Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for the ARC! Here is my honest review!

Actual rating 3.5⭐

For the one who likes adventure, this book is for you! In accordance to the title we follow Amina journey to save her own family (not directly for sure). I always love pirates story and this one tell us about a retired one. It's quite unique to follow the female pirate that I believe has passed her prime time as a pirate. She's not the perfect one but she still has her willpower from young age. It also nice to see Muslim representative here, she must be the liberal one but still nice to see them remember to pray and etc.

We follow Amina's journey from the beginning. Trying to scout back all her team one by one, searching for this girl she assigned to, face much bigger conflict, battle to save the world. Fyuuhh such a long journey. I'm not really fond of the writing style. I think too much filler so sometimes I just skimming the chapter. But I like the way the author rise the conflict. I also love the story or intermezzo that insert in the middle of the story especially about the legend or the past, make me understand more about the story.

A high seas adventure with female badass pirates, a mother as the main character, demon husbands and much more.
The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi is a good old-fashioned fantasy book, but one that didn't bore me with old familiar characters and plot twists. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but doesn't get boring, especially because of its characters. But maybe first, what it's about: Amina Al-Sirafi is a retired pirate, taking care of her daughter, when she is approached by a mother of a former colleague and offered a whopping sum for what seems to be a small job... Of course, not everything goes according to plan.
I have read very few books with parents as main characters. It didn't take up a large part of the story, but was quite refreshing for a change.
The book would have made it to five stars if it hadn't had a twist at the end, which I don't like that much, but of course can't say anything about because of spoilers.
So it was four stars, which is still great and I am looking forward to the next part and can only recommend it to every fantasy fan.

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi is a book I’ve been anticipating since first hearing about it. Shannon Chakraborty’s debut fantasy series is one of my favourites, so I was always pretty sure I would enjoy this one a lot, which, surprising no one, I did.

The tone of Amina al-Sirafi is quite different to the Daevabad trilogy — where that focused a lot more on politics, this is a high-stakes romp across oceans in order to rescue an old comrade’s daughter. Amina as a narrator is also a lot more obviously out of patience for it all than Nahri ever was (partly, I think, because we never saw inside Nahri’s head). In that sense, it’s also a lot narrower in scope when it comes to characters. We only really get Amina’s POV, with occasional interjections from the storyteller she’s telling her tale to.

But it’s a testament to Chakraborty’s skill as a writer that none of the side characters feel any less fleshed out for it. Each of them stands out vibrantly on the page and, as the book has the framing of being a story told by Amina, it makes sense that they don’t get POVs (yet?). That doesn’t make them any less fascinating a bunch and I feel like future books aren’t entirely closed to perhaps giving them a little time to tell their own stories. That could just be wishful thinking, though.

As with the Daevabad trilogy, the world which Amina inhabits is vivid and fully realised. I think this is one of Chakraborty’s greatest strengths, how she puts her research to full effect. You can tell just how much has gone into the book and just how lovingly it’s been represented. Her previous trilogy primarily takes place in just a couple of locations, but Amina travels to numerous different countries and cities on her voyages, which gives the world a chance to shine.

All of which to say, in brief, that if Shannon Chakraborty is an author you haven’t tried yet, then this would be a good book to start with. Trust me, you won’t regret it.

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi is an epic fantasy tale with a large cast of wonderful characters, set in a rich and complex seafaring world. This is the story of a retired pirate in her forties with a ten year old daughter. She still feels the pull of the sea and receives an offer no pirate can refuse and the chance to have one last adventure with her crew.

There is plenty to hold your interest here and it’s action all the way with all manner of beasties and creatures to fight against. Amina’s crew are brilliant, including the wonderful Mistress of Poisons with her bonnet of deadly vials. I particularly liked the connection with Amina and Raksh, their relationship is quite hilarious and I chuckled many a time with their comedic and snarky interactions. Amina hates him and no matter how hard she tries she can’t seem to get rid of him. She imagines pushing him off of a cliff but the ‘motherf…er would probably bounce back up again’. He’s a bit of a villain but strangely I found myself warming to him near the end of the book.

I read an eARC of this book and usually I can get through ebooks quite quickly, but this is definitely not a book you can read quickly as there is so much to take in. It’s a great start to the trilogy, I’m looking forward to more exciting adventures and I do hope we see more of Raksh!

