*** thank you to net galley and Harper Voyager for the ARC for review 🫢***

I can’t even put into words how excited I was for this book. Not only did I absolutely devour Chakrabortys Daevabad trilogy early last year, I was immediately hooked with the plot.

Most novels start with young snappy characters thrust into legendary situations, but this instead was the tale of a legend AFTER her adventures have come to an end. It took me weeks to finish only because I wanted to make this story last as long as possible. I’m in love with this authors world building and historical and mythological tales. I will never get enough of reading about her Djinns and magics.

This as incredible and I am on the edge of my seat waiting impatiently for more.

Pirates? All I needed to know.
For some reason, there is a lack of YA/New Adult pirate books that have badass females and such intricate plots. It's also been a while since a decent heist book was done well, and I think this book delivered in all aspects of representation, world-building, and intricate characters. Nothing to criticize or critique!

This is another great read for fans of diverse fantasy, though not quite as engaging for me personally as the Daevabad books. Amina al-Sirafi is a semi retired pirate captain, attempting to live a quiet life with her ten year old daughter. As the story begins she is tracked down by the mother of an old crew member and hired to find the woman's kidnapped granddaughter, setting off the main adventure quest for the story.

As with Daevabad, Amina's story is filled with great characters and diverse representation. Amina herself is a wonderful character, since we don't see many (if any) middle aged pirate captains with children. I love when authors write mature women with enough complexity to acknowledge that things like parenthood and family do not have to conflict with other roles in the plot. It's especially rare to see this in fantasy. Of course Amina is also a Muslim woman moving in a world based on the medieval conflicts between Islam and Christianity. It's a refreshing point of view, and is of course very well developed by Chakraborty.

My biggest complaint with this book was that it took awhile to get off the ground. The beginning is rather slow, and it takes quite some time to introduce everyone and build the action. The stakes seem smaller then in Daevabad, though that's not necessarily a bad thing. The fantasy aspects are also a bit more understated here, which was slightly disappointing if only because I came in expecting a higher level of fantasy. If you're a reader you enjoyed the Daevabad books and would like to read some more epic adventure stories (especially if you like pirates), then I'm sure you'll enjoy this book. Shannon Chakraborty has cemented herself as one of my favorite new authors, and I'm excited to see what she does next. I would especially recommend her work to those who enjoy Lois Bujold and Martha Wells.

Where I found it: NetGalley

Why I picked it up: I absolutely adored the Daevabad Trilogy by the author and could not wait to read her next work!

What’s It All About? Amina Al-Sirafi is a retired pirate. She had been out of the game for ten years, during which she had given control of her ship to her first mate, lost contact with all of her crew, and had a child whose father must be kept secret from both her and her family. One day, a woman appears at Amina's door, offering a very large reward to find her granddaughter (who is the daughter of a crew member who died while sailing with Amina). Thinking this a simple task, to follow the kidnapper and retrieve the girl, Amina agrees. Besides, the price is too high to say no to. However, the more that Amina learns about the circumstances and the players involved, the more she wants out of this particular job. The woman informs Amina that if she does not do this job, all of her enemies will be alerted as to where she and her family live. Continue she must, but not without the aid of her first mate, poisoner, navigator, and a husband who was assumed dead and is not entirely what he seems. This is a high seas fantasy that takes place in a version of the medieval Indian Ocean, steeped in the local mythologies of the time.

My thoughts: This book was incredible! Absolute 5 stars, and I cannot wait for the rest of the series! This book hit on so many things that I am interested in from a book. A great female lead, mythologies that I am less familiar with, high stakes adventure, and mythical creatures. Amina isn't just a great female lead, she is a woman caught (as many women are), between being a mother and being the person she was before motherhood. Steeped in middle eastern and Islamic folklore/mythologies, the creatures that inhabit the world along side the humans are larger than life and as unique as anyone else. I read this book so quickly, that I cannot pull out specifics (without spoilers). I can say that the whole book works wonderfully with many interconnecting threads. It is obvious that this is the start of a series, but it's story can stand alone as well.

Genre: Historical fantasy
Themes: Friendships, family, pirates!, responsibility
Recommended For: Lovers of high fantasy, strong females, and of course, pirates!

4.75 stars
Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Writing: 4/5
Engaging? It's one hell of a ride.

Thank you to HarperVoyager for the e-arc!

