Reviews tagging 'Dysphoria'

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

13 reviews

blacksphinx's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Classism, Police brutality, Violence, Gore, Death, and Racism

Moderate: Transphobia, Sexual content, Alcohol, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, Alcoholism, Torture, and Vomit

Minor: Cannibalism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Dysphoria, Death of parent, Islamophobia, and Homophobia

tamara_joy's review against another edition

adventurous 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Murder, Torture, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Body horror and Death

Minor: Dysphoria, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Alcohol, and Blood

laguerrelewis's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring reflective 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

Chakraborty conjures a truly epic tale of adventure, weaving a tale that feels both fresh and wistfully nostalgic. Amina Al-Sirafi is a pirate worthy of legend, she and her crew are an utter delight to follow through this mystical tale of thievery, seafairing, magic artifacts, and good old-fashioned swashbuckling. For all the grandiosity, this story’s greatest strength is it’s emotional heart. The fears and hopes and loves of Amina Al-Sirafi are so palpable, you cannot help but empathize with her and want to see her succeed. What a wonderful read!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Death, Kidnapping, Body horror, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement and Religious bigotry

Minor: Deadnaming and Dysphoria

temperamentalprotagonist's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny informative mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, Cursing, Blood, Gore, and Murder

Moderate: Cannibalism, Alcohol, Kidnapping, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Dysphoria, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Trafficking

karatics's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny inspiring 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, Body horror, Physical abuse, Cursing, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual content, Islamophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Cannibalism, Classism, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Alcoholism

Minor: Deadnaming, Rape, Slavery, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Infidelity

kappafrog's review

adventurous dark emotional funny informative mysterious tense slow-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

4.25

The historical setting was 10/10. I loved how rich the details were and how immersed I felt in the world of the 12th century Indian Ocean. Amina was also a great protagonist, very complex and easy to root for. The choice of setting and characters was exciting and refreshing.

The book got too violent for my tastes at times. Some of the plot armour the main characters had got pretty convoluted. Still, I look forward to seeing more in this series.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Death, Gore, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Classism, Violence, Alcohol, Sexism, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Grief, Genocide, Slavery, Torture, Transphobia, Alcoholism, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, Islamophobia, Vomit, and War

Minor: Rape, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, Infidelity, and Sexual assault

cheye13's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful 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? Yes

3.0

This was a very fun, straightforward adventure tale. It was actually quite a bit more fantasy than I expected, but it was a pleasant development. The author's dedication in her research really pays off in the nearly tangible setting. The characters, having a few years and adventures under their belts, feel more well-rounded and real. Getting flashbacks to their previous adventures was fun, and it's nice to jump straight into a found-family dynamic. The series set-up is straightforward, but still intriguing. I really enjoyed these characters and I look forward to seeing more from them.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder

Moderate: Sexism, Animal cruelty, Death, Genocide, Gore, Torture, Grief, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Rape, Classism, Dysphoria, Slavery, Sexual content, Transphobia, and Alcohol

incident of mass murder and ritual human sacrifice off page but remains described in brief detail; instance of being stranded at sea; violent threats made against a child on numerous occasion

boglord's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Grief, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Murder, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Genocide, Mental illness, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Body horror, Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Classism, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Torture, War, Kidnapping, Vomit, Alcohol, Blood, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, and Sexism

Minor: Death of parent, Rape, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Dysphoria, Ableism, Addiction, Deadnaming, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Pedophilia, Racism, Slavery, and Trafficking

slayergirl3281's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

FIVE GOD DAMN STARS!!

This is one of those rare books that had me laughing, crying, screaming and cheering for more. 

The way this book is narrated, the adventure, the characters. Everything about this book is phenomenal. Amina is a mother who struggles with her Muslim faith, wanting to be a good mother but also go out on adventures with her crew. She’s strong, fights for what she wants, unabashedly in her sexuality as an older woman and is a badass. 

I also love the crew! Dalilah was absolutely amazing. Every single character was written well and just fantastic. I NEED MORE PIRATES!!

Cw
Mild sexual content
Violence
Murder
Misogyny
Torture 
Slavery
Blood 
Death

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Death, Gaslighting, Blood, Gore, and Misogyny

Moderate: Alcohol

Minor: Dysphoria

ezwolf's review

adventurous emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

Amina Al-Sirafi is a retired pirate trying to live out her retirement in peace with her daughter and family. When the mother of one of Amina's long dead crewmates comes to hire her to retrieve her kidnapped granddaughter, Amina brings her crew together for one last adventure. As you may have guessed, this adventure does not go as planned.

I loved this book SO much! Amina's devotion to her daughter, her sense of humor, and her crew being more than her crew but being her family were what I enjoyed most.  The end of the book had me crying, but and not for the reasons you might think. I can't wait to read about more of Amina's adventures! 

I listened to the audiobook version and I thought it was done in a clever way, where at points the narrator, Amina, would turn away from the recorder and speak to the scribe detailing her adventures. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for making this available in exchange for an honest review. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Body horror, Blood, Misogyny, Cursing, Death, Violence, Gore, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Classism, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual content

Minor: Dysphoria, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Drug use, Sexual harassment, and Slavery