review – Page 81 – Amy Leigh Reads

Cress Review

September 24, 2018November 27, 2018by amyleighreads1 Comment

*Spoilers, Spoilers, Spoilers!*

220px-Cress_(Official_Book_Cover)_by_Marissa_Meyer I can definitely see why the majority of the YA community absolutely loves this series! It’s been an absolute roller coaster ride.

Cinder and Thorn are still on the run however they now have Wolf and Scarlett with them after saving them from the thaumaturge in Paris. They are now all together plotting to overthrow Queen Levanna and stop the royal wedding. Their best bet is the hacker who helped Cinder and revealed the Queen’s evil plan. Cress has been imprisoned and isolated on her satellite in orbit for 7 years now with only her netscreens to keep her company and informed. Finally it seems like her luck is changing and she will finally be rescued by Cinder and her handsome accomplice.

The pace of each of the novels in the Lunar Chronicles continues to grow after each installment. Cress was a whirlwind from start to finish. I like how we are starting to get more of a background of Luna and what life is like there and how different it is from Earth. It has again broadened and added a lot more depth to these books and it starting to weave together the storyline. Cress was another great female protagonist in the book. I like that she brought forth more naivety and innocence that Cinder and Scarlett kind of lack. I like that she has such a wild imagination and is able to use it to her advantage in her times of need. The relationship that springs up between her and Thorn kind of felt a little contrived to begin with, but I have been enraptured! Both of them having to rely on each other throughout their ordeal in the desert and watching as their bond grew closer and how they opened up to each other was so genuine and just plain cute. I definitely ship them! My heart broke for Dr. Erland, I kind of didn’t really enjoy him as much as other characters but I definitely felt he was an integral role in the book and he has helped really pull together this ragtag group of rebels and set them on this course that they are now on.

There is just so much action and plotting and planning and revelations and heartbreaks, it’s almost too much but also not enough. There has just been a continual thread of maneuverings and I can feel the subtle build up of anticipation that I know is about to culminate in the last book of this series.

⭐️4/5 stars entertaining, informative, escalating, Winter is going to be crazy!

Reviews

Illuminae Review

September 21, 2018November 27, 2018by amyleighreads3 Comments

*Spoiler Free*

Illuminae Ray V6FrontOnlyA2A_V3.indd Wow… just wow!

Illuminae follows the story of Kady and Emery who live on a tiny planet made of ice on a colony called Kerenza at the edge of the universe that was being mined by a megacorporation. On the day that Kady and Emery decide to break up the planet is invaded and attacked by a rival megacorporation called BeiTech. Somehow they both make it off the planet on separate spaceships, Kady on a science vessel called the Hypatia and Erza on a battle carrier called the Alexander with one more ship called the Coepernicus. The main ship that BeiTech used in their assault is the Lincoln and it has been chasing the three vessels for the last six months as they try to make it to a far off jump station called the Heimdall.

Ok, I will admit for the first hundred pages or so I was completely lost. There was a lot of information thrown at me in a short period of time and it took me a minute to adjust to the unique structure of Illuminae. I without a doubt have never read anything like this book before and it had me a little frazzled to begin with. However, after the plot really picked up and I had become more accustomed to the storyline I was completely engrossed! The characters are diverse and you really get a feel of everyone through the intimate form of communication that they use. The language throughout the novel jumped a lot from informal to formal and I loved the juxtaposition between the two, it really helped you to relate to a majority of the characters.

Kady is just fantastic; I absolutely loved her tenacity and determination and the staunchness that she radiates as she faces repeated horrors and grief. Ezra was such a relatable character. He wears his heart on his sleeve and he has such great relationships with those around him. I love the camaraderie he shares with his fellow pilots and the emotions he displays over the course of the novel was touching to read. Aidan was a little bit of an enigma for me. I don’t really want to get too into details and spoil the storyline but I really didn’t trust or believe anything he said after the Copernicus. I thought Kady was a little naïve for believing him at first but as the story progressed you really get a sense of the depth of the character and it explored a whole different avenue that I really wasn’t expecting.

This kind of composition is really engaging and it keeps you highly entertained. The plot is so fast paced and with the stakes being so high you are on the edge of your seat throughout the whole storyline. I loved it, it was honestly a breathe of fresh air and I cannot wait to jump into Gemina and Obsidio in the very near future!

⭐️4/5 stars didn’t know what to expect but loved it!

Reviews

Magic Study Review

September 20, 2018November 27, 2018by amyleighreads2 Comments

*Beware of Spoilers*

grfsbhfdas I 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!

Reviews

Scarlett Review

September 17, 2018November 27, 2018by amyleighreads1 Comment

*Spoilers Ahead*

13206760 This book was super fast paced, very action packed and it was a great continuation of the storyline.

This book picks up straight after Cinder finishes. We are first introduced to Scarlett Benoit who is on a mission to find her grandmother who has gone missing two weeks earlier. In doing so she comes across a street fighter Wolf who has information on her grandmothers whereabouts. She certainly doesn’t trust him at the start, but there is something about him that draws her to him. As Scarlett gradually works out the mystery behind her grandmother’s disappearance she unravels the mysterious circumstances surrounding her family history and a secret her grandmother has kept from her all her life.

I liked the introduction of Scarlett into the storyline. I thought she brought forth a new fresh perspective to the novel and I was intrigued as to how she was going to fit into the narrative. I thought she was very well developed. She is single-minded, tough and outspoken and I enjoyed her tenacity. Wolf I couldn’t really make heads or tails of him at the start of the book, I again didn’t really know how he fit into the story and whether or not he was necessary as a character (boy was I wrong). Their relationship felt a little forced for me at the start, but it does develop more throughout the story and I appreciate it more after everything that occurs in the Opera and how he rejects his loyalties to save her. There were so many twists and turns and the mystery element of who these characters are and how they fit into Cinder’s backstory really compelled me to read on. I liked Thorne I thought he brought lightheartedness to the storyline where it was starting to get a bit dark and somber. I thought he balances out Cinder’s seriousness well and I enjoyed their banter as they made their escape and fled into the atmosphere. I find Cinder coming into her powers more and grappling with her kind of disgust with them very relatable. She doesn’t want to become like the Queen and mindlessly control the masses she wants to control her powers and maintain her integrity.

As I read on through this series I have found that each book fits together like a puzzle and each plot point and character is another piece sliding into place, it’s very satisfying to read. We are given a lot more information in this book than the first and the world was really expanded and backstories were delved into a bit deeper. We’re starting to get a grasp on Cinder’s life and how that correlates back to Queen Leveanna.

I did enjoy myself whilst reading this book, I thought it propelled the story along nicely and I am eager to continue on in the series and see what happens next.

⭐️4/5 stars highly enjoyed picking up Cress ASAP!

Reviews

Renegades Review

September 13, 2018November 27, 2018by amyleighreads2 Comments

*No Spoilers*

28421168 Wow, 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?