Tag: fantasy

Reviews

These Witches Don’t Burn Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on These Witches Don’t Burn Review

Hannah’s a witch, but not the kind you’re thinking of. She’s the real deal, an Elemental with the power to control fire, earth, water, and air. But even though she lives in Salem, Massachusetts, her magic is a secret she has to keep to herself. Hannah will have to test the limits of her power if she’s going to save her coven and get the girl, especially when the attacks on Salem’s witches become deadlier by the day.

Hannah’s character was definitely interesting to read from. She’s still very much coming to terms with her break up with Veronica and I feel like her feelings and reactions to her were very realistic and in line with her age. She definitely goes through a lot emotionally throughout the course of the storyline and that definitely made me feel more sympathetic and connected to her. But overall I didn’t find her to be particularly likeable.

Veronica I didn’t like at all. I thought she was just playing with Hannah’s emotions all throughout the story and just kept dismissing her feelings and trying to force her to take her back. Maybe if this was a dual perspective and we see things from Veronica’s point of view I might have developed more of a connection to her but I was just mostly indifferent to her.

I would of loved if we delved more into the training in regards to Hannah’s abilities. She said various times in the plot that they have weekly training sessions with their high priestess which we don’t get to see that I would of loved to read and see. In general we don’t get to see quite as much magic as what I would of liked. I was just expecting it to be more focused on the witchcraft and not so much on the mystery behind the blood witch.

Overall I was definitely surprised with the direction the story went. I appreciated how we see Hannah just be a normal teenager even though there is so much going on in her life that she has to keep secret from everyone else in her life other than Veronica. I didn’t see any of the twists coming and there was an underlying feeling of urgency woven throughout the plot that kept me wanting to read more. The pacing was just very fast and it was just one thing after another that was happening which in the end I enjoyed however I would of liked to be shown more about the witches and their abilities rather than told.

⭐️3/5 stars A solid witchy, entertaining story!

Reviews

The Storm of Echoes Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on The Storm of Echoes Review

*SOME SPOILERS AHEAD*

The distrust between them has been overcome and now Ophelia and Thorn love each other passionately. However, they must keep their love hidden. Only in this way can they continue their journeys toward an understanding of the indecipherable code of God and the truth behind the mysterious figure of the Other, whose devastating power continues to bring down entire pieces of arks, plunging thousands of innocents into the void.

Ophelia’s journey to the truth about who the other is was really dragged out throughout the course of this book. I just felt like not a lot happens throughout the course of the storyline even though the book was over 500 pages. We are mainly focused on Babel again and even though we discover more about the Ark and venture into the Observatory we are mainly in Ophelia’s head struggling to figure out how to get to the horn of plenty and who the other is.

We get a few chapters from Victoria’s perspective that I didn’t quite understand. What were the reasons for having them? Sure we get to see the infamous LandmArk and see the interactions between Archibald, Janus and God but I was left more confused than anything. Why was Victoria able to see these things, how did she come to be on the Other side and how did she end up at the bottom of the well for Thorn to find.

I struggled more than anything with a lot of the terminology in this book. I understand that its a translated book but a lot of the phrases of what was happening to Ophelia at the Observatory just didn’t register with me. The concept of the crystallisation creating the echoes and having these revelational moments just went over my head and I couldn’t comprehend what was happening.

I think what was the issue is that this book really veered so far away from where I was envisioning the story to go and I was disappointed with how it ended. The fact that Thorn gets stuck in the Other place and we don’t get to see him and Ophelia truly get to live in peace as husband and wife really irritates me after being kept apart or having to pretend they didn’t have feelings for each other this whole time.

This was definitely my least favourite book in this series. I wasn’t all that invested or interested in the direction the plot was going and it took me a while to get through it. If this wasn’t the last book in the series and me being a completionist I probably would of DNF’d it at 30%.

⭐️2/5 stars I’m just disappointed and underwhelmed.

