Tag: YA Fantasy

Reviews

Truthwitch Review

by amyleighreads2 Comments on Truthwitch Review

truthwitchI loved this!

Safiya is a Truthwitch and is able to discern truth from lies and Iseult is a Threadwitch, she is able to see the threads that are bound to everyone showing their emotions and bonds to those around them. Ever since Safiya saved Iseult’s life when they were children then have become bonded and will do anything to protect each other. Safiya’s powers are highly sought after, especially amongst the nobility in which she was born, so she has to keep it a secret or else she could be used as a political pawn. All they want is to live their own lives free of the war that is about to break out in the Witchlands.

It was a little hard to get into the book at the start as there are lot of facts and information and names thrown at you from the get go and it took me a minute to get established in the story. But after I found myself situated I was swept away into this world. I love the distinguishing characteristics between all of the witches and their different abilities and the varying levels of power and respect given. There are multiple storylines and POVs throughout the course of the book and it really kept me invested.

Iseult and Safiya are now among some of my favourite female protagonists. I love their companionship and loyalty that they share. You can really see the depth of their friendship and how much they mean to each other. They both value and complement each other perfectly in my opinion.

Safiya’s tenacity was soo entertaining to read. She really shone for me in this book and I love her single-mindedness in terms of Iseult’s safety and health. I also loved seeing her subtly evolve throughout the story as well. She realises some of her flaws and actively tries to adjust herself for the better.

Iseult’s backstory really captivated me as well. I found myself really engaging and empathising with her as she is quite ostracised from everyone because of where she comes from. She still holds her head high and really embraces herself, which made me like her even more!

I love that the story starts off pretty basic and continues to grow and become more convoluted and complex and the plot unfolds. We are introduced to a lot of different characters with different magical abilities with everyone really having their own political agenda’s and reasoning. It makes for a very fast paced and action packed story that I highly enjoyed!

⭐️4.5/5 slow start but a wild ending!

Reviews

Smoke in the Sun Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on Smoke in the Sun Review

31394243Okami has been captured and Mariko will stop at nothing to rescue him. She tricks her brother and her betrothed Prince Raiden into believing she was being held by the Black Clan against her will and decides to play the part of the innocent bride to be and follow through on her plans.

I like the multiple perspectives given in the book, I felt they added more layers to the storyline and wove together the plot well. I felt each character was very distinguishable and had a distinct role to play in the storyline.

Mariko really matured a lot for me in this book. I felt she handled herself very admirably under immensely high-pressured scenes and maintained her focus and drive throughout the course of the book. Her tenacity and ingenuity was a highlight and her compassion really shone through the pages.

I actually quite liked Prince Raiden. Even though he is fiercely loyal to his brother as the Sovereign he still managed to display empathy and subtly defy his brothers orders without being traitorous. Even though he is made out to be quite unlikeable throughout the course of the book the fact that he got to redeem himself and his family was very satisfying to me.

Kenshin and his subplot was another aspect of the story that I was invested in. The fact that he is made out to the unwavering Samurai and the ‘Dragon of Kai” yet still succumbs to his own demons and the grief over the loss of his love was endearing and made him more genuine.

The build up and pacing of this book was very well done. There wasn’t really any point in time where I was bored and it was a very quick engaging read for me. The political and royal intrigue was very captivating and the plot really progressed in a way that I could not guess the outcome. I felt it kind of wrapped itself up a little too quickly and cleanly. There was definitely more opportunity to draw it out and build up the anticipation to more of a crescendo. It was just a little too rushed at the end. There are just a few components in the plot that wasn’t really finalised for me and there were moments that hinted that there was more to the story and this just didn’t feel like the ending to a duology more so a second book in a trilogy. I would pick up a third book in a heartbeat!

⭐️4/5 stars I was highly invested in these characters, loved this duology, wanted a trilogy!

Reviews

A Conspiracy of Kings Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on A Conspiracy of Kings Review

vhjEntertaining but not my favourite.

We follow a new perspective of Sophos the heir to the throne of Sounis, who has been kidnapped and forced to work as a slave in the households of one of the Baron’s of his country. He finds out the King has died and he is now the unwilling King of Sounis. Forced by a harsh civil war Sophos and the Magnus make their way to Attolia and his once good friend Gen to try and broker some form of an alliance.

