Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC of 'The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi' by Shannon Chakraborty.

I dnfed Chakraborty's previous work so I must say, I was nervous when I received the Arc for 'The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi'
I shouldn't have been nervous because this was so beautiful, I'm going to try the other series just because of it. Chakraborty's writing style is perfect and I loved Amina's story and the way the story just flowed. However, the pacing did feel slower to me than I would have liked but that may have been due to the fact that I wasn't expecting the book to be a series.

Overall, it was a fabulous book and I enjoyed it.

— 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 —

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi
𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: N/A
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫(𝐬): S. A. Chakraborty
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Fantasy
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: 2nd March 2023
𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬/𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬: Pirates, Motherhood, Mythical Beings, Marriage of Convenience, Religion
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 5/5

Amina al-Sirafi is a pirate coming out of retirement for one last adventure that promises to make her and her family wealthy beyond her wildest dreams. However, Amina finds there’s more murder, magic and sea monsters than she bargained for. One of those monsters being her husband she’d buried in a chest a decade previous. The odds are stacked against Amina in this tale, but becoming a legend was never gonna be easy.

I’m left in awe and a little bit speechless after reading this. The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi practically sparkles with adventure and personality. I get notoriously seasick and yet I am willing to leave my family on land for a life of piracy after reading this. Amina is just that enjoyable.

She’s also written in an incredibly progressive way: a Muslim mother who is open about enjoying sex and her struggles of motherhood. Now I know, whichever the religion, a parent struggles with the identity of becoming a parent. I’m not talking of the responsibility parenthood comes with, more that having a child—especially when that child is so young—tends to become your whole personality and there’s not much room left for the things that make you you. In Amina’s case, this was piracy. Definitely a career that some may frown upon a mother doing, but also a career that defines a mother as something other than a mother. Amina has that perfectly realistic balance of guilt and relief that comes with being a working mother yet also going after what she wants.

This adventure seems to take place across the entire Indian Ocean (maybe, I’m not sure, my geography is terrible). I found the settings to be rich, rife with life, and often incredibly tense due to the shenanigans of Amina and her crew.

Ah, the crew. Other than Amina, readers are introduced to Majed, Tinbu, and my new favourite side character: Dalila. I wasn’t lying when I said this book sparkles with personality. Majed, a reformed family man with a gaze that lands perpetually on the sea. Tinbu, a pirate that tried to go legit but can’t resist a gilded opportunity. And Dalila, the murderous mistress of poisons who is more like a mad scientist.

Overall, this is an adventure worth having, a world worth exploring, and a ship you don’t wanna let sail without you.


𝑲𝒂𝒚𝒍𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉 @ 𝑾𝒆𝒍𝒔𝒉 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝑭𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒚
🧚‍♀️🤍

Tremendously entertaining Thousand and One Nights-tinged piratical drama on the Indian Ocean. It’s a touch unsurprising and obviously sequel-oriented in patches, but did I mention it’s a tremendously entertaining pirate adventure? With a 40-something female captain? That elegantly balances contemporary sensibilities with the realities of its historical setting? Also, magical pirates?

——————

In retrospect, everything follows from Amina’s first chapter, which frames the themes — age, female empowerment, parenthood, legend — absolutely explicitly, right up front. It’s a bit direct and could be ploddingly didactic, but Chakraborty leaves the most important bit for last: this is a story above all else, and entertainment its highest aim. What we get is a fairly standard hero’s journey / assemble-the-team heist plot when you put it under the microscope. But it’s so packed with incident, with rich historical settings like the alien isle of Socotra, outrageous characters human and demonic, and yes, plentiful sword fights and sea combat, that the familiar tropes (mostly) all pop again. Add in some generous dashes of historical interest and some genuinely creepy / trippy supernatural elements, and you’ve got a winner.

