The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi

“Terrible pirates, they were. No sense of self-preservation.”

This is one of the most fun fantasy books I have ever read.

This wasn't what I expected at all, and I do feel like the pitch is slightly misleading. But I'm glad I picked it up, because it was so much better than I expected.

This is a historical fantasy book set in the 12th century middle east. It features a middle aged protagonist who has already retired from her younger pirating days. Unfortunately for her (fortunately for us readers), she is forced out of retirement and has to get the crew back together. That's the whole first half of the book, before the adventure really begins. Getting a crew together, especially a reluctant crew, is one of my favorite tropes, so I was having a blast with this book from beginning to end.

The crew is an absolute delight. I love stubborn Majed, who has left pirating behind him and only wants to live an honorable life now. And the poisoner Dalila and her schemes are enough to keep anyone on their toes.

This book also has tropes I don't usually like, but it presented them in a way that made me fall in love with it. I don't usually like paranormal romance stories, but the marriage to a demon in this book is one of the best plot lines.

The fantasy elements are only in the story subtly at first, but towards the end we have a full on fantasy adventure, complete with magical creatures, magic, and mayhem. Honestly, my interest waned slightly the more magical the story became. But I was invested enough in the characters to want to know what happened next.

This is the first book I've read by Shannon Chakraborty, and I want to read everything she writes now. I rarely give out the favorite author designation, especially if I haven't read multiple books by the author, but this book makes me want to break my own rule.

I listened to the audiobook while reading the physical book, and I highly recommend the audiobook. The physical book is gorgeous, with decorated pages. But the audio narrators really elevate this story. lameece Issaq reads with such emotion and takes on the character so thoroughly that I never once doubted that she really was Amina. That's a hard act to follow, but Amin El Gamal, who narrates the scribe, does so with ease. My only complaint is sometimes the characters would talk to someone off page, and the audio was too quiet for those parts compared to the rest when I was listening with earbuds.

See full review on my youtube channel