Month: December 2019

Top Ten Tuesdays

My Top 10 Surprises of 2019

by amyleighreads20 Comments on My Top 10 Surprises of 2019

For this week’s Top 10 Tuesday I decided to go with a list of the top 10 books that I read in 2019 that surprised me! 

You by Caroline Kepnes – I honestly didn’t think I was going to like this book. I had heard all of the hype about it when the series came out earlier this year but I kind of dismissed it. Then when I read the book I actually loved it!

36430011._SY475_

Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes – This is another series that I really had my reserves about. I didn’t know a lot about it going in and I kept putting it off for months thinking I wasn’t going to enjoy it. Then I finally bit the bullet and gave it a read and I was immediately sucked in!

12954620

Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto – when this book first came out there was tons of people talking about it and praising it and then things got really quiet and no one really talked about it anymore. This was kind of a sign for me that this book would be forgettable but I really taken back with how immersive and action packed this book was!

35715518

Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff – I just had this feeling that because Illuminae Files was so good and very well loved that they wouldn’t be able to back it up with another good sci-fi series. I was wrong, this is one of my favourite books of the year and I can’t wait for Aurora Burning to come out!

9781760295738

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead – I thought since this series was quite old that it wouldn’t age very well and I wouldn’t end up liking it. Totally opposite, I absolutely loved this series, super engaging, fast paced and addictive!

91si6wPcRQL

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang – this is on the other side of the spectrum. I thought I would 100% love this book just because it’s a high fantasy that people have been hyping up ever since it was released and I just couldn’t get on board. Rin just didn’t get with me as the main protagonist and the pacing was a little off.

y648

Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young – with debut novels I always kind of go in with low expectations, just in case it’s not the best book, but I ended up really loving this book! Definitely not as hyped as what it should be!

34726469

Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid – I think this book takes the cake for the most hyped book of the year. It was because of this that I really didn’t think I was going to like it, when I read the blurb and heard all of the review I had no intention of even reading it, but when I saw it at my local library I couldn’t miss the opportunity to read it and I was pleasantly surprised how much I actually enjoyed it!

9781786331519

Truthwitch by Susan Dennard – another series that was released quite a few years ago now and I just thought this series wouldn’t be as fresh and unique as some of the newer fantasy series out there but boy was I wrong. I was invested right from the start, the magic system was unlike anything I’ve read before and the books kept getting better as the series went on!

truthwitch

Paper Towns by John Green – I have only read one other John Green book which I really enjoyed, so I went into Paper Towns thinking I would like it equally if not more than that previous book but I was a little underwhelmed. I didn’t really connect with any of the characters and it was a little unremarkable for me.

6442769

Reviews

One Day in December Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on One Day in December Review

38255337One Day in December is a contemporary novel about a girl named Laurie who is on a bus and makes eye contact with a boy waiting at a bus stop. She immediately felt a connection and since they didn’t get the chance to speak she’s been searching for him ever since. That is until he came back into her life in the most unexpected way.

I liked Laurie as our main protagonist. I found her a little too naïve at the start and a little boring to be honest but she did develop a more into a mature, direct character. Being put into this difficult situation I really think she did the best she could and tried to honour Sarah.

I liked the contrast between Laurie and Sarah. Sarah is a go getter and will do anything she needs in order to get what she wants; enjoying the spotlight and Laurie is more of a worrier, not wanting the spotlight preferring to be behind the scenes. We really see over the course of the plot how close they are and just how much Laurie values her as a sister.

Jack kind of got on my nerves a little. After his accident the way he treated Laurie and just how many missed opportunities he had to tell Laurie the truth. I think it started when he lied to her and said that he didn’t remember her from the bus stop. If only he had expressed how he really felt maybe they would have gotten together a lot sooner.

I thought this was a very wholesome read. It definitely covered some intense topics but overall I really thought it was a very entertaining story. It was fast paced and the format made it really engaging.

I just wanted a little more in terms of Laurie and Jack’s relationship. I think if we could have gotten more scenes of them actually together other than that pretty abrupt ending I may have liked it more. There was the build-up throughout the book about them eventually coming together and we don’t get any follow through. I was left feeling a little unfulfilled.

⭐️3.5/5 stars it was a nice holiday read!

Reviews

Queen of Nothing Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on Queen of Nothing Review

26032912._SY475_Better!