A legendary pirate captain embarks on a heist across the seven seas for magical artifacts and enormous sums of money in this refreshing fantasy-reset. This book is perfect for fans of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Six of Crows.

Plot -
We follow Amina Al-Sirafi, a retired pirate captain who just wants to live the rest of her life in peace with her daughter when fate knocks on her door. Her old crew member's family comes to her door begging her to find their kidnapped grandchild. And what turns out to be a simple retrieval for loads of money turns out to be a dangerous heist filled with magic, surprise, and over-confident men who just get in the way. Amina's adventures are sure to bring excitement and will keep you on the edge of your seat as you follow along on this high-seas journey. The plot is driven by external events that happen to Amina as well as her own inner turmoil. The result is a beautiful paring between character driven moments and intense plot driven battles. The pacing was a bit slow in the beginning but as the book progress, you realize you needed the set up for the epic voyage.

Characters -
As we meet our cast of characters, we can see that they all have individual motivations for rejoining Amina. They are each individuals in their own right and contribute in some way to the over-arching story. Together, this band of misfits is a found family that is capable of rocking peoples' shit. The characters are interesting and are very human in their actions and reactions. Amina, the headstrong captain is a mother and an explorer. Tinbu, the first mate, is a fixer with a heart of gold. Delila, the poisoner who keeps it real with the group. Majed, the navigator, is a father and the glue the binds them together. The cast is lovable, flawed, and intriguing.

Writing -
The story is told from the perspective of a scribe relaying the legend of Amina Al-Sirafi. The scribe pauses to insert important reference material and lore that helps the world building feel less out of place. The scribe also sets up the book in a beautiful intro that helps set the stage for the adventure the reader embarks on. The writing is theatrical and the style of a story within a story works well for the twists and turns that happen. The writing descriptions of fighting scenes were somewhat confusing. With big sea battles, details tend to get lost in the chaos of it all which made it hard to follow the characters and the stakes. Overall, the story flows forth from the pages and makes for a thrilling, page-turning pirate voyage!

Quotes that hit different:
"...to be a woman is to have your story misremembered."

"You may be a pirate now nakhuda, but it is neither crime nor gold that makes your heart beat. You are an explorer".

"Those of us who make the sea our home carry libraries in our head"

"Biographers polish away the jagged edges of capable, ruthless queens so that they may be remembered as saints"

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy. This much awaited book did not fail to impress me, similar to Chakraborty’s other masterpieces. It is still definitely an adult novel, with profanity, innuendos, and fighting. I don’t know how the author came up with the horrors of humanity and magical beasts, but she certainly is creative and the descriptions are vivid, making them come to life. Waqwaq! The themes of autonomy, family, and doing what is right can all be discussed. This isn’t something I can recommend for our school library, but it is a story I will cherish. Thank you for a happy ending!

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi features a bad-ass middle-aged female pirate! What more is there to say? Sign me up!

This is a fast paced, fun, and often quite hysterical take on the conventional pirate adventure book. Chakraborty creates a lush world and a wide array of secondary characters. I loved the witty dialogue and Amina is the female MC we all need.

If you enjoy a lot of action, smart writing and giant squid like sea creatures, all with the theme of F the Patriarchy, this is for you!

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty is a high-sea adventure heist full of pirates, sea monsters, and magic. The writing is quick and witty, perfect for the story being told. The characters were unique and lovable, and I was quickly rooting for Amina and her crew. The cast of characters are diverse, and each has a clear voice. This book was well-researched, and it was clear that the author has a love of this time period. I appreciated that there was suggested reading if you wanted to learn more about the 12th century in the Indian Ocean. I couldn't get enough of this book and these characters, and I look forward to continuing this series! I recommend this book to anyone who wants an entertaining, quick-paced adventure.

Such a fun setting! I love a pirate book, and this felt both authentic and fantastic in ways I really enjoyed. I did wish for more from the side characters, moments where they grew from what we'd first seen or got a chance to be showcased more fully. But that's because I liked them all and wanted more!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

Rating: 3.4/5

Renowned nakhida Amina al-Sirafi gave up her life as a pirate for good ten years ago, but the promise of a final adventure and a massive score bring her back for one final trip.

