Category: Reviews

Reviews

Every Heart a Doorway Review

by amyleighreads3 Comments on Every Heart a Doorway Review

25526296Didn’t quite live up to the hype….

This book revolves around a school that takes in wayward children who have travelled to different worlds and have stumbled back to reality and can’t cope.

This book just didn’t quite gel with me personally. I went into it only really knowing that everyone absolutely loves this book and you don’t really get a lot of negative reviews but it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. Even though the book is quite short I thought it would go into a lot more details about the different worlds and the adventures that each of the children had whilst they were there and how it contrasts to the current world.

There wasn’t really any point in time where I was invested or all that engaged in the story. I think the development stage was a tad rushed and I wasn’t really settled into the plot at any point. I was definitely intrigued and once the murders started occurring I was eager to figure out who was behind them, but the pacing and the structure of the story felt a little fractured I guess.

I wasn’t all that attached to any of the characters either. They were all very diverse and distinct and had a voice and a story of their own but it was never to the point where I was developing any emotions or commitment to them.  They all felt a little one dimensional to me as well, and again I think it was just due to the length of the book and that underdevelopment factor.

The premise is definitely original and now that I read this book and I understand kind of how it has been written and the purpose of the story I think I will enjoy the rest of the series. As a high/epic fantasy reader it just wasn’t fleshed out enough for me. I am used to a lot more world building and magical elements which this did have just not to the extent that I was expecting.

⭐️3/5 stars promising, needs a bit more oomph!

Reviews

Ninth House Review

by amyleighreads3 Comments on Ninth House Review

43263680Galaxy (Alex) Stern has had a rough start at life, but she has been given a second chance and has an opportunity to attend Yale and is enveloped into the mysterious world of the nine secret societies that have been thriving there for hundreds of years.

It was a little too info dumpy at the start of the book. For those first hundred or so pages it was really a struggle to get through. It was slower paced and there are just so many dates, code names, characters, rules and regulations as well as all the magical elements woven in as well. It was a lot more rooted into the historical elements of the houses and it kind of bored me.

Alex I didn’t quite connect with for the first half of the book. She was just too mysterious I guess, we didn’t know a lot about her and she had too many secrets. She is a definitely a flawed character and being out of her element and thrust into the Lethe house and trying to live up to the expectations that are heaped upon her forced her out of her comfort zone. As she is learning about everything so are we, there is just a lot of information to wade through in a short amount of time. I did enjoy her development over the course of the story line though. She gains a lot more confidence in herself and really has had to come to terms with her past and everything that happened with Hellie in order to move on with her future.

I liked Darlington and I wish he was around for more of the plot. He was a nice contrast to Alex and even though he exudes that rich, know it all persona he has had to work hard to get to where he is now. Dawes started out as a quite innocuous character, I didn’t really think she would have much of an impact on the plot but she was like the dark horse of the story. She saved Alex’s life multiple times and stood up for her on multiple occasions as well when it came to the Dean.

Like I said the start of the book was a little bit slow and was quite hard to get through. However, once I was settled into the story and the investigation about Tara’s death began the pacing definitely picked up and the action intensified. There were some great twists and turns thrown in and I appreciated how much Leigh Bardugo went in depth with the different houses, I just wish maybe she only would of focused on a couple at a time and expanded upon them as the series continues.

⭐️3/5 stars a very slow build!

Reviews

Get A Life, Chloe Brown Review

by amyleighreads2 Comments on Get A Life, Chloe Brown Review

43888874Chloe Brown has been sheltered most of her life and has pushed away a lot of her friends because of the chronic pain she deals with on a daily basis. That is until one day she is involved in a near death experience that prompts her to move out of her house and start to fulfil some of the dreams she has put on hold because of her condition.

I really liked Chloe. She really knows her limits and is just currently trying to still live her life even though she is in pain. I find her not to be the most relatable of characters because of her wealth however, I think she is still quite down to earth and has really tried to step up and live by her own means. There isn’t a lot of positive representation of plus sized characters in literature and I really enjoyed the way that Chloe was portrayed and the language used to describe her. She didn’t really display any insecurities about her size and it wasn’t really a big factor of the story it was just who Chloe was.

