Review of 'The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi'

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.

Review

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi follows Amina as she is dragged back into a life of piracy when her quiet life is upturned by magic and mayhem.

Storytelling & Pacing

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi was a thoroughly enjoyable novel. However, it was slow to start.

The first 130 pages left me questioning whether or not I would enjoy the overall story simply because, given the premise, I imagined a quicker pace. However, that does not mean it was poorly written in any sense.

Chakraborty uses those first one hundred and thirty pages to establish what kind of character Amina is. The author then uses some time to give the reader some historical context while alluding to some of the backstory and history of Amina with other characters.

Here is where we are introduced to Dalila and TInbu. Dalila is the mistress of poisons and a former crewmate, as is Tinbu. We’re getting a sense of their familial dynamic.

It is slow to build, but at least the story is there, and the characters are fascinating.

However, once Amina is forced to save Tinbu by blowing up a prison, the story’s pacing quickens and only continues to rise as the stakes.

From a mad sorcerer hungry for power to Raksh, her “djinn” ex-husband, sea monsters, ad magical beasts, the story takes a life of its own, offering a fast-paced and thrilling adventure.

Characterization & Representation

Thankfully throughout the adventure, The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi does not fail to capture the character.

Amina is such a fantastic protagonist. So fierce and honorable, she is entirely flawed. But that only serves to make her even more charismatic.

Really, the dynamics capture the readers attention the most and explain why the characters can shine individually.

Dalila is the Mistress of Poisons and comes across as a little crazy. Amina often wonders if Dalila is going to kill her. But she trusts her with her life, and you can see a sisterly bond between the characters. And when times get dark and dangerous, these characters honor and respect one another, even though they come from different religious backgrounds. Amina is Muslim, while Dalila is Christian. But instead of letting that divide them, it only brings them closer together.

There is also no judgment regarding sexual preferences on the ship. Tinbu prefers men, Dunya sees herself as a boy rather than a girl, and the only thing Amina offers them is acceptance.

Seeing such heart, humor and comradery between the characters was beautiful. This is a crew that the readers become invested in.

Final Thoughts

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi is an exciting novel. Despite its slow start, it takes off like lightning and captures the readers’ attention hooking them for the sequel.

• Writing Quality : 9/10
• Character Development : 9/10
• "Couldn't Put It Down"-ness : 10/10
• Intellectual Depth: 10/10
• Originality: 10/10
• Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Like this review?

Don’t forget to follow Cyn’s Workshop on Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Twitter | Tumblr | Spotify | YouTube | BookBub | Goodreads | LinkedIn to stay tuned for future reviews.

About the Author

Cynthia Bujnicki graduated from Emerson College with a BA in Writing, Literature and Publishing. She has always loved to read since she was a child. A contributing writer for YA Fantasy Addicts, she is also the Editor-in-Chief for Cyn's Workshop. She lives in sunny South Florida with her husband, son and daughter and their two cats.