Tag: YA Fantasy

Updates

⚡️Harry Potter Series Reread⚡️

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on ⚡️Harry Potter Series Reread⚡️

img_2564So I’ve decided that it’s high time that I do a reread of the Harry Potter series. It’s been a few years since I’ve read all seven books in full, I usually just reread The Deathly Hallows as it’s my favourite book in the series! So I’ll be starting with this beautiful illustrated edition of Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone that I received for Christmas! I’m going to read them outside of my set TBR for every month and I’m thinking these books are just going to be a spur of the moment pick up whenever I’m in the mood for a little magic! 

Happy Reading📚

 

Reviews

Night Study Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on Night Study Review

16130759I liked how the story progressed from the last book to now.

Yelena is still dealing with the ramifications of loosing her magic and once her pregnancy has been confirmed she is in even more danger. Valek will stop at nothing to protect her even if that means disobeying the Commander, something he has never done before.

The stakes have risen once again and they remain at an all time high throughout the course of the book. The struggles and situations that Yelena and Valek find themselves in constantly have evolved and become a lot more serious which I enjoy. This evolution of the storyline over the course of the five books is excellent. We see Yelena go from a struggling, beaten, morose young girl, into the strong, resilient, loyal woman she has now become.

I also loved seeing this other side to Valek come through. Finally accepting that Yelena and his love for her has become more important to him than the Commander. I thought the scene where he finally made the decision and proposed to Yelena was super emotional and beautiful to read. The changes we have seen from Valek are probably the most drastic and the growth of his character has been steady over the course of the series. I loved reading from his POV, seeing how he thinks and experiencing the situations through his eyes really helped to engage me in the story.

The plot was constantly ebbing and flowing, being super fast paced at times with a lot of action and then having the dips in between that helped to maintain the setting. The characters are on the move constantly so we really get a firm grasp on the world and really broadened the scope of the story.

Night Study really delved a lot deeper into the details that were sort of glanced over in the other books. I liked that we actually got to meet Valek’s spies that he has placed around Ixia and Sitia and how he utilizes them in various situations. Seeing how loyal his corps are to him and the lengths they will go to satisfy him was another point I enjoyed.

All in all I thought it was a solid book. It progressed and established the plot more quickly I feel which made for an easy read. There were still some surprises and plot twists thrown in to keep me engaged and immersed, which helped to propel the story forward.

⭐️4/5 stars I really enjoyed it! Evolving storyline, high stakes, plot twists, magic!

Reviews

Shadow Study Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on Shadow Study Review

shadow-study-the-chronicles-of-ixia-book-7-1I like this so much more than Fire Study!

It has been about four years since everything happened in Fire Study and Yelena and Valek have been trying to balance life between Sitia and Ixia. Valek still being very much committed to the Commander and Yelena back at the keep with the rest of the magicians.

I think it was the multiple POVs that captured my attention more so in this instalment of the study series. It wasn’t as focused on Yelena as the rest of the books and I think that’s why I enjoyed it a lot more. She is still an integral role to the storyline but we see how the other characters intersect and have an impact on the plot. 

I love that we have more of a spotlight on Valek and his backstory in this book. Learning about his past and how he came to be an assassin and associated with the Commander has always interested me and I was gifted with various super entertaining scenes of Valek contemplating his past decisions and seeing how they differ to the person he is now. It was wonderful!

Ari and Janco are always charming and help to perk up the plot with their banter and liveliness. I love their camaraderie and how they interact with the others yet also are very committed to Valek.

The plot was a lot more engaging in this book than the others because I felt that the stakes were a lot higher. Yelena loosing her powers early on in the storyline and becoming susceptible to magic, which she has never had to experience before, was a nice twist and had me intrigued early on. Also having the knowledge of who the assassin was up in the air for most of the book it was nice to try and figure out along the way who it could possibly be.

Having the relationship between Valek and the Commander in question was also another aspect of the plot that I really enjoyed purely because it caught me by surprise. I honestly didn’t think that the Commander would stoop to that level and I was happy to see some divergence in their storyline.

It kind of just always seemed like Yelena was off chasing someone, putting herself into unnecessary situations that was just frustrating to read. It was all becoming a bit stale and boring and this book has brought back a little bit of suspense and unpredictability.

⭐️4/5 stars If that ending doesn’t have you picking up the next book I don’t know what will!

Updates

Wildcard

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on Wildcard

IMG_2113I picked up Warcross on a whim last year after I read the synopsis and thought it was interesting and I immediately loved it. Emika is one of my favourite female protagonists I’ve read this year! She was tenacious, spunky, smart and just had an attitude about her that I loved. The storyline was super interesting and I loved the gamer setting in the not too distant future. The plot was definitely engrossing, but this was one of those times where I could immediately predict how things were going to go down. Granted I wasn’t 100% accurate, especially about that ending but it was a little predictable nonetheless. I can’t wait to get stuck in to Wildcard and I am really hoping it lives up to my expectations.

Happy Reading📚

Reviews

Archenemies Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on Archenemies Review

35425827My expectations have been surpassed!

Archenemies continues a few weeks after Renegades ended. Nova has been given the task by Ace to secure his helmet and to get even closer to the adopted son of the Dread Warden and Captain Chromium in Adrian. But is she really just pretending anymore or are her feelings and loyalties starting to shift?

Everything about this novel was phenomenal. The pacing is done so well and the build-up of anticipation throughout the course of the story was fantastic.

Nova has once again proven how much of an awesome female protagonist she is! I love that after the announcement of Agent N, she lets her feeling be known to the whole organisation. She is still advocating for the rights of prodigies in a positive way without destruction and mayhem like her uncle. Being infiltrated within the Renegades has allowed her this position to instil her thoughts and opinions into a chosen few who may be able to make a difference. I enjoyed the internal struggle she has to deal with on a day to day basis. Being accepted and looked up to from the Renegades and seeing the potential but also having the other Anarchists on her back making sure she stays true to their course.

Adrian is such a wholesome character that you really want to barrack for. He is so endearing and charismatic especially after he works everything out with the Vitality Charm and how he finally gets to act as the overbearing older brother to Max. That scene where he gets emotional just be being able to put his arms around Max’s shoulders was so moving, something so small and innocuous that we would take for granted has become so much bigger because they’ve never been able to do that before. I love the relationship that Liam shares with Max and we really see the scope of it at the end of the book.

A lot of the minor characters really played a bigger role in this book. Having Dana kind of see through Nova and start to not to trust her was an interesting development. Now every time Nova spots a butterfly she has to kind of stop and wonder if it’s Monarch. I also enjoyed seeing the relationship of Ollie and Ruby grow. When Ollie grabbed Nova for a dance to ask for dating tips was incredibly cute!

All in all I absolutely loved this book. I was immediately sucked back into this world that Marissa Meyer masterfully created and I was highly entertained for mostly all of it. The overall grand scheme really sets up the books for a massive ending and I cannot wait for it to come out so I can continue on.

⭐️4.5/5 stars plots and schemes, love and loss, hidden agendas, amazing characters!