Chakraborty had me at pirate adventure, then guaranteed my loyalty by building the story on the relationship Amina has with her daughter and her desire to protect the ones she loves. One of my favorite books of the year. I thoroughly enjoyed the immersive world, the highly flawed loveable characters and the fantastical elements threaded through the narrative. Billed as the first of a new series, I am here for all future installments. I enjoyed the rich cultural fabric, the gathering together again of the old team members and the relationships forged, broken and rebuilt. A spectacular, adventurous.

This feels like an absolute breath of fresh air. Unique narrative style, misfit (and older!) main characters, hilarious commentary, and swashbuckling magical adventures at sea… it has it all. I’ll be recommending this to everyone.

Shannon Chakraborty is a favorite author of mine, so I’ve been looking forward to The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi ever since it was announced. A pirate fantasy featuring a middle-aged woman main character? Say less!! And y’all, it does NOT disappoint.

At the heart of this story, of course, we have Amina al-Sirafi, a sexually liberated Muslim retired pirate in her 40s currently focused on raising her daughter. But when the head of a powerful and wealthy family tracks her down and offers Amina a life-changing sum to rescue her kidnapped granddaughter, Amina can’t refuse. She gathers her crew — including Dalila, poison master and Christian refugee; Tinbu, her first mate who really loves his cat; Majed, master navigator who worked with Amina’s father before her — and sets out. Oh, and did I mention that Amina was married to a super-hot demon?

This book is the start of a new series, but it could read like a standalone. Needless to say, I loved it. As you can tell, it stands out on its incredible cast of lovable characters alone. But it was also a very fun read; it’s definitely adventurous, but it’s also not as episodic as I expected from the title. There’s plenty of time to get to know these characters as they prepare to set off. And a super heartwarming revelation at the end that just sealed the deal of me loving it.

Also of note, this one was fab on audio! It kept me company as I peeled wallpaper in my house for hours, lol. Can’t wait for more books with these characters in this world!!



CONTENT AND TRIGGER WARNINGS:
Violence, death; Body horror; Transphobia; Threat of sexual assault

Genuinely, how am I supposed to write a review for such a perfect book?? This was f*cking brilliant. Go, go read it now. I'm going to try and articulate how I feel about it, but I just know I could never come close to doing it justice.

This is one of my favorite books of the year, and I already can't wait to see where this series goes next. The story is so beautifully written, and the characters and the world are luxuriously described. It's so immersive. I can't get over the use of the varying POVs, or rather, the way the narrative shifts throughout to tell you the story in the best way possible. I also listened to this on audiobook, and I can't get over how incredibly well-produced it is. It's wonderfully diverse and culturally rich, and it made me want to read and learn more. I couldn't get enough of this world! The pacing and plotting are a masterclass in how fantasy should be done, and seriously, it's just perfect. I could clearly gush about this for hours!

I loved Amina and all of her friends so much. Amina was so strong; she loves her daughter and her family as fiercely as she loves the sea, and SAC didn't hold back on her complexity. She can be a mother and also be a nukhudha, and she can embrace all of these facets of her life and the things that make her, her. Add in the fact that we actually get a mature heroine?? It felt like reading what happened to our favorite fantasy heroines after the adventure was over. Amina and all of her friends were all perfectly flawed in a way that made the story relatable, even as fantastical as it was. They aren't perfect, the things that happen to them aren't perfect, and yet they stick together and always keep going even when it's hard and seems impossible or when there would be an easier path to take. And listen, I'm a predictable girl and knew I would even love Amina's [redacted] husband from the first moment he was mentioned.

This is the kind of story I want a children's book version of. It's a story that makes you want to tell more stories, to pass these narratives along to others. And if that's not a marker of a fantastic book, I don't know what is!

This book was such an amazing adventure. I loved the rich culture and the witty banter from all of the characters! The story was well planned and well thought out. I enjoyed the ending a lot, not leaving a cliff hanger but definitely leaving it open for further development in the series. The love al-Sirafi has for her daughter and the “momma bear” instincts are REAL!! I loved Amina so much as a character and being the age of this character makes her very relatable. This was such a good book. I give it 4.5 stars. Thank you to Harper-Collins and NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book!

Chakraborty takes a pirate out of retirement and reminds the world why middle-aged women are badasses. Packed with incredible characters, fantastic worldbuilding, witty banter, and genuine diversity, The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi takes you on an epic adventure you won't forget.

Amina al-Sirafi, a notorious pirate, has been living a seemingly quiet life raising her daughter in the countryside. Now, forced to come out of retirement to save her family, she turns to her old crew for help to complete a dangerous quest.

I had so much fun with this story. It is an epic adventure, and Chakraborty has such a way with words. I was immersed in the world immediately. However, what I loved most was Amina. Her narrative voice is so good. It is so refreshing to see an older and battle-scarred protagonist.

