Ten years ago Amina al-Sirafi was known far and wide as a pirate queen, a woman who went after what she wanted whether it was treasures, men or just the thill of exploring a new place. But now she is forty and has been away from the sea for a decade. She is now a mother and lives quietly with her mother and daughter. Then a visitor arrives.
It is the mother of one of Amina's former crew, a man who did not make it home from their last voyage. The woman reports her granddaughter has been kidnapped by a wizard and wants to hire Amina to find her and return her. Amina demurs but the woman insists Amina owes her and her son and offers her a fortune to take on the job. Reluctantly, Amina agrees.
She gathers up her former crew, her first mate who has been taking care of the ship, a woman known for her skill with poisons, the best navigator in the world and her crew. She also encounters her husband, a man she married before she realized he was a demon instead of a human. They set sail and discover that the wizard is looking for a specific treasure and is willing to do anything to attain it. He has managed to enthrall a sea monster twice the size of a ship and it does his bidding. Can Amina find the girl and defeat the wizard?
Shannon Chakraborty is known for her fantasy novels. Her fantasies are a bit different from the norm as she doesn't build an imagined world. Instead she uses her extensive research into history to set her stories in a true setting. The characters are enticing and Amina is the middle-aged heroine all women will love. The loyalty and family feeling among the crew is heartfelt and Chakraborty has set the scene for further adventures from Amina and her crew. This book is recommended for fantasy readers.
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