More fantasy and heist than anything else. I could have done with a bit more romance and a bit less bogging in some areas, but I found the book to be overall refreshing given my difficulties getting into the City of Brass trilogy. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity with this title.

THIS WAS AMAZING! Though, to be fair, I expected nothing less from Shannon Chakraborty. I loved Amina al-Sirafi and her movements between reluctance to get back into the world and the clear signs of her ambition. Though my favorite thing about Amina?? Our heroine is 40 years old with a daughter! I love YA as much as the next person, but even adult fantasy tends to cast their main characters around 20 years old and it was a joy to read about someone who has already lived their adventurous life and who has so much experience under their belt. Her love for her daughter was really the driving force of her story and her adventure home. She also happened to marry a demon, have his child, and is trying to shelter that knowledge from him as he is a tentative companion on her journey....does it sound messy? It is but it is gloriously messy and full of smart dialogue and high stakes and wonderful scholarship. This was masterful and I have a feeling I will be re-reading this one within the next year.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't personally connect with The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, though I think many readers will. The prose is lush and lyrical, and the sense of atmosphere is intense. Chakraborty is clearly a talented writer and I suspect fans of the Deavabad trilogy will have no problem embracing her new work.

So why didn't I connect? First and foremost, I think I'm just burnt out on fantasy heist stories. They've become prevalent in the last couple of years, and I'm getting bored reading them. I also felt really disconnected from the characters in TAoAaS. The story's framing is pretty interesting - it's written in 1st person POV by a scribe Amina is dictating too, and there is occasionally 3rd wall (?) breaks when she interrupts her narrative to address the scribe directly. This is an interesting narrative style and supports the more old-fashioned prose, but it just made me feel so distant from Amina. Last but not least, I really loved the way the writing was almost archaic, which made the story feel like an actual piece of work to come out of its era. However, there were a lot of modern ideas in the story (in the realms of gender and sexuality mostly) that seemed anachronistic against the format. I think the goal was for the form to support the function and it did in so many ways that these anachronisms felt particularly jarring in comparison.

TL;DR: I'm predicting that TAoAaS will be a popular book and it is objectively well-written, there was just something missing for me.

I want to thank HarperCollins for allowing me to read a digital arc of this book for an honest review. All thoughts below are my own and do not contain spoilers.

In all reality, I would probably rate this book closer to a 3.5 than a 4, as the ending of the book kicked up the rating, but I usually tend to round up when it comes to stars on Goodreads because the author usually deserves it. Though if you look below, you can see that it took me over a month to read this book, almost two. I'll go into more about that below. First the summary.

The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi is a book about a retired pirate who has been hired to do one last job. Not only is she convinced to take on this kidnapping case, but she has to gather her old crew first. But when the case of a missing girl goes from simple to supernatural, more and more problems start to plague Amina and her crew. It will take more than just the charming wit of a retired pirate and her retired friends to save themselves and the world, but they'll have to adapt to new situations and react to what's going on around them. If they can understand the creatures that they're seeing first.

I don't really know what happened with this book. I think I had really high expectations because of my enjoyment of the City of Brass from the Daevabad trilogy, so I expected that I would like this book even more because of the subject matter. I mean, c'mon. Lady pirates? And they're retired??? Sign me up. But I think this book suffers from a lack of consistent pacing in the middle. The beginning was well-paced and made sense for what was going on in the plot. We were just getting to know our characters and figuring out what the plot even is. But as we get further along in the book, I feel like there's a good 100-200 pages stretch of the book where it's way too slowly paced to hold a reader's attention, at least that's what it felt like to me. Don't get me wrong, it was all necessary to figure out what happened, but I feel like there were other ways to add in those plot points while also making the book move along a bit faster. The last 100 pages I was hooked and I couldn't put the book down. It was fast-paced, and it was a good decision to make it so. You had the climax of the book and though you knew what had to be done, there was still a question as to how the book was going to end. Chakraborty did a good job of keeping the audience on their toes and keeping them invested in the ending. I also really enjoyed how she ended the story. If you wanted to only read book 1 of this series, the book ended in a way that was satisfying. But if you wanted to continue on, you could do that too.

