Reviews

The Wrath and the Dawn Review

by amyleighreads2 Comments on The Wrath and the Dawn Review

One of m91g2v-zrtdly favourite books of the year so far!!!

We follow the story of a young king who is a monster. Every day he marries a new girl and then at dawn she is put to death. When Shahrzad’s best friend is the king’s latest victim she vows to have her revenge and volunteers to be his new bride.

I loved Shahrzad’s tenacity and quick wit. I thought she was funny and clever and completely immovable. She is already struggling with the death of her best friend and choosing to put herself in the same position and entirely in the hands of her friends’ murderer I found to be very courageous. I loved her arc within the story, starting off quite detached and filled with rage and almost obsessing about figuring out the secrets of the king and why he had to murder all of these girls. Then to see her struggle internally with her feelings and the guilt that is brought about because of that really had me invested.

Khalid I was really drawn to from the start. I wanted to not like him because of what he did, but the mystery surrounding why definitely had me intrigued! I liked how he is so observant and attentive to Shazi’s needs and he isn’t afraid to admit to what he has done and won’t hide from it. He fully embraces his past and the way that he finally divulged the true story to Shazi showed his absolute trust and commitment to her.

For some reason I didn’t really warm to Tariq. I think because we don’t get to see him and Shazi together and see how their relationship really is. We are just kind of told that they are in love and not shown it. I love how dedicated he is to Shazi, especially once he has heard what she has done and proceeds to speed off to the capital to rescue her. I thought that was very noble of him and showed the depth of his love. But I didn’t necessary feel that reciprocated by Shazi… all I got from her is kind is guilt that she has feeling for the man who murdered her best friend, not really anything about the many years they have supposedly been in love.

There is so much collusion and schemes weaving throughout the story and the pacing really helped set the scene for the book. I loved the slow build up of anticipation and tension throughout the course of the storyline and I was super entertained during all of it! The setting is wonderful as well, the Middle Eastern cultural elements add distinction and depth to the book which I highly appreciated.

The magical elements of the story weren’t really explained forthright. I appreciated what we did get to see but I kind of want more. I can see Shazi learning to hone her abilities and maybe, just maybe be the one to absolve Khalid…

I have a lot of questions that need answering and I definitely have one or two theories about what is going to happen next! I love that this is a duology as well because this first book really set the tone perfectly and I am itching to continue on with The Rose and the Dagger!

⭐️5/5 Renee Ahdieh might be one of my new favourite authors!!!

Reviews

Girls of Paper and Fire Review

by amyleighreads2 Comments on Girls of Paper and Fire Review

34433755This was pretty great!

I went into this book with kind of low expectations because it was so hyped and well loved by everyone who read it and that kind of had me a little sceptical. But boy was I proved wrong this was absolutely fantastic.

Lei is a member of the Paper Caste, they are the most oppressed and lowest members of society in this world called Ikhara. She lives in a remote village with her father and the memory of her mother who ten years ago was snatched by palace guards to never be seen again. Now, the guards are back for Lei as the rumours about her beautiful golden eyes have reached the ears of the king. She is taken back to the castle and is now being trained as the 9th royal consort or Paper Girl to the king.

I really like Lei; she is just the right amount of innocent but not completely naïve. She understands what she needs to do and why, yet she still chooses to not cooperate fully. I liked the small acts of rebellion that she stages and then to see them progressively grow bolder until she is implicit in the grandest scheme of them all was thrilling. To see her grow increasingly stronger and braver even though she has to undergo so much pain was really empowering.

Wren I was a little on the fence with from the start. I think because she came across as a little unlikeable to me and a little snobbish I kind of wrote her off as an insignificant character, the same as the rest of the paper girls. I didn’t really find myself attached to any of them and I wasn’t invested in them. That was until we started delving deeper into their backstories and how they might not be that much different from Lei. Wren especially after hearing what happened to her in her childhood and when she started explaining to Lei all of her secrets I was fully on her side!

The romance I could definitely spot from a mile away. Though I did enjoy how it blossomed out of so much adversity. They really bonded over their shared experiences and what kind of started off as innocent and innocuous bloomed into a full on relationship. They were kind of all in a little too quickly for my tastes, but I definitely appreciated the representation.

The premise of the book is really unique and I like the eastern cultural influence that is written into the story. The different clans and the different castes really added a layer of complexity to the plot that I enjoyed immensely. I was very much engaged throughout the course of this book as the stakes were always extremely high. We are given ample evidence that if Lei is caught she will reap the consequences and could even lose her life so that really kept me on the edge of my seat during the read. The ending was explosive and there are still so many questions that I need answering so I will definitely be continuing on with the next book when it comes out later this year I believe.

