Overall, very lovely and vividly imagined writing, and although I wasn't really feeling it at the time, would definitely recommend for those more in the mood!

I would like to thank NetGalley and Harper Voyager UK for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

If you like epic historical adventures full of pirates and magic, set in a fantasy world inspired by Middle East, this book is a right choice for you! It's one of the best written, engaging books with well-rounded characters I've read in long time.

We follow Amina, a retired pirate that got persuaded to go to one more adventure of her life. And it was a great journey full of dangers and unexpected turns of events! I love Amina as a main character. She's a very strong, experienced warrior with a legendary past and I loved her sarcastic nature so much. It was such breathe of fresh air to have a trully mature and complex character.

I couldn't put the book down as so many unexpected events were happening and the high stakes kept me going. The writing style got me transported into the magical world the author created. However, the first half was slower than the rest and even though I enjoyed it, it took me a while to actually connect to the story. After that though, I loved every second spent with Amina and her crew! I rooted for everyone and they had amazing dynamic between each other. You could feel and see that they had a past full of memories together which was so wholesome. I can't wait to read other Amina's adventures when they'll come out in the future and now I'm very much curious to try the Daevabad trilogy as well.

Disappointed by this as the blurb sounded so amazing but I found it really hard to get into the story, DNF at 15% hate to say, first time reading this author’s work and I have to say I didn’t like her writing style (personal preference). Will try and go back to give it another attempt in the future. Beautiful cover though.

An exceptional book from start to finish and honestly I had high expectations after really enjoying city of brass and it’s world and characters. I thoroughly enjoyed The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi; each page just made it better and better. The world building, just like in city of brass was exceptional! So well researched and thought out! The characters and the plot were also incredibly fun to read. Shannon Chakraborty has such a talent for writing well rounded characters.

So it took me over a month to finish this but I did it!
This is not the books fault though, I was just in an awful reading mood.
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi is exactly what the title promises, an adventure novel. A really fun one too.
The characters are well fleshed out and interesting, the plot engaging and the writing competent.
It does have a few flaws, as does every book of course. I felt that it was a little bit to long and introduced one or two too many mysteries and set-ups. It just felt a little bloated.
Another thing that I would have changed is that there is no visual difference between the Story Amina is telling and the dialog she has with the person she is telling it too. That just made for confusing passages.
I will definitely read the sequels though.

I give this one 4/5 stars. Maybe it would have been 5 if I was in a better reading mood.

I had loved the Daevabad trilogy with all of my being so I was nervous but optimistic going into The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi...I should not have been nervous - Shannon Chakraborty knocks it out of the park with this 'one last job' story packed with fantastic characters in a wide and wonderful (if sometimes scary) world.
One of the things I thought was most surprising (in a good way) was that this felt very different from the Daevabad books. While you still have Chakraborty's amazing prose and masterful balancing of characters the book feels distinct and different. I think part of that is aided by the first person narration, not always my favourite thing but the context given in this story definitely helped.
The characters were my favourite part of this story, they are all so interesting and fun in different ways and I so look forward to getting to know them better as this series goes on. I quickly had firm favourites and (probably ill-advised) ships. There are some books where I eagerly await fan art of my favourites and this is one of them.
I'll be recommending this to all the fantasy lovers in my life and then I'll probably go all out and recommend it to everyone else too as this feels like the kind of story that anyone could enjoy for one reason or another. I look forward to everyone reading it!
I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley - all opinions are my own.

4.5⭐️ rounded

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi is a gripping, nautical adventure filled with a wonderful cast of carriers & will leave you wanting more!

I always find Shannon’s books quite slow starters & this was no exception for me. I struggled to get into the book & wasn’t really invested in it until around 40%, but once it got going I struggled to put it down! The plot was very well thought out & although a couple of sections were easily predicted, there was plenty of twists & turns to keep me very interested!

I loved Amina & her crew, it was refreshing to read a book where the MC & main cast were not teenagers/young adults. I did struggle to empathise with Amina, but I still hugely enjoyed her character (if we could get an adventures of young Amina novella that would be great too!). Dalila & Tinbu were wonderful companions, Dalila I specifically adored, she was delightfully chaotic & I hope we see more of her in future books. Special mention to Raksh too, his irreverent charm & selfishness won me over very quickly!

As is always the case with Chakraborty’s, Amina is extremely well written, with beautiful prose & good pacing (once I got past the slow start). The world building was solid & seamlessly woven into the story, I really liked the “intermissions” with backstory from the scribe to add flesh to the world.

I liked the ending, it could easily lend itself to being a stand-alone, the way the series will be continued honestly felt like a bit of an afterthought, rather than it being planned to be a series from the start. That’s not a complaint as I will happily read more books in this world, just how it seemed to me.

Would recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun, nautical adventure with some dark twists, interesting characters & a gripping story!

Thank you to HarperVoyager and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this ARC.

