Tag: fantasy

Reviews

The Beautiful Review

by amyleighreads2 Comments on The Beautiful Review

42265183The Beautiful is set in the year 1872 and revolves around a 17 year old girl named Celine Rousseau, who has run away from her dark past in Paris to rediscover herself in the city of New Orleans.

I didn’t really like Celine’s character at the start of the book. She came on a little too strong and I found her to be a little too arrogant and brash. She kind of thrust herself into situations that I felt wasn’t necessary, for example when she first met Bastien. Stepping in like that even though she was with her friend who clearly did not want to be involved just to satisfy her own need to feel powerful wasn’t the best way to make me like her. Granted she did grow on me over the course of the plot line but even still she ultimately doesn’t think things through completely and she doesn’t really take into account other people’s feelings.

The romantic aspect I actually did enjoy. I’m usually not a big fan of love triangles but the way this plot lines seems to be headed actually appeals to me. I like that hate to love trope and mixed with the star crossed lover’s piques my interests. It was a little obvious but still I liked their banter and the chemistry between all three characters involved!

Other than that I actually really liked all the rest of the characters in the story. I thought they were all very distinct and diverse. Bastien and his court of Lion’s were very intriguing. It kind of didn’t go in depth enough for me though; I could have definitely used more information on each of them. Where they come from, how their powers differ, how did they end up in New Orleans.

The pacing of the book was kind of up and down for me. The start was a little bit slow and it took me at least the first 100 or so pages before I was actually invested in the plot. The fact that Celine wasn’t a favorite of mine kind of stalled my progress for a while and made it harder for me to fully loose myself in the story.

I thought the atmosphere and tone of the book was fantastic. You are kind of transported into that time and place and it felt very realistic and what I felt was an accurate representation of the time.  

⭐️4/5 stars Dark, mysterious, a slow build!

Reviews

The Afterlife of Holly Chase Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on The Afterlife of Holly Chase Review

33843251._SY475_This was fantastic!

This is a retelling of the classic A Christmas Tale but with a bit of a modern twist. Holly is visited on Christmas Eve by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future however she does not heed their warning and she dies. But she is brought back to life and is chosen to work in a top secret company called Project Scrooge as the new ghost of Christmas past and visits others like herself once a year to try and change them for the better.

I loved Holly’s character and the development that she undertakes throughout the course of the story line. She really is the true epitome of a scrooge and I loved the way she has resigned herself to her new role as the GOCP and how she had to deal with how unpampered her life is now in comparison to what it was. She has a subtle transformation and when she is given that second chance I like that she goes for it and is able to change so many lives.

I thought the plot was cleverly written and each character played a major role in the story line. They were all distinct, diverse and necessary in the grand scope of the tale. One of my favorites was definitely Stephanie. She seems unassuming but was a key factor in terms of Holly’s transformation.

I honestly couldn’t predict anything that was going to happen. As the story went on I had my thoughts on which direction the plot would go and I was never right which definitely kept me engaged. I thought all of the twists were perfectly timed and highly entertaining.

I am surprised really how much I enjoyed this book. I’ve been putting it off for a while now and I really regret just how long it took me to pick it up.

⭐️4.5/5 stars A perfect Christmas Read!

Reviews

Queen of Nothing Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on Queen of Nothing Review

26032912._SY475_Better!

Queen of Nothing continues pretty much straight after The Wicked King ended. Jude is still banished but she is currently doing odd jobs for the local Fae to try and make some money, until her sister turns up with some information that could lead her back into Faerieland.

I liked that Jude had some time to dwell on herself and come to the conclusion that she isn’t the smartest and she was ultimately tricked and beaten by Cardan. She actually admitted that she wasn’t as good as what she thought she was and I really appreciated that growth from her. That was really the only thing that I didn’t enjoy about this series, how pretentious and unlikable Jude was and I think she has redeemed herself a little in this book!

