Thanks to Harper Collins, Shannon Chakraborty and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exachange for my honest review.

I keep meaning to pick up the Daevabad trilogy, but now after reading The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi, I'm more convinced of it. Set way before the original trilogy, we follow Amina and her crew as they get back together to go on a mission.

What I really liked about this was the ages of the characters. They were all older, with children or other dependents, and I loved the diversity within them.

Just really makes me wish I had already read the Daevabad trilogy, because I think I would have loved this even more!

A fantastic new fantasy novel, rich in world-building with a feisty female Muslim pirate!

I love the romanticism of pirates (even if that's not the truth of it) and this 12th century speculative fiction not only delivers plenty of swashbuckling – it is filled with representation. Amina, the main character, is not only an older woman – she's a mother which ticked boxes for me. Written in 1st person narrative style, the main character is confident and capable, her dry wit leaping off the page in waves. She is ably supported by “poisonous” Dalila, debonair (and queer) Tinbu, as well as Majid, a navigator who, like Amina, has tried to put his pirating days behind him to raise a family.

The stakes for Amina and her crew escalate, as the mysterious villain Falco (a Latin Christian) lurks in the background, forcing them on a fantastical quest, whilst other mysteries about Amina's past unfurl. I found the build up to revealing Amina's past disastrous relationship with Raksh quite intriguing and I enjoyed how it was drip fed.

From the first page, Chakraborty's voice for Amina is a joy to read. Full of sass, balancing on a knife's edge of respectability, being a dutiful law-abiding Muslim – but also taking relish in men, a life at sea and being a fearsome sea captain (or nakhudha). There is a second sporadic POV, the apologetic, fearful narrator, whom Amina berates during the story for his mortified commentary, which is both amusing as it is insightful.

My only notes would be that the magical or fantastical elements don’t feature enough for my liking and whilst I enjoyed the journey and the recruitment, the pace was on the slow side, with little action up to the midpoint. If it wasn’t for the occasional swears, I’d almost put this in the cozy fantasy category, as the stakes seemed fairly low and I never felt that there was any real jeopardy for Amina.

That said, I found it refreshing exploring the Indian Ocean from a muslim-pirate perspective, rather than the "Westernised" pirate novels I'm more familiar with. And Amina is such a formidable character, who I feel you can't fail to love. It's a glorious, swashbuckling adventure, with plenty of soul.

This was an absolute delight to read!

Daevabad trilogy is one of my favourite book series of all time and I was so looking forward to go on this new high sea adventure which explored the themes of found family, motherhood and identity in such an excellent way.

As a new mother, my son is just two weeks old, I found Amina's character to be highly relatable. I loved that she was willing to go to any extent to protect her daughter and her family and friends. Amina is such a fun and sassy character and her distinct voice in the narrative made me flew through this book.

Highly recommend this! And could not wait to read more from this series. Pirates, high stakes adventure and mythical monsters, what's not to love!

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi is one hell of entertaining adventure from start to finish. In this swash-buckling historical fantasy set on the medieval Indian Ocean you will find fierce female pirates, found family, demon husbands, an ill-fated quest, trans and gay rep, dark magic and, naturally, lots of adventure! What’s not to love?!

Amina is an absolutely fantastic protagonist for this story and I loved that her personality just leapt off the page! I mean, she is a fierce, infamous and retired Muslim pirate now turned momma bear who will stop at nothing to protect those she loves, even if that means putting her own life on the line. I know, I immediately fell in love with her as well.
Now, whenever you have a frame narrative, the protagonist can often come across as unreliable or cocky, but that was totally not the case here. Amina will be the first to admit that she is anything but perfect and I loved how much self reflection and bits of self-deprecating humour were infused into this story.
The diverse cast of supporting characters was also absolutely delightful and the found family vibes were honestly just off the charts! The crew is made up of people with various ethnicities, cultural backgrounds, religions and sexual orientations, and this never becomes a point of contention in the story, we love to see it!!

