Many books I go to read, feature main characters typically in their mid to late twenties. Maybe an oddball 30 year old sprinkled throughout. But I don’t think I’ve ever read a story where the main character is a 40 year old.
Now, this may be due to the high volume of Paranormal Romances I ingest. Alongside a healthy bout of Fantasy. Most tend to glorify the young to mid-twenty year old female. People in their prime.
So when I saw one of my favorite Bookstagram accounts (@booksdogsandcoffee91) talking about a book about a 40 year old mom who was Muslim and a retired pirate, forced into yet another adventure, I knew I had to investigate The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi further!
Synopsis
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 a risk in wanting to become a legend, to seize one last chance of glory, to savor just a bit more power…and the price might be your very soul.
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty (inside flap)
Why I Loved It
Amina al-Sirafi
First and foremost, I have to give praise to our nakhudha (or captain), and to the woman who brought her to life, Shannon Chakraborty. For giving us a middle-aged female lead, who is a loving mother, and a badass pirate. A character who is unapologetic for having had multiple husbands. Who knows her own desires. A character whose knee gives her trouble every so often! Thank you for making her so real!
Although this novel is chock full of great characters, each and every one a delight, I have to say Amina is my favorite.
She’s not perfect. She’s made some bad choices in life. And she makes some not so great choices in this book. But why she makes these choices is what draws me to her. She’s been written so beautifully human, so beautifully a mother.
We often see in paranormal romances or even fantasy, where the woman get’s pregnant, but the baby is almost like a purse. Something seen being carried around, but there’s no depth into how this new relationship has affected the woman.
Not the case in this book. And it’s so great, so wonderful. This book, was definitely made with mothers in mind.
Motherhood vs & Individuality
Moving on to the second major thing I loved about The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, is the theme of not just Motherhood, but of Individuality.
I think this a concept that is changing from past generations to present. And I absolutely cherish the fact that it is so well represented in this book.
I told my own mom not long ago how my friends and I had started a book club, and her first response was, “Well how do you find time for that?” Like the idea of a bookclub now that we’re all in our 30s, with most of us having a kid or two, isn’t possible.
She has “warned” me that once I have a kid, I won’t have time for any of that, any of my hobbies. For books, gaming, and movies, etc.
However, I think my generation and younger are realizing that you don’t have to lose your individuality just because you’ve become a parent. Your whole identity doesn’t have to just be, “I am a mom” and nothing else anymore. And in fact, it can be very enriching to keep your passions part of your life while being a parent. To, let go, or abandon your hobbies and passions, to lose part of yourself, isn’t necessary.
In this novel, we see a mom, a pirate who loves the sea and her ship, and crew, but also her daughter. There is no choice she makes that she doesn’t think about her daughter. And as such, we see her battling (like so many moms do) of being a “good mom” and realizing having our own passions and hobbies outside of motherhood is not a bad thing!
Inclusive
I won’t go into details to avoid spoilers here, which sucks! Because I could go on and on, and is one (of the obvious many) that I loved this book so so much! But I thought this novel knocked it out of the park, for having a truly diverse cast in several senses. And how Amina interacts with those people. Just chef’s kiss! And adds even more reason as to why I loved Amina’s character so much.
The Fantasy Aspect
Though this book starts out as a historical fiction, as the story progresses we are served little hints and clues about the supernatural. About how lucky Amina had been in her pirating days there until the end. How the winds favored their sails and pursuers would always fall behind.
I felt like The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi slowly lured you into the fantasy aspect without just hitting you with it full force in the beginning. Because all cultures (for the most part) have some fantasy/myths/superstitions in their history. And so it was neat to hear about the possible fantasy elements in that way before the story really gets going.
Once the fantasy does make its entrance though…oh boy, it’s so much fun! And terrifying at times! Magic is never something to be trifled with, and magical peoples are a gamble too.
Writing Style
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi is not like any other book I’ve read personally (though I know they’re out there) where the MC is talking to you the reader. Because in this instance, you the reader are in the headspace of a scribe who is going to write down said adventures, just as Amina experienced them.
Chakraborty did a great job I think of letting you get so into the story, and then throwing in a line or two to remind you, that Amina is talking to you. And damn, if that just wasn’t so much fun to read.
The realization that Amina is talking to the reader happens within the first few pages, so I don’t feel like this truly constitutes as a “spoiler” per se.
A secondary part to this section, is that throughout the book we get little “step aways.” And I for one enjoyed the mini-breaks from the story to learn a bit more about characters, items, or places. They are told like news clippings almost. Notes to the reader.
Adventures Ahead
This book as a whole, feels like a big buildup. The first half of The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi was a bit slower, though delicious. And the second half was action it felt like. In doing it this way, I think the author was giving us all the details, with a taste of the action thrown in, so we could look forward to adventures ahead. This is a first, in a soon-to-be series after all!
What I Didn’t Like
Didn’t Like feels so strong. I need to figure out a different way to describe this section. Things I wasn’t as big of a fan of, as I was the rest of the book. But how wordy is that? You get it though. You can still love a book, but nitpick a few details that you wish would’ve ran differently.
The Ending
Now, I say the ending, and it’s true. But it also encompasses probably the last…oh I don’t know 150ish pages. Though still provoking, and I was unable to put the book down, things just felt too easy. The stars really aligned, when it felt like a little more should’ve been going wrong. And though I love how overall, the story ended, I do think the bow was a little too neat and pristine.
In Conclusion
I love this book, I truly do. Solid book, great cast of characters, excellent banter and dialogue. The historical fiction bits are fascinating. Fantasy elements were well placed and add to the story.
This may just be my opinion and view, but I think this novel actually does have a message to the reader. Especially to parents, as we can see from the Forward (of which I fell in love with instantly) below.
For all those parenting in hardship: during pandemics, through climate crises, and under occupation. For those struggling to keep food on the table, and juggle multiple jobs and impossible childcare. For everyone who’s set aside their own dreams, briefly or forever, to lift those of the next generation.
Forward in The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty
I read this Forward, and immediately had to snap a picture to send to my book club, all of whom are mothers. They all adored it, and after reading the book, adored that too.
If any of you ladies read this, thank you for reading this book with me!
I gave The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty
Until Next Time,
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