Ahoy there me mateys!  I really, really enjoyed this sea yarn!  It takes place at various locales around and on the Indian Ocean.  It was so refreshing to hear about the Age of Sail outside of the European tradition.  After reading, I had fun looking up the history and geography of the places in the novel.

It was also awesome to read about a retired kick-ass middle aged female Muslim pirate named Amina who is forced to go back to sea due to a threat to her family.  I enjoyed the magical elements, the diversity, the sea creature, and her fun crew (the poisoner in particular).  I really loved hearing about Amina's past and how her choices are coming back to haunt her.  I liked that the story was written in the format of Amina's story as told to a scribe.

The minor quibble is that the bad guy was a bit bland and had boring intentions.  That said, I am looking forward to finding out what happens next.  Arrrr!

Side Note: The publishers say it is set a thousand years before the Daevabad Trilogy which I have not read.  It is now on the list.  Also the novel is the first of a trilogy but can be read as a standalone.  Arrr!

The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi is perhaps my first 5 star read of 2023. Its world is deep with magic, myth, and monsters, made all the more engaging for their grounding within our own world/history. And of course the adventure itself is thrilling and fresh, looking at a classic genre through a new lens without disparaging any of the tropes and cliches we know and love. And of course Amina, a breaker of skulls as well as conventions, is a hero we can all point our children to some day, or aspire to be like ourselves.

Chakraborty hit a home run with her City of Brass series, and this is no different. While this is different from her first, this pirate story has its share of amazing characters! Happy to have this in our collection!

There is so much to be said about 'The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi' that I hardly know where to begin. Initial thoughts? I want more. Of this world, these characters, these stories, everything. The writing style is really pleasing, we're put in the shoes of a scribe hearing the story directly from Amina with the occasional section for explaining a myth or backstory to give us a fuller picture. It really worked for me.

I really loved Amina as a character. The complexities of being a woman, a pirate, a daughter, and a mother churn within her constantly. Can she be a mother, a good one, and still do what she loves? Can she fully enjoy the freedom of piracy, the thrill of it, to show her daughter she can be anything, do anything without limits, or is it all too much? There's always that conflict within her but it's in a way that feels natural rather than heavy handed. There's parts where we get to see the Amina from before the story starts are some of my favorites because she's so different but still so like the Amina of the present. Shannon Chakraborty did a really good job with flashbacks as a way to help make the story more full rather than a jarring snap to the past.

I've seen this described as Ocean's 11 meets The Adventures of Sinbad and I couldn't agree more! The ragtag group of friends Amina reunites with are so fierce and silly and loveable. And! The villain is truly villainous and at times genuinely terrifying. This is one of my favorites of the year, I cannot recommend this enough!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Amazing adventure tale from one of my favorite authors. I love the Daevabad series so much but it could definitely be called dense. The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi is more of a romp with quirky one-liners and fun quotes for days. I loved the POV that this is Amina telling her story to her scribe so you really feel like you are receiving confidential info before anyone else. Amina is the badass female pirate every little girl dreaming of adventures wishes to be. I cannot wait to read more in this series!

This book is so unique!! Nothing like I’ve read before and I ATE IT UP!!!
I’m fairly new to reading Chakraborty’s books but this new take of hers was magnificent
The world building is so vivid and bold- I got enthralled and lost!
I am a sucker for a high sea adventure and I love a good heist and this book weaves my two favorite things so meticulously and effortlessly!
But what shines in this book is the characters! I love a character driven story and these characters are just so much fun to read and go on adventures with! I also LOVED that the main character is a mom and she’s super tall & a lady pirate

Just brilliant!

I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED this book. I haven't had this much fun reading a book in some time. There was a lot to learn about medieval Islamic culture, but Chakraborty develops this world in a way that is engaging and enlightening. These characters are top-notch. I love how Amina is constantly caught between her ambition and her role as a mother -- it's a thoroughly modern struggle and it's completely authentic here. I will be picking up every single book in this series (thank GOD it's a series!) and I'll also be checking out her other novels, on the strength of this one.

Buy it, borrow it -- do whatever you need to do to read this book!

An extremely fun and entertaining pirate adventure with an aging female protagonist as the main character! Magic, demons, monstrous sea creatures, and more - this book has it all! This is my first foray into Chakraborty's writing, although her other Daevabad series is on my TBR list, and I have to say her writing is fantastic! She does a great job of painting the world her characters inhabit. There's lots of good humour mixed with emotional moments too.

Ahhhh Amina, I love you. A 40-something “retired” lady pirate captain with an aching knee on a quest to save her family would have been enough for me, but go ahead and add in a crew of loyal, grumbly characters, a literal demon estranged husband and Chakraborty’s signature humor and cleverness and you have a favorite book of the year for me. I reread Daevabad last fall and loved it even more than on my first go round, so it took me a second to adjust to this world and how different it was, but I was hooked by the mischief, mayhem, betrayal and heart on the high seas. The pacing is so great, and it gave me a little bit of Pirates of the Caribbean, a little Ocean’s 11, and a whole lot of fun. Can’t wait for more adventures!

