The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi
Shannon Chakraborty, 2023
Premise: Many have heard of the exploits of the pirate Amina Al-Sirafi. Few know that she retired years ago to raise her daughter, and fewer know that she still misses the sea, as she barely admits it to herself. When a former shipmate's family asks for help (then uses bribes and threats to compel her), she'll have no choice but to regain her ship and her crew, but they've never faced anything like this before.
Middle-aged mom goes on an adventure? Sign me up for this book.
More seriously, I was very quickly drawn into the world and the characters. Medieval-era Muslim seafarers in the Indian Ocean already makes for a colorful and intriguing setting, and as each character was introduced, their backstories added more dimensions and nuances.
The blending of different mythologies and religions was especially fun. Amina knows the rules about some kinds of supernatural things, but her Islamic background doesn't help much when she ends up deeply entangled with a bunch of folks from Hindu mythology and facing a Christian crusader who's been collecting a bunch of different magics from all over.
Personally I appreciated how central Amina's love for her daughter remained, even as she adventured with her old companions and admitted how much she missed traveling.
I guess this is the first in a series, which I honestly felt a little disappointed by, as I recently have been enjoying stand-alone novels more. I didn't feel like the hooks for the next part of the story were cliffhangers, though, which was good. I guess what I'm trying to say is I liked the story a lot, but enough to seek out the unwritten next part? We'll have to see.
A pleasant, invigorating read with a lot of joy.
4 Stars - A Very Good Book
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