This is definitely going to be one of the best books of the year. The characters were deep and lovable. They way they interacted were all realistic. Even the side characters had depth. The plot flowed well, and all the little asides added to its uniqueness. I. Need. More.

I loved how the asides were audibly portrayed. They brought great joy to me ever time they happened.

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi is a thrilling tale of adventure on the high seas, filled with pirates, sorcery, and ancient mysteries. Shannon Chakraborty weaves together a story of one woman's determination to seize a final chance at glory and leave behind a legacy that will live on long after she's gone. Amina al-Sirafi is a remarkable character, a former pirate who has retired to a life of piety and motherhood. But when she's offered a job to retrieve a kidnapped girl, Amina can't resist the call of adventure. As she delves deeper into the mission, she discovers that there's more at stake than just the girl's rescue, and the price for her ambition might be too high. Chakraborty's vivid and immersive world-building, combined with her sharp and engaging storytelling, make this a must-read for fans of high fantasy and adventure tales.

WOW! What an adventure this book was! our FMC is Amina. Famous pirate who is notorious but alas she's in retirement to raise her daughter and give her stability. While Amina's daughter gets older and she misses her past life she springs on an opportunity to get the time together for one more adventure. A little disclaimer from me: I've never read anything by SA so this was my first intro to her world and flow of writing. The beginning was foundation building and was kind of slow. We get a lot of background and told how badass the FMC is but once the adventure begins the action doesn't stop! I not only liked the MC but the side characters were amazing! I want a novella on a few of her crew members and some of their past adventures! I also liked how Amina isn't portrayed as young and tough. She's in her 40's, has a teenager of her own and is very much a modern Muslim portrayal!

This book has it all: a strong FMC, an amazing crew of side characters, an adventure, some magical beings (mostly demons) and Pirates led by the strong FMC!