I just finished this amazing gem of a book last over the weekend and cannot stop thinking about it. This cozy high stakes pirate adventure brought me so much joy, and so many laughs, I cried when I finished it because it was over.

Amina a 40 year old Muslim woman retired 10 years ago from being a pirate captain to raise her daughter Marjana. However, when she is asked to go on one last adventure that she cannot refuse she goes to gather her old pirate crew. Amina is intelligent and funny and pretty together. She often is conflicted about the choices she’s made as a pirate that war with her religious faith. She wants adventure but feels bad because she loves her daughter so much.

Her crew, Tinbu, Dalila, Majed, and Rashk are about the funniest, sarcastic, challenging found family anyone could ask for. I love them.

Rashk the Himbo demon is so useless it’s hilarious.

The whole story is just so cozy and heartwarming and I loved the messaging of compassion. There is trans and queer rep in the side characters which I think will play an even bigger role in later books ( I hope) and the ending brought tears to my eyes it was so beautiful.

Although this is the start of a series it ended on such a satisfying note that I don’t mind waiting for book 2. However I am also absolutely feral for book two.

I LOVE THIS BOOK

Thank you Harper Voyager and NetGalley for approving this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a fun, beautifully fleshed out ride with just a few messy parts. I loved Amina and every member of her crew.

The Adventures of Amina al-Sifari soared the first third of the book. As Amina put together her crew for their big job you rooted for her successes and booed when complications arose. The members of her crew were a colorful and widely varied cast whose characters made reading all the more worthwhile. Amina herself was an amazing protagonist, one of a sort I've never read about before.

The twists and turns of the journey were entertaining, if in parts a little long winded (especially with a few combat scenes). The whole book was clearly very, very well-researched and the world S.A. Chakraborty created felt alive as a result.

Overall, a very enjoyable read! A solid 4/5.

this book was truly a delight.

this book is about a retired pirate having to return to sea to rescue the daughter of a wealthy family. while doing so, she encounters many things she never thought she’d witness before.

absolute great book

• humorous - i found myself laughing at sly remarks constantly
• writing style is very easy to read
• great detail in action scenes
• the drama is THERE
• i absolutely cannot wait to read more about Amina al-Sarafi

Readers, prepare to have your swashes buckled! The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, by Shannon Chakraborty, is an electrifying tale of pirates, magic, ambition, betrayals, and banter. I tried to read this book slowly, to make it last, but ended up staying up far too late to finish it one night because I just couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. I can’t praise this story highly enough: run, don’t walk, to get a copy.

Amina al-Sirafi is living in quiet retirement outside of a remote Omani town in an even more report house when a wealthy woman from Aden arrives on her doorstep. This wealthy woman has a proposition for the former pirate captain: find her lost granddaughter and earn a million dinars…or have her location exposed to all of the enemies Amina made during her years at sea. With great reluctance, Amina says goodbye to her daughter and mother, packs her weapons, and sets out to regather her old crew. Ten years on from their glory days, Amina and her crew aren’t in the best shape—although the Marawati, Amina’s ship—is as swift as ever. This is a good thing since Amina and her sharp-tongued (and fiercely loyal) number two, Dalila, discover that the third member of the old gang has just been arrested in Aden for committing some illegal salvage. Their rescue attempt results in spectacular explosions of Greek fire and a lot of pissed-off government officials. Then, before Dalila can so much as say “I told you so,” it turns out that the story of a missing granddaughter is a lot more complicated than Amina was originally told.

From that less-than-auspicious beginning, the plot of The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi never ceases its rollicking pace. Amina and her crew race from Aden to Mogadishu to the mysterious island of Socotra in their quest to recover the missing granddaughter and the evil Frank (a Crusading European) who took her. As if this wasn’t enough to deal with, the supernatural complicates things—as does the reappearance of Amina’s monstrous pain-in-the-ass fourth husband. (Readers who tackled Chakraborty’s excellent Daevabad Trilogy will recognize a cameo when Amina and the pain-in-the-ass husband end up shipwrecked on a magical island.) The stakes just keep climbing higher the more Amina et al. discover about the Frank’s plans and the powers of the mystical objects he seeks.

