anaisniz's reviews
84 reviews

Death of the Dawn by Amanda V. King

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adventurous dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

 ⭐️ My Rating: 3/5 ⭐️

🩸 Plot: 5 /10
✝️ Setting: 5/10
🧛 Characters: 5/10
✍ Writing (style): Good.

📚 Would I recommend it? Yes


"An eternity is a long time to be chained to someone.
And yet, with you, it would not be enough."



I came across this book, because I follow the cover artist and I immediately fell in love. I love vampires, so I was sure I was gonna eat this.


❤️ Up's:

1) Protagonist - Lena
2) Good Romance
3) Good Vibes
4) Easy and fun read

1) I really enjoyed Lena, her personality is unique and fresh. She's different from other YA protagonists-she's not a warrior or damsel. She has her good and her flaws. She also doesn't weep about her past, she just keeps living.
What I mostly loved was that her mean personality is actually shown and they are part of her. Lena says a lot of mean things and she lives up to it. People call out about it, she understands it and apologizes, however it's not like she's gonna wake up in the next day and be a completely different person, she still has it in her personality, because that's who she is. It's funny it feels like Lena is already "death inside", sometimes, she's just chilling and doesn't give a fuck.

2) The romance was very well done, and the best part of the book. Lena and Ansel spend time with each other, they talk, they go on walks. So with this, they get to know each other. It's not a completely slow burn, however.
I also don't think their relationship is very healthy or sweet, but it's not necessarily toxic. It's in this gray area, which I found very interesting.

4) I so happy that this book was around 350 pages. I feel like YA fantasy books have always +400 pages and the writers drag soooo much for nothing. 350 was enough for this story, I think the book is read easily and the romance and Lena make the book fun! Oh, the vampire Ansel!


💔 Down's:

1) Plot turns mostly to romance
2) Flat characters

1) This is what it says in the last part of the synopsis:
"But Lena cannot keep Ansel a secret forever. Vampires throughout the world felt his awakening, and one in particular is determined to carry out revenge a century in the making—not only upon Ansel but upon the one who woke him."

But this only really happens in the last 20% of the book. The other 75% is mostly the romance and the other 5% is about Lena's lifestyle in the village. There's not much of vampires, just Ansel. It's said the villagers fear vampires and they believed in them, but it's never really shown.

2) Characters never really grow and they lack depth.
Ansel is this quirky and gentlemen vampire. His character is pretty weird. I really enjoyed Ansel at the beginning, he acted like a 400 years old Vampire, he saw himself superior and he was charming in his way. But then, I felt he had dual Personality Disorder or something. He would act like a kid very randomly, sometimes I tried to understand it as a way for him to have fun, since he's been asleep for so long. But it felt forced and out of character.
The rest of the cast it's very forgettable, there's a character that goes to another place in the middle of the book and we don't know if he's okay by the end.


✨ Final thoughts:

Ngl, the book did disappointed me, I was expecting that I would devour this, but in the on other hand, I was sure I was gonna have fun with it and I did. I'm looking forward for the 2nd one. 
The Oleander Sword by Tasha Suri

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adventurous emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 🔥 Plot: 8/10
🌻 Characters: 9/10
🛕 Setting: 10/10
✍️ Writing style: Excellent.



“What greater love is there than wanting to lay the world in your beloved's hands?”

I can understand people finding the first book more engaging, but that's defiantly not the case for me.


❤️ Up's:

1) Amazing character development.
2) Intriguing plot
3) Expansion of the word building & India inspired
4) Beautiful writing

What captivated me more in this book than in the other, was how it felt more mature, complex and emotional.

1) For me the biggest charm of this book was the different arcs of the characters, especially Bhumika and Priya. Bhumika still is my favorite character, so no surprise here. It was really fun to see her entering motherhood and being at such hard spot in order to protect her people. But Priya, she had such a good arc here. To her complex relationship with Malini, to the struggle of being an Elder, of not having Bhumika close to her and finally, paying the consequences for her great powers. She and Sima also grew more on me.
This book also made me connect more with the side characters, especially Rao. His relationship with Adtiya was so interesting and gave me some...vibes. Their relationship made realize that I would prefer if Malini and Priya had a slow burn instead. I do like them, but I also don't really care if they don't end up lovers, as some fans want. What I admire more of their relationship is their dark complexity (and the way this book ends, made it better).
Malini keeps being what I wish her to be, so I'm very happy. I really love her "dark" side and her journey was fun to read. She acts and fits well as an Empress and the politics happening around her were so entertained.
We got introduced to Dwarali's women and I just loved them.
Bhumika and Jeevan were so cute, I need them to be happy PLS. And give Rao a break PLS

2) This is where the main event actually happens. The war of Malini taking back the throne. The side conflicts happening were also very intriguing and there were some surprises along the way. The set up for the plot of the next book was very well done, the ending had me begging for me.
I really liked the pace of the book. It's not rushed or slow, Tasha Suri just knows what she wants to tell.

3) The world building kept expanding and I can't help but love this world. It's just fantastic and done with care.

4) Tasha Suri's writing captures and fits the story so well. I said it before, and I will say it again, her writing is not flat or dry, but she also doesn't drag too much to the point of being exhaustive. It's a perfect mix of beautiful and clear words.


💔 Down's:

I don't have a lot to say here honestly, just some things I would like to point out.

1) Chandra could have been more explored.
2) Time is rarely mention.

1) The biggest let down when it comes to characters is, perhaps, Chandra. I think he had a lot of protentional to be something more complex. I was actually expecting him to have more layers than what it was shown about him. I also thought his relationship with Malini (and even Aditya, but mostly Malini) could have been something more grey, not just the hate between them and the desire to kill one another. It felt a bit flat and too simple. But ig, there was no more space for that in the book.

2) I wish there was more mentions about the time. If I remember correctly, time was only mention like 2 times (?) I was a bit lost, because I have no idea how long was this war. Was it like, 5 months? a year? No idea.


✨ Final thoughts:

Loved this sequel. Made me fall in love with more characters and the world. I can't wait to see how this story ends.