Now, as much as I loved following these characters, I can’t deny that I wasn’t the biggest fan of the fast-paced plot and pacing. The title of this book is quite apt, because man… these characters experience a LOT of adventures in this book. There is a main quest that is driving the whole story forward, but along the way there are so many trials and tribulations that it almost felt a bit messy to me at points. I personally would’ve loved more down-time with these characters, because I think that little extra character development would’ve allowed me to build a stronger emotional connection to them. Also, their dynamics were just so amusing, so I wanted more of them simply interacting outside of life or death situations.

The world building was absolutely breathtaking though, I was just fully immersed. This story is not written in a very lush or descriptive way, yet Chakraborti still managed to evoke a wonderful sense of atmosphere. The fantastical elements/creatures were also quite inventive and honestly just magical, which really added to the sense of wonder and intrigue.

Overall, this was a really entertaining and charming adventure that I won’t soon forget. I am really looking forward to the next instalment already, because I desperately need to spend more time with the Marawati crew!
Highly recommend if you are in the mood for a quick, engaging, amusing and wonderfully diverse historical fantasy adventure. I had a blast!

I'm calling it now, this book is 100% going to be one of my favourite reads of the year. Amina al-Sirafi and all her snark own my heart, and Chakraborty has once again created a story & bunch of characters I fell head over heels for. Amina al-Sirafi, once a famed Nakhuda of a Pirate ship, now lives a slightly more peaceful life, one she should be content with, but she still hears the call of the Sea. Tracked down by a wealthy mother of her former crewman, Amina finds herself drawn back into her old life, after all no one could refuse the sum the woman offered, even someone who was supposedly retired. With her old crew in tow, Amina feels this job should be an easy one, but the longer she looks into it, the more she realises that there is something more sinister at work, something magical, and the price of becoming The legend she has always dreamed of might be one she isn't quite willing to pay.

When I say I love Amina, I am not remotely exaggerating. Chakraborty has done what few others before her have managed, written a woman, a mother, who is over a certain age, with parts of her body that move slower than they used to but makes her someone who still has wants and needs. Someone who hasn't been overshadowed by motherhood, someone who deeply loves their child, but also wishes for the freedom they once had, someone who despite being a mother, still appreciates a good looking man and would more than happily take one for a tumble if asked. It's so rare to see women of this age in literature, let alone fantasy, and even more the MC of the book, but Amina's age, her experience and just the reality of how she is written was one of my favourite parts of the story. She is jaded, snarky, still more likely to punch than ask questions, but when you are the famed Nakhuda Amina al-Sirafi, you have a reputation to uphold and boy does she.

Chakraborty also graces us with a side cast of similarly aged characters, in fact apart from Marjana, Amina's daughter and the girl she is tasked with finding, most of the characters in this book would be classed as over their prime, but there is something to be said for experience. Dalila, a poison expert who joined Amina's old crew under slightly dubious circumstances, something another crew member still holds a grudge over years later, Tinbu, Amina's first mate and the person she made the Nakhuda of the Marawati when she retired & Majed, someone Amina looks on as an older brother figure and the original Map Reader from her crew. The interactions between these characters stole the story for me, Chakraborty writes their relationships so incredibly well. There's a short hand that comes with knowing people for as long as these characters have, as well as bonds that aren't easily broken, but with those also comes memories, not all of them good and I honestly just wanted to devour every interaction between these four because, despite the magic, it all felt so incredibly realistic. There is also an absolute himbo of a Demon who adds some hilarity to the story and had me cackling throughout... although he's pretty useless in a fight.

This story is set in the same world as Chakraborty's Daevabad series, which becomes apparent the more you read of the story, and we also get treated to a few links that readers of her previous series will enjoy. But with this book, I felt she took the world of Daevabad and just expanded it exponentially. With Amina being a Pirate she can sail from country to country, port to port and through her travels, Chakraborty brings the world of the medieval India Ocean and all it encompasses to life. With every page, every bit of information you get given you can just see how much research went into making this as historically accurate as possible, and the time period linked with Amina's character make for some humorous parts... especially the multiple husbands. But she also expands on the magical side of it, bringing a boat load more mythology, magical creatures and fables of old to make The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi as adventurous and exciting as possible.