The characters were so interesting and I loved each and every one of them. It almost felt like a scene from a heist movie where they're getting the gang back together, it was priceless!! Each of the characters added something extraordinary to the story and I hope we get more from them as we get further in the series. It was really something to read, and I think the author did a good job in representing that age group, considering all of the main characters were over the age of 40 (I think, that could be an estimate).

The imagery and vividness that was lent to the various scenes in the story made you feel like you were on the sea with Amina, sailing along with her and the crew. I enjoy S.A. Chakraborty's writing and with this story it did very well in making sure you were never lost or confused as to what was going on or what the environment around the characters looked like.

If you're into adventure novels and like pirates, I would take a look at this book!! Though keep in mind that there are some slow bits in this book, and you'll get through it by getting to know the characters and experiencing the world! Check this book out! Happy Reading!!

A crew with a badass Muslim pirate, her dramatic first mate, an exasperated navigator, and a slightly scary poisoner. They choose (were blackmailed) to set sail to rescue the granddaughter of an extremely wealthy family. Along the way, we learn about motherhood, magic, and human birds.

While I did enjoy the book, I almost quit in the first 50%. Chakraborty put a lot of characters and places into play, and it was all I could do to keep up. We learn about the magical creatures and fantastical elements, just how Amina came to be so notorious, and the land we will be sailing. While there were bits and pieces of action, overall, we are just getting a history lesson. The descriptions of the culture and world were stunning, and I loved learning about Islam, but the plot was not really present, and I was so bored at times. However, after the world is set up, the plot really sets sail (not-so-funny pun intended). It was nonstop action in the second half! All that world and character-building really paid off, as I was able just to enjoy the rest of the novel without getting bogged down with minute details. It is packed with high stakes and tense battles, and I could not put it down. We see exactly why Amina came to be so feared around the pirating world, and just how she lives up to all the tall tales.

There were different cultures, ethnicities, and religions all throughout the book. Seeing them all interact was refreshing, considering how humanity is right now. The accepting and open nature of the characters only endeared them to me more. There are some serious conversations about how harmful colonization is, how often there is no such thing as a blameless people, and the societal and sexual roles placed on women. Chakraborty discussed all of these important themes while managing to keep the book light-hearted. A lot of these conversations happen between Amina and her crew, which meant they were not as tense as they usually are in other novels. Since Amina and her crew already know each other, they just slip back into the easy-going dynamic that they have already established. This meant that right from the start the interactions are filled with easy banter and a history that they laugh and mourn about together, giving the reader small glimpses of them when they were younger. The snark and wit kept making me giggle.

The book is told in a format of a scribe writing down Amina's stories, word for word. I am not the biggest fan of that format, but here it really worked! The scribe told little myths or historical facts before chapters that play an important role in the story. This style meant the scribe and Amina bantered back and forth, which allowed Chakraborty to infuse some more of her incredible dialogue and break up some of the monotonous world-building. Amina's voice was entertaining, and at times self-deprecating in a way that was relatable. She often added her own sarcastic comments and jokes as she told of her journey.

Some of the smaller elements of the book that I enjoyed: Amina's relationship with her daughter, the female companionship, and how women are often viewed and put down when they defeat men. Finding your way back to a lost faith, forgiveness of yourself, and the path you are born with versus the path you can choose.

This book was good old debauchery and high sea adventures, complete with a Muslim pirate with a bad knee, a pack of human birds (read the book to know what I'm talking about), and a demon husband that is more bark-than-bite.

A huge thanks to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

(Review will be published on Amazon and Barnes and Nobles, and reshared on Goodreads on the publishing date.

I can probably speak for most people when I say that after the conclusion of The City of Brass trilogy, I was aching for more. I missed the world, the magical creatures, the intensity of the plot and politics…So when The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi was announced, I was so excited! I got even more excited when it was announced that our main character is a middle-aged retired pirate, who is also a mother. I haven’t ready any high fantasy books with main characters of this demographic (even though I know a few books like this exist), but as I get older (despite being single and childless), it’s something that interests me more and more. Because why should only the young, able-bodied, romantics be allowed to go on adventures to fight evil and take down villainous kings and queens. What happens to these young people when they grow up? I can’t imagine it’s easy to give up on a life of excitement and near-death experiences (lol). The adrenaline rush is probably addicting. And living a life of normalcy would eventually get boring, no? This book is just about that. Amina from the get-go is longing for the ocean, her ship, her crew, and her life before she had Marjana. Yet she’s pushed aside her desires and dreams in order to be a good mother, denying that part of her that longs for more. It’s so applicable and relatable to the present. How many women struggle with trying to balance their careers and motherhood? How many sacrifices do we make in order to do all the things society expects us to do? And some of these sacrifices aren’t even done willingly. We all know how differently women are treated in the workplace purely for having children, and how it affects their chance of promotions, projects, and raises. This book tackles this subject in a more subtle way, obviously taking into consideration the setting of the story. But it’s important just the same.