My only real quibble is that the book gets a bit Marvel-esque by the end: huge, metaphorically CGI-animated slugfests between super-beings, overt set-up for at least two more installments, status quo restored through the medium of quips, etc. etc. Still, I don't begrudge the author doing what it takes to thrive in today’s publishing environment, and those elements are, of course, tremendously satisfying. If she can keep the intrigue alive over the next few books alongside the bam-pow action, Amina might really end up a legend.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

Oh my goodness ! This was magnificent ! I never read anything like it. The storytelling was immaculate. I got lost in the characters ,storyline and world building. I absolutely can not wait for the rest of the books in the series. I want to know what happen with Amina and certain someone. Their banter had me losing it ! And omg how I loved Amina and the crew.*chefs kiss. This was a first book for me from this author but I will definitely check the other series of hers, Definitely recommend!!! *5 magical stars*

Let me preface this by saying that Amina is a fantastic character. She's snarky, brave and tough. She's a pirate with a moral code. When it suits! I also liked the side characters and the banter. I was laughing out loud. The storyline was great and I did enjoy parts of it, but, for me, it was incredibly hard to get through. It was very descriptive (which is fine, if you're into that, but I'm not) but slow, and I really wanted the story to move along at a quicker pace.

I also enjoyed the cultural aspects to Amina's story and how she navigated that. I also loved her love of her ship. And her daughter. She was very cool - gave me Aelin vibes.

This story did end on a cliffhanger, but I don't think I will continue the series.

I realised very early on that this book wasn’t for me. I didn’t have any issues with it or anything negative to say it was just not for me. I think it would be a disservice to the author for me to finish this book and review it.

A compelling, high stakes fantasy with lady pirates, demons, heists, sprinkles of legend and muslim rep. Say no more. Amina Al-Sirafi jumped to my top release for the year and its safe to say I absolutely loved it!

This book not only spoke to me on so many levels, but it also made me appreciate the themes it touched on parenting and motherhood through Amina’s love for her daughter Marjana. The love of parents who take any opportunity, no matter the risks, just to secure a better future for their children. I know my parents did that for me, and the way this was explored through Amina was really touching.

Of course, all the positive representation explored through Amina’s character, not just as a Muslim or a mother but her flaws, the ugly truths she faces when deciding between being reasonable or being careless. She is complex, and she is not perfect. Not the perfect mother, not the perfect Muslim (no matter how many times I pray or make Dua I am not perfect either, can totally relate imo). It just made her character more likeable and relatable.

And my last case, on the first-person narrative voice of this book. Having Amina, as the narrator of her tales, the beginnings, near deaths and escapades that made her a legend was simply delightful. She is a snarky, confident and humorous narrator.

I can’t wait to see what else there is to be explored in this world. Trust me, get your pre-orders in, you don’t want to miss this adventure!

This review will be posted on my socials and goodreads soon!

The idea of retired criminals being lured back to the field for 'one last job' is not a new one, most commonly seen in heist-type stories, but in this case it's a middle-aged pirate who is bribed and blackmailed into retrieving the kidnapped granddaughter of a wealthy widow. Amina Al-Sirafi had a near-legendary reputation as a female pirate, but for the last ten years has been living a secluded life with her daughter. Despite her qualms, she is drawn back to her old ship and crew as they head out in search of the missing girl and a mythical treasure, coming up against an extremely sinister enemy who is able to use magic to achieve his sinister goals.

As you'd expect with a pirate story, it's full of life and action. Amina and her friends are regularly being presented with dangers ranging from bad weather to sea monsters, unsympathetic customs agents to evil wizards. And each time they battle through in well written action sequences. It's not just mindless thrills though; there's also Amina's personal conflicts as she realises how much she has missed her old life whilst simultaneously feeling guilty about not being with her child - something most parents will identify with.

Amina is a likeable heroine and her loyal crew are great supporting characters. Their foe is genuinely scary. Unlike Chakraborty's 'Daevabad' trilogy there is no love story as such, which is interesting as the romance plot was an integral part of that series. Personally I like stories where there is no romance element - there's more to life than finding a partner, and no need for every significant story to include that. This novel shows you can write just as a good a book by focussing on other relationships - in this case, particularly that between mother and child and also between friends and comrades.

It was nice to read a book with a middle-aged hero, complete with a bad knee. It made me realise how many fantasy books of the sort I enjoy have young characters. It's refreshing to focus on an older cohort of people than usual for the genre.

It's not as deep or as complicated as the 'Daevabad' trilogy - again that it's not necessarily a negative comparison and the Davebad novels got a bit too bogged down in complex backstory, that was near impossible to remember all the details of between instalments. It feels somehow shallower, but it's full of life and energy. It looks likely it will be followed by at least one sequel, and it will be interesting to see how the characters are developed. There's certainly a lot of scope with the characters introduced here. Now we've 'met' them and got them introduced, Chakraborty will have more chances in the next instalments to grow them.

