Tag: book review

Reviews

Red, White & Royal Blue Review

by amyleighreads2 Comments on Red, White & Royal Blue Review

41150487Alex is the son of the President of the United States and Henry is the Prince of England and they can’t stand each other. When an altercation occurs at a Royal Wedding between the two is leaked to the press, they have to do some series damage control and stage a fake friendship that blossoms into something more.

I like how diverse and unconventional a lot of the characters were, it wasn’t just your typical contemporary romance. I thought the representation was spot on and this book can and I think does appeal to a wide variety of readers.

Alex is a very unique character; I don’t think I’ve ever read a main protagonist like him before. He is very multi-faceted and flawed and isn’t afraid to follow his heart despite the consequences. He is a character who once he makes a decision sticks by it and won’t give up. Though, he can realize when he has made a mistake and despite his pretty inflated ego can accept responsibility.

I thought Henry was the perfect contrast to Alex. Stoic and traditional and slow paced, whereas Alex is flighty and emotional and outspoken. His situation is so similar to Alex, yet is vastly different. His family has been royals for centuries and he has the Queen of England dictating his life. There are years upon years of tradition that he needs to adhere to as well as continuing on the royal bloodline.

I loved the relationship between them though. Once again the hate to love trope is my favorite romance trope of all time and I loved the unique concept and twist added to this story. I like that there was a slow build to the relationship; they weren’t really all in from the start. I think the altercation and misunderstanding at the start was the perfect catalyst to force them both together. There were some highly intense, emotionally charged scenes throughout the book that definitely had me dabbing some tears of my own.

The whole political side of the story didn’t really do anything for me personally. Talking about all the campaigns and the different senators and all of the statistics and speeches really bored me. It totally adds a lot of depth and realness to the plot, but it didn’t really draw me into the storyline and made the pace at times a little stagnant for me. However, when a book is able to elicit a physical response from me, even though I wasn’t all that invested in the overall storyline, it is definitely a 4 star or higher.

⭐️4/5 the romance definitely saved the story!

Reviews

Holy Sister Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on Holy Sister Review

*SPOILERS*

38099642._SY475_The third and final instalment in the Book of Ancestor series by Mark Lawrence follows 3 years after the epic conclusion to Red Sister. Nona is on the cusp of becoming a fully-fledged Sister of the Convent and the Empire is on the cusp of war with the Scithrowl.

A lot happened in the interim between books two and three, but I appreciated that the flashbacks were put in so we can see how Nona and Zole got away and how they made it through the ice. I loved how in depth Mark Lawrence went with the descriptions and world building on the ice. It’s so different to their usual settings and helped to break up the story and keep me invested. I could almost feel how cold it was and it really added a layer of urgency to the storyline. I ultimately knew Nona was able to make it out but no mention was made of Zole in the present so I was very intrigued to figure out her story over the course of the plot.

I’ve always loved Nona’s character, so is just so unpredictable and entertaining. Her attitude and growth over the course of the series has been wonderful to read and she is exactly the kind of main female protagonist I love; capable, hardworking, willing to put herself on the line for others and still able to surprise me with her cunning. It’s really shown in Holy Sister how she contrasts from her former self as the little Nona Grey to the deadly Sister Cage she has now become!

The plot wasn’t my favourite in the series, simply because I am not the biggest fan of long drawn out war scenes. There was a lot going on all at once and I was having a little trouble keeping track of everyone. However, I loved how the plot unravels and all of Abbess Glass’s plans start to come to light. Her intellect and schemes have always had me on the edge of my seat and she has consistently surprised me throughout the books.

I absolutely loved this series, definitely amongst my top 5 favourite fantasy series that I’ve ever read! I will for sure have to look into Mark Lawrence’s other series he has out because I have just loved his writing style and the complex, diverse characters and the immense world’s he creates. Going into it not really expecting/knowing much about the series was a bonus because I captured by surprise and totally swept away into this world!

⭐️4.5/5 stars Everything that I love about fantasy!!!

Reviews

Mooncakes Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on Mooncakes Review

44774415Diverse, wholesome and pure!

Mooncakes follows the story of Nova and Tam. Nova is a witch and Tam is a werewolf who used to be best friends until Tam moved away years ago. Now that Tam has returned in pursuit of a horse demon that is plaguing the forest near their town, maybe their latent romantic feelings for each other will resurface?

I loved Nova’s character. She undergoes quite the arc over the course of the storyline in a pretty short amount of time. She starts off very self assured and happy with herself, then thinking she might not be good enough, to accepting that maybe things do need to change in order to grow as a person. I love all of her witchy confidence and the fact that she isn’t afraid to ask her grandmother’s for help if she needs. She hasn’t gotten to that overconfident stage where she doesn’t need/want any assistance from others.