As someone who isn't usually a fan of books set at sea, don't ask me why cause I have no idea, I did wonder whether I would be similarly disappointed by this, but that couldn't have been further from the truth. Chakraborty's writing style propels the story a long at a breakneck pace and I found myself picking this book up every spare moment I had, I even read it on my phone when I was at work because I just needed to continue reading, to find out what happens next. The fact is was written as an almost memoir, with a scribe sitting and talking to Amina and asking her to recall her stories was exceptional, and the little interjections throughout where something was questioned or Amina wasn't happy with how something had been portrayed just added an extra depth, as well as plenty of humour and intrigue to the story. There are plenty of plot twists, plenty of little hints thrown in to further the plot, but for me it was the characters and their interactions that stole this story, and as a lover of well written characters I felt absolutely treated by Chakraborty whilst reading this.

There was no real romance, unless you count Amina pining over any man who was attractive, no judgement cause I would 100% be the same, instead the story focused Amina's familial relationships. Either those of her crew mates who, after years at sea together and some altogether sketchy situations, became like a second family, or her actually family with her brother and mother and daughter Marjana. I mentioned this a little above, but I adored how Chakraborty explored the complexity of motherhood. She allowed her to be a mother who absolutely adored her child, wanted nothing but the best for her and someone who would kill anyone who tried to harm her, but she also allowed her to have wants outside of that relationship. To miss being out at sea with her crew, the freedom that brought and throughout the story we see her struggle with these two sides of her life, wishing neither would change but knowing that one would have to give even a little to allow the other to flourish.

Knowing this is the first book in a trilogy has be so incredibly excited because I could read pages and pages of Amina and her crew going on adventure after adventure and never get bored. Chakraborty did a brilliant job tying this story together, whilst leaving an opening for more and I cannot wait to see what the crew of the Marawati get up to next.

Firstly I'm not usually one for pirate or set at sea books. They're just not my cup of tea. But after reading and loving the Daevabad trilogy by Shannon Chakraborty I was intrigued to try her newest book. But I absolutely LOVED this! After loving The Art of Prophecy and now this, I think I need more books with older strong females leads. Not a dull moment in this book, I enjoyed it thoroughly from beginning to end, and I'm eagerly anticipating the next book in this series!

I loved the historical aspect of this novel and thought it was really well done. I love historical fantasy that uses cultural folk lore to create the magic, so that part was right up my alley.

I think the author also does a great job of including good rep while keeping it feeling authentic. I really enjoyed seeing an older MC and addressing the conflicting desire for adventure and to be with her family.

The plot was solid and pretty fun. My main complaint is that I think it felt a bit slow in some parts of the first half, so there were a couple of points where it dragged, but it really picked up for me after that! A nice pirate adventure was the perfect way to rest my brain from exam revision. I would happily read the sequels, and will definitely be checking out the author's other series!

Synopsis:

Amina al-Sirafi, an infamous pirate/bandit, has been out of the game since the birth of her daughter ten years ago, trying to lead a quiet life where her many enemies will not find her and her family. That is, until a wealthy grandmother tracks her down and blackmails her into one last adventure - a job that will secure her legacy and provide her with an enormous fortune.

Amina cannot resist the lure of the sea, or the promise of such a huge sum, but legends aren’t written about those who don’t endure trials of mythic proportions. She will have to face sea-monsters, demigods and demonic ex-husbands before she makes it home to her daughter, and as her adventure begins Amina does not realise the lengths she will need to go to - and the prices she will have to pay - to pull this one off.

My thoughts:

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi was one of my most anticipated 2023 releases and it did not disappoint. A historical fantasy about a female pirate getting the band back together for one last job? What is not to love!

