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The Death of Mrs Westaway Review

March 13, 2019March 12, 2019by amyleighreads3 Comments

* A BIT SPOILERY*

36373481 This 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

March 12, 2019March 19, 2019by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment

I 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📚

Reviews

The Wrath and the Dawn Review

March 11, 2019March 11, 2019by amyleighreads2 Comments

One of m 91g2v-zrtdl y 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

March 8, 2019March 8, 2019by amyleighreads2 Comments

34433755 This 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 9^th 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 👑

March 7, 2019March 6, 2019by amyleighreads2 Comments

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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