Category: Reviews

Reviews

Natural Beauty Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on Natural Beauty Review

Our narrator produces a sound from the piano no one else at the Conservatory can. She employs a technique she learned from her parents—also talented musicians—who fled China in the wake of the Cultural Revolution. But when an accident leaves her parents debilitated, she abandons her future for a job at a high-end beauty and wellness store in New York City. Holistik is known for its remarkable products and procedures—from remoras that suck out cheap Botox to eyelash extensions made of spider silk—and her new job affords her entry into a world of privilege and a long-awaited sense of belonging. She becomes transfixed by Helen, the niece of Holistik’s charismatic owner, and the two strike up a friendship that hazily veers into more. All the while, our narrator is plied with products that slim her thighs, smooth her skin, and lighten her hair. But beneath these creams and tinctures lies something sinister.

I enjoyed reading from our main perspective. I think her story was very sad and kind of tragic but also quite relatable in a way. Wanting to conform to societal expectations is I think what every young person coming from a minority goes through throughout adolescence. I liked how it kind of comes full circle and she acknowledges how she lost those facial features her parents passed down to her and how much she regrets letting things go so far.

I thought the other characters were interesting but it took me a little while to differentiate between them all. None of them were all that memorable to me and I didn’t really have an emotional connection to anyone other than our main protagonist so I didn’t really care what happened to any of them.

This was a very compelling read. I was pretty invested in finding out all the secrets about Holistik but I also wasn’t

Reviews

A Study in Drowning Review

by amyleighreads2 Comments on A Study in Drowning Review

Effy Sayre has always believed in fairy tales. Haunted by visions of the Fairy King since childhood, she’s had no choice. Her tattered copy of Angharad—Emrys Myrddin’s epic about a mortal girl who falls in love with the Fairy King, then destroys him—is the only thing keeping her afloat. So when Myrddin’s family announces a contest to redesign the late author’s estate, Effy feels certain it’s her destiny. But musty, decrepit Hiraeth Manor is an impossible task, and its residents are far from welcoming. Including Preston Héloury, a stodgy young literature scholar determined to expose Myrddin as a fraud. As the two rivals piece together clues about Myrddin’s legacy, dark forces, both mortal and magical, conspire against them—and the truth may bring them both to ruin.

I didn’t really form any sort of connection with Effy. I was just a bit ambivalent towards her and wasn’t really all that invested in her as a character. She definitely undergoes a bit of an evolution over the course of the plotline, growing in strength and coming out of her shell.

Preston was a nice contrast to Effy however he also didn’t really do much for me. He didn’t have that feeling of complexity or seemed very interesting at all. I think what really bothered me was how insta lovey the relationship was between these two. The go from hate to indifference to love so quickly it just kind of bugged me as I read. It doesn’t feel genuine to me and even though this is a fantasy I want to see the relationship play out somewhat realistically still.

I did very much enjoy the setting and the overall atmosphere as well as the mystery. Wondering whether or not this was actually going to be fantastical or if Effy was just hallucinating the Fairy King and it was all just a symptom of her medication after being abandoned and victimized. The misogyny was frustrating and the fact that had Preston not gone along with her to present the findings nothing would of changed.

⭐️2/5 stars didn’t hate but wasn’t a fan

Reviews

The Burning Girls Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on The Burning Girls Review

*BEWARE OF SPOILERS*

Welcome to Chapel Croft. For Rev Jack Brooks and teenage daughter Flo it’s supposed to be a fresh start. New job, new home. But, as Jack knows, the past isn’t easily forgotten. And in a close-knit community where the residents seem as proud as they are haunted by Chapel Croft’s history, Jack must tread carefully. Ancient superstitions as well as a mistrust of outsiders will be hard to overcome. Yet right away Jack has more frightening concerns. Why is Flo plagued by visions of burning girls? Who’s sending them sinister, threatening messages? And why did no one mention that the last vicar killed himself? Chapel Croft’s secrets lie deep and dark as the tomb. Jack wouldn’t touch them if not for Flo – anything to protect Flo.

I really enjoyed Jack as our main protagonist. She acknowledges her past mistakes and still has regrets but we learn as the story progresses why and how these mistakes have come to pass and what she has done to atone for them. I knew there was sooo much more to Jack’s story that we weren’t getting right from the start and I was very gratified by the way all the information was given to us.

Flo is a typical teenage character and makes a lot of choices that didn’t seem very wise but I was happy to accept that she is driving the plot along and I probably would of done this same thing had I been her age. I’m not sure I like the fact that the visions of the burnings girls wasn’t explained especially since that was the only real supernatural events in the book and everything else was realistic.

