Category: Reviews

Reviews

My Dearest Darkest Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on My Dearest Darkest Review

*BEWARE OF SPOILERS*

Finch Chamberlin is the newest transfer student to the ultra-competitive Ulalume Academy… but she’s also not what she seems. Months before school started, Finch and her parents got into an accident that should have left her dead at the bottom of a river. But something monstrous, and ancient, and terrifying, wouldn’t let her drown. Finch doesn’t know why she woke up after her heart stopped, but since dying she’s felt a constant pull from the school and the surrounding town of Rainwater, like something on the island is calling to her. Selena St. Clair sees right through Finch, and she knows something is seriously wrong with her. But despite Selena’s suspicion, she feels drawn to Finch and has a sinking feeling that from now on the two will be inexplicably linked to one another.

Finch is an interesting character for sure. I think when we are introduced to her she seems quite innocent and unassuming. She is very much a loner and wants to be by herself which contrasts starkly with Selena. A lot is revealed to Finch over the course of the storyline and she does evolve and become more accepting of her parents death and starts to live a bit more through the help of her new friends.

Selena was the more entertaining of the two perspectives. Her life is way more chaotic being the popular girl and trying to maintain her reputation even though it’s not necessarily who she is as a person. I think all teenage girls can relate to putting on a façade when they are in high school to try and appear more put together and become popular but Selena becoming a mean girl kind of went to the extreme. As we learn more about her throughout the course of the plot I became more attached to her and seeing how her feelings for Finch grew and her trying to push them away was very endearing.

The premise was super interesting, finding out about the history of the town and how everything connects back to Nerosi. I liked all of the representation within the book but some of the side characters weren’t very distinct and distinguishable from each other. As the plot progressed and we get more revelations it did start to feel a bit predictable though it didn’t shy away from getting a bit dark which I enjoyed!

⭐️3/5 stars was a slow start

Reviews

The Hacienda Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on The Hacienda Review

*KIND OF SPOILERY*

In the overthrow of the Mexican government, Beatriz’s father is executed and her home destroyed. When handsome Don Rodolfo Solórzano proposes, Beatriz ignores the rumors surrounding his first wife’s sudden demise, choosing instead to seize the security his estate in the countryside provides. She will have her own home again, no matter the cost. But Hacienda San Isidro is not the sanctuary she imagined. When Rodolfo returns to work in the capital, visions and voices invade Beatriz’s sleep. The weight of invisible eyes follows her every move. Rodolfo’s sister, Juana, scoffs at Beatriz’s fears—but why does she refuse to enter the house at night? Why does the cook burn copal incense at the edge of the kitchen and mark its doorway with strange symbols? What really happened to the first Doña Solórzano?

Beatriz has had a lot to deal with since her father was executed and I think she jumped at the chance to step out from the shadows of her aunt and cousins even though Don Solórzano might not have been the right match for her. Definitely naïve and stubborn when she first comes to her husband’s estate. She wanted to come straight in and make all of these demands and changes and didn’t get off on the right foot with the staff. I think if she maybe would of had a bit more humility they would of warmed up to her a lot faster and explained the history of the hacienda and what happened in there.

Andrés I thought was an interesting character for sure; being from this long line of witches in his family while still being a priest and helping out his community. I’m not a religious person so all of the talk about faith and religion didn’t really do anything for me, but I can appreciate how it impacts all of his decisions and adds that layer of conflict for him in regards to letting his powers come forth. I also appreciated how slow the relationship between him and Beatriz developed. It wasn’t rushed or insta-lovey at all and they both really tried to maintain their morals but circumstance kept bringing them together and their feelings grew naturally.

The pacing in this book was on the slower side but I appreciate how the the dread and horror really creeps into the story. I was very much invested in the finding out what this spirit that resides in the Hacienda is and how it got there. I’m still not sure why it chose to target, torture and try and kill Beatriz when Juana and Rodolfo are the one’s at fault here. All of the twists and turns were very entertaining and I was pretty much invested from the start.

⭐️4/5 stars I just wish we could of got a little more of a satisfying ending

Reviews

Daisy Darker Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on Daisy Darker Review

*CONTAINS SPOILERS*

After years of avoiding each other, Daisy Darker’s entire family is assembling for Nana’s 80th birthday party in Nana’s crumbling gothic house on a tiny tidal island. Finally back together one last time, when the tide comes in, they will be cut off from the rest of the world for eight hours. The family arrives, each of them harboring secrets. Then at the stroke of midnight, as a storm rages, Nana is found dead. And an hour later, the next family member follows…

I had no idea what to expect throughout the course of this book and I was honestly surprised at every turn. Daisy seemed like a bit of a ambivalent character, she didn’t really stand out in any way throughout the book and no one ever suspected her of being the one to commit the murders. I was definitely intrigued by her past and finding out about the dynamics within the Darker family.

