable Disney villain and to maybe not devote as much characterization to her friends compared to Raksh given her relationship with him? This still doesn't explain away Dalila, but I'll stop ragging on her.
Overall, I really liked the book - it was fun and while it had points of familiarity, it featured a world and culture that I don't often get to see represented with so much detail and care put in, and that really set it apart for me.
Edit now that I've sat with it for a while: I think I discounted how much some of the things in this book rather annoyed me by virtue of it being something I just finished. It felt very YA in a lot of places, and it's hard to rate the book as though it's not. The overly cartoonish villain, lack of real consequences, and each character filling a certain niche without really feeling fleshed out (outside of like, Raksh, who was also extremely YA in character) was a bit much. I'd still say overall I liked this book, especially in comparison to some other books I've reviewed here, but I think maybe not quite as much as I had on my initial review of it. The beginning was strong, and the world had potential, but it didn't quite come together for me.
I think part of why I liked it so much is that while a lot of it is familiar and feel-good, there's a lot that's fresh, interesting, and otherwise inspired. I'm a sucker for the-gang-gets-back-together-again-to-pull-one-last-job, and it's great seeing the characters as real people with actual families and lives and that they're old.
Well. Like. Older than the typical anime protagonist where life ends after high school or whatever - it's a narrative that I've grown more and more disgruntled with, and the fact that Amina is a mother on top of all of this?
It goes against the grain on a lot of expectations, which is also why I really found it fascinating with how much culture is put into it. The interwoven folk tales, the language, the food, the customs, the clothing, and if you were lucky enough to listen to the honestly fantastic audio book, the language is so refreshing and interesting, especially with how Amina fits into it (or doesn't, as is one of the driving themes throughout the book). There's a mix of reverence for tradition, faith, and family juxtaposed with individuality, progressiveness, and staying true to oneself. I really loved Amina's character, and Raksh was also a fun foil that had a surprising amount of depth.
Sadly, I can't say the same for all of the characters - while I said Amina wasn't like the typical anime protagonist, the same couldn't be said for the other characters in my opinion.
Overall, I really liked the book - it was fun and while it had points of familiarity, it featured a world and culture that I don't often get to see represented with so much detail and care put in, and that really set it apart for me.
Edit now that I've sat with it for a while: I think I discounted how much some of the things in this book rather annoyed me by virtue of it being something I just finished. It felt very YA in a lot of places, and it's hard to rate the book as though it's not. The overly cartoonish villain, lack of real consequences, and each character filling a certain niche without really feeling fleshed out (outside of like, Raksh, who was also extremely YA in character) was a bit much. I'd still say overall I liked this book, especially in comparison to some other books I've reviewed here, but I think maybe not quite as much as I had on my initial review of it. The beginning was strong, and the world had potential, but it didn't quite come together for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content and Alcohol
relin's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I got stuck at 30% because I thought it was going to get spookier. Glad I followed my friend's advice and tried again because it was delightful and mystical. Nothing bad happens to the cat, and I'm excited for this to be a series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Alcohol, and Classism
Moderate: Medical content and Abandonment
Minor: Slavery and Trafficking
Religious differencesmeant2breading's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
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
Reasons why I adored this book from beginning to end:
1. A fierce pirate captain who is sailing the 12th century Indian Ocean and is respected by her crew?! And is a single mom?! Heck yes.
2. Amina Al-Sirafi is an absolute badass.
3. Despite having dark twists throughout, there was comic relief. This book had me laughing out loud at times.
4. Diverse characters, many who are seriously awesome!
5. The main characters are relatable and middle aged.
6. I sincerely LOVED the centrality of friendship in this book. With this in mind, the side characters/her crew were incredibly enjoyable to read about and I was highly invested in their journeys too!
7. I liked way the author weaved elements of the history at that time into the world she built.
8. To get the full pirate experience, I streamed Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack music as I read and it was immersive, really felt part of the adventure.
Yes, ok, the pacing in this book is slightly off and I understand why it is not for everyone, but all of the aforementioned factors more than made up for its flaws for me!
1. A fierce pirate captain who is sailing the 12th century Indian Ocean and is respected by her crew?! And is a single mom?! Heck yes.
2. Amina Al-Sirafi is an absolute badass.
3. Despite having dark twists throughout, there was comic relief. This book had me laughing out loud at times.
4. Diverse characters, many who are seriously awesome!
5. The main characters are relatable and middle aged.
6. I sincerely LOVED the centrality of friendship in this book. With this in mind, the side characters/her crew were incredibly enjoyable to read about and I was highly invested in their journeys too!
7. I liked way the author weaved elements of the history at that time into the world she built.
8. To get the full pirate experience, I streamed Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack music as I read and it was immersive, really felt part of the adventure.
Yes, ok, the pacing in this book is slightly off and I understand why it is not for everyone, but all of the aforementioned factors more than made up for its flaws for me!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Gore and Alcohol
bzliz's review
adventurous
funny
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
4.5
It took me altogether far too long to finish this book. It was first hampered by my borrowed copy being uncomfortable to hold. Those book of the month books are satisfyingly uniform on a shelf but annoying for my wrists when I want to read them. I switched to a digital copy and then had to contend with the slog as Amina pulls her crew together, which is the main reason I can’t give this five stars. Each small victory was interesting but it took so long I felt myself getting impatient to get to the meat of the story. It picked up for me after Amina’s second meeting with Salima and then I was fully bought in.
Having a main character who is an older woman, highly competent, and a parent who still has their own dreams and goals was such a nice reprieve from young, inexperienced narrators who are always five steps behind the Big Bad but somehow manage to prevail. Amina is a beautifully written character and her supporting cast is equally captivating. They are devoted to her yet not subservient like she’s their only reason for breathing. The villains and the morally ambiguous characters are just as developed and I’m thankful they received the same treatment rather than being caricatures of evil.