Another thing that stood out to me was the diversity. There is cultural and religious diversity, plus LGBTQIA+ representation. It never feels forced.

If I had any issues, it was with the pacing. A few places in the story dragged a little for me, but they didn't last long.

I highly recommend this one. I read the book along with the audio. The audio narrator is so good.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Avon and Harper Voyager for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Between Chakraborty’s classic witty and poetic writing style & the deliciously diverse (and hilarious) cast, this book is already one of my more memorable reads of the year!

I LOVED Chakraborty’s Daevabad trilogy, it’s one of my favorite fantasy series of all time. So I was more than down for a new adventure spring from her brilliant mind. Amina is a totally different story with a completely different pace. I liked it. But for me it was missing the charm of the characters and multiple POVs that Daevabad had. Now, I know you should never review a novel based on your feelings for another novel, but for me I probably wouldn’t have pushed through with Amina if not for my love of Daevabad. I enjoyed the first quarter but somewhere in the middle the pace lagged for me. As Amina collected her old ship and her old shipmates and faced her initial foe, I found myself a little bored and a little lost at times. I forged through and I’m glad I did, once we hit mythological territory again, I was back on board. But it took me (a girl who finishes most books in 2-3 days) 20 days to finish because of those sections where I found myself struggling. I’m glad I forged through and will likely read the next one but might try audio to help me with the uneven pacing.

Thanks to Harper Voyager for the gifted copy. All opinions above are my own.

I was so lucky to have received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley!

Somewhere in this book something was described as a nautical mystery and I found that to be very on point for this book. Although I might replace the word mystery with adventure. The world building and characters were so rich, the twists and turns so exciting, the character relationships so well thought out, I enjoyed the danger, the emotional connection, and the magical elements. This book took pirates and made them even better! What a wild ride! I really enjoyed this read, as always, because Shannon is a freaking gem, and an amazing storyteller. I’ve loved everything she has written and she is an auto but author for me.

I've been looking for a good pirate story for the longest time and I finally found it in The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi. This book was gripping and thrilling from beginning to end. I adored these characters and the adventure and the writing style was perfect. I truly loved every second of this. I will now be reading everything this author releases.

Holy smokes can Shannon write. I loved this book. I want more. I want to display it on my bookshelf. I am so glad I got it as my BOTM pick! No surprise at all that it was a pick this month. Loved the pirate setting and the historical aspect. I loved our main character. She was incredible. I wish more books were about ladies like her! Hot dang I loved this book. And the cover!! I am so glad there are 4 more books to go in this series. This is a female empowering story, and one for all ages of females.

This review was originally published on NetGalley.com. I was given an ebook freely by NetGalley and the book’s publisher in return for a voluntary and honest review..

S.A. Chakraborty has brought something I haven’t experienced in a long time, wonder and surprise. I don’t want to say this is a totally unique style but it’s definitely rare. The playful narrative throughout the book is great. The Scribe of the tale/narrator argues with the protagonist throughout the book. There’s two layers to the story as these two argue over how to tell the story.

The actual story takes place in an alternate Earth timeline set in the Middle East. The protagonist is a retired female pirate asked to rescue a grandchild. After getting her crew and ship back together they set off for adventure.

There’s a lot going on in this book with religion, sexual liberation and familial relationships. However to me the real truth of the book is to remind us why we love pirates, fantasy and adventure.

This would be the perfect Ray Harryhausen film. If you need a book to remind you why reading is a joy this is it.

I really enjoyed this book from start to finish. I am a big fan of Shannon Chakraborty from her Daevabad Trilogy so I had high expectations for this book. The writing was beautiful, the character development was great and the length was perfect. I also really loved that the main character was over the age of thirty. Fantasy books have a tendency of only highlighting you adults so I loved the premise of a retired pirate. Overall, such a good read!

This was one of my most anticipated books as I’m sure it was a lot of your guys as well and I came out of it surprised with a certain comparison for another book and that is Kings of the Wyld. This gave me major kings of the wyld vibes which is one of my all time favorite books

This is the story of a woman who is probably in her like 30’s or 40’s and she used to be a legendary pirate captain and something really bad happened so she put her piracy ways behind her. She’s given her ship into the care of someone else who is a trusted confidant and she is living in hiding with daughter, mother and brother. And because they are in hiding, they are struggling for money. One day a woman who is the mother of a former crewmate offers them an unbelieveable amount of money to find her missing granddaughter who she believes was kidnapped. If Amina is able to find her whereabouts she gets paid or if she gets her back safely, she’s offered this huge treasure trove pretty much. So as the reader, the whole your reading, you’re just rooting for these characters because this money would guarantee stability and comfort for not only Amina but also her family and her future family forever and you know, it’s also the promise of one last grand adventure so she has to get her old crew back together and go on this quest.

