Tag: book review

Reviews

The Missing of Clairedelune Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on The Missing of Clairedelune Review

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

The Missing of Clairedelune continues pretty much straight after the events of A Winter’s Promise. Ophelia has now been thrust into the spotlight by Farouk and promoted to vice-storyteller where she has to perform stories for Farouk and the entire court every evening.

Ophelia really goes through an emotional and psychological journey throughout the course of the story line. We see her overcome so many obstacles and try and manoeuvre her way through this completely foreign and at times dangerous court. I loved the fact that she finally stands up for herself, from telling Thorn how she truly feels and stepping out of her mother’s shadow and becoming her own person.

I liked that we see some repercussions from the first story filter into this book. In particular the murder of the Dragons and the food shortage that is a result of that. We see just how important Thorn’s job is and the scope of what he has to deal with on a daily basis.

I still wish we could learn more about Thorn. Even though he is one of the main protagonists we still don’t really know him. He is pretty much always there in the background but there is still this air of mystery surrounding him and we don’t truly know where his loyalties lie. He does open up more and eventually explains to Ophelia what his plans are but again we just don’t get enough of them together for me to truly believe in his love.

The direction the plot went in was a complete surprise to me. To be perfectly honest I wasn’t all that interested in Farouk and his origin. It does add a layer of intrigue and mystery but I was much more interested in Ophelia and the investigation surrounding the missing.

The structure of the story was a little strange to be honest. Although I was completely invested in what was happening it felt disjointed and a touch nonsensical at times. I found I really had to focus on what was going on at all times otherwise I would end up completely confused.

A solid continuation of the storyline, I still have so many unanswered questions. I am highly anticipating the release of The Memory of Babel next month.

⭐️4/5 I’m still intrigued, engaged and want to know so much more!!

Reviews

The Kingdom of Copper Review

by amyleighreads3 Comments on The Kingdom of Copper Review

*SPOILERS INCLUDED*

The Kingdom of Copper takes place about 5 years after the events of The City of Brass. Ali is trying to make the most of his banishment while his mother is manoeuvring for him to come back home. Nahri is trying to make her life bearable after marrying Muntadhir in the form of establishing a hospital in the city.

I like the fact that the main plot isn’t focused solely around Nahri like I felt the first book was. It really went more in depth with a few more of the side characters.

Though Nahri’s situation is pretty precarious I still wish she would of stood up for herself a little more in the book. When we see her go toe to toe with the King was when I felt she really shone in the book. I love that we get to see her commitment and passion go into this hospital project and seeing how hard she fought to have the Shafit included really displayed how at the core she is still just that thief from Cairo standing up for her beliefs.

Ali’s character development in this book was interesting to read. From his banishment and how he has had to adapt to the harsher way of life in the desert and then thrust back into the court life at Daevabad was entertaining. Now that he has fallen out of favour with his father every thing that he does definitely has higher stakes and there is the very real threat of him being assassinated hung over his head from every angle. The magical aspect of his plot line was very intriguing as well. From his family connection to the Narid and then disclosing to his mother what was happening to him and then trying to figure out what kind of powers he inherited when they took over his body.

Dara realty took a back seat in this instalment of the series. I found when we came to his perspective I wasn’t all that interested in what was happening. I thought the twist about Nahri’s mother being alive was very interesting and added another layer to the storyline, but it was too shrouded in mystery. Dara not being in complete control of his situation and not knowing what Manizheh was planning I found to be frustrating at times.

With all that being said I thoroughly enjoyed where the direction of the plot was going. It was a little slower paced at time and I felt like the ending was a little rushed but I overall enjoyed the build up of anticipation of the book. There were a lot of twists and turns along the way and it was very unpredictable. There are various plans and threads being woven throughout the course of the story and it was gratifying to see how it ended.

⭐️4/5 stars I can’t wait to read The Empire of Gold!!

Reviews

Girl Gone Viral Review

by amyleighreads3 Comments on Girl Gone Viral Review

44148565Girl Gone Viral follows Katrina King, who was minding her own business in a cafe when a man walked up to her, asked to sit down and flirted with her. The encounter was captured and put on twitter which went viral. Due to her past Katrina is a very private person, so on the risk of being doxed she runs away to her long-time bodyguard Rav’s family home until everything blows over.

I liked Katrina, I found at times she could be just a tad too nice to people who don’t really deserve it. I wish we would have got more of a broader scope of what happened to her, especially with her father and when she got kidnapped. It was mostly alluded to and we got a bit of information but I wanted more. I also would of liked to find out more about her various business ventures and start-ups. How she grew her portfolio and made all of her money.

