The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi
2023
Ratings48
Average rating4.4
15
Ratings48
Average rating4.4
Shannon Chakraborty, the bestselling author of The City of Brass, spins a new trilogy of magic and mayhem on the high seas in this tale of pirates and sorcerers, forbidden artifacts and ancient mysteries, in one woman's determined quest to seize a final chance at glory--and write her own legend. 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.
Featured Series
1 primary bookUntitled is a 2-book series with 2 primary works first released in 2012 with contributions by S. A. Chakraborty and Charlotte Betts.
Reviews with the most likes.
Incredibly engaging book. I especially appreciated the linear storytelling that helped me keep straight all of the characters and places. I was originally nervous when it mentioned maps and names as a separate pdf, but none of it was needed. The storytelling is just incredible.
I can't wait for the next book.
The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty is a great historical fantasy adventure. Amina Al-Sirafi is a middle-aged piratey sea captain who is persuaded out of retirement and away from her daughter. What she thinks will be a fact finding and rescue mission to recover the daughter of a former crewman turns into a full scale supernatural adventure. This book had a lovely, satisfying ending. Open ended with room for more stories, but not in a cliffhanger way. I got my book from Book of the Month Club and read it in hardcover, as well as listening to the audiobook for some of it.
“I had an irrational urge to hug the Marawati's worn wooden railing, to press my brow to the damp hull as I reunited with my beloved ship for the first time in ten years. It felt like this moment should be more momentous, more solemn. Then again, having to sneak on board was probably more fitting given our history.”
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What a wonderfully written story! Amina's journey is not only exciting and action packed, but also emotional and heart breaking and true to her character. She never gives up fighting for what she needs to, and learns a few lessons along the way. The historical tidbits bring the story to life and truly immerse the reader.
