The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi: A swashbuckling, seafaring romp from the bestselling author of the City of Brass

Really enjoyable fantasy loved every minute of it

Good ,spooky in places. Enjoyed it

I wasn’t sure, at first, how I felt about this book. It started with promise, then seemed to trickle along a bit, but then started to pick up pace, and draw you in to its mystical powers. Some of the terminology took a little getting used to, but that was another early barrier to cross. I persisted, and I’m pleased I did. The book is an enjoyable romp with enjoyable characters, with just enough promise to leave you waiting for the undoubted book 2. The next question I need to address is do I trust the author enough to tackle her other series?

A great set of characters throughout. Loved the lead Amina and so many interesting side stories and lots of magic. Beautifully described. Wasn't expecting something this good.

I have found myself reading several books about pirates lately and this one landed in my hands after the cover stood out in the bookshop.It’s set in and around the Indian Ocean about 800 years ago, and follows the story of retired pirate captain Amina al-Sirafi as she is drawn back into action for one last fantastical adventure.I really enjoyed the setting - it’s good to find a book with a different view on the world, clearly a lot of thought and research gone into it, and that educates as well as entertaining.The fantasy elements, while there from the start, built up in an easy to follow way and felt like really solid world building. The characters were compelling and believable, flawed in interesting ways, and yet always fun to be with. And the narration was fun - relaxed, informative, and with a style that really made you want to read more.But I did find myself wishing the book was about a third shorter. By the time I was a week in I had lost patience a bit, not because the story wasn’t moving, but just because I was mentally ready to be reading the next book in my pile instead.I was surprised to learn after reading that this is planned to become a trilogy. I’m not sure how I feel about revisiting this world and characters - the book worked well as a standalone.

A great fun adventure romp, full of pirates, magic, evil sorcerers, exotic locations, romance, djinni, grudges, and a happily ever after(-ish).It's set in a medieval Indian Ocean, a melting pot of people and cultures. Amina al-Sirafi is a middle-aged mother of a cute ten-year-old, retired from a life as one of the most notorious pirates in the Indian Ocean. She's "invited" out for one last job by a rich woman from Aden, to rescue her granddaughter, kidnapped by a "Frank" (European).The plot then rattles along at a good pace, with events snowballing believeably into something far more complicated and dangerous than we first thought. The characters come across as real people, with their own personalities and in many cases a shared history that is often mentioned in passing, rather than through laborious exposition. The writing's good, with enough description to give good mental images of places, without getting bogged down.I liked that a lot of Chakraborty's storytelling choices are outside the typical range. The main character is a middle-aged woman who's competent but not invulnerable. The story is told from the point of view of the people of the western Indian Ocean, and celebtates their cosmopolitan makeup. The only European in the mix, Falco, is most definitely not a white saviour!One to read. It's a great ripping yarn, and I'm looking forward to the clearly-signposted next installments of the series.

A pretty run of the mill fantasy with characters, story lines and passages of action that held no interest for me. I only read it to the end because it was our book group's choice but it was a duty rather than a pleasure. Most of our members felt the same way. We knew Amina was going to succeed but we didn't care one way or the other. I did like Dalila who had some very witty one liners.

Except to say that everyone should read it. If you like myths and fairytales, the supernatural blended with the historic, and appreciate a well rounded protagonist, then this is a book you need to read. There are pirates, djinns, mythical and mystical beings, swashbuckling adventures, terrible deals with otherworldly beings, AND on top of that this is a story with a diverse cast of characters, set in the Indian Ocean.Go read it, you'll be pleased you did. Interestingly, I absolutely hate first person voiced books, but Amina? I would read more of her if could, because even in the first person voice, this book was stunning.

What a rousing tale. I’m not normally a fantasy reader but the female adventure pirate had me hooked right away and what a great tale of adventure. Fast paced, well written and such a great lead character!! Thoroughly enjoyable

Bem escrito, narrativa dinâmica, história interessante. Amina é super carismática e pokas ideia, personagens de suporte também são bem definidos. A ambientação é impecável.

Per 20€ di libro, la fine della stampa della spina del libro non coincide con l’effettivo bordo, poi la grafica stampata è piuttosto rovinata

Amina är en väldigt bra start in i fantasy för er som precis som jag nyligen började läsa igen i vuxen ålder. Charaktärerna är trovärdiga och roliga att läsa, man vill veta mer och mer om dem ju mer man läser men den som tar showen är verkligen huvudkaraktären Amina som man följer i en fisrt person perspektiv.Om ni är intresserade av en crew av karaktärer som är mycket äldre och faktiskt visar sin ålder är boken perfekt. Att läsa om en moder och se hennes perspektiv på världen var något jag verkligen gillade och hur hbtq+ karaktärerna vävdes in utan problem var också ett stort plus.Boken utspelar sig i en intressant del av världen som man oftast inte läser om i fantasy vilket kändes väldigt fresh.För att summera så rekommenderar jag starkt denna boken till alla som vill läsa om en stark äldre kvinnlig karaktär i en bit av världen man ofta inte läser om i fantasy som får gå igen prövningar i både moderskap och sin tro.

Una auténtica preciosidad. Ha venido en muy buen estado (en otras ocasiones que he comprado libros por aquí han venido golpeados o ligeramente estropeados, pero este ha llegado perfecto). La edición es una maravilla, está en inglés y tapa dura. Con muchas ganas de leerlo, he leído muy buenas opiniones del libro.