This book is fast-paced and intense. I loved every second of it because it constantly felt like something was happening. And while some books can suffer because of the fast-paced narrative, I think Shannon did an incredible job of fleshing out her characters in such a short span of time. And most of that I think is due to the dialogue. Wow, was the dialogue addicting. I don’t know how else to describe it, but I had a flashback to that scene in Empire of Gold between Muntadhir and Dara and the back and forth they had…it was that, but this entire book. And it was so much fun! I fell in love with every character, even though Dalila scared the hell out of me in the beginning, two seconds after, I literally thought “okay, I would die for her”. Despite the time that has passed since the crew has been together, once they were reunited, it felt like nothing had changed. As the reader, you fall into their casual banter, and it just feels so right.

The one thing I did miss in this book was the court politics and intrigue I was so used to in The City of Brass. While there is definitely a lot going on in this book, the setting is completely different, and it really reads more like a fire-side tale you would tell your companions at the end of a long day of travelling. What I loved was the one-sided dialogue between Amina and Jamal as she narrates her story, and the short chapters we got that described the different versions of the Tale of the Moon of Saba, as well as records and narrations of people who had come across Amina, Majed, or Dalila in their early days at sea. It was the perfect break between the more intense scenes.

And speaking of intense scenes…this book turned so dark so fast. It was not something I was expecting, though considering everything it did make sense. But once Amina and her crew get to Socotra, some of the scenes they come across are very disturbing, so something to be mindful of.

A quote I want to highlight especially though:

<blockquote>”Our stories always want to make villains larger than life. They should be snarling or scarred, hunchbacked or otherwise marred in a way society doesn’t like. It makes them easier to demonize.”</blockquote>

The Frank in this story is our villain, and I really appreciated having a villain who isn’t scarred or deemed “ugly” as a way to represent how evil he really is. In contrast, we get a really lovely nawakhida at the end of the book, who is not just brave, but also has a really good heart. Someone else I hope we get to see again in future books.

And as for Socotra…I went down a rabbit hole of YouTube videos and articles about the island and the Dragon Blood trees and the caves. The pictures are really cool and kind of creepy? Caves always creep me out, but even the Dragon Blood trees feel like something out of legend.

Anyway, back to Amina. I have to talk about Raksh. And all the swearing. We didn’t get a lot of swearing in The City of Brass, but this book was on a whole other level. And I loved absolutely every second of it. If there is ever a reason to swear, it’s when Raksh is around. I don’t want to spoil things for people who haven’t read the book yet, but Raksh was a fun character. It was nice to see a character who is so strong and powerful, but he’s also a coward who needs saving. It’s a nice role reversal lol. The dynamic between him and Amina was such a joy to read, and there were so many good/satisfying scenes between the two of them.

My one complaint about The Empire of Gold was with the characterization of Ali and how it changed drastically compared to the first two books. I think seeing a character who is so religious and devoted to Islam, turn into something else, really affected how much I enjoyed the conclusion to the trilogy. One thing I liked about Amina was that she’s reformed from her life before, where she used to drink and gamble and toe the line between adultery. She’s changed, and she prays now, but still struggles with the desires she has towards drinking and sex. I think this book did justice to Amina’s character and made her feel more “real” in a way.

One nice thing about this book is seeing how many of Amina’s decisions revolve around her daughter. I hope we get to see Marjana more in the next books. Speaking of…we got to see an old friend in this book, who I hope will make a reappearance too! There were so many aspects of this story, especially mentions of daeva and magical creatures like the marid, that reminded me a lot of Daevabad.

