Amy Leigh Reads

Frankly in Love Review

January 29, 2020January 29, 2020by amyleighreads2 Comments

*Spoilers Ahead*

39847584 Frank Li is a Korean-American senior in high school who falls in love with a white girl in his class. Knowing his parents would never approve of her he concocts a scheme with another Korean-American girl in his class to pretend to date her in order to gain some freedom.

Frank is such an endearing character. He is always just trying to do what is best for everyone, kind of just keeping the status quo. He does question a lot of his parents’ thoughts and their racism towards anyone who isn’t Korean, but he never really challenges them until he is personally affected by it. I thought his plan was quite ingenious and it definitely worked in the long run.

Q just completely threw me off when we finally find out who he had a crush on. For some reason his character being gay just didn’t cross my mind at all but when we found out I was completely in my feels. It was a raw, honest moment and the way Frank handled it was kind and compassionate. Their friendship and banter felt very realistic to me and I am glad it wasn’t compromised when Q finally revealed his secret. His sister though wasn’t really necessary in the plot; I just don’t understand the purpose behind her character.

Even though Frank and Joy had known each other for years I still kind of feel like she moved on a little quickly from Wu. Frank kind of said even though all of the limbos hang out together they weren’t really friends so I thought it was a little strange that they were suddenly so close.

The plot was a little predictable at times but there were definitely some twists and turns thrown in to keep me engaged. I thought the pacing of the book was pretty steady; I finished it in less than a day so it was quite an easy read. The content I thought was super relatable and the cultural aspects added more depth to the storyline for sure!

⭐️4/5 stars frankly lovable!

Top Ten Tuesdays

Covers that Captured my Attention

January 28, 2020July 11, 2020by amyleighreads11 Comments

For the Top 10 Tuesday prompt this week I decided to go with 5 books that I bought specifically because of the covers! This post is completely subjective as everyone has their own preferences when it comes to book covers, but these are a few books I’ve acquired in the last year that have captured my attention!

Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen

Wicked Fox by Kat Cho

Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto

Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

This illustrated edition of The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien

Reviews

Red Rising Review

January 27, 2020by amyleighreads4 Comments

23360729 Earth is dying. Darrow is a Red, a miner living on Mars, extracting precious elements in order to make the planet hospitable for the rest of humanity. What Darrow doesn’t know is that Mars has been hospitable for generations now and his people the Red’s have been used as slaves, being exploited and worked to death by the Gold’s.

I loved everything about his book. The pacing was excellent, the world building was meticulous and the characters were fully developed and interesting. I am so mad at myself that I didn’t pick this series up sooner!

Darrow is a wonderful character. He is loyal to a fault and has done the unimaginable in order to free his people from their constraints. He goes through quite the transformation over the course of the storyline and I love that we see him fall quite spectacular and still rise again against all odds. I think he is well on his way to becoming one of my favourite male protagonists ever! His drive and ability to not take no for an answer and the way he uses his logic and cunning to overcome all of his obstacles, despite being a red at heart!

I never trusted Mustang. I knew she was too good to be true, especially considering the circumstances, but she pleasantly surprised me. Her secret definitely threw me and I honestly didn’t anticipate any of her actions. I thought the big twist at the end was that she was going to stab Darrow in the back, but the way things all worked out was just so much better than what I was expecting!

Usually long drawn out war sequences can get quite tiresome and boring for me but this really had me invested from the start. I love a good school setting in fantasy/sci-fi and the added twist of the war games really kept me entertained! We are right on the ground with Darrow and there really isn’t a whole lot of just sitting around talking and strategising, which can get a bit blah.

This was also a lot darker than I anticipated. There is a lot of gore and blood involved. I like that Pierce Brown didn’t shy away from killing characters off and displaying the bloodlust some of these characters have. It raises the stakes to another level and keeps the tension at an all time high.

⭐️5/5 This will have you on the edge of your seat!

Reviews

The Hate U Give Review

January 24, 2020January 23, 2020by amyleighreads2 Comments

32075671._SY475_ The Hate U Give revolves around 16 year old Starr who witnesses a fatal shooting of her close friend at the hands of a policeman.

Sometimes when I’m reading YA a lot of the female protagonists either read a lot younger than what they are supposed to be or come across a lot more mature. Starr however, feels very realistic. She is resilient, authentic, and embraces all the adversity she has had to face. I liked how we see her continually struggling to define who she really is, and learning accept her ‘hood side’ and allowing those two worlds to coincide.

I also loved the family dynamic in the story as well. They are all so committed to each other and always have each other’s backs! Starr and her siblings fight all the time yet they will not hesitate to jump in if they ever need help. Her parents fight all the time yet there is always that underlying love that connects them and their willingness to do absolutely anything for their children.

I liked the fact that Angie Thomas added Hailey’s character into the mix because these sorts of people exist in the world and their casual racism most often goes unnoticed and unchecked. As a person of color I very much related to what Starr had to deal with having a person like Hailey as your supposed best friend. The offhand remarks and unapologetic nature needs to be challenged in society and I am glad that Starr chose to stick up for herself and not allow her back into her life.

This was a fast paced, impactful book that challenges your thoughts and perception of the world and highlights racism, police brutality, discrimination, and prejudice that the black community has to deal with. It wasn’t a particularly entertaining book to read and I wouldn’t necessarily say I loved it… I would however highly recommend this book; it will definitely leave an impression on you!

⭐️4/5 stars If you can, read this book!

Book Lists

5 Books I Want to Read in 2020

January 23, 2020January 14, 2020by amyleighreads5 Comments

These are the five books from varying genres that I would really like to prioritize and read this year! They have all been on my TBR now for a while and I figured it was time I bit the bullet and gave them all a read!

Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett