The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty
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.
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This book was the adventure I’ve been craving. Chakraborty is an instant-buy author for me and this book has cemented that fact. Her previous series, The Daevabad Trilogy is one of the best fantasy series’ I’ve ever read and I had high hopes for this book that didn’t disappoint. I will say, I was a bit nervous given the plot of this was so very different from her previous work but my fears were unfounded. This was a fantastic novel and the best pirate novel I’ve read yet. And believe me, I have HUNTED for the perfect pirate novel for YEARS. I’ve been searching high and low for a story that could ensnare me in the same way Pirates of the Caribbean did back in the day and this book far surpassed that! Chakraborty has a way of portraying such multi-faceted, human characters, deep dives into history (flawed though that history may be), and reflection on religious and political ties and upheaval. I felt like I was part of the crew, I loved these characters, and I cannot wait to return to this world again, no matter how long I may have to wait!
One thing this book portrayed extremely well was the strength in femininity in all its forms. Amina is a tall, strong, pirate of legend, yet she’s also a loving and doting mother. She’s able to be both at once and this book takes a deep look into all the ways in which it means to be a woman. Not only the common struggles women of all kind face, but also the beautiful ways in which they succeed. It brought a lot of hope to the topic of women in history. Fantasy books don’t always have to portray us as the oppressed. The feminist themes in this book were also extremely inclusive and it was done so seamlessly. At the beginning of this book there is a quote: “…that to be a woman is to have your story misremembered… Biographers polish away the jagged edges of capable, ruthless queens so they may be remembered as saints… Women are the forgotten spouses and unnamed daughters… women’s stories are expected to dissolve into a fog of domesticity… if they’re told at all.” This book challenges ALL of that and it made for such a compelling read.
The cast of characters in this book were amazing. You know me, I love me some great character driven stories with the promise of exceptional character development. Amina’s personality does not change throughout this book, but even though this is the beginning of her adventure, she still showed so much potential for growth. Some of her understandings and viewpoints were challenged and she came to some revelations and I’m so excited to see how her character learns and grows throughout the series. Her crew were some of the most loveable characters and I got attached to them way too quickly. Tinbu’s earnestness, Dalila’s protectiveness, and Majed’s steadfastness formed the perfect found family. There was so much love, humour and familial bickering between them that reading their interactions made me feel so cozy and right at home. They all had their shining moments and I’m excited to see where the grow.
The setting and the history made for the perfect basis to this storytelling. Set in one of the oldest seas in maritime history, there was so much opportunity for the tale to go in a thousand different directions. I love how the author really dug into how much of a diverse and vast place this was. Because there are so many peoples and cultures drawn to the sea in this ancient and familiar trade, there were so many rich legends and pieces of lore to explore. I think this will make for, not only a fantastic adventure series, but an amazing glimpse into some of the history of this area of the world, older than most. The storytelling was also so rich. I highly enjoy the way Chakraborty draws inspiration from traditional storytelling like those in oral histories throughout many cultures and those lucky enough to be recorded like in The Arabian Nights. I will never get tired of the way she writes a good story that digs into my heart (even if it ends up destroying me in the process).
This is most definitely a five star read. I have no faults with this book and it has gotten me so excited for the rest of this series. I feel like I haven’t felt this way about a fantasy series since I finished Empire of Gold. This book has reawakened my love of sea-faring adventures and it was the most loveliest of reads from beginning to end. I highly recommend you read this if you’re a fantasy-lover of any kind.