My first read of 2024 was The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty, which was a very out-of-my-wheelhouse book club pick. I was so pleasantly surprised to really enjoy this one! It’s a fantasy book that follows a ferocious female pirate - well, formerly ferocious, mostly retired after becoming a mom. She’s lured back to the high seas in search of a wealthy woman’s granddaughter for an unimaginable sum. 

 

This book was fun. It is very plot-driven, engrossing, magical, and doesn’t take itself too seriously. It did start to drag a bit at the end for me, but still had a good payoff. It reminded me how much fun fantasy can be and got me more interested in reading some new books in the genre! I definitely plan to continue this series once the next book is released.