Tag: fantasy

Reviews

Magic Study Review

by amyleighreads2 Comments on Magic Study Review

*Beware of Spoilers*

grfsbhfdasI am so pleased!

I had pretty high expectations for Magic Study after I finished Poison Study early last month and this book just completely surpassed them! Action, plots, love triangles, magic development, world broadening, background into Yelena’s life, everything was so well done!

Magic Study continues straight on in the storyline with Irys leading Yelena back to her family compound in Ixia to reunite with her parents. Unbeknownst to Yelena she is first introduced to an older brother Leif she didn’t know she had and he’s quick to dismiss her as a Sitian spy.

I just love Yelena as a character. She’s resilient, strong and empathetic and passionate. She puts others before herself and she will really stop at nothing to accomplish an impossible task. I liked the introduction of Cahil I found him to be quite likeable and sympathetic at the start of the story, being the lost prince of Ixia with no real title or power in the council, struggling to gain support to take back his homeland that was stripped from him for all of his life. Then to have him completely switch at the end and turn into a petulant, arrogant, jealous man hell-bent on destroying Yelena and Valek’s life was really entertaining to read. I liked the relationship Yelena shares with Irys and how that developed and deepened throughout the storyline as well. Irys is like a second mother to Yelena and her guidance and no-nonsense attitude really compliments Yelena’s flighty, spur of the moment approach well. I also loved the Moon-man and the Sandseed tribe as a whole; I thought they brought a very different and mystical side of the clans that we have not yet seen. They introduced a lot of the lore that surrounds Ixia and really expanded on the magical elements. I am so glad that Valek makes a brief appearance at the end right before the climax of the novel and how he aids Yelena and lends her his strength. Their reunion was just what I needed at that stage of the plot!

The storyline was fantastic. Very fast paced and engaging I found myself engrossed in the book from the start. I like the way Maria handled the topic of sexual violence as well. It wasn’t shrugged off without a discussion or repercussions made surrounding the incident.

⭐️4.5 stars captivating, character driven and super entertaining, can’t wait to continue on with Fire Study and see what else Maria V Snyder has up her sleeve!

Updates

Magic Study

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on Magic Study

IMG_1763I am very excited to continue on in the Study Series and start Magic Study by Maria V Snyder. I read Poison Study last month and it really took me by surprise, I honestly wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did. I love Yelena as a character, her growth throughout the first book in the series was great to read and I’m excited to see what happens next as Yelena travels to Ixia to discover her powers! Hopefully we still get a little bit of Valek thrown in the story as I enjoyed his perspective and the relationship he shared with Yelena I found to be very genuine and to be torn apart after they finally declared their feelings really tore at my heartstrings. Highly anticipating this read and I’m hoping it lives up to my expectations.

Happy Reading📚

Reviews

Renegades Review

by amyleighreads2 Comments on Renegades Review

*No Spoilers*

28421168Wow, what a ride!

I really enjoyed myself while reading this book. I think Marissa Meyer did a wonderful job with the characters and the plot!

Renegades is a dual perspective novel based around Nova and Adrian. Nova grew up under the care of her uncle who was the head of a revolutionary group called the Anarchists who fought against the government and the world for the way they treated the prodigies (people with extraordinary abilities), which ultimately led to chaos and anarchy. Adrian was adopted by his two fathers who are the leaders of the Renegades, a syndicate of prodigies who fought to overthrow the Anarchists and bring peace and order to the world.

I love the juxtaposition of the two characters and their back-stories and how they ultimately wove together. I think that was masterfully done and so entertaining to read. Nova was a wonderful female protagonist. She is powerful, resilient, intelligent but still mysterious and kind of relatable. I love how we see her struggle with her identity throughout the novel as well. Who is she ultimately going to be and where will her loyalties lie as Nova or Nightmare or Insomnia?

Adrian was also just wonderful. I find him to be incredibly likeable and endearing. I liked that through his perspective we really see him endeavor to be the best possible son to his fathers and live up to the expectations that the world has really set being an Everhart. To see him grapple with his own identity as well was interesting to read, we see so many sides to him throughout the book as Sketch and Sentinel and also as just Adrian.

The plot was very fast paced, there is a lot of action going on and schemes being formed and executed. There was also a lot of open ended plot lines that I think will definitely be explored in the sequel Archenemies when it comes out later this year, which I am now super pumped for! And just want to mention that huge cliffhanger at the end! OMG! I can usually spot these things a mile away; especially with YA fantasy but I really just did not see that coming!