I can’t praise this book highly enough. It has so much of what I love in stories! Fantastic, lively characters. A gripping plot with real stakes. Beautifully described settings that make me want to know even more about the story’s world. When I finished reading The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, I felt like I had to pause to catch my breath because I had been utterly spellbound. And then, as if Chakraborty wanted to give me a bonus gift on top of an outstanding, unforgettable story, she included historical notes with further reading! How can I not gush about a book that comes with its own intriguing bibliography? Readers, do yourselves a favor and grab a copy of this book as soon as possible. You won’t regret it.

Thank you netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a good read. A little out of my usual genres - but a beautiful, wonderful adventure it was.

The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty
Published: February 28, 2023
Netgalley Digital ARC
Genre: Fantasy Adventure
Trigger warnings: It is a pirate adventure, so some violence.
Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary (Amazon): Shannon Chakraborty, the bestselling author of The City of Brass, spins a new trilogy of magic and mayhem on the high seas in this tale of pirates and sorcerers, forbidden artifacts and ancient mysteries, in one woman’s determined quest to seize a final chance at glory—and write her own legend.
Amina al-Sirafi should be content. After a storied and scandalous career as one of the Indian Ocean’s most notorious pirates, she’s survived backstabbing rogues, vengeful merchant princes, several husbands, and one actual demon to retire peacefully with her family to a life of piety, motherhood, and absolutely nothing that hints of the supernatural.
But when she’s tracked down by the obscenely wealthy mother of a former crewman, she’s offered a job no bandit could refuse retrieve her comrade’s kidnapped daughter for a kingly sum. The chance to have one last adventure with her crew, do right by an old friend, and win a fortune that will secure her family’s future forever? It seems like such an obvious choice that it must be God’s will.
Yet the deeper Amina dives, the more it becomes alarmingly clear there’s more to this job, and the girl’s disappearance, than she was led to believe. For there’s always risk in wanting to become a legend, to seize one last chance at glory, to savor just a bit more power…and the price might be your very soul.

Review: The first in a series, The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi is a fun romp of a pirate tale. Amina, is lured out of peaceful retirement, first through the allure of riches, then, well, you will have to read to find out how the legendary captain Amina al-Sirafi is set on an adventure away from her mother and beloved daughter Marjana and how she came to have stories told about her that made her a legend. This is a departure and different in some ways from this author’s Daevabad Trilogy, but is rich with folklore and fantasy just like its predecessors – an occasional demon or sea monster, nothing Amina cannot handle or can she? This is a good read if you want to escape on the high seas for a swashbuckling adventure. The author also has meaningful insight into identity and how each of us must choose who we are, and not be restricted by society’s norms. I loved the inclusiveness of this story as well as its diverse cast of characters – many of whom I hope to see in the next installment. Now that the entire premise of the series has been developed, I can’t wait for another trip on the high seas with Amina and her crew.

Great fun adventure book love the story. I really loved reading this I can't wait to share this with friends and customers.

**4.5-stars rounded up**

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi was my first Chakraborty novel. I am so happy to have discovered her work.
This was such an incredible story; well told and well constructed. I loved this cast of characters so much. I honestly can't believe how attached I got to them.

The star of our show, of course, is Amina al-Sirafi. As a woman over 40, I can tell you it was an absolute delight to get a female protagonist who was a little more battle-worn, and time advanced, than your typical lead.

Amina has had many, many adventures on the high seas, as one of the Indian Ocean's most notorious pirates. She's loved and lost, been in tight spots and epic battles of wit. She's also been married numerous times and even is a mother to a delightful little girl, Marjana.

She should be happy and I guess, in a lot of ways she is, but an adventurer will always have that nagging feeling in the pit of their gut that there's more out there.

When Amina is approached by an extremely wealthy woman to embark on one more quest, she's definitely reluctant. It's dangerous and she doesn't want to leave her daughter behind, in spite of the slight urge to adventure on. Unfortunately, the woman really leaves her without much of a choice and when riches beyond Amina's wildest imaginations are dangled in front of her, she agrees. One more mission.

