The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi (Amina al-Sirafi, #1) by S.A. Chakraborty

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi (Amina al-Sirafi, #1) Reviews

• 
  jessica

  SAC can do no wrong in my eyes.
  
  she has such a strong talent for creating magical worlds and historic atmospheres. and this particular book has everything i need to feel like im living a stolen life on the open seas with the salty wind in my hair and a map in my hand.
  
  i adored the time period, i loved the characters, i had a lot of fun with the plot, and i obsessed over the mythology of it all. this is an exceptional start to a series i fully expect to love.
  
  ↠ 4.5 stars
• 
  Noura Khalid (theperksofbeingnoura)

  I'm going to read everything S.A. Chakraborty writes from now on. End of story.
• 
  Mai

  I was first introduced to Shannon's work through
  The City of Brass series, for which I am due a reread. Not a spoiler, but you won't have to look far to see a bit of overlap between the series. The premise had everything I wanted in a fantasy novel. A sexually liberated Muslim pirate that captains her own ship? And accidentally marries a demon? Say less.
  
  However, heist books often lose me, and this is above all, a heist. Don't you
  Six of Crows me. Amina is hired by a woman who claims her granddaughter has been kidnapped by a Frank. Are these Germans? I'm not good with this time period. It doesn't matter.
  
  Lo and behold, the granddaughter isn't quite a runaway. But the bad white man is bad. There are some mystical treasures to behold. And demon sex! But even that couldn't captivate me further. I will say beyond the positive Muslim rep, there is also equally positive gender affirming rep. Traditionalists won't love it, but I'm not here for their negativity.
  
  Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.
• 
  mina reads™️

  Pre-release thoughts: March 2023 cannot come fast enough, I need this in my hands today!!!
  
  Rating:
  4.5 stars
• 
  Angelica

  You had me at "Sinbad meets Ocean's 11".
  You lost me at "Release 2022".
  
  UPDATE: Now it says 'Release in 2023'!!
  
  How am I supposed to wait that long??
• 
  Rebecca Roanhorse

  A swashbuckling, charming, high-seas adventure with lady pirates, poisoners, magic, demon husbands, and a host of loveable characters. If you are looking for some good old-fashioned fantasy reading but set in a wonderfully fresh and unique world, this is the ticket. I know Chakraborty also meticulously researched this book (as she says in the acknowledgments) but honestly, that's just an added delight. It's the characters that shine for me, and the fun plot, and the spot on and often hilarious voice of the main character. A true joy.
• 
  megs_bookrack

  **4.5-stars rounded up**
  
  Oh my goodness, this was such a fun story. I can't wait to go on more adventures with Amina and her crew!!
  
  
  
  Full review to come...stay tuned!!!
  
  Earlier:
  
  ARC received!! Thank you so much, Harper Voyager!!
  
  
  
  I have been highly anticipating this release, so I'm super excited to have the opportunity to get to it a little early.
  
  My favorite time of year to read Fantasy is in the Winter, so I may be picking this one up sooner rather than later!
  
  Original:
  
  A pirate heist story from S.A. Chakraborty?
  
  
  
  I'm so excited for this and holy smokes, we now have a cover!!! It's absolutely stunning. Yessssss!
• 
  Alienor ✘ French Frowner ✘

  "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."

  
  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.
  
  ✔ Medieval Indian Ocean settings!!! 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 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 (not to mention feminist) voice!! I LOVE IT
  
  I am so, so delighted I got to experience this fantastic story and the sequel is now one of my most anticipated release.
  
  

  "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."

  
  FINAL RATING : 5⭐, highly recommended
  
  Thanks so much to @harpervoyager_uk and @netgalley for the review copy!!!!
• 
  Robin

  piracy + badass women. what more could you want??
• 
  Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany)

  4.5 stars rounded up
  
  A very promising start to a historical fantasy series! the Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi draws on the real history of the Middle East and follows a notorious female captain and smuggler who is now a middle-aged mother trying to keep her daughter safe. But fate forces her back to sea in search of a missing young woman. And of course there are monsters, supernatural beings, an evil sorcerer, and magical artifacts! Not to mention the reappearance of the husband Amina hoped was dead. A husband who isn't human and doesn't know about their daughter...
  
