This book has been out for almost a year, but I finally got to reading the arc I received through Netgalley. As always I'm very grateful for the opportunity! And as always, my opinions are my own.

Shannon Chakraborty is mostly known for her Daevabad trilogy which has been on my to read list for a long time. I got the first book for Christmas even a couple of years ago, and still haven't read it... But I'm glad to report its spot on my tbr is fully deserved and I'm going to have to read those books sooner rather than later. I loved loved loved the writing style of The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi. The main character is a badass woman (and I mean, an actual badass woman, not just because we're told she is). I enjoyed the sarcasm, the wit and the heartfelt moments of friendship that really were the heart of this book for me.

As much as I love standard, western European medieval fantasy, it has been refreshing to read about other parts of the world and another religion. I also thought the 'recommended reading' at the end of the book really shows how much research has gone into this book and I may have written down one or two sources to check out myself.

I hope this book will not remain a stand alone novel and Amina's story will continue in many chapters to come!

This adventure novel is ok, I don’t regret reading it, but I also wouldn’t read more in the series. The protagonist reminds me of Jack Sparrow sometimes. The only problem is, that her character as a ruthless pirate is just told to the reader. We never see her acting like it. The side characters wheren‘t really interesting. A missed opportunity for found family. The feministic thoughts didn’t really fit the time. It would have been better to not place the novel into a specific time in history but rather let it be fantasy on the whole.

A fantastic start to what promises to be another amazing series from Chakraborty. I will always have a weak spot for books set at sea and this is no exception. This is an absolute riot to read with loveable characters, amazing banter, and a fabulous adventure. I listened to the audiobook and would highly recommend it - the narrator does a great job of bringing Amina to life. One of the best books of 2023!

4.5⭐️
I loved this book from Shannon, she always builds such magical worlds. With so much detail and rich history you can get lost for days and not even realise! I truly hope we get to see the rest of Amina's adventures!

I really tried and tried but I couldn't get into this book. I didn't want to review until I'd finished it but Months later and I've still not picked it back up

This was SO much fun, words cannot describe how much I enjoyed this. First of all, when I found out SA Chakraborty was writing another book set in the world of Daevabad, I was over the moon. It’s one of my favourite universes, incredibly beautiful and intricate with amazing characters. I am Geri happy to say that the adventures of Amina Al Sirafi didn’t disappoint whatsoever. I loved Amina and cannot wait to go on more journeys with her!

With all the great things I’d heard about this book, I may have been a touch hesitant going in – there’s always a slight fear I’m not going to get along with a book as much as others have. But, finally, I got around to reading this (and big thanks to Harper Voyager for providing this book via NetGalley), and I absolutely freaking loved it.

After an adventurous life at sea, pirate Amina al-Sirafi has taken a well-deserved retirement to spend more time with her family and raise her daughter. But Amina is approached by the mother of one of her former crew, and offered a large sum to retrieve her old friend’s daughter. It’s not only the money offered or the idea of helping an old friend that draws her back to sea, but the prospect of adventure, though Amina soon finds she is in over her head, with the situation more complicated than the old woman said.

I loved Amina, and I’m so glad we seem to be getting two more books about her adventures. It’s clear she cares deeply for her family and her crew, and appreciates when her friends come out of their own retirement to help her. She is haunted by what happened to her former crewmate, and driven by the need to ensure her daughter’s safety. It’s also incredibly refreshing to see more novels with older characters as the lead; Amina and her friends aren’t as sprightly as they used to be, but they throw themselves in and work together to get out the other side.

It’s also an absolute pleasure to see a pirate adventure that moves away from the Caribbean and the pirates we’re commonly used to seeing, as well as the use of different types of mythology and sea creatures. The magic weaved in is handled really well, too, and makes for a really exciting read. I think this is going to hit right at the top of my ‘favourite books read this year’ list.

So, this book has great characters, an epic adventure, lots of magic and plenty of magic going wrong, a well written plot and a world you can get swept into very easily – what more could you even ask for?

Very conveniently I can write the same review for both. The review goes:

If you’re writing a book set in a historical place, please do not leave me very aware that I’m reading the work of an American of the modern age. The tone, the concerns, the word choices… I read this work to be transported to another place, another world, not ours. I’m down for anachronistic fantasy but the moment you’re setting it in this world, the bar is higher. I’ll make an exception for Lindsey Davis and Falco, as she’s hilarious and very consistent in the liberties she takes.

Not for these two. Shame that.

Incidentally, the prologue was very preachy and full of exposition at the same time. If I didn't have so many friends excited for me to read it, I'd have put it down there and then.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐀𝐥-𝐒𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐢 ✨

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁?
A retired pirate, Amina Al-Sirafi has become something of legend. Rogues and brigands still whisper her name in fear across the seven seas. When she's approached with a job that no pirate could refuse, Amina jumps at the chance to have one last adventure on the sea with her old crew to secure her family's future.