I particularly loved Amina. It was a breath of fresh air to follow a protagonist who is as much a pirate as a mother, and whose loyalty to her family - both real and found - was her driving force. The book is brilliantly written, meticulously researched and completely gripping. Amina’s relationship with Raksh had me laughing throughout and it goes without saying that I’ll read any further adventures in the future!

Huge thank you to Netgalley, the author and Harper Collins for the e-arc.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC of this book.

This is hands down one of the best books I have ever read.
I was SO excited when I got approved for the ARC because this was one of my most anticipated releases, I absolutely loved The Daevabad Trilogy and when I heard ‘pirates in 11th century Indian Ocean’ I was READY.

This book was everything I wanted it to be and more.
First of all, the writing style was phenomenal.
It really felt like it was written by Amina, with all the words and expressions and thoughts thrown in. It was also just hilarious, I laughed out loud multiple times.

Amina is amazing. She’s strong, she’s a badass, and I love how the author made her feel so real. Her actions were always so cohesive with her character, and the juxtaposition of her being a pirate while also being a parent and wanting her daughter to be safe was done so so well.

The found family in this is also one of my favorites I have ever read. The crew, the strong bonds, the history they shared, their dynamics, it was wholesome, hilarious and just thoroughly entertaining.

The plot was great as well, I loved how naturally it set up the story for the sequels, while also going from ‘rescuing a kidnapped granddaughter’ to something way bigger, it was just so good.

Lastly, I want to comment on the worldbuilding. Personally, I think the Daevabad trilogy has some of the very best worldbuilding I have ever read, if not the best, so it was no surprise to me that Amina was just as strong.
I loved the mix of a historically accurate background and fantasy elements, it worked so well together. And the way it was crafted was also just phenomenal.

It’s been a couple of weeks since I finished, I waited to review until a fair contract was reached, so I can say that I still think about this book all the time.

I could go on and on with my praise for it, I loved it so much and it’s in my eternal top 3 favorite books I have ever read, but TL;DR: Don’t miss out on this one.

Goodreads review is linked, Instagram review will be posted on release date on https://www.instagram.com/ofmadnessandmagic .

As a big fan of Daevabad and generally an enthusiast for SFF inspired by cultures other than Western ones -- and boy does Chakraborty know how work myths common to Islamic cultures into an immensely readable adventure books for Wester audiences -- I was looking forward to her next book and jumped at the chance to read it. It didn't hurt that the pitch of the book was along the lines of Sindbad but if he was a middle-aged woman, grumbling about the work-life balance as she juggles motherhood vs heists. Don't quote me verbatim on that, but absolutely do feel free to use it as an indicator for the vibe of the story.

'The Adventures' is a story anchored more firmly in what the author put as 'historically believable' realities of the medieval Indian Ocean world than Daevabad. There is plenty of magic of course, and Daevabad readers will easily recognize some of its features and aspects before they are even named, but overall it poses no difficulty to those who picked this one up as their first Chakraborty book - while there is a connection between the two universes, it's not in your face or reliant on you to know the easter eggs to make any sense of what's going on, all explanations are there and suffice for the story.

In this book too, Chakraborty's storytelling is delightful - she weaves a tale with such love for and dedication to the subject matter and characters that it makes for a fast and engrossing read. The attention to detail is superb, and it's clear that a terrifying amount of research went into making this book a combination of enchanting and enlightening. And I'm so pleased to see that the flow of the narrative completely organically brought in a lot of good thought both from feminist and queer angle: none of it is just for the sake of it, quite the opposite. But I'll keep this review spoiler-free so you can enjoy the discoveries while you read the book.

The foreword/framing device, I feel, might be a bit misleading to some readers - in retrospect, I understand why it sounded the way it did, but while reading it I caught myself thinking that if this was the tone for the whole book, I would not enjoy it. Luckily, it was not: Amina's own voice is much less given to pronouncements, and all the better for it. It all makes sense in the end, so -- trust the process, as they say.