Red really charmed me right from the start. From his relationship with his mother and the way he takes care of a lot of the older tenants in the complex, yet he is still kind of a badass with a motorbike. The banter between them was wonderfully entertaining, with the tension at the start slowly morphing into a friendship and then the way they both kind of push away their feelings before finally succumbing… I was a huge fan! He is just so considerate of her and is always asking how she is feeling or preemptively will make things easier for her. He was just such a sweetheart but still had his own issues he has had to deal with and sort out his feelings about his ex before he stepped fully into the relationship with Chloe.

One thing I appreciated about the book was the communication between the characters. If one of them was upset they would express that to each other and kind of work their way through all of their obstacles. Even when they had their fight and weren’t talking to each other Red was still working towards a resolution!

I thought Chloe’s sisters were really distinct and funny. Again they were always making sure Chloe was ok and checking in on her and was very supportive of her and her chosen lifestyle. I’m really interested to hear more about them and I am very excited to pick up the next book when it is released!!

⭐️4/5 This was just wholesome, endearing and highly entertaining.

Reviews

Vengeful Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on Vengeful Review

40139338._SY475_It had been quite a few years since I finished Vicious so it took me a little bit to get situated into Vengeful.

Marcella is an interesting character. She is very self-aware which is something I enjoyed about her. She isn’t naïve at all and has quite a blunt, straightforward personality. She utilises her assets in a way that ultimately benefits her. After she becomes an EO she became quite ruthless and cutthroat and really dropped all of her inhibitions and strove towards her goals.

I have to say I wasn’t a fan of how Victor evolved in this book. All of his previous morals went right out the window and I really didn’t think it was necessary for him to kill the other EOs who couldn’t help him. He was previously my favourite of all the characters because of his goal to stop Eli and now because his motivations are quite selfish I’m finding I am not enjoying his character as much as I once did.

I enjoyed the fact that we get to see a lot of Eli’s history in this book. I think it was kind of skated over in Vicious and his reasons behind the decisions he makes and the impact that his past had on his future. I found myself becoming a little empathetic towards him after learning about all of the hardships he has had to face in his life, even after everything he has done. I remember I hated Eli in the previous book so to have both main characters switch roles for me was a little strange.

I’m not sure about June yet; I don’t quite understand where her connection to Sydney comes from. Sure they talked and texted for 3 years but her need to protect Sydney and even lie to Marcella about her made me intrigued. Where did she come from and why is she so hell-bent on finding Victor?

I liked the time jumps and the countdown; it definitely had me eager to read on. I did find myself more interested in Marcella’s plot line above everyone else. The other characters for the first 100 or so pages felt quite repetitive and stagnant. Once the pacing picked up I was very much invested in the plot and anticipating what was going to happen next!

⭐️3/5 stars I liked it, didn’t quite love it as much as Vicious!

Reviews

The Hand on the Wall Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on The Hand on the Wall Review

45240918The Hand on the Wall continues straight off where The Vanishing Stair finished off.  Stevie has solved the case and she now knows who Truly Devious is and who was behind Iris and Alice’s disappearance. At least, she thinks she has. After the latest tragedy with Dr Fenton it’s hard to concentrate on the past but she has a feeling that everything that is happening in the present has a connection to the past.

I liked that Stevie really maintains her curiosity and conviction throughout the series. Her commitment to the school and the mystery over the deaths both past and present really kept me engaged in the story line. 

Some of David’s actions came across a little strange. After his beat down at the end of the last book and his subsequent disappearance felt a little off and weird. When we are given an explanation I didn’t quite find it believable in a way. His dad was always this imposing figure in the background during the course of the series and I’m not quite sure what his purpose was. He isn’t really present for a lot of the book and I don’t really think that whole plot line was necessary.

Once again I really enjoyed the camaraderie between all of the other students at the school, especially between Janene and Stevie. Their friendship I thought was quite special; Janene is so supportive of Stevie and understands her limits and Stevie even though she is all wrapped up in the mystery and unravelling the clues she will still always show up when Janene needs her. 

The almost manic nature of Stevie’s thoughts mixed with the building anticipation over the course of the plot kept the pace quite fast.  I was definitely surprised when Stevie explained who was behind everything and I was very much satisfied with  the conclusion.

⭐️4/5  a solid ending to a very entertaining series!!