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Reviews, Updates

Blood Heir Review

by amyleighreads2 Comments on Blood Heir Review

Anastacya Mikhailov is the crown princess of the Cyrilian Empire and is one of the Affinities; gifted with abilities to control the world around them which are deemed unnatural and dangerous in their society. Ana’s affinity is one of the deadliest and most abhorred the ability to control blood.

Ana is one of those female protagonists that acts without thinking and lets her emotions get the better of her, which really annoys me. If she would have just stopped and thought about the consequences of her actions there wouldn’t have been as many obstacles for her to manoeuvre around in order to find who she was looking for. She has definitely had a lot of trials in her life but she has also a bit unrelatable because up until a year ago she was a princess. I did appreciate how she became aware of everything that is going wrong in the empire and how affinities are being treated and forced into slavery.

I really enjoyed Ramson’s character. I liked that we actually got a lot of his background and how he came to be in Cyrilia. There is a reason behind why he has made some of the choices in his life and we see the repercussions of his decisions continue to affect him now. It was obvious to me that he would end up with feelings for Ana but it was gradual and made sense in the context of the story.

I was invested in these characters right away and wanted to find out what was going to happen next. The pace was just a little up and down and pulled me out of the story a little bit. I appreciated the world building that was included as well, how descriptive the prose was really immersed me into the story line.

I found the plot to be predictable yet still entertaining. I think the spin on the original tale was quite refreshing in this fantastical setting. It was a solid start to a new series and I am left wanting to know more which is always a good sign. I feel there is definitely room for this tale to expand and become even more compelling!

⭐️4/5 stars Pretty much what I was expecting!!

Reviews

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin Review

by amyleighreads3 Comments on A Song of Wraiths and Ruin Review

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin follows two perspectives Malik and Karina. Karina is hell bent on bringing her mother back from the death after she was assassinated and Malik is trying to kill Karina in order to save his younger sister from an evil spirit who has kidnapped her.

I was really invested in Malik’s storyline right from the start; from his backstory with his sisters and how they came to be in Ziran, to his magical abilities and his journey over the course of the storyline. I loved seeing how he has had to overcome his insecurities and anxiety and step up and do the right thing in order to save Nadia.

Karina was a little unlikeable at the start to be honest. I can understand the situation she is in and the pressure that has been placed on her since the death of her sister, but she came across as whiny and selfish to me. She does evolve and see the error of her ways and kind of comes to terms with the fact that her family are never going to come back but still she just wasn’t a favourite character of mine. It didn’t impede my enjoyment of the story at all, just something I wanted to note.

The world building was great even though we are only in this one city for the majority of the book I can see the potential for growth in the rest of the series. The history of the royal family and the kingdom was very interesting and I definitely want to learn more about Karina’s family and faceless king in the coming books as well. The magic system we didn’t really learn that much about. I am looking forward to Karina and Malik figuring out how to control their powers and trace back to their origins.

I liked the concept of the book I think it is highly original and engaging. The use of the competition kept me highly invested in the plot and eager to find out what was going to happen next.

⭐️3/5 stars Great introduction to the series, I’m looking forward to continuing!!

Reviews

Aurora Burning Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on Aurora Burning Review

*BEWARE OF SPOILERS BELOW*

40516960Aurora Burning continues pretty much straight after Aurora Rising finishes off. Tyler and the rest of Squad 312 are trying to figure out their next move, find out what the weapon is that the Eshvaren left and save the universe.

For me it’s not so much about their main goal, which is to inevitably save the universe but the little adventures they find themselves in on the way. I love seeing our rag tag crew come together and become more comfortable around each other. Figuring out how they each fit in the squad and seeing the bonds they create with each other is wonderful to read.

Grief is definitely explored a lot more in this book, especially as Tyler and Scarlett come to terms with what happened to Cat. Having her reappear later in the plot to torment Tyler and for him to let her go was a touching moment.

I am so happy we get more of an in depth history about Ziva in this book. What happened to her parents and how she was able to save herself. Her perspective was so completely different from the others it was like a breath of fresh air in the plot. She really opened up a lot more in this book and we see her form more of a connection with her squad mates.

Kal is still one of my favourites. I am so glad we also got to find out more about his family and what he has had to endure during his life. Especially with the introduction of his sister and the integral way she is thrust into the storyline. It was a little obvious to me who his father was going to be, kind of predictable and the ensuing argument was frustrating. But his relationship with Aurora is so pure and precious and I can’t help but be enraptured by him.

