Summary and review by Day
The once-feared pirate Amina al-Sirafi now spends her life as a mother and a fisherman. Where she once knew riches, she now has no money left to even repair her home. She chose this herself a decade ago, to retire and be there for family. Still, she misses the sea; she would love nothing more than to go back out to sea and have one last adventure. So when a rich woman offers her exactly this, one last adventure for as much wealth as you can imagine, she agrees. Because how bad could it be?
Before you even start reading, this book is a gem in your hands. Around the book is a loose cover that looks beautiful. Once you open the book you immediately have a map of the Indian Ocean in front of you. This map helped me a lot while reading this book. You travel to Aden, Mombasa, Socotra, etc.
Once you start reading, it can take quite a while to get into the story. This is because the structure can be quite confusing. This is because the book is written as if you are reading along as Amina tells her story to someone else who writes it down and occasionally provides additional information. For instance, there are various myths that sometimes provide just a little more explanation, which the writer called Jamal gives us. Once you have got used to the new writing style and used the glossary at the back of the book, you can start this exciting adventure.
And exciting it is! I often read my books on the bus or train, and on several occasions I have read with my mouth open as to what was being described (so if anyone was ever on the bus and saw someone reading with their mouth wide open, hello). The author Shannon A. Chakraborty has learned a lot about the history of the countries around the Indian Ocean, what beliefs there were, what the myths were and what kind of demons were believed in? All this information she has woven and connected in this book. The kind of books where a bit of non-fiction is used to create fiction are my favourite kind of books, especially when it comes to history. So this book was a pleasure for me to read.
At the end of the book, it becomes clear that Amina al-Sirafi's journey is not over... So when I finished the book, I immediately looked up whether part two was already available to order. Unfortunately this is not yet the case, the book is part of an expected trilogy, so a second book is coming! However, this book does not yet have a release date, so it is still a while away. Is this a reason not to read this book? No, definitely not! Even if I had to wait another ten years for a second volume, they won't take this one away from me! The book is recommended for Young Adult readers, but I'm sure this book is also for fans of fantasy and or pirate stories.
Summary and review by Day
The once-feared pirate Amina al-Sirafi now spends her life as a mother and a fisherman. Where she once knew riches, she now has no money left to even repair her home. She chose this herself a decade ago, to retire and be there for family. Still, she misses the sea; she would love nothing more than to go back out to sea and have one last adventure. So when a rich woman offers her exactly this, one last adventure for as much wealth as you can imagine, she agrees. Because how bad could it be?
Before you even start reading, this book is a gem in your hands. Around the book is a loose cover that looks beautiful. Once you open the book you immediately have a map of the Indian Ocean in front of you. This map helped me a lot while reading this book. You travel to Aden, Mombasa, Socotra, etc.
Once you start reading, it can take quite a while to get into the story. This is because the structure can be quite confusing. This is because the book is written as if you are reading along as Amina tells her story to someone else who writes it down and occasionally provides additional information. For instance, there are various myths that sometimes provide just a little more explanation, which the writer called Jamal gives us. Once you have got used to the new writing style and used the glossary at the back of the book, you can start this exciting adventure.
And exciting it is! I often read my books on the bus or train, and on several occasions I have read with my mouth open as to what was being described (so if anyone was ever on the bus and saw someone reading with their mouth wide open, hello). The author Shannon A. Chakraborty has learned a lot about the history of the countries around the Indian Ocean, what beliefs there were, what the myths were and what kind of demons were believed in? All this information she has woven and connected in this book. The kind of books where a bit of non-fiction is used to create fiction are my favourite kind of books, especially when it comes to history. So this book was a pleasure for me to read.
At the end of the book, it becomes clear that Amina al-Sirafi's journey is not over... So when I finished the book, I immediately looked up whether part two was already available to order. Unfortunately this is not yet the case, the book is part of an expected trilogy, so a second book is coming! However, this book does not yet have a release date, so it is still a while away. Is this a reason not to read this book? No, definitely not! Even if I had to wait another ten years for a second volume, they won't take this one away from me! The book is recommended for Young Adult readers, but I'm sure this book is also for fans of fantasy and or pirate stories.