The very beginning of this book drew me in immediately and wholeheartedly. It was amazing. I was absolutely obsessed from page one. Amina has a strong and entertaining voice, and her way of thinking and values and motivations are always made clear throughout the story. She’s very well rounded and a very interesting character.

This story is told in the form of an oral history, essentially—Amina is telling her own story, and an off-screen person is transcribing it, with sporadic interjections and asides that make it truly seem conversational. There are inserts of more “scholarly” tales or histories scattered throughout. I absolutely loved this formatting, and I genuinely don’t think I would’ve enjoyed this book as much as I did without it.

Beyond that, Chakraborty’s world building and skill at weaving in religion and mythology is something I loved in the Daevabad trilogy and something I loved here as well. It’s such a lush world, a perfect mix of incredibly well researched history and supernatural elements. I’m excited to see more of the world in the next book. And, I gotta say, all the little Daevabad trilogy cameos? Amazing.

When I read the Daevabad trilogy, I had several issues with the length and pacing of the books, but I loved so many of the characters that it was easier to overlook. With Amina, most of the characters didn’t really feel fully developed—largely by nature of the style of narration I think—and while they nevertheless interested me, it wasn’t quite enough. The book took me a month to read. It’s long and dense, with slow pacing and not all that much action. You reach what’s going to be the main plot of the series at 80%, and until that point there’s a few major plots that begin and are completely resolved and then begin again. It just failed to fully capture my attention and dragged on and on.

Besides that, I personally really wanted Amina to be more ruthless. While I really liked all the ways she’d changed since her younger days, it doesn’t really seem like she was particularly ruthless back then, either. She’s supposed to be this fearsome and legendary nakhuda but it’s not entirely clear why? This is maybe just personal taste but I love pirate content because I love morally grey characters, and I was honestly surprised to find this book a bit lacking in that.

Thank you, Harper Voyager team, for providing me with an E-Arc for review!!

Shannon Chakraborty is quickly becoming an Insta-buy author for me. I love how beautiful, intricate, & diverse her worlds are. This one especially made me tear up multiple times from how happy I was to see some of the representation included. I also just love pirates so so so much & Sindbad I hyperfixated on so much as a child, & I loved the Sinbad movie & this was such a fricken awesome somewhat retelling of pirate lore & it made my heart soar. I cannot WAIT for more Amina & more from Shannon!!!

Fantastic. Honestly might like it even more than Daevabad (definitely more than The Empire of Gold). I loved Amina al-Sirafi and the rest of her crew. I loved how grounded in history this felt. Yeah, cannot recommend enough, and I'm eagerly anticipating the sequel.

"For this scribe has read a great many of these accounts and taken away another lesson: that to be a woman is to have your story misremembered. Discarded. Twisted."

Plot: 5/5
This story is told as Amina dictating her adventure to a scribe with a few tales/passages interspersed. Those additions only added to the flow of the story and served to give the read more background information through a tale rather than infodumping. The plot is relatively fast paced after Amina pulls together her crew. I was constantly on the edge of my seat. As soon as one problem was solved, three more came up in its place.

Characters: 5/5
Amina is a firecracker, I absolutely adore her. She is a fiercely protective mother and her loyalty to her crew is so admirable. Raksh is such a funny character, he’s so detached from humanity and it made me laugh every time Anima explained seemingly simple things to him.

I have a crush of Dalila. She was definitely my favorite of the crew. Her mysterious and dark past, her penchant for bombs and poisons. My kind of woman!

I also want to mention Dunya. I think she is such a brilliant character to include. Chakraborty gave us a great example of how a teen struggling with their gender identity feels.

I adore Payasam, more than half of the lines I highlighted were about him.

Writing: 5/5
This biography type perspective is phenominal and hilarious. Each sentence is bursting with personality. It’s so clear how much thought and research went into every detail. It made the world-building flow seamlessly. The story is mostly set in our human world but there’s touches of the Djinn world and even some Peri involved.

Overall: 5/5
Honest to god, this book is a beautiful story of motherhood, faith, passion, and adventure. I’m not a devout person but Chakraborty writes about religion in a way that is so profound and loving that I almost wish I was.

More fantasy and heist than anything else. I could have done with a bit more romance and a bit less bogging in some areas, but I found the book to be overall refreshing given my difficulties getting into the City of Brass trilogy. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity with this title.

