fantasy

Legends & Lattes Review

March 22, 2023March 22, 2023by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment

After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword for the last time. The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success — not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is. If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her plans a reality, she won’t be able to go it alone.

We are definitely thrown straight into this story with Viv coming to this new town and starting the preparations to open her shop. I love how we are juxtaposed with this hulking ork that could kill you in two swings of her sword and wanting to become essentially a barista. She is driven and highly committed to her task and watching her achieve her goal gave me all the warm feels!

Tandri was a great inclusion to the shop and she was a great contrast to Viv. She is definitely more direct and takes control quite well. The slow burn of their romance was soo well done and the evolution from their friendship to something more was just too wholesome and endearing.

All of the other characters in this book all had a purpose and were mostly distinct though not all were that fleshed out. But being as this is just a slice of life kind of book that didn’t bother me at all. The stakes were very low but there was still an underlying mystery that was woven throughout which defintely keeps you entertained and engaged throughout the read.

⭐️4/5 stars The coziest fantasy you will ever read!

Reviews

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches Review

March 20, 2023March 20, 2023by amyleighreads2 Comments

As one of the few witches in Britain, Mika Moon knows she has to hide her magic, keep her head down, and stay away from other witches so their powers don’t mingle and draw attention. And as an orphan who lost her parents at a young age and was raised by strangers, she’s used to being alone and she follows the rules…with one exception: an online account, where she posts videos pretending to be a witch. She thinks no one will take it seriously.

I enjoyed Mika as our main protagonist. She is inquisitive, she asks questions about the situation and even though she feels like she is in over her head she doesn’t give up and really tries for the girls. I liked the witchy elements through in, like gathering stardust in the middle of the night and casually mentioning the koi pond she has in her car. She continually questions Primrose why witches have been made to ostracize themselves from each other and doesn’t stick to the status quo.

Now with Jamie, I can understand why he is opposed to Mika coming but the outright rudeness I didn’t think was necessary. He could see just how much his averseness to her being there was affecting her potential relationship with Terracotta and yet didn’t change until something bad happened. In the end once he started coming around and opening up to Mika I was able to garner more affection for him.

All of the other characters were super distinctive and for the most part very wholesome. I loved how Ian kept trying to push Mika and Jamie together even though they were both so against it for so long but he knew they were meant to be. The girls were precious, the teaching scenes between them and Mika really made me appreciate how much patience and understanding she has for them.

I liked the fact that the relationship between Mika and Jamie was a slower burn. They each have issues from their past that they have to overcome before they can see clearly that the person right in front of them might be the one. The way that they naturally progress from enemies to friends and then ultimately end up together was a joy to read.

⭐️4/5 stars this was super cute!

Book Lists

5 Fav Fantasy Stand Alones

March 9, 2023March 9, 2023by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment

For the last couple of years I’ve been listing 5 of my favourite fantasy stand-alone books that I read in the year previous. So I figured I had to continue on and list 5 more for you all!

A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson

Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

Reviews

My Dearest Darkest Review

February 20, 2023February 9, 2023by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment

*BEWARE OF SPOILERS*

Finch Chamberlin is the newest transfer student to the ultra-competitive Ulalume Academy… but she’s also not what she seems. Months before school started, Finch and her parents got into an accident that should have left her dead at the bottom of a river. But something monstrous, and ancient, and terrifying, wouldn’t let her drown. Finch doesn’t know why she woke up after her heart stopped, but since dying she’s felt a constant pull from the school and the surrounding town of Rainwater, like something on the island is calling to her. Selena St. Clair sees right through Finch, and she knows something is seriously wrong with her. But despite Selena’s suspicion, she feels drawn to Finch and has a sinking feeling that from now on the two will be inexplicably linked to one another.

Finch is an interesting character for sure. I think when we are introduced to her she seems quite innocent and unassuming. She is very much a loner and wants to be by herself which contrasts starkly with Selena. A lot is revealed to Finch over the course of the storyline and she does evolve and become more accepting of her parents death and starts to live a bit more through the help of her new friends.

Selena was the more entertaining of the two perspectives. Her life is way more chaotic being the popular girl and trying to maintain her reputation even though it’s not necessarily who she is as a person. I think all teenage girls can relate to putting on a façade when they are in high school to try and appear more put together and become popular but Selena becoming a mean girl kind of went to the extreme. As we learn more about her throughout the course of the plot I became more attached to her and seeing how her feelings for Finch grew and her trying to push them away was very endearing.

The premise was super interesting, finding out about the history of the town and how everything connects back to Nerosi. I liked all of the representation within the book but some of the side characters weren’t very distinct and distinguishable from each other. As the plot progressed and we get more revelations it did start to feel a bit predictable though it didn’t shy away from getting a bit dark which I enjoyed!

⭐️3/5 stars was a slow start

Updates

🌌Cosmere Catch Up-date🌌

February 10, 2023February 7, 2023by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment

*ALL MY UPDATES ARE GOING TO BE SPOILERY*

I just finished my first reread of The Final Empire! There are soooo many little details in this book that I have forgotten over the years so I am really glad I decided to reread this series as a whole. I don’t really remember my reaction after finishing The Final Empire the first time so I don’t know if I like the book any more or less. Right now I feel like I really enjoyed this book I didn’t absolutely love it as much as I thought I did, which is probably just the nostalgia. It was just very dense with a lot of strategizing and hiding around until the very end which felt kind of rushed and chaotic. I loved relearning everything about Allomancy and the mistborn as well as Feruchemy. I just wish that Kelsier didn’t have to martyr himself in order for the Skaa to rise up. I know that he has struggled since Mare died and came to terms with the fact that maybe she didn’t betray him but I wish we still had the opportunity to get to know him more.