So that’s the little tease for the plot and I had a really fun time with this. This is my first book by this author, I never picked up city of brass no matter how many times I said I was going to read it, it still sits on my shelf unread but this gave me an idea and I am impressed. I loved the writing, the way characters were written and even dialogue. it was so fluid and easy, the story itself was fun. It definitely had it’s slower moments but I know to appreciate that sorts of stuff as a fantasy reader, I love build up. And the way Chakraborty wrote atmosphere here really set the scene with such a light hand. Nothing ever felt heavy like some adult fantasies can. I could picture things so vividly and the setting came to life perfectly. I gave this 5 out of 5 stars and I highly recommend if you are new to this author or you love this author and just haven’t picked this up yet, then for you I definitely recommend.

Im obsessed. Completely and totally obsessed. I yearned for more after completing the Daevabad series and this filled that gap and left me longing for more. I need book two right away. This book is going straight to my “must reread” shelf.

I haven't even finished this yet and it's already a five star read to me. I love the cast of characters and the pirates of the Caribbean vibes. Historical fantasy is everything!

Sometimes a book with a great concept drops the execution. In this case, I was super hyped for a book about a woman coming out of a life of retirement with her daughter, to return to a life of piracy and adventure. And I am THRILLED to report that this is not only a banger concept, the execution is even better than I could have imagined.

Amina is one of my new all-time favorite characters in fiction. She is incredible and her voice narrating the story is so strong and well-done! I loved all of the side characters and her disparate relationships with them all! And this high seas adventure absolutely delivered boatloads of high stakes fun!

Amid this romp, Chakraborty provides a heartfelt exploration of ambition, and motherhood, and what it means to have a passion for something, and who gets to tell stories. The preface alone had me in tears. As a woman who’s been reading fantasy all my life, I am so extraordinarily grateful that I get to see a day where mainstream publishers are giving life to stories like this.

It’s possible that some people will feel the first 1/3 of the book is a little on the slower side, but for me, I felt fully immersed and invested in the narrative, even if the plot took a while to gain momentum. This works great as a stand alone, but I cannot wait to return to this world for more adventures with Amina!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the review copy!

***5.0 Stars***

Overall,
My second 5 star read of the year this one blew me out of the water! (pun intended). This was SOOO GOOD, I have read Shannon's Daevabad Trilogy and truly enjoyed it but this book here was a step above. Filled with adventure and intrigue and one of the best narrators I have ever read. She is quick, pithy and a joy. Amina is an older women, mother, retired pirate who gets pulled into just one more adventure to find a missing girl. What ensues is just a marvel. Based loosely off real and imagined Middle Eastern history, set in the Indian ocean, it captures a spirit of old world/other worldly perfectly. I am gushing, I do realize that but I just loved this book so much. Shannon you are now an instant buy author. I can't wait to see what else Amina gets up to.

Cover,
100% Astounding. Love every bit of it.

Recommendation,
Yes to everyone. It is classified adult for a reason, it is more violent then the authors other series. If you enjoy

***I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley, Avon and Harper Voyager in exchange for my free and honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book early #TheAdventuresofAminaalSirafi #NetGalley***

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager, Harper Voyager for sending me an eARC of The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi!

March isn't even over and, I can tell you, this is my top read for the month. It most definitely will make a top book of the year and even all time! The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi is hilarious, full of adventure, and full of vivid imagery and exceptionally crafted characters. When Amina is offered an incredible amount of money to find a missing girl, it ends up being an offer she cannot refuse. Coming out of retirement as one of the most fearsome pirates on the sea, Amina gathers her crew and sets off on this new venture, but all is not as it seems. Did I also mention that she's a mother? BAD. ASS.

I previewed the audiobook and, let me just say, the chosen narrators sound incredible and I can't wait to give the book a full listen.

A very promising start to a historical fantasy series! the Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi draws on the real history of the Middle East and follows a notorious female captain and smuggler who is now a middle-aged mother trying to keep her daughter safe. But fate forces her back to sea in search of a missing young woman. And of course there are monsters, supernatural beings, an evil sorcerer, and magical artifacts! Not to mention the reappearance of the husband Amina hoped was dead. A husband who isn't human and doesn't know about their daughter...

Amina is a great character- she is brash and irreverent, but also a mother doing her best to keep her daughter safe and coming to terms with how that new piece of her identity has changed her priorities. And she's trying to be a better Muslim as well. With mixed success. I'm loving this mini-trend of writing older women and mothers as main characters in fantasy novels. It's an entertaining adventure that infuses a lot of real historical detail. There were parts of the book that dragged a little for me, and I think this is a bit more plot driven than what I prefer and more of a character reader. But overall I really enjoyed this and love the ship-board family Amina has cobbled together. I will certainly read on in the series.