I really enjoyed Rav. I thought he contrasted Katrina very well and his love for her really grew over the years as opposed to being insta-lovey. It made sense that they would develop feelings for each other and the level of devotion he shows for her was very adorable. We definitely see him grow and evolve over the course of the story line, being able to communicate with his family how he feels and why he had to run away and work for Hardeep all those years ago.

One thing I appreciate about Alisha Rai’s books is that they are very diverse and have a plethora of representation included into the plot. Seeking out therapy or being honest with how you feel is portrayed in a very positive light in this book and being open and honest about your mental health and checking in on yourself was heavily featured.

I found myself highly entertained throughout the course of the book. The long drawn out aspect of the romance kept me highly engaged and anticipating every chapter. The familial aspects of the plot gave the book more depth and made me more attached to the characters. I honestly could of done with a little more romance and the ending was a little rushed, however, this was highly enjoyable and very cute!

⭐️4/5 stars A super cute, fast, easy read!

Reviews

Aurora Burning Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on Aurora Burning Review

*BEWARE OF SPOILERS BELOW*

40516960Aurora Burning continues pretty much straight after Aurora Rising finishes off. Tyler and the rest of Squad 312 are trying to figure out their next move, find out what the weapon is that the Eshvaren left and save the universe.

For me it’s not so much about their main goal, which is to inevitably save the universe but the little adventures they find themselves in on the way. I love seeing our rag tag crew come together and become more comfortable around each other. Figuring out how they each fit in the squad and seeing the bonds they create with each other is wonderful to read.

Grief is definitely explored a lot more in this book, especially as Tyler and Scarlett come to terms with what happened to Cat. Having her reappear later in the plot to torment Tyler and for him to let her go was a touching moment.

I am so happy we get more of an in depth history about Ziva in this book. What happened to her parents and how she was able to save herself. Her perspective was so completely different from the others it was like a breath of fresh air in the plot. She really opened up a lot more in this book and we see her form more of a connection with her squad mates.

Kal is still one of my favourites. I am so glad we also got to find out more about his family and what he has had to endure during his life. Especially with the introduction of his sister and the integral way she is thrust into the storyline. It was a little obvious to me who his father was going to be, kind of predictable and the ensuing argument was frustrating. But his relationship with Aurora is so pure and precious and I can’t help but be enraptured by him.

Aurora, though I am glad she is able to control her power and is able to understand how it works, I think the change in her is too drastic and it kind of pulled me out of the story. Walking straight up to the Starslayer completely sure she was going to succeed was a tad arrogant to me and I wish she wouldn’t have been so quick to write Kal off, they might have been able to come up with a better plan.

Overall there so many shocking twists and turns and moments that broke my heart. Some of the choices the characters make didn’t really sit right with me and I wish they would of went about things differently but it definitely raised the stakes and kept me engaged in the storyline. I am left with soooo many questions still and honestly I can’t wait to find out what is going to happen next!

⭐️4.5/5 stars I am still trying to process my feelings after that ending…. 

Reviews

The Honey-Don’t List Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on The Honey-Don’t List Review

51086670The Honey-Don’t List revolves around a famous married couple called the Tripp’s and their assistants Carey and James who are trying to keep the fact that their employers are hot messes out of the spotlight, growing closer along the way.

Carey was a little frustrating at times. Melly is absolutely horrible to her for the majority of the book and she can see for herself how manipulative and neurotic she is yet always sticks up for her and puts up with it. Her loyalty is undeserving in my opinion and there really isn’t any interaction between them that supported Carey’s reasonings for her continued efforts. We aren’t really shown how Melly is this supposed mother figure through any actions on her part, which was confusing and again frustrating to see Carey putting up with it for so long. It was gratifying to see her put Melly in her place and finally tell them exactly what she thought of them and how they undervalued her for all these years.

I thought James was a nice contrast to Carey. His perspectives I found to be quite refreshing and illuminating. I was quite sympathetic to his situation and how he has had to rebuild his life after his previous job. I appreciated his honesty and the way he always wanted to communicate his thoughts and feelings to Carey constantly, making sure she was onboard and okay with everything that was happening.

I thought Rusty was hilarious. He was so checked out of the whole ordeal and his constant outbursts in public derailing the whole tour was highly entertaining and kept me engaged in the plot. His candor and no-fcks-given attitude added spark and life to the plot. I appreciate the fact that he was willing to call his wife out on her BS and give Carey the credit she was due.

The whole premise of the story was a little predictable to be completely honest. I found myself anticipating what was going to happen next at every point of the plot. What really drove up my rating was the romance. I love myself a good hate to love romance and seeing Carey and James overcome their previous misconceptions with each other and come together under the most ridiculous of situations was so much fun to read.

⭐️4/5 stars Fast paced, entertaining, cute!