I really liked this book and am excited for the next installment of the series! I felt very immersed in the world that the author created and found Amina's desire to protect her family and also continue to travel and have adventures to be very compelling.

I was unable to finish this book, I thought it had a strong start, but I never quite became engaged in the proceedings.

Such a breath of fresh air, not an overused trope anywhere in sight. So much humor and swashbuckling heart, and it is completely impossible not to fall in love with most (if not all) of the various characters that are introduced throughout. I am HERE for this quasi-subgenre of fantastical grizzly mothers and we all know how much I love a Hot Ancient Man ("man" being a loosely defined word here), or as we like to call them- HAMs.

Thanks to HV for the review copy!

This author has truly discovered their own magic and is putting it to good use in this book. Beautiful, adventurous, and full of amazing scenery.

This book is full of swashbuckling pirates, wondrous magic, terrifying monsters (human and otherwise), and all around great fun.
If you love Pirates of the Caribbean (and wished there were more middle aged mom cut throat pirates) then this is a must read - I’m already guessing this will be my fave book of the year

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

Tales of the fierce nakhudha (pirate) Amina al-Sarafi have traveled about as far as Amina has in her ship, the Marawati; tales of intense battles, stolen treasures, and her many husbands. Amina has moved past that, however, trading in her ship and sword for benign a mother to Marjana and living a tranquil life. Amina’s peaceful life is interrupted one day by the arrival of Salima, a woman desperate to recover her kidnapped granddaughter Dunya, a woman who believes Amina is the best pirate for the job. Amina is quick to say no, until Salima makes an offer she cannot refuse. Yes, the offer comes with money–a lot of money–, but it also comes with threats to her daughter, forcing Amina’s hand. Together with her trusted crew–Tinbu, Majed and Dalila–Amina will go on one last adventure in an attempt to find Dunya and her captor, Falco Palamenestra.

This novel was simply extraordinary and captivating; I was hooked from the first page and did not want the story to end. The characters are phenomenal; they are well developed and intriguing and I loved going on this adventure with them. Dalila is savage but caring, and quick witted and funny, making her my favorite character in the novel. Throughout there are little sections, told by Amina’s scribe, containing information about the Moon of Saba, which added some variety to the narrative. The pages are full of action and adventure (as the title suggests), making it a hard book to put down.

I absolutely loved this book. From the first page until the last, I was completely engrossed. The life of Amina is fascinating, and I love that we get an older mother as the main character. As a mom myself, this is something I appreciate seeing in fantasy books. The magic was interesting, and I loved the entire crew. The connections to the Devabad series were really fun as well but you don't need to have read that series first, it is just in the same world.

*SHAKES FIST AT PAST SELF*

This book was truly just another instance of me trying to read it at the wrong time. When I first tried it, the beginning failed to grab me so I decided to put it aside. But I recently got motivation to try it out again and BOY, what a wonderful experience.

I loved this so much! The further I got, the more mad I got at my past self for putting this aside for so long. The one upside is I don’t have to wait quite as long for the sequel, which I’m already dying to have in my hands. I have so much fun with Chakraborty’s writing and her characters are fresh and interesting. Her worldbuilding is impeccable as always. I loved Amina and her crew and am so looking forward to more adventures with them on the Marawati!

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi was a blast to read. I loved the concept of a female pirate, it was very empowering. This was an excellent fantasy, with exciting and understandable world building.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

I really loved the author’s work since City of Brass! I have to say that the beginning of the novel started out very well! I love the pirates and the sea adventures! However, I thought that the ending took a different turn! It felt like it was two separate stories! Nevertheless, it was still a fun and engaging series! I recommend this for fans of Daughter of the Pirate King, Midas’s Daughter, and Ahab’s Daughter!

Thank you very much for the opportunity to read this book early! I really enjoyed it. I thought the writing was very well done, and the story kept me interested. I believe my students/patrons would also love this book and will be acquiring it for the library!

