Tag: review

Reviews

All the Stars and Teeth Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on All the Stars and Teeth Review

As princess of the island kingdom Visidia, Amora Montara has spent her entire life training to be High Animancer – the master of souls. The rest of the realm can choose their magic, but for Amora, it’s never been a choice. To secure her place as heir to the throne, she must prove her mastery of the monarchy’s dangerous soul magic.

Amara kind of reminds me of a lot of ya female protagonists. She has the best intentions in terms of her commitment to Visidia, but she is definitely naïve and unrelatable. She been obviously blinded to the tribulations the different islands are currently going through but she is determined to learn as much as possible about what is happening outside of her bubble. She acknowledges how ignorant she has been and proves herself in my eyes through her actions throughout the course of the storyline.

Bastian is one of those mysterious broody male protagonists I enjoy oh so much. His humour added a nice reprieve with how heavy this book is and I loved the banter between him, Amara and Ferrick it was very entertaining. In terms of his actual character and background it was a little predictable how connected was to the main conflict. But he did end up being honest with Amara and explaining his actions which I appreciated.

Ferrick and Vataea were wonderful additions to the storyline. The faux love triangle added edge and a touch of awkwardness that I enjoy and Vataea was like a breath of fresh air in the plot. Having another female (who happened to be a mermaid) who was so integral in their plans to save the kingdom and the whole burden wasn’t just on Amara was a nice touch.

I loved the magic system in this book and the way it was explained throughout the course of the book. It wasn’t info dumpy at all and I was able to envision the magic and the rules surrounding it. The prose as a whole I found very descripting and weaved the story in a way that kept me attention the whole time and made me attached to these characters. There was a steady build of anticipation throughout and we were just hit with twist after twist that not only surprised me but made sense and drove the plot forward.

⭐️4/5 Pirates, mermaids, action, adventure, 100% recommend!

Reviews

The Raven and the Dove Review

by amyleighreads2 Comments on The Raven and the Dove Review

*BEWARE, A FEW SPOILERS*

On the dawn of her courtship trials, Princess Lyana knows she should be focused on winning her perfect mate, yet her thoughts wander to the open sky waiting at the edge of her floating kingdom. One final adventure calls. Upon fleeing the palace, the last thing she expects to find is a raven prince locked in a death match with a dragon.

I was immediately engaged with the storyline upon starting this book. The trial aspect of the story was definitely a plot point I was the most interested in and I kind of wish it went a little more in depth and we got to see more of it instead of just being told the results. The whole concept of the trials and being able to pick the mates was interesting and I thought quite unique.

Lyana honestly I wish she would of spoke up a bit more and explained to Lysander how she felt and was just a bit more honest. She seems a little entitled to me as well and takes her life a little for granted before the trials and then pays for it. I kind of wish she would of tried a little more to cultivate a relationship with Lysander instead of just being antsy and wanting to fly out and explore all the time.

Rafe for the most part I enjoyed his character, I just felt like he was a tad too broody for me. I can understand his loyalty to his brother and agreeing to take place in the trials for the honor of the rest of the Ravens but he still pines for her throughout the entirety of the novel behind his brothers back. It’s I think the fact that he wasn’t honest with himself and tried to push her away by being nasty. Why couldn’t he just be honest from the start and tell his brother the truth and save a lot of feelings.

I thought the concept was interesting, I’m not all that knowledgeable on the origin of Tristan and Isolde so I can’t really comment on the adaption of the tale. The pacing of the story was a little up and down for me. I appreciated the different perspectives and the overarching storyline with Cassie’s deception, it was intriguing and held my attention.

⭐️3/5 good not great, will definitely continue on!

Reviews

No Exit Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on No Exit Review

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

This was a wild ride!

No Exit is about a college student named Darby who is on her way back home to visit her mother who is dying from cancer. On the road she is caught in a snow storm and is forced to take refuge at a remote truck stop, where she finds a young girl who has been kidnapped in the back of one of the cars owned by someone else who has been forced off the road by the weather.

