So glad I finally got to this! Onto the next book!

The writing is just so beautiful and descriptive and very reminiscent of old fantasy and I loved it! My only complaint is that I wish there was a map cause I got a bit confused about where things were, which annoyed me.

I love Bran and Mel’s relationship! The way they cared for each other was so sweet and adorable!

Vidanric...lol his pale blonde hair reminded me of Draco Malfoy for some reason, and the way he was always trying to hide his amusement got to me and I just loved him! I honestly wish there was a book through his perspective while he was at court planning everything.

I didn’t mind kind of the abrupt battle at the end. We didn’t see most of the fighting, but I felt it was more realistic than seeing a girl who barely knows how to fight beating off the bad guys like a pro. I’m pretty excited to see what happens next at court since I love that stuff so much!

4.5/5 stars!

THIS WAS SO GOOD! I preferred it to Crown Duel, mostly because I love court politics and seeing the inner workings of running a kingdom.

I loved every second of it – from the beginning when Nee was introduced and seeing Bran so happy, to seeing Mel learning about court behaviour and then adapting to court life. And the letters between her and the Unknown and just everything else! It was so cute and perfect and just gave me the right amount of feels.

About half way through the book I was convinced that Mel is demisexual and that made me like 10x more happy and excited to be reading this book! I don't know if its confirmed or anything, but it seemed likely to me, though I could be wrong. I'm going to pretend I'm right though cause I loved how everything was done so well.

The only thing I wish this book had was a map. It kind of made things difficult to picture, and I'm the kind of reader who loves to flip back to maps to see where things are. A map would have definitely helped with the first book.

Overall, I really, really recommend this duology! This will definitely be a book that I'll reread over and over again!

So...this book/play/script shouldn't exist.

I'm honestly shocked at how bad this was. I went in knowing it wasn't going to be good. I had heard really mixed reviews, and most people said that it read like bad fan fiction. But I thought I'd give it a go anyway since I'm probably never going to see the play...All I can say is, I'm glad I wasted my money on this instead of on tickets to see it.

Some people told me that watching the play before reading the script is better, but honestly I can't see why. The entire plot was awful (so, I doubt seeing it acted out would have made it better). It was unnecessary. None of it needed to happen. The first couple scenes were good, but then everything took a turn. Firstly, it was really, really sad. Seeing Harry and Albus' relationship was almost painful, but at the same time it didn't feel right? Like I couldn't see Harry doing/saying half the things he did/said. And the whole thing with the time-turner...I don't know. I just hated everything.

I wasn't a huge fan of Albus. He was okay, and I get his motivations for doing what he did, but he was a bit annoying at times. I understand he's a teenager, but still. I did like Scorpius a lot. He's so cute and awkward and adorable. I hate Snape, so the whole scene where they try to redeem his character, but also highlight how he's great as it is, was just no. It made me roll my eyes. I also didn't like how they characterized Ron – it was an injustice to his character honestly. The whole scene where Harry acknowledges that Dumbledore was not so great was interesting, but I don't know. It honestly felt like the writers were trying to address all the issues everyone had with the series all at once and into one play, and it didn't work.

I know this is a script, so it's not supposed to read like a book and be detailed and stuff, but some things were just too convenient. The second time turner, all the potions ingredients being so readily available, the fact that Scorpius and Albus somehow travelled from Scotland to Godric's Hollow without any money or magic...I'm reaching, yes I know.

The last act was probably my favourite, but only because it was emotional seeing James and Lily and baby Harry. I kind of forgot how horrible of a trainwreck this play was, and just sat here and felt pain. I guess that's the only positive thing about this play. I did feel stuff. I felt horribly sad seeing Harry and Albus' relationship. It broke my heart. And the ending was painful to read, so I can't imagine what it would be like to see it acted out.

If any of you want to see a good play about Harry Potter, don't waste your time reading this or trying to get tickets to see it. Watch A Very Potter Musical. It's like a million times better, it won't make you angry or shocked or disgusted (??? the whole Albus-Ron scene was too weird). And it'll give you all the good feels and laughs you never realized you needed.

AHHHHH so here it is! My most anticipated release of 2018! I know I'm not the only one who's been waiting for Tamora Pierce to publish another book. So, when I plucked up the courage to request an ARC and got accepted, I squealed and did a happy dance *in my head*

Overall, I'm rating this book a solid 4 stars. I will admit that I was expecting to rate this a 5, but unfortunately, there were a few things that didn't live up to my expectations.

