The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi

"I didn't like it as well as her City of Brass series as I didn't really connect with any of the characters. "

"This is the beginning of a trilogy that consists of magic and mayhem/ destruction on the high seas. This is a tale of pirates, of sorcerers, forbidden artifacts, and ancient mysteries, and finally one woman determined to claim her legacy. This book is ultimately about pirates. Here we experience 14th century pirates on the seas of the Indian Ocean. We are quickly transported to a dangerous and vivid world of piracy. Amina has been retired from piracy for 10 years after she had her daughter. She is pulled back in by a mission she cannot refuse. She is both plagued by magical creatures, including a very charming demon, and haunted by the foolishness of her past. Amina must piece together ancient riddles, fend off monsters she never dreamed of, and survive the dangerous waters. All while being a mother. This book has an Arabic background. It has themes of feminism, religion, motherhood, wealth, freedom, and found family. Although it had a very slow start as we gather all of the characters in order to begin our adventure, it picks up to something quite amazing. As soon as she accepts the job she immediately wants her ship and her crew, which have been loyal to her for years. It was so interesting seeing how loyal her relationships lie after 10 years of being away from them. At the end of the day the sea called them all back to both support their captain and because it was the sea that was their first loves. This being my first pirate story, I really enjoyed what each character brought and their passion for each of their bonds. As the book continues, the action steadily picks up, by the end it is so action packed that I couldn’t put it down the entire last half of the book! If you enjoy stories about pirates, magic weilders, ancient artifacts, or monsters, then you should reach for this book and go on the adventure with strong sea captain Amina and her crew in search of a new adventure. "

"I didn’t like her city of brass series, but I heavily enjoyed this book. The plot had a slow start and some rather slow parts, but once it got going, it was really entertaining. The reason why I didn’t like the city of brass books is because of the relationships between the characters were based on tropes. I think this new series really shows a wide variety of relationships without falling into tropes. There were still a small amount, but I didn’t feel like I knew what was going to happen. I like the direction of the magical world building in which it didn’t reflect one culture but many. The author did a good job in representing the diversity on the sea. Really enjoy the older character rep and non binary rep. Great read. Definitely for fans of found family. Fade to black romance level of spice."

"Not rating. DNF at chapter 8. I might give it a try another time but I am not feeling this right now."

"Oh my gosh, I could not stop consuming this book. If you like movies like R.E.D. or reading The Maleficent Seven, where badasses come out of retirement for one more adventure, this is for you. I find myself sucked into the nautical adventures and the beautiful world in here. I am inspired and I am in search of another great adventure like this,"

"This book was lyrical in it's writing. The characters and diversity jumped off the page. Amina was absolutely hilarious and came to life. But for what I expected to be a pirate book, there was barely any seafaring and left the "adventures" that were promised in the title something to desire."

"Incredible!"

"Amina is my queen"

"Good character and plot development. Lots of twists and turns and is worth the read. Keeps you on your toes!"

"The adventure, the magic, the 40 something badass pirate heroine that was also a mother. "