Tag: The Queen of Nothing

Book Lists

Goodreads Awards Update

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on Goodreads Awards Update

So I made the conscientious decision to try and read the nominees in the YA Fantasy Goodreads Awards for 2020 and I figured I would do a little update! There were 10 books in the final round and I wanted to give my thoughts on the ones I were able to finish. I am still going to try and finish all ten books before the end of the year, fingers crossed!

Books I finished:

Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron – Overall I just think the novel as a whole read a little younger. The characters are all pretty juvenile and one dimensional. The twists that were thrown in were entertaining but still predictable. There was nothing in there that really took me by surprise and shocked me in any way. I appreciated the diversity in the characters and the topics that were discussed but I wasn’t wowed in any way by this story. ⭐️2/5 stars

Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi – I have to admit I wasn’t as enthralled with this instalment as I was with Children of Blood and Bone. It was a lot shorter than the previous book but I felt like it just wasn’t as immersive, which is mostly to do with the characters. Miscommunication was the main source of conflict in this book and that frustrated me. If Amari and Zélie had just sat down and worked through their issues I feel they could of probably come up with a fool proof plan that would have saved a lot of lives. ⭐️3/5 stars

Starsight by Brandon Sanderson – It boggles my mind how Brandon Sanderson is able to piece together such intricate storylines that still manages to surprise me at every turn. Characters and interactions that I dismissed as trivial and unimportant turn out to be vital to the continuation of the plot. You really need to pay attention to every little detail he puts in because somehow it will be revealed as a key piece of information that the whole story is revolving around. ⭐️4.5/5 stars

The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black – The pacing was a lot better in my opinion in this book than the rest of the series. I feel like everything has already been established and we just jumped straight into the action which I enjoyed! It kept me engaged and wanting to read on to see what will happen next. It got a little too political and not quite fantastical for me at times. All of the strategy talk and the movements of the armies bore me , if it would of cut out a lot of the planning and extending the schemes and action I think I would of liked this book a whole lot more! ⭐️3.5/5 stars

Books I didn’t get to:

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Reviews

Queen of Nothing Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on Queen of Nothing Review

26032912._SY475_Better!

Queen of Nothing continues pretty much straight after The Wicked King ended. Jude is still banished but she is currently doing odd jobs for the local Fae to try and make some money, until her sister turns up with some information that could lead her back into Faerieland.

I liked that Jude had some time to dwell on herself and come to the conclusion that she isn’t the smartest and she was ultimately tricked and beaten by Cardan. She actually admitted that she wasn’t as good as what she thought she was and I really appreciated that growth from her. That was really the only thing that I didn’t enjoy about this series, how pretentious and unlikable Jude was and I think she has redeemed herself a little in this book!

The pacing was a lot better in my opinion in this book than the rest of the series. I feel like everything has already been established and we just jumped straight into the action which I enjoyed! It kept me engaged and wanting to read on to see what will happen next.

The love story kind of left me feeling a little unfulfilled. There wasn’t really enough of a buildup of tension for me and all of their interactions were way too brief for me. Their reunion was way too anticlimactic and there isn’t enough depth in their relationship for me to truly believe in it! They hardly spent any time together and we only get one scene where they really express themselves and how they feel for each other.

I can never really anticipate or predict what is going to happen in these books which I like in a fantasy. Sometimes I can get a little too predictable and I lose interest in the plot but that never really happens. It got a little too political and not quite fantastical for me at times. All of the strategy talk and the movements of the armies bore me , if it would of cut out a lot of the planning and extending the schemes and action I think I would of liked this book a whole lot more!

⭐️3.5/5 I liked this lot more than the previous books, still didn’t blow me away though!

Updates

I’m curious…

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on I’m curious…

img_5494Even though I made my thoughts on Jude perfectly clear in my review for The Wicked King I cant help but be curious as to how the story will continue. I think I said in that review that I wouldn’t be reading the next book when it comes out but…. I bought it anyway! When an author creates a character that could bring out so much emotion in me I have to kind of honour that and at least finish the series. It’s not only Jude, I just think I’m not a fan of the Fae in general. The ACOTAR series is probably the only exception but I haven’t liked any other series about faeries so far in my reading life. I would like to see how she manages to get out of her current predicament and what Cardan will do to her. Enemies to lovers is one of  my favourite tropes and so far they haven’t really succumbed to their feelings for one another, so I’m intrigued to find out how that plot point will progress. From what I remember these books are pretty quick reads so I guess I will give Holly Black one last chance to redeem herself in my eyes!