Many thanks to #Netgalley for an advance copy of The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi -- I really enjoyed it. Definitely looking forward to Amina's further adventures, especially when she has to deal with manclowns; that circus is absolutely hilarious!

There's a particular kind of anxiety that comes with reading a new book from a favorite author, and I'm so happy to announce that The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi was everything I hoped it would be, and MORE :

✔ an exciting adventure filled with badass women, friendship, pirates, weird magical creatures, a doomed quest, dark magic and an ex-crusader as a villain 🙌

✔ a wonderful cast of diverse characters, including :
▪ Amina, of course, the greatest pirate of all times who is now 40 and a mum however and would like her knee to stop hurting, thank you very much ;
▪ Dalila, master of poisons who could kill you in a second but—no. she absolutely will, sorry ;
▪ Majed, a middle-aged cartographer who never quite abandoned his dreams of discovering the world ;
▪ Tinbu, a loyal sailor who hand-feeds his cat ;
▪ the aforementioned "I remain entranced by its inability to provide for itself" most precious cat ;
▪ a [redacted] husband 👀 ;
▪ a snarky scribe.

✔ a medieval Indian Ocean setting!!! A note about religion : so often in Fantasy, when authors take inspiration from a real, historical setting, they strip it of religion (or make every MC Christian, because of course 🙄), and I really dislike that. Not because I'm particularly religious—I'm not at all— but because religion was/is an inherent part of society, informing culture and traditions, and to remove it often weakens the richness of the world-building. I'm really happy it wasn't the case here (most characters are Muslims ; other religions are mentioned) ;

✔ A+ storytelling with compelling writing and such a witty and heartfelt voice (not to mention feminist). I LOVE IT, SO MANY QUOTES OMG

I am so, so delighted I got to experience this fantastic story and the sequel is now one of my most anticipated release.

FINAL RATING : 5⭐, highly recommended

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins for the ARC in exchange for an honest review
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Honestly I was interested by the blurb. It has Muslim rep in it, and relies heavily on history, which were the things I usually love in a fantasy, adventurous book. However due to some reason, I couldn't keep my focus to engage the whole plot. There's so many facts that I didn't know were actually based on real stuff or fictional. I do appreciate the Islamic history being mentioned and potrayed in the book, it made the story even more real, but because of my lack of knowledge despite me being a Muslim myself, I couldn't decide if I should read this as a fiction only or there is some truth in it. Im sure it's in between but I couldn't truly pinpoint which is which.
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One thing that is a plus for me is the characters. The diversity, the flawed personality, are actually refreshing. I got to see different kinds of people, the sacrifices they made and the risks they are facing, every character plays their part well. I applaud the author for her ability to write great characters. However, it would even better if there is at least someone who is a practising Muslim as a main character, means they dont drink alcohol, they are true to their gender or they dont missed their prayers. But I get why some things aren't accurate cause every book has to be diverse in every aspect for everyone. So i couldn't say much as my further comments would probably hurt someone else. Honestly I couldnt find any fantasy books with Muslim rep that actually a practising Muslim so it was kind of a let down a bit.
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Overall, this book is quite promising but I wasn't able to enjoy it that much.

Old pirates never die, but surely they can manage to retire? Amina lived a pretty successful life as a pirate, but when her daughter comes along she departs to live near her family, and make ends meet as best she can which involves rowing a couple of idiots out to hunt for treasure. This nearly ends in disaster for all of them when a demon is involved, but Amina still has her skills from her old life, and the story of her victory reminds some people she is still alive.
When a name from the past comes calling with a simple task to gather some information from old contacts, she is poor enough to be tempted to go out for one last voyage.
Unsurprisingly the simple task escalates into a mad tale of kidnapped granddaughters, sinister Franks, really ruthless pirates, sea monsters and one ex-husband who never ceases to be trouble, never mind how good he is in bed.