THIS WAS AMAZING! Though, to be fair, I expected nothing less from Shannon Chakraborty. I loved Amina al-Sirafi and her movements between reluctance to get back into the world and the clear signs of her ambition. Though my favorite thing about Amina?? Our heroine is 40 years old with a daughter! I love YA as much as the next person, but even adult fantasy tends to cast their main characters around 20 years old and it was a joy to read about someone who has already lived their adventurous life and who has so much experience under their belt. Her love for her daughter was really the driving force of her story and her adventure home. She also happened to marry a demon, have his child, and is trying to shelter that knowledge from him as he is a tentative companion on her journey....does it sound messy? It is but it is gloriously messy and full of smart dialogue and high stakes and wonderful scholarship. This was masterful and I have a feeling I will be re-reading this one within the next year.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't personally connect with The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, though I think many readers will. The prose is lush and lyrical, and the sense of atmosphere is intense. Chakraborty is clearly a talented writer and I suspect fans of the Deavabad trilogy will have no problem embracing her new work.

So why didn't I connect? First and foremost, I think I'm just burnt out on fantasy heist stories. They've become prevalent in the last couple of years, and I'm getting bored reading them. I also felt really disconnected from the characters in TAoAaS. The story's framing is pretty interesting - it's written in 1st person POV by a scribe Amina is dictating too, and there is occasionally 3rd wall (?) breaks when she interrupts her narrative to address the scribe directly. This is an interesting narrative style and supports the more old-fashioned prose, but it just made me feel so distant from Amina. Last but not least, I really loved the way the writing was almost archaic, which made the story feel like an actual piece of work to come out of its era. However, there were a lot of modern ideas in the story (in the realms of gender and sexuality mostly) that seemed anachronistic against the format. I think the goal was for the form to support the function and it did in so many ways that these anachronisms felt particularly jarring in comparison.

TL;DR: I'm predicting that TAoAaS will be a popular book and it is objectively well-written, there was just something missing for me.

I want to thank HarperCollins for allowing me to read a digital arc of this book for an honest review. All thoughts below are my own and do not contain spoilers.

In all reality, I would probably rate this book closer to a 3.5 than a 4, as the ending of the book kicked up the rating, but I usually tend to round up when it comes to stars on Goodreads because the author usually deserves it. Though if you look below, you can see that it took me over a month to read this book, almost two. I'll go into more about that below. First the summary.

The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi is a book about a retired pirate who has been hired to do one last job. Not only is she convinced to take on this kidnapping case, but she has to gather her old crew first. But when the case of a missing girl goes from simple to supernatural, more and more problems start to plague Amina and her crew. It will take more than just the charming wit of a retired pirate and her retired friends to save themselves and the world, but they'll have to adapt to new situations and react to what's going on around them. If they can understand the creatures that they're seeing first.

I don't really know what happened with this book. I think I had really high expectations because of my enjoyment of the City of Brass from the Daevabad trilogy, so I expected that I would like this book even more because of the subject matter. I mean, c'mon. Lady pirates? And they're retired??? Sign me up. But I think this book suffers from a lack of consistent pacing in the middle. The beginning was well-paced and made sense for what was going on in the plot. We were just getting to know our characters and figuring out what the plot even is. But as we get further along in the book, I feel like there's a good 100-200 pages stretch of the book where it's way too slowly paced to hold a reader's attention, at least that's what it felt like to me. Don't get me wrong, it was all necessary to figure out what happened, but I feel like there were other ways to add in those plot points while also making the book move along a bit faster. The last 100 pages I was hooked and I couldn't put the book down. It was fast-paced, and it was a good decision to make it so. You had the climax of the book and though you knew what had to be done, there was still a question as to how the book was going to end. Chakraborty did a good job of keeping the audience on their toes and keeping them invested in the ending. I also really enjoyed how she ended the story. If you wanted to only read book 1 of this series, the book ended in a way that was satisfying. But if you wanted to continue on, you could do that too.

The characters were so interesting and I loved each and every one of them. It almost felt like a scene from a heist movie where they're getting the gang back together, it was priceless!! Each of the characters added something extraordinary to the story and I hope we get more from them as we get further in the series. It was really something to read, and I think the author did a good job in representing that age group, considering all of the main characters were over the age of 40 (I think, that could be an estimate).

