I've been sitting on this review for a while now, this is a publication that falls under the umbrella of Harper Collins, so I was waiting for the strike to end to write/post this review. Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book for review.

   This was an amazing book. I have yet to read the Daevabad Trilogy, frankly, I was intimidated by it. Lots of positive reviews for it. But this is a new series so it felt safer to jump into it. But now that I know Chakraborty's writing style, I feel ready to read her other books.

   Amina is a new favorite character. She's older, I think in her late 30s or early 40s. I want more protagonists who are older. Teenagers aren't the only ones who can go on adventures. The format took a couple of chapters to get used to since parts of it are written as events are being told to a scribe, and the scribe interjects between chapters adding to the lore and the world-building.

   Something else that I love about this book is the positive and non-patriarchal stance on motherhood. Sometimes, when a gook tries to be "feminist" it drags the idea of being a mother, and it doesn't have to be like that. I know that being a mother isn't for everybody, and that's fine. But shaming women are mothers isn't the answer. Amina is a mother, but she's also a fearless badass.

   There is a wide cast of characters who all have their own motivations for rejoining Amina's crew. I, once again, am being intentionally vague because I feel like going into this book mostly blind is the best way to read this. It will make reveals hit harder. I am very excited to read more of Amina's adventures.