If you enjoyed the 'Daevabad' trilogy you are likely to enjoy this book - but as mentioned above, there are some key differences which are worth noting in case any of them change your mind. It's an exciting and enjoyable read, and is likely to be enjoyed by a range of fantasy fans and broader readers who like adventures and action packed books with or without the supernatural being involved.

This book felt like an epic from ancient times.
Full of adventures, rescuers and villains, great deeds, fantastical creatures and worlds.

Amina al-Sirafi is a retired pirate and captain of a ship and its crew, with a few legendary tales to her name. After ten years on land, she is persuaded to do one last job. But her task is not as easy as she was led to believe, and even assembling the members of her old crew becomes an adventure in itself.


The story is beautifully written, it is very captivating and descriptive. There is situational comedy at some points, but I wish there was more of it because Shannon Chakraborty does this so well. There is also some swearing and cursing, and let's face it, this is a pirate story, it would be strange to leave it out.
Throughout the book I was amazed at the amount of detail and thought that went into the story, and apart from the fantasy elements it could easily have been an account of a real person's lived life.
I also loved the folk lore in this book, and because Shannon Chakraborty did so much research for this book, I learned a lot in addition to what I already knew.
The only thing that bothered me is that the first half of the book progresses so slowly and a bit too much is explained. 5 to 10% could have been left out to captivate readers more and without negatively affecting the story. It took me a few days to read this part. But once you get past the 50% mark, the story picks up, and I read it through in one go until the next morning.

So, this book is perfect for anyone who wants to immerse themselves in an extensive and well-thought-out fantasy world with an unapologetic, badass female pirate, complex characters, and has a bit of time on their hands.
This might be not for you, if you prefer a fast-paced, quick and easy read.

A swashbuckling adventure for the ages. This was my first from the author and won't be the last.. The plot here is an intense pleasure and really fills us with grief and hope.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for an e-ARC of this book.

“What a wondrous experience to go anywhere you wish with only the wind.”

Amina Al-Sirafi was once a notorious pirate, with many still telling stories of her and her scandalous past. After having her daughter Marjana, she leaves behind her life on the sea for a quiet, secluded existence. However, this all changes when a wealthy woman, and mother to her former crewman, turns up on her doorstep offering enough money to secure her family’s future for generations, in exchange for finding her granddaughter.

While I did not particularly connect with Amina, it is always refreshing to see an older female protagonist. Amina is now in her 40s, with a scar along her forearm and pain in her knee from old injuries, and her priorities are to keep her daughter and the rest of her family safe. She is strong and determined, and when needed, can still put up a fight after all these years though. The book does a good job of exploring motherhood and the identity of a woman after she becomes a mother; Amina often misses her daughter while on the sea, and is reluctant at first to admit that she has longed to go on adventures again.

The book does have a diverse cast of characters; Amina’s friends/crew are from different places and they respect each other’s different faiths. I do not want to delve too much in to the Muslim representation, but if any fellow Muslim readers are interested in this, I think this was generally done in a respectful manner. I would also like to note that we do get some LGBTQ+ representation in our side characters which, while not a main focus of the story, was well done.


So, why was this book only a 3-star read?

As I mentioned above, I did not particularly connect with Amina and I was not really invested in the other characters either. There were a few sweet character moments, however, and you could tell the friends really cared for each other as the story progressed.

The plot itself was okay, but I was not very engaged in it. The pacing of the first half was not particularly slow, but as Amina gets her old crew together, I found myself just waiting for her to set off on her task and encounter the villain of the story. The last 20-25% of the book was particularly enjoyable for me, with the story wrapped up nicely. I also enjoyed certain places and characters introduced in this last chunk of the book. I believe this is set in the same world as The Daevabad Trilogy, which I still need to read; there is a mention of beings such as djinn/daeva and peri, which I found very interesting.


Overall, The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi was a good first instalment to a trilogy, with a nice setup for books to come. I think I may be in the minority of readers who didn’t love this book, and I’m not sure I will be continuing the trilogy. However, I am still glad to have read it and think it is worth giving it a try.

This was a fun adventure in the spirit of an 'Indiana Jones' movie or a 'Tomb Raider' game, chronicling a treasure-hunting adventure helmed by a swashbuckling female pirate and a supporting cast of loveable characters. Add in some supernatural elements - including magic, demons and mythological creatures - and this was pretty much guaranteed to be a new favourite of mine! There are hints at the end of the story that there is potential for more books in this series and I sincerely hope to see that potential realised.

