Tag: YA Fantasy

Reviews

The Devouring Gray Review

by amyleighreads3 Comments on The Devouring Gray Review

*Spoilers Ahead*

44564202._SY475_The Devouring Gray is about a town called Four Paths where there are four founding families who protect the town from an ancient monster that lurks in the forest surrounding the towns.

I was very much invested right from the start of this book. There is a little bit of an info dump and it took me a second to get all the characters and their names down but around the 50-100 page mark I was definitely settled into the story and wanted to know more!

I found both Justin and May to have a bit of a superiority complex, their mum as well. I thought the fact that he has deceived the whole town for so long and still revelled in their admiration for him to be a little problematic. I did appreciate how he did see the error of his ways and apologised to Harper but like she said I think it’s too little too late, especially when she found out how much of a hypocrite he is. He came across quite douchey and I couldn’t really warm up to him for the majority of the book.

Violet was an interesting character. I liked the fact that she did whatever it took to find out the truth and got every side of the story before she made a decision on who she was siding with. Finding out the history of her family was fascinating and seeing how she struggled with her sister’s death whilst in the middle of this chaos was admirable.

I really enjoyed Harper’s tenacity and determination. It’s quite heartbreaking to learn about her history with Justin and the way he ostracised her when she needed him most. I thought her anger was very much justified and I almost wish she would have made him grovel more.

Isaac was one of my favourite characters. His broodiness and staunch loyalty to Justin fascinated me and I very much wanted to find out more about him and his family and why they left. Hopefully what really happened at the time of his trial is revealed in the coming book, it was alluded to but not directly specified so I want to know more about that for sure. I thought his friendship with Violet was cute and I was thinking they were developing feelings for each other, but when he dropped that bombshell at the end of the book I wasn’t so sure.

Like a lot of people have been saying this is like an episode of Riverdale mixed with the Raven Boys and Stranger Things. The whimsical setting, the family lore and history of the town, the impending doom, the bi rep throughout, all solid plot devices that had me engaged and eager to read on!

⭐️4/5 stars I’m invested!!

Reviews

Winterwood Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on Winterwood Review

*Spoilers Below*

43822698This book is about a girl named Nora Walker who comes from a long line of Walker women who are rumoured to be witches. They have always lived on the edge of a haunted wood named the Winterwood that only Walker woman can traverse as finders of the mysterious objects that’s appear there.

I absolutely loved the overall premise and atmosphere of this book. I think it is definitely one of Shea Ernshaw’s strengths in her writing, I felt like I was actually there on the mountain experiencing the freezing cold along with Nora.

The history of the Walker women was super fascinating and I absolutely loved the fact that we got inserts from their history and their recipes they’ve come up with over the years. It added much needed depth and a sense of history that really reinforced the whimsical nature of these women and how each of their stories impacted Nora throughout the plot.

Nora at times I thought was a little naïve and unprepared for the situations that she walked into. Going to that party and trying to confront those boys and ending up stranded and locked in the room unable to help herself was a little frustrating at times. She definitely had the best intentions, especially when they built the fire too close to the trees, but she lacked a bit of assertiveness. Even when she was leading them to the Winterwood even though she knew they shouldn’t go in there she didn’t really do anything to prevent the situation.

The romance was a little too insta-lovey for me as well. They didn’t really know each other for that long and the fact that this girl literally went back in time to save him demonstrating how much she loved him was a tad much for me to be really convinced. If they had maybe spent a little more time together and actually cultivated a relationship I would be more inclined to believe it.

Other than that I was swept away into the story line and I just kind of enjoyed myself. The few plot twists that were thrown in there were entertaining, a few I predicted a mile away and others, especially Nora’s magical ability I didn’t see coming at all!

⭐️4/5 stars A quick, fun, kind of spooky, ominous read!

Reviews

A Winter’s Promise Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on A Winter’s Promise Review

40969531._SX318_Better than I was expecting!

This book is about a girl called Ophelia who is able to read inanimate objects and travel through mirrors. She can trace the origins of the object and is able to glean the owner’s thoughts at the time of touching the object.

