The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi

A Novel

By: Shannon Chakraborty

Narrated by: Lameece Issaq, Amin El Gamal

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.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Shannon Chakraborty (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

COMPLETELY CAPTIVATED

Can't think of a single thing that wasn't outstanding about this novel or the audio version of it. I loved it from the very beginning to the very end.

Historical fantasy set in the Islamic world and culture

This is a new series by the author, and though her previous series was well reviewed I wanted to start with this standalone (for now) book to get a better idea of how I would like her style.

The book was well written and was refreshing to see a book set in the historical Islamic world in a way that was historically accurate (other than the supernatural or fantastical elements), while still being entertaining and respectful of the culture.

The book was entertaining and as a parent (though as a father and not a mother) it was genuinely touching to see the humanizing element of concern for the main character’s child and the agony of being apart.

This initial book sets the stage for many new adventures with the characters and the crew, I’m looking forward to reading more!

A story I have not heard before

I thought the writer was ingenious in the way she worked in a history and the culture of an area that I didn't know and I appreciated getting a sense of that through the story telling including fantasy elements. The reader was good but there were cuts in the recording where her tone changed dramatically and it was just a little off putting. I mentioned it just because I think it's the engineering that could be better and it was unfortunate because I thought the reader was good otherwise.

Enthralling Adventure

Terrific narrator and stunning writing! I should also say I’m not a die hard fantasy genre lover, so even if there’s an interesting world or intriguing characters, I won’t cringe through clunky dialogue or repetitive prose to get through a story. The writer’s craftsmanship is extraordinary, not just in the specificity of the world she creates, but also in creating compelling and complicated characters with extremely distinct and clever dialogue (all expertly navigated by the narrator reading Amina). This story is also a master class in a show-don’t-tell approach to writing nuanced diverse characters with deeply rooted motivations and internal conflicts. Strongly recommend and now checking out her other work!

Love World History?

Recommend to everyone! Although, as an AP World History high school teacher this book was even more fun.

I’m in love

All I will say is this. I listened to this book because the Daevabad trilogy is one of my favorite series of all time. After I finished this book I thought, “I might like this book better”.

Swashbuckling and thought provoking all in one

This rollicking tale of unlikely allies who are pressed into rescuing a young scholar, engaged me fairly quickly. At the start it had the feel of a YA novel but the story quickly became more complex, thought provoking and fun. I liked the diversity of the characters and even the magic- the idea of a mystical bureaucracy of birds continues to make me smile. ! The narrator used a sarcastic tone to represent the main character which took some getting used to but I think it fits the character of Amina well. Listen for yourself!

A truly entertaining adventure novel

It starts really slowly, but it picks up pace over time and becomes a truly entertaining and funny adventure novel. Chakraborty is a master of world building and character dynamics and has a great sense of humor.

The performance was excellent, really bringing this beautifully crafted story to life.

History nerds

I loved the centering of the cultures of the Indian Ocean, as well as the diversity of gender in characters. Narration is excellent

the amazing characters, and magic used

I really loved this story so much it had me hooked from the beginning to the end. This story hits all the rights spots for me personally.