I was surprised at every turn of this book. I went into it knowing pretty much nothing at all and being that this started out so innocuous with just some creepy atmospheric vibes I was shocked with the way it devolved into some pretty horrifying situations and themes. I loved the way the story unfolded and how we just kept being fed little tidbits of information until everything clicks and I was like wtf is going on!

⭐️4/5 stars I was on the edge of my seat!

Reviews

You and Me on Vacation Review

by amyleighreads2 Comments on You and Me on Vacation Review

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

Poppy and Alex. Alex and Poppy. They have nothing in common. She’s a wild child; he wears khakis. She has insatiable wanderlust; he prefers to stay home with a book. And somehow, ever since a fateful car share home from college many years ago, they are the very best of friends. For most of the year they live far apart—she’s in New York City, and he’s in their small hometown—but every summer, for a decade, they have taken one glorious week of vacation together. Until two years ago, when they ruined everything. They haven’t spoken since.

I really loved Poppy as our main protagonist. She is very self aware which I enjoy and most of what she is feeling and going through is so very relatable. Absolutely loving your family and their quirks and being so quick to defend them against anyone but still also being mildly embarrassed of them and then being ashamed you feel embarrassed. I think every teenager/young adult has felt these emotions and it just felt so realistic that this is highlighted as we look back. The fact that she is kind of going through a quarter life crisis after accomplishing all her goals is also very relatable and definitely made me develop more of a connection to her character.

We don’t learn as much about Alex as I would of liked to. Had this been a dual perspective and we see the war raging inside his mind about keeping Poppy at arms length as a friend instead of crossing that boundary would of been nice to have. He is very standoffish and aloof but I really enjoy the fun, witty side that comes out of him almost reflexively when he is with Poppy.

The whole premise of the book was highly engaging and very juicy! I loved the countdown to that fateful summer in Croatia and the fallout that ensues and how we see the two of them try to mend that bridge and gain some semblance of their previous friendship. From the outside it is soooo obvious that these two are soul mates but I loved seeing them having to come to that conclusion on their own!

⭐️5/5 stars I absolutely loved this book!

Reviews

The Last Hours Series Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on The Last Hours Series Review

*SERIES SPOILERS AHEAD*

Cordelia Carstairs is a Shadowhunter, a warrior trained since childhood to battle demons. When her father is accused of a terrible crime, she and her brother travel to London in hopes of preventing the family’s ruin. Cordelia’s mother wants to marry her off, but Cordelia is determined to be a hero rather than a bride. Soon Cordelia encounters childhood friends James and Lucie Herondale and is drawn into their world of glittering ballrooms, secret assignations, and supernatural salons, where vampires and warlocks mingle with mermaids and magicians. All the while, she must hide her secret love for James, who is sworn to marry someone else.

So it has been probably about 4/5 years since I immersed into the Shadowhunter world and it felt very nostalgic and easy to get back into. This time around the series definitely felt very YA and as the series progressed it was quite easy to pretty much predict what was going to happen. Sure, there were some twists and turns that surprised me but there are quite a few repeat themes that keep popping up from previous series.

With Chain of Gold specifically I thought this was a pretty solid first book. It establishes all the main protagonists pretty well, however and this has been a gripe of mine from earlier series but there is always an influx of Shadowhunter families and characters that we are introduced to all at once and it is really hard to keep track and distinguish everyone from each other and what families they belong to. This book sets up the rest of the series very well and really gives us great insight into all of the relationships our core characters have with each other as well as the overarching mystery that spans all three books.

Chain of Iron broadens out the scope of the series by including more of the secondary characters and a bit more of the adults into the plotline. One things that starts to pop up in the this book is how many secrets each of these characters are keeping from each other which carries over into Chain of Thorns for sure. Had everyone just laid everything out on the table from the start a lot of the conflict could have been avoided which irritates me. It just seems like laziness to come up with all of these reasons why they can’t just come out and tell each other what is really happening instead of creating all these crazy justifications.

Chain of Thorns felt a little too long for me. I think the first third could of really been condensed down and added to the end of Chain of Iron. Was I a fan of the love triangle, no. Do I think it was used as fan service to everyone who were diehard fans of The Infernal Devices series, yes. I just don’t think it was necessary as Tessa, Will and Jem are very prominent in this series. Again, we learn a lot more about the minute details of Belial’s plan and see it unfold. We still have this miscommunication trope running rampant and everyone is starting to acknowledge that. The sex scenes were a very fade to black and awkward to read, I appreciated that it was included but still made me cringe.

Overall, this was a good series. Very on brand with the whole Shadowhunter franchise, it just seems like Cassandra Clare followed the same blueprint just changed around a few details and expanded on those changes. Not my favorite by any means, but very entertaining and you do have this group of friends that you want to root for and see succeed.

I gave all three books ⭐️3/5 stars