I really liked Darby as our main protagonist. I thought she was portrayed realistically and reacted I think within reason throughout the course of the plot line. She was under and incredible amount of stress after she found Jay and I couldn’t even imagine what that would of felt like. I found in a few reviews people questioned her decision making, but honestly I thought given her state of mind before even entering that situation I could overlook that and just enjoy the story.

I am not really an avid mystery/thriller reader so I am usually surprised with everything I read as I have never come across a lot of these tropes before and that is the same for this book. I definitely had my predictions the whole time I was reading this book and I was 100% wrong most of the time, which definitely kept me engaged and entertained. 

I liked that even though it was mostly written from Darby’s perspective but we are given a few chapters from the other characters as well. I felt like it gave the book a lot of depth and gave us more of an insight to what these others characters were thinking and their motivations behind their choices as well.

The pacing of the book was perfect, it was a slow start to establish the scene and then after the main twist when Darby discovers Ashley’s treachery it was just action right up until the end.

⭐️4/5 stars This had me on the edge of my seat the entire time.

Reviews

A Deadly Education Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on A Deadly Education Review

*A FEW SPOILERS AHEAD*

A Deadly Education is all about a dangerous school for the magically gifted where failure means certain death – until one girl begins to rewrite its rules. Enter a school of magic unlike any you have ever encountered.

I have to admit this was a little difficult to get into. There is a bit of an info dump at the start of the book with a lot of different names and characters that I was a little confused at first. It wasn’t until like a third of the way through was I able to get my head around everything and enjoy the story.

El I really enjoyed as our main protagonist. The fact that she has to work so hard to be good it just such a fun and unique concept. I almost kind of wanted her to dip into that darker side; I thought that would be an interesting twist. I liked how straightforward she is and isn’t afraid to call it like it is and stand up to the enclave kids. It was nice to see her become a little more vulnerable when she started opening up more to her friends and starting the alliance, it was quite gratifying to see her finally being able to rely on others and not fight to be included.

Orion we always just kind of there but we don’t really get to learn much about him or see him open up and discuss his life with El all that much. After the kiss with El he did kind of explain his feelings for her and how he has been treated all his life but I wanted more of an in depth look at his character.

The school setting was fantastic. The stakes were at an all-time high throughout the course of the storyline and the conflicts got progressively bigger and more entertaining. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the pacing was fast, this was fresh and distinctive and I am sooo excited to see what will happen next!

⭐️4/5 stars has the potential to become a new all time fav!!!

Reviews

On the Come Up Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on On the Come Up Review

On the Come Up is about 16 year old Brianna Jackson who has a dream to become a rapper just like her father. He was killed in an act of gang violence when she was a little girl but he was an underground rap legend in her community.

Brianna seemed very believable as a sixteen year old. A lot of times in YA the main protagonists would act a lot older than what they really were but this was very realistic. She has had to deal with a lot over the course of her life and I think that definitely came across in how she holds herself and acts around others. She struggles with issues about her self-worth and not being fully realized about her identity and the grief surrounding her father’s death and then the abandonment issues in regards to her mother. That’s a lot for one 16 year old’s shoulder’s so honestly it’s no wonder she lashes out.

I loved the familial aspect of the story; I thought that was very interesting and again very realistic. Bri’s relationship with her brother was lovely, he is always there taking care of her and making sure she is ok but then will also call her out on her BS. Her grandparents were hilarious and added another layer of realism and depth to the storyline. The little feud was entertaining and I appreciated the way both women hashed it out at the end and came together to form a solution to their problems.

I loved the banter between Bri and her friends. They have their fights but then they remind each other just how far back they go and how much they care about each other and then they are able to overcome their petty squabbles, which I found really cute.

 These kinds of books frustrate me. I can appreciate how we see the evolution of Bri as she tries to save her family and not feel like a burden to them but at the same time watching her make all of these decisions that are questionable and all the angst involved just isn’t all that entertaining to me personally.

⭐️3/5 Eye opening, raw & real!!