book – Page 186 – Amy Leigh Reads

Stuck at Home Book Tag

July 23, 2020July 23, 2020by amyleighreads4 Comments

It’s been a while since I’ve done a book tag and I seen this one floating around the blogisphere so I thought why not give it a go!

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Nominate 5+ bloggers you’d like to know more about, to do this tag

The Night Country by Melissa Albert

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Laying in bed playing my switch 5kVG00

Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi

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The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

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My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

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The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

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Catch up on all the TV series I have missed!

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Into the Crooked Place by Alexandra Christo

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I tag everyone who would like to give this a go, it was a lot of fun!!

happy-reading

Reviews

The Shadows Between Us Review

July 22, 2020July 21, 2020by amyleighreads3 Comments

35702241 I LOVED this!!!!

The Shadows Between Us is about a girl named Alessandra who is the second daughter of an earl who has a plan to seduce, marry and then kill the elusive king.

I just adored Alessandra’s character. Right from the start when we find out what happened between her and Henrik and then to see how comfortable she has become with her sexuality and not letting the men in her life use her for their own gain. She takes her life into her own hands and emerges from under her father and sisters shadows and forged a life for herself without their help or influence. I love how ruthless she is and how unapologetic she is about her appearance and demeanour.

Kallias really drew me in from the moment we first see him. He is quite enigmatic and seductive in a way with the shadows swirling around him. I’m a sucker for a dark, broody male protagonist and he really ticked all the boxes for me. I would of loved to learn more about him and go a little more in depth in terms of his abilities and why the skipped over his brother. The origins of his family’s reign which was discussed briefly, I just wanted more. I think the fact that he wasn’t intimidated by Alessandra and saw her as an equal was the icing on the cake for me!

There was the perfect amount of political intrigue mixed with those more high action sequences to keep me engaged and entertained. Too much of the court politics and political machinations can be a little dragging for me but I didn’t get that at all in this book. Because Alessandra was so spontaneous and has all of these secrets she is trying to keep on top of there was never a time I wasn’t invested.

I have to admit the investigation aspect regarding Henrik was resolved a little too conveniently; there was quite the build-up of anticipation regarding the murder and it was dismissed by Kallias with really no repercussions of Alessandra’s part. I was able to overlook it and still really enjoy the read but that was something that I noticed.

Overall I loved this, from reading the blurb I knew immediately that this was a book that I would love and I am honestly gratified that I have such a thorough understanding of my reading tastes!

⭐️5/5 stars the Slytherin romance we didn’t know we needed!

Updates

Library Haul/Update

July 21, 2020July 21, 2020by amyleighreads2 Comments

I’ve definitely still been perusing my local library over the last month since I’ve updated. Unfortunately I haven’t really been keeping up with actually reading all of the books before my loan term is over.. I am really going to try and get stuck into them after this week. My reading is a little preoccupied at the moment with the Reading Rush I am currently participating in, but I still want to try and prioritise a couple of these books before the end of the month, wish me luck! happy-reading

Reviews

Clap When You Land Review

July 20, 2020July 20, 2020by amyleighreads3 Comments

43892137._SY475_ This was great!

Clap When You Land is about two sisters who didn’t know each other existed. Their father was leading a double life and would live throughout the year with one of his daughters in New York and then in the summer would go back to the Dominican Republic to be with his other daughter, until he tragically dies in a plane crash.

The tone of the book and the format was spectacular. Having the story told in verse I felt made the story that much more personal and poignant. It really connected me to the characters and made me so much more invested in them individually.

We see both Camino and Yahaira simultaneously having to deal with their father’s death and working through their grief. I loved the contrasts between the two sisters and learning how different both their lives have been even though they both have the same father. How he influenced them both separately yet they still have similar memories about his mannerisms and his overall presence.

Camino felt a little more passive and naïve to me. She is hopeful when she finds out about her sister and wasn’t as betrayed be her father than what Yahaira was. Her relationship with her Tia was wonderful to read and I just loved the fact that she chose to stay with Camino to raise her after her sister died even though she knew what her brother in law was doing in New York.

Yahaira had a bit more of that New Yorker attitude I felt. She really had to step up when her mother couldn’t cope with her grief and make sure that they weren’t being taken advantage of by their extended family. I think he anger with her father and her sister was natural but the fact that she overcame that and replied to Camino really showed her true character.

The overall theme of grief and sisterhood really impacted me and at times made me tear up a little. The scene in the rain where Yahaira, her mother and Tia went and saved Camino from El Cero was very powerful.

Overall this was a pretty fast read for me even though the pacing was a little stalled at times. I would of liked to get more time with the sisters actually together and getting to know each other a bit more as opposed to having the majority of the story with them separated.

⭐️4/5 stars Highly enjoyed, highly recommend!

Readathons, TBR

Reading Rush 2020 TBR

July 17, 2020July 17, 2020by amyleighreads4 Comments

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The 2020 round of The Reading Rush will be starting next week from Monday 20th – Sunday 26th July. I participated for the first time last year and really enjoyed this readathon, I found it to be an incredibly fun and inclusive with a great community vibe. To watch the announcement video and hear all the challenges click HERE. I am going to try my best to complete the seven books, but I know there are a couple of books on my TBR that can actually fit multiple prompts so I may end up doubling up on a few… we’ll see how I go!

The Prompts and my TBR for the Reading Rush is:

Read a book with a cover that matches the colour of your birth stone

My birth stone is Amethyst: Into the Crooked Place by Alexandra Christo

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Read a book that starts with the word ‘The’

The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller

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