I found this book a delight to read. Amina’s jaundiced middle-aged narrative is a joy. The use of legends and history from the medieval Indian Ocean gives a rich background to the story, as well as the more prosaic details of everyday life. There is a lot of humour in the book, but also horror, and an exploration of how different cultures interact.
There is a hint in the acknowledgements at the back that this might be the start of a series, and I’ll be there for wherever Amina wants to go.

I had a copy of this book early through Netgalley

This was my first introduction to Shannon Chakrabortys work and it did not disappoint.

Amina Al-Sirafi makes for a great main character, her boldness, her dry humour, the past and literally just her entire being was amazing.

I really enjoyed this story, more than I was expected. I loved how we saw a lot of old history, I loved all the Islamic ties and seeing characters be practising Muslims in their everyday lives in such a normal relatable way. Amina isn’t a perfect main character, she has MANY flaws (as pirates tend to have) and I love her for it.

It was also interesting to have a main character and her cohort be aged 40 plus.

In terms of the plot, it gripped me from the start, lost me a little in the middle and then had me hooked again. My only issue with this book was that chapters felt immensely long and (especially in the middle of the book), they dragged a little and I found myself skim reading to get to a more interesting part.

Overall, I enjoyed this story. The book wraps up nicely as a stand-alone whilst still having an opportunity for further books. I would definitely recommend this book to high fantasy readers.

women’s stories are expected to dissolve into a fog of domesticity … if they’re told at all.
…
Amina’s story did not end.
…
For when Amina chose to leave her home and return to a life at sea, she became more than a pirate. More than a witch. She became a legend.

Rating: 4.75 stars

Characters: 9/10
Enjoyment: 9/10
Plot: 10/10
Worldbuilding: 10/10
Writing: 10/10

I truly do not have much to say, other than I had high expectations, and Chakraborty did not disappoint. This is what happens when I don't have anything to criticise. I just love her writing! This was amazing.

The adventures of Amina al-Sirafi is a story about a fierce retired pirate, now mother. She is blackmailed into taking one last job: tracking down and rescuing Dunya, a rich woman's granddaughter, from a power-hungry Frank with access to horrifying magic. Together with old crewmates, she embarks on one more adventure.

This book is set in the same universe as the Daevabad trilogy and occurs before it. If you don't want to commit to a series then you can read this as a standalone.

Shannon Chakraborty follows up her Daevabad trilogy (which started with City of Brass) with more Middle Eastern inspired fantasy. The first of a projected series, The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi delivers what the title and cover promise – a rollicking on-last-job tale of pirates, magic and high seas adventure in the vein of Sinbad. But just to mix things up a bit, Chakraborty puts an aging, retired female pirate captain as the centre of the action.
Former notorious pirate captain Amina Al-Sirafi has been retired for fifteen years. She lives a quiet, anonymous life with her daughter until a wealthy woman from Aden comes to her with an offer she is unable to refuse. She is asked to track down the woman’s grand-daughter, also daughter of one of Al-Sirafi’s former crewmen, for a huge reward or have her identity revealed to the world. The story then centres around Al-Sirafi getting the old band back together for one last mission but when magic is involved nothing turns out to be simple. But Al-Sirafi falls into her old patterns quickly and realises how much she missed her previous life and the glory that came with it.
The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi is a romp from start to finish. All of the elements are there - a magical macguffin, a moustache-twirling villain, monsters, unknowable spirit creatures, a bantering crew, long buried secrets, cliffhangers and reverses. Told with characters who have not been given centre stage in Western canon and in a setting that tries to be historically accurate. Chakraborty deploys these elements perfectly to deliver a fast paced, action packed tale with more than a little heart. And while some storylines get tied up, she leaves plenty of threads to be picked up in volumes to come.

I loved this book! I'm a sucker for a good pirate story, and I think Amina al-Sirafi might be one of my all time favourite pirates, coming in at a close second to Jack Sparrow. The narrative of this book is hilarious and each of the characters are layered and well thought out. You can tell how well researched and planned this book is, and I'm excited to see where SAC goes with this story next!

