Tag: review

Reviews

P.S. I Still Love You Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on P.S. I Still Love You Review

220px-P_S__I_Still_Love_You_coverA step up for Lara Jean in this book!

The second instalment in this series picks up almost immediately after To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before ends off. It’s the start of the New Year and Lara Jean is feeling hopeful that she gets back together with Peter and they have a proper relationship. However, a video of their time in the hot tub makes the rounds on social media and Lara Jean is struggling to cope in the limelight.

I think this book has a pretty up to date social commentary on the world at present. I can definitely picture something like this happening in real life and I feel like Jenny Han captured the situation pretty well.

I feel like Lara Jean has evolved well in this book. It’s very subtle but I appreciate how much stronger and outspoken she has become. She really handed the situation of her ‘tape’ well and did not bow to the ridicule she was facing at school. I like how forthright she was in her relationship with Peter, even though he was keeping secrets I feel like she expressed herself well and tried to maintain communication.

Peter I am still a bit in two minds about. I like how well he treats Lara Jean and how special he makes her feel, however, I did kind of think he was a little naïve in terms of Genevieve and how much time he spent with her. He was a little too thoughtless and blasé about their friendship and he came off as a little tactless.

I liked the introduction of John Ambrose; I thought he added a much-needed spark to the storyline. I did think even though they had a history together his feelings for Lara Jean was a little insta-lovey for me. I found myself shrugging that off though because I thought he was a good rival for Peter and kept him on his toes. Especially since they used to be best friends.

This book was highly entertaining; it was a really fast paced, quick, easy read. Heartwarming is really the word that comes to mind. I enjoyed the storyline and I think it built up to what will hopefully be an eventful conclusion in the next book!

⭐️4/5 stars Cute, cringey and heartfelt!

Reviews

A Conspiracy of Kings Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on A Conspiracy of Kings Review

vhjEntertaining but not my favourite.

We follow a new perspective of Sophos the heir to the throne of Sounis, who has been kidnapped and forced to work as a slave in the households of one of the Baron’s of his country. He finds out the King has died and he is now the unwilling King of Sounis. Forced by a harsh civil war Sophos and the Magnus make their way to Attolia and his once good friend Gen to try and broker some form of an alliance.

I found the plot to be very up and down in pace. There were definitely some entertaining and engaging scenes but they were a little too sparse throughout the novel.

Sophos is a very likeable character. I found his arc to be quite enjoyable throughout the course of the storyline. I feel like he went through some very tough and harsh experiences in the book but he never really gave up or threw in the towel. He is very much committed to his country and the cessation of the war that has overtaken it.

The Magnus was a character that I enjoyed a lot in this story. He is fiercely loyal to Sophos and to Sounis and always has his back. He will lecture the king when necessary but always gives him good council and will let him make all the decisions in the end. He never tries to sway him one way or another he is quite impartial and takes his role seriously which made me like him more.

I was just a little lacking in ‘oomph’. There weren’t really any scenes that gave me any overwhelming emotional response. There were a few twists and turns thrown into the storyline but they were a bit too few and far between for my liking. It kind of just felt like the political side of the story took over and the adventure and schemes took a bit of a back seat. I was waiting for the bit major twist that was going to really shock me and have me engaged back into the plot but it just didn’t really happen for me.

It was still a solid book and I was entertained throughout the course of the story, but again it didn’t overwhelm me with feeling.

⭐️3/5 stars not bad but not my favourite in this series

Reviews

King of Scars Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on King of Scars Review

Kingofscars*No Spoilers*

We follow the story of Nikolai who has established himself as the King of Ravka after the horrors that was faced with the Darkling. Unfortunately Nikolai didn’t come out of the war with the Darkling quite the same as he has a darkness inside of him that grows stronger with each passing day. Zoya has pledged herself to the King and has devoted her life to rebuilding the second army of Grisha soldiers. She knows that the Grisha cannot survive in this world without Ravka and she will stop at nothing to help Nikolai in his endeavors to secure the throne. Nina is currently far north sent on a mission by the king to seek out Grisha refugees and help them to reach Ravka. Battling her own grief she is struggling to face the pain of her past in order to look ahead at her coming conflicts with those who seek to destroy the Grisha for good.

I will say in my opinion you definitely need to read the Grisha trilogy and the Six of Crows duology to make any sense of this book. Its been a few years since I’ve read the books and I found myself at the start really struggling to remember all the characters and which powers they have and what role they played in the previous books. A lot of the plot is focused around what had happened previously in Ravka and trying to rebuild after the war with the Darkling.

It was a little difficult at first to get situated into the story but once I found myself reacquainted with the characters the plot really progressed quite smoothly. I didn’t quite enjoy Nikolai from what I remember in the Grisha trilogy but I appreciated him a lot more in this book. I loved reading from his perspective and seeing his daily struggle with presenting himself as the King Ravka deserves but also trying to keep the monster in him at bay.

