amywrites's reviews
395 reviews

Dragon Age: Dark Fortress, by Nunzio DeFilippis, Christina Weir

3.0

And the story is finished. It was pretty confusing at times, but I think it was a good ending to it all.

Spoiler

I'm so sad over Ser Aaron!

Dragon Age: Blue Wraith, by Nunzio Defilippis, Christina Weir

adventurous dark

3.0

 I really enjoyed seeing Fenris (especially since I'm current replaying DA2), but his character seemed... off? It was interesting to see him interacting with a new group of characters. 

Dragon Age: Deception, by Nunzio DeFilippis

adventurous dark

3.0

This was an alright story, but not my favourite in the series. It's interesting to see all the characters come together and I enjoyed seeing Dorian.

I really didn't like Olivia. I know they're only short stories, but I couldn't connect with her like I could the others. I liked Calix, though.

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries, by Heather Fawcett

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Is it too early to decide that this is going to be my favourite book of 2023?

I can't remember that last time I was so excited to read a book. All it took was seeing one TikTok mention it and I was sold!

Written in the form of journal entries (Emily's and, at times, Wendell's), it's really not a format I read a whole lot of - but I ended up really enjoying it.

Emily is such a quirky character. She's an academic through and through, awkward in social settings but a master when it comes to her work. I can relate quite a bit to her (especially when it comes to other's emotions - how does one respond to tears?). She's hilarious in her interactions, though she doesn't mean to be.

And Wendell! Oh my good gracious! I adore him. He's just the perfect fit for a personality like Emily's and I absolutely love their relationship. (As soon as he exclaimed 'away with you, woollen rat!' to a sheep - which is one of his first lines - I was sold.)

The book has a wonderful cast of characters who come to life through their interactions with the odd professors. They fit so perfectly in their places and really capture that 'secluded village' vibe.

The descriptions in the book are so beautiful that I found myself reading them over again. There are also a handful of faerie stories throughout the book which really give light to Emily's research and the relationship between the faeries and their love of stories. I also pleasantly surprised to see footnotes throughout the novel.

Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins Volume II, by Matt Mercer, Jody Houser, Critical Role

dark funny sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

The art really developed between volumes one and two. I'm glad we got to see Percy and Pike added to the group. It was fun seeing the interactions between the characters as they came to the group. 

Critical Role Vox Machina: Origins Volume 1, by Matthew Colville, Matthew Mercer, Critical Role

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

As someone who loves the show and is just getting into watching Critical Role, I loved seeing the backstories of the characters. It was interesting to see how they all met each other and came to be a group.

Daughter of the Shadows, by Kerry Chaput, Kerry Chaput

3.0

 This is the second book in a series and I really loved the first. It really detailed the suffering that the Huguenots where put through by the French monarchy and Catholic church. From the very start, Isabelle is a very strong young woman - and that carries over into this book as she learns to fight from Naria, a Huron woman.

I felt this book was very dialogue heavy and lacked some of the charm of description of the first book. It didn't grip me as much, but I loved seeing the characters we got to know previous (ohh, Kerry Chaput is good at writing villains that stick with you!)

I'm interested in seeing where the third book goes now that the characters have so much more on the line.

[Thank you to the lovely author for an ARC of this title] 

Dragon Age: Knight Errant, by Michael Atiyeh, Fernando Heinz Furukawa, Nunzio DeFilippis, Christina Weir

3.0

Vaea was an interesting character and I would love to see more of her in the future. And, omg, I'm always there for Varric 

Dragon Age: Magekiller, by Various, Dave Marshall, Michael Atiyeh, David Gaider, Carmen Carnero, Greg Rucka

3.0

I really wasn't that invested in the new characters, though it was interesting to see them as magekillers. I found the story was pretty choppy and jumped around a bit. 

Until We Sleep, by Alexander Freed, Chad Hardin, David Gaider

adventurous dark fast-paced

4.0

I loved seeing the characters in the Fade and for Alistair to finally have some interaction with his father. And, of course, Varric's storytelling is perfect.