Amy Leigh Reads

The Woman in the Window Review

April 22, 2019April 22, 2019by amyleighreads2 Comments

40389527 A solid mystery/thriller!

This book follows the story of Anna a woman who for the past 10 months has been stuck inside her home with an intense form of agoraphobia. Everything is going fine until one day she see’s something happen across the street that she wasn’t supposed to see.

Even though this a highly popular mystery thriller I still don’t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t read the book yet, so just bear that in mind.

I found the book to be a little slow at the beginning. Learning about Anna and her life and going through the motions was a little repetitive but effective in perspective as we are really getting a feel for what she goes through everyday. It really highlights how easy it is to be able to survive in this modern era without ever having to leave your home.

The pacing really picked out and continued to grow throughout the course of the book. The major plot point happens pretty early on in the book and then having the seeds of doubt planted into Anna’s mind making her second guess herself really prolonged the suspense.

As a character I found her to be a little unlikeable yet relatable in a way. She stays true to her convictions and she still tries to help other people and doll out advice and just an ear to people like her. I can’t really fault her in any way as she does the best she can with her current circumstances.

I liked the twists and revelations that occur in the book as well. I am not really an avid reader of mysteries or thrillers so all the tropes are relatively new to me. I enjoyed the steady progression of suspense and the flashbacks really helped to establish Anna’s frame of mind and why she is so adamant in finding out the truth. It definitely kept me intrigued and eager to read on and see what was going to happen next. I couldn’t predict any of the plot points so I was definitely surprised when the truth was finally uncovered.

⭐️4/5 I can see why it was so hyped!

Reviews

Bloodwitch Review

April 19, 2019April 18, 2019by amyleighreads1 Comment

*Definite Spoilers*

51uwijmx-pl I loved this!

The third novel in the Witchlands series is getting even more adventurous and exciting! I will say I am now glad I read Sightwitch and got more of an insight and background to the story as everything is now really syncing up and coming together in the plot.

I have to say I do stan Iseult and Aeduan. I love the hate to love trope so much and it’s very much prevalent over the course of the books with these two. I loved seeing the slow progression of their relationship build and how they slowly come to trust and understand each other. And let me just say the way they reunite had me on the edge of my seat, I couldn’t cope for a minute there.

I really didn’t pay much attention to Aeduan in the other books. I appreciated his character and I was intrigued by him, but I didn’t really think he mattered or was as integral to the story as he is now. I figured since the name of this book was Bloodwitch that he would be more of a prominent plot line and he definitely did in this book! His arc over the course of the series has been wonderful to read; especially since we get so much more of his backstory. In this book in particular I have really started to get more invested in his character and I can’t wait to see what he does next!

The whole book is just super immersive. I found myself really lost in the story and appreciating every character and their journey. Everything is really starting to come to a head and we are getting more and more interactions between all of the main protagonists who were otherwise on different sides of the continent through the sporadic use of the doors to connect and transport the characters which I thought was very effective.

I was very satisfied with this book. I honestly had no idea where Susan Dennard was going to take the story next and throughout the whole reading experience I was very much entertained and that really propelled me to continue to read. The action is getting so much more intense and story lines are colliding and I can’t wait for the next book!

⭐️5/5 I need to know what happens next!

Book Lists

5 Favourite Contemporaries

April 18, 2019April 18, 2019by amyleighreads1 Comment

So these are a few contemporary books that I have read that I really enjoyed. Its not a genre that I generally lean towards but I have been trying of late to broaden my horizons so they definitely are on my radar. I gave all of these books 4 stars and I would definitely recommend them if you haven’t picked them up!

Eliza and her Monsters by Francesca Zappia – I really felt like this book is necessary at this moment in time. The representation is wonderful and I felt like Eliza really embodies the struggle of the everyday teen in the cyber world today. Being outed online and then having to deal with the immense pressure and the anxiety that came with it felt real to me!

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Simon vs. the Homosapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli – Simon vs. The Homosapiens Agenda really showcases the emotional anguish and turmoil of a young gay man in our cyber society today. It was still witty and effervescent and I love the references to pop culture, this was a great book!

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Heretics Anonymous by Katie Henry – I actually only read this book today and I was actually pretty impressed. I liked the commentary about religion and how everyone is capable and willing to believe whatever they want you just need to respect their wishes. I thought Michael was very entertaining to read from and even though he is so open with his atheism he is willing to have an honest and raw conversation about the beliefs of his peers and their reasoning.