I was not ready for the trippy turn around the 70% mark but I loved it. It cemented for me how perfectly this would work if adapted to a TV series. It gave the much needed push to boost Amina to become someone worthy of the tales told about her. It’s also such an interesting juxtaposition of fantasy elements intermingled with historical bureaucracy and religious and political machinations.
Most of the characters ascribe to a faith and it is frequently discussed and referenced. In my opinion, it is never preachy or pushing any kind of agenda on anyone, it is merely as simple as believing. If any religious aspects of a book make you uncomfortable, this is not the book for you. Likewise, there is talk of genocidal crusades, horrific murders and threats of sexual violence. Skip this if you’re sensitive to those topics. For anyone else, I do recommend giving this a try.
Having a main character who is an older woman, highly competent, and a parent who still has their own dreams and goals was such a nice reprieve from young, inexperienced narrators who are always five steps behind the Big Bad but somehow manage to prevail. Amina is a beautifully written character and her supporting cast is equally captivating. They are devoted to her yet not subservient like she’s their only reason for breathing. The villains and the morally ambiguous characters are just as developed and I’m thankful they received the same treatment rather than being caricatures of evil.
I was not ready for the trippy turn around the 70% mark but I loved it. It cemented for me how perfectly this would work if adapted to a TV series. It gave the much needed push to boost Amina to become someone worthy of the tales told about her. It’s also such an interesting juxtaposition of fantasy elements intermingled with historical bureaucracy and religious and political machinations.
Most of the characters ascribe to a faith and it is frequently discussed and referenced. In my opinion, it is never preachy or pushing any kind of agenda on anyone, it is merely as simple as believing. If any religious aspects of a book make you uncomfortable, this is not the book for you. Likewise, there is talk of genocidal crusades, horrific murders and threats of sexual violence. Skip this if you’re sensitive to those topics. For anyone else, I do recommend giving this a try.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Homophobia, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, Dysphoria, and Classism
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
alexijai98's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- 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 love you Amina Al-Sirafi
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, and Slavery
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
kaylaswhitmore's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
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? Yes
5.0
LOVED this book. As someone who can be quite picky about my fantasy fiction tropes, I feel that this Chakraborty managed to nail nearly all of my favorite ones. Strong female characters? Check. Immersive point of view? Check. Found family? Fucking CHECK. Balance between angst and fun? Check. Romance without excessive horniness? Check lol.
I found myself quickly enamored with the writing style as well as Amina’s narration. Normally, I can be pretty wishy-washy about first person POV, but Chakraborty’s choice felt so valid and intriguing. And her mastery of suspense and foreshadowing (often so tongue-in-cheek) kept me curious the whole way through. It was so much fun to bite into the tidbits of information we were given while waiting to truly discover the whole of the story, and I loved that the world felt just as wondrous to Amina as it did to me as the reader. For the first half of the book I was questioning what made the story “fantasy,” just as Amina was doubtful of magic—but when the fantastical elements did kick in? Boy, was it worth the wait. It felt so vivid and overwhelming and exciting, even as I was left wanting more of the world and its characters.
On the note of characters, I also highly appreciated how diverse the cast truly was—without it ever feeling like pandering. In fact, one of my favorite things about the story was how whimsical it felt despite remaining grounded in reality. I loved that Amina being a fearsome, female pirate was both acknowledged but not overly emphasized the way some historical fiction can be. I loved that Timbu was openly gay (at least to the crew and character), yet was not subject to cruelty and suffering based on his sexuality. I loved that Jamal was woven so craftily into the narration of the story without his trans/fluid identity ever feeling like a simple plot device. Chakraborty’s choices of characterization felt so genuine and charmingly blasé that I couldn’t help but wish for even more of each character.
As this is starting to get a bit lengthy, I’ll cut myself off here…but I do hope that she continues this world in some way so that my enjoyment of her writing can go on! I’ll definitely return to reading this book again, and hope that others have similar feelings as me!
I found myself quickly enamored with the writing style as well as Amina’s narration. Normally, I can be pretty wishy-washy about first person POV, but Chakraborty’s choice felt so valid and intriguing. And her mastery of suspense and foreshadowing (often so tongue-in-cheek) kept me curious the whole way through. It was so much fun to bite into the tidbits of information we were given while waiting to truly discover the whole of the story, and I loved that the world felt just as wondrous to Amina as it did to me as the reader. For the first half of the book I was questioning what made the story “fantasy,” just as Amina was doubtful of magic—but when the fantastical elements did kick in? Boy, was it worth the wait. It felt so vivid and overwhelming and exciting, even as I was left wanting more of the world and its characters.
On the note of characters, I also highly appreciated how diverse the cast truly was—without it ever feeling like pandering. In fact, one of my favorite things about the story was how whimsical it felt despite remaining grounded in reality. I loved that Amina being a fearsome, female pirate was both acknowledged but not overly emphasized the way some historical fiction can be. I loved that Timbu was openly gay (at least to the crew and character), yet was not subject to cruelty and suffering based on his sexuality. I loved that Jamal was woven so craftily into the narration of the story without his trans/fluid identity ever feeling like a simple plot device. Chakraborty’s choices of characterization felt so genuine and charmingly blasé that I couldn’t help but wish for even more of each character.
As this is starting to get a bit lengthy, I’ll cut myself off here…but I do hope that she continues this world in some way so that my enjoyment of her writing can go on! I’ll definitely return to reading this book again, and hope that others have similar feelings as me!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Genocide, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Transphobia, Islamophobia, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Deadnaming and Rape
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