Let's start off with what I really liked!

First off...ARRAM DRAPER IS THE MOST ADORABLE, NERDY, ANXIOUS LITTLE (he get's bigger) CINNAMON ROLL I HAVE EVER MET! Honestly, every aspect of him was so relatable and I loved seeing how Numair was like as a child compared to what he's like in the Immortals series. He's so oblivious to some stuff around him, yet he notices other things people don't notice. And he's so smart and powerful, but he doesn't realize it! I loved his relationship with Ozorne and Varice, though I couldn't help constantly wondering what was going to happen to result in what happens after. There are definitely a lot of hints though ;)

Speaking of hints...for those of you who've read Tammy's other books, you'll love this one because of the characters that pop up here and there. Some immortal characters, and others who we meet later on. There are also little things that are mentioned that will make you squeal! Since this book follows Arram's studies at the University in Carthak, you also get to see a lot of his day-to-day life and what he's learning in each of his classes. So, if you like learning more about the magic in Tammy's world, then you'll really love seeing what mages are taught at the University. Having seen what life is like while training to become a knight, I really did enjoy this other perspective. Also, if any of you have read the Circle of Magic books, then there are little things that happen that reminded me a lot of Sandry, Briar, and Tris :)

I loved getting to see more of Carthak and learning more about its history. Compared to the glimpse we get in Emperor Mage, Tempests and Slaughter really goes into a lot, especially about slavery and gladiatorial games. We also delve into some politics both at the government level and at the university level, and I have a feeling we'll be getting more into that in the next book.

But here's what left me feeling a bit disappointed:

This book is kind of slow. Besides the fact that I had finals and the start of a new semester, it took me almost a month to read it. I am a slower reader, but I think a lot of it has to do with the pacing in this book. While I enjoyed seeing what Arram's daily life was like, I also felt like nothing was going on. There isn't much of an overarching plot. It's quite subtle and only hinted at during certain moments, and there are many loose-ends. And while I do understand that Tempests and Slaughter is building up on Numair or Arram's story, I'm more used to Tammy's books doing a bit of both – building up the world and characters, but also introducing the plot pretty early on. Now I know that this book is meant to be read by anyone – aka, you don't have to have read the other books in the Tortall Universe to read this one – so, it explains why this book focused more on building the world and introducing little subplots here and there. I'm definitely expecting more closure and answers in the second book, but because of this, it did take longer to read and I felt a little disappointed.

The ending, especially, was sort of anticlimactic. The entire time I was reading this book I was expecting for something pretty big to happen. And there were multiple times when I was like "ohh, now we're going somewhere", but every time, nothing came of it, or it was brushed aside and there were no answers. If you've read this book, then you might know what I mean. But the last 70 pages or so, I was like "okay, it's going to happen now", and while stuff did happen, it was over really quickly, and we were left with no answers, but a sort of happy ending.

One other thing I want to bring up, is puberty. If you've read Tammy's other books, then this doesn't come as a surprise since she mentions things like breasts and periods and cramps all the time. I did know going into Tempests, that there was going to be some mention of Arram going through puberty, but I guess I wasn't prepared lol. Since I tend to know more stuff about my own body, it was definitely an interesting read. I feel like we don't get much about the guy's side of things in books. Like ever. I don't know any guys who've read this book, but I really would like to know what they think and how they felt. I know seeing Kel get her period in Protector of the Small made me super excited cause of how relatable it was, but I really want to know how guys felt about what Numair went through. Was it relatable? Did they like reading about it? Do they wish this was more talked about it books? I will say though...I am very glad I am girl, despite cramps and periods etc.

Overall, I did enjoy this read. It brought back so many good memories from Tammy's other books, and having known Numair, getting to learn about his past was amazing! I can't wait for the next book! I have a feeling it'll be more fast-paced than this one, and we'll definitely get a lot more answers. Knowing where Arram/Numair ends up, I'm excited (and nervous) to see where the next book will go.

4.5/5 stars!!!

Wow! This book was just amazing.

First of all, I loved all the illustrations – honestly more authors (and publishers) need to do this. I feel like maps and pictures add so much to a story and really help you immerse yourself more in the world.

