Shannon Chakraborty

About The Tapestry of Fate

New York Times bestselling author Shannon Chakraborty sets sail into the second adventure of pirate Amina al-Sirafi as her quest to track down magical artifacts brings her to the island lair of a sorceress whose woven enchantments are impossible to flee.

Amina al-Sirafi thinks she’s struck gold. Tasked with hunting down arcane artifacts for the council of immortal peris, she can savor the occasional rollicking adventure on the high seas with her cherished criminal companions while still returning home to raise her beloved daughter, Marjana. But when Raksh, the spirit of discord with whom she is reluctantly wed, provokes the council’s wrath, Amina is charged with a seemingly impossible quest: steal a spindle capable of rewriting fate from a mysterious sorceress on an island no one can escape.

Forced to leave Marjana—who is increasingly frustrated at being peddled what are clearly lies about her mother’s life and her own past—Amina finds her mission almost immediately thrown into peril. But deadly storms, an erratic poison mistress, and old enemies are the least of her worries. For the peris’ story is unraveling, hinting at a far deadlier game whose rules Amina must swiftly puzzle out. A game that sets her against an adversary more cunning and powerful than she has ever faced.

A game that not everyone on her crew wants her to win.

The Tapestry of Fate; book 2 of the Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi

In The Tapestry of Fate we meet up with Amina after she has successfully gathered the first trangression, stranded her husband, Raksh, out at sea, and returned to her daughter, Marjana.

The Tapestry of Fate sees Amina willingly going on a new adventure with her trusty crew and “demon” husband to recover the second transgression. (Demon is in quotes here because he isn’t a demon, but it is the easiest way to describe him without getting too far into the weeds.)

This book focuses on a spindle as the newest transgression (magical item). It is amazing to me how often folklore includes household items such as spindles and thread. When I mentioned this to Shannon in the interview (linked above), she was quick to agree and point out that women were in large the people telling stories to children.

Part of why I love Shannon’s books is that she is so well versed in the history of the nations along the Indian Ocean and folklore of the vast area. I can feel the research and depth of knowledge of the societies and respect for the individual cultural beliefs and traditions. I saw a wonderful Instagram post from The Dead Man’s Dentist describing the difference between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation in regards to Shannon’s books. The Dead Man’s Dentist did a wonderful job of explaining the care Shannon takes with her books.

Needless to say I love the Tapestry of Fate and cannot wait for the audio book narrated by Lameece Issaq and Sneha Mathan. The audiobook for The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi greatly helped me with how to pronounce the names of places and people. I think both Issaq and Amin El Gamal did a great job in book one, and have high hopes for Issaq and Mathan in book two!