I can’t finish off this review without mentioning the cat. Payasam is adorable and deserves all the food and cuddles. Cats need to exist in every book tbh. They just make everything better and so much more hopeful.

4.75/5 stars. One of my highly anticipated reads of 2023. This didn’t necessarily take me by surprise, because it’s Shannon of course, but I’m so excited to be able to look forward to more books by her. Highly recommend if you’re looking for a pirate book with witty dialogue and banter, plus sea monsters with tentacles, and a fast-paced high-risk adventure!

This is definitely going to be one of the best books of the year. The characters were deep and lovable. They way they interacted were all realistic. Even the side characters had depth. The plot flowed well, and all the little asides added to its uniqueness. I. Need. More.

Now that a tentative agreement has been reached in the HarperCollins stike, I'm so excited to finally review this title :)

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi was an absolute delight to read. After my yearly reread of City of Brass, I was starting to go into Daevabad withdrawal and this came to me at the perfect time. Chakraborty's sophomore series will appeal to fans of the Daevabad trilogy and new readers alike. It contains equally endearing, nuanced, and feisty characters you can't help but root for, but is also a low fantasy with a more colloquial narrative style that's easy for new readers, especially those who aren't as accustomed to adult fantasy, to ease their way into without having to invest themselves in intricate worldbuilding.

While nothing will quite match my love for the characters and world of the Daevabad trilogy, it feels almost criminal to compare Amina al-Sirafi to Chakraborty's first series, as it occupies a register completely its own.

Shannon Chakraborty, author of the recommended THE DAEVAVAD TRILOGY, is back with the start of a new series, and if the first book, The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi, is any measure, it’s sure to be as fun and magic filled as the first (sharp-eyed readers will at one point note it’s actually set in the same universe as the first as well, albeit much earlier).

Some years ago Amina Al-Sirafi was a famed smuggler and pirate before going into retirement to care for her daughter, Marjana. Though, as our frame narrator — the scribe Jamal al-Hilli — tells us, she came out of retirement to “become more than a pirate. She became a legend.” A reality that may surprise her audience, Jamal notes, because even a rebellious or adventurous woman’s stories is “expected to end — with the boy, the prince . . . The man that will take her maidenhood, grant her children, make her a wife. The man who defines her.” Even, of course, as his story is allowed to continue, while her is “expected to dissolve into a fog of domesticity.” Amina’s story, though did not, as in truth no woman’s does, Jamal insists, even if their stores are never told or, as is usually the case if they are, those tales are “misremembered. Discarded. Twisted.”

What follows this introductory section is the story of how Amina is drawn out of retirement and hired to reassemble her crew and seek out the kidnapped daughter of a former, now-dead, shipmate. A task easier said than done, as it turns out the kidnapper is a powerful magic user who seeks an ancient artifact (the Moon of Saba) that will give him even more power and allow him to remake the world in his vision.

The ensuing plot is mostly an exuberant joy (the “mostly” due to a few pacing hiccups here and there that detract hardly at all from the overall pleasure), filled with various and sundry magical creatures, wry banter, shipwrecks, battles at sea, a former husband who is more than he seems and funnier than he has any right being. The main character is richly realized, a strong woman who refuses to be constrained by society’s expectations of women or mothers, one who is upfront about her sexuality and her ambition for fame and adventure even as she is conflicted over how it interferes with her being a full-time mother to Marjana. She loves her daughter utterly, loves being a mother, but also misses her former life on the seas and Chakraborty displays a wonderfully balanced touch in handling that dilemma.

The other characters are mostly strong as well, introduced one by one in the usual “let’s get the band back together” narrative, with two particular stand-outs amongst Amina’s found family: Dalia, the Mistress of Poisons who is delightfully sharp and dangerous, but with hidden emotional depths that are gradually revealed; and Majed, the Father of Maps, who gives us another parent figure as well as acting as a representative figure of both loyalty and curiosity. And then there’s that former husband, Raksh, of whom I don’t want to say too much save to note that nearly every scene with him evokes at least one laugh-out-loud moment. Our villain, the Frankish crusader and madman Falco Palamenestra, meanwhile, is suitably and deeply disturbing.