I absolutely love Ryber as a character and being able to read more about her past (and about Kullen) was just eye-opening and WOW. There are so many things that all add up at the end...THIS IS LITERALLY A MUST READ. I feel like when Bloodwitch comes out, there's going to be a lot of things brought up that readers who haven't read Sightwitch might not understand.

I feel like I now need to sit down and think about everything, cause the plot in this series has gone from "I'm hooked" to "OMG IT IS SO COMPLEX NOW I LOVE IT BUT I'M ALSO CONFUSED AND I NEED ANSWERS AND I NEED TO REREAD THE OTHER BOOKS AND TAKE DETAILED NOTES TO FIGURE THINGS OUT."

The sections that were written through Eridysi's perspective were interconnected with Ryber's story really well. I loved learning more about her, since we don't get much in Truthwitch and Windwitch. This is literally the story of the Paladins, and Eridysi's role in it is so important. But not just that...after reading this, I've come to realize how important Ryber's story is to the rest of the series too. I thought she was more of a side character, but after this...EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED AND I'M IN SHOCK

If you haven't read this book, you're probably confused at this point lol

The only part I didn't enjoy was

Spoiler

Eridysi's relationship with the General. I just didn't really feel like there was something there. The General just smiles and Eridysi is in love and things progress etc. etc. It felt kind of fast and rushed and like we didn't get the whole perspective. Or maybe it's just me...I'm picky when it comes to romance. And while Ryber and Kullen's relationship was built up really nicely, Eridysi's didn't feel the same way. Though, her sections of the book were shorter compared to Ryber's.

Overall, if you are a fan of The Witchlands, this is definitely a must read! I now kind of want to reread Truthwitch and Windwitch and then Sightwitch again to prepare for Bloodwitch. I think we're in for some pain and shock. Also...forgot to add this, but KULLEN??????? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS.

3/5 stars

Well, the plot is interesting enough, but I honestly hate most of the characters. The romance is not believable at all. Juliette’s obsession with wanting to be touched by Adam makes me roll my eyes. There’s too much touching honestly, and too much staring at each other. Kenji annoyed me most of the time. Warner is horrible and I don’t understand why people like him. James is precious and needs to be protected at all costs. I like Castle. Definitely love the diversity. That “Moto” scene where Juliette calls it Winston was A+++. Brenden is great and so are the twins. I guess things picked up closer to the end. It became more plot focused. I have Destroy Me as well, so I guess I’ll read it, even though I hate Warner a lot. This is a great review, good job Sakina

2.5/5

Ugh I don’t know. Maybe I just like my villains to be pure evil. I just can’t help but roll my eyes cause of course a girl would make him feel emotions and empathy. He still seems more of a psychopath whose obsessed with Juliette and is confusing it with love? I don’t know. I’ve heard the rest of the series gets better though...

So...I am still in shock.

This book was just incredible! If you're looking for...
1) A good historical fiction
2) With plenty of twists and turns
3) A plot that will constantly surprise you
4) A character (or characters) who you'll hate as much as you hate Umbridge
5) But, other awesome characters who need to be protected at all costs (*cries cause my precious Thaddeus and Lady Anne*)

...then definitely pick this up! Thank you to so much to HarperCollins Canada for sending me this review copy!

I've been meaning to pick up more historical fiction, especially since I'm no longer in university, so I can't take history courses for fun :( This book was right up my alley cause it focuses on the Black Death of 1348! I took a course called Zombie Apocalypse, and we started off the class discussing about the Black Death, how it was transmitted, and how it actually arrived on British shores. We read quite a few primary sources that showed what happened to different towns and cities, and the measures that were taken to try and stop the plague from spreading. It really opened my eyes to how lucky we are to have good health care policies and health education, which was severely lacking during the Middle Ages. What immediately drew me to this book was that it opens up with some passages from the same primary sources I read! It made me so excited to see something that I had learned in class, but now in the format of a story.

This is the first book I've read by Minette Walters, and I have to say her writing just flowed so well, making it really fast and easy to read! I tend to have issues with historical fiction, because they can be a bit dense, but this book had me flying through the pages (when I did have time to read lol blame school). There were a few parts that were confusing...mostly descriptions of things that Thaddeus was doing in the latter part of the book. But I think that was mostly cause I don't really know how peasant houses are built and how certain locks work lol...but it wasn't too distracting from the whole story.

