LoveReading Says
It's the 12th century in the northwestern Indian Ocean when we meet retired bandit Amina and her daughter Marjana living in a remote crumbling stone house in the seaside mountains of Oman. The memories of her adventures as a Nakhudka, of her life before becoming a mother, weigh heavily on her. The stories are legendary, of the guts, the glory, the vengeful merchant princes, her many men, the tales of her serving up human hearts for her sea-beast husband. She was a sorceress, a witch, a djinn, surely. For no woman could sail a ship so deftly. No woman could have achieved so much without such help. They hated what they desired and desired what they could not possess.
And then it was all over. Amini retired to the mountains to a life of an eccentric widow, a life of piety and motherhood. That's until she is offered a job that would transform the life of her and her daughter forever. She cannot resist the bounty and the call of her old life. As she re-engages with her old crew, her Mistress of Poisons, her Father of Maps and her beloved ship the Marawati she embarks on her quest to find the kidnapped granddaughter.
The start of a trilogy, this is a beautiful book inside and out, the language as spectacular, rich and bewitching as the locations. It's an absolute blast. A breathtaking adventure across the seas as Amina dives into adventure after adventure searching for missing artefacts, trying to solve ancient mysteries, desperate to win her quest. As she gains back her infamous swagger page by page, we understand and appreciate her love of this life. And as part of her crew, you want to follow her wherever her adventures take you next. Glorious!
Deborah Maclaren
Find This Book In
| Primary Genre |
Fantasy
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The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi Synopsis
Shannon Chakraborty, the bestselling author of The City of Brass, launches a new trilogy of magic and mayhem with this tale of pirates and sorcerers, forbidden artefacts and ancient mysteries, and one woman’s quest to seize a final chance at glory…
A pirate of infamy and one of the most storied and scandalous captains to sail the seven seas.
Amina al-Sirafi has 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 offered a job no bandit could refuse, she jumps at the chance for one final adventure with her old crew that will make her a legend and offers a fortune that will secure her and her family’s future forever.
Yet the deeper Amina dives the higher the stakes. For there’s always risk in wanting to become a legend, to seize one last chance at glory, to savour just a bit more power…and the price might be your very soul.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9780008381387 |
| Publication date: |
29th February 2024 |
| Author: |
Shannon Chakraborty |
| Publisher: |
HarperVoyager an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
483 pages |
| Primary Genre |
Fantasy
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Shannon Chakraborty Press Reviews
'Chakraborty's seafaring adventure is pure incandescence and adrenaline. Readers will leave these pages with their lungs full of ocean air, their fingertips glittered with magic and their hearts a little heavier for being both smitten and heartbroken by its finely drawn, poignant cast of characters. This is a book I will daydream of for years to come' Roshani Chokshi, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of THE GILDED WOLVES
'Chakraborty delivers again with a captivating story of motherhood, faith, friendship, dangerous magic, and hijinks on the high seas. Amina al-Sirafi is now my favorite pirate captain and I'm on board to follow all her adventures'
Fonda Lee, author of The Green Bone Saga
'Chakraborty's latest unfurls like a scroll of ancient parchment, conjuring realer-than-life monsters, menacing magic, and a heroine with a gnarled, beating heart. An exhilarating, propulsive adventure, stitched from the threads of real history, Amina's adventures are the reason to read fantasy. I'll follow this captain and her crew anywhere'
Ava Reid, internationally bestselling author of THE WOLF AND THE WOODSMAN
'A marvellous and enthralling tale filled with wonders (and horrors), the best of which is Amina herself: witty, conflicted, loyal, ambitious, (mostly) honest, (occasionally) foul-mouthed, and so very relatable as she struggles to save herself, her crew, and the family she loves but so often left behind'
Kate Elliott, author of UNCONQUERABLE SUN and SERVANT MAGE
'Chakraborty immerses readers in a rich historical landscape, plunges them into deftly paced adventure, and throws them in with an ensemble cast of lovable if piratical misfits-but the heart of the story is fierce, flawed, exquisitely human Amina. A transporting, absorbing, and utterly delightful read' Rowenna Miller, author of THE UNRAVELLED KINGDOM
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