Thematically, Chakraborty weaves in lots of discussion of women in society and the complexities of motherhood, as previously noted, and dips as well into other issues of maintaining (or finding) one’s identify despite societal pressure. Storytelling is another theme: the power of stories, as well as their unreliability, the ways they can be warped, sometimes naturally and sometimes intentionally. Within that vein, the plot is sometimes entertainingly digressive, as we get various versions of some tales.

I won’t say anything about the ending except to note that it, and our frame narration, make it clear that this is merely the jumping off point for the adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi. A revelation that should make nearly any reader happy. I, for one, look forward to the several promised.

I absolutely LOVED this book!! It was a slow start for me and it took me awhile to get through the introduction to everything but once the action started, I was immediately hooked.

The characters were everything. They were by far my favorite part of the book and I loved every single one of them. Amina is an amazing protagonist and it was so interesting reading through her storytelling. The format of how the story was told made it even more entertaining. Amina is a strong and badass pirate and I was extremely invested in her journey. We see the tough side of her as the ship's captain but we also get to see the more genuine and emotional part of her character, and the author did an amazing job creating her story. I loved being able to see how close the characters are with each other, given their history, as well as the genuine unspoken care for each other. I won't say much about the other characters specifically, but Raksh is 100% my favorite character and I couldn't get enough of him (honestly, they're all amazing but Raksh's humor is right up my alley).

This book definitely made a lasting impression on my and I am SO anticipating the rest of the series. The author creates such an immersive and vivid world and her writing style is very easy to follow. The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi is full of heartfelt and epic quests that also touches upon deeper meanings and messages. The diversity in the characters and their dynamics made it all the more exciting. This was my first book by Chakraborty and I was completely invested in the characters, the plot, and the world of Amina al-Sirafi. The pirates, the demons, the magic, and the humor are things that you don't want to miss out on!

An incredibly fun fantasy with a great cast of characters. I loved reading a fantasy book with a main character in her 40s. So charming and just good fun

Oh, I loved this. Hard-bitten, tough-as-nails former pirate captain and infamous criminal Amina al-Sirafi has given up her life at sea and spent the last 10 years keeping a very low profile and quietly raising her daughter. She is tempted (and not a little blackmailed) out of retirement for one last adventure. The criminal coming out of retirement for one last score/great heist, narratively speaking, is practically a cop two weeks from retirement; of course the reader can't help feeling steeped in foreboding. What follows is a tale of grand adventure and swashbuckling, derring-do and misdeeds, that's full of both action and memorably colorful characters. The story is framed as al-Sirafi recounting the tale to a scribe, and the framing is done well. Occasional asides or complaints made to the scribe remind the reader just often enough of the framing story without feeling intrusive.

Amina's narrative voice is an absolute treat: wry and cynical, a bit world-weary, and with a humor when observing human (and in some cases supernatural) stupidity that ranges from dry and scathing to exasperated and long-suffering. I laughed out loud more than once, and spending time in Amina's head kept making me think of why I love spending time in Murderbot's head, despite these being wildly far-removed from one another in most other ways.

If the Daevabad books weren't for you, this is a very different book and absolutely worth your time to try. I had mixed feelings about that trilogy; I loved the rich world-building and reading a fantasy set in the Muslim world instead of the ubiquitous thinly-veiled Western Europe, but the romance, characters, and pacing didn't consistently work for me.
I loved The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi without reservation.

There are far too few stories written about female protagonists over 40, never mind those who are complex enough to be mothers, semi-reformed criminals, and foul-mouthed sea captains who by their own admission are relying heavily on the "Most Merciful" aspect of their God. This is the second ARC in a row that I'm going to be buying a physical copy of for adding to my limited shelf-space when it's available.

I was offered an ARC in exchange for an honest review; I'm far too opinionated for anything else. Thanks to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the opportunity.

Oh, one last note: Chakraborty's research for this book's time period and area of the world was extensive and impeccable; her notes directing curious readers to English-translated sources for further reading about the period and its peoples are worth the price of admission alone, in my opinion.

Update to add: Striking Harper Collins workers dont want to harm authors and have set up a bookshop.org site where responsible consumers who would like part of their purchase to support striking workers can do so:
https://bookshop.org/shop/hcpunion
#HCPONSTRIKE

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

4/5 stars

I really enjoyed how well the author described everything in this book. It was rich in detail and adventure! The magic world was fun to explore and different from any other book I’ve read! I enjoyed that they actually feared the magic rather than running straight for it.

