Reviews

Thick as Thieves Review

by amyleighreads3 Comments on Thick as Thieves Review

y648We follow a new protagonist in this last book of the series. Kamet is a slave to a very important man in the empire. He keeps his master’s books and accounts and is considered to be a very important slave himself. He has accumulated a few possessions and has a considerable about of personal power in his role which he relishes. That is until an unknown soldier’s comes and offers an escape from his life as a slave, and whispered warnings of poison and murder destroys all of his plans.

I like that everyone’s identity is kept hidden throughout the course of the book. It kept me engaged in the plot as I wanted to figure out who everyone was. We find out the identity of Kamet’s master pretty quickly and I had a feeling about who the Attolian was but it wasn’t confirmed until nearly the end of the book (I was right!)

Kamet I liked him but he wasn’t a favourite of mine in this series. I like that we get a different perspective of what a slave’s life is like in the Empire. All the mannerisms and behaviour is carefully monitored by everyone around them and they can be punished for even the most minor infringements. I liked that we see Kamet constantly vigilant and schooling the Attolian on how a slave should be acting and why he can’t sit next to him or share his food.

Even now five books later I am still getting surprised by Gen and I love that. Even though the main focus of this book isn’t even on him he still has such a commanding presence throughout the plot. Every book really highlights a different trait of his and I loved that once again he has proved how valuable he is and why he chooses to befriend certain people.

The pace was a little bit up and down and at times I did struggle to retain my focus on the book. I think maybe the journey was a little too long for me. It just kind of felt like they were just walking for a lot of chapters and remarking on the scenery which I like for establishing the scene but it became a bit boring for me. There wasn’t enough action.

Even the whole storytelling element that I enjoyed in previous books I found myself kind of skimming in this instalment. I read maybe the first two all the way through and then the rest I wasn’t all that interested in. They were again a little too long for me and they didn’t really bring anything to the storyline.

It wasn’t bad but I didn’t find myself enjoying this as much as the other books in the series. It was just kind of ok. That’s it…

⭐️3/5 I liked it, nothing wrong with it, just not a favourite!

Reviews

The Rose and the Dagger Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on The Rose and the Dagger Review

51fuyxthzglSoooo I didn’t love this as much as The Wrath and the Dawn…

This book continues straight after the last book finishes off. Tariq has whisked Shazi off into the desert after the storm that has razed Rey. Shazi has to deal with the consequences of loving the Caliph and siding with the murderous boy king.

Don’t get me wrong it was still a great book regardless yet it didn’t completely meet my expectations. This has kind of been happening to me a lot as well, I will start a new series and the first novel will sweep me off my feel and then as I continue on the rest of the books don’t give that same feeling.

Shazi though still being very witty and tenacious I felt like at times she kind of acted a bit arrogantly. Like when she first met the Sheik and she refused to relinquish her weapons and demanded the guards to let go of her. I just felt like that was totally unnecessary and made a big fuss over nothing. She was in the presence of Tariq who would let nothing happen to her and she was a guest of the Badawi Clan who had housed and protected her family. Also when she first met Artan someone Musa said could potentially help her break the curse she was rude too as soon as she met him. Granted he was discourteous at the time but she took offense too quickly and that grated me nerves a little.

I liked Isra a lot, I enjoyed that we get to delve a lot deeper into her character and get a feel for who she is. I loved her honesty and compassion for her family. She is very loyal yet will still question her sisters’ motives and wants to be treated as her equal not her little sister.

The book was still very entertaining and the pacing was pretty good. At some stages it was a little slow and I did find myself skimming a little just to get through certain scenes. Though there were a lot of twists and shocking revelations thrown in throughout the plot and that kept me invested and reading on.

The magical element still wasn’t thoroughly explained either. There was no reasoning as to why Jahander and Shazi have this power and not Isra. Where it comes from or really what it is, just that it exists. I liked that there was a little bit of a history told about Artan’s family and the lore behind their magic but still it wasn’t enough for me.

All the elements are there, the characters, the plot, the setting, yet it wasn’t executed enough for me. I appreciated the ending, I liked that I was totally blindsided by several character and their motives, yet I wasn’t left with any overwhelming feelings at the end like I did with The Wrath and the Dawn.

⭐️3/5 Good not great!

Book Lists

5 Favourite Book Covers

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on 5 Favourite Book Covers

These are 5 book covers that I am absolutely loving at the moment! 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 recently that have captured my attention! As you can probably tell I am a fan of bright colours and gold foil!!!

Dance of Thieves by Mary E Pearson

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King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

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Legendary by Stephanie Garber

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Circe by Madeline Miller

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The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

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Reviews

The Death of Mrs Westaway Review

by amyleighreads3 Comments on The Death of Mrs Westaway Review

* A BIT SPOILERY*

36373481This was amazing!

The main protagonist Hal has been struggling on her own ever since her mum died from a hit and run at the front of her house. She has had to resort to getting a loan of some unsavoury people and now they are coming to collect. With no money and hardly any work she thinks it’s a godsend when she receives a letter addressed to her from a lawyer who is an executor for the estate of a woman he claims is her grandmother. Hal knows this woman is not her grandmother and they must have gotten her name mixed up with someone else, but what if she went anyway?

 I was absolutely enthralled from the offset. I love that we get an introduction to Hal by herself and learn a lot about her and her struggles. I love that we see her fraught and run down and pushed to the limits enough for her to even consider deceiving these people. The fact that throughout the course of meeting the lawyer and then Mrs Warren and the family she still has misgivings about what she is doing and I think that that kind of manifested physically. Always being cold in that house and not eating enough and passing out and having a fever after the will was finally read out. I like that she follows her conscience in the end and actually tells the brothers the truth, which eventually leads her to discover her own truths.

The familial side of the book really drew me in as well. The little secrets and the way they interacted with each other had me thoroughly entertained! The grief that they exhibit when they find out that their sister was dead felt real to me and I appreciated that they all grieved for her differently, it showed how much depth these characters have and it really helped me to distinguish between them. The letters were a nice bridge between the past and the present as well. I found myself immersing into the family history and really trying to figure out the mystery of Maud and where she has gone.

The overall tone of the book was very dark and foreboding and also very cold, be it the weather or the house and even Mrs Warren. I finished this book in basically one sitting and I was swept into this story by Ruth Ware’s immensely detailed and descriptive prose. I loved every second of this book. The mystery elements really kept me on my toes; the pacing was perfect and the plot twists… OMG! I did not see anything coming and I was very much surprised and satisfied with how this book ended!

⭐️5/5 Mysterious, dark and chilling!!!

Updates

Legendary

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on Legendary

img_2905I read Caraval last year and I was entertained yet it was not quite as captivating as I hoped. The atmosphere of the book was quite dark and mysterious with an air of danger attached. I definitely couldn’t predict anything that was going to happen which I enjoy in a fantasy book, it keeps me invested in the storyline. I thought the twists were well timed and the characters were somewhat likeable, Donatella wasn’t a favourite of mine. That being said the magic system kind of fell a little flat for me in the book. So I am hoping it is really explained and expanded more in Legendary. I am excited to get into this book and hopefully I like it even more than its predecessor.

Happy Reading📚