The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi

             

Title: The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi

Author: Shannon Chakraborty

Publisher: Harper Voyager, February 28, 2023

Pages: 493

Genre: Historical Fantasy

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.

Amina is amazing, right. I love her. She's the captain and she's older and strong and awesome. But you know who I want to know more about? Her poisoner. Dalila is a fascinating woman, and I NEED to know more. I want a slice of life novella of her in her little lab making her poison gases! BUT. If I can't have that, I'm very much looking forward to more of Amina's adventures on the Marawati. 

I just saw that this is a planned trilogy, and I'm now desperate for the final book to include a nearly adult Marjana taking over the wheel of the ship! 

Regardless, I really enjoyed this adventure. I liked the way it was framed like an interview or transcription. There were fun asides and interjections. I listened to the audio version, and the narration was so well done. I loved that there were two narrators. One for Amina, doing the dictation, and one for Jamal, transcribing Amina's story. 

*Spoilers*

I'm not convinced that Amina isn't a zombie. Or that everything that happens after her visit to the island of the gods isn't her version of the afterlife. But I loved every second of her reunion with Raksh. Raksh might actually be my favorite part of the whole book. He was hilarious.

Ratings

Stars: 4/5