Kind of hit a little bit of a speed bump in relation to my reading … haven’t really been in the mood or I’ve just been too tired but I have tried to push through and continue on in the Monsters of Verity duology with Our Dark Duet. I’m just a little over 150 pages so far and really enjoying the continuation of the storyline! I’m going to continue over the weekend and I’ll definitely be getting back to you with a review when I’m done!
Happy Reading📚
This month will be a bit of a mish mash again of new releases and series that I’ve been meaning to get around to for the longest time now. I’ve been having some really good reading months since I’ve started blogging and I’m hoping to continue on and finish some great books!
The Darkest Minds, Never Fade and In the Afterlight by Alexander Bracken
They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
Shatter Me, Unravel Me, Ignite Me and Restore Me by Tahereh Mafi
Two Dark Reigns by Kendare Blake
Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J Maas
*SPOILERS AHEAD*
This was absolutely amazing. It was honestly everything that I love about fantasy! An immaculately detailed world, characters that I love/hate/love to hate, a magic system that is unique and intriguing… WONDERFUL!
Mia really had me guessing for the majority of this book. Some decisions that she made or actions that she took really had me going ‘hmmm, I don’t know about that’. Then she would turn around and redeem herself and I would fall back in love with her again! Some stages she is completely hostile and staunch and totally without empathy and other times she is compassionate, loving and loyal. It is so entertaining to read and she has really shined in this story for me.
I still don’t know whether or not I trust Ashlinn yet. I can’t help but remember everything that happened in Nevernight and how she betrayed Mia and the Red Church. Something about her throws me off a little and I was surprised that Mia decided to believe her. I am still on the fence about it even though I feel she has more than made up for her mistakes by helping so faithfully. I think it’s mostly to do with Tric. I really liked him with Mia, I thought their relationship was genuine and pretty honest in their circumstances and for Ash to then kind of swoop in and replace him kind of stoked my ire for her. I’m not sure how I feel about their relationship either. I think it kind of makes sense being in the situation they are in at that time, but it’s just not my favourite.
Speaking about Tric for a second OH MY GOODNESS! I knew it… I just had a feeling because his body was never recovered that his arc wasn’t complete. And for Jay Kristoff to have my thinking throughout the whole book that the case was closed and he wasn’t coming back was cruel but sweet at the same time. I loved that twist and it really cemented my need to pick up the next book when it comes out next year.
The plot was just so cleverly constructed and super detailed, I was engrossed right from the start. I liked the introduction of the new characters, I thought they were all fresh and interesting. The fact that they all had a detailed back story added so much depth and meaning to the storyline. The scope of the world has grown so much as we learn where eveyone is from and how different yet similar they all are.
I honestly thought this was a duology and when everything happened at the end I was like there’s no way that this is done, I still have so many questions and I need answers!
⭐️5/5 stars moving its way up my list of all time favs!
After finishing Nevernight I definitely want to jump straight back into this story and continue on with Godsgrave. I thoroughly enjoyed Nevernight and the narrative that Jay Kristoff has managed to weave is amazing. Super original and creative and I loved mostly all of the characters. There are definitely so many unanswered questions that I’m hoping will all be fulfilled in this next and final installment of the duology. I am so excited to continue reading and seeing what is going to happen next. Will Mia get her vengeance; will she discover the true extent of her powers? I need to know all of the details so I will be jumping into Godsgrave as soon as possible and I look forward to giving all my thoughts and opinions after I complete it!
Happy Reading📚
*SPOILERS*
This took a turn to the unexpected!
I really couldn’t guess what was going to happen in this final book of the series.
There was a really slow build-up of pace in The Raven King. There was kind of just a whole lot of drama and confusion in the first half of the book and then everything kind of happened all at once. It was a little unclear for me in certain sections. I had to kind of go back and reread paragraphs or sentences because I thought I had missed something…but I hadn’t and yeah that kind of threw me off a couple times.
That being said I did still really love the storyline. How these characters have progressed from The Raven Boys til now has been great to read. I think Blue has really come into her own in this book. She is refusing to accept the future she sees for herself and is trying to work out a way to change the outcomes she eventually sees for herself and I think that’s very relatable. Even amidst all of this magic and drama and danger she is still thinking about her future and what she wants out of life and that’s admirable.
Gansey is just one of those characters that are always so much fun to read. He is so multifaceted and complex and yet his wants and needs are so simple. I find he’s managed to become more self-aware and present in this last book than the previous. We get some really emotional scenes from him and he’s a lot more honest and open with Adam and Ronan in this book and that’s something that I loved about this series was their camaraderie.
Can I just talk about Ronan and Adam for a second because I was really caught by surprise! When we were reading from Ronan’s perspective there were ways that he phrased things while he was in Adam’s presence that kind of had me questioning whether or not he like liked him, but I didn’t get any reciprocal feelings back from Adam so I was kind of just like no… they’re just best friends. But then BAM! I loved this! I thought it was super cute and we see a side of Ronan that we have never seen before. He’s a lot more open and honest but still maintains that unapologetic bad boy vibes that he portrays constantly! It didn’t really compromise their friendship in any way either it just felt right!
The Raven King was definitely a lot darker than the other books, the tone was a lot more serious at times and the intrigue and anticipation grew steadily throughout. I was still deeply immersed in the book and highly invested in the characters and the plot to the point where I couldn’t put it down! I loved all of the books in the Raven Cycle and it definitely evolved from where I thought the plot was going to go which kept me interested in the series as I read them.
⭐️4/5 stars, captivating, entertaining, unexpected, what an ending!
Amy Leigh Reads 