Queen of Nothing continues pretty much straight after The Wicked King ended. Jude is still banished but she is currently doing odd jobs for the local Fae to try and make some money, until her sister turns up with some information that could lead her back into Faerieland.

I liked that Jude had some time to dwell on herself and come to the conclusion that she isn’t the smartest and she was ultimately tricked and beaten by Cardan. She actually admitted that she wasn’t as good as what she thought she was and I really appreciated that growth from her. That was really the only thing that I didn’t enjoy about this series, how pretentious and unlikable Jude was and I think she has redeemed herself a little in this book!

The pacing was a lot better in my opinion in this book than the rest of the series. I feel like everything has already been established and we just jumped straight into the action which I enjoyed! It kept me engaged and wanting to read on to see what will happen next.

The love story kind of left me feeling a little unfulfilled. There wasn’t really enough of a buildup of tension for me and all of their interactions were way too brief for me. Their reunion was way too anticlimactic and there isn’t enough depth in their relationship for me to truly believe in it! They hardly spent any time together and we only get one scene where they really express themselves and how they feel for each other.

I can never really anticipate or predict what is going to happen in these books which I like in a fantasy. Sometimes I can get a little too predictable and I lose interest in the plot but that never really happens. It got a little too political and not quite fantastical for me at times. All of the strategy talk and the movements of the armies bore me , if it would of cut out a lot of the planning and extending the schemes and action I think I would of liked this book a whole lot more!

⭐️3.5/5 I liked this lot more than the previous books, still didn’t blow me away though!

Book Lists

5 Fantasy Series I wanted to start Update

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on 5 Fantasy Series I wanted to start Update

Back in January I posted about 5 Fantasy Series that I wanted to start in 2019 and I did an updated post in May, so I decided to do one last update and see where I am at with these 5 series that I wanted start this year!

The Seven Realms Series by Cinda Williams Chima – I completed this series back in May and absolutely loved it, now one of my all-time favourite fantasy series and I am dying to start The Shattered Realms series!

The-Seven-Realms-Series copy

The Falling Kingdoms Series by Morgan Rhodes – I am now half way through this 6 books series. I am really, really enjoying the direction of the series so far, and it gives me serious Game of Throne vibes!

Untitled-2

The Witchlands Series by Susan Dennard – I have completed all four books that are currently out at the moment. This series took me by surprise; I didn’t think I was going to like it as much as I did!

Picture1 copy

The Lightbringer Series by Brent Weeks – This series is really intimidating me for some reason. I have all four books that are out currently but I have been overlooking them for other books. I really need to priorities these books because I have heard such great things, I may actually try and start The Black Prism this month and see how I go!

Screen-Shot-2018-08-02-at-9_16_40-AM copy

The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb – I have read The Assassin’s Apprentice only so far. It was during the Reading Rush and I found it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. It was lacking a little bit of action and adventure and kind of dragged a little for me, which in turn has put me off from continuing on with this series. I am still going to give Royal Assassin a try, but I have not plans to in the immediate future!

Untitled-3

Reviews

You Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on You Review

36430011._SY475_I loved this book!

You revolves around a guy named Joe who has become obsessed with a girl named Beck after she walks into the bookstore he works at and strikes up a conversation.

I loved the premise of this book; it really captivated me from the start. Having the book from the perspective of Joe and seeing the way his brain works and how he justifies his actions throughout the course of the book was fascinating. I don’t believe I’ve ever read a book from the perspective of the bad guy before and I was hooked!

Beck wasn’t a favourite character of mine. I thought she wasn’t all that likable and a little bit pretentious. I found myself not quite invested in her character fully yet I wanted to know what was going to happen next. Her friends were also not very likable either, I found there wasn’t really any depth to them and they were only really just a tool to further along the plot.

 I thought the pacing of the story was perfect. The slow buildup of tension really kept me hooked in the story and I was eager to read on. I thought the plot twists were placed at the perfect points in the story and really kept the intensity at an all-time high. The stakes kept rising and Joe really had some close calls and I found myself wanting him to get away with everything, it was strange.

I thought Caroline Kepnes really captured the mind of a stalker, while also allowing him to remain relatable and human in a way. I like the way that the book was formatted as well. I thought the use of second-person narration was executed flawlessly, having his voice in my mind while reading about him stalking someone was intense!

⭐️4.5/5 stars Creepy, morbid, addictive!