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC via Netgalley to review {AD: Gifted ARC}.

“A little madness goes a long way in convincing men that you might stab them if they step out of line”

My gratitude to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for a free e-ARC of "The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi" by Shannon Chakraborty.

This adventure is set in the vast Indian Ocean, which for centuries has been used for trade across the numerous continents it touches and the many peoples, cultures, religions, mythologies and folk tales are well represented in this novel.

And where there is trade there are also pirates, none more notorious than our main character Amina al-Sirafi. Amina, a few years older, now has other priorities the main one of raising and protecting her daughter, who obviously dotes on her mother.

“I had not told her more. It is a difficult thing to destroy your child’s innocence. To tell her that the mother she adores is not the “best mama in the world,” but a real person who has done terrible, unforgivable things”

However, when a proposition comes her way, offering a substantial award and a way to make amends to an old, late friend, Amina decides to set out one last time, in the hope that this will be her last adventure.

“He who dares does while he who fears fails”

Amina then starts to bring the crew back together, and we see the loyalty which made her one of the best captains on the seas. And it does not take them long to get back into their old ways.

“My ancestors had attuned their lives to the sea for far too long for me to forget its rhythms”

Soon they fall not only into their old adventurous ways but an adventure filled with mythical creatures, demons, old magic and even a long-lost husband to deal with. And the adventure becomes not just a fight to rescue one person but a battle to save the world and Amina puts her life, the life of her crew and even her own future on the line to try and rid the world of an evil, mad sorcerer, who is hoping to use an ancient magical artefact to become Godlike.

I loved the story created by Shannon and especially the way it was told via a scribe but there is some banter between them both as they at times disagree on how the story should be told.

“For this scribe has read a great many of these accounts and taken away another lesson: that to be a woman is to have your story misremembered. Discarded. Twisted.”

The story is very plot-driven and has great world-building. And while I do enjoy the excitement at each turn of the page, I would have loved to find out a bit more of the backstory of each of the crew members and why they are so loyal to Amina. I hope to get the opportunity to read more about them in future books in the series.

I also need to praise Shannon for writing, Amina, the main character and the hero as a middle-aged Muslim mother and also for the inclusion of the different faiths found in this cosmopolitan world. And for also the LGBTQIA+ representation found in the book

“A life at sea often attracts those who don’t fit in”

I look forward to reading the rest of the series and if like me you cannot wait, I would suggest Shannon’s other series The Daevabad Trilogy and also The Foundryside trilogy

I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Am I allowed to gush about the cover? The UK and US one are both utterly gorgeous. I’ve read S. A. Chakraborty’s Daevabad trilogy before this but this novel published as Shannon Chakraborty is more adult in theme, there is more swearing and the protagonist and her former crew are middle-aged. The villain is in a similar age bracket and the grandmother who comes to Amina al-Sirafi for aid in rescuing her granddaughter is, well, a grandmother. The granddaughter is the daughter of someone Amina knows too; Chakraborty is firm about the perspective and sticks to it. It’s refreshing: retired pirate, a mother, a former captain who has been out of the game as a consequence of her own bad behaviour in the past and need to atone and put her only child first is wonderful. She’s tempted by many many things (married four times and divorced in Muslim tradition) and her judgement as we learn needs the balance of a paranoid assassin, a dreaming cartographer and a man who can be trusted with a ship but not customs officers or government officials.

Amina is fictional and brilliant. Chakraborty is the author’s married name and she notes in the afterword that an awful lot of research went into the manuscript but some of the observations beyond the folklore are fantastical. Western readers rarely see an Arabian Nights-style adventure unfurled without it being exoticised but Chakraborty endeavours to make it an account from Amina herself who has travelled the Indian Ocean many times and the villain of the piece is the Frank, who as it turns out may or may not have access to sorcery, and has already killed as a mercenary in the Holy Land - unforgivably.

There are supernatural happenings and non-supernatural things as Amina chases a kidnapped teenager and then hunts the Moon of Saba and the stories unspool, shifting as deal after deal is agreed in a sensible layered way. Seriously, this novel is clever in that it naturally becomes bigger while remaining personal, even down to the truth of Amina’s last adventure and her last husband - helped by the device that it being told to the scribe Jamal and in turn to us. I really liked the perspective once I got past the first couple of chapters and settled in for the ride. There are sea monsters and treasure and it’s not a man’s story!

