Tag: YA Fantasy

Reviews

The Afterlife of Holly Chase Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on The Afterlife of Holly Chase Review

33843251._SY475_This was fantastic!

This is a retelling of the classic A Christmas Tale but with a bit of a modern twist. Holly is visited on Christmas Eve by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future however she does not heed their warning and she dies. But she is brought back to life and is chosen to work in a top secret company called Project Scrooge as the new ghost of Christmas past and visits others like herself once a year to try and change them for the better.

I loved Holly’s character and the development that she undertakes throughout the course of the story line. She really is the true epitome of a scrooge and I loved the way she has resigned herself to her new role as the GOCP and how she had to deal with how unpampered her life is now in comparison to what it was. She has a subtle transformation and when she is given that second chance I like that she goes for it and is able to change so many lives.

I thought the plot was cleverly written and each character played a major role in the story line. They were all distinct, diverse and necessary in the grand scope of the tale. One of my favorites was definitely Stephanie. She seems unassuming but was a key factor in terms of Holly’s transformation.

I honestly couldn’t predict anything that was going to happen. As the story went on I had my thoughts on which direction the plot would go and I was never right which definitely kept me engaged. I thought all of the twists were perfectly timed and highly entertaining.

I am surprised really how much I enjoyed this book. I’ve been putting it off for a while now and I really regret just how long it took me to pick it up.

⭐️4.5/5 stars A perfect Christmas Read!

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!

Reviews

Gathering Darkness Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on Gathering Darkness Review

17342700Gathering Darkness pretty much continues straight from where Rebel Spring ended. Magnus is back at the castle after everything happened at the camp where the rebel forces have been decimated. Jonas is one of the only survivor’s left and Lysandra and three others including her brother Gregory have been captured and are currently in the dungeons awaiting execution. Cleo and Lucia have started to grow closer and everyone has their eyes on the Kraeshian’s Amara and Ashur.

I loved this book. I just felt like we really dug so much deeper and we are definitely rooted into the story. All of the establishing phase of the series I think is done and now its really starting to explore the mythology and build up a lot more intrigue and tension.

I think a lot of the book was centred more around Cleo and her interactions with all of the other characters, but I am absolutely LOVING all of it. The tenuous relationship between Lucia and Cleo is so entertaining. I like that even though it is built on lies they still sort of have a bond together and I think they really would have been great friends if King Gaius hadn’t of killed all of Cleo’s family. I’m still a little on the fence with the whole Cleo, Jonas and Magnus love triangle. I am a hard shipper of Cleo with Magnus, I just love a good hate to love trope and I think this was done perfectly! It was just the right amount of angst, stubbornness and hatred for me to be on board! Jonas I think doesn’t really know who he likes at the moment. I predict that he is going to end up with Lysandra even though he still is pining over Cleo. It just makes sense that he would want to honour Brion and keep Lysandra safe, thus feelings will grow stronger.

OMG I really enjoyed the twist with Nic and Ashur. I thought it was built up just enough and came at exactly the right time in the plot. Everything kind of felt like it was just plodding along steadily and then that really like woke me up and kept me invested enough to finish it off!

Lucia honestly I never really liked from the start and now she starting to get a little self-centred and boring. She seems very selfish and unlikeable to me. I much prefer the underdog in the story like Cleo. Lucia is just a selfish princess who has been given everything in life and just expects to get what she wants. I do like the direction her character seems to be going and I’m invested enough in the story to want to know what she will do next.

⭐️5/5 It just keeps getting better!

Reviews

Rebel Spring Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on Rebel Spring Review

16000044This series is starting to give me serious Game of Throne vibes but like on a YA level. There is quite a large cast of characters and we get different povs from these characters throughout the book. Also, Morgan Rhodes really isn’t afraid to kill off characters that I thought were quite integral to the overall plot and would just introduce new characters who fit in quite organically to this already established cast. It makes every scene really engaging and the stakes are at an all time high!

I like the introduction of Lysandra to the book. I thought she added a much needed feminine touch to the rebels. She is also very spirited and motivated to shut down the blood road and save her people. I thought when she first met Jonas and Brion she was a little too pushy and wanted things to be her way but she really proved herself over the course of the book how necessary she is. I like that she holds Jonas accountable and questions his decisions when she feels like he’s not doing what is right. She really established herself as quite an important factor in the rebels and I feel she has earned the right to speak up and make herself heard!

The only thing I’m not too jazzed about in the series is how insta-lovey a lot of the romance is. Take Cleo for example she was in love with Theon after 5 minutes and then she kissed Jonas after hating him and starts to feel something and then she marries Magnus who she hates as well and 5 minutes later he kisses her and suddenly she thinks there’s something there as well. Also Jonas kisses Cleo after wanting to kill her and then she goes back to the palace and suddenly its like he see’s Lysandra for the first time and how beautiful she is. I just want there to be a little more of a build up and not jumping around from person to person. Don’t get me wrong I like how all of the characters are intermingling and interacting with each other but it’s getting a little too all over the place.

Other than that I love the direction the plot is going. In this book I feel like it set the foundation for the rest of the series. Falling Kingdoms was really like the introduction and Rebel Spring really developed a lot more of the lore and established the setting and the overall goal that theses characters are moving towards!

I can forsee a lot more action and intrigue and adventure and I am just really excited to be delving into this world and figuring out what these characters are going to do next!

⭐️4/5 Highly entertaining, I’m addicted!

Reviews

Darkdawn Review

by amyleighreads3 Comments on Darkdawn Review

23264672This is the third and final book in the Nevernight Chronicles. We follow on immediately after the events that took place in Godsgrave with Mia having just murdered Cardinal Duomo and barely escaping with Jonnen.

The direction that the plot went with this book again completely surprised me! We dig a lot deeper into the history of Itreyan and the legends surrounding the gods and how it correlates back to Mia and being a darkin.

I like that we head back to the mountain and the Red Church where everything really originated. It felt like we came back full circle and it was gratifying to see how much Mia has changed from the first time she walked in those doors. It was a nice nod to the first book and I really liked how everything tied together.

Mia’s character is just super entertaining and very multifaceted. She’s strong, crass, murderous, sometimes completely without mercy and other times she’s vulnerable, lonely and scared. She’s such a well rounded character in my opinion, not without her faults but she will be the first one to own up to them. I absolutely loved her growth and evolution over the course of the series and I am sad that this will be the last we see of her.

From the start reading the prologue and knowing that she is going to die really had me on the edge of my seat throughout the book. I honestly didn’t know how Jay Kristoff was going to top everything that happened in Godsgrave but I will say that it was pretty up to par. The pace of the book was very quick and there were copious amounts of action and adventure and an element of mystery that keeps you engaged and eager to read on.

The love triangle element wasn’t a favourite of mine. Again now that Tric was back in the picture I honestly thought Mia would gravitate back to him and leave Ash. I guess the bond she creates with Ash was too great for Tric and it really shows in the book how much they love each other. There was some really open and honest conversation about their feelings, which I appreciated and at the end of the day Ash was the one that Mia couldn’t live without. The sacrifice Tric makes for Mia was beautiful and again really displayed the depths of his love for her, which I kind of think she didn’t appreciate enough.

Once again the scope of the world really blew my mind. The amount of detail and context put into the book amazes me and I really loved every single minute of it!

⭐️4.5/5 stars a fitting ending!