Zoya is fast becoming one of my favourite characters. I love how stoic and brash she is and also seeing how fiercely loyal she is to the king and the crown. The banter between her and Nikolai was highly entertaining and the mutual respect shown between them was a delight to read. I really enjoyed that we learnt a lot more of her history and why she made the choices she did in the previous books.

Nina was a character I highly enjoyed in the Six of Crows duology. I loved her arc in the books and I really appreciated that we get to continue to follow her story and see what happens with her next. She is so determined and strong willed that I feel she is definitely going to make a strong impact in the coming book.

I feel the pacing of this book was very well done. The start was a little bit slow I feel it was necessary to reintroduce the characters and to get the plot underway as there is a lot going on all at once. There was a gradual build up of anticipation throughout the course of the book, which kept me invested and wanting to read on. I thought this book was an impressive start to this new duology and after that ending I really feel like it has set the next book up for an explosive conclusion!

⭐️4/5 stars Loved my experience falling back into the GrisaVerse! 

Reviews

Dance of Thieves Review

by amyleighreads2 Comments on Dance of Thieves Review

Dance of Thieves_FINAL 9.18Bit of a slow start but it definitely ensnared me in the end!

Kazi is a reformed thief who has worked her way up to become one of the Queen of Verdan’s esteemed Rahtan soldiers. Jase is the new patriarch of the Ballenger dynasty after the shocking, sudden death of his father. Kazi is sent by the Queen on a secret mission to find and capture a wanted war criminal and Jase and the Ballenger family are believed to be harboring the fugitive.

Like I said it started off a little slow and confusing for me. We are kind of thrown straight into the story with lots of different names and locations and it took me around the first 100 pages or so to be situated in the storyline.

Kazi is a wonderful character. I love that she is so competent and sure of herself, yet she still carries those feelings and memories of her youth with her and uses them to strengthen herself. To see where she has come from and how dire and desperate her situation was to the bright, daring, dangerous woman she is now is admirable! She is very multifaceted and is quite unique I feel as the main female protagonist.

I love how committed Jase is to his family and his oaths as the Patrei. We see how engrained it is in his demeanor and actions throughout the course of the book. I like how we get to know the real Jase before we see the Patrei side and how they differ. Another character that is complex and rooted around the concept of family and loyalty and trust. Once that is broken there is no turning back with the Ballengers.

I also appreciate how the romance aspect plays a role in the story, it isn’t just written in for the sake of it. I kind of like the hate to love trope but throwing the backstory of the characters and the situational timing really made me invested. I thought it came across as genuine and made sense in terms of the plot. It carried a lot of action forward and created some intense, awkward and charged scenes.

The actual storyline was fantastic. All of the history of the town and the family and all of the secrets really kept me intrigued and eager to read on. Once you surpass that 100-page mark the pace really picked up and you get swept away. I really made a connection with these characters and I was highly invested in their missions. I kind of didn’t want the book to end, I just wanted to keep reading and find out what’s going to happen next!

⭐️4.5/5 stars Gripping, engaging, a wonderful read!

Reviews

Carry On Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on Carry On Review

81yxWqchlgLThought it was just okay.

We follow the story of Simon Snow who is the chosen one. He is the most powerful mage that ever was and he is prophesied to change the world. However, he isn’t the most skillful of all the students who attends Watfords; the magical school presided over by the High Mage. None of his spells ever work and his wand doesn’t even respond to him half the time.

The beginning of the book I didn’t really enjoy all that much. It was just Simon recounting his history of the school and what he did in the last 7 years he went there. I didn’t immediately make a connection with him and I wasn’t really invested in the story at the start. 

The magic system I wasn’t a big fan of. All of the random sentences and rhymes that make the spells work felt a little juvenile for me. It was a little too mundane and not fantastical enough for me personally, I couldn’t really take it seriously.

Simon was just kind of ok to me. I found him to be super obsessed with Baz and the Mage and not much else. The first hundred pages or so was just him fixated on the fact that Baz wasn’t at school and why. I wasn’t really interested until we got a lot farther into the story and we dug deeper into his history and why he is the chosen one.

I did enjoy Baz a lot more than Simon. I thought he was more unique and distinct as a character. I like that we get an explanation of why he was so mean to Simon over the years and it makes him more redeemable in my eyes. He’s been hiding so much of himself from the rest of them and I love that he finally gets the chance to be free and truly be himself.

The plot was a little boring to me. I was mildly interested in finding out about Baz’s mother and the whole conspiracy surrounding her death but everything with the Coven and the families just didn’t interest me all that much. I did enjoy the twist at the end and I like that the multiple perspectives exposed different aspect of the storyline. 

This wasn’t a favourite of mine, I can see why a lot of people would love this story but again it just wasn’t my taste.

⭐️2.5/5 I’m not fangirling…🤷🏽‍♀️