I loved this! I’m so glad I loved it, also, because I own two copies of it and I don’t want to get rid of either one. They are PRETTY. The American cover I love so much, I want a poster-sized print of it for my wall. And my other edition has a beautiful gilded map on the endpapers with Amina and Payasam on either end, and little ships and sea beasts sprayed on the edges. I would have CRIED had I not loved this book. But I did love it, I barely had to try.
I went into this knowing almost nothing, so I don’t want to say anything but these few vague things:
*Forty-something female pirate captain.
*Getting the band back together.
*Dangerous quest to find kidnapped young woman.
*Adventure!
*Set in the same world as her Daevabad trilogy, but in medieval times on the Indian Ocean.
*Queer non-white characters faffing around in the middle ages.
*Found family and friendship feelings.
I really have zero complaints. This book implanted itself firmly in my mind and it was a fun time from beginning to end, with my preferred cocktail of hybrid tones. I love a good tonal mish-mash. I demand book two at once.
CBR BINGO: Adulthood (Amina is a middle-aged woman! With middle-aged woman problems! A rarity in any type of fiction, but especially in fantasy.)