I can tell you right now, here on March 6th, that this is going to be one of my favorite books of the year, if not the favorite. Every once in a while you just know, early on in a book, "Yes, this was written exactly for me," and that's how I felt about The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi pretty much from the jump. You can read the plot summary, but here's what I loved about the book: Despite touching on some serious issues - class, gender roles, motherhood, ambition - overall this was a funny, joyful romp of an advenuture featuring a found family of distinct and lovable characters. Even the jerk estranged husband was kind of charming. This book just made me so happy and sometimes you need that, you know?

As a huge fan of the Daevabad trilogy, I was eager anticipating this book since the moment it was announced. I'm happy to day it didn't disappoint one bit! Chakraborty brought her signature impeccable world building and propulsive plot to this pirate adventure story. Amina is a fantastic character and I can't wait to continue her story with future installments to this series!

This book had me on the edge of my seat! I honestly feel like these characters became my friends, and I anxiously await to read book two. The storytelling and world building are top tier. If you only read one book this year, please make it this one!

What a beautifully written book. I loved all of the adventures in this book and could not put it down. I loved Amina as a character and cannot wait to see what else she gets up to!

With the huge hype around The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, I wasn't sure what to expect except a pirate adventure story. And while that's definitely a huge aspect of the story - a non-stop depiction of adventures and difficult situations - what I ended up loving the most was Amina. The adventure is sweeping, beginning from the very start and not letting up until the last page. If you love those stories of mishaps, reckless last ditch efforts, and danger - this is for you.

SAC sent me on another thrilling adventure with this story. Amina is everything you’d want in a pirate bandit main character: stubborn, strong, and scandalous.

Amina is retired now and spends her time on household chores. However, when a wealthy woman finds her and asks that Amina find her niece, Amina starts one last adventure.

The mythology, the characters, the depth of the story—this was all just so much fun! I loved being in Amina’s head and her struggle with wanting just a bit more glory was fascinating.

If you like a strong female protagonist, unending adventure, and/or The Brass City, this book is for you! 5/5 stars for me!

Shannon Chakraborty's The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi was without a doubt the most fun book I've read this year! I love the narrative style, and Amina telling her story to her scribe. The banter added to the fun and allowed for quick building of personality. This story wastes no time jumping into the intrigue and has hints of backstory that leave you wondering and seeking more.
Amina is a unique character who is self-confident and recognizes her significance in her world, but she doesn’t let that lead her to make overconfident decisions. Typically, I believe we tend to see one of the other: a cocky, fallible heroine or a reluctant heroine who does not believe in her abilities. Amina al-Sirafi is a breath of fresh air that I look forward to getting to know over the course of this series.
There were so many themes that added depth to this story and that, in my opinion, are often missing from many novels. Chakraborty not only shows the reader the lost and neglected relationships, but also what it looks like to successfully repair those relationships. I found it moving and meaningful to read those over the course of the book.
Some of the more fun aspects were the “getting the gang back together” moments, Raksh being such a himbo husband with an unintentional (?) sense of humor, and the connections to the Daevabad Trilogy. Those connections were like Easter eggs to those readers that spent time with that series.
I loved this book, I cannot wait to read more from this series, and Ms. Chakraborty can do no wrong in my eyes! Lastly, PROTECT JAMAL AT ALL COSTS!!!

the adventures of Amina Al-sirafi gave to me everything I wanted in the moment. It's an amazing story, with brilliant characters and an espectacular prose. It made me fell in love with fantasy books all of over again.

For every mother who loves her children deeply but also yearns for adventure and a sense of purpose outside of motherhood, this book is for you. May you find your inner “nakhudha.”

This is the first nautical/fantasy themed book I’ve read. I honestly wasn’t sure how I would like this sub-genre but I thoroughly enjoyed it. This book is well paced, has a great cast of characters and had me laughing out loud a few times. I’m excited to read more from S.A. Chakraborty.

There is so much mythological and cultural goodness in this one that I would have probably given it a 5-star rating just for that, and the added glory that is nuanced writing and fascinating characters make me want to give it extra love.
Amina al-Sirafi once traveled the seas as a feared pirate captain. Legends of her adventures are exaggerated and slightly ridiculous at times because no man wants to admit that a woman can accomplish what she did. But she's retired to raise her daughter in peace and safety and is constantly convincing herself that that's all she desires. Until a wealthy and snotty woman comes to her house to demand that she help find her granddaughter, the daughter of a former shipmate of Amina's whose death played a big part in her retirement. Amina's refusal earns a threat against her family that she's not willing to risk, so off she goes to retrieve her former mates and ship in what she's hoping will be a quick trip to recover a wayward kidnapped girl. Thus begins a series of fantastical adventures that bring all the magic and mysteries of a long-lost time and place to the page.
The characters are as interesting as the locales they visit, and that's before getting into all the great mythological beings that so naturally inhabit the world Chakraborty brings to life. It's a classic pirate adventure in the most perfect sense with the added bang of magic and myths.
I highly recommend giving this one the chance to charm you as much as it did me.

Excited and happy thanks to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the fantastic read!

A stunning Muslim medieval fantasy novel about a middle-aged pirate who returns to her old life to save a kidnapped teen, go up against a Frank obsessed with the supernatural, and protect her own young daughter from the threats of an overprotective grandmother. It was a really fun read and I loved how much motherhood inspired and impacted Amina even as she continued her adventures as a fierce pirate captain.