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Reviews

Morningstar Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on Morningstar Review

*DEFINITE SPOILERS BELOW*

18966806Morningstar continues about 9 months after that cliffhanging ending to Golden Son. Darrow has been betrayed and captured by the Jackal and has had to face endless months of torture at his hands. It’s up to the Sons of Ares to find a way to rescue Darrow and continue on their mission to break the Gold’s society.

It’s official Darrow is now one of my favourite male protagonists ever! The amount of growth he has displayed over the course of the series was in full effect in this novel and we really see the consequences of his actions catch up with him. He has really sunk to the lowest of the low when we are brought back into the story and to see him claw his way back up to the top was inspiring. He really sets himself apart from the Golds in this book and he really shows that they haven’t influenced him as much as they think.

Mustang did come through for me. At the start I was still a little hesitant towards her character and I was just waiting for her to stab Darrow in the back like her brother did, but alas she pulled through for me. I was a little peeved that she was still testing Darrow but again in hindsight it all made sense. There is so many layers to her character and she really showcases her many strengths over the course of the series.

Roque broke my heart, I truly thought he was going to come back to Darrow or he was still on their side and was just a spy. I’m glad he wasn’t forgotten by the Sovereign and she did kind of avenge him in the end with Adrianna. Sevro was a consistently loyal, crazy character that you just can’t help but love and one that Darrow could always rely on. I’m glad we get to see him happy and in love! 

There were so many moments in this book that pulled on my heartstrings. Rangar in particular brought a tear to my eye. Pierce Brown really has no qualms about killing off key characters so I was constantly on the edge of my seat whilst reading this book. The pacing was consistently fast and they were always on the move looking for the next target. 

Now there is no other way for me to say this… but that twist at the end with Cassius was fucking brilliant! I in no way saw that coming, I mourned Sevro for that excruciating 10 minutes and I was absolutely stunned with the way that it played out! With that epic battle with Aja and Darrow finally killing the Sovereign and then not giving in to Adrius and pulling out his tongue… oh it was sweet, sweet victory. I loved Cassius in the first book and I am glad we get to see him redeem himself in the end. 

And if all of that wasn’t enough Pierce had to go and shock me again with Mustang. I had a feeling when she was sitting in the mess hall with Darrow’s family trading stories that something was going on, she just seemed a little too familiar. I honestly thought she was about to kill Darrow and start another war against the Reds but I was definitely surprised by what she presented to him. 

It was honestly one of the best series I have ever read and I am itching to reread the whole thing again just to experience this epic rollercoaster of a tale again!

⭐️5/5 stars BREAK THE CHAINS! OMNIS VIR LUPUS!

Reviews

Golden Son Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on Golden Son Review

*SPOILERS*

18966819Golden Son is the second book in Red Rising series. It has been a couple of years since the end of the first book and Darrow is fully embedded in the Gold society, he faces difficult choices and the consequences of keeping everyone at arms length.

I was blown away by this book! There were times when I found a lot of the political intrigue and manoeuvrings were a little boring but the pace of the book was so fast that I didn’t really have time to dwell on those factors. There was so much action and scheming and a real in depth look at how those in power have so little empathy for anyone below them. 

I loved Darrow in this instalment of the series. He isn’t perfect by any means and makes plenty of mistakes, but he owns them and actively tries to correct/learn from them and continues to grow throughout the course of the plot. The way his mind is able to jump to conclusions so quickly and anticipate a lot of his enemies plans yet is still taken by surprise a lot of the time showing how much he still needs to learn was so entertaining to read.

I’m not quite sure about Mustang yet. Right from when she is reintroduced on Cassius’s arm didn’t sit right with me and even though she does a good job explaining her reasonings, the fact alone that she was with him makes me distrust her. I really wanted her to stay behind with Darrow in the mine and hear him out, especially after all they went through and her basically demanding that he let her in. I have a feeling she is going to play a key role in the next book and I want to see her redeem herself!

Finding out who Ares was did take me by surprise. I initially didn’t really think it fit, he just seemed a little too cavalier as a character before but after he explained his history to Darrow and how Sevro ties in definitely swayed me. I almost wished he played a bigger role in the story and we see more interaction between him and Darrow. 

This was absolutely epic. The war sequences and the rise of the different colours and how Darrow leads them all was simply fantastic. The stakes were at an all time high and I was on the edge of my seat throughout the whole book. We see Darrow really pushed to the edge of his limits and so far he has clawed his way back to the top each time and I am almost scared to see what will happen to him next!

⭐️5/5 stars OMG THAT ENDING, WHYYYYYYY?!

Reviews

The Hobbit Review

by amyleighreads2 Comments on The Hobbit Review

Adobe Photoshop PDFI mean this book is pretty well known but if you haven’t heard it’s about a Hobbit named Bilbo Baggins who enjoys a comfortable and quiet life. His contentment is disturbed one day when a wizard named Gandalf and a bunch of dwarves arrive on his doorstep to take him away on an adventure.

