Tag: YA Fantasy

Reviews

Girl, Serpent, Thorn Review

by amyleighreads2 Comments on Girl, Serpent, Thorn Review

*Mild Spoilers Below*

There was and there was not, as all stories begin, a princess cursed to be poisonous to the touch. But for Soraya, who has lived her life hidden away, apart from her family, safe only in her gardens, it’s not just a story.

Soraya I could definitely sympathize with and agree with most of the decisions she made in this book. If I was in the same position as her I would of probably done the same thing. I just think she trusted Asad way to quickly and virtually exposed all of her familial secrets to this guy she just met 5 minutes ago. I got a sense of their connection sure but again it was just a little too insta lovey for me. I do appreciate the transformation of Soraya’s character throughout the duration of the plot. She really takes on a lot of guilt and responsibility for everything that happens and I don’t necessarily believe that it was all her fault.

Soraya’s mother on the other hand I felt just handled everything completely wrong. Ignoring Soraya for all these years and barely spending any time with her and not explaining any of the reasons behind the curse especially after she knew Soraya had visited the Div. When we did find out the reasoning behind what she did you can understand why she made her choices but still just be honest and explain everything rather than leaving your daughter miserable and alone for so long.

All of the characters in this book were very distinct and connected in a way that you wouldn’t predict. Azad and Parvaneh in particular were very interesting. Especially when we find out their backgrounds and how they changed the course of history in this land by their quite selfish decisions. It really shows how perspectives can be skewed and they way people interpret history into fact.

There’s a part of me that would of enjoyed this book even more if Soraya would of gave into her baser instincts and actually allied herself with Azad and became the queen. Again it was obvious that she would betray Azad and stay true to her family and her people but we get that so often in fantasy nowadays that I would of appreciated that kind of twist. I am still very satisfied with how this ended and who Soraya ended up with but I kind of wanted more.

⭐️3/5 stars So this was a tad frustrating but also entertaining and thrilling!

Reviews

The Raven and the Dove Review

by amyleighreads2 Comments on The Raven and the Dove Review

*BEWARE, A FEW SPOILERS*

On the dawn of her courtship trials, Princess Lyana knows she should be focused on winning her perfect mate, yet her thoughts wander to the open sky waiting at the edge of her floating kingdom. One final adventure calls. Upon fleeing the palace, the last thing she expects to find is a raven prince locked in a death match with a dragon.

I was immediately engaged with the storyline upon starting this book. The trial aspect of the story was definitely a plot point I was the most interested in and I kind of wish it went a little more in depth and we got to see more of it instead of just being told the results. The whole concept of the trials and being able to pick the mates was interesting and I thought quite unique.

Lyana honestly I wish she would of spoke up a bit more and explained to Lysander how she felt and was just a bit more honest. She seems a little entitled to me as well and takes her life a little for granted before the trials and then pays for it. I kind of wish she would of tried a little more to cultivate a relationship with Lysander instead of just being antsy and wanting to fly out and explore all the time.

Rafe for the most part I enjoyed his character, I just felt like he was a tad too broody for me. I can understand his loyalty to his brother and agreeing to take place in the trials for the honor of the rest of the Ravens but he still pines for her throughout the entirety of the novel behind his brothers back. It’s I think the fact that he wasn’t honest with himself and tried to push her away by being nasty. Why couldn’t he just be honest from the start and tell his brother the truth and save a lot of feelings.

I thought the concept was interesting, I’m not all that knowledgeable on the origin of Tristan and Isolde so I can’t really comment on the adaption of the tale. The pacing of the story was a little up and down for me. I appreciated the different perspectives and the overarching storyline with Cassie’s deception, it was intriguing and held my attention.

⭐️3/5 good not great, will definitely continue on!

Updates

Goodreads Choice Awards

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on Goodreads Choice Awards

Usually I don’t really attention to the Goodreads Choice Awards but I have seen the criticism in the past about how it’s more of a popularity contest rather than going off actual ratings. Which is apparent this year as one of the nominees for the Fantasy category is Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson and it hasn’t even been released yet. I wanted to make an informed decision when I vote so I have decided to try and read all of the nominees from the YA Fantasy category and see which I think should be the winner!! There are a couple that I have already read and a few on my physical TBR and I will have to try and source the rest and try to get to them in the coming weeks.

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Reviews

A Deadly Education Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on A Deadly Education Review

*A FEW SPOILERS AHEAD*

A Deadly Education is all about a dangerous school for the magically gifted where failure means certain death – until one girl begins to rewrite its rules. Enter a school of magic unlike any you have ever encountered.

I have to admit this was a little difficult to get into. There is a bit of an info dump at the start of the book with a lot of different names and characters that I was a little confused at first. It wasn’t until like a third of the way through was I able to get my head around everything and enjoy the story.

El I really enjoyed as our main protagonist. The fact that she has to work so hard to be good it just such a fun and unique concept. I almost kind of wanted her to dip into that darker side; I thought that would be an interesting twist. I liked how straightforward she is and isn’t afraid to call it like it is and stand up to the enclave kids. It was nice to see her become a little more vulnerable when she started opening up more to her friends and starting the alliance, it was quite gratifying to see her finally being able to rely on others and not fight to be included.

Orion we always just kind of there but we don’t really get to learn much about him or see him open up and discuss his life with El all that much. After the kiss with El he did kind of explain his feelings for her and how he has been treated all his life but I wanted more of an in depth look at his character.

The school setting was fantastic. The stakes were at an all-time high throughout the course of the storyline and the conflicts got progressively bigger and more entertaining. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the pacing was fast, this was fresh and distinctive and I am sooo excited to see what will happen next!

⭐️4/5 stars has the potential to become a new all time fav!!!

Reviews

Children of Virtue and Vengeance Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on Children of Virtue and Vengeance Review

After battling the impossible, Zélie and Amari have finally succeeded in bringing magic back to the land of Orïsha. But the ritual was more powerful than they could’ve imagined, reigniting the powers of not only the maji, but of nobles with magic ancestry, too.

I have to admit I wasn’t as enthralled with this installment 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.

All Zélie cares about is her betrayal by Inan. It rules over her emotions and she is unable to see reason when he is involved in any plans. All she wanted to do is kill him for betraying her. As an elder now I feel like she definitely should have been able to see beyond her own prejudice and do what is best for her people.

Amari I can understand how frustrated she became after they joined with the resistance. I feel like she was frozen out of the plans almost immediately and wasn’t trusted by any of the maji even though she was integral in bringing magic back to the land. But instead of building rapport and trying to gain friendships naturally she was petulant and combative.

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 foolproof plan that would have saved a lot of lives.

⭐️3/5 Had a bit of the second book syndrome for me!