⭐️4/5 stars a YA dystopian fantasy novel with superpowers and secret identities what’s not to like?

Book Lists

Top 5 Adult Fantasy Series

by amyleighreads2 Comments on Top 5 Adult Fantasy Series

There are soooo many fantasy series that I absolutely adore and I would of had too many for one post so I broke it up into my Top 5 YA Fantasy series that I posted last week and this week it’s time for my Top 5 Adult Fantasy series. Most of these books have been my favourites for years and years now and probably won’t ever change!

The 1st series on my list is The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R Tolkien. This series consists of The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King. I watched the movies way before I even knew that these books existed so when I found them and picked them up I was highly impressed. The world Tolkien creates is so immense and the storyline is epic and the characters are amazing.

LOTR111

The 2nd series on my list is the A Song of Ice and Fire Series by George R.R. Martin. This series includes Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons. I watched the first series of the t.v show and I wanted to know what happens next so I picked up this series and got swept away by the storyline. It is a highly complex and convoluted narrative with multiple perspectives of minor and major characters. I am highly anticipating a release date for The Winds of Winter.

a-song-of-ice-and-fire-books

The 3rd series on my list is the Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. This series was my introduction to Brandon Sanderson and they did not disappoint. This series consists of The Final Empire, The Well of Ascension and The Hero of Ages. The magic system is so original and the characters are dynamic and the storyline is epic! Love these books and just talking about them makes me think I’m due for a reread soon.

mistborn

The 4th series on my list I have already spoken about in my top 10 books of the year so far and they’ve also made their way onto my top 5 favourite fantasy series as well and that is the Shades of Magic series by V.E. Schwab.  This series includes A Darker Shade of Magic, A Gathering of Shadows and A Conjuring of Light. The characters in this series arc so well, there is so much growth and the relationships between the characters are beautifully written. The world is expansive and the magic system is well thought out and executed. I love this series, so glad I finally picked them up this year!

ShadesMagic-UK

And the last series on my list is The Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson. I know I am only at the very beginning of this series, but it is so epic and detailed and convoluted that I know this is going to be a top favourite of mine for many years to come! This series includes The Way of Kings, Words of Radiance, Edgedancer and Oathbringer. There is due to be at least 10 books in this series with each over 1000 pages so I am very excited about the journey I am about to undertake with each of these massive novels!

stormlight

Reviews

Words of Radiance Review

by amyleighreads3 Comments on Words of Radiance Review

*A little spoilery*

Oh my goodness where to begin…

917AnD4pjfLThis was absolutely amazing. There are just no other words to describe this book in its entirety. The world building is so expansive, the characters are so well developed and the magic system is wonderfully explained and detailed.

I love how Brandon Sanderson has included so much of the lore and legends surrounding the Knights Radiant and the Almighty and how they weave their way into the story. It creates so much depth into the world and enhances the storyline.

Reading from Shallan’s point of view is such a joy. I love that we get to delve deeper into her backstory and see how far she has come from the young, naïve, broken girl who was sequestered in her father’s estate in Jah Keved to the strong, brave, intelligent woman at the Shattered Plains. Her journey was brutal, tortuous and heartbreaking and to see her overcome everything was beautiful. I also don’t want to be too spoilery but there were so many moments that Shallan had in this book that really took my breath away. She has grown so much from the first novel and that breakthrough scene at the end where she finally admits to what had happened with her mother so long ago had me shook!

What can I say about Kaladin? As one of our main male protagonists I just love him. I find his character to be so likeable. He is kind of like the male equivalent to Shallan and yet they are both so different. I love that we see him really struggle to overcome his inner emotions and turmoil in regards to Dalinar and Kholin and how his perception of them changes over time. I like the kind of mutual respect Kaladin and Kholin share after the duel and I kind of want them to become best friends. To see him mature and develop and have that reflected onto his bridge team really warmed my heart as well. I love his relationship with them and the light banter he maintains whilst still being their beloved and respected captain who saved their lives.

There are so many plot points that I want to mention and I have so many theories and thoughts that if I were to list them all I would have a 2-3 page essay that would surely bore you. So I just want to say that this book as a whole is really enrapturing and is not at all difficult to read. Sure sometimes the overwhelming number of characters can throw you at first, but its so intricately detailed and explained in a way that it all just fits together perfectly. You can really get swept up into the narrative that Brandon Sanderson has created and I honestly cannot wait to pick up Edgedancer and Oathbringer to see what else we have in store with this series.

⭐️5/5 stars cannot recommend enough! AMAZING!