book review – Page 54 – Amy Leigh Reads

The Hate U Give Review

January 24, 2020January 23, 2020by amyleighreads2 Comments

32075671._SY475_ The Hate U Give revolves around 16 year old Starr who witnesses a fatal shooting of her close friend at the hands of a policeman.

Sometimes when I’m reading YA a lot of the female protagonists either read a lot younger than what they are supposed to be or come across a lot more mature. Starr however, feels very realistic. She is resilient, authentic, and embraces all the adversity she has had to face. I liked how we see her continually struggling to define who she really is, and learning accept her ‘hood side’ and allowing those two worlds to coincide.

I also loved the family dynamic in the story as well. They are all so committed to each other and always have each other’s backs! Starr and her siblings fight all the time yet they will not hesitate to jump in if they ever need help. Her parents fight all the time yet there is always that underlying love that connects them and their willingness to do absolutely anything for their children.

I liked the fact that Angie Thomas added Hailey’s character into the mix because these sorts of people exist in the world and their casual racism most often goes unnoticed and unchecked. As a person of color I very much related to what Starr had to deal with having a person like Hailey as your supposed best friend. The offhand remarks and unapologetic nature needs to be challenged in society and I am glad that Starr chose to stick up for herself and not allow her back into her life.

This was a fast paced, impactful book that challenges your thoughts and perception of the world and highlights racism, police brutality, discrimination, and prejudice that the black community has to deal with. It wasn’t a particularly entertaining book to read and I wouldn’t necessarily say I loved it… I would however highly recommend this book; it will definitely leave an impression on you!

⭐️4/5 stars If you can, read this book!

Reviews

Loveboat, Taipei Review

January 22, 2020January 22, 2020by amyleighreads2 Comments

45730524 Loveboat, Taipei is about an 18 year old Chinese American named Ever who just wants to dance. However, her very strict parents won’t hear of it and insist that she goes to school and becomes a doctor. They decided for the summer before college to send her to Taipei to study Mandarin. Little do they know this the program is actually an infamous teen meet-market nicknamed Loveboat, where the kids are more into clubbing than calligraphy and drinking snake-blood sake than touring sacred shrines.

I actually really enjoyed this book. I had a feeling after seeing the cover and reading the synopsis that I would enjoy this book and it was exactly what I had envisioned. It was a quick, entertaining, fun read full of mischief and antics.

Ever was a little too naïve at the start of the book for me. She really lets her parent’s walk all over her and won’t stand up for herself at all. I understand there are cultural differences and the expectations that Ever’s parents have put on her would have weighed her down over the years. I did appreciate transformation she undertakes over the course of the plot, where she finally finds her voice and passion and decides to pursue what she loves.

I found the romances progress a little too quickly. Ever definitely comes across as quite innocent and wholesome, so the fact that after only knowing these boys for a few weeks she makes the decision to sleep with them didn’t quite make sense to me. I think she mentions that she hasn’t even had a boyfriend before so it was just a little strange. Other than that detail I enjoyed the banter between them all. I mean it was a little bit predictable to be honest but the entertainment factor kept me from being too bothered!

I loved all of the culture that is interwoven with the plot. From all the different foods that Ever discovers and the nightlife over in Taipei as well as meeting all the other Chinese Americans and how they all differ. It definitely adds a layer of realism and depth to the story and I really enjoyed seeing these differences from Ever’s point of view.

⭐️4/5 stars Kind of like a YA version of Crazy Rich Asians

Reviews

Lock Every Door Review

January 20, 2020January 20, 2020by amyleighreads2 Comments

*Spoilers Below*

41837243._SY475_ Intense!

Lock Every Door follows our main character Jules over the course of 5 days after she is accepted as an apartment sitter for a very prestigious building in New York where some weird things start to occur.

Jules is very easy to relate to and empathise with. We learn a lot about her character over the course of the book and what she has had to endure not just in the last few weeks but also throughout her life with her family. These experiences definitely play a role in her decision making throughout the course of the plot and it makes sense why she chooses to do certain things. Not giving up on Ingrid after what happened to her sister and wanting to do whatever it takes to find out what happened.

