Join a book club that is reading The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi: A new fantasy series set a thousand years before The City of Brass!

Bay Area Ladies' Fantasy Book Club

This is a book club for those who love fantasy and science fiction novels with diverse female protagonists!

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi: A new fantasy series set a thousand years before The City of Brass

"A thrilling, transportative adventure that is everything promised-Chakraborty's storytelling is fantasy at its best." -- R.F. Kuang, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Babel and The Poppy War

"An exhilarating, propulsive adventure, stitched from the threads of real history, Amina's adventures are the reason to read fantasy." -- Ava Reid, internationally bestselling author of Juniper & Thorn

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.

BUY THE BOOK

496 pages

Average rating: 8.33

150 RATINGS

|

10 REVIEWS

Community Reviews

PackSunshine
Jan 05, 2025
8/10 stars
The first 50 pages when she was at home didn't grab me, but as soon as Amina left home, the fun began. Terrific pirate story, well-researched. It's Pirates of the Caribbean mixed with Indiana Jones mixed with the old Angelique series (unfortunately no longer in print and I can only find one of my mom's old books - they're asking $170+ on Amazon for old beat up copies!).
Ashku7
Nov 30, 2024
10/10 stars
4.5 Stars

This was fun y'all!
We've got pirates, not-demons, sea creatures, high stakes, low stakes, and a great cast of characters (hello, Delila and Raksh). This was full of action, realness, and shit that goes sideways, rightways, up and down.
Amina al-Sirafi is a fucking GWOAT and I look forward to continuing reading this series.
blewballoon
Nov 21, 2024
8/10 stars
I enjoyed this adventure a lot! I loved having an older and more experienced fantasy protagonist, I loved the diverse cast of characters, and I had fun being immersed in cultures and locations that aren't as familiar to me as typical fantasy settings. I think this book delivered solidly on its premise and my expectations were definitely met. I am not sure why, but despite all that, I had a slow time reading this. I found myself having to force a little to pick it up, and it wasn't until I felt like I was nearing the end that I began to read with more momentum. I am not sure why this was, since the book is fairly action packed throughout. It may be that I got lost a little in the unfamiliar terms and creatures? I'm not sure. This is more of a personal issue that I have with some romance books as well, but I found

Amina's horniness and ogling of the males around her to be off-putting. I was mildly disgusted that she had sex with her "demon" husband again towards the end of the book after everything we know he has done.
Lalalalowman
Jul 25, 2024
10/10 stars
I loved this book so much! The characters were lively and nuanced. The story was gripping and satisfying! The setting was interesting and evocative. And the whole thing was incredibly fun! Can't wait for the next one!
yahoo mail
Apr 15, 2024
9/10 stars
Loved this swashbuckling adventure featuring a strong woman leader! Lots of rich history and storytelling!

See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.