Tag: review

Reviews

Shadow Study Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on Shadow Study Review

shadow-study-the-chronicles-of-ixia-book-7-1I like this so much more than Fire Study!

It has been about four years since everything happened in Fire Study and Yelena and Valek have been trying to balance life between Sitia and Ixia. Valek still being very much committed to the Commander and Yelena back at the keep with the rest of the magicians.

I think it was the multiple POVs that captured my attention more so in this instalment of the study series. It wasn’t as focused on Yelena as the rest of the books and I think that’s why I enjoyed it a lot more. She is still an integral role to the storyline but we see how the other characters intersect and have an impact on the plot. 

I love that we have more of a spotlight on Valek and his backstory in this book. Learning about his past and how he came to be an assassin and associated with the Commander has always interested me and I was gifted with various super entertaining scenes of Valek contemplating his past decisions and seeing how they differ to the person he is now. It was wonderful!

Ari and Janco are always charming and help to perk up the plot with their banter and liveliness. I love their camaraderie and how they interact with the others yet also are very committed to Valek.

The plot was a lot more engaging in this book than the others because I felt that the stakes were a lot higher. Yelena loosing her powers early on in the storyline and becoming susceptible to magic, which she has never had to experience before, was a nice twist and had me intrigued early on. Also having the knowledge of who the assassin was up in the air for most of the book it was nice to try and figure out along the way who it could possibly be.

Having the relationship between Valek and the Commander in question was also another aspect of the plot that I really enjoyed purely because it caught me by surprise. I honestly didn’t think that the Commander would stoop to that level and I was happy to see some divergence in their storyline.

It kind of just always seemed like Yelena was off chasing someone, putting herself into unnecessary situations that was just frustrating to read. It was all becoming a bit stale and boring and this book has brought back a little bit of suspense and unpredictability.

⭐️4/5 stars If that ending doesn’t have you picking up the next book I don’t know what will!

Reviews

Queen of Air and Darkness Review

by amyleighreads2 Comments on Queen of Air and Darkness Review

*Spoilers, Spoilers, Spoilers*

81GINBuWPOLThis was absolutely amazing!

This is going to be really hard to write all of my feelings down for because there was so much going on in this book all at once it seems. The pace was constantly fast and there was always something hovering over all of them that kept the stakes high throughout the course of the book.

Julian and Emma were the stars of this book I found. Their struggle with the parabatai curse and having to hold back their emotions or even cut them off all together in Julian’s case was heart wrenching. I really didn’t envision a solution for them, I truly thought that we would get an ending where they wouldn’t be able to be together or they would be exiled away from their families. The way that Cassandra Clare was able to navigate around that was very smooth.

Ty and Kit were probably one of my favourite sub plots of the book. Their relationship and how it evolved after Livvy’s death was wonderful to read. Ty having this advantageous plan that could reap some serious consequences on the universe and Kit knowing they shouldn’t go through with it but allows it because he knows how much this means to Ty. Then right when Ty is about to go through with it Kit finally speaks up…uh I loved it so much!

I was definitely intrigued by Kit and how much everyone seemed to be invested in him. Tessa and Gem always popping up to see how he was and making Emma swear to watch over him and keep him safe. Then having Jace come in and sort of mentoring him and being kind of like an older brother I thought was very touching. There was one scene in particular when Kit asks Jace for a weapon of his own and the exchange they had after was just the cutest!

The whole clave aspect of the Shadowhunter world was always something that I didn’t enjoy. I found that when they convened the Shadowhunters were always very selfish and prejudiced. Save for the few who actually care about the downworlders and live side by side with them the majority don’t care and are susceptible to the vitriol that the cohort would spew once they sprang up. Finally seeing a change and growth from the clave and the Shadowhunters as a whole towards the end of the book was satisfying!

The ending was another aspect I didn’t quite enjoy of the book. The fact that the majority of the Shadowhunters just acquiesced to their demands was unfulfilling in my eyes. I know that for the majority of the time they aren’t living in Idris, but that is their ancestral home and the fact they would just let it go without some form of a fight was kind of strange.

That being said I was still very much in love with this book. The few little flaws that I picked up along the way were definitely outweighed by the sheer mass of the plot and characters and world. It was so full of intense action, emotional turmoil, grief and love. It is again everything I love about a fantasy series.

⭐️5/5 stars HIGHLY RECOMMEND! This is a wonderful series that any fantasy/non fantasy lover will enjoy!

Reviews

Muse of Nightmares Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on Muse of Nightmares Review

51iEa42ZjfL._SX328_BO1,204,203,200_This was fantastic!

I really enjoyed how the story unfolded and developed in this sequel, the world was really expanded and we got a lot more information about the gods and how they came to be and what their motives were.

Sarai has fallen to her death but has returned as a ghost and is under the control of Minya. Lazlo now faces the unthinkable decision to either fold under Minya’s demands to raze Weep to the ground or let the woman he loves evanesce into nothing.

I feel like Minya really shined in this book a lot more. She is still as unlikeable as she was in Strange the Dreamer but we now have reasoning for her tenacity and unforgiving nature. The way that Serai had to intricate herself into Minya’s drug induced dreams and discover how much the past has a hold of her and still want to somehow help and reduce her pain was wonderful to read. I really enjoyed those discoveries of what happened that day and finally uncovering the truth and having Minya be released of the burdens of the ghosts and finally become whole was gratifying.

