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kiwij96's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A middle aged female pirate is forced to come out of retirement for one more adventure. Re-recruiting her former crew to rescue the grandchild of a wealthy woman, who also happens to be the mother of another former crew member.
The story was engaging, with good characters: flawed people each with a deep history which brings them to life and makes them immediately likeable, and their relationships to each other are realistic and don't feel forced. And the plot developed at a reasonable pace, nothing felt rushed or out of place for the most part.
At about 65-70% of the way in, I personally felt like the plot lost its way a bit and absolutely could have been handled differently to make the book at least 100 pages shorter, and to be a fantastic standalone.The island bit was genuinely so messy and felt so rushed and unnecessary, I almost put the book down. Anything from landing on the island to the moment when they found Magnun felt like filler, filler which is unfortunately a plotpoint for the continuation of the series.
Raksh also had the potential to be such a fun character, but the amount of times he used the phrase "sexual intercourse" honestly made my skin crawl. That was just unnecessary.
The story was engaging, with good characters: flawed people each with a deep history which brings them to life and makes them immediately likeable, and their relationships to each other are realistic and don't feel forced. And the plot developed at a reasonable pace, nothing felt rushed or out of place for the most part.
At about 65-70% of the way in, I personally felt like the plot lost its way a bit and absolutely could have been handled differently to make the book at least 100 pages shorter, and to be a fantastic standalone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Blood, Torture, and Genocide
Moderate: Alcohol, Misogyny, Grief, Racism, Religious bigotry, Xenophobia, Sexism, and Islamophobia
alexikakon's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
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? Yes
4.5
dogearedbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Blood
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Transphobia
a2001ya's review against another edition
2.0
“That fiend was not the first to invade our lives with violence, and he will not be the last. But this is our land, our island, and we will not leave it for foreign greed.”
I like the motherly aspect that Amina represents and that she continuously seeking repentance , that's it
I like the motherly aspect that Amina represents and that she continuously seeking repentance , that's it
salina_reading's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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? It's complicated
4.5
whimsykat's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
daumari's review against another edition
5.0
First off- the audiobook for this is phenomenal. Lameece Issaq really imbues Amina with chatty auntie catching you up on what she's been up to, her joys and her weariness, along with asides to the scribe Jamal (whom she's telling this tale to). This book also came at the right time for me, as a new mother while I think about who I am (and making room for motherhood in my nest of identities while not losing my former sense of self). I really enjoyed seeing an older protagonist- in a sea of teenagers dealing with immortal beings (which in hindsight the Daevabad trilogy kind of does- I still need to read [b:The Empire of Gold|52166786|The Empire of Gold (The Daevabad Trilogy, #3)|S.A. Chakraborty|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1572578104l/52166786._SY75_.jpg|61384460]), it's great to see an older crew. I'm also not familiar with the medieval Indian Ocean and I like seeing rich historical environments for fantasy that I don't know!
I also recognize Dalila is like... every single D&D/Pathfinder character I've made, a vaguely creepy science lady who just... collects things in jars. Oops.
I got to the final 10% and I wondered how things would resolve and then realized oh, this is just part one of a new series- so hooray, more adventures of the Marawati crew!
I also recognize Dalila is like... every single D&D/Pathfinder character I've made, a vaguely creepy science lady who just... collects things in jars. Oops.
I got to the final 10% and I wondered how things would resolve and then realized oh, this is just part one of a new series- so hooray, more adventures of the Marawati crew!
amellett's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
kitvaria_sarene's review against another edition
4.5
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty is one delightful surprise.
Not only do we get an older, female pirate captain as a main character, it's also set outside the typical western scenery, with a majority of the world being Muslim.
I liked how this was in no way made an extra point, it's just the natural world of the story. I always enjoy having a fresh point of view, and this definitely is one perspective I am not used to!
There's much adventure going on, but my main draw was the tone and voice of the whole story.
The captain might be a Muslim, but pirates being pirates, she's fine with the occasional needed bottle of wine, and welcomes order religions in her crew, as long as they do their job well. This made for a divers cast which made it all the more engaging to me.
Not only do we get an older, female pirate captain as a main character, it's also set outside the typical western scenery, with a majority of the world being Muslim.
I liked how this was in no way made an extra point, it's just the natural world of the story. I always enjoy having a fresh point of view, and this definitely is one perspective I am not used to!
There's much adventure going on, but my main draw was the tone and voice of the whole story.
The captain might be a Muslim, but pirates being pirates, she's fine with the occasional needed bottle of wine, and welcomes order religions in her crew, as long as they do their job well. This made for a divers cast which made it all the more engaging to me.
szirbel's review against another edition
4.0
Wow, this was such a fun listen with a strong middle age protagonist!
Excited to continue this series!
Excited to continue this series!