This week I bring you a fantasy with little action, a sci-fi with a fun cast, and a romance that I had to devour in a day.
Title: The Candle and the Flame
Source: ALA Midwinter
Rating: 3 Stars
2019 is turning into the year of "Amber's most anticipated reads turn out to be disappointment." I love a fantasy novel, through in a djinn story and I'm there. The Candle and the Flame started off with a bang and then just got confusing. There are a lot of characters in The Candle and the Flame and the POVs changed mid chapter which had me rereading passages to make sure I understood whose perspective we were following. One other aspect that affected my enjoyment was the writing style, it was 3rd person present tense with fairly simple sentence structures that made it easy for me to get distracted. Despite my complaints, I liked Fatima's transformation and how her relationship with her sister developed.
Title: Aurora Rising (The Aurora Cycle #1)
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4 Stars
Amie and Jay are a magical team and they know how to write heart-stopping scenes. I really enjoyed how the overall story unfolded and all of the characters were unique with fun banter. Personally, I think I'm burned out on large teams that seem to trending in YA titles now. While I liked the crew of Aurora Rising, it seemed like the authors were focused on having each character play into a certain archetype and because of that, the cast was missing some authenticity. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook if you have the chance. It's honestly like watching a movie with your eyes closed and all of the narrators deserve awards. Even though I enjoyed Aurora Rising, I'm not sure if I'm going to continue the series. Is that weird? Probably.
Title: Then Came You (Laws of Attraction #3)
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4 Stars
I didn't expect to fall in love with Grant and Aubrey as hard as I did, but I fell as soon as they piled into Grant's car for the ten hour drive to Boston for Thanksgiving. The divorced couple often saw each other on opposite sides in the courtroom, but they worked hard not to engage with each other more than necessary. It's revealed pretty quickly what tore the two apart, and my heart broke for them as they healed. In the two-day journey, Meader told their love story through flashbacks and the dual perspectives allowed the reader to understand how each of them interpreted key moments in their past. Then Came You is an emotional read, but also a very important one with topics I wish were more openly discussed in society. If you're looking for a quick swoony read that will also twist your heart, Grant and Aubrey are just what the doctor ordered!
Have you read any of the above?
Have you ever enjoyed a book but have little interest in continuing the series?
GIVE ME YOUR SECOND CHANCE ROMANCE RECOMMENDATIONS.
Labels: 3 stars, 4 stars, amie kaufman, aurora rising, book review, jay kristoff, kate meader, les petites revues, mini reviews, Nafiza Azad, reviews, the aurora cycle, the candle and the glame, then came you
