The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi (Amina al-Sirafi #1) by S.A. Chakraborty

Why is it I can easily review books that I don’t like or are mediocre but I really struggle when I absolutely loved the book? Shouldn’t it be easier to review a book that I love? It makes no sense to me.

So, I loved this book!

The Daevabad Trilogy was enough to ensure that I am always going to read anything Shannon Chakraborty ever writes. Obviously she didn’t disappoint with The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi.

There was a lot to love about this, the writing is stunning, the world building breathtaking, but the characters are of course the heart of the story and the journey starts with nakhudha Amina Al-Sirafi. Amina is a badass with a badass reputation, and get this, she is an older woman and she is still a badass!! This fact alone is a reason to recommend this book. As a slightly older lady now myself I want to read more older FMC who can kick ass. Amina is certainly that and I found it relatable when she talked about her body not cooperating like it did when she was young!

The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi is your classic hero’s journey setup, which is my absolute favourite. The best part of the hero’s journey to me is the assembly of allies. In this case, because of her reputation, she is forced out of retirement to find the daughter of a former crewmate who has been kidnapped by a mysterious frank, this in turn requires her to seek out her old crew. Dalila, an expert poisoner, Tinbu, her former first mate and acting nakhudha of the Marawati, and Majed, her navigator.

What follows is all the shenanigans you would expect, and a fair few you might not! Like the arrival of Amina’s husband who also happens to be a demon. Said demon, Raksh, seems to feed on people’s desires and he finds great eating in Amina. He also seems to be a complete coward. I can’t wait to see what he gets up to in future books. I feel there could be some kind of redemption, I mean I don’t think he could ever be fully redeemed, but I do see a lot of potential for his growth. Especially once he finds out Amina’s big secret.

Every character in this book could be seen as morally gray. Some on the darker end of the colour scale than others. I personally think that Amina is on the lighter end of that scale but she seems to think she is on the darker side and has some atonement to do.

Amina’s love for her daughter and her new willingness to do the right thing sets us up for this to be potentially a five book series overall. I really hope it’s five anyway. There is just so many places for this series to go, and I suspect it’s going to be a wild ride.

Expected publication date for book two, The Tapestry of Fate, is 7 May 2026. I couldn’t see any information about what books will come after that though.

I also recommend checking out https://www.sachakraborty.com/art.html for some gorgeous fan art. This series art can be found after the alternative Daevabad cover designs.

Synopsis:

A pirate of infamy and one of the most storied and scandalous captains to sail the seven seas. 

Amina al-Sirafi has 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 offered a job no bandit could refuse, she jumps at the chance for one final adventure with her old crew that will make her a legend and offers a fortune that will secure her and her family’s future forever.

Yet the deeper Amina dives the higher the stakes. For there’s always risk in wanting to become a legend, to seize one last chance at glory, to savour just a bit more power…and the price might be your very soul.