S. A. Chakraborty

Loved it!
I hadn't come across anything in this genre, so it's quite welcome. It's like an Islamic (magical djinn) Harry Potter story, but not. The plot is completely different, it is only in how it pulls you in to an entirely new and intricate world that it is similar. As with Harry Potter, for those who know the myths, legends, and folklore, the stories are based on, the construct probably isn't *as* entirely new as it seems to one with far less exposure, like me.
The inspiration to listen to this well narrated (Soneela Nankani) book was actually the very attractive book cover of the 2nd in the series, "The Kingdom of Copper". (Who says you shouldn't judge a book by its cover?) I'd coveted it upon seeing it in Barnes and Noble, so snatched it up when my favorite Friends of the Library bookshop was selling it for $8.00. BUT, you can't read the 2nd book of a series without having first read the first, so I downloaded the audio from Overdrive.
Now I can dig out that beautifully covered Book 2 from my tower of "please read me NOW" books next to my bed and find out what happens next!… (altro)

A light-hearted romp, which reads a bit as if Mary Read (or Ann Bonney) took the lead role in a Harryhausen-inspired version of Sinbad.

The eponymous heroine is a Yemeni smuggler retired from the sea who is blackmailed by a rich woman into recovering her grand-daughter. Her father just happened to be part of Amina's crew before his death, and Amina felt guilty enough at his death to accept the job (the money for doing so didn't hurt either). Based on the Indian ocean trade routes, the story rattled along, and was reasonably historically accurate.

I liked this much better than The City of Brass (which disappointed me enough and so far has not inspired me to read the others in the series).

Light, but recommended.… (altro)