All in all, this was an enjoyable, easy and engaging read. Part fantasy, part historical fiction and part heist movie, this is a rollicking ride of epic proportions with fun characters and plenty of humour. Presenting yet another title that is as beautiful as its cover, I would thoroughly recommend this book.

Thank-you very much to the publishers and Netgalley for having provided me with an advance copy for review!

The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi is gorgeously written and has some wonderful characters who are easy to be intrigued by. However, I found it difficult to become invested in - considering the subject matter, the plot can be surprisingly slow. I think these pacing issues result from this being (hopefully!) the first in a series - the necessity of establishing characters, lore, and location added a bit of lag. That said, there are some great adventures here, and complex characters who you can still root for. I was surprised by who I ended up becoming most invested in (Dunya!) and really look forward to further instalments, which can build on the successes here and hopefully avoid some of the pitfalls.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I must confess that I have been dying to read S.A. Chakraborty for a long time. However, the fact that her previous trilogy did not catch my attention and the disparate opinions among my mutuals about her works stopped me from giving her a chance.

When I found out that she would release a novel with a nautical fantasy setting, the hype to read it was enormous. There was no way I wasn't going to read that book.

I remember that the story was advertised as Sinbad the Sailor meets Ocean's Eleven, and it lived true to its promotional campaign since the whole time, I felt like I was reading a perfect combination between Sinbad the Sailor, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Indiana Jones. I mean, doesn't that sound incredibly badass?

The story follows the story of Amina al-Sirafi during one of her adventures at sea, but this time the protagonist is not inspired by fame or riches but by the desire to protect her family. And yes, listen to me, the protagonist is a single mother between her 40s and 60s, and a pirate, which btw is fantastic and something that adds a lot to the story. I wish we could see that more often in the genre.

Among the things that I liked the most are the characters because although it is not a book focused on their development, with the little you get to know about each of them, their history, and their reasons for being part of the crew, the fluidity with which each of their personalities fits into the story creates a perfect harmony impossible not to enjoy.

On the other hand, the plot of the story is not the strong point of the novel, and the number of fantastic elements was so many and introduced in such an abrupt manner that it kept me from enjoying them as much as I would have liked. Fortunately, all of this becomes minimal when you realize the historical and social value that lies behind the story. And since I can't let it go, and I never imagined I would find that in this story, the queer representation in this book is vast and very well done. (Also, alert from found-family trope)

Overall, The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi is an incredible story that defies what we know of the genre but also doesn't fall short in giving us everything we look for in a good nautical fantasy book.

Like glory set in stone Amina longs for a life forgotten whilst dreaming of a life of fame. In her middle age, she has her house, her daughter and her family - where once she had her ship, freedom - the wide open seas and a different sort of family. Just as dysfunctional too. Her quiet world is rudely interrupted by Salima - she has hunted Amina down with a purpose. Her Granddaughter has been kidnapped, to hear her tell it. Agreeing to investigate, though it breaks her heart to leave her daughter. Promising to return safely and soon, Amina travels to Aden. Along the way she collects the various parts of her family at sea. Though it broke her heart to leave her daughter, part of it has always been yearning to be back at sea

I love this book so freaking much. It has such a nuanced storyline, combining the past and the future. Trailing us through Amina’s past whilst catapulting us into the future. This world is so rich, so historically accurate and so blessedly non western centric.

I love how this story is told how stories are meant to be told. As a tale recounted. She tells of young adventures, filled with ambition to explore the whole world, as well as the later tale - one tempered by wisdom but with no less adventure. Tested by old dark magics and the depth of the sea, Amina is sailing again.

This is a quite enjoyable fantasy adventure that will appeal to many readers, although for me it wasn't the best fit..
There are a lot of things that i thought were refreshing in this one.
Firstly I liked the fact that most of our main characters are 30+, as this is not something we fantasy readers usually get.
The setting is interesting and the Muslim represantation is done in a way that even readers such as myself, who don't know a lot about this religion, will understand a lot of the traditions and learn even more.
The highlight for me was the prose. Simple but beautiful, with some wonderful descriptions
There is some humor also thrown in which worked most of the time and helped the pace a bit.
The plot is quite straight-forward and at times was predictable. That wasn't a big problem, but the fact that some acts were not really explained, left me a few times scratching my head as the why and how..
The general tone of the book is pretty light (though there are some gritty scenes) with some ok action scenes.
My main issues I had though were the pacing and the characters.
The pacing was at times slow (especially at the beginning) and wasn't helped by the choice to give us our first glimpse at the main bad guy, after the 50%.
About the characters I don't have anything really negative to say but since I couldn't connect with any of them, I don't have anything positive to say either. They were just ok.
And for me the word ok sums up this book. I didn't hate it but I didn't love it either. This I think will appeal more to female readers, Muslim readers and readers who Like their fantasy light and not overly complicated.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins Uk for providing me with an earc.