I thought Tam was a perfect contrast to Nova. Still a little unsure and unconfident in their werewolf abilities and even I would say a little ashamed. Not that they aren’t proud of being a werewolf but the fact that they haven’t mastered their powers quite to the same extent that Nova has. Though I love the fact that they don’t give up and actively tries to better themselves not for their own sake but because they want to keep those they love safe.

I thought the artwork was absolutely beautiful and at times really made an impact. In particular the way Nova’s parents were portrayed. Their addition alone into the plot was a twist that I did not see coming and I was delighted with how they were incorporated almost naturally with their artwork. All of the illustrations were really unique and different and I felt they captured the essence all of the characters perfectly!

The story as a whole I thought was highly entertaining. You definitely have the action packed, super magically charged side to the story, but there was also a calming, inclusive, family filled subplot that I feel will definitely appeal to a wide range of readers.

I would say though I just wish it was a tad longer, 50-100 or so more pages to really prolong the story and add just a little more depth and suspense and simply because I want more!

⭐️4.5/5 stars This warmed my heart!

Reviews

Geekerella Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on Geekerella Review

81E7BnpXpZLThis was cute!

This is a Cinderella retelling but with a bit of a twist. We follow the story of Elle who lives with her step-mother Catherine and her twin daughters Cat and Chloe. Elle works on a food truck and is a hard-core fan girl for a classic sci-fi show called Starfield that she grew up watching with her father, that is about to be readapted into a new blockbuster movie! Darien has just cast as the lead character in the new Starfield and has to judge a cosplay contest at the ExcelsiCon that Elle has decided to enter.

Darien I actually quite liked that he wasn’t just a typical young Hollywood actor. He also had a lot of issues in his life and obstacles that he had to deal with on his rise to fame. I liked that we delved at lot deeper into his past and how everything unfolded with Brian. Having his timeline run concurrently with Elle and seeing how the texts connected them was super cute and really had me invested in the plot.

For the majority of the book Elle just got on my nerves. Letting Catherine and Chloe walk all over her and just bowing down to them and not doing anything about it. Just accepting all of the horrible things they do to her and not trying to fight back at all. I honestly can’t stand female main protagonists that have no backbone. I realise she has had to live and cope with them for years and this is her way of dealing with all of the manipulation, but I needed her to be stronger and fully snap back at them and take charge. Sage was the one who stole the dress back from Chloe; Darien was the one who stood up to Chloe at the ball. Elle had maybe one scene where she opened up to Catherine, but she cried through most of it and it wasn’t really enough. There wasn’t really any conclusion to that part of her life, she kind of just ran away from them.

Other than that I really enjoyed the rest of the book. The pacing was quick and the overall premise I thought was a unique take on the classic Cinderella tale. Sure it was a little tropey at times but it was entertaining and fun and exactly what I needed in the middle of this read-a-thon!

⭐️3/5 Quick, fun, cute read, I was just left a little unfulfilled!

Reviews

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet Review

51BhQZOH9zLGood not great!

This book follows a ragtag mixed species crew aboard a tunneling ship called the Wayfarer. They are given a contract to travel to a faraway planet that’s been recently added to the international treaty list and punch a wormhole back to more well-traveled airspace.

The characters were definitely interesting and intriguing. I loved all of the different species that are explored throughout the book, especially when it goes into details about their history and culture, seeing how different they are to humans.

Rosemary’s character was a little boring at the start. She kind of blended in behind all of the other dynamic characters aboard the Wayfarer. I wasn’t all that invested in her and I wasn’t really compelled to figure out what she was running from back on Mars. And when it was eventually brought to light, it wasn’t all that shocking to be honest.

I loved the relationship between Kizzy and Jenks! The banter between them and all of the kind of manic energy they brought to the storyline. Jenks’s subplot was highly interesting to me; him being in love with Lovey and then contemplating getting her a body and then when everything happens seeing him grieve and lean on his fellow crew mates and how they supported him throughout. It was very touching and really displayed the levels of companionship, love and respect they all have towards each other!

Unfortunately a good majority of the book bored me. All of the spacial/sciency talk didn’t do anything for me personally and kind stilted the pace of the book. It was only 400 pages but it felt like closer to 600 to me. I picked this book up and put it down several times during the month and really the only reason I managed to finish it was because it fit a challenge in the Reading Rush. There wasn’t really anything in the book that was driving me to pick it up and finish.

This was definitely more of a character driven story whereas I prefer a more blend of action and adventure with character development throughout.

⭐️3/5 stars I spaced out for most of the book…