"The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi" First Impressions *No Spoilers*

[SFFBC, Ancillary Mod]

Come talk about your initial, general impressions!

Please save all discussion of particulars, details from the story, character choices, plot questions, etc. for the full spoiler thread.

Content warnings for those who want them: (view spoiler)[ harm to children, misogyny, mention/ threat of sexual assault, torture, police brutality, loss of autonomy, poison (hide spoiler)]

User-submitted content warnings on Storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/7...

Trigger Warning Database review

(More about CWs here.)

[Gabi]

While I'm eye-reading the other BotM I started listening to this one on my walks. So far (14% in) it is a nice listen along. I like the setting and era the author did choose.

[Olga]

I'm also listening to the Audible audiobook and I'm a little more than halfway through (I wish Audible brought back the % feature).
So far I have a bit of mixed feelings about it. The story seems to go somewhere at a pretty lively pace and the narration is great (I particularly enjoy the sidebars), but Amina's character doesn't seem to live up to the hype created by all the legends about her.

[Wormys_Queue]

I'm reading it on my kindle at the moment, but I've already decided that it is deserving of being bought as a book as well (in German, because I think the rest of my family will love it). Arabian Nights have been a big part of my childhood reading, and with the first few chapters, S. Chakraborty succeeded in reminding me why I loved those so much. Immediately clicked with me, and all those mysteries about Amina's past have hooked me in pretty hard.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

yay! so glad so many are having fun :)

[CBRetriever]

Have to get the whinging in first:

I would enjoy this read way more if the publisher had not made the decision to leave the Kindle version of the book with a jagged right edge. There's an option to set a jagged right edge if the book is justified, but not the other way 'round. My OCD is twitching big time. Why, oh why, do they do this? I want my books to look like books.

On the plus side, it seems pretty good so far, especially when I can get into the flow enough to ignore the formatting.

[Silvana]

Starting today! Been a while since my last naval fantasy.

[Cheryl L]

I read the 2.5-page prologue and was immediately sucked in. The first chapter was an adventurous delight. I'm really looking forward to diving into this over the weekend. (Yes, bad pun intended.)

[Roberta]

Hello! I’m so glad the group chose this book. I bought the hard-back copy with a Christmas gift card from Barnes and Noble. The book is very well printed with considerate double spacing and very good quality pages. It’s a pleasure to read (now I just have to find space in my bookcases).

Wormy_Queue, you are totally right about this book reminding one of the Arabian Nights. I got that feeling as well. What I’m finding so enjoyable is Chakraborty’s writing style. She balances very well the setting, exposition, dialogue, and action sequences. It’s so immersive I can almost feel the sun on my face when Amina describes the intoxication of standing on the decks of her beloved ship, Marawati. I’ve stood on the decks of a fair number of vessels in my life so far, and she nails that feeling.

I’m about a third of the way through and loving it. One of my daughters has already called ‘Dibs’ on getting to read it next, before her sister.

What does everyone think about the foreshadowing in the story?

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Roberta, I'm so pleased you're happy and love how you expressed yourself!! just know that it will be hard for folks to respond here because this is for spoiler free discussion so any details around how the foreshadowing is handled would have to go in the "discuss everything" thread. but I would encourage you to ask again there, I think it's a great topic!

[Ren]

I wish I borrowed the audiobook instead of the Kindle version because it's a rough read for me. I enjoy it, but I have to force myself to finish the chapter. I'm a little bummed, it's good but it's a trek.

[CBRetriever]

it's bogging down for me a bit in the middle. I really liked the lengthy conversation that began the book

[Aga]

I’m two chapters in and it’s a little slow start but quite cozy, so I don’t mind.

[DivaDiane]

I was immediately enchanted! I’m already half way through.

[Bonnie]

I am through Chapter 4. Wondering how Amina became a pirate captain back in the day.
I read a few GR reviews so I know what to expect. My most recent sea adventure was The Bone Ships.
It sounds as if this story takes place in the same universe as The City of Brass books.

[Aga]

Oh, I knew there were other books by that author but I didn’t know it was the same universe.