I was just in the mood for a stand-a-lone fantasy that I would be able to loose myself in and as I was perusing my shelves I realized I haven’t actually read The Hobbit. I dove straight in and found it a little bit difficult to comprehend at first. There is just something about J.R.R Tolkien’s writing that makes it difficult for me to stay focused, which was similar to my experience reading The Lord of the Rings Trilogy as well. After about the first 100 pages or so I was more familiar with his style and I was able to focus on the actual plot.

Bilbo started off quite a bit blustery and rigid. He definitely goes through a transformation over the course of the plot and we see him become a lot more forward and direct. At time he can be very selfish and I grew weary of him dwelling on his homesickness but it doesn’t stop him from moving forward.

I really wish we would have followed Gandalf and his journey in banishing the necromancer with the rest of the wizarding council. He is such an interesting character that is always weaving in and out of the story and I really would of loved a few chapters from his perspective exclusively.

All of the dwarves were interesting though none really had any depth. I found J.R.R Tolkien never really gave any of his characters other than Bilbo much substance. Their own personal history and personalities are quite shallow. I would of been a lot more invested if we are given a more in depth look into their characters and how they distinguish from each other.

The overall plot was very entertaining and interesting. There is definitely more of a focus on the world building and the establishment of the different creatures that live in Middle Earth as opposed to any character development in my opinion. There were times that the story felt a little rushed but it was exactly what I expected and needed to read at this time!

⭐️3/5 stars Enchanting, adventurous, classic!

Reviews

Warbreaker Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on Warbreaker Review

51zg32xJdLL__SX325_BO1,204,203,200_Warbreaker is about two sisters who are princesses of a small kingdom. Vivienna is the oldest and her whole life she has been groomed to marry the Godking of the neighboring Kingdom as part of a peace treaty but at the last minute her father decided to send the youngest daughter Siri instead.

Siri was a little too carefree and naïve at the start of the book but I loved seeing her transformation over the course of the story line. I found it quite cruel that her father decided to send her instead of her sister. I understand how difficult the situation was but he literally just sent her in blind with no hope of survival.

Vivienna kind of bugged me. She came across a tad arrogant, but I appreciated how most of her beliefs are challenged and she really had to evaluate who she was as a person and how she perceives the world. She is really brought down to her lowest possible point and still perseveres and comes out a lot stronger than what she was previously.

Lightsong’s character was a little dull to be honest. I knew that he was integral to the story and would ultimately have a purpose he would need to fulfill, but the journey to that moment was a little tedious. I enjoyed finding out more about his background and who he used to be and why he was chosen as Lightsong the Brave but everything else I really wasn’t invested in.

I found the magic system to be very unique but kind of confusing at times. It was definitely explained in full but the whole concept of the returned at the different levels was hard to wrap my head around. The way things were explained went into detail but I found it all to be a little dense to be honest.

Overall I really enjoyed all of the action and the intrigue. I had no idea which direction the plot was going to go in and I highly enjoyed all of the twists and turns incorporated into the plot. I just think I would have enjoyed the book a lot more if it wasn’t as long as it was. If it was condensed to around 400-500 pages instead of nearly 700 I feel like I would of be way more invested than what I was!

⭐️3/5 stars a very slow burn!

Reviews

Into the Drowning Deep Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on Into the Drowning Deep Review

*SPOILER ALERT*

34523174Wow, what a concept! I was absolutely enthralled right from the beginning of the story.

An entertainment company called Imagine sent a research ship into the Mariana Trench in search of mermaids. Something terrible happened and the entire ship is killed and from what footage is gathered it seems like the mermaids came onto the ship and killed everyone, but it’s disputed by the world as being fake. Now 7 years later Imagine is sending another ship to try and figure out what really happened.

This cast of characters was really random and diverse and everyone had quite a distinct personality, which made it easier to keep track of them all. I loved that we got quite an in depth insight to these characters and their backgrounds. We learn so much about them in such a short period of time but it definitely didn’t feel info dumpy or rushed in any way. I enjoyed how the story jumped from point of views every few chapters and how she incorporated the dolphin and mermaid povs just to add a bit of context to what was happening and how the contrasted with the humans, it was fascinating!

Tory is a character that you just want to support and hope that she gets the closure that she needs. She comes from what I believe to be a pretty privileged background allowing her to really set reality aside and really focus on her goal of finding out what happened to Alice. She isn’t very relatable but she is likeable and I found myself really hoping that she doesn’t die.

Luis was precious. Again another character that is super privileged but he uses his wealth really for good and actively tries to help those around him, especially Tory. He is super supportive of her and he really steps up and takes charge when the mermaids started to attack which made me love him even more!

Dr Toth was an interesting character. I was a bit ambivalent towards her at the start as i thought she came across as a bit of a know-it-all. Once I found out a bit more about her history and what she has had to endure during her career and the guilt she felt after what happened on the Atargatis, I did end up coming around and appreciating her a bit more. She was very integral to the plot and her ability to keep cool under pressure I think is what saved them all in the end!

This book really had me on the edge of my seat. Mira Grant definitely didn’t shy away from making this very dark and killing off the characters when it suited the plot. I almost wish a few of the more main characters would of died as well, I just think it would of made the story that much more shocking and realistic in a way. 

⭐️4/5 If you aren’t a fan of a lot of blood and gore this is definitely not the book for you!