Tag: book review

Reviews

Shatter Me Review

by amyleighreads2 Comments on Shatter Me Review

*A little bit spoilery*

y648It was a good start to the series.

This didn’t exactly blow me away as I read it, but I did find myself enjoying it anyways.
Shatter Me follows the story of Juliette who has an ability that she neither wants nor enjoys, she can kill people just by touching them. She is currently an inmate in an asylum because of an incident that occurred three years prior. She hasn’t seen or spoken to anyone in that time until a young man walks into the door of her cell, a new roommate.

I definitely feel that parts of the storyline was a little rushed and there wasn’t much depth to the plot. I can see the potential and hopefully the rest of the series builds upon this shallow foundation and we really get more scope for the world.

Juliette‘s character was a little confusing to me. For the first half of the book she’s timid and skittish and the second half she’s a lot more determined and spirited and kind of gutsy. That progression happened a little too quickly for me, I just think it could have been more gradual.

The same can be said for Juliette’s and Adam‘s relationship. It was kind of insta-lovey for me. I think for the most part it was just explained why they should be together and have feelings for each other instead of developing organically. I do still think that they are very cute though; I just wished it were more drawn out.

That being said I am intrigued by the concept. I do feel that there are so many directions the storyline can go from here. I want to know more about Warner and his backstory and everything about Omega Point. I kind of like this mix of dystopian with a bit of fantasy thrown in. I feel I might really come to love this series. I just hope there is more depth and substance in the rest of the books.

⭐️3/5 stars very quick read, I just need more!

Reviews

Kingdom of Ash Review

by amyleighreads4 Comments on Kingdom of Ash Review

*SPOILERS*

33590260Legit, I did shed a tear or two.

We’ve finally come to the conclusion of this epic series that I only read at the start of this year. I am very fortunate that I didn’t have to wait long before this book was released and I was not disappointed! I know there are a lot of people who love to hate this series, but I just enjoyed it for what it was. I didn’t really read too much into the nuances and take everything literally; I really just enjoyed the characters, the magic system and the schemes and fierceness of the storyline.

This book was very plot heavy with multiple scenarios being played out simultaneously throughout the book. I liked the different povs we read, I thought it helped to distinguish the characters, as it has been a couple months since I’ve delved into the series so some of the characters were a little fuzzy for me.
I like the way that the differing scenes played off each other and we never really get a distinct timeline of when these events are all happening. It made everything a lot more mysterious and made the stakes at the end there way higher.

Aelin was such a star of the books. She’s really the reason that I continued to read these books as I was just enraptured by her. She’s strong, manipulative, calculating, cunning, loyal and still so much more than that. Her willingness to do anything at all even give her own life to ensure that Terrason survives after this war is so noble and really made her more likeable and relatable to me, as she can come across as unlikeable at times. All of her plots and never-ending schemes kept me highly entertained and nearly always caught me by surprise.

Another strong female antagonist that I really didn’t enjoy in the other books but really shone through for me in Kingdom of Ash was Manon. Her brash, harsh nature and how she eventually evolved into the queen she now is was really wonderful to read. I found her arc to be so fulfilling and yet still so heartbreaking. Her loyalty to her clan and the Thirteen and how she mourned after their sacrifice really touched me. I liked how her relationship with Dorian developed quite naturally, first hating each other, using each other for the closeness and eventually having that grow into true feelings was so gratifying for me. I also enjoyed that show of mutual respect at the end between her and Aelin, acknowledging the weight that they both now hold as Queens. A lot of the more pivotal moments for me happened with the witches actually. When Manon was crowned Queen of the Cochran’s, having all the Cochran witches show up right before the battle at Orynth, the sacrifice of the Thirteen and how Manon reacted and when they found out the curse was finally broken.

I won’t go too far into details, as there was soo much happening all at once. The battle scenes, the political intrigue, the backstories that we are finally made aware of. Everything just wove together perfectly in my opinion and just as it should be. I thought it was a just ending that these characters deserved. Definitely not flawless and pristine but well deserved I think!

⭐️5/5 really loved this series and this finale was beautiful!

Reviews

The Darkest Minds Review

by amyleighreads4 Comments on The Darkest Minds Review

* No Spoilers*

61Wez2fWMIL._SX344_BO1,204,203,200_I liked it! Not what I was expecting but definitely captured my interests from the start.

This was a very well developed book! I enjoyed the pace, it was a little slower than what I would expect from this kind of a story but it still kept me interested and invested.

The Darkest Minds follows Ruby a 16 year old who is currently imprisoned in a government camp called Thurmond. When Ruby was 10 years old there was an outbreak called IAAN that killed most of the population of children. The ones who were fortunate enough to not succumb to that illness had somehow managed to evolve and develop powers. The government thought these children posed a threat so they rounded them all up into camps.

