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Reviews

Yes No Maybe So Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on Yes No Maybe So Review

43615530Yes No Maybe So is a dual perspective book following Jamie and Maya who are both volunteering during a political campaign for a local candidate. They are paired together to go door-to-door and hand out flyers and secure votes.

I really liked the dual perspectives, it really gave me a chance to get to know both characters very well and I definitely was able to develop a connection to both of them.

Jamie I thought was a super endearing character. He put himself down a lot and didn’t really believe in himself. However, I thought his family was very supportive and provided some very sound advice when he needed it. His relationship with his sister was very special and I loved their interactions throughout the plot. At times she acted a little older than what she is but I think it was balanced well. They had some truly touching moments together and I liked that we got more of an in depth look into their lives outside of the main plot.

Maya I thought was a really relatable character. Her arc started off with a bang with the separation of her parents right in the middle of Ramadan. We really got to see how it affected her through the way she isolated herself from her friends as a coping mechanism. The hope she kept inside her that they might get back together and the innocuous way that it is shattered when she realizes that it might not happen. I thought at times she was a little selfish but she does evolve and realize that she actually needs to communicate her thoughts and emotions.

I actually like how their forced friendship turned into an actual friendship before their relationship kindled, I just wished it happened over a longer period of time. I think the timeline for the entire book was only a couple of weeks so it felt a little rushed.

The whole political side of the story didn’t really interest me and I kind of knew that going into the book so it didn’t really have any effect on my experience. There was a nice balance though and there wasn’t really any time that I wasn’t engaged which is a bonus.

⭐️3/5 stars Cute, relatable, diverse, entertaining!

Reviews

Fire Review

by amyleighreads2 Comments on Fire Review

6137154This book revolves around a half-human half-monster girl named Fire who is incredibly beautiful and able to control the minds of those around her. In the Dells human monsters are very rare and this has led to Fire leading a quite isolated life trying to keep her compulsions away from everyone. That is until an unknown hunter shows up in the forest bordering her land and shoots her, thrusting her into the war that is ravaging her country.

I really liked Fire; she’s not naïve at all which I think is a rarity among female protagonists in a lot of YA. She definitely pushes away others and doesn’t express her feelings well at the start of the story then we see her undergo this wonderful transformation over the course of the plotline and she really shines. I just think she played a lot with Archer’s feeling and maybe unintentionally led him on. Saying she was in love with him maybe wasn’t the right thing to say when he’s baring his soul to you. Archer though kind of got on my nerves as well. He was very possessive over Fire and went a little overboard in his protectiveness.

I just have to say that I loved Brigan right from the start. His standoffishness and brash nature really made me gravitate towards him in the book. I wish he was a little more present in the story though, he just kind of flits in and out in the pivotal moments. He did share some really poignant scenes with Fire when they both couldn’t sleep that I think really laid the foundation for their relationship. I just thought the moved a tad too fast for the amount of scenes that we see them together. They are however goals.

The whole situation with Leck felt like it came out of nowhere to be honest. I thought it was quite rushed and didn’t really make a lot of sense. I’m just having trouble understanding the meaning behind his addition to the story.

The actual plotline was ok; at times I thought the pacing was quite slow. The interrogations of the captives and the political intrigue unfortunately didn’t really interest me all that much. I wanted a bit more fantastical elements and us actually seeing Fire use her powers a lot more throughout the establishing phases of the story.

⭐️3/5 stars Highly engaged one minute, kind of bored the next…

Reviews

Morningstar Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on Morningstar Review

*DEFINITE SPOILERS BELOW*

18966806Morningstar continues about 9 months after that cliffhanging ending to Golden Son. Darrow has been betrayed and captured by the Jackal and has had to face endless months of torture at his hands. It’s up to the Sons of Ares to find a way to rescue Darrow and continue on their mission to break the Gold’s society.

It’s official Darrow is now one of my favourite male protagonists ever! The amount of growth he has displayed over the course of the series was in full effect in this novel and we really see the consequences of his actions catch up with him. He has really sunk to the lowest of the low when we are brought back into the story and to see him claw his way back up to the top was inspiring. He really sets himself apart from the Golds in this book and he really shows that they haven’t influenced him as much as they think.

Mustang did come through for me. At the start I was still a little hesitant towards her character and I was just waiting for her to stab Darrow in the back like her brother did, but alas she pulled through for me. I was a little peeved that she was still testing Darrow but again in hindsight it all made sense. There is so many layers to her character and she really showcases her many strengths over the course of the series.

Roque broke my heart, I truly thought he was going to come back to Darrow or he was still on their side and was just a spy. I’m glad he wasn’t forgotten by the Sovereign and she did kind of avenge him in the end with Adrianna. Sevro was a consistently loyal, crazy character that you just can’t help but love and one that Darrow could always rely on. I’m glad we get to see him happy and in love! 

