Tag: ya review

Reviews

Daughter of the Burning City Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on Daughter of the Burning City Review

30237061This was a total spur of the moment pick up and I wasn’t disappointed!

This book follows the story of Sorrina who is an illusion caster in the travelling festival of Gomorrah. She is the daughter of the proprietor of the festival which kind of makes her a princess of Gomorrah. However, Sorrina was born without eyes and a lot of people view her as a freak. When someone starts to murder her illusions, Sorrina needs to figure out who, why and how!

I was really drawn into the story right from the beginning. It starts out pretty fast paced which I enjoy and all the information is provided quite organically in the course of the plot. I like that there are so many different, diverse characters scattered throughout the story line, it made it a lot easier to distinguish between everyone.

Sorrina I found to be a little naïve and a bit on the lower range of her age. I get that she is only 16 but I feel like she’s been quite sheltered her whole life and I thought she would know a lot more about Gomorrah than what she actually does. In terms of the whole plot I guess it makes sense that she doesn’t know a lot of people but that was one thing that stuck out to me. I love how committed she is to her little family and the depths of the grief and loss that she feels after each death. She is also quite honest and upfront about her emotions as well which I appreciated in her.

I thought the dynamic between Sorrina and her illusions was very intriguing and the way that she comes up with each one and almost unconsciously makes them freaks like her was a nice element to the story, it really enabled Sorrina to be able to relate to them all. It was interesting that even though she created them, they are all able to think for themselves, all she is really able to control is when they appear and disappear. I like that there are limitations to what she can do and it is made evident in the story.

I thought the world building in the book was fantastic; the whole situation between the Up Mountain and Down Mountain people and how they differentiate. I liked the religious aspect with the zealots and claiming all the illusionists to be devil workers. It added a layer of depth to the book and was a good foundation for the story to build upon. Especially when it came to all the Up Mountain political climate scheme that is uncovered.

There was a real sense of urgency and suspense woven throughout the story line which kept me highly engaged in the book. The stakes were always at an all-time high and trying to figure out who was behind everything was very entertaining!

⭐️4/5 stars dark and murderous and magical

Reviews

The Girl in the Tower Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on The Girl in the Tower Review

51u35TlTZbL__SX327_BO1,204,203,200_The Girl in the Tower continues pretty much straight after The Bear and the Nightingale concluded. In this sequel we follow some different perspectives, Sasha and Olga who are both currently living in Moscow and we continue on with Vasya’s journey after she fled home on Solovey’s back.

I like that we get more insight into the court at Moscow and the power struggles that The Grand Prince has to deal with however, for me I am not the biggest fan of political fantasies so that element of the story kind of dragged for me.

The pace of the story started off really fast, which I enjoyed, it really sucked me right into the book. The whole mystery behind the bandits and who was behind the fires and the missing girls was intriguing and held me attention. I like that we followed Sasha’s perspective and followed his journey in finding the bandits and then when we finally got to Vasya’s perspective we had some context.

Sasha was a little up and down for me. I didn’t quite know what to feel about him. I thought he was integral to the story line but he didn’t really do anything remarkable that cemented his status for me. Sure he was a good strategist and the Grand Prince really held him in high regard but I didn’t like how he doubted Vasya at every turn. I thought since he was the closest to her at the start of the series and being a priest he would be a little less judgmental.

Olga I didn’t quite warm to in this book either. I thought she was really narrow-minded when it came to her sister and she was quite combative with her at the start. I don’t understand how she can’t just accept who Vasya is as a person, I realize she probably thought that her sister had grown out of her wild ways but upon realizing that she hasn’t I don’t get why she wouldn’t embrace her. I feel she has been molded into that one sided perspective of how a woman should behave hidden away in her tower. She is ultimately trying to protect her family but she could of used a little empathy for her younger sister.

The magical side of the story though is what really prevailed for me. We got a little further into the mystery of Vasya’s grandmother which I LOVED! That was one of my hopes that the books would delve more deeper into who Tamara is and what drove her to Moscow all those years ago. The twist with Kasyan completely blindsided me. I had a feeling he wasn’t who he made himself out to be, especially with the timing of meeting Vasya and then her being driven out of the town by bandits trying to capture her. I didn’t anticipate how much of an impact he was going to make and it was highly entertaining.

The budding romance with Vasya I didn’t like at first, however it is growing on me. I have a feeling the next book will the focus of that given the title and I’m hoping I’m not left feeling disappointed. I already have a few predictions in mind and it will be fascinating to see whether or not I’m right!

⭐️4/5 The magical/fantastical elements really saved the book for me!

Reviews

Sorcery of Thorns Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on Sorcery of Thorns Review

43358884._SY475_I have seen this book everywhere since it came out this year and there has been a lot of hype surrounding it so I thought why not give it a try. For some reason I had a feeling that I wasn’t going to like it and I was a little hesitant going into it. I think I’m like that with all super hyped books but once I actually started reading I was pleasantly surprised!

Elisabeth was orphaned and has grown up in one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries. Her dream is become a warden of the library who protects the magical grimoires that are housed there and stops them from transforming into grotesque monsters of ink and leather.

I loved Elisabeth’s character. I thought she was very driven, inquisitive and unable to accept the narrative she has been given after the incident that drove her out of the library. She is absolutely loyal to the libraries and her relationship she has with the books was really respectful and loving. She is a true daughter of the library and I like that ultimately that relationship was a integral in saving the day.