I would like to thank NetGalley for allowing me early access to this novel.

'The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafri' is a spellbinding story - depicting a retired pirates return to the dangerous, unpredictable life in which she left. Amina, along with her loveable crew, pair battling fantastical beasts with the lovable narrative of family and honour at the core of their adventure.

Although slow at first, this novel really picks up and becomes very hard to put down once the true adventure begins. Before I began this book, I was unsure about how the prominent theme of the Islamic culture and religion would translate to someone who has is not of that religion myself. However, Shannon Chakraborty does an amazing job at explaining everything very well and allowing the cultural and religious aspects to be understood clearly. As a South Asian reader, I very much enjoyed seeing a female protagonist, from a similar cultural background, break all norms and excel in the role she plays within this novel.

This book will definitely be recommend upon release.

This was such fun, a rollicking adventure with a fabulous heroine, an evocative setting and a lovely blend of history and magic.

Amina al-Sarafi is a middle aged mother, worried about her daughter's socialisation, her brother's upcoming new baby and solvency, a leaking roof - oh, and she's a retired pirate. Built like an Amazon, her reputation is legendary, half myth half truth. Hidden away from enemies and the law she is dedicated to raising her ten year old daughter and staying safe, until she is lured out for one last job by a mixture of guilt and the promise of enough money to solve not just her problem, but her descendents problems for centuries to come. This means getting the old crew back together, now in different spheres of respectability, to track down an abducted girl. A girl whose father's death still haunts Amina.

The sheer amount of research that went into this book is staggering but it pays off as Shannon Chakraborty brings the world around the Indian ocean five hundredish years ago to life in vivid colour. Amina is a wonderful heroine, strong, courageous, flawed and compelling, and there are wonderful character touches with the drawbacks of dodgy knees and middle age in a quest fully realised. I loved every word, highly recommended.

I really find it refreshing that the book is set in northwestern Indian ocean while in the crusades. The female pirate, who is truly amazing!!! was called back to the sea with one last big job. Her travels consist of all sorts of danger, magic, myth, monsters all within the brilliant world that’s created within the pages. The amazing build up of suspense brought to the reader is breathtaking and will keep you turning the page.
This is a must for any fantasy reader, and is truly original.

Thankyou to netgally for giving me the opportunity to enjoy this book.

THANKS TO NETGALLEY FOR THIS REVIEW COPY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW

I was beyond elated after getting this ARC. The Daevabad is one of my favourite fantasy trilogies. I've been following the author since then and knew that she was working on a new series that too heavily relied on history. Pirates are not my favourite but I was willing to be neutral while getting into this series and ironically enough I really enjoyed the pirate and sea aspect. So, maybe the stereotypical portrayal of pirates and sea life isn't my cuppa.

Amina Al-Sirafi is an ex-pirate and an older one. Her young self was adventurous, but now she is a new person trying to make everything right. She has retired and lives with her daughter and mother, in an isolated position. But the past has a way to seep into the present and one can't always escape it.

The story was no doubt unique, it is rare to find a middle age MC in fantasy. I like that story was told from Amina's perspective and her way of storytelling was perfect and I loved it. It gave me enough insight into her character. In the Daevadbad series I fell for the unique world-building and then the characters here it was a bit different Characters caught my attention and world-building was hit-and-miss for me throughout. The world-building was strong and I didn't find any problem imagining but I didn't particularly enjoy it, especially all the astronomical aspects which was a lot. I enjoyed the plot, writing style, ending and characters but was unable to connect with them.

For sake of diversity, the author threw a few elements that I found contradictory to the concept of Muslim rep and I was disappointed. It is so rare to read a good Muslim rep nowadays. Excessive detail was also a letdown to me. I really wanted to enjoy it, anyways I don't see myself continuing this trilogy in future.