I put off reading this book for ages but I knew I would love it and lo and behold I WAS RIGHT. I know the basic premise of “mom/retired pirate queen has to get the crew back together for one last heist” is going to snare a ton of people and yes, it absolutely lives up to that, you should pick up the book just for that. But it also is just impeccably plotted/paced, with the revelations about what Amina is hiding from other characters and the reader hitting at exactly the right time, and the setting is fantastically described at all times. I loved how vividly Chakraborty writes about the multiculturalism of the time period (Amina’s crew includes a Hindu, a Christian, Muslims of varying levels of practice, etc) and how she writes Amina’s faith, in particular. Amina is such a fun protagonist! Highly, highly recommend for anybody looking for fantasy adventure.

*eARC provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi is a gripping tale of swashbucklers, dark magic, demon husbands, and unwanted bargains. That's 3/4 of my favorite things, so I expected this to be quite the book. I wasn't disappointed...exactly.

Amina is not a YA protagonist. This is an Adult book, after all. She's got a daughter, responsibilities, and her pirate-ing days are long over. And yet, she is dragged back into that life to protect the things she cares about. Part of me longs to read about the bright shining days of the young Amina al-Sirafi, but this is a woman who reluctantly puts on the garb of a pirate captain. Sometimes, it felt hard to connect with her because of this.

However, once the book really starts going, it is hard to stop. It is a wild ride, and even features a character from City of Brass!

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for sending me a copy of this book! All opinions are my own!

Somehow, I always start Chakraborty's books thinking that it's not my thing, and then by the end, it draws me in and I need to know everything right this second. This is such a rich world that she has created, but more than that, she fills it with characters full of life and joy and hope, and she has them overcome things they could never have imagined. I loved getting to know these new characters of hers and unraveling Amina and who she truly is inside.

I do think the book started very slowly, and it took me longer than normal to actually get into it and be invested. I loved once the fantastical elements really kicked in, and I wish that it had been a greater part of the book from the start. I did love Amina and the uniqueness of her being a mother who is just trying to retire from the life of a scoundrel.

Chakraborty definitely crafts such beautiful worlds and stunning characters. If you're a historical fantasy lover, get your hands on this new series!

I enjoyed the adventure and the characters. I love that the MC is a strong woman pirate that happens to be a mom also who comes out of retirement to save a girl. This adventure turns magical and I love the character development.

Shannon will never let me down. This was everything it promised to serve and more. I already cannot wait for the next book.

Honestly, it took me a couple hundred pages to get into this book. This is why I don't have a firm '#-page DNF limit.' If I stopped at 100 pages, I wouldn't have experienced the fun and absurdity (in a good way) of the rest of this book! It's lengthy, yes. There's a lot going on. But it was worth it in the end! Yay for middle-aged mom pirate captains!!

ⓣⓡⓞⓟⓔⓢ
Pirates
Found family
Magical creatures & demons (who aren’t demons)
Epic quest
With splashes of Muslim history throughout!

🅡🅔🅥🅘🅔🅦
I received the ebook of this from NetGalley a while before this one came out last February, but ended up setting it aside when I tried reading it the first time. I finally decided to give this one a go again on audio and I FLEW through it then. This book does so well as an audio, so I highly suggest it if you’re an audiophile! The story is told by Jamal, a scribe, but is Amina telling Jamal of her adventures. What I had struggled with physically reading it was a few moments where Amina/Jamal break the fourth wall and start talking outside of the story she is telling him. It was difficult to understand this was happening in print, but is so clear and well done on audio. I ended up switching back and forth between the ebook and audio after I got used to that writing style and enjoyed it so much!

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi was such a fun book! I loved how it was led by a swashbuckling lady pirate coming out of retirement for one last adventure and to make a fortune that would provide for her family. The found family within her crew made up amazing side characters and overall just made a depth of engaging and fun personalities! It also makes me excited for future books in the series and to keep getting to know this cast! I loved how different they all were, but how much respect they showed for each others beliefs, religions, and life styles. It was so beautifully done.

The development of the plot was well paced, although it did get a tad slow at times. There was a LOT that happens so it does keep you engaged the whole time.

And I LOVED the little surprise we got at the end! It was such a perfect touch to have and put the biggest smile on my face. Bravo!