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi is a brilliant read. Let me use the title as inspiration - this book is truly adventurous, and I loved it. The worldbuilding was fantastic, it was so vivid and atmospheric, I could picture everything. It was a work of art.

I really loved how this story was structured: Amina telling her own story to Jamal. I loved the little banter-y interjections between the two characters, as well as the additionally information added by Jamal frequently throughout the book (and I loved the layout of these pieces too, to differentiate between Jamal scribing Amina's storytelling and Jamal interjecting with his own).

I think the story was well paced too, I like how we were lead to think one thing (and pre-warned that things might not be what they seem!). It's funny, too, as it was obvious Amina was going to survive (how else would she be telling this story?!) but at times I genuinely worried for her! At some points, I did find the story a bit lagging but it was never not enjoyable. I also found myself confused by some of the events - but I think that was a me problem, as in I was reading so quickly because I was engaged so much in the plot that my brain refused to slow down and process the sentence/paragraph/page before I had skipped on to the next.

Amina was a great character, and I loved hearing about the mythological/idealised version of her and then seeing the woman herself (no less brilliant). I enjoyed that this story decided to follow an older woman, not a young teenager, I thought that was very interesting (and I'd be happy to read a prequel to this!!).

The side characters were brilliant too . . . was I meant to love the demon husband as much as I did? God he was the worst but he was hilarious. I loved the group of friends/found family dynamic too between Amina/Dalila/Tinbu/Majed.

I loved Dunya's story too and how (spoiler alert!) Amina supported Dunya's right to choose, even if it could have potential bad consequences for Amina.

Also, I find a lot of books with pirates and boats don't actually have much to do with pirates and boats, but this one did and for that I am very pleased.

I am very excited to read about Amina's next adventure!

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK / Harper Voyager for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review

The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi is relatable, funny, and gripping from the first page.

I loved the Daevabad trilogy, so was extremely excited when I saw the author was releasing a new book. However I was even more excited when I started reading Amina. It has all the amazing worldbuilding and characterisation of Daevabad, but with the added bonus of a hilariously sarcastic main character who has plenty of lived experience, and bad decisions, to her name.

I adored Amina, for all her flaws - which she is thoroughly aware of - she makes for a very relatable adult main character. While I’m sure most of us have not experienced her swashbuckling adventures, we can all understand a desire for more and a willingness to do anything we can to protect the people we love.

The plot is enthralling and epic, it seamlessly weaves real mythology into stories and fables of the world Chakraborty has created. I was gripped from the very beginning, and am thrilled to hear that this is planned as a trilogy.

I absolutely adored The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi, and I already cannot wait for the next book in the series!

I going to sign in as a crew member on a ship, the nakhudha is Amina al-Sirafi, a free-love Muslim, a smuggler, a pirate. We are going on an adventure, sailing the unknown land, facing the sea beasts.

People say Captain Amina al-Sirafi is too relentless, too ambitious, too violent, utterly inappropriate and her last husband was a demon, oh, I love to believe all!

Amina al-Sirafi is retired now cause she has a daughter, Marjana. But for the sake of Asif's mother, one of her late crew (Amina feels guilty about Asif's loss), she decided to save her grandchild, Dunya. Well, I think the right words are "threat" and "forced" instead of "sake" and "decided".

As Amina and I can't do this dangerous mission on our own, we go for two of her old ones, Dalila, the Mistress of Poisons and Tinbu who fucked up and jailed, (poof, we have a rescue mission too)!
They used to joke that Amina could kill you up close, Tinbu could kill you from another ship, and Dalila could kill you from a different city three days later.

We have a ship’s cat that does not actually hunt mice, we will be hunted by Franks (Western and central Europian during the Early Middle Ages), become the treasure hunter for a bunch of magical birdmen and will have many other awesome sea adventures!

And now, don't worry, I take an appointment in rehab for myself, but honestly, this was a very sweet dream!

Many thanks to HarperCollins UK via NetGalley for helping me to completely lost the little sanity that was left for me! I presented my true feelings and love for my crew partners, and try my best to learn much more from my dearest Dalila!
“God did not mean all dreams to be chased. Sometimes people must hide their hearts to survive, to honor their family.”
“God made us who we are,” I said softly. “I have to believe we are to find wisdom in that.”

"There was and was not a nakhudha named Amina al-Sirafi who sailed with a cunning crew all over the great Indian Ocean, dashing after magical treasures and talismans, outwitting cruel sorcerers, and battling incomprehensibly powerful creatures from legend. This is her story first, and only one of her many adventures."
Where are other adventures?? I already sign in, don't forget to take me with you!

A massive thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to review this stunner of a book!

The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty is the story of a mother that has put her adventuring past behind her... until it comes knocking quite rudely at her door in the form of a previous shipmate's mom looking to rescue her kidnapped granddaughter from a foreign fiend.

Easy money, right? Well, this job might be a lot more than Amina bargains for. Along with a cast of colourful shipmates, and a few people from her past she might rather want to forget, she sets sail on the adventure of a lifetime!