𝗪𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘁?
I really enjoyed this for the most part! A high seas adventure set in a medieval Middle East, the descriptions were beautiful and I loved the culture and little stories scattered throughout. Sometimes it did feel a bit slow though and I had to push through it but overall a good read I'd recommend.

The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi is one of my most anticipated reads of 2023, and I was very excited to get my hands on the Waterstones exclusive edition in store. I was also lucky enough to receive an ebook copy of this novel from the publisher Harper Voyager.

I was very excited to buy a physical copy of this novel because it is absolutely beautiful. The cover is stunning, and it has a lovely coloured map in the front and a colour illustration in the end pages. I'm very happy to have such a nice hardback book on my shelves!

I really enjoyed The Daevabad Trilogy by this author in 2020ish and really enjoyed it. I was excited to try something new from Shannon. I was a little worried that it would be a slow read. I found I had this problem with her previous trilogy, it dragged a litle bit at times. No chance of that happening in this novel! The plot here is really tight, it flies along at a really brisk pace and I couldn't put it down!

I read this book over a weekend, and it was a perfect weekend read. I definitely got more enjoyment from it reading it quite quickly, I was able to keep the plot in my head clearer. In this book we follow Amina, a retired pirate captain who has to come out of her retirement to rescue a girl she belives has been kidnapped.

I adore Amina as a character. I love having a female main character that is a wee bit older, who has lived a life before we meet her. Amina also has a daughter, who is a lovely character. I really ejoyed the extra dimension to Amina this brought. Amina is quite a reckless person, but it was really interesting to see how her decision making was influenced by her daughter, and the thoughts of leaving her daughter or not seeing her again held such a strong influence.

As with Shannon's previous work, the whole cast of characters in the novel are excellent. The family that Amina has made in her crew, and the relationships between them were so brilliantly written. Despite meeting them when their relationships are already set, the reader is immediately made aware of how they get on and the different way Amina interacts with each of them.

Overall I really loved this book! I can't wait to spend more time aboard Amina's ship in the next books, they can't come soon enough!!

Not for me, unfortunately. The writing style seems to be aimed at the YA reader rather than the adult reader. The novel seems like it's trying too hard to be amusing but just falls flat. I might give this book a third try since I really do like the idea of positive middle aged, Muslim female representation.

I have owned the first two books in the Daevabad series for awhile now but I still haven't read them yet. The reviews are great and Candyce loved them so I have high hopes. This new book in the start of a series set in the same world as the Daevabad series and it takes place before the events of that series. It's not necessary to read the Daevabad series before reading this one but I do imagine there are some easter eggs if you do. So I do want to try and read the previous series before the second book about Amina releases.

One of the things that drew me to this book was the fact that it was about a female pirate. And on top of that she is a mother! We don't get those kind of main characters often unfortunately. I really loved how Amina was portrayed. She is Muslim, and while I'm not Muslim myself it did feel like there was good representation.

The story has a historical setting, something I really enjoy. And to make it even better, it's set somewhere else than the usual settings we see in English novels. The story takes place in the Middle East and I really enjoyed the mention of some familiar places. I was just teaching the kids in my schoolclass about the Ottoman Empire and it was great seeing it mentioned here. Historical fiction with a fantasy twist is one of my favorite genre and this one did not disappoint. I really liked the magic system and I can't wait to learn more about it.

The story is almost 500 pages long and isn't super fast paced but you do want to continue reading and learning more. It is told as a recount of past events and I like that narration a lot. Like I said, the book isn't really fast paced but I didn't mind it. It did take me awhile to get through it, but that was probably more because of me than because of the book. I definitely wanted to continue reading and the first chapter already drew me in.

Overall I would say this was a really fun book with some great messages. I adored that Amina wanted to show her daughter she could be anything even when you're a girl or a mother. Your path shouldn't be limited because of that. The characters were great, the storyline interesting and the world building was really cool. I'm looking forward to the sequel and I hope to read Shannon's previous series as well!

I love pirate books since I started to read. I read the old classics, I saw the movies, but I never noticed that my heart ached for something more. And, finally, it found it. The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi is a tale made of the same material of legends and myths. Is an epic adventure, full of magic and danger, fights and quests, sobrenatural creatures and mythical artifacts. But it has something no other pirate book has… Amina Al-Sirafi.

I had so much fun with this book. I loved every single minute of it, I couldn’t put it down. It was such a refreshing and captivating take on pirates stories. Action packed and fast paced, geographically and historically accurate but complementing perfectly with the fantastical plot, this book gave me the same vibes of oldie favorites. But, this time, we have magic, diversity and girl power and it was awesome, and what the little me wanted for so long.