I also really enjoyed the fact that the others had a purpose that they fulfilled in the book. Ruby, Sparrow and Feral weren’t that interesting to me in the past, I just kind of felt like they were filler characters but in this book they are really came into themselves and became a lot more distinguishable. Each of them really had pivotal scenes in the book that had an everlasting effect on the storyline.

Getting the back story to Kora and Nova and seeing what they have had to deal with and overcome really enriched the story and added another layer to the plot. I loved the interaction between the sisters and how much loyalty and dedication they have towards each other. Seeing the journey that Nova had to undergo over the course of 2 centuries and still not getting to Weep and her sister in time was heartbreaking. I loved every second of it, I was really rooting for Nova and Kora to be reunited but making that connection early on about who Kora was I knew that that wasn’t going to happen so I had time to brace myself for that scene.

 I loved everything in this book honestly. I relished finally getting all the details about the gods and how they discovered Weep and what happened to the rest of the children over the years. The way the information was given felt very organic and wasn’t rushed at all. I thought the pacing of the story was very well done and the way Laini Taylor writes is just so lyrical and descriptive you can really sort of loose yourself in the book!

I thought this was absolutely beautiful and wrapped itself up very well yet there is still room to grow and expand even more should more books come out which I found very impressive. I also kind of liked the little nod to the Daughter of Smoke and Bones series and how it kind of interconnect, even though I wasn’t a fan of that series I thought it was a fun way to refer back to her previous work.

⭐️4.5/5 stars highly recommend I loved every second of this book!

Reviews

The Queen of Attolia Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on The Queen of Attolia Review

40158I was entertained from beginning to end!

The political intricacies and the unpredictability of Eugenides really kept me reading throughout the course of this book.

Having lost face after Eugenides stole Hamiathes Gift, the Queen of Attolia will stop at nothing to reassert her power and her reputation and finally capture and secure the slippery Queen’s Thief of Eddis.

This book was a rollercoaster from beginning to end. There were multiple twists and turns that I could not see coming and the eventual ending had me shook!

I loved the transformation of Eugenides from the first book to now. He has gone through so much in such a small amount of time and its nice to see that he doesn’t automatically pick himself up and is back to normal. It’s refreshing to see that he was affected by what happened to him and that he needed time and space to wrap his head around his injury and kind of reevaluate his life. All he really wanted to do was assist and to be of service to his Queen and now that he can’t in the same capacity as he once could he’s had to adapt and delegate.

I also really enjoyed the relationship between Queen Eddis and Eugenides. Having two main protagonists working closely together with no romantic overtones, just a genuine friendship full of honesty and compassion. We really get a sense of how much the Queen cares for Eugenides and the lengths she would go to protect him.

The Queen of Attolia is a character that I didn’t really like at the beginning especially after everything that happened with Eugenides. But after her story unfolded and we get more knowledge about her and how she has maintained her rule over Attolia, I found myself slowly beginning to thaw. I like that Megan Whalen Turner gave her a backstory and reasoning for her actions. I found her to be very multifaceted and quite an engaging character. She is callous and ruthless at times but not as cold-hearted as she makes out to be.

The plot progressed quickly and the world really opened up a lot more in this novel. Seeing the complexities of war and the shifting of allies and the weight of every decision really kept the stakes high. I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading this book. There were regular twists and turns that occur throughout the storyline and having a romantic aspect that was expertly crafted to not be too cheesy or insta-lovey.

⭐️4/5 stars definitely need to pick up The King of Attolia to see what will happen next!

Reviews

Two Dark Reigns Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on Two Dark Reigns Review

y648I really enjoyed this!

Because I marathoned both Three Dark Crowns and One Dark Throne earlier this year it took me around the first 100 pages to get acclimated to the world again. Once I was situated back into the plot I demolished this book!

Two Dark Reigns picks straight up in the storyline with Katharine reigning over Fennbirn with Pietyr by her side. Arsinoe and Mirabella have made it safely to the mainland with the help of Billy and are trying to carve out a life for themselves there but the island beckons.

I am loving the relationship that we see between Arsinoe and Mirabella and how that has grown and developed over the course of the books. I am also enjoying having Billy thrown into the mix and him having to deal with his mainland issues as well as the abdicating queens of Fennbirn. 

I don’t fully know how I am feeling about Katharine yet. I kind of hate her and then I think about her upbringing with the poisoners and how she has always been destined to either kill or be killed and I can understand why she’s made some the decisions she has. So I’m kind of in two minds about her at the moment.

I don’t trust Pietyr at all, especially after he pushed Katharine into the Breccia Domain. He said he had her best interests at heart but that’s always made me wonder how far he is willing to go. Especially after he propositioned Madrigal without Katharine’s knowledge.

Everything that happens with Jules and Emilia and the rebellion wasn’t my favourite of everything that happened. I think the cause of most of it is Emilia. I didn’t particularly like her character. She was a bit too pushy for my liking. I did enjoy learning more about Jules and the prophecy about her legion curse and seeing it in its full grandeur after it was unleashed.

There was a lot more history about the island and how the mist was created which I thought added a lot more depth to the story. It was nice to have a bit more understanding about the world and the backstory of some of the superstitions of the island.

This series is so captivating. The premise is so dark and mysterious and the storyline that Kendare Blake has managed to concoct is fantastic. I didn’t know that there was going to be another book in this series, I thought it was just going to be a trilogy so I am kind of excited to continue on and see where the story will go next. There are a lot of questions that have been left unanswered and I cannot wait to see what is going to happen next!

⭐️4/5 stars highly entertaining, dark and twisted!