Month: December 2019

TBR, Top Ten Tuesdays

☀️ Summer TBR ☀️

by amyleighreads22 Comments on ☀️ Summer TBR ☀️

This week’s Top 10 Tuesday is going to be the books I am hoping to priorities this summer! Some of them are leftover from my Spring TBR, others I have been interested in for a while and there are a few newish books I would love to get to as well!

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

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The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

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Middlegame by Seanan Mcguire

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Sadie by Courtney Summers

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Lightbringer Series by Brent Weeks

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The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

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The Astonishing Colour of After by Emily X.R. Pan

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Reviews

The Beautiful Review

by amyleighreads2 Comments on The Beautiful Review

42265183The Beautiful is set in the year 1872 and revolves around a 17 year old girl named Celine Rousseau, who has run away from her dark past in Paris to rediscover herself in the city of New Orleans.

I didn’t really like Celine’s character at the start of the book. She came on a little too strong and I found her to be a little too arrogant and brash. She kind of thrust herself into situations that I felt wasn’t necessary, for example when she first met Bastien. Stepping in like that even though she was with her friend who clearly did not want to be involved just to satisfy her own need to feel powerful wasn’t the best way to make me like her. Granted she did grow on me over the course of the plot line but even still she ultimately doesn’t think things through completely and she doesn’t really take into account other people’s feelings.

The romantic aspect I actually did enjoy. I’m usually not a big fan of love triangles but the way this plot lines seems to be headed actually appeals to me. I like that hate to love trope and mixed with the star crossed lover’s piques my interests. It was a little obvious but still I liked their banter and the chemistry between all three characters involved!

Other than that I actually really liked all the rest of the characters in the story. I thought they were all very distinct and diverse. Bastien and his court of Lion’s were very intriguing. It kind of didn’t go in depth enough for me though; I could have definitely used more information on each of them. Where they come from, how their powers differ, how did they end up in New Orleans.

The pacing of the book was kind of up and down for me. The start was a little bit slow and it took me at least the first 100 or so pages before I was actually invested in the plot. The fact that Celine wasn’t a favorite of mine kind of stalled my progress for a while and made it harder for me to fully loose myself in the story.

I thought the atmosphere and tone of the book was fantastic. You are kind of transported into that time and place and it felt very realistic and what I felt was an accurate representation of the time.  

⭐️4/5 stars Dark, mysterious, a slow build!

Reviews

Impossible Times Series Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on Impossible Times Series Review

This week I completed Mark Lawrence’s Impossible Times Series! Each book was only around 250ish pages so I figured instead of reviewing each book individually I would do a series review! I’m not going to go too in depth as I don’t want to give any spoilers!

39792427._SY475_One Word Kill – This was probably my least favourite of the three books although it was crucial in terms of establishing all of the scenes that will eventually become so important later in the series. I found it a little hard to get into personally, especially with all of the science/time travel/mathematical jargon that is used frequently throughout the book. Being how short it actually is I think Mark Lawrence did an excellent job adding depth and personality to each of the characters. I was a little bored at times but I was intrigued enough that I definitely had to continue on! ⭐️3/5 stars

41771517._SY475_Limited Wish – I really liked that there is a jump in time and Nick is a little bit older now. The setting is a lot more interesting as well and I found it very easy to fall back into the storyline. This book went a lot more in depth in terms of all the science and mathematics behind the time travel. At times I did find myself kind of skimming most of those conversations and trying to stay focused on what was actually happening. I liked the introduction of the new characters and we are given a lot more answers in this book to some of the questions that are set down in One Word Kill. I highly enjoyed the new setting and the development of the characters and their devotion to each other and to D&D. ⭐️4/5 stars

44806008._SY475_Dispel Illusion – This was fantastic! I liked that we jump from the different timelines and see kind of behind the scenes of what Nick was actually seeing all those years ago. The intricacies that Mark Lawrence had to put together and seeing the seeds sown in the first book ultimately come to fruition was highly engaging and super satisfying! Definitely took a turn I did not expect but better than what I had imagined was going to happen. Completely unpredictable and so much more fulfilling in a way. All of Demus’s secrets come to light and there are so many twists that bloomed unexpectedly that you cannot put this book down! ⭐️4.5/5 stars

 

Tags

Jingle Bell Tag

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on Jingle Bell Tag

I was in the mood for a nice Christmassy tag and when I seen this one popping up in the blogosphere I thought it was perfect! Please see the original tag HERE!

1What book do you want to see under the Christmas tree?

I would love to get a copy of The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand. I read it this month and absolutely loved it, so I would be really happy to have a copy for my own collection!

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2What book that you have read this year have you enjoyed the most?

I would have to say Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. I loved this introductory book to what I am hoping is going to be a new favourite series of mine!

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3Which book has the most festive look to it?

One Day in December by Josie Silver – this definitely gives me Christmassy vibes!

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4What book unleashes your inner child?

From my collection I would have to say Spot by Eric Hill. This is the first book that I ever remember reading back when I was in preschool when I was about 3/4 yrs old

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5Your favourite villain…

I would have to say favourite character I love to hate would have to be Prince Magnus from the Falling Kingdoms series by Morgan Rhodes.

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6Name your favourite TWO couples…

Some of my favourites are Rhysand & Feyre from the ACOTAR Series by Sarah J Maas and also Lucy & Joshua from The Hating Game by Sally Thorne!!!

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What book would you like to give as a present to your followers?

I would love to give my followers Dance of Thieves by Mary E Pearson! Not only does it have a beautiful cover I also think it is wildly underrated!

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Reviews

The Afterlife of Holly Chase Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on The Afterlife of Holly Chase Review

33843251._SY475_This was fantastic!

This is a retelling of the classic A Christmas Tale but with a bit of a modern twist. Holly is visited on Christmas Eve by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future however she does not heed their warning and she dies. But she is brought back to life and is chosen to work in a top secret company called Project Scrooge as the new ghost of Christmas past and visits others like herself once a year to try and change them for the better.

I loved Holly’s character and the development that she undertakes throughout the course of the story line. She really is the true epitome of a scrooge and I loved the way she has resigned herself to her new role as the GOCP and how she had to deal with how unpampered her life is now in comparison to what it was. She has a subtle transformation and when she is given that second chance I like that she goes for it and is able to change so many lives.

I thought the plot was cleverly written and each character played a major role in the story line. They were all distinct, diverse and necessary in the grand scope of the tale. One of my favorites was definitely Stephanie. She seems unassuming but was a key factor in terms of Holly’s transformation.

I honestly couldn’t predict anything that was going to happen. As the story went on I had my thoughts on which direction the plot would go and I was never right which definitely kept me engaged. I thought all of the twists were perfectly timed and highly entertaining.

I am surprised really how much I enjoyed this book. I’ve been putting it off for a while now and I really regret just how long it took me to pick it up.

⭐️4.5/5 stars A perfect Christmas Read!