I definitely didn’t trust any of the characters that live at the Bartholomew. Even when Jules started to talk to them all and make connections with them, there was just something about them all that felt off.

When Jules started putting two and two together through her search for Ingrid and finding these clues and uncovering secrets I was highly invested. When she came up with what she thought was the reasoning behind all of the disappearances I was completely on board with her theory. It made sense, especially since David went missing shortly after. Then when the actual reason is uncovered and Jules finds out the truth it is even more shocking as it has nothing to do with any otherworldly, satanic rituals.

The pacing was very well done, I thought the premise was very original and captivating. The steady rise in tension throughout the plot kept me on the edge of my seat and the mystery aspect kept my highly entertained!

⭐️4/5 stars Suspenseful, tense, shocking!

Reviews

The Ten Thousand Doors of January Review

January 17, 2020January 17, 2020by amyleighreads6 Comments

43521657 I didn’t think portal fantasy would work for me but this was ok!

The Ten Thousand Doors of January is about a young girl called January who stumbles across a doorway to another world, setting off a chain of events that will change her life forever!

At first the story was a quite dry and hard to get into. It was a little on the slower side and it wasn’t gripping my attention as much as I wanted it to. It was a kind of info dumpy at the start and it was hard to focus on what was going on. Though, as the story continues and the dual timelines start to come into play, I became really invested in the story.

I didn’t really like January’s character at the start of the book. She was very placid and didn’t stand up for herself enough for me. In hindsight it does make sense why she would just do nothing but it was sooo frustrating in those moments when I felt like she just didn’t even try.

I was really invested in Adelaide and Eul’s story! I kind of wanted the focus to be more on them and less on January to be perfectly honestly. I would have loved to follow Adelaide more closely as she traveled the world trying to find the right door. She was tenacious and driven and would do absolutely anything to get to her goal, which contrasts quite starkly with January.

The inclusion of the ‘vampires’ was a little strange to me. It didn’t go into enough detail as to what the creatures actually were and they felt like a last minute addition to create an antagonist for January to be running from. Even though the overall story was fantastical that element seemed a little too supernatural and was quite jarring for me.

Overall I did get swept away into the story! The characters were all very distinct and interesting. The few plot twists that were thrown in did take me by surprise and in the end it was entertaining!

⭐️3/5 stars Good, could of been great!

Reviews

The Starless Sea Review

January 13, 2020January 13, 2020by amyleighreads1 Comment

39834986._SX318_ The Starless Sea is a very whimsical, lyrical fantasy novel revolving around a man who picks up a book in a library and finds a story from him childhood in the pages.

To be totally honest I was completely lost for the first half of this book. It was really hard for me to stay focused on the story and actually comprehend what was happening. It jumps back and forth so often between Zachary’s point of view and the fairy tales that it came across a little nonsensical to me. However, after that half way point I really got settled into the story and was able to understand and appreciate how everything was tied together.

All of these characters in this book are very diverse and distinct. Each one of them has a purpose in the novel and interconnects in such a fascinating way. I really liked Zachary; he was very relatable and realistic to me. He was naïve but still questioned everything that was happening around him which I appreciated. Dorian I was a little skeptical about at the start. We aren’t given a lot of background information about him and I wanted to learn a bit more about where he comes from and what he did with Allegra all those years.

The romance aspect came across a little insta-lovey to me. They didn’t have enough substance for me to fully commit to that story line, however I was able to appreciate how they come together after experiencing everything that happens in the harbor. I was more fascinated by the Keeper and Mirabel; I wanted more interaction between them and to learn more about their history as well.

I have come to the realization that I don’t really like this kind of fantasy novel. There is not really any structure to the magic system and there aren’t really any rules or restrictions that are explained. You kind of just have to go with the flow of the novel and accept what were given and learn things as we go. This whimsical style just doesn’t gel with me personally.

Once I was able to really get my bearings in the story, I was very much engaged and wanted to know what was going to happen next. There is definitely a level of unpredictability and tension on the book was kept me invested in that second half of the plot. I was still a confused at the end about how the new harbor would be established…. especially since they are now on the surface? I definitely think this is a book that I will need to reread just to get everything to sink in!

⭐️3/5 stars confusing yet whimsical