The pacing was a lot better in my opinion in this book than the rest of the series. I feel like everything has already been established and we just jumped straight into the action which I enjoyed! It kept me engaged and wanting to read on to see what will happen next.

The love story kind of left me feeling a little unfulfilled. There wasn’t really enough of a buildup of tension for me and all of their interactions were way too brief for me. Their reunion was way too anticlimactic and there isn’t enough depth in their relationship for me to truly believe in it! They hardly spent any time together and we only get one scene where they really express themselves and how they feel for each other.

I can never really anticipate or predict what is going to happen in these books which I like in a fantasy. Sometimes I can get a little too predictable and I lose interest in the plot but that never really happens. It got a little too political and not quite fantastical for me at times. All of the strategy talk and the movements of the armies bore me , if it would of cut out a lot of the planning and extending the schemes and action I think I would of liked this book a whole lot more!

⭐️3.5/5 I liked this lot more than the previous books, still didn’t blow me away though!

Book Lists

5 Fantasy Series I wanted to start Update

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on 5 Fantasy Series I wanted to start Update

Back in January I posted about 5 Fantasy Series that I wanted to start in 2019 and I did an updated post in May, so I decided to do one last update and see where I am at with these 5 series that I wanted start this year!

The Seven Realms Series by Cinda Williams Chima – I completed this series back in May and absolutely loved it, now one of my all-time favourite fantasy series and I am dying to start The Shattered Realms series!

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The Falling Kingdoms Series by Morgan Rhodes – I am now half way through this 6 books series. I am really, really enjoying the direction of the series so far, and it gives me serious Game of Throne vibes!

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The Witchlands Series by Susan Dennard – I have completed all four books that are currently out at the moment. This series took me by surprise; I didn’t think I was going to like it as much as I did!

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The Lightbringer Series by Brent Weeks – This series is really intimidating me for some reason. I have all four books that are out currently but I have been overlooking them for other books. I really need to priorities these books because I have heard such great things, I may actually try and start The Black Prism this month and see how I go!

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The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb – I have read The Assassin’s Apprentice only so far. It was during the Reading Rush and I found it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. It was lacking a little bit of action and adventure and kind of dragged a little for me, which in turn has put me off from continuing on with this series. I am still going to give Royal Assassin a try, but I have not plans to in the immediate future!

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Reviews

Supernova Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on Supernova Review

*SPOILERS*

42771754Supernova continues straight off where Archenemies ended. Nova is close to being outed as an Anarchist, especially after stealing Ace’s helmet from Headquarters and she is now desperately trying to figure out a way to rescue Ace from prison before he is administered with Agent N.

I loved the internal struggle that Nova had to deal with. Not knowing where her true allegiances lie and really having to make a decision whether or not she is a true Anarchist or a Renegade. I loved seeing her character evolve over the course of the story and to see her state of mind shift after working with Adrian and the rest of her crew. She is such a unique character who isn’t afraid to be the bad guy in order to do what she thinks is right.

I just find Adrian so wholesome and endearing. He really tries his hardest to be everything that the world expects him to be and I loved how even though all evidence pointed to Nova he still tried to finds a way to prove her innocence. It really showed how loyal he is to his friends!

I thought the pacing of the book was very well done! There was a steady build-up of anticipation and there were various twists and turns and revelations that kept me invested and eager to read on! I wasn’t a fan of the whole fight scene at the end though. It was a little too all over the place for me, but I think it’s a me problem and nothing to do with the book. I just get a little lost when there is a whole lot of action all at once and that’s kind of what happened. I like the betrayal element forcing Nova to choose sides, but ultimately it didn’t matter anyway.

I’m not sure how I feel about how the book ended. I liked how Max played such a key role in this book, I had a feeling since he was the catalyst for defeating Ace last time that he would reprise that same role. It was a little underwhelming to be totally honest but I did still really enjoy the read. I flew through the book and I was highly invested in the characters and the plotline!

⭐️4/5 stars A fitting ending!