Aurora, though I am glad she is able to control her power and is able to understand how it works, I think the change in her is too drastic and it kind of pulled me out of the story. Walking straight up to the Starslayer completely sure she was going to succeed was a tad arrogant to me and I wish she wouldn’t have been so quick to write Kal off, they might have been able to come up with a better plan.

Overall there so many shocking twists and turns and moments that broke my heart. Some of the choices the characters make didn’t really sit right with me and I wish they would of went about things differently but it definitely raised the stakes and kept me engaged in the storyline. I am left with soooo many questions still and honestly I can’t wait to find out what is going to happen next!

⭐️4.5/5 stars I am still trying to process my feelings after that ending…. 

Reviews

Into the Crooked Place Review

by amyleighreads4 Comments on Into the Crooked Place Review

43550637._SY475_Into the Crooked Kingdom follows a girl named Tavia who sells dark magic on the streets for her Underboss Wesley. Until one day she uncovers a sinister plot that could detroy the whole realm and all the people in it.

I really enjoyed all of the characters in this book. They were all very distinct and you could differentiate between them easily. All being from different parts of the realm and having such varying backgrounds was really intriguing and definitely brought more depth to the storyline.

Tavia was one of my favourites. I think because she essentially introduced us into the storyline I was more attached to her character in particular. Her love/hate relationship with Wesley was very entertaining, I kind of wish they would of acted on their feelings or maybe communicated a little bit better. Wesley for a minute there seemed open to that idea but Tavia shut him down and walked away. I think if we had a little more romance in the plot I would have been more engaged.

Unfortunately there were times throughout the book where I wasn’t all that interested in what was happening and didn’t really care. Although we are given pretty high stakes and there was definitely a lot of twists thrown in there were long periods of not a lot happening and it made me zone out a little.

I also wish we delved deeper into the magic system and how it works. We are kind of given a lot of information but I felt like it wasn’t enough. Maybe if we were given the origin of the world a little more and how the different charms work. How the Kingpin came to power in the first place or learning about the different people in the world would of helped. How the crafters came to be and how many different clans of the Kin there are.

I came out of this book a underwhelmed. I felt like the bones were there for a great fantasy story and there were elements I really loved. The found family, the intriguing magic system, an evil overlord they need to defeat, but it didn’t wow me in any way. I am still interested enough in the characters where I think I will be picking up the next book but it’s not something I’m dying to read.

⭐️3/5 stars Not gripping enough for me…

Reviews

The Shadows Between Us Review

by amyleighreads3 Comments on The Shadows Between Us Review

35702241I LOVED this!!!!

The Shadows Between Us is about a girl named Alessandra who is the second daughter of an earl who has a plan to seduce, marry and then kill the elusive king.

I just adored Alessandra’s character. Right from the start when we find out what happened between her and Henrik and then to see how comfortable she has become with her sexuality and not letting the men in her life use her for their own gain. She takes her life into her own hands and emerges from under her father and sisters shadows and forged a life for herself without their help or influence. I love how ruthless she is and how unapologetic she is about her appearance and demeanour.

Kallias really drew me in from the moment we first see him. He is quite enigmatic and seductive in a way with the shadows swirling around him. I’m a sucker for a dark, broody male protagonist and he really ticked all the boxes for me. I would of loved to learn more about him and go a little more in depth in terms of his abilities and why the skipped over his brother. The origins of his family’s reign which was discussed briefly, I just wanted more. I think the fact that he wasn’t intimidated by Alessandra and saw her as an equal was the icing on the cake for me!

There was the perfect amount of political intrigue mixed with those more high action sequences to keep me engaged and entertained. Too much of the court politics and political machinations can be a little dragging for me but I didn’t get that at all in this book. Because Alessandra was so spontaneous and has all of these secrets she is trying to keep on top of there was never a time I wasn’t invested.

I have to admit the investigation aspect regarding Henrik was resolved a little too conveniently; there was quite the build-up of anticipation regarding the murder and it was dismissed by Kallias with really no repercussions of Alessandra’s part. I was able to overlook it and still really enjoy the read but that was something that I noticed.

Overall I loved this, from reading the blurb I knew immediately that this was a book that I would love and I am honestly gratified that I have such a thorough understanding of my reading tastes!

⭐️5/5 stars the Slytherin romance we didn’t know we needed!