I didn’t really find any of the other characters within the book particularly likeable which I think was the intention. The way that they all treated each other throughout the course of the night in retrospect makes sense when the big final twist happens. Nana definitely is my favourite out of all of them, though her favoritism towards Daisy when they were children is a little questionable.

I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the setting of the cottage. The isolation and the storm really ramps up the creepy tone of the plot and makes for a great backdrop as we try and figure out who is picking everyone off one by one. Even though the start was a little slower paced for me the build up of anticipation and intrigue kept me engaged.

When we eventually are told who the murderer is and why the Darker family was killed I struggled to accept that Daisy was already dead. I just thought there were so many scenes where she interacted with her family members but upon reflection and don’t think they ever responded back to her. I almost immediately wanted to restart the book and delve into every scene and see whether or not it made sense. I think that supernatural twist was unexpected and shocking and I think was ultimately necessary otherwise there wasn’t many options that would of been as shocking.

⭐️4/5 stars oh poor Daisy!

Reviews

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries Review

by amyleighreads2 Comments on Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries Review

Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on the study of faeries. She is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world’s first encyclopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people. She could never make small talk at a party–or even get invited to one. And she prefers the company of her books, her dog, Shadow, and the Fair Folk to other people. So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: her dashing and insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby, who manages to charm the townsfolk, get in the middle of Emily’s research, and utterly confound and frustrate her.

I really enjoyed Emily as our main character. I think even though she is this academic genius she is still quite relatable in terms of her obliviousness and her inability to read other people. I think she could of done a better job trying to warm up to the townsfolk since she was a visitor and encroaching on their lives for months but I did think it was a little cruel of them to withhold their hospitality because of one little faux pas. Emily definitely has the tendency to jump into situations without a lot of thought and puts herself sometimes unnecessarily in danger but I can’t really fault her because this is why she came.

I did take me a minute to warm up to Wendell because I didn’t quite know the reasons behind him coming and wanting to help Emily. I thought at first he might be coming to undermine her and steal all her findings (which she herself believes) but as we learn more about him and discover that perhaps he isn’t what he has claimed to be I did become a lot more invested. I kind of wish we could of explored his relationship with Emily a little more and see them actually be a couple.

Normally books revolving around faeries don’t interest me but this kind of fae adjacent book was a nice compromise for me. This did have kind of a slower start and didn’t really pick up until around the half way point of the book. This just felt like a whimsical folk tale that didn’t shy away from getting a bit dark which I wasn’t really expecting. We learn a lot about the lore and the rules around dealing with the fae and the ruthlessness of their behavior mixed with the careless way they view humans.

⭐️4/5 stars Pleasantly surprised, this was great!

Reviews

The Night Swim Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on The Night Swim Review

*SOME SPOILERY BITS*

After the first season of her true crime podcast became an overnight sensation and set an innocent man free, Rachel Krall is now a household name―and the last hope for thousands of people seeking justice. But she’s used to being recognized for her voice, not her face. Which makes it all the more unsettling when she finds a note on her car windshield, addressed to her, begging for help. The small town of Neapolis is being torn apart by a devastating rape trial. The town’s golden boy, a swimmer destined for Olympic greatness, has been accused of raping a high school student, the beloved granddaughter of the police chief. Under pressure to make Season Three a success, Rachel throws herself into interviewing and investigating―but the mysterious letters keep showing up in unexpected places.

I liked Rachel as our main character. The whole premise of the podcast and coming from being an investigative journalist was compelling and intriguing. I loved following on as she uncovers what happens during this highly publicized and talked about rape trial as well as figuring out what really happened to Jenny.

Hannah I was sort of questioning her intentions throughout the course of the plot. I just didn’t understand why she didn’t just meet up with Rachel and explain everything to her face. Leaving the letters though did add a layer of mystery to the plot but they felt a little bit sinister to me. It just always felt like she was being too secretive and wasn’t telling the whole story so it made me doubt her as a character.

As far as the trial aspect of the book goes I was a bit ambivalent towards it, it’s just never a good feeling to see how rape victims are treating throughout. Of course you always want justice to prevail but it doesn’t always end up happening that way and it very nearly happens in this book. Knowing that no one really won at the end of the day doesn’t give me any satisfaction as a reader but it is very realistic.

There was a lot of quite graphic scenes and heavy topics that are included in this book though the format with the shorter chapters and the inclusion of the podcast elements did make it quite a fast read. I can’t say that I enjoyed what I was reading but the way the two plotlines converged and how the reveals are exposed did make keep me engaged and eager to see how the ending will play out.

⭐️4/5 stars this was brutal, violent and just sad