My summer non-review TBR list is filled with long classic novels, beginning with DON QUIXOTE and the stalwart knight-errant fighting off windmills and tyrants on delusional quests. THE TAPESTRY OF FATE, book two in Shannon Chakraborty’s Amina al-Sirafi trilogy, offers a similarly imaginative but much more intense and high-stakes adventure.

Amina badly wants to return to her daughter, Marjana, while still locating treasured items for a mortal patron. She is a pirate mom who can have it all (or so she thinks). However, she ends up having to take control of the messes that Raksh, a spirit of discord with whom she is reluctantly wed, leaves in the wake of some serious mystical tomfoolery. She is asked by the immortal council, her contracted bosses, to take back a spindle that rewrites time and is now in the hands of a mysterious sorceress on an island from which there is no escape. Peril finds her at every turn, but Amina is no ordinary pirate. 

"With hilarious detail and a world that jumps off the page, THE TAPESTRY OF FATE offers some big thrills and heartwarming moments, as well as suspense that could take one’s breath away."

Chakraborty was inspired to write this series from the rich tapestry of Middle Eastern folktales that have been popular in Arabic culture for eons. “I also wanted these books to be funny! Often we associate the medieval world with grim visions of dark, dirty castles and constant misogyny. But these people had colorful lives, and the historical accounts they leave are often hysterical and entertaining,” she said on a recent press junket. She certainly has succeeded in creating a world filled with fantastical creatures and characters. Each is a formidable, important and unforgettable part of the story of Amina’s return to her working life after trying to be the best mother she can be.

And guess what? Amina is a middle-aged woman dealing with all of the physical and emotional traumas that come with later-in-life adventures, but this never diminishes any of her sparkle or wonder as she confronts problems with the same amount of dedication and energy. If Olive Kitteredge lived in Amina’s world, she would have found a fast friend.

There is so much humor and relatable female drama in this book that it feels like we could be meeting Amina for coffee one afternoon. She is as real as any woman I know in her desires and stealth. However, she has something on all of us when it comes to her archaeological endeavors and her ability to weather, quite literally, storm after storm. With strong sea legs and an eye for danger, Amina is the pirate you want helping any nation at any time. 

It was nice to see the return of Amina's friend, Dalila. All of their encounters ring true in terms of their personal strengths and the ways in which old truths bring their friendship to the precipice of destruction. How Chakraborty puts them through their paces will surprise every reader (at least their relationship still scores an A+ on the Bechdel test).

With hilarious detail and a world that jumps off the page, THE TAPESTRY OF FATE offers some big thrills and heartwarming moments, as well as suspense that could take one’s breath away. Chakraborty has delivered another home run for readers that hopefully will live as long and colorfully as Amina herself does.