Determined to succeed, Amina assembles a team of her old colleagues, each one with a specialty likely to contribute greatly to their task. They've got their means of transportation, they've got their team, they've got a goal. Thus, they set out to find and rescue the allegedly kidnapped granddaughter or their rich benefactor.

This adventure was so engrossing. I loved the crew. The banter was witty and the stakes were high. As the story progressed, more magical elements were introduced and I definitely found it enchanting.

There were some sections towards the end that I found a little confusing, but it could have been because I was reading it so quickly. I was dying to discover what was going to happen, so it kept me going at a pretty steady pace.

I'm super stoked that this is just the start of this series. What a fun way to kick it off. I am very anxious to see where it is going to go from here. I can't wait to go on more adventures with Amina and her crew!!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Harper Voyager, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This was fantastic!

I loved everything about this book.

I was lucky enough to receive both an ebook advanced copy and an audio advanced copy and while the writing was wonderful and witty, the narration from the audio raises this to a whole other level!

Amina’s voice is wonderful. She is strong and cares fiercely for everyone in her charge. She shows that life doesn’t end after motherhood and is a much needed female representation that adventure doesn’t cease with age.

The cast of characters were hilarious from a poison master, a map maker, a cute cat, and numerous tribes of fantastical creatures I could not get enough of this book.

I cannot wait for the next installment as there are still some questions I have, mostly about our demon friend. 👀👀👀

I highly recommend this book to fantasy lovers and if you can, listen on audio and prepare to laugh!

Thank you so much to the publisher for an advanced copy

I received a copy from NetGalley for review.

Currently, only about 35% and I basically wrecked my sleep schedule for the week. I really enjoy the way that Shannon Chakraborty writes. It's a mix of fantasy and historical fiction and the pairing of it is so well done. The prose is super easy to digest and that makes it easy to follow. Seriously considering not reading my book club book, because this seems far more up my alley lol.

That being said I really enjoy all of the characters so far. They're pirates and sassy and it's so freaking nice to see a crew where the captain isn't a man, and the crew isn't all women. It really marries the idea that women can be and are good leaders. Amina's crew respects her and her decisions but also isn't afraid of questioning her (looking at you Delilah). I can't wait to get more into the magic/fantasy part of this story.

Update: Okay, so I'm at like 85% now and I absolutely adore this book. I really enjoy that we get to see Khayzur again (if you haven't read the Daevabad series what are you even doing with your life) and get more details about the Peris and how they operate. I think this stands as a solid 4-4.5 star fantasy read for me.

*5 stars*

This was a fantastic pirate adventure! This book pulled me out of a huge reading slump; I was hooked immediately, and enthralled the whole way through.

I absolutely love to see a book with a middle aged main character (or really any character over 30), especially in the fantasy genre. The beginning explanation about how most stories end when women find the man, get married, or have children hit so hard. Women contain multitudes and this story dealt with Amina’s guilt and joy and ambition so well. The representation in this book was great, I didn’t know going in that there would be queer and trans rep along with Muslim rep so I was pleasantly surprised.

I can’t wait for the next installment of this new trilogy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this work. All opinions in this review are my own.

What a fun book! Filled with a cast of colorful characters, high seas magical and historical settings, demons and mysterious creatures that will keep you well entertained. Amina is such a well developed character, I loved that she was a 40 year old mom that very much loved her daughter but was also strongly dedicated to her love of the open seas and her crew. The plot was fast paced and filled with a few twists that I did not see coming. My only criticism is the folklore interweaved throughout the story slowed the pacing down at times. I can't wait to see where the next book takes Amina and her crewmates!

Nautical fantasy and pirates are two of my favorite things to read in fantasy books, and I really enjoyed Chakraborty's previous series so I admittedly had a very high bar going into this one and it absolutely knocked it out of the park! I adored this book, it's definitely my favorite by Chakraborty.

The first thing I want to highlight is the voice this is written in. This story is Amina telling her story to someone else who is writing it down and so every so often we'll get a few lines of Amina talking to the writer thrown in between her story, including right at the beginning to start off the book. Amina's brashness and sassiness in these parts is what really got me hooked in immediately in the first chapter.