 There is a lot of violence and sexual abuse in this book as well so please be aware of that before going into this.

⭐️4.5/5 Unique, engaging, bold!

Book Lists

5 Books/Series with Queens 👑

by amyleighreads2 Comments on 5 Books/Series with Queens 👑

I thought I would do a super specific reader recommendation post about 5 books/series that includes a Queen who is integral in the overall plot.

Three Dark Crowns Series by Kendare Blake

This is a super dark, atmospheric young adult fantasy series revolving around 3 queens. These triplets are born every generation and when they come of age they have to fight to the death until one Queen emerges as the victor. Like I said the premise for this book is super dark, yet the characters are really diverse and the magic system is interesting and engaging! There is still one more book coming out this year that I am highly anticipating!

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The Red Queen Series by Victoria Aveyard

This is a really polarising series I find, either people love it or hate it and I really didn’t mind it. This world is divided by blood-red or silver. The reds are the commoners and the silvers are the elite, upper class that each has some form of power. We follow the protagonist Mare who is a Red blood but is discovered to possess her own powers which threaten to destroy the balance of power in the kingdom. I highly enjoyed this series, I was entertained throughout and the arc’s that some of these characters undertake are wonderful to read!

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The Thief Series by Megan Whalen Turner

The Thief Series follows the main protagonist Gen who is a master thief and has boasted that he can steal anything in the world. Someone takes him up on his offer and he finds himself in the middle of an incredible heist to steal a relic off a neighbouring kingdom. This is a very politically charged series that keeps getting grander as the books progress. The characters are each so diverse and distinct and there are so many secrets and schemes that enrich the plotline!

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Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J Maas

I had to put it in! I am kind of trash for this series tbh! If you haven’t heard this series revolves around an assassin named Calaena. She has been imprisoned in a salt mine and the crown prince comes and offers her a deal to enter a tournament to be the King’s champion assassin. There is so much character development and magical elements and crazy plotlines that really kept me invested and entertained throughout this series. I highly enjoyed it and it was a wild ride from the first book to the last!

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The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

This epic fantasy standalone revolves around several strong, brave, female protagonists; one of which happens to be a Queen. This book is very large but don’t let that intimidate you, it reads very quickly and there is a whole lot of action and adventure mixed in! The premise is super unique, the world is richly developed and vast and the storyline had many twists and turns that keep you highly entertained!

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Do you have any books/series involving Queens that you would recommend???

Reviews

Windwitch Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on Windwitch Review

windwitchI had to get straight back into this world after finishing Truthwitch in February and I wasn’t disappointed.

After an assassin blew up Prince Merik’s ship the world now believes him to be dead, yet somehow he survived but is now scarred and barely recognisable. The Bloodwitch is sent on a mission to find and capture Iseult, however she offers him a deal that he can’t seem to pass up. After their ship is attacked and shipwrecked Safi and the Empress find themselves alone in a land filled with pirates. They have to work together to keep hidden and try to stay alive.

I loved the multiple perspectives we get in this second book of the Witchlands series. It really helps to broaden the scope of the book and keeps me far more entertained. Also having all of these characters in different settings and circumstances add depth and complexity to the storyline. I was very much invested in all of the characters and they each play such a key role in the overall plot.
I loved that we get more of an insight to Vivia. We definitely only had a one-sided view of her from her brother’s perspective and I found myself intrigued by her. Merik paints her as quite an unlikeable person and to see the difference for ourselves was stark. She actually really does love her country and is passionate about feeding them, she just goes about it a different way than what her brother would like.

Merik’s arc was quite satisfying to read also. To see him hit rock bottom, having just lost his threadbrother and having his ship and crew blown apart and slowly picking himself back up and making a plan of action shows what an impressive character he is.

I’m still very much enjoying Iseult and Safi’s relationship, especially now that they are apart. I feel I can distinguish between them even more now and they are becoming more independent characters as opposed to being a pair all the time. I like seeing them function without the other which reaffirms how much they mean to each other.

The gradual additions of new characters into the storyline keeps the narrative new and fresh and has me engaged throughout. I am loving the Witchlands series so far, but I find I don’t love Windwitch as much as I loved Truthwitch but its still right up there and I’m hoping the next book in the series transcends them both!

⭐️4/5 stars Anticipation is building, I am invested!