Ophelia is one of those main protagonists who doesn’t see herself as special and would describe herself as scraggly and ugly. She doesn’t have much self-confidence, is timid and at the start just succumbs to the rules and regulations set forth by her and Thorn’s family. Usually when we have female main protagonists like this I end up hating them and becoming disinterested in the story but because the plot line was so compelling I was still very much engaged. She does show some growth over the course of the story line and develops a little more of a backbone, demanding answers and figuring out what was actually happening.

Thorn we didn’t see enough of in the book in my opinion. I was very interested in his character, especially his broodiness, which just appeals to me. Gradually we find out a little more about him and his background, why he is estranged from the rest of the Dragon clan. The twist at the end where Ophelia finds out he’s actually the one calling the shots confused me at first but as his plans become clear it does make sense.  I’m hoping he is a little more present in the next book. The banter between him and Ophelia was entertaining and I am starting to see a connection between the two of them, I’m interested to see how that progresses.

I loved the premise of the book; I found it highly unique and fresh. The world building could have been a little more developed; I was a little confused about the whole ark situation and what kind of world they are actually in. I would love a bit more history and origins of the different clans. I definitely want to find out more about what spurred the animosity between the different clans and how the heads of the families came to be! The magic system is what really grabbed my attention within the novel. How each of the different clans specialises in something and how that speciality manifests uniquely in each person. 

⭐️4/5 I’m intrigued, engaged and want to know more!

Reviews

Foundryside Review

by amyleighreads2 Comments on Foundryside Review

Foundryside RD4 clean flatFoundryside follows a girl named Sancia who has a secret ability that enables her to be the best thief in the city. When she takes on a job to steal an ancient artefact it places her life in danger and sets in motion a chain of events that could change everything.

I really liked Sancia. We don’t learn a lot about her right at the start, we are gradually given insight into her background and everything she has had to overcome throughout the course of the book. She’s not naive and she isn’t afraid to put herself in danger in order to do what needs to be done. I think her past defines her present and her future and this is made prevalent later on in the plot. I don’t think she really develops much in the book but I think she is already so multifaceted that any development was really needed. Her candour and her brash nature was highly entertaining and she’s just a super likeable character.

Gregor on the other hand, I wasn’t so sure about at the start. He just seemed like a spoilt founder who was playing at meting out justice to whoever crosses him. I liked that even though his story seems straight forward he still manages to surprise me and be a lot more interesting than what he seems. He seems genuinely remorseful for what happened to Sancia and how his family might have something to do with it and the fact that he confronts his mother truly displayed that.

I really loved the setting of this book, the atmosphere and the conditions of the city really added a layer of depth to the storyline and set the tone for the book. The dark, grittiness of the commons was heavily described and the almost hopelessness Sancia felt whilst living there really captured my attention.

The fantastic element of the story with the scrivers was really unique and interesting. I love that its based on lore and legends and the fact that there is still so much to be discovered makes me excited for the rest of the series.

⭐️4/5 this was fantastic!!!!!

Reviews

Every Heart a Doorway Review

by amyleighreads3 Comments on Every Heart a Doorway Review

25526296Didn’t quite live up to the hype….

This book revolves around a school that takes in wayward children who have travelled to different worlds and have stumbled back to reality and can’t cope.

This book just didn’t quite gel with me personally. I went into it only really knowing that everyone absolutely loves this book and you don’t really get a lot of negative reviews but it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. Even though the book is quite short I thought it would go into a lot more details about the different worlds and the adventures that each of the children had whilst they were there and how it contrasts to the current world.

There wasn’t really any point in time where I was invested or all that engaged in the story. I think the development stage was a tad rushed and I wasn’t really settled into the plot at any point. I was definitely intrigued and once the murders started occurring I was eager to figure out who was behind them, but the pacing and the structure of the story felt a little fractured I guess.

I wasn’t all that attached to any of the characters either. They were all very diverse and distinct and had a voice and a story of their own but it was never to the point where I was developing any emotions or commitment to them.  They all felt a little one dimensional to me as well, and again I think it was just due to the length of the book and that underdevelopment factor.

The premise is definitely original and now that I read this book and I understand kind of how it has been written and the purpose of the story I think I will enjoy the rest of the series. As a high/epic fantasy reader it just wasn’t fleshed out enough for me. I am used to a lot more world building and magical elements which this did have just not to the extent that I was expecting.

⭐️3/5 stars promising, needs a bit more oomph!