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They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera – I loved the concept of this book; it really had me intrigued from the start! The fact that we are basically already spoiled on the ending yet the book was still compelling enough for me to continue reading really shows how wonderful the writing is. The characters really stole the show for me, they complemented each other perfectly and the tragic nature of the story really made me connect with them more!

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Turtles all the Way Down by John Green – This was my first ever John Green book and I was pleasantly surprised. I found Aza to be a super relatable character and I actually really enjoyed the plot. It was very fast paced and kind of all over the place but that kind of made it more realistic for me.

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Reviews

Daisy Jones and the Six Review

April 17, 2019April 14, 2019by amyleighreads1 Comment

9781786331519 Not bad….

Daisy Jones is a little bit of a socialite in the early seventies who happens to be a talented singer and The Six is a rock and roll band formed by two brothers who want to make it.

I was a little lost at the start of the book. Everyone is kind of introduced all at once and then the story kind of dives in with everyone talking and explaining their stories and it was just a little too convoluted. However, I did kind of get situated into the story after about 100 pages or so and then things started to get juicy!

I was a fan of Daisy I have to admit. She is just so entertaining and super unpredictable. I like that you know that she is going to eventually join with the band and the whole books and her life is basically leading up to this moment but she doesn’t know it yet. I kind of like being low-key spoiled with endings and just reading to see how everything comes together if that makes sense. She’s just a train wreck and I loved that about her.

Billy I wasn’t the biggest fan of. Sure, he’s super talented and he did put the band together but he didn’t give them any room for their own creativity. It was very much his way and that was that, he did have good intentions I guess but it just soured him a little for me.

All of the characters served a purpose in the book. They are all very unique and distinct they each have their own voice. I found the format quite jarring at first but again after that first 100 or so pages I really started to enjoy reading from each of their perspectives and seeing how one situation can be construed in so many different ways. It was very interesting!

The plot and the way it unfolded really enraptured me. This whole culture of rock and roll mixed with drugs and alcohol and how things can be so out of control in private yet seem glamorous and beguiling in public was very well done in my opinion. Taylor Jenkins Reid really portrayed this way of life so well and it was so raw and honest and I really enjoyed my read of this book.

⭐️4/5 I get it now!

Spring Cleaning Book Tag 🏷

April 16, 2019April 17, 2019by amyleighreads2 Comments

I saw this tag over on Sara @ the Bibliophagist’s blog and it looked like fun so I thought I would give it a go!

The struggle of getting started: a book or series you struggle to begin because of its size

The Lightbringer Series by Brent Weeks – I will definitely be getting to it sometime this year but it’s such a commitment and undertaking to get started that I’ve been king of putting it off for a while now.

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Cleaning out the closer: a book or series you want to unhaul

The Lorien Legacies by Pittacus Lore – Way back when the movie came out for I Am Number Four and I found out that it was actually a book series I bought all of the books and now I am not interested at all and probably will never re-read this series so I will be unhauling them very soon.

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Opening windows and letting fresh air in: a book that was refreshing

Prince Charming by Rachel Hawkins – I’ve been reading a lot of dark and intense fantasies and multiple books series lately so it was nice to just get into a quick, fun, quirky read that can just cleanse my reading palate!

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Washing out the sheets: a scene you wish you could rewrite

The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh – Shazi’s first meeting with the Sheik where she refused to relinquish her weapons and demanded the guards to let her go. The whole exchange felt totally out of character to me and got on my nerves.

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Throwing out unnecessary knick-knacks: a book in a series you didn’t think was necessary

I have a thing about novellas… sometimes I feel like they are really not necessary. This isn’t always the case, I’ve read a few that I found integral to the overall plot line but they’re usually a hit or miss. E.g. a Court of Frost and Starlight, very underwhelming and did nothing for me even though I am trash for this series…

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Polishing doorknobs: a book that had a clean finish

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – The first one I thought of honestly. Everything just wrapped up so nicely, all my questions were answered and I was just super content when I finished this series the first time!

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Reaching to dust the fan: a book that tried too hard to relay a certain message

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell – Unpopular opinion but I think this book just tried too hard overall! It felt like I had read this story countless times before but it was always going that extra step above and beyond to try and be different, if that makes sense. Didn’t gel to me.

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The tiring yet satisfying finish: a series that was tiring but satisfying to get through

Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J Maas – I’m kind of glad I only got into this series after 6 of the books were already out. Had I started way back when Throne of Glass was first published I would have been very impatient but luckily I was able to marathon the series and only wait a few months for Kingdom of Ash to come out last year. Seven books is a lot to get through in a series and I was deeply satisfied when it ended!

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