Reviews

The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S.A. Chakraborty

linnaea's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny fast-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

thepaperbackplanner's review against another edition

5.0

Ahhh I don't even know where to start! I absolutely adored this story of a retired pirate getting the band back together for the enticing "one last job" that will set them up for life and beyond. The criminal found family vibes are impeccable! The ex-husband is both terrible and hot! The hijinks are wild! It's everything you could want in an adventure on the high seas. My only gripe is that the very supernatural diversion in the last third-ish of the book felt a bit too long, but because it sets up future books and I would die for more, I forgive it!

dross4224's review against another edition

adventurous funny relaxing fast-paced

4.5

mirrormemory's review

adventurous funny lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

cheyarsen's review against another edition

4.0

I loved this book! I loved the diversity and the like-ability of all the characters. I felt like I was on a journey with friends, not reading it. I am knocking off a star because the story I felt drug on at some points, but not too terribly much. This is definitely not a book I would have picked up myself, though. Grateful for the Bookish Swifties Club for making me step out of my normal genre box.

dnikort's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

jonahroberson's review against another edition

adventurous funny informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A joyous book bursting with personality. The framing of the story as Amina recounting the story to a scribe allows her sass, spunk, and wit to shine.

Also, the cast's postion as pirates allows the author to fill the crew with diverse misfits from the fringes of society and from throughout the medieval Indian Ocean trade world. The author takes advantage of this to represent LGBTQ characters in a position where they historically were able to express their queer identities. 

Chakraborty also has a academic background in history, and that is apparent in her lovingly detailed depiction of the cultures of medieval Arabia and neighboring lands. Amina herself, being well traveled and quite bright, provides a worldly perspective on her time.

e_guerrero's review

adventurous funny tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

leealician's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

emmiemk's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0