The imagery and vividness that was lent to the various scenes in the story made you feel like you were on the sea with Amina, sailing along with her and the crew. I enjoy S.A. Chakraborty's writing and with this story it did very well in making sure you were never lost or confused as to what was going on or what the environment around the characters looked like.

If you're into adventure novels and like pirates, I would take a look at this book!! Though keep in mind that there are some slow bits in this book, and you'll get through it by getting to know the characters and experiencing the world! Check this book out! Happy Reading!!

A crew with a badass Muslim pirate, her dramatic first mate, an exasperated navigator, and a slightly scary poisoner. They choose (were blackmailed) to set sail to rescue the granddaughter of an extremely wealthy family. Along the way, we learn about motherhood, magic, and human birds.

While I did enjoy the book, I almost quit in the first 50%. Chakraborty put a lot of characters and places into play, and it was all I could do to keep up. We learn about the magical creatures and fantastical elements, just how Amina came to be so notorious, and the land we will be sailing. While there were bits and pieces of action, overall, we are just getting a history lesson. The descriptions of the culture and world were stunning, and I loved learning about Islam, but the plot was not really present, and I was so bored at times. However, after the world is set up, the plot really sets sail (not-so-funny pun intended). It was nonstop action in the second half! All that world and character-building really paid off, as I was able just to enjoy the rest of the novel without getting bogged down with minute details. It is packed with high stakes and tense battles, and I could not put it down. We see exactly why Amina came to be so feared around the pirating world, and just how she lives up to all the tall tales.

There were different cultures, ethnicities, and religions all throughout the book. Seeing them all interact was refreshing, considering how humanity is right now. The accepting and open nature of the characters only endeared them to me more. There are some serious conversations about how harmful colonization is, how often there is no such thing as a blameless people, and the societal and sexual roles placed on women. Chakraborty discussed all of these important themes while managing to keep the book light-hearted. A lot of these conversations happen between Amina and her crew, which meant they were not as tense as they usually are in other novels. Since Amina and her crew already know each other, they just slip back into the easy-going dynamic that they have already established. This meant that right from the start the interactions are filled with easy banter and a history that they laugh and mourn about together, giving the reader small glimpses of them when they were younger. The snark and wit kept making me giggle.

The book is told in a format of a scribe writing down Amina's stories, word for word. I am not the biggest fan of that format, but here it really worked! The scribe told little myths or historical facts before chapters that play an important role in the story. This style meant the scribe and Amina bantered back and forth, which allowed Chakraborty to infuse some more of her incredible dialogue and break up some of the monotonous world-building. Amina's voice was entertaining, and at times self-deprecating in a way that was relatable. She often added her own sarcastic comments and jokes as she told of her journey.

Some of the smaller elements of the book that I enjoyed: Amina's relationship with her daughter, the female companionship, and how women are often viewed and put down when they defeat men. Finding your way back to a lost faith, forgiveness of yourself, and the path you are born with versus the path you can choose.

This book was good old debauchery and high sea adventures, complete with a Muslim pirate with a bad knee, a pack of human birds (read the book to know what I'm talking about), and a demon husband that is more bark-than-bite.

A huge thanks to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

(Review will be published on Amazon and Barnes and Nobles, and reshared on Goodreads on the publishing date.

I can probably speak for most people when I say that after the conclusion of The City of Brass trilogy, I was aching for more. I missed the world, the magical creatures, the intensity of the plot and politics…So when The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi was announced, I was so excited! I got even more excited when it was announced that our main character is a middle-aged retired pirate, who is also a mother. I haven’t ready any high fantasy books with main characters of this demographic (even though I know a few books like this exist), but as I get older (despite being single and childless), it’s something that interests me more and more. Because why should only the young, able-bodied, romantics be allowed to go on adventures to fight evil and take down villainous kings and queens. What happens to these young people when they grow up? I can’t imagine it’s easy to give up on a life of excitement and near-death experiences (lol). The adrenaline rush is probably addicting. And living a life of normalcy would eventually get boring, no? This book is just about that. Amina from the get-go is longing for the ocean, her ship, her crew, and her life before she had Marjana. Yet she’s pushed aside her desires and dreams in order to be a good mother, denying that part of her that longs for more. It’s so applicable and relatable to the present. How many women struggle with trying to balance their careers and motherhood? How many sacrifices do we make in order to do all the things society expects us to do? And some of these sacrifices aren’t even done willingly. We all know how differently women are treated in the workplace purely for having children, and how it affects their chance of promotions, projects, and raises. This book tackles this subject in a more subtle way, obviously taking into consideration the setting of the story. But it’s important just the same.

