Tag: book review

Reviews

The Dream Thieves Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on The Dream Thieves Review

*Kind of a little spoilery*

17347389I’m getting invested!

The ley lines around Cabeswater have officially been woken and now things really seem like they are coming together in their search of the Raven King. That is until an unknown Gray Man lurks into town in search of a Greywaren and seemingly interferes with everything.

Things have really taken a turn that I absolutely did not see coming! The developments of the characters are slight but impressive. We really get to delve deeper into their motives and how each of them entwine around the plot is so entrancing. I particularly enjoyed the psychics and the role they played. Maura, Calla and Persephone are so interesting and enigmatic and how they each have a distinctive voice is wonderful. Even though they are not the main protagonists in the story they are quite vital and each have scenes that I really enjoyed that explain why they are necessary.

I think that Ronan was really the star of Dream Thieves. I like that he’s kind of unlikeable but every now and then he shows a different side of him and you can catch a glimpse of his redeemable qualities that he shields within himself. I enjoy how much we get to see about his past and what happened with his father and how that affected his relationship with his brothers and Gansey. The introduction of his powers and the connection with Cabeswater was super clever and ties things together from the last book but also establishes new questions that I need answering thus ensuring my continuation of the series (which was inevitable anyways).

I think Dream Thieves although highly entertaining and action packed was just really setting up for the next two books in the series. I highly enjoyed the read and I am surprised and intrigued about everything that has gone on in the story. But I really feel that everything is building up and the hunt is really going to be on in Blue Lily, Lily Blue and then the crescendo at the end with Raven King. I honestly have no idea what is going to happen next, but after that ending I can really see things becoming a lot more frenzied and urgent, particularly in Blue’s case.

⭐️4/5 stars literally cannot predict what’s going to happen next!

Reviews

Fire Study Review

by amyleighreads2 Comments on Fire Study Review

*Spoilers!*

1966969I am a little disappointed.

I found that I didn’t enjoy Fire Study as much as I did the other books in this series. I didn’t really connect with the storyline and I found myself kind of forcing myself to read it just to finish.

Fire Study continues on pretty much straight after Magic Study concluded. The knowledge that Yelena is a Soulfinder has spread throughout the keep and she has to deal with that new title as well as keep the council at bay as they argue about her fate. The last Soulfinder in Ixia over 150 years ago nearly succeeded in overthrowing the council and taking over the country. That as well as trying to locate the Soulstealer who has escaped the cells with the help of Cahil and trying to track them down before they rendezvous with the Daviaan tribe and wreak havoc upon Ixia once again.

Yelena kind of got on my nerves for most of the middle section of the book. Her constantly second guessing herself and her abilities and pushing everyone she loves away from her for their own benefit without talking or consulting with them really grated me. I just thought that she went about things the wrong way and a lot of the conflict could have been avoided had she sat down with them and explained herself. The way she treated Moon Man I thought was a little disrespectful. He was supposed to be her Storyweaver someone who helps and guides her on her journey, someone I feel she should revere and honor and yet as soon as things get to out of control for her she rebuffs him and chooses to accept Gede as her new Storyweaver. I don’t know, that kind of put me in a place where I was kind of over her at that point and things kind of spiraled from there.

I still thought the action was highly entertaining and the world definitely grew immensely throughout the course of the storyline. We get to see a couple of the different clans of Ixia and how they all differ from each other, which was great to read. I also like how each clan has a different style of clothing and colouring and how they could be distinguished by what they wear, I think that was a nice touch. The cast of characters really expanded as well. Things got a little convoluted and I got a little jumbled with all the characters in the beginning but that dissolved as each character was quite vital to the plot so we delved more into them as it progressed.

All in all it wasn’t my favourite book in the series, mostly due to a lot of Yelena’s actions and justifications. However, everything did kind of come together in the end and in hindsight I can see where Maria V Snyder was going with the story. I guess she was trying to make Yelena a little more human and showcase her insecurities and how she overcomes them, which I guess is quite admirable and makes her more relatable.

⭐️3.5/5 stars not as good as the previous books but will definitely be continuing on in the series though!

Reviews

The Raven Boys Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on The Raven Boys Review

*Kind of Spoilery… tried my best not to be*

17675462Not what I was expecting…

I honestly didn’t know too much about The Raven Boys going into it. I had heard everyone raving about this series but the synopsis didn’t really capture my attention you know what I mean. I basically only wanted to read it to see what everyone was going on about. I am pleasantly surprised.

This story follows a few different perspectives. But basically it’s about Blue the daughter of a psychic but isn’t a psychic herself she amplifies everyone’s powers around her. She lives with all her aunts and cousins (who are also psychics) in a town in rural Virginia that houses a prestigious all boys’ boarding school. Three boys who attend this school are on a quest to find a welsh king who is said to slumber on the ley lines that are found near the town. Blue somehow gets caught up in their quest and accompanies them and help them to accomplish their goal. This is really just the basics there is soooo much happening in this story it is really immersive.

I like Blue I find her to be very non-conformitive and has a mind of her own. The fact that she has this kind of prophecy held over her head for her entire life she still takes that chance and wants to live her life the way she wants regardless. I think she has guts and a kind of spirituality about her that I really enjoyed! Gansey I didn’t really know what to make of him. I liked how attuned he was to his friends and how far he would go to protect and help them in their own struggles. He did come off as a bit pretentious at times but that was well contrasted with his almost child-like obsession with the ley lines and the welsh king. The scene when he finally opened up about his past to Blue was really touching and really expressed a different side to him that I didn’t see before. Ronan bugged me a little bit as well but after we delved more into his backstory and the relationship he has with his brother it really explained a lot about his character and I am eager to find out what else could become of that in the future. Adam really had me in my feels for the second half of the book. We get an inkling in the start about how bad things are for him but it all really came to a head towards the end of the story and it really just made my heart bleed for him. Noah I really didn’t pay a lot of attention to throughout most of the book. The foreshadowing was very well played in this aspect and that twist really caught me by surprise…. That’s all I’m saying!