I found the plot to be very up and down in pace. There were definitely some entertaining and engaging scenes but they were a little too sparse throughout the novel.

Sophos is a very likeable character. I found his arc to be quite enjoyable throughout the course of the storyline. I feel like he went through some very tough and harsh experiences in the book but he never really gave up or threw in the towel. He is very much committed to his country and the cessation of the war that has overtaken it.

The Magnus was a character that I enjoyed a lot in this story. He is fiercely loyal to Sophos and to Sounis and always has his back. He will lecture the king when necessary but always gives him good council and will let him make all the decisions in the end. He never tries to sway him one way or another he is quite impartial and takes his role seriously which made me like him more.

I was just a little lacking in ‘oomph’. There weren’t really any scenes that gave me any overwhelming emotional response. There were a few twists and turns thrown into the storyline but they were a bit too few and far between for my liking. It kind of just felt like the political side of the story took over and the adventure and schemes took a bit of a back seat. I was waiting for the bit major twist that was going to really shock me and have me engaged back into the plot but it just didn’t really happen for me.

It was still a solid book and I was entertained throughout the course of the story, but again it didn’t overwhelm me with feeling.

⭐️3/5 stars not bad but not my favourite in this series

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The Mara Dyer Series

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on The Mara Dyer Series

img_2865I was actually really surprised how much I enjoyed The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. When I picked it up I just had this feeling like I knew I wasn’t going to be a fan, I kind of had this preconceived notion that it was going to be slow and boring and that wasn’t the case at all. I think it’s also mostly due to the fact that I haven’t really heard a lot of good reviews for this series. I try not to let anything I hear sway my reading plans but sometimes it niggles in the back of my mind and I can’t help it. I am really glad that I did end up enjoying the book and I am really excited to continue on with The Evolution and The Retribution of Mara Dyer. The first book ended on a pretty intense cliff hanger and I can’t wait to get into all of it in the next installment in the series!!

Happy Reading📚

Reviews

King of Scars Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on King of Scars Review

Kingofscars*No Spoilers*

We follow the story of Nikolai who has established himself as the King of Ravka after the horrors that was faced with the Darkling. Unfortunately Nikolai didn’t come out of the war with the Darkling quite the same as he has a darkness inside of him that grows stronger with each passing day. Zoya has pledged herself to the King and has devoted her life to rebuilding the second army of Grisha soldiers. She knows that the Grisha cannot survive in this world without Ravka and she will stop at nothing to help Nikolai in his endeavors to secure the throne. Nina is currently far north sent on a mission by the king to seek out Grisha refugees and help them to reach Ravka. Battling her own grief she is struggling to face the pain of her past in order to look ahead at her coming conflicts with those who seek to destroy the Grisha for good.

I will say in my opinion you definitely need to read the Grisha trilogy and the Six of Crows duology to make any sense of this book. Its been a few years since I’ve read the books and I found myself at the start really struggling to remember all the characters and which powers they have and what role they played in the previous books. A lot of the plot is focused around what had happened previously in Ravka and trying to rebuild after the war with the Darkling.

It was a little difficult at first to get situated into the story but once I found myself reacquainted with the characters the plot really progressed quite smoothly. I didn’t quite enjoy Nikolai from what I remember in the Grisha trilogy but I appreciated him a lot more in this book. I loved reading from his perspective and seeing his daily struggle with presenting himself as the King Ravka deserves but also trying to keep the monster in him at bay.

Zoya is fast becoming one of my favourite characters. I love how stoic and brash she is and also seeing how fiercely loyal she is to the king and the crown. The banter between her and Nikolai was highly entertaining and the mutual respect shown between them was a delight to read. I really enjoyed that we learnt a lot more of her history and why she made the choices she did in the previous books.

Nina was a character I highly enjoyed in the Six of Crows duology. I loved her arc in the books and I really appreciated that we get to continue to follow her story and see what happens with her next. She is so determined and strong willed that I feel she is definitely going to make a strong impact in the coming book.

I feel the pacing of this book was very well done. The start was a little bit slow I feel it was necessary to reintroduce the characters and to get the plot underway as there is a lot going on all at once. There was a gradual build up of anticipation throughout the course of the book, which kept me invested and wanting to read on. I thought this book was an impressive start to this new duology and after that ending I really feel like it has set the next book up for an explosive conclusion!

⭐️4/5 stars Loved my experience falling back into the GrisaVerse!