Member Review
Review by
Adriana G, Reviewer
We once again join pirate Amina al-Sirafi in her reluctant quest to find dangerous arcane artifacts for the council of immortal peris. Reluctant to take on a new quest after spending time with her family, Amina finds herself forced to take on the seemingly impossible task of finding an invisible island and defeating its powerful sorceress queen to steal a spindle capable of rewriting fate. Amina will face dangerous storms, grudges from the past, secrets from her crew, and the reappearance of the husband she'd hoped she'd lost for good, if she hopes to return to her family with her wits and crew intact.
It's a tale in the vein of classic adventure tales, where the twists are ever more dangerous, and our lead must use their brains more than their brawn if they hope to survive. But this is Amina al-Sirafi, so of course we also get some excellent action to let her stretch her magically enhanced muscles. It's a great tale full of magic and emotions that pits Amina against not just the sorceress, but her emotions and how she perceives herself and those around her. It's as much a battle of wits as anything else.
The adventure and the magic are fantastic, but what makes this series such a great read is the moments when Amina has a chance to just be and interact with people. She knows how to get what she wants from people and she definitely uses it to her advantage on more than one occasion, but it's when she lets her caring side come out as she connects with others that we get to see who the tough captain truly is. She's a lot more caring than her reputation or the situations she finds herself in let her be, so it's great to see those moments that prove why her crew is so faithful to her and why the peris trust her to find the tools of power.
Also, props for giving us the other side of the story and letting readers know how the big bad became the big bad. It gives the story so much more depth when you can kind of see why they've made the choices they've made.
Delighted thanks to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the magical read!
It's a tale in the vein of classic adventure tales, where the twists are ever more dangerous, and our lead must use their brains more than their brawn if they hope to survive. But this is Amina al-Sirafi, so of course we also get some excellent action to let her stretch her magically enhanced muscles. It's a great tale full of magic and emotions that pits Amina against not just the sorceress, but her emotions and how she perceives herself and those around her. It's as much a battle of wits as anything else.
The adventure and the magic are fantastic, but what makes this series such a great read is the moments when Amina has a chance to just be and interact with people. She knows how to get what she wants from people and she definitely uses it to her advantage on more than one occasion, but it's when she lets her caring side come out as she connects with others that we get to see who the tough captain truly is. She's a lot more caring than her reputation or the situations she finds herself in let her be, so it's great to see those moments that prove why her crew is so faithful to her and why the peris trust her to find the tools of power.
Also, props for giving us the other side of the story and letting readers know how the big bad became the big bad. It gives the story so much more depth when you can kind of see why they've made the choices they've made.
Delighted thanks to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the magical read!
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