I loved all the mystical, otherworldly elements to the storyline; I thought it added great depth and enriched the world very nicely. I really could not anticipate anything that was about to happen in The Raven Boys and I enjoyed that immensely. It really kept me guessing which is something I highly enjoy. There are some seriously dark undertones to this book and a lot of real world problems weaved into this kind of fantasy double lives that these boys are using as an escape.

⭐️4/5 stars highly enjoyed didn’t think I would like it as much as I did!

Reviews

Obsidio Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on Obsidio Review

*Some Spoilers Beware*

obsidio5What an ending.

There was once again so much political maneuvering and action sequences and heartache it was a wild ride from start to finish.

We pick up pretty much straight after Gemina finishes and the two separate populaces from the Hypatia and the Magellan are having a difficult time acclimating to their new ship the Mao as they proceed back towards Kerenza.

We are also introduced to another wonderfully written female protagonist in Asha and her old flame Rhys and how they reunite on the Kerenza colony of all places in the universe. He a BeiTech grunt and she one of the main rebels hoping to overthrow the soldiers and come out alive. Their backstory and how it’s woven together into the overall plot was awesome. I love that Asha is somewhat normal, she just an ordinary girl trying to keep alive and doing everything she can to make it through this harrowing situation. Rhys I really wasn’t attached to at the start, I found him to be a bit pretentious and I wasn’t interested in him at all, though he kind of made me come around though in the end. I really thought Asha had lost his support after the Duke so that came as a pleasant surprise and was the start of my thinking ‘ok maybe he’s not so bad’. The missing footage right when Asha told him about the Mao was a little bit of a tell for me but I was so swept away in the plot that I didn’t really take notice. I enjoyed the courtroom aspect of the story as well. I like that we get those flash-forwards to the future and it made me happy that BeiTech was being investigated and consequences could finally be laid. Aidan again was a little bit of an enigma for me. I liked his arc of the story and how he didn’t really grow but diminished in the story but was still such a critical component to the plot.

I 100% enjoyed my time reading all three of these books. I thought it was highly original, there were soooo many twists and turns and you could honestly not predict what was going to happen next. The characters were all so complex and beautifully written and were very distinguishable in the cacophony of the plot. The format of the series was super entertaining to read. The emails and the memos and the surveillance logs and chats were so much fun to dive into. It made for a very well rounded experience, for some aspects of the story it really made you feel like you were there with the characters going through everything with them. It was sensational!

I am so glad that I bought into the hype and purchased the Illuminae Files, I certainly wasn’t disappointed!

⭐️4.5/5 stars. A MUST Read!!

Reviews

Winter Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on Winter Review

*A few Spoilers*

41SSIYbE2LL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_I absolutely adored this series! I really did not know what to expect when I started it and thankfully it completely exceeded my expectations.

We start with a fresh perspective from Princess Winter who is greatly admired by the people of Lunar for her grace and kindness as well as her beauty which is marred by three scars that mark her face (said to be given to her by Queen Levana). Winter can’t stand her stepmother and her only solace in Luna is her childhood friend Jacin who is now one of the royal guards. He is the only one who can keep her somewhat sane as she refuses to use her abilities and has vowed to never control another person the way that she has been controlled. Not using her abilities has caused them to turn back into her and now produces debilitating attacks of hallucinations. But hopefully with the help of Cinder and Emperor Kai she will be finally able to overthrow Queen Levana and reestablish peace over Lunar and Earth.

Winter was a very different character to the rest of the cast of strong female protagonists. She had a whimsicalness to her and she kind of floated along the storyline maintaining a strong presence but I was unsure as to what input she could add to the plot. She definitely redeemed herself in my eyes towards the end of the book and I came to really appreciate her arc. Jacin was one of those characters that you kind of love to hate but you understand his motivations. I honestly didn’t really enjoy him at in the last two books but reading how he acts around Winter and going more in depth to their history together made me kind of change me mind about him in the sense that he was integral but I still didn’t quite like him. Their relationship did feel genuine to me though and I like how they have that unrequited thing going.

Cress definitely stepped up in this book. I love that she really has no combative skills and even doesn’t know how to swim, yet everyone relies on her so much for her technological know how. Being separated from the rest of crew for a majority of the storyline and not giving up and still helping in whatever way she can was really inspiring to read. I also still absolutely love how her relationship with Thorn progressed throughout the course of the story and I just found them to both be absolutely adorable!

The action in Winter was kind of up and down. You get a whole lot going on all at once and then a slow build towards the next event and then that pattern would continue throughout the book. I appreciated the build up but a lot the book was quite stagnant for me. It felt like things were moving and plans were set in motion and then it would kind of stop for a few chapters and there would be nothing happening. Eventually everything did come to a head and we get this fantastic, dramatic fight scene at the end where all of the plot lines intersect and comes to fruition.

All in all this was a highly entertaining series and I really enjoyed every second reading these books and dissecting the storyline and seeing how these characters were going to interact with each other and work together towards this seemingly unattainable goal.

⭐️4/5 stars HIGHLY RECOMMEND!! Amazing YA Sci-fi/Fantasy series that ticked all my boxes 🙂