Book Review | The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty

Today’s review is for The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty, author of the brilliant Daevabad series.

This review was originally posted as part of the Insta Book Tours Instagram tour, with my original post available to view here. Posting to my site today because this fantasy was brilliant, and here’s hoping that it’s new for at least one of you! 💜

Full review below!

About the Book

Title: The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi
Series: Amina al-Sirafi #1
Author: Shannon Chakraborty
Publisher: HarperVoyager
Release Date: February 28th 2023
Pages: 496
Source: Advanced copy gifted by the publisher (this in no way affects my review which is honest and unbiased)
Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★

Synopsis

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.

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.

Review

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi is a story about an infamous former pirate who had given up on chasing treasure in favour of raising her daughter instead. After an unfortunate run-in with a supernatural being, she gains the attention of a wealthy grandmother who wants to bring her out of retirement for one last, life-changing job; to find and return her granddaughter, Dunya.

Amina sets off in search of her former trusted crew, which happens to include:
✨ Dalila, a formidable woman with extensive knowledge of poisons
✨ Tinbu, a loveable first mate who Amina entrusted her ship to
✨ Majed, an extremely knowledgeable navigator who refuses to believe that he has ever been a pirate, of course

Things aren’t all plain sailing though, and a simple retrieval job finds the crew in a fight against a white man that can’t help but dabble with magic in an attempt to take as much from the world as he can. Add in some supernatural elements (including djinn and demons), and a beastie even more formidable than that of the kraken in Dead Man’s Chest, and The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi is packed with action from start to finish.

The story will appeal to so many, with Amina’s motherly love being strongly apparent throughout; a crew that makes for an excellent found family; LGBTQ+ representation; hilarious banter (especially between Amina and her estranged husband); a cute little animal companion; and, above all else, it’s just an incredibly fun read.

I can’t wait for the next books, and if you’re looking for a pirate story that is both fun and emotive then this is a perfect choice!