Amina herself is a fabulous main character. Chakraborty did an excellent job really building this robust character and she felt incredibly well fleshed out by the end of the book. I loved the way she was portrayed both as a mom and as a sea loving adventurer and how those two parts of her sometimes came in conflict and how she worked through that.

I really enjoyed the secondary characters as well. They were not quite as fleshed out in this first one which makes sense as this was really mainly focused on building up Amina and then introducing us to her crew. I am assuming we will get more on them in the next books and am definitely looking forward to that as I really liked what we saw of the characters to this point.

This book is definitely driven by the plot. The use of "adventures" in the title is very apt to describe this book because while it started a little bit slower while setting up everything, the adventures soon started and propelled me to the end. I found myself unable to put this book in once it really got going because I was totally hooked to find out what was going to happen next.

The world in this book was also really well done. Chakraborty does a great job of weaving in historical details to give us a setting that is one I have not personally found often at all in fantasy.

This is easily making it into my favorite books of the year and I cannot wait for the sequel!

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the eARC so that I can give an honest review.

WOW. I had pretty high expectations because I adore what I've read of the Daevabad trilogy, but this book exceeded all of them. Amina is a retired pirate captain who fled from the dangers of her old life and numerous enemies to return home and raise her daughter. When the mother of a fallen crewmate comes calling and offers an extreme amount of money to find his kidnapped daughter, she needs to get the crew back together for one final job. She collects Delila, her slightly unhinged master of poisons and chemistry, her successor Tinbu and his useless ship's cat, and her navigator Majed. I love them all. So much.

Who doesn't want to read about a badass warrior mother who talks about her own dreams and ambitions and how that complicates life as a mother? The characters were exceptional, the story was fascinating, and the world-building ties in to the trilogy in fun ways. I adored this book and really couldn't find any flaws whatsoever.

Read. This. Book.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC of this book!

When this book was announced I was so excited! I mean female pirates who wouldn't be?!?! And I was not let down at all. I loved every second of this book. Honestly, Shannon Chakraborty can do no wrong in my eyes. I was hooked from the very beginning. This book was everything I could have wanted and more. 100% recommend.

For me, Chakraborty can do no wrong. Absolutely loved this first installment in the Amina al-Sirafi series. The protagonist Amina, was a fantastic lead, equal parts brash irreverence and thoughtful compassion for her loved ones. I’m a huge fan of the reluctant hero trope and Amina is slowly but surely drawn into saving the day from an evil wizard when all she intended was a quick search and rescue mission to earn enough to retire comfortably. The ensemble cast of characters here were brilliantly developed and I loved seeing Amina’s connection with her rag tag crew. The plot was fun, the characters well drawn, and the relationships were fascinating enough that I felt immediately invested in all of the characters and their continued well being. Just a great first entry in a series all around.

Holy hell. This may just be my favorite book of the year? Chakraborty just has a way of sucking me into their writing. The style, the world, the characters? All outstanding. Definitely one of my new favorites.

I’m going to be honest; I had a hard time getting into this one initially. Whether it was the prose or the setting or the characters themselves, something about this book didn’t immediately grab me. But once I connected with it, I was all the way in. The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi is one of the most fun pirate adventures I’ve ever embarked upon, and is hands-down the best I’ve read that is set in our own world.

Amina is a middle-aged retired pirate captain who just wants to raise her daughter in peace. But when an offer she can’t refuse for a multitude of reasons quite literally barges through her front door, she finds herself getting the band back together for one last job. Throughout the book Amina struggles mightily with her sense of responsibility, to her daughter and her crew and her faith, and how those various responsibilities are often at odds. I found this struggle fascinating and compelling, and it lent Amina a lot of additional depth.

Not that she needs any help with being an insanely compelling character. Amina herself is larger-than-life in every way. She loves her daughter fervently, and would do anything to keep her safe. This felt like a very unique motivation for a pirate captain. Amina’s Islamic faith is also central to who she is as a person. Throughout the book she wrestles with the morality of piracy, as well as her wandering eye for men, because of that faith. Anytime a character’s faith is at the core of their being, I am flooded with empathy for and camaraderie with them, whether it’s the same faith as my own or one that the world sees as opposing what I believe. I loved the faith element to Amina, and to the story as I whole. It introduced me to a mythology and place to which I have little exposure, and I loved every minute of it.