This is the first book I've read by Shannon Chakraborty, but I'm sure it won't be the last. The Daevabad trilogy has been on my TBR for ages, hopefully one day I'll get to it and enjoy the books as much as this one. I'm mainly a YA reader but it's nice to dip my toe into adult fantasy every so often and have some more mature books I can recommend to my older students.

Amina al-Sirafi is a retired pirate captain who is "persuaded" by the mother of a former crew mate to come out of retirement for one last job - rescuing her kidnapped granddaughter. Amina reluctantly agrees, sets off to find some of her old crew, many magical adventures follow.

I agree with the reviewers who said this felt more like a historical novel than out and out fantasy. It's obvious the amount of research that has gone into this book - and I did enjoy the extensive bibliography at the back! As a result of that, the world building is fabulous, everything felt so real and I could easily imagine all the settings. I also absolutely loved the framing device, and I really hope that continues in the next book(s) in the series.

First of all, I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.
The story is set in the 13th century, and the action takes the reader on journeys between Yemen, Oman, the Horn of Africa. This is the story of Amina, a retired pirate captain, forced out of retirement to defend her family and improve their not-so-great financial position. She then proceeds to put her old crew back together and embark on an adventure to save the.... world. So far so straightforward and traditional pirate lore. Then, however, we start learning more about her own history and the father of her daughter, encounter demons, jinns, marids, and evil sorcerers, visit magical islands, and learn about the fine balance between the world of humans and the magical realm.
On the surface, this might seem like another relatively simple fantasy novel, with a slightly different setting to the one the Western reader is used to, with some interesting characters, and a predictable plot. However, I personally found it among the best fantasy novels I read in the last few years, and let me tell you why.
The most striking thing about the book is the research that went into it. In many ways, this felt much more like a historical novel, than a fantasy one. The author painstakingly delved into literature old and new to allow her to, as accurately as possible, describe the vessels in use, what the cities looked like, and what day to day life might have felt like. The descriptions are so vivid that I felt like I was there. This was done even better than in her Daevabad trilogy, frankly.
The characters were also lifelike and multi-layered, evolving as the story progressed, with increasingly complex personality attributes being discovered. Even the "villain" in the story came across as more deluded than plain evil, which is often the case in real life. Naturally, this made the story feel more credible and fun, and made me fall in love with the main characters (whose further exploits I can't wait to participate in).
The other thing I really liked was the refreshing setting for a pirate / fantasy novel. It feels like the tools that magic in medieval Islam gives a contemporary author of fantasy are rich, fresh, and unexplored. The belief system supporting all this worldbuilding is equally fascinating, and it keeps amazing me that Islam actually was similar to this in those years.
Finally, I really liked the writing style. The pacing was superb - I never got tired. The wit was placed carefully throughout the story providing unforced moments of levity that made the story feel more human. The profanity felt natural and used to make a point and emphasise and emotion, rather than to shock the naive reader. The sex scenes were present, but tastefully done., without compromising the strength of the female characters.

I first saw the cover of this book months ago, before even knowing what it was about, and I had decided back then that it was going to be on my TBR.
I love fantasy stories with pirates and ships, so I knew that this should be my cup of tea, and I was so excited when I got an ARC through Netgalley!

The book, as the title suggests, follows the adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, a retired piratess who is spending her days at home in the company of her mother and her daughter, trying to keep the house leeking rouf from falling into their heads.
But of course someone will knock on her door, and due to certain circumstances, she will have to go back to her old life with her old friend to go rescue the daughter of an ex-member of her crew.
The story then follows her on her travels to different (and magical) places around the Indian Ocean.

From the first page, I knew that this was going to be a new favourite, and indeed, it delivered!
I loved the characters and their dynamics: a newly reunited family, a cat who doesn't hunt mice, and a demon ex-husband (!).
I also really liked the pace of the book, since I like really slow books, I was scared that this might be moving too quickly for me, but it worked perfectly.

Now I am just counting the days until I can hold a physical copy in my hands, and of course I cannot wait to read the sequel.