I went into this blind as having never read any of Chakraborty's works ( though they have been on my TBR for the longest time). I always life a good pirate plot and this exceeding my expectations. A retired pirate gathering her old crew for a tempting job- of course I would want to read it. It was such an interesting to read about characters who were much older with their own families compared to the generic late teens to early adult main characters.

Aside form the plot, the writing it very much easy to follow along together with the imagery and Chakraborty's ability to weave together historical facts with the fantastical that allowed for captivating world building.

The characters themselves are quite easy to like and their interactions with each other was fun to read; the banter especially.

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the advance copy.

A historical fiction fantasy set in the Middle East in which the main character is a middle age female pirate, what's it not to like??

I honestly enjoyed this story and I can't wait for next Amina's adventure.

I’m in awe of the author and their sheer talent. The writing style was quite beautiful, I had to put the kindle down and do a little breathe-and breathe out, as I was so entranced it that at times I even forgot to breathe. Plus, the pacing was absolutely phenomenal; and the story quite lush. Can’t wait for it to be out and about. So that I can start recommending it

From the cover of the US edition you might conclude this is a YA fantasy novel. The UK edition cover might make you revise that idea. Whatever idea you come to in the end, did you think of a tall, brown skinned, middle-aged female pirate who leaves her ten-year-old daughter behind to rescue the daughter of a former crew mate?

It’s a swashbuckling tale of Amina’s first adventure after having left her pirating ways when her daughter was born. You’ll encounter a woman torn between the love for her daughter and family as well as her first love her ship and the sea. There are mythical creatures, sea monsters, magic, fights with mythical sea creatures and, we’re among seafaring people, cussing and drinking.

If you liked Pirates of the Caribbean and are more than ready for another pirate adventure with a daring captain and her middle-aged crew in the Indian Ocean at medieval times, then get this book as soon as possible.

Pfewwwww! What a whirlwind! This book is a blast. I loved learning about piracy, but not the typical ‘western’ piracy everyone is always on about.
Also, Amina is a star of a main character. She is beautifully nuanced and a true bad B!! We love it.
The story is incredibly descriptive and detailed and it takes you on a journey far from the familiar. It’s a brilliant book and would highly recommend this to avid fantasy readers!

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for the chance to read and review this book early.

How can I sum this up better than: a middle aged mother, who is Muslim and a PIRATE. 😱 Excuse me? They threw in some joint pain and I was like: this. This is the stuff of legend.

The narration style is so hilarious and lovely. I bet this makes an amazing audiobook and I will reread it that way!

But seriously. We need more books about mothers, and older women, going on adventures. I'm so excited about this I cannot properly put it to words.

Every time she saw something that made her think of her daughter, that made her feel drawn to leave and go home.. Ugh. My heart. She is us, we are her. (I don't mean to imply the entire adventure she is actively longing for her daughter in the narration, there are just a few beautiful sentences in the book that made my heart twist).

There were so many laugh out loud moments as well.

Had to take out a star from my rating for the pacing, but that's my only issue with it.

3.5–4*

The way this story was told was engaging and immediately drew me in, and enabled Amina’s witty voice to come through and also provided intimacy to the character. It was refreshing to read a fantasy book about a character in her 40s, and have a focus on motherhood and familial (found and blood related) relationships. The main plot thread was highly entertaining.

People who love pirates and seafaring will enjoy this book, but despite the rich and detailed world, sometimes the worldbuilding went over my head even though it felt relevant. There were also parts where the pacing slowed, which didn't manage to hold my attention.

An entertaining adventure on the high seas, The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi was an enjoyable read. I look forward to the rest of the series.

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperVoyager for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher Harper Voyager for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review.

TW: violence, death, demons

I absolutely adored every moment of "The Adventures of Amina al-Sifari" from the very first page. She is a powerhouse of a main character, a retired legendary pirate who once ruled the Indian Ocean with her crew; now she lives with her daughter, trying to put that life- and her mistakes- behind her. Amina doesn't get what she wants: she is blackmailed into searching for the missing daughter of her dead crewmate, Dunya, or her own family will be killed. Plunged back into a world she left a decade ago, Amina reunites with her crew and comes up against a new enemy: an insane Frank who seeks the power of the moon. To beat him and find Dunya, Amina does battle with the authorities of Aden, fellow pirates, a sea monster and her demon ex husband.