Amina was a complex character who had a hard time splitting her love for being a mother and pirate. The challenges she had were not easy and I appreciated how serious she took decisions. It was amusing watching the banter with her husband. I also enjoyed seeing how she would get out of the situations she put herself in.

Overall this book was filled with rich details that really did take you to another place. The adventure was wild and I wasn’t quite sure how they were going to pull it off!

Thank you to Harper Voyager for sending me an advanced copy of this in exchange for an honest review!

This took me a really long time to finish, this book had little to no world building and is very character driven and so it took me a bit to get into. But once i did, it was fantastic. The story itself is very fast paced and the characters are fantastic. I loved their banter and the found family aspect of the story. plus there's pirates, demons and magic? what more could you want from a high fantasy book?

Thank you Harper Collins/ NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Amina is a notoriously famous pirate and she retired to bring up her daughter. Ten years later, when an "opportunity" presents, she thinks 'what's one more?' I thoroughly enjoyed being able to return to Shannon's lush writing. This book comes as a breath of fresh air since it portrays older characters who are returning for a last voyage. I'm so happy to be back in the world though about multiple hundreds years in past. We do see a character from Daevabad Trilogy in here.

I loved the camaraderie between friends that was portrayed. They felt comfortable with each other and it showed through their constant teasing of each others mature age. It made me want to be friends with them as well. Also, I appreciated the portrayal of different religions and everyone's respect towards each other's customs.

Further, I admired the fact that not all supernatural beings were shown to be brave and powerful. One in particular being a straight-up coward. It was different than what I have usually seen and I liked that.

Shannon's writing is so lush that it will bring the whole world to life and I felt a part of it while reading. The first 20% of the book did drag on but don't give up, continue reading and you'll be in for an adventure.

I can't wait for the next installment and in particular, see the growth of one character.

4.5 stars - This is a fantastic and unique tale that reminds you that women’s lives don’t end when they have children. Amina is a reluctant hero throughout our story for a variety of reasons but in the end, all she wants is to protect her daughter. Her love for Marjana is a beautiful portrayal of how deeply a mother loves her children.

Amina also reunites with her crew, who she realizes are truly her family as well. She is finally able to let go of some of her guilt from her prior adventures and realize what she means to them.

I love how emotional this story is, and the mix of relationships portrayed. A lost friendship reunited, an estranged couple, strong familial bonds, and varying degrees of religious practice among the crew.

Shannon Chakraborty created such a complex and beautiful magical world. Her inclusion of religion and Muslim mythology is so fun to read.

I think this one starts slow, the first half dragged a bit. However, I think the second half is fantastic and the stakes are so high, I couldn’t put it down. If you’re a fan of City of Brass, you’ll definitely be a fan of this one too.

Fantastic. I had been eagerly awaiting this release and now I can’t wait for the sequel. The writing, the plot, and the characters were all wonderful and I love that we are seeing so much more representation in the fantasy genre recently.

This book was refreshing and action-packed. Well at least at the end, the first half was a little slow for me; the end however was quick and filled with plot. I enjoyed the take on a female pirate and the fantasy aspects of magical artifacts and creatures tied into religious beliefs in the supernatural. The characters were all flawed, no one was perfect, and that made them even more relatable. This was a great book and I am definitely looking forward to the next book(s) in the series.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This is possibly one of the best books I have ever read.

Amina is called out of retirement to find the daughter of a fallen comrade and chaos ensues.

I absolutely loved the character development and I think that is something that Chakraborty does extremely well. I felt like these characters were so vivid and each one seemed to get a good amount of the spotlight.

The story was a bit slow to start but I appreciate that the author too their time to build up the characters, the world and some back story before launching into the absolute wild ride that this book was.

If you enjoyed City of Brass I think that you will enjoy this book.

DNF at 20%
I absolutely loved the Daevabad trilogy by Shannon Chakraborty, so I was really looking forward to The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi. In fact, it was my most anticipated book of 2023. Sadly, the first 20% was a lot of descriptions, and it just wasn't holding my interest. I might come back to it at a later date, but for now it's a DNF for me. I do think people who love descriptive books will enjoy it!