The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi was a book that quickly enchanted me. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but what I got was a story about pirates – naturally – but also friendship and ambition. Keep reading this book review for my full thoughts.
Summary
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
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
With the huge hype around The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, I wasn’t sure what to expect except a pirate adventure story. And while that’s definitely a huge aspect of the story – a non-stop depiction of adventures and difficult situations – what I ended up loving the most was Amina. The adventure is sweeping, beginning from the very start and not letting up until the last page. If you love those stories of mishaps, reckless last ditch efforts, and danger – this is for you. Told like Amina is narrating her life to a scribe, we hear her reflect on the dominoes that fall.
All the events, little coincidences, and choices that combine to create infamous legends and dangerous consequences. I loved how this narrative style not only does a fabulous job of depicting the adventures, but also with these anecdotes of stories, within stories, we need to know. The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi has treasure hunting, fanatical magic, and pirates. On an action level, it’s easy to become captivated. I loved the mystery and constant questing. But my favorite element had to be Amina herself.
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How coming out of ‘retirement’ forces her to question her current ambitions, versus who she was as a person, her past mistakes and current morals. Because there’s a face, a family, a series of flaws behind a legend. And The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi is about unraveling these stories to see what lies beneath. It’s a grounded adventure story which I know I will need the sequel to now! Find The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Indiebound, Bookshop.org, & The Book Depository.