This book is stunningly written, with vibrant main characters and a wonderful voice behind it. I loved everyone, and I can't wait to see how the story might develop in the next two books. Seeing an older lead character be as amazing as Amina was the highlight, as well as the quality of the tension and pacing in the story. I'm so glad I read this and it'll definitely be one I revisit soon.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy to review.

This might be the most enjoyable book I have read so far this year.

Amina al-Sirafi, one of the most notorious pirates to sail the Indian Ocean, is forced out of retirement for one last voyage to find the kidnapped daughter of a member of her ex-crew. What follows is an exciting and sweeping story like the myths and legends of old, full of pirates, demons, sea monsters, and magic.

The story was slow to start as our main character got the band back together, but this did allow for a rich world to be developed. It felt very real and full of depth, capturing the diversity beautifully.

Amina al-Sirafi, as a main character, was astounding. Older, flawed, loving, strong – a very real fantasy female character (for once). The mother and pirate aspects of her character were handled in a thoughtful and believable way, neither defining her, but showing that pitch perfect dilemma between the need to protect her daughter and her own individual drives and passions.

Highly recommended.

Received this thanks to HarperCollins for review! I read this book over 2 days, with the last 70% of it being read after 7.30pm. I flew through this book, it was amazingly fast-paced, and so refreshing with a cast of older characters! It was quite gory in specific scenes though, so beware. And I do feel like apart from the old cast, this could have been a YA story. It sets itself up so well for sequels too, I can't wait to see what else is to come

4,5⭐ rounded up

I thought this was a usual adventure kind of fantasy where the MC was in their prime age, peak career, and I was surprised that Amina had already retired at the beginning of the book.

Yes, Amina was the greatest female nakhuda, but that’s in the past. Now she had a daughter and only wanted a quiet life. She did her best to hide her past because with a great name, came great enemies too.
But on one humid and sunny day, a wealthy woman wanted to hire her. Longing for her ship, the sea, and tempted by the payment, she agreed to the job.

First thing that I love about this book is that most of the characters are Muslims. I’ve read some fantasy books written by Muslim authors but their books usually didn’t bring up any religious aspect. Not this book, though. And being a Muslim myself I noticed that the narration is RICH with Islamic terms (of course most of them translated into English).

The cast of characters are RIVETING. They are old, even for an adult fantasy standard. A nice reminder that your life isn’t going to end by the age of 40, especially for women. I love their dynamics which consist of 50% hilarious banter, 25% arguing (affectionate), and 25% teasing their old body. Literally one of the best found families I’ve ever read. The humor in their dialogues are TOP TIER.

The plot is SO bizarre, far from my initial thought about regular sea adventure, maybe conquering some lands, etc. The story started off with some mysteries that slowly unpacked along the way, since Amina had a whole lotta adventures before her retirement. It involves magical beings, supernatural powers, a psychotic sorcerer, and a mythical object.

And the best thing is the perfect fucking loop. See, In this book, Amina was relaying her story to a scholar scribe, exactly in her voice, to keep record of her adventures. I didn’t even think about this narrative concept until I got to the closing chapter. I think my jaw dropped for at least a full minute. Utterly genius.

I don’t give this full 5 stars because the writing, beside the dialogues, wasn’t exactly my favorite. I noticed an excessive amount of -ly adverbs to emphasize things, and a lot of vocabs were unfamiliar to me (non-native). But overall, it was great. Can’t wait for Amina’s next adventure!!

Thank you Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

"The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi" by Shannon Chakraborty follows one of the Indian oceans renowned pirates when she returns from motherhood .

I would give "The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi" by Shannon Chakraborty a 2 star review because, 1; it was written well 2; I liked the premise of this novel 3; the characters were well done 4; there were parts that were really cool but 4; for me it just didn't fit for me and it took me so long to actually enjoy and read it I was just basically finishing it just because I started it.

Okay so I TOTALLY loved this one! It's my first book by this author and it is without a doubt an epic story! I can't rant and rave about this without giving too much away but this book is now in line for one of my faves of the year hands down

An absolutely delightful read, full of adventure, steeped in history and stunning prose that keeps you.rihht on the heart of the story. An absolute gem.