And, let’s be honest, Amina is such a star. I listen this in audiobook, and for me it was the best way to read this book. Because Shannon is such a good storyteller and Amina is such a charismatic and inspiring character. She is so real, so mundane, so imperfect, and I can’t stop admiring her. For her freedom, for her carefree, for her love, for her strength. She is the woman I want to be someday. I loved follow her adventure and can’t wait to sail with her again.

The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi could have been an old fashioned tale but, instead, is the modern and feminist twist of pirate stories that I didn’t knew that I need it. It will be a classic on its own.

Thank you to Netgalley UK for providing me an arc in exchange of an honest review

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi was a fantastic, fast-paced and fun fantasy with pirates and magic.

We join Amina, a retired pirate who is trying to have a calm home life but she gets asked to go back to her old life to help someone out for quite a bit of money but nothing is as it seems...

I really liked the characters. We meet her old crew who I really liked the banter between them.

Loved this :-) would definitely recommend.

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi is a story about an infamous former pirate who had given up on chasing treasure in favour of raising her daughter instead. After an unfortunate run-in with a supernatural being, she gains the attention of a wealthy grandmother who wants to bring her out of retirement for one last, life-changing job; to find and return her granddaughter, Dunya.

Amina sets off in search of her former trusted crew, which happens to include:
✨ Dalila, a formidable woman with extensive knowledge of poisons
✨ Tinbu, a loveable first mate who Amina entrusted her ship to
✨ Majed, an extremely knowledgeable navigator who refuses to believe that he has ever been a pirate, of course

Things aren’t all plain sailing though, and a simple retrieval job finds the crew in a fight against a white man that can’t help but dabble with magic in an attempt to take as much from the world as he can. Add in some supernatural elements (including djinn and demons), and a beastie even more formidable than that of the kraken in Dead Man’s Chest, and The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi is packed with action from start to finish.

The story will appeal to so many, with Amina’s motherly love being strongly apparent throughout; a crew that makes for an excellent found family; LGBTQ+ representation; hilarious banter (especially between Amina and her estranged husband); a cute little animal companion; and, above all else, it’s just an incredibly fun read.

I can’t wait for the next books, and if you’re looking for a pirate story that is both fun and emotive then this is a perfect choice!

This new novel by Chakraborty did not dissapoint. I really loved her other series so I had high hopes. You get thrown into this magical world and go on an adventure together with the characters. Very well written, highly reccomend.

Before starting this book, I knew that I might not like it as much as the Daevabad Trilogy, which is one of my favorite series. Why? Well, because the author had previously said that even though both were adult fantasy series, this one wouldn’t be a political story, but an adventure story. The thing is that I love fantasy books with strong political components, while I don’t tend to gravitate towards quest storylines where the stakes are not that high.

The book starts off with Amina al-Sirafi, a former nakhuda, telling the story of how she became a legend after being forced to come out of retirement for one last heist assembling her old crew: her first mate, a poisoner, a navigator and maybe (and very much unwillingly) a demon from her past. Together they embark on an adventure to rescue the child of a former crewman and save the world from a Western mercenary.

Objectively, I think this is a well-crafted book: a historical fantasy story set in the 12th century Indian Ocean littoral with rich and detailed descriptions (you can tell the author carried out a in-depth documentation about that period), an interesting cast of characters led by a retired pirate and a narrative style that the author continues to improve with each book she publishes. My problem is that I was quite bored for most of this book and found the plot too linear, which is something that usually happens to me with quest stories. I guess I was hoping for the jaw-dropping plot twists I was used to in the Daevabad Trilogy.

At the end of the day, I just think that The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi wasn’t for me. I still consider Chakraborty one of my favorite authors, so even though this first installment didn’t end up working for me and I probably won’t continue reading this trilogy, I definitely plan on reading her future works.

This book has been so majorly hyped that I was a bit nervous to read it. Alas, I shouldn't have been because this book absolutely deserves the glory that it's relieved. Such a beautiful, magical world. Would definitely recommend!!

Finally, a sea-adventure following a grown up woman rather than a teen! Amina has lived her life on the sea, has made her name before settling down to raise her daughter. However, she's called to adventure once more and will need to get her old crew back together.

I love Amina, hilarious and strong. I laughed so many times and if you can get your hands on the audiobook then I would 100% recommend you do so.

I need more, now

I absolutely loved reading this book! Exactly what I needed to get out of a reading slump!

This is the first book I read from Shannon Chakraborty and I am going to read more of her books. Her writing draws you in and the world-building keeps you glued!