Category: Updates

Updates

⚔️ An Ember in the Ashes Series Reread Update ⚔️

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on ⚔️ An Ember in the Ashes Series Reread Update ⚔️

I just completed the second book in this series A Torch Against the Night a few days ago and I have thoughts. For one I loved that we get some new perspectives in this book, especially Helene’s. I loved seeing how drastically her position has changed over the course of the storyline and how she has had to make some immensely difficult decisions which could lead to ramifications either for her or the ones she loves. I loved getting more of an insight into her character and the depth of feelings she has for Elias and how she has had to quell them and put her family and her Gen first. Second the world expands so much more in this book as we follow Elias and Laia on their journey to Kauf. The amount of time it actually takes for them to reach the prison gives us more of a scope of just how big the empire is. Speaking of Elias and Laia it was great to see them grow closer and come to trust each other completely and how unfair it is that they have to keep each other at arms length. Elias’s whole storyline I am not a fan of simply because I am yearning for them to be able to be together but alas that is not going to happen any time soon. Reading this the second time around I completely forgot about the twist involving Keenan. It was a nice experience to kind of be surprised again and connect all of the dots that were littered throughout the storyline. I wasn’t as in love with this book as opposed to the first simply because there wasn’t as much going on in this book. The stakes were definitely there and there is a lot of context given but it felt like a filler book for the series. It sowed the seeds that are definitely going to come into fruition as the series continues and I am excited to read on!

Reviews, Updates

Blood Heir Review

by amyleighreads2 Comments on Blood Heir Review

Anastacya Mikhailov is the crown princess of the Cyrilian Empire and is one of the Affinities; gifted with abilities to control the world around them which are deemed unnatural and dangerous in their society. Ana’s affinity is one of the deadliest and most abhorred the ability to control blood.

Ana is one of those female protagonists that acts without thinking and lets her emotions get the better of her, which really annoys me. If she would have just stopped and thought about the consequences of her actions there wouldn’t have been as many obstacles for her to manoeuvre around in order to find who she was looking for. She has definitely had a lot of trials in her life but she has also a bit unrelatable because up until a year ago she was a princess. I did appreciate how she became aware of everything that is going wrong in the empire and how affinities are being treated and forced into slavery.

I really enjoyed Ramson’s character. I liked that we actually got a lot of his background and how he came to be in Cyrilia. There is a reason behind why he has made some of the choices in his life and we see the repercussions of his decisions continue to affect him now. It was obvious to me that he would end up with feelings for Ana but it was gradual and made sense in the context of the story.

I was invested in these characters right away and wanted to find out what was going to happen next. The pace was just a little up and down and pulled me out of the story a little bit. I appreciated the world building that was included as well, how descriptive the prose was really immersed me into the story line.

I found the plot to be predictable yet still entertaining. I think the spin on the original tale was quite refreshing in this fantastical setting. It was a solid start to a new series and I am left wanting to know more which is always a good sign. I feel there is definitely room for this tale to expand and become even more compelling!

⭐️4/5 stars Pretty much what I was expecting!!

Updates

⚔️ An Ember in the Ashes Series Reread ⚔️

by amyleighreads2 Comments on ⚔️ An Ember in the Ashes Series Reread ⚔️

I’ve just recently completed An Ember in the Ashes and I liked it better this time round. This is only the second time I have read this book since I first bought it two years ago and having read hundreds of other fantasy novels in the meantime made me appreciate this story even more! Right from the start I was highly invested in our two main protagonists and with the stakes gradually rising as the story continues there was never a point where I wanted to put the book down. This time around I was surprised by how much the deaths of all the masks affected me during the third trial. Seeing Elias’s anguish and torment with killing all of his friends and how willing some of them were to die really hit me in the feels. I love the Romanesque feel of the world and the war focused society and can’t wait to become more re-established as I continue on with the series. We get a little taste of the magic system and the lore surrounding the ghuls, ifits and djinn enough to keep me engaged but I’m definitely left wanting more. Overall I think this was a perfect introduction to a new series, we have high stakes, twists and turns and characters you can’t help but love.

Updates

Library Update/Haul

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on Library Update/Haul

I thought it was time to do another update about the books I’ve been borrowing and reading from my local library. Last month I tried to prioritise most of the books that I borrowed for my TBR as there were quite a large amount and there were a few that I was dying to read. Out of the 14 books I read in August seven of them were from the library so I would definitely count that as a success. When I returned all of those books there were a couple that I just had to grab as well. I’m trying not to borrow as many books as I have been previously as I do want to try and get my owned TBR down to single figures!

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Updates

Book Buying Ban

by amyleighreads1 Comment on Book Buying Ban

I have decided that for the rest of 2020 I am banning myself from buying any more books! I have done some calculations and I have purchased over 70 books so far in 2020 and I have only read about 40 of them and have spent quite a lot of money this year on books alone (all my fellow avid readers/book collectors would know just about how much that would be). I definitely have the means and am privileged enough to be able to afford to purchase that amount of books, but currently my shelves are completely full and I have taken to storing a good majority of my collection in my cupboard so I figure it was high time I quit adding to the pile. I have a few pre-orders for the rest of the year but until I get that number down to single figures I will not be purchasing any more physical books.