Reviews with content warning for Rape - The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi

It’s been a while since I’ve had this much fun reading a book!

First, the setting is incredibly well researched account of twelfth century life on the Indian Ocean. I loved learning about the port cities, life on a ship, beliefs and customs of that time and region.

But what really sucked me in were the characters. It was refreshing to read an adventure with middle aged heros — some of whom are parents!

I can’t wait to read more in this series and look forward to reading city of brass (by the same author).

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brittanylee0302's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny tense medium-paced

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

3.25

This book was okay but I lost my interest in it about halfway through. The cover of this book has a kraken wrapped around a boat with 'adventures' being in the title which made me think this was going to be a fast pace adventure filled read & it really wasn't. Amina as a character is amazing, she's an older woman who is a bad ass mom & has been a little promiscuous through her life. However, when she goes to rescue people throughout the book she kind of loses some of her bad ass qualities. Magic is introduced in this book early on but it seems like the author kind of forgot they were writing a magical book until certain parts (minus Amina's husband). Overall, I had really high expectations for certain things in this book & felt consistently let down over them. I enjoyed the characters but the story just fell flat for me.

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fkshg8465's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Such a fun book, with a huge and diverse cast of characters. I didn’t even mind the storytelling inside the storytelling format (usually highly annoyed by that), but that was because it was minimal and not as distracting as usual. Great book for all ages. Reminds me a bit of The Princess Bride - full of adventure and driven by the love for one person, plus the salvation of an entire species!

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kaylaswhitmore's review

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adventurous funny hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

LOVED this book. As someone who can be quite picky about my fantasy fiction tropes, I feel that this Chakraborty managed to nail nearly all of my favorite ones. Strong female characters? Check. Immersive point of view? Check. Found family? Fucking CHECK. Balance between angst and fun? Check. Romance without excessive horniness? Check lol.

I found myself quickly enamored with the writing style as well as Amina’s narration. Normally, I can be pretty wishy-washy about first person POV, but Chakraborty’s choice felt so valid and intriguing. And her mastery of suspense and foreshadowing (often so tongue-in-cheek) kept me curious the whole way through. It was so much fun to bite into the tidbits of information we were given while waiting to truly discover the whole of the story, and I loved that the world felt just as wondrous to Amina as it did to me as the reader. For the first half of the book I was questioning what made the story “fantasy,” just as Amina was doubtful of magic—but when the fantastical elements did kick in? Boy, was it worth the wait. It felt so vivid and overwhelming and exciting, even as I was left wanting more of the world and its characters.

On the note of characters, I also highly appreciated how diverse the cast truly was—without it ever feeling like pandering. In fact, one of my favorite things about the story was how whimsical it felt despite remaining grounded in reality. I loved that Amina being a fearsome, female pirate was both acknowledged but not overly emphasized the way some historical fiction can be. I loved that Timbu was openly gay (at least to the crew and character), yet was not subject to cruelty and suffering based on his sexuality. I loved that Jamal was woven so craftily into the narration of the story without his trans/fluid identity ever feeling like a simple plot device. Chakraborty’s choices of characterization felt so genuine and charmingly blasé that I couldn’t help but wish for even more of each character.

As this is starting to get a bit lengthy, I’ll cut myself off here…but I do hope that she continues this world in some way so that my enjoyment of her writing can go on! I’ll definitely return to reading this book again, and hope that others have similar feelings as me!

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fanboyriot's review against another edition

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adventurous 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

4.0

♡ At Sea Battles

♡ Pirate Romance

♡ An Ultimate Pirate Adventure

This was filled with adventure, leaving no room for a dull moment. The cover of this book fit the vibe so well.

I had a lot of fun reading this, even if high fantasy isn’t typically my genre; this was so lovely. The attention to details, the world building, and of course, the plot were all so entertaining.

I really enjoyed how the author wrote adult characters who seemed realistic. Like the main character dealing with chronic pain for example, being a single parent and worrying about her daughter’s wellbeing, and having a past that left her untrusting of most people.

Spice Level: 🌶️ (1/5)

Angst Level: 💧 (1/5)

POV: First Person

Release Date: 28, February 2023

Rep: BIPOC (Main and Side Characters), Trans (Side Character), LGBTQIA+ (Side Characters)

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