The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by S.A. Chakraborty
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
**4.5-stars rounded up**
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi was my first Chakraborty novel. I am so happy to have discovered her work.
This was such an incredible story; well told and well constructed. I loved this cast of characters so much. I honestly can’t believe how attached I got to them.
The star of our show, of course, is Amina al-Sirafi. As a woman over 40, I can tell you it was an absolute delight to get a female protagonist who was a little more battle-worn, and time advanced, than your typical lead.
Amina has had many, many adventures on the high seas, as one of the Indian Ocean’s most notorious pirates. She’s loved and lost, been in tight spots and epic battles of wit. She’s also been married numerous times and even is a mother to a delightful little girl, Marjana.
She should be happy and I guess, in a lot of ways she is, but an adventurer will always have that nagging feeling in the pit of their gut that there’s more out there.
When Amina is approached by an extremely wealthy woman to embark on one more quest, she’s definitely reluctant. It’s dangerous and she doesn’t want to leave her daughter behind, in spite of the slight urge to adventure on.
Unfortunately, the woman really leaves her without much of a choice and when riches beyond Amina’s wildest imaginations are dangled in front of her, she agrees. One more mission.
Determined to succeed, Amina assembles a team of her old colleagues, each one with a specialty likely to contribute greatly to their task. They’ve got their means of transportation, they’ve got their team, they’ve got a goal.
Thus, they set out to find and rescue the allegedly kidnapped granddaughter or their rich benefactor.
This adventure was so engrossing. I loved the crew. The banter was witty and the stakes were high. As the story progressed, more magical elements were introduced and I definitely found it enchanting.
There were some sections towards the end that I found a little confusing, but it could have been because I was reading it so quickly. I was dying to discover what was going to happen, so it kept me going at a pretty steady pace.
I’m super stoked that this is just the start of this series. What a fun way to kick it off. I am very anxious to see where it is going to go from here. I can’t wait to go on more adventures with Amina and her crew!!
Thank you so much to the publisher, Harper Voyager, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This was fantastic!