I’m kind of in two minds about Ruby. I thought her progression throughout the storyline was impressive. Being in the situation that she found herself in at such a young age, I thought she held herself together pretty well. At times you can definitely see some of her naivety on full display and she made some choices that kind of got on my nerves a little, but I felt her that made her character more real and honest.

Liam was so genuine and heartfelt; I really like him as a character. I thought he was a good buffer for Ruby as she is always so on guard and untrusting of the world and he really kind of breaks her out of her shell.

Chubs was another character that I highly enjoyed! Again I thought he was very authentic and candid. He was very straightforward with Ruby from the start and I appreciated the gradual build up of their friendship. I like that we see that he didn’t trust her and how she kind of had to prove herself to him before he really let his guard down.

I thought this was a strong start to the series. I felt it was more of a developmental novel that really laid down the foundations for the rest of the books. There was a lot of action, adventure and scheming going on that made for a highly entertaining read.

⭐️4/5 stars I have questions that need answering so I’m looking forward to Never Fade

Reviews

Our Dark Duet Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on Our Dark Duet Review

*Spoilers!!!*

y648That ending had me shook!

Oh my goodness this was fantastic. The continuation of the storyline was spectacular. The introduction of the new characters as well as the growth of the existing characters, it was all woven together wonderfully!

Our Dark Duet continues on 6 months after This Savage Song ended. Kate is now in Prosperity hunting and killing monsters and August is back in Verity taking up the role of commander of the FTF a role that became vacant after he reaped Leo’s soul. Kate has managed to integrate herself into an established group of people called the Wardens of Prosperity who monitor and track down monsters. Kate is in the middle of a mission when she comes across a new monster she has never seen before and she makes her priority to hunt it down and kill it, thus leading her back to the place she was running from, Verity.

August is definitely one of my favourite characters from this duology. I love that we see how he’s changed in the last 6 months he’s been at the forefront of the FTF and how that responsibility weighs on him. I love that internal struggle we witness throughout the plot of how he thinks he should be and act as a monster and discarding that human aspect of himself and how eventually he makes his way back to who he truly is.

Again I just think that Kate is such a badass. She has become so much more focused and driven in this book compared to the first. We see her passion to rid the world of these monsters and try to save her city that she loves so much. She was really the one to give August that reality check and had the balls to say ‘what happened to you’. I also like that she took responsibility for her actions and when Alice finally caught up with her she knew she had to be the one to kill her.

This book was a very fast paced, entertaining and interesting read. I like how not all the characters are safe by any means; I think that gave it a bit of an edge. There was an element of danger and uncertainty that is laced throughout the storyline and I felt that really drove the plot forward.

The ending kind of broke my heart. I sort of wanted Kate and August to have the fairytale ending I think they deserve after what they’ve been through. But also the fact that it wasn’t all wrapped up nicely with a shiny bow and a happy ending made it more endearing and real.

I’m still kind of left wanting more though…

⭐️4/5 stars, adrenaline rushing, tear-jerking finale!

Reviews

Godsgrave Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on Godsgrave Review

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

91UQ-+Pv3RLThis was absolutely amazing. It was honestly everything that I love about fantasy! An immaculately detailed world, characters that I love/hate/love to hate, a magic system that is unique and intriguing… WONDERFUL!

Mia really had me guessing for the majority of this book. Some decisions that she made or actions that she took really had me going ‘hmmm, I don’t know about that’. Then she would turn around and redeem herself and I would fall back in love with her again! Some stages she is completely hostile and staunch and totally without empathy and other times she is compassionate, loving and loyal. It is so entertaining to read and she has really shined in this story for me.

I still don’t know whether or not I trust Ashlinn yet. I can’t help but remember everything that happened in Nevernight and how she betrayed Mia and the Red Church. Something about her throws me off a little and I was surprised that Mia decided to believe her. I am still on the fence about it even though I feel she has more than made up for her mistakes by helping so faithfully. I think it’s mostly to do with Tric. I really liked him with Mia, I thought their relationship was genuine and pretty honest in their circumstances and for Ash to then kind of swoop in and replace him kind of stoked my ire for her. I’m not sure how I feel about their relationship either. I think it kind of makes sense being in the situation they are in at that time, but it’s just not my favourite.

Speaking about Tric for a second OH MY GOODNESS! I knew it… I just had a feeling because his body was never recovered that his arc wasn’t complete. And for Jay Kristoff to have my thinking throughout the whole book that the case was closed and he wasn’t coming back was cruel but sweet at the same time. I loved that twist and it really cemented my need to pick up the next book when it comes out next year.

The plot was just so cleverly constructed and super detailed, I was engrossed right from the start. I liked the introduction of the new characters, I thought they were all fresh and interesting. The fact that they all had a detailed back story added so much depth and meaning to the storyline. The scope of the world has grown so much as we learn where eveyone is from and how different yet similar they all are.

I honestly thought this was a duology and when everything happened at the end I was like there’s no way that this is done, I still have so many questions and I need answers!

⭐️5/5 stars moving its way up my list of all time favs!