Nathaniel I wasn’t sure about at the start. I didn’t know where his loyalties lie and sometime the things he said were a little cringey to be honest. But he really grew on me over the course of the story. Once we really got into his family history and the relationship between him and Silas and how they are connected was really unique and interesting and I started to develop a connection to him.

I actually think I liked Silas the most of all the characters. He has always reinforced the fact that he isn’t a good person and if he was released he won’t help/save them and the only reason he sacrificed himself was to negotiate a better contract. The fact that he remained constant throughout the story and exhibited moments of good even though me maintains he’s not was intriguing to me. I knew based on how much we learn about him and his connection to the Thorn family that he would play an integral role in the plot and I was correct.

The whole premise and concept of the book was really refreshing and original to me. I liked the build up of mystery and the many twists and turns the plot goes through. I world was rich with culture and I just loved that it’s based around these great libraries. The magical element I thought was nicely defined and there were limitations to what certain families were capable of because of the demons that they were tied to.

All in all I thought this was a solid, interesting, fantastical tale based around magical books and sorcery. The pacing was pretty good, there a section in the middle that I found a little slow and then I felt the last 100 or so pages were a little rushed but overall I highly enjoyed my read.

⭐️4/5 stars fantastical, adventurous, demonic!

Reviews

The Bear and the Nightingale Review

by amyleighreads2 Comments on The Bear and the Nightingale Review

9781101885956

I’ve done it! I’ve been picking up and putting down this book for over half a year now and I have finally completed it!

The Bear and the Nightingale follows the tale of a girl called Vasilisa who lives in the Russian wilderness. She was a peculiar girl who was wild and untamed and liked to while away her hours in the forest talking to sprites and horses. Her family doesn’t understand her and the village folk whispered that she was a witch.

I actually ended up really enjoying the read. I didn’t quite know what I was getting into when I picked it up but I knew there were great reviews for it and I was intrigued. It really reminded me of the old Hans Christening Anderson fairy tales and it almost felt nostalgic in a way, like I’ve heard the story before but had forgotten it.

I absolutely loved Vasilisa’s character. I loved how stubborn and set she is in her ways, and how she rejects the traditional path of being a woman. She doesn’t want to be some man’s mare and get ridden out to pasture in some great house bequeathing children. She is wild and free and loved her family dearly. She will stop at absolutely nothing to ensure that they will survive the winter!

I thought the pacing was a little too slow for my personal tastes. The start especially when Pyotr goes to Russia I felt wasn’t really necessary for me to know. I was more interested in learning more about the Morovoi and what kind of magic Vasilisa inherited from her grandmother. I suppose there was a lot of context learnt that would probably spring up in the next two book but it kind of bored me a little to be honest.

I kind of liked how macabre it was. Katherine Arden didn’t shy away from actually killing people off and showing the consequences of a harsh winter/dry summer. There was a lot of death in this book and it made the stakes a lot higher knowing that there was the possibility that these characters would be susceptible to dying.

I just have so many questions coming away after finishing this book. Who was Vasilisa’s grandmother before she came to Russia?  Why does the Winter King help Vasilisa? What will happen to Father Konstantin, will he be held accountable? I’m sure all of my questions will hopefully be answered in the rest of the series and I am excited to continue on and see where the books will go next!

⭐️4/5 stars Whimsical, compelling and frosty!

Reviews

With the Fire on High Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on With the Fire on High Review

*A COUPLE OF SPOILERS*

38739562I really enjoyed this book!

With the Fire on High follows the story of Emoni who absolutely loves to cook and ever since she got pregnant in freshman year it has become a way to escape the harsh realities of her life. Having to make so many tough decisions and being on the verge of so many changes has started to take a toll on her and she uses the kitchen to let all of that go.

I really loved Emoni’s character. She truly felt like a 17 year old who has had to grow up at such a young age but still hasn’t fully matured.  I thought her character was very realistic and the challenges and obstacles that she has to overcome throughout the book I thought was a great representation of what teen mothers have to endure in the real world. I could only imagine how tough that sort of situation would be and I really thought she handled it as best she could. I like that she made mistakes and spread herself too thin and wasn’t a perfect model character. She doubted herself constantly but overall it was the health and well-being of Emma that took precedent over everything.

I loved Abuela’s character as well. It was nice that Emoni touched on many times throughout the book how much she appreciated and loved her grandmother and the sacrifice she has had to make in order to raise Emoni and Emma. I liked that she took a stand and she gave herself that time at ‘the doctors’ to have to herself even though she had to deceive Emoni. And I appreciated that Emoni respected her enough to not dig into her grandmothers business and just accepted that she needed space from them.

Overall I thought this was a very well balanced book. There was definitely times when Emoni was at her absolute lowest point and then we see her at bounce back and make it to graduation and decide how she is going to live her life.  I thought the book was very diverse and had a variety of characters that were all very multicultural and multifaceted. The addition of the recipes I thought was a fantastic touch. It really showed how little Emoni actually stuck with a traditional recipe and just went with her gut.

This was a highly anticipated read for me and I didn’t look too much into it before I started reading and I was very surprised with the direction the book went with

⭐️4/5 stars fresh, fast paced, realistic and touching!