This book is fast-paced and intense. I loved every second of it because it constantly felt like something was happening. And while some books can suffer because of the fast-paced narrative, I think Shannon did an incredible job of fleshing out her characters in such a short span of time. And most of that I think is due to the dialogue. Wow, was the dialogue addicting. I don’t know how else to describe it, but I had a flashback to that scene in Empire of Gold between Muntadhir and Dara and the back and forth they had…it was that, but this entire book. And it was so much fun! I fell in love with every character, even though Dalila scared the hell out of me in the beginning, two seconds after, I literally thought “okay, I would die for her”. Despite the time that has passed since the crew has been together, once they were reunited, it felt like nothing had changed. As the reader, you fall into their casual banter, and it just feels so right.

The one thing I did miss in this book was the court politics and intrigue I was so used to in The City of Brass. While there is definitely a lot going on in this book, the setting is completely different, and it really reads more like a fire-side tale you would tell your companions at the end of a long day of travelling. What I loved was the one-sided dialogue between Amina and Jamal as she narrates her story, and the short chapters we got that described the different versions of the Tale of the Moon of Saba, as well as records and narrations of people who had come across Amina, Majed, or Dalila in their early days at sea. It was the perfect break between the more intense scenes.

And speaking of intense scenes…this book turned so dark so fast. It was not something I was expecting, though considering everything it did make sense. But once Amina and her crew get to Socotra, some of the scenes they come across are very disturbing, so something to be mindful of.

A quote I want to highlight especially though:

<blockquote>”Our stories always want to make villains larger than life. They should be snarling or scarred, hunchbacked or otherwise marred in a way society doesn’t like. It makes them easier to demonize.”</blockquote>

The Frank in this story is our villain, and I really appreciated having a villain who isn’t scarred or deemed “ugly” as a way to represent how evil he really is. In contrast, we get a really lovely nawakhida at the end of the book, who is not just brave, but also has a really good heart. Someone else I hope we get to see again in future books.

And as for Socotra…I went down a rabbit hole of YouTube videos and articles about the island and the Dragon Blood trees and the caves. The pictures are really cool and kind of creepy? Caves always creep me out, but even the Dragon Blood trees feel like something out of legend.

Anyway, back to Amina. I have to talk about Raksh. And all the swearing. We didn’t get a lot of swearing in The City of Brass, but this book was on a whole other level. And I loved absolutely every second of it. If there is ever a reason to swear, it’s when Raksh is around. I don’t want to spoil things for people who haven’t read the book yet, but Raksh was a fun character. It was nice to see a character who is so strong and powerful, but he’s also a coward who needs saving. It’s a nice role reversal lol. The dynamic between him and Amina was such a joy to read, and there were so many good/satisfying scenes between the two of them.

My one complaint about The Empire of Gold was with the characterization of Ali and how it changed drastically compared to the first two books. I think seeing a character who is so religious and devoted to Islam, turn into something else, really affected how much I enjoyed the conclusion to the trilogy. One thing I liked about Amina was that she’s reformed from her life before, where she used to drink and gamble and toe the line between adultery. She’s changed, and she prays now, but still struggles with the desires she has towards drinking and sex. I think this book did justice to Amina’s character and made her feel more “real” in a way.

One nice thing about this book is seeing how many of Amina’s decisions revolve around her daughter. I hope we get to see Marjana more in the next books. Speaking of…we got to see an old friend in this book, who I hope will make a reappearance too! There were so many aspects of this story, especially mentions of daeva and magical creatures like the marid, that reminded me a lot of Daevabad.

I can’t finish off this review without mentioning the cat. Payasam is adorable and deserves all the food and cuddles. Cats need to exist in every book tbh. They just make everything better and so much more hopeful.

4.75/5 stars. One of my highly anticipated reads of 2023. This didn’t necessarily take me by surprise, because it’s Shannon of course, but I’m so excited to be able to look forward to more books by her. Highly recommend if you’re looking for a pirate book with witty dialogue and banter, plus sea monsters with tentacles, and a fast-paced high-risk adventure!

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.