There were so many moments in this book that pulled on my heartstrings. Rangar in particular brought a tear to my eye. Pierce Brown really has no qualms about killing off key characters so I was constantly on the edge of my seat whilst reading this book. The pacing was consistently fast and they were always on the move looking for the next target. 

Now there is no other way for me to say this… but that twist at the end with Cassius was fucking brilliant! I in no way saw that coming, I mourned Sevro for that excruciating 10 minutes and I was absolutely stunned with the way that it played out! With that epic battle with Aja and Darrow finally killing the Sovereign and then not giving in to Adrius and pulling out his tongue… oh it was sweet, sweet victory. I loved Cassius in the first book and I am glad we get to see him redeem himself in the end. 

And if all of that wasn’t enough Pierce had to go and shock me again with Mustang. I had a feeling when she was sitting in the mess hall with Darrow’s family trading stories that something was going on, she just seemed a little too familiar. I honestly thought she was about to kill Darrow and start another war against the Reds but I was definitely surprised by what she presented to him. 

It was honestly one of the best series I have ever read and I am itching to reread the whole thing again just to experience this epic rollercoaster of a tale again!

⭐️5/5 stars BREAK THE CHAINS! OMNIS VIR LUPUS!

Reviews

Golden Son Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on Golden Son Review

*SPOILERS*

18966819Golden Son is the second book in Red Rising series. It has been a couple of years since the end of the first book and Darrow is fully embedded in the Gold society, he faces difficult choices and the consequences of keeping everyone at arms length.

I was blown away by this book! There were times when I found a lot of the political intrigue and manoeuvrings were a little boring but the pace of the book was so fast that I didn’t really have time to dwell on those factors. There was so much action and scheming and a real in depth look at how those in power have so little empathy for anyone below them. 

I loved Darrow in this instalment of the series. He isn’t perfect by any means and makes plenty of mistakes, but he owns them and actively tries to correct/learn from them and continues to grow throughout the course of the plot. The way his mind is able to jump to conclusions so quickly and anticipate a lot of his enemies plans yet is still taken by surprise a lot of the time showing how much he still needs to learn was so entertaining to read.

I’m not quite sure about Mustang yet. Right from when she is reintroduced on Cassius’s arm didn’t sit right with me and even though she does a good job explaining her reasonings, the fact alone that she was with him makes me distrust her. I really wanted her to stay behind with Darrow in the mine and hear him out, especially after all they went through and her basically demanding that he let her in. I have a feeling she is going to play a key role in the next book and I want to see her redeem herself!

Finding out who Ares was did take me by surprise. I initially didn’t really think it fit, he just seemed a little too cavalier as a character before but after he explained his history to Darrow and how Sevro ties in definitely swayed me. I almost wished he played a bigger role in the story and we see more interaction between him and Darrow. 

This was absolutely epic. The war sequences and the rise of the different colours and how Darrow leads them all was simply fantastic. The stakes were at an all time high and I was on the edge of my seat throughout the whole book. We see Darrow really pushed to the edge of his limits and so far he has clawed his way back to the top each time and I am almost scared to see what will happen to him next!

⭐️5/5 stars OMG THAT ENDING, WHYYYYYYY?!

Reviews

The Hobbit Review

by amyleighreads2 Comments on The Hobbit Review

Adobe Photoshop PDFI mean this book is pretty well known but if you haven’t heard it’s about a Hobbit named Bilbo Baggins who enjoys a comfortable and quiet life. His contentment is disturbed one day when a wizard named Gandalf and a bunch of dwarves arrive on his doorstep to take him away on an adventure.

I was just in the mood for a stand-a-lone fantasy that I would be able to loose myself in and as I was perusing my shelves I realized I haven’t actually read The Hobbit. I dove straight in and found it a little bit difficult to comprehend at first. There is just something about J.R.R Tolkien’s writing that makes it difficult for me to stay focused, which was similar to my experience reading The Lord of the Rings Trilogy as well. After about the first 100 pages or so I was more familiar with his style and I was able to focus on the actual plot.

Bilbo started off quite a bit blustery and rigid. He definitely goes through a transformation over the course of the plot and we see him become a lot more forward and direct. At time he can be very selfish and I grew weary of him dwelling on his homesickness but it doesn’t stop him from moving forward.

I really wish we would have followed Gandalf and his journey in banishing the necromancer with the rest of the wizarding council. He is such an interesting character that is always weaving in and out of the story and I really would of loved a few chapters from his perspective exclusively.

All of the dwarves were interesting though none really had any depth. I found J.R.R Tolkien never really gave any of his characters other than Bilbo much substance. Their own personal history and personalities are quite shallow. I would of been a lot more invested if we are given a more in depth look into their characters and how they distinguish from each other.

The overall plot was very entertaining and interesting. There is definitely more of a focus on the world building and the establishment of the different creatures that live in Middle Earth as opposed to any character development in my opinion. There were times that the story felt a little rushed but it was exactly what I expected and needed to read at this time!

⭐️3/5 stars Enchanting, adventurous, classic!