The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi is the first book in a new fantasy series from Shannon Chakraborty (S.A. Chakraborty).
Amina al-Sirafi should be content. After a storied and scandalous career as one of the Indian Ocean’s most notorious pirates, she’s survived backstabbing rogues, vengeful merchant princes, several husbands, and one actual demon to retire peacefully with her family to a life of piety, motherhood, and absolutely nothing that hints of the supernatural.
But when she’s tracked down by the obscenely wealthy mother of a former crewman, she’s offered a job no bandit could refuse: retrieve her comrade’s kidnapped daughter for a kingly sum. The chance to have one last adventure with her crew, do right by an old friend, and win a fortune that will secure her family’s future forever? It seems like such an obvious choice that it must be God’s will.
Yet the deeper Amina dives, the more it becomes alarmingly clear there’s more to this job, and the girl’s disappearance, than she was led to believe. For there’s always risk in wanting to become a legend, to seize one last chance at glory, to savor just a bit more power… and the price might be your very soul.
Shannon Chakraborty, the bestselling author of The City of Brass, spins a new trilogy of magic and mayhem on the high seas in this tale of pirates and sorcerers, forbidden artifacts and ancient mysteries, in one woman’s determined quest to seize a final chance at glory—and write her own legend.
10⭐ out of 5.
The reason I most wanted to read The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi is because it's a pirate book written by a woman. I had expectations going in, and it far surpassed every single one of them. It checked boxes that I didn't even realize I had.
Amina Al-Sirafi is a retired pirate in her 40s. She's a mother and she's living peacefully with her family after having left the pirating world behind her, but she gets an offer that pulls her back into that world for one last adventure (or so it would seem).
The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi had everything for me from plot to adventure to imagination to characters to relationships... It was so skillfully crafted, and I loved every minute of it from the first word to the last. I hadn't savored a book that slowly in so long. I went several days without reading at all because I didn't want it to end.
I haven't read the Daevabad trilogy by Chakraborty yet. I love so much that she has shifted from S.A. Chakraborty to Shannon Chakraborty with The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi. I feel like this is a choice, and I support it so hard.
Thankfully The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi is not Amina's last adventure. This was such an incredible start to a series, and I cannot wait for the rest. It's set up to be longer than a trilogy so fingers crossed we get several more books. This is now my most anticipated on-going series that will trump all other releases.
I recommend this book for everyone. You don't need to be a pirate-loving, treasure-seeking reader like me to fall for Amina, her crew, or this world. It is such a wonderful book, and I truly can't sing it's praises enough. Hit up your library, order you a copy, and please let me know once you've read it so we can wait in anticipation together for the next one!
5/5 stars
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Review copy provided by publisher
