Tag: Fantasy Series

Reviews

The Deck of Omens Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on The Deck of Omens Review

*Beware Spoilers Below*

The Deck of Omens continues pretty much straight off where The Devouring Gray ends. Though the Beast is seemingly subdued for now, a new threat looms in Four Paths: a corruption seeping from the Gray into the forest. And with the other Founders preoccupied by their tangled alliances and fraying relationships, only May Hawthorne seems to realize the danger. But saving the town she loves means seeking aid from the person her family despises most–her and Justin’s father.

I really liked that we got more perspectives from May and we learnt a lot more about the Hawthorne families dynamics and how she fits in. Her relationship with her mother is pretty toxic and I found in this book that I really can’t stand Augusta. She doesn’t really have any redeeming qualities and doesn’t do a good job explaining any of the reasons why she has run the town the way she has. May definitely had the towns’ best interests at heart but she kind of went about things in a way that wasn’t ideal. Secretly inviting her father back and welcoming him with open arms and exposing him to everything without any thought as to why he chose to stay away for so long. I just had a feeling about him and the amount of information May was sharing with him and how invested he was in this town even though he married into it. Which I guess was validated in the end.

Once again I loved the friendships between all of the characters and how much they have grown over the past couple of months, Harper and Violet especially. We see their bonds really strengthen as they try to figure out how to overcome the corruption and save Four Paths. The romances I felt weren’t really necessary per se. I feel like YA books especially like to pair up all of their main protagonists, though I appreciated that they weren’t all fairy tale endings.

There were times when they were just going back and forth throughout the novel and doing all of their investigations about what the corruption is and their theories regarding their ancestors that got a little tedious and boring. Though they made several plans and attempts to kill the beast and fix the corruption I wasn’t as invested in this story as the previous book. There weren’t as many twists action wise that kept me entertained it was more so about the past and coming to realisations about their powers and how the founders came to be. Which was interesting but again wasn’t as captivating.

I thought it was a solid duology, other than predicting who was behind it in the end every other plot point was a surprise. This was definitely original and unlike anything I have read before which was refreshing. We see growth from most of the characters and I was invested in most of their arcs, some more than others for sure.

⭐️3/5 stars A good continuation and conclusion of everything set up in the first book.

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⚔️An Ember in the Ashes Series Reread⚔️

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It’s not long now until A Sky Beyond the Storm is released and I ended up completing A Reaper at the Gates just in the nick of time for it! This book really breaks away from the original premise and expands so much more upon the storyline. We really see each of the main characters have to undergo a myriad of challenges and obstacles they need to overcome in order to defeat the Commandant and the Nightbringer. They all go through so much turmoil and strife and yet it’s still not enough. I liked the fact that in these books they don’t end up saving the day and miraculously figure out a way to fix all the problems in the Empire. New problems are presented and unforeseen circumstances pop up all the time which is a realistic way to portray the story and keep me entertained. This book and the series as a whole so far just keeps me right at the edge of my seat, anticipating every move and plot twist. It is highly entertaining and thrilling and I am soooooo excited to recieve my copy of A Sky Beyond the Storm and see how this series will wrap up!

Reviews

Children of Virtue and Vengeance Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on Children of Virtue and Vengeance Review

After battling the impossible, Zélie and Amari have finally succeeded in bringing magic back to the land of Orïsha. But the ritual was more powerful than they could’ve imagined, reigniting the powers of not only the maji, but of nobles with magic ancestry, too.

I have to admit I wasn’t as enthralled with this installment as I was with Children of Blood and Bone. It was a lot shorter than the previous book but I felt like it just wasn’t as immersive, which is mostly to do with the characters.

All Zélie cares about is her betrayal by Inan. It rules over her emotions and she is unable to see reason when he is involved in any plans. All she wanted to do is kill him for betraying her. As an elder now I feel like she definitely should have been able to see beyond her own prejudice and do what is best for her people.

Amari I can understand how frustrated she became after they joined with the resistance. I feel like she was frozen out of the plans almost immediately and wasn’t trusted by any of the maji even though she was integral in bringing magic back to the land. But instead of building rapport and trying to gain friendships naturally she was petulant and combative.

Miscommunication was the main source of conflict in this book and that frustrated me. If Amari and Zélie had just sat down and worked through their issues I feel they could of probably come up with a foolproof plan that would have saved a lot of lives.

⭐️3/5 Had a bit of the second book syndrome for me!

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⚔️ An Ember in the Ashes Series Reread Update ⚔️

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on ⚔️ An Ember in the Ashes Series Reread Update ⚔️

I just completed the second book in this series A Torch Against the Night a few days ago and I have thoughts. For one I loved that we get some new perspectives in this book, especially Helene’s. I loved seeing how drastically her position has changed over the course of the storyline and how she has had to make some immensely difficult decisions which could lead to ramifications either for her or the ones she loves. I loved getting more of an insight into her character and the depth of feelings she has for Elias and how she has had to quell them and put her family and her Gen first. Second the world expands so much more in this book as we follow Elias and Laia on their journey to Kauf. The amount of time it actually takes for them to reach the prison gives us more of a scope of just how big the empire is. Speaking of Elias and Laia it was great to see them grow closer and come to trust each other completely and how unfair it is that they have to keep each other at arms length. Elias’s whole storyline I am not a fan of simply because I am yearning for them to be able to be together but alas that is not going to happen any time soon. Reading this the second time around I completely forgot about the twist involving Keenan. It was a nice experience to kind of be surprised again and connect all of the dots that were littered throughout the storyline. I wasn’t as in love with this book as opposed to the first simply because there wasn’t as much going on in this book. The stakes were definitely there and there is a lot of context given but it felt like a filler book for the series. It sowed the seeds that are definitely going to come into fruition as the series continues and I am excited to read on!

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🔱The Heroes of Olympus Series Reread🔱

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on 🔱The Heroes of Olympus Series Reread🔱

18705209._SY475_It’s time to wrap up my reread of this series!! I realised getting into The Blood of Olympus that I have actually never read it before. I just always thought I had finished the series before but this book was completely new to me. I absolutely loved the finale of this series. It wrapped up all of the various plot lines in such a satisfying way! I know that even though it was foretold that one of them was going to die I didn’t really have any doubts that they would succeed. Even though Leo’s story line was more on the open ended side it felt right for his character. The battle with the giants in Athens did feel a little rushed for me, I would of liked more of a prolonged battle since they have been building up to that moment for over 4 books now. I really enjoyed the fact that we got perspectives from Reyna and Nico in this book. Finding out about Reyna’s background and seeing her connect and open up to Nico and vice-versa was lovely to read and seeing their bond solidified at the end was gratifying. Honestly I was entertained, engaged and highly committed to these characters and this series, I don’t know if it tops the Percy Jackson series for me but I would have to say it is definitely tied as my favourite! 

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