  Amina is a great character- she is brash and irreverent, but also a mother doing her best to keep her daughter safe and coming to terms with how that new piece of her identity has changed her priorities. And she's trying to be a better Muslim as well. With mixed success. I'm loving this mini-trend of writing older women and mothers as main characters in fantasy novels. It's an entertaining adventure that infuses a lot of real historical detail, plus we get a trans side character and I liked how it handled the issue of gender identity. (note that I'm not trans myself, so I will be looking to hear from trans reviewers on this)
  
  There were parts of the book that dragged a little for me, and I think this is a bit more plot driven than what I prefer and more of a character reader. But overall I really enjoyed this and love the ship-board family Amina has cobbled together. I will certainly read on in the series. The audiobook is mostly quite good, also there are a handful of asides that are recorded in a way that makes them muffled and hard to hear. I think this was an artistic choice, but it could have been done better. I received an audio review copy of this book via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
• 
  Mara

  What fun this was! My quibbles here are that I wish we'd had a little more character development and the pacing dragged a bit at times, but otherwise, I loved the authorial voice, the world building, and the romping plot. This is the first in a series that I see myself continuing on when it's all out and I can binge it in one big, delightful gulp. Definitely lives up the pre-pub hype
• 
  Elle

  I can’t wait to make this my entire personality
  
  
• 
  Kilikina

  "An infamous, retired pirate gets pulled back into the game when she's offered to right a wrong from her past and score a fabled treasure, but assembling her old crew and outwitting a ruthless ex-Crusader aren't her only problems, because she's learned the hard way the fantastical legends behind such treasures hold deadly truths, and they're coming for her."
  
  I'M READY FOR YOU, DARLING
  
  
• 
  Nils | nilsreviewsit

  “We are the women in the streets the others watch from behind their screens. Accordingly, we are often granted less honor, our bodies assumed to be available for the right price or simply invisible. I have cast a judgmental eye straight back, dismissing the rich women behind the screens as pampered dolls.”
  
  Prepare to set sail across the Great Indian Ocean and let Captain Amina take you on an adventure quite like no other. Amina is a notorious pirate with quite the legend behind her but becoming a mother meant she needed to retire to keep her daughter, Marjana, safe from her countless enemies. Yet when a noble woman threatens their safety unless she finds her kidnapped granddaughter, Amina has no other choice but to put her old crew back together and once again ride the high seas.
  
  One of the main strengths of this novel lies in its diversity. Each of our main crew members are from different ethnicities and hold different faiths yet there is no conflict between them, there is no prejudice. I have such fondness for the whole crew too. Tinbu our first mate, is a gifted archer but has a knack for getting into trouble. Dalila, my beloved Mistress of Poisons has a reputation for experimenting and blowing things up, but she is a gem and I would happily sail the seas with her. Albeit with one eye constantly upon her! Majed, our talented Father of Maps never steers the crew wrong and he’s so endearingly loyal. Payasam is one adorably useless cat. Together this crew all make the best found family.
  
  Raksh is a character who I can’t say much about for spoilery reasons. However, this is one demon who is thoroughly entertaining! Our villain Falco, is nefarious in an unnerving quiet way. With his sweet tongue it’s easy to forget the atrocities he’s committed for the holy crusade, yet it isn’t long until we see his true desire, like most men during that time period, is power.
  
  Motherhood is a significant theme throughout and I love how Chakraborty illustrates that in women following their dreams, doing what makes them happy, is inspiring their children to do the same, to be strong. Especially for their young daughters. It was also fantastic to see a middle aged POC female lead display sexual desires and to be so gutsy. Amina makes no apologies for the life she has led and damn anyone who would judge her for it. That’s not to say that her character, nor any other character doesn’t grow, it’s just that they grow on their own terms, not because it is what is culturally or socially accepted.
  
