The next couple of months are going to be really busy for me so I might not have time to read as much as I want… With that being said there are a couple books I am really hoping I will have time to get to, and then the rest will just be icing on the cake!
The Empire of Gold by S.A. Chakraborty
The Blinding Knife by Brent Weeks
Queen of Volts by Amanda Foody
Flamecaster by Cinda Williams Chima
Blood and Honey by Shelby Mahurin
Earlier in the year I posted 5 diverse books I wanted to read in 2020 and last week I completed all five books so I figured I would give an update about how I felt about these books!
Love from A to Z by S.K. Ali – What I loved about this book was that even though it is a contemporary love story at it’s core, it doesn’t stop each character from having their own personal drama’s that they are having to overcome. The narrative isn’t focused solely on them and dramatised in a way to keep them apart, it’s realistic and thought provoking and genuine. I loved the format of the story told from the perspectives of their journal and having such stark contrasts between our two main characters. It was a quick, emotional, touching book that I feel I will be rereading many times in the future! ⭐️5/5 stars
When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon – Culture really means a lot to both Dimple and Rishi and I loved that it was explored throughout the course of the plot line. Their beliefs had an impact upon every decision that they made and we see them both reflecting a lot on what their parents would think and how they would be perceived in their community. I just thought the relationship progressed too quickly and felt a little rushed to me. I would have liked if they would have more time to cultivate their friendship before jumping straight into a quite serious relationship in the course of a month. Even though they met when they were younger it wasn’t as if they were ever friends. Just a tad too insta-lovey for me personally! ⭐️3/5 stars
Permanent Record by Mary H.K. Choi – Everything happened a little too fast in terms of the timeline for their relationship. Literally the second time Leanne saw Pab she’s inviting him to LA with her. She just met this guy and talked to him for a couple of hours in a Deli… it just seemed a little unrealistic. There is a whole lot of miscommunication going on throughout the story as well. I just wanted Pab and Leanna to sit down and actually hash everything out and explain themselves and what they actually want out of the relationship. Overall I was a little frustrated by this book. I didn’t particularly like Pab or Leanna as out main characters. Pab neglected everyone around him and Leanne wasn’t relatable at all. ⭐️2/5 stars
I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo – I think this was supposed to be a fun, light, fluffy contemporary romance but I just found it to be a little silly and cringey to be honest. Desi, even though she is portrayed as being quite smart and switched on is woefully naïve and immature at times. Choosing to keep her interview a secret from Luca and continuing with her list and her plans even after they are together was almost frustrating to read. The overall premise of the book was quite unique and entertaining. I liked that we are given some cultural diversity with the Korean culture. I am quite the fan of K Dramas myself so it was quite fun to get the references to the different shows thrown in there as well! You are kind of on the edge of your seat throughout the book just waiting for that other shoe to drop, and when it does the drama definitely ensues. ⭐️3/5 stars
Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi – I have to admit I wasn’t as enthralled with this instalment as I was with Children of Blood and Bone. It was a lot shorter than the previous book but I felt like it just wasn’t as immersive, which is mostly to do with the characters. Miscommunication was the main source of conflict in this book and that frustrated me. If Amari and Zélie had just sat down and worked through their issues I feel they could of probably come up with a foolproof plan that would have saved a lot of lives. ⭐️3/5 stars
Usually I don’t really attention to the Goodreads Choice Awards but I have seen the criticism in the past about how it’s more of a popularity contest rather than going off actual ratings. Which is apparent this year as one of the nominees for the Fantasy category is Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson and it hasn’t even been released yet. I wanted to make an informed decision when I vote so I have decided to try and read all of the nominees from the YA Fantasy category and see which I think should be the winner!! There are a couple that I have already read and a few on my physical TBR and I will have to try and source the rest and try to get to them in the coming weeks.
I love Witchy Books and since this week’s Top 10 Tuesday prompt is a Halloween Freebie I figured this was the perfect time to list 5 books I’ve read and loved as well as 5 books I am dying to pick up that have some form of witches in the narrative!!
The Wicked Deep & Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw
Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker
Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling
The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco
The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson
Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor
The Ravens by Kass Morgan & Danielle Paige
Morrigan Crow and her friends have survived their first year as proud scholars of the elite Wundrous Society, helped bring down the nefarious Ghastly Market, and proven themselves loyal to Unit 919. Now Morrigan faces a new, exciting challenge: to master the mysterious Wretched Arts of the Accomplished Wundersmith, and control the power that threatens to consume her.
Jupiter is definitely one of my favourite characters in this series. He is just super supportive of Morrigan and lets her express her opinions whilst also giving her boundaries. He actually listens to her and wants to know how she is feeling and always has her best interest at heart.
Morrigan has a bit of a rebellious phase in this instalment. She has a period of self-isolation from her friends and focuses on the shadow classes and really starts to become obsessive with becoming a better Wundersmith. There were little instances, like when she tries to steal the book and gets her friend to cover up for her, or when she ruins away to become Ezra’s apprentice and ends up getting manipulated by the president. But I really appreciated how she took into account all of the advice she has been given and listens to those in authority and sees the error of her ways and apologises for the things she’s done.
The mystery surrounding the Hollowpox was interesting and again gave us more of an insight to Nevermoor and the people living there. It was a little predictable how it was created and the way the storyline progressed it seemed inevitable that the ending would turn out the way it did.
For some reason this didn’t quite keep me as engaged as the previous books in this series. I can usually get through one of these in a day or so and I ended up only getting around 20 pages in and then put it down for nearly a week. I just didn’t have that urge to pick it up and finish it until I forced myself to.
⭐️4/5 Still such a fun, action packed, entertaining read!
amyleighreads.com 