Plot-wise, this book took me on a whirlwind! I literally went into this book expecting lots of talk of death and black pustules and people crying out in pain and naked corpses and decaying bodies, etc. etc. And while there is some of that, it's so much more complex then that.

(Also...I should add here. Trigger Warnings for rape and self-harm. There's also some gruesome details about the Black Death, that may be difficult for some people to read. They weren't too graphic, but a lot is implied).

The entire time I was reading this book, I called it the "plague book", but in reality, this book focuses so much on the human character and how people react in difficult situations. I really loved seeing the contrast between the estate of Develish and how they survived the plague compared to the other neighbouring communities in Dorsetshire.

Most of this comes down to Lady Anne, one of the main characters. Her knowledge about the spread of diseases and infections (all thanks to her education at the abbey she grew up in) really made an enormous difference when it came to saving the people of Develish from a similar fate. Her more "modern" outlook on life – especially in regards to treating peasants as equals – was definitely different and not really a norm during that time period, but I really enjoyed seeing a strong, female character standing up for what she believes in, despite being surrounded by annoying men, who think they're better just because of their sex.

Thaddeus, the other main character in this book, is a bastard son of one of the families in Develish. Not a lot is known about his past – especially since his mother refuses to say who his father is – but having been brought up and taught by Lady Anne, he's definitely different from the other men. I loved how strong and determined and intelligent Thaddeus is. His ability to see things from different points of views, and being able to come up with solutions on the spot had me internally cheering for him. He works so hard and does so much for the people of Develish, and is constantly thinking about others rather than himself. He's just a pure character, and sometimes you need characters like that. The ending had me a bit worried for him, but since there's supposed to be a second book, I hope things are resolved.

I should add that the POVs in this book were written in a very interesting way. Usually I'm used to each chapter being from a different perspective, and while this book did switch settings in between chapters, it also switched POVs within chapters. I don't think I've read a book like this before, but surprisingly it worked really well because each character had such an individual voice, it wasn't too jarring or confusing.

For example...there would be a seen where Hugh de Courtesmain (the steward of Develish) would be talking to Lady Anne, and the internal monologue would switch from him to Lady Anne. It was actually kind of interesting to see Lady Anne's perspective as Hugh lied to her (lol he does that a lot), so I actually liked this form of writing!

The only problem I had with this POV style were the boys. There's a group of boys – the sons of the leading serf men – who all go with Thaddeus on the hunt for more food. And though each character is somewhat different from the other, their voices got kind of muddled for me. Sometimes I'd get confused who was who, especially since two of the boys are twins. The main thing I got from the boys was that Ian is a good leader and does the job well, Peter can handle dogs really well, but he and the other boys are all whiny and constantly complaining and never listening to Thaddeus. They were a bit annoying to read about, cause they constantly frustrated me, but it was also more realistic seeing the conflict between Thaddeus and the boys, especially considering that these boys are teenagers and struggling with what's happening to their world because of the plague.

Before I talk about Eleanor...she's definitely a character that deserves an entire essay...I want to talk a bit about the historical accuracy. I'm not an expert on this by no means, but I really liked the bits that Minette Walters added. Especially the parts of how because of the plague, there wouldn't be enough people left to farm the lands and produce the food needed to feed the lords and ladies and other rich folk. Lady Anne's belief that after the plague, many serfs would be able to buy their freedom, especially if they were skilled in a certain craft or could read/write, is very historically accurate. The plague opened a lot of opportunities for the peasants who did survive and changed a huge part of the social structure during the Middle Ages.

Okay, onto Eleanor. I really, really, really hate her character. She's one of those characters you can't help being drawn to cause they're so horrible, but you also revel in hating her cause of that. She's petty and stupid, and while she's not completely 100% at fault for everything (we can blame her father for a lot of this), her refusal to see sense even when given proof, really made me angry. She deserves a painful death and I have no sympathy for her character. Despite what was revealed at the end, I did not feel any different towards her character. The book did leave off with an incomplete ending to her story, so I'm looking forward to seeing what's going to happen to her in the next book.

Overall, I'm rating this a 4.5/5 stars! Really, really recommend this book!

I don't even know how to review this

This was a beautifully written, but creepy read and I really enjoyed it! The illustrations were amazing, though I wish I could have read the physical book instead of the ebook. It did get me out of my reading slump though!