Updates

Goodreads Choice Awards 2021

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on Goodreads Choice Awards 2021

Since I haven’t been reading as much as I have wanted to this year the YA Fantasy/Sci Fi category is the only category where I’ve actually already completed more than one of the nominees. I have no intention of actually finishing all of the other 15 books in this category before the deadline but I think I will try to read all of the books over the coming year and then do my own award before the 2022 round!

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Reviews

Empire of the Vampire Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on Empire of the Vampire Review

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

Twenty-seven years have passed since the last sunrise, and for almost three decades, the creatures of the night have walked the day without fear. Once, humanity fought bravely against the coldblood legions, but now, we exist only in a few scattered settlements—tiny sparks of light in a growing sea of darkness. Gabriel de León is the last of the Silversaints, a holy order dedicated to defending realm and church, now utterly destroyed. Imprisoned for the murder of the vampiric king, Gabriel is charged with telling the story of his life.

So first of all I loved the format of the story. Gabe being forced to tell his life story and we see how all of the actions and decisions he has made in his life has led him to this moment and it makes me excited to see what has happened and how he has ended up here. I also low key like to be spoiled when I’m reading epic fantasy so knowing that Gabe isn’t going to die is reassuring but also the fact that everyone around him could potentially is engaging!

As a character I find Gabe to be quite complex. We see over the various timelines that he evolves and changes quite significantly but in a way that shows growth for sure. He maintains a quite arrogant, unlikable attitude that honestly appeals to me, I know a lot of people probably would hate him but I’m here for it!

I am very must invested in the dual timelines. Each were at such pivotal moments in Gabe’s life that there wasn’t one over the other that I preferred which is usually what happens. I was both equally invested and eager to find out what was going to happen to all of the characters in each period.

The world building was pretty epic and descriptive and the scale is definitely shown through the amount of time it takes the characters to traverse the country throughout the course of the storyline. The magic system surrounding the vampires and their hierarchy is fascinating and unlike anything I’ve read before. The whole history of the Silversaints and how they control their urges and the seductive nature of smoking and how debilitating it can be when they go without was a unique twist and I certainly can’t wait to see what is going to happen next.

⭐️5/5 stars Gabe is everything I needed!

Reviews

The Stone Sky Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on The Stone Sky Review

*SPOILERS BELOW*

This is the way the world ends… for the last time. The Moon will soon return. Whether this heralds the destruction of humankind or something worse will depend on two women. Essun has inherited the power of Alabaster Tenring. With it, she hopes to find her daughter Nassun and forge a world in which every orogene child can grow up safe. For Nassun, her mother’s mastery of the Obelisk Gate comes too late. She has seen the evil of the world, and accepted what her mother will not admit: that sometimes what is corrupt cannot be cleansed, only destroyed.

Essun in this final instalment of the series fell a little bit flat for me. Although we see her breakthrough and really start to become more invested in her Comm I found the majority of her storyline travelling with them to be tedious. She is unable to wield her powers as much as she could previous because she was turning to stone and I found when she is finally reunited with Nassun she could of tried harder to stop her instead of giving in.

Nassun’s character is quite morally grey but again she is only 10 years old for the majority of the storyline and was quite indoctrined by Schaffa. She puts her love for him above everything else and is willing to risk all of humanity just to keep him alive. I feel as if she should have more of an emotional connection to her mother than what is shown when they do reunite.

I think the twist with the Stone Eaters was a great addition to the storyline and gave us that much needed context as to why they keep popping up and are so invested in Essun and Nassun. I honestly can’t blame them for what they did and it was gratifying to see how their story came full circle and we understand why.

Overall I was still highly invested in the storyline and wanted to know how it was all going to wrap up and honestly I can say I was content! I just wish there was a little more action to make it more gripping. It was still just a lot of history and terminology to wrap my mind around. Loved the twists and all my questions pretty much got answered which is all I can ask for!

⭐️4/5 stars Solid ending to this great series!!