  Chakraborty has worked her magic once again and delivered an epic feminist tale. This is a story which celebrates being a mother who longs for more, it is a celebration of faith and a stark reflection upon the atrocities committed by Western invaders. This novel is filled with passion and heart. Yet at its core this is a phenomenally entertaining read with the most loveable ragtag seafaring crew.
  
  ARC provided by Harper Voyager in exchange for an honest review.
• 
  myo (myonna reads)

  i’m usually fine with not understanding what’s not going on but because i didn’t understand the language it made it even harder, half the words i needed help with weren’t even in the glossary. in fact the glossary only had 9 words. i thought the premise was interesting and the characters were funny but idk i just spent more time trying to figure out what they were saying and maybe that’s my own ignorance
• 
  Toya (the reading chemist)

  I can’t think of a single pirate or sea faring adventure story that centers a female pirate in her 40s. And not only is Amina revered, she is feared. And for good reason. The rumors surrounding her and her crew are infamous, and she refuses to back down.
  
  Amina finds herself coming out of retirement for the ultimate heist, which will ensure that she can provide her daughter Marjana with everything that she needs in life…BUT the stakes are sky high and of course nothing is as it seems once Amina sets sail.
  
  I loved every minute of this book. There’s so many wild adventures and utter shenanigans, but watching Amina with her old trusted friends (Dalila, Tinbu, and Majed) was a reminder that no matter how old you are and what you’ve been through, your day ones will stick by your side.
  
  There’s also some really incredible magic and creatures in this book. They took me by surprise, and I found myself utterly enchanted by this immersive tale! I can’t wait to see what’s next!
  
  Lastly, I listened to the audio while reading along, which I HIGHLY recommend because the narrator is amazing!
  
  Thank you to Harper Voyager and Harper Audio for providing a review copy! This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.
• 
  Sana

  OMGGGG, THIS HAS A RETIRED FEMALE PIRATE ON A REVENGE SPREE TO RIGHT A WRONG FROM HER PAST AND I'M SCREAMING
  
  This came about because
  Chakraborty is obsessed with 'the medieval Indian Ocean world. Throw in fortune-seekers and a bad-ass woman trying to balance working mother guilt with piracy? Dream project.
• 
  Samantha

  Absolutely incredible. Favorite book I’ve read this year by far. 10 stars. Loved every single character in this so much!
  
  Review to come!
• 
  jocelyn

  mark your calendars: 2022 is the year i start caring about pirate stories
• 
  Natalie

  “Women’s stories are expected to dissolve into a fog of domesticity…if they’re told at all.”
  
  What a god damn delight. This was everything I didn’t know I needed or wanted and truly a story that feels…epic, timeless, and joyful. The sense of adventure, balance of humor and endearing characters, high stakes and fantastical creatures, magic, and battles, and the overall themes and messages of female empowerment, family, forgiveness, and faith all combine to make a wonderous story that grips you from start to finish.
  
  I would be remiss not to mention immediately that the audiobook is PHENOMENAL. Truly one of the best I have ever heard and produced expertly. It brings the story and Amina off the page, sharpens the humor, and adds to the tension of the journey. You feel Amina’s emotions, both the high and the low, and it conjures forth that comfort that only a verbal storytelling can capture. It embeds itself in your heart and mind, truly elevating the words on the page. I highly encourage you to listen to the audiobook or use the audio to reread and come back to favorite passages. This is not one to be missed.
  
  “Names are for tombstones. And us? We are not yet dead.”
  
  No doubt an accomplished and talented writer, Chakraborty takes a different sort of tone with Amina. She feels at moments more current, more loose and uninhibited – swearing, drinking, marrying lots!, but also reflective and accessible to a lot of female readers in how she has to balance her own ambitions with her love for her family, her enjoyment of leading, while bearing the burden and responsibility of its pressures, the push and pull of intoxicating power and dreamlike calm of a peaceful, quiet life.
  