I absolutely loved this book. This is definitely going on my top books of 2023. Amina's voice was so distinct and genuine, and the fact that it was based on our own world with a supernatural layer over it, it just made it that much more special!

I can't wait to see where the crew of the Marawati go from here. All I know is that I want to be right there with them!

The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi is such a good book. So funny, so stabby. So, completely reckless. It was entertaining as hell.

Anyone who's read the Daevabad Trilogy will adore this and I'm so exited for the sequels.

THE MAGIC. THE DJINN. THE LIFE CHOICES.

Dead. So good.

This book which tells the story of Amina al-Sirafi, an extremely capable and kick ass female pirate who is balancing motherhood and captaining her ship masterfully! In other words, an excellent book for International Women’s Day! So, onto the review…allons-y!


After a decade of uneasy early retirement, Amina al-Sirafi is lured back to the high seas for one last job. One that she was blackmailed and bullied to take on by the mother of a fallen comrade, the adventures are only just beginning!

Guys, this books is just great fun, whilst also managing to tackle some of the heavier topics about being a woman in what is still, very much, a man’s world. I cannot recommend it enough! Amina is an engaging and pithy character and storyteller, who is very happy to join in and get her hands dirty, and who is painfully aware of her place in life, and that of her beloved daughter.

If you’re in the mood for some strong female characters, who are kicking ass and taking names this International Women’s Day, then look no further! Your next read is right here!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!! Easy!

From this day forward, every time someone asks me about great female characters, Amina will be one of the first to come to my mind. I love the unconventional choice of telling the story of a middle aged mom, who had a wonderful past but who doesn’t want to renounce to her future. Amina has two great loves: her daughter and the sea.. and it is heartbreaking seeing her feeling guilty for loving a thing that keeps her apart from the other half of her heart. Nonetheless this teaches everyone that even if you are a mom, even if you are not young anymore, even if you are a woman.. you can be great and you should always aim for that happiness. I loved reading about her adventures, the way she and her crew look after each other is very sweet and it is as clear as the sun that it Is possible to extend your family and your love to the people you choose. Even Amina’s (ex?!) husband is quite hilarious and the world definitely reminded me of Daevabad… how much I would love an apparition of Dara, Will that remain just a dream?! Only the sequels can tell 😉.

A fantastical story of adventure, pirates, magic and danger. With the main character Amina narrating to a scribe her story to find one woman's child whilst trying to keep her own hidden and safe, as she journeys back to the ship and the life she left behind. This venture however will bring with it danger and unimaginable horrors that will make her quest more harrowing than she could ever imagine. This story siezed my fantasy loving heart and ran away with in. I cannot wait to read more of Amina, her demon hopefully and her crew of family and friends. Thus was a truly wonderfully way to spend my weekend and I cannot recommend it enough!

This book was everything I wanted it to be! It was a wonderful historical setting full of diversity and the kind of rich mix of cultures that really makes the world interesting, it was a beautiful arrangements of fantasy creatures and elements that went into this world to make it just that much more exciting. And it was a character who was different and interesting and funny!

I don't honestly know what to say other than that. It was a thrilling book that engrossed me completely, maybe not from the first page, but from very early on. There were so many twists and turns that I didn't see coming. It was just perfection.

I appreciate a slightly older character. Not being a young spry teenager myself anymore, it was really nice to read about someone a bit different in one of these books. I couldn't relate to her entirely as she's a little older than me and a parent, but I've never found that an obstacle to liking the character.

I just want to scream about this book from the treetops! Go read it!

Having not read The City of Brass series, I was compelled to pick up this book on hype alone - and I was not disappointed. I adored every single second of this book!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

I was a huge fan of the Daevabad trilogy and was worried I wouldn't enjoy this as much. How wrong was I?! I loved everything about this book: the vivid descriptions and the amazing array of characters. Amina is a brilliant character and it's great to see an older person take the lead in this genre.

Can't wait for more.

I loved this book. The premise of a retired pirate being forced out of retirement was an instant hook for me. I really loved the world building and the research that Shannon has done on the region during that period was clear, it made for a rich world that left me with more questions (the recommended reading at the end was just what I wanted!). Highly recommend reading this book for an epic fantasy with magic and pirates!

An amazing first book in what promises to be a beautiful and entertaining new fantasy series!

I love pirates and I love adventures so this book was a dream come true for me! It’s a great new twist on the classic pirates searching for treasure plot, where the main protagonist is a retired pirate with bad joints and greying hair. It challenges what is previously written in the pirate genre and is so good at blending history and fiction!

I want more protagonists like Amina. I loved having an older main character because her decisions always came with a sort of weariness and knowledge that was very different to other books. It reminded me how there’s no age restrictions on going on adventures.

I loved the found family of pirates, with all their different dynamics and personalities. Again, it was even better because they were older and had so much history together. I can’t wait to see more of them in the next book!

If you like reading about pirates, adventures and a protagonist with very realistic reactions to problems, you should definitely read this book!

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for this arc. The review is my own and freely given.