Month: May 2021

Wrap Ups

May Wrap Up

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on May Wrap Up

This month I ended up completing 6 books which I am stoked about! I feel like I am finally coming out of my reading slump and am in the mood to read more and more!

A Vow So Bold and Deadly by Brigid Kemmerer – ⭐️3/5 stars

The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson – ⭐️3/5 stars

A Memory in the Flame by Jessi Elliot & K.J. Sutton – ⭐️3/5 stars

Shadowcaster by Cinda Wiliams Chima – ⭐️4/5 stars

A Sacrifice in the Smoke by Jessi Elliot & K.J. Sutton – ⭐️3/5 stars

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – ⭐️5/5 stars

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Top Ten Tuesdays

Books I’ve Read but Won’t be Purchasing

by amyleighreads2 Comments on Books I’ve Read but Won’t be Purchasing

Today I decided to redo a TTT prompt I did around this time last year which was books I’ve read but won’t be purchasing. I’m still somewhat on a book buying ban and have restricted myself to only purchasing books that I’ve rated ⭐️4/5 stars or higher so these are 10 books that I rated lower than that, which I probably won’t be purchasing for my personal collection.

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The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White

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The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker

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The Night Country by Melissa Albert

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Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron

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Queen of the Conquered by Kacen Callender

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Burn by Patrick Ness

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The Guest List by Lucy Foley

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He Started It by Samantha Downing

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Watch Over Me by Nina LaCour

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The Raven and the Dove by Kaitlyn Davis

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Tags

Goodreads Was Wrong Book Tag

by amyleighreads2 Comments on Goodreads Was Wrong Book Tag

I seen this tag on Way Too Fantasy and I just had to give it a go!!

1. What is the highest rated book that you gave a low rating? (Sort your books in Goodreads based on Average Ratings and find the highest rated book you gave a low rating).

Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi – average rating is 4.38 I gave it ⭐️3 stars

2. What is the lowest rated book that you gave a high rating? (Sort your books in Goodreads based on Avg Ratings, in reverse order, and find the lowest rated book you gave a high rating).

Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart – average rating is 3.30 I have it ⭐️4 stars

3. What is the most popular book you disagree with the avg rating? (Sort your books in Goodreads based on number of Ratings, and find the first book you disagree with the avg rating)

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood – a little overhyped I gave it ⭐️3 stars it has an average of 4.12

4. What is the least popular book you disagree with the avg rating? (Sort your books in Goodreads based on number of Ratings, in reverse order, and find the first book you disagree with the avg rating)

Permanent Record by Mary H.K. Choi – I didn’t really like this book I gave it ⭐️2 stars and the average rating is 3.44

5. Choose two books that have an average rating of 3/5 stars but you gave a higher rating.

Well Played by Jen Deluca – average rating of 3.53 I gave it ⭐️4 stars

Wilder Girls by Rory Power – average rating of 3.54 I gave it ⭐️4 stars

6. Choose two books that have an average rating of 3/5 stars but you gave a lower rating.

Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan – average rating of 3.35 I gave it ⭐️2 stars

The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu – average rating of 3.72 I gave it ⭐️2 stars

7. Choose two books that have an average rating of 4/5 stars but you gave a lower rating.

Sightwitch by Susan Dennard – average rating of 4.01 I gave it ⭐️3 stars

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern – average rating of 4.03 I gave it ⭐️3 stars

8. Choose two books that have an average rating of 2/5 stars but you gave a higher rating.

I haven’t read any books since I’ve been on Goodreads that are below a 3.12 average

9. Do you tend to agree or disagree with GR average rating and do you use GR as a guide for books you want to read?

I would say overall absolutely.. the majority of my rating coincide with the average! I will typically look to see what the average rating is before I start a book, but it doesn’t sway my opinions at all.

Book Lists

5 Quotes from Last 5 Books

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These are five of my favourite quotes from the last five books that I have read!!

The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson

“Good people don’t bow their heads and bite their tongues while other good people suffer. Good people are not complicit.”

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A Vow So Bold and Deadly by Brigid Kemmerer

“I’m confident in my strengths, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think about my weaknesses.”

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The Girl and the Stars by Mark Lawrence

“Sometimes all your words are the wrong shape and none of them will fit into the silence left when the conversation pauses.”

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These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

“I was raised in hatred, Roma. I could never be your lover, only your killer.”

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Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas

“I don’t know. I’m scared that out there, someday I’ll look around and realize forty years have passed and no one can see me. That I’m gone.”

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Reviews

The Year of the Witching Review

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This was completely different to what I was expecting.

The daughter of a union with an outsider that cast her once-proud family into disgrace, Immanuelle does her best to worship the Father, follow Holy Protocol and lead a life of submission, devotion and absolute conformity, like all the women in the settlement. But a chance mishap lures her into the forbidden Darkwood that surrounds Bethel – a place where the first prophet once pursued and killed four powerful witches. Their spirits are still walking there, and they bestow a gift on Immanuelle: the diary of her dead mother, who Immanuelle is shocked to learn once sought sanctuary in the wood.

I really liked Immanuelle’s character right from the start. She was that little bit sarcastic and resistant to all the rules and regulations she has to live by. Even though she complies most of the time she still questions the decisions and isn’t afraid to break the rules and dig a little deeper into the history of Bethel. We see her evolve over the course of the storyline and come to terms with who she really is and how she can change the way things are run in this town.

I would of really been more invested if this story was a dual perspective and we got to see more from Ezra’s point of view. Having him deep within the institution as the Prophet’s son and seeing what he has had to endure over the course of the years to make him rebel would of given me a lot more context I think. I appreciated how committed he was too helping Immanuelle but I think their relationship could of been drawn out a little longer. I just wish they would of had a few more scenes together in more of a group setting where we could see the tension and attraction between them.

This was a lot more religious and pious than what I was expecting. It took me out of the story a little, granted this is my own fault for going in blind. I was expecting witchiness and spells and magic and this very different to that. I’ve seen this pitched as The Handmaid’s Tale for a new generation and I completely agree with that statement. It’s definitely thought provoking and starts a conversation but I was thinking it would be a more fantastical tale.

⭐️3/5 highly engaging and original, just not what I was expecting!