The entire cast is utterly delightful, brimming with personality and flair while all being radically different from one another. But those differences can’t temper their obvious affection for one another, and for the less-than-honest life of piracy they all tried to leave behind. I love that this is an older cast, and that they have weathered much together. I also love that they don’t all share the same faith. There are Christians and Hindus and Muslims all aboard one ship, and they all respect one another’s faiths. I found this coexistence incredibly heartening.

There is an incredibly strong sense of place to this story, as well. Chakraborty does an excellent job shaping her world within the confines of the one we know, while also blowing a metaphysical hole in it and expanding into a spiritual realm. I’ve read embarrassingly few books set around the Indian Ocean and Arab peninsula, but that’s going to change after having read The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi. None of the other books I’ve read with a similar setting have captivated me so fully.

I mentioned that religion is a large presence in this book. That presence is not only felt in the characters, but in the story being told. Myth suffuses the story, and we see faith and spiritual artifacts being wielded as weapons. That element of the story delighted me to no end. I was fascinated by every piece of myth, by every holy weapon, but every creature and monster of lore. Amina’s pirate crew being set against such things made them the underdog, and who doesn’t love to root for an underdog?

I ended up loving this book so much, and I’m afraid that would not have been the case without the aid of the audiobook. Tandem reading the physical while listening to the audio is my favorite way to read, because it makes for an incredibly immersive experience. It is that immersion that won me over to Amina’s story. The audiobook for this is incredibly well done. Both narrators were great but Lameece Issaq, who reads the majority of the book from Amina’s perspective, did a truly brilliant job. I would highly recommend this story in any format, but most especially in audio.

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi lives up to its glorious cover. Amina is the weathered female pirate captain I never knew I needed in my life. She is brash and wily and dogged and, above all, faithful. I love her so much. While this is a standalone, I would love to see more stories featuring Amina and her crew, whether those adventures are in their past or their future. It might have taken my a little while to warm up to this story, but it won me over heart and soul by the final pages.

Amina, a retired female pirate, gets roped into one more adventure. Along with members of her former crew, they battle mythological creatures and magic they’ve never seen before. The world building, plot, and characters all blended together to make this an enjoyable read. I loved that Amina was an older FMC trying to do what’s best for her daughter but also staying true to what makes her happy. It’s a balance that many parents can relate to. I’ll be eagerly awaiting Amina’s next adventures! Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the arc.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Voyager US, and Shannon Chakraborty for providing me with an ARC of this book. This is my honest review.
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I was first introduced to Shannon Chakraborty through the City of Brass and the Daevabad trilogy quickly became one of my favorite series of all time. Her ability to transport me to a vibrant new world and to create characters that crept effortlessly into my heart was and still is amazing. When I saw the announcement for the Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, I was beyond excited and it did not disappoint in the slightest! 🙌🏽
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It was so refreshing to follow an older MC who’s seen some things and come out the other end. Amina is a legendary pirate who can still throw hands, yes, but she’s also a mother and she’s also got a creaky knee 😂 She’s unabashed and cheeky beyond hell and bursting at the seams with love for the people she cares about. She’s the perfect nakhudha for her amazing crew! Dalila, Tinbu, and Majed clearly respect and love Amina and each other. It was such a delight to see them fight side by side.
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I love this world that Chakraborty takes us to! It was like getting to explore another corner of the Daevabad world. We get to deep dive into things we’ve only glimpsed before, but also explore entirely new beings and stories. The simultaneous feelings of familiarity and novelty were exquisite 🤌🏽 And just like the Daevabad trilogy, it’s rooted in history. Chakraborty does her research and it shows!
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There are a thousand more things I wish I could say, but I’ll simply say this! This is what fantasy is about! 🗣️ Amina al-Sirafi owns my heart and soul. I can’t wait to see where the sea takes her and her crew. I’m ready for the next adventure! If you love carefully crafted fantasies and characters that transcend the page, please pick this book up! 🗣️
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The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi is the first installment in a brand new series by Shannon Chakraborty. It is available for purchase NOW in ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook format.