  “that to be a woman is to have your story misremembered. Discarded. Twisted.”... “They are expected to end – with the boy, the prince, the sailor, the adventurer. The man that will take her maidenhood, grant her children, make her a wife. The man who defines her.”
  
  We see again and again, in humorous and serious moments, how Chakraborty puts Amina, an older woman, mother, pirate, friend, daughter, sister, and wife at the center, upending and confronting misogyny and the patriarchy, how women are continuously lied upon, put down, and sidelined. Instead, we see how Amina’s legend, both in the past and in the present, continues to be made and expands. She isn’t perfect, her ambitions can be selfish, her actions cause hurt and worse, however at her core and led by her faith, she continues to strive to balance it all – her own happiness and freedom, alongside her duty and love for her family and their safety, the health and happiness of her friends, with the desire to right the wrongs of society she can. It’s this complex person filled with multitudes and contradictions that makes Amina feel so real, so relatable. She feels like someone you’d want to get drunk with to bask in their glow and legend, but would also be a bit afraid of. She can be warm and fiercely loyal, yet she can also be a cold realist and pragmatist.
  
  “I wanted to have adventures, to be a hero, to have my tales told in courtyards and street fairs, where perhaps kids who’d grown up like me, with more imagination than means, might be inspired to dream. Where women who were told there was only one sort of respectful life for them could listen to tales of another who’d broken away – and thrived when she’d done so.”
  
  While this has pieces of historical fiction at its core, it’s no less a fantastical tale of adventure that taps into the inner adventurer in all of us. It evoked in me, a return to that sense of childhood where we all dream of wild journeys for treasures, monsters to fight, and a tough exterior to lead our friends on the hunt for legends. Filled with a cast of characters that will undoubtedly be beloved – Dalila my queen!!!, I often couldn’t help but feel a sort of giddy happiness as I read this, getting lost in the waves and rocking of the Marawati. Adding to the charm of the story and characters is the overall humor weaved in throughout. Truly so many moments had me laughing out loud and part of Amina’s brackish charm is her raunchy and sarcasm filled humor. Her deadpan lines, the moments where she slips in and out of the story to converse with Jamal, the quips and sharp barbs with her crew mates… it’s all perfectly executed.
  
  Here are just a few (very small few, seriously the humor throughout is amazing) of my favorites:
  “There was an earnestness in his green eyes I suppose would be endearing if that was your type. It was not mine— I make terrible decisions and thus prefer men with a bit more mischief, which has only ever turned out well.”
  “—Let’s talk about the night I accidentally married a demon.”
  “It was honestly one of my weakest of insults – you try insulting a demi-god while they’re attempting to kill you!”
  “What madness to gaze upon the violent chaos and cruelty of this world and have faith!”
  
  Humor and amazing characters aside, Chakraborty also doesn’t shy away from social commentary that even though this is based on a world from the 1100s, still rings and feels true today. Amina is confronted again and again by poverty all around her, including on the heels of her own life. We see her cross paths with the rich and wealthy who seek to bend the world around them to serve them and we also see how this world affects those not born into wealth. Whether its those enslaved or imprisoned or those pushed into danger as their only means for survival, Amina’s story shows us her triumphs, yes, but doesn’t ignore those who haven’t been as fortunate to survive or those whose scars remain entrenched quite deeply.
  
  “For the greatest crime of the poor in the eyes of the wealthy has always been to strike back. To fail to suffer in silence and instead disrupt their lives and their fantasies of a compassionate society that coincidentally set them on top. To say no.”
  
  I have no doubt this is something that will be explored even further in this series and I truly can’t wait to embark on Amina’s next adventure. This is an instant classic I will no doubt want to share with my own children in the future (maybe with some of the swearing bleeped out, hehe), to inspire and lead them on a wonderous journey. This is truly magical, this is imagination and creativity and art taking form. These are the kinds of classics, putting women up front, not as damsels to be saved, but as heroes in their own legends, that should be revered, celebrated, and passed down again and again.
• 
  Grace

  A historical fantasy book about pirates by S.A. Chakraborty? YES, PLEASE!
• 
  ash ✩‧₊˚

  haven't even read the city of brass but this looks so cool
• 
  nastya ♡

  i love that this is a fantasy novel that centers a sex-positive devout muslim woman in control of her own story. i don’t love that this is written like YA when it is marketed as adult.
  
  i did not enjoy the banter between the scribe and amina and felt it was distracting, unnecessary, and weak. raksh is written exactly like a shitty acotar character (demon/fae dashing demented deceitful man). the characters all felt really one dimensional, especially marjana. it’s one thing to be a dutiful daughter, it’s another to not have any personality outside of that. this novel tries so hard to be quirky and funny, and it’s just not. the longer i read, the more exhausted i felt by the base attempts at comedy. i expected a dark, gritty story rich with detail; instead i got a book that is definitely, unequivocally YA.
• 
  Peggy

  An epic fantasy full of everything I like. Magic, dark magic, unbelievable creatures and pirates. I was in reading heaven. Wonderful storytelling and fantastic characters. I was fully immersed in the magical tale that was unfolding. Funny, heartbraking and an adventure like no other. I really did not want this book to end and the start of a new series. Highly recommended and another new author has been added to my MUST READ pile. Loved it!!!!!
  Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC
• 
  Fizah(Books tales by me)

  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.
• 
  charlotte,

  
  On my blog.
  
  Rep: Omani Gujurati Chinese Muslim mc, Yemeni, Omani, Somali & Iraqi characters, Hindu gay character, Yemeni trans character, Jewish gay side character
  
  CWs: gore, body horror
  
  Galley provided by publisher
  
  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.
• 
  Vee

  5 stars ~ [9.79/10]
  
  

  “Let’s talk about the night I accidentally married a demon.”

  I’ve typed and retyped the first sentence of this review about six times and I’ve come to the realisation that there are absolutely no words that will communicate how much I loved this book in a way that is satisfactory to me. Within reading the first few chapters, I knew I was reading a new all-time favourite book and because I had that feeling so early on I also started to feel that specific kind of dread you get when you know you’ll never get to experience something for the first time ever again. So I tried to make this book last for as long as I could by only allowing myself a couple of chapters a day and part of me feels like I still rushed through it.
  
  This is a story about selfhood coexisting with womanhood coexisting with motherhood and the types of things that women have to reconcile with when certain events in their lives seemingly strip them of identity. However, it is also a high-seas caper, complete with found family, older protagonists, heists, prison breaks, magic, giant sea creatures, evil sorcerers, and demon ex-husbands. It is incredibly witty, heartfelt, scary, extremely exciting and one of the BEST adventures I’ve ever been on in book form. Amina al-Sirafi is the type of character whose is voice the reason this book works as well as it does, she is telling the story of her own legend, in her own words, and Chakraborty nails it with every single sentence. The characters are so fully-formed, with the main crew members getting their own big introduction in the way of Danny Ocean assembling his casino heist crew, so we immediately understand the role their playing be it first mate, cartographer, mistress of poisons or trickster loose-cannon. They all have a shared history that plays into each of their reasons for joining Amina for another adventure and the overall stakes of the plot, which are high from the start and continue to get higher as the plot unfolds.
  
  I laughed (a lot), I cried, I gasped out loud and I had the most fun I’ve had reading a book. I’m so excited that this book exists, I’m so sad that I have finished it, but Amina’s adventures are only just beginning and I’ll be first in line for the next one.
  

  ‘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.’
• 
  Sakina (aforestofbooks)

  THE ANNOUNCEMENT MADE MY WHOLE WEEK. PIRATES, TREASURE, HISTORY, AN EX-CRUSADER??!!! PROBABLY LOTS OF COMPLEX POLITICS AND INTRICATE PLOTS AND HOPEFULLY A PRECIOUS ALUUUU
• 
  rose ★

  i need every single person to know that miss chakraborty said she’d give the pirates in this book earrings specifically after i asked so yes you are welcome in advance for that blessing 😌💅🤍🤍
• 
  Amber (Books of Amber)

  bye