Monsters do exist. The humans working to destroy them are way more dangerous.
A heartbreaking betrayal cost Sam Wentworth a beloved member of her monster team, and she’s determined it won’t happen again. Humans suck.
All Sam wants is to grieve alone with the surviving members of her team, but she has information people will kill for. Now she’s stuck between a delusional girl obsessed with an imaginary monster, an overbearing descendent of the game’s creator, and a violent hate group determined to end Maiyamon for good.
The last thing she wants is to expose her team again. But Sam doesn’t have much choice when she uncovers a plot to remove all monsters from the world. She’s going to need allies if she wants to protect her Gems, even if she can’t bring herself to trust them.
Kay MacLeod is a fantasy addict from Nottinghamshire in England. She loves magical worlds and spends much more time in them than that boring real one.
If Kay isn’t writing, or thinking about writing, she’ll be immersed in reading, gaming, playing bass at church, or painting miniatures. She grew up addicted to Terry Pratchett books, Magic: The Gathering, and lording it over her fellow nerds as the DM in Dungeons & Dragons games. Fortunately, this gave her plenty of storytelling practice and made her grateful that all the characters do as they’re told now other people aren’t controlling them.
Kay’s gaming experience shines through in her works, from the Pokemon-inspired Maiyamon books to her epic fantasy, which readers say has a hint of a Dragon Age tale.
With character development at the heart of each story, they’re backed up by distinctive magic systems and a dash of sarcastic humour that gives Kay MacLeod her unique voice.
Audio re-read review: I received a free audio copy from the author and voluntarily reviewed it.
I am so happy I got the chance to listen to The Amethyst Panda. I really enjoyed my first read of this book and re-reading it was possible even more enjoyable. Not only is the narrated great, I also liked the fresh look I had now that I already read this book.
Just like the first time around I really enjoyed the Maiyamom battles, the twists and turns the story took and most of all seeing how far Sam comes in this book. She really struggles at the start, but that was easier to handle now that I knew what was coming. And seeing how she develops and grows throughout this book is amazing to see.
The narrator does an awesome job with this book. I really liked her voices for the different characters, as well as Rica, her Rica voice is so fun! Listening to this book adds another dimension and I am really happy I got to listen to this book as well. Can't wait for the next book!
Original review: I received a free copy from the author and voluntarily reviewed it.
I really enjoyed The Carnelian Fox and even read it twice already (once as ebook and once as audio) before book 2 even released and I happily jumped into book 2 when my copy arrived. The Amethyst Panda is an awesome sequel. It has more of the same what the first book had, more fights, more adventure, more characters and more monsters. And at the same time also builds on book 1 really well and dives deeper into a lot of a topics. It was such a great read and by the end I am again left wanting more.
The Amethyst Panda starts off in a bit of a bleak spot, Sam is in a tough spot after what happened at the end of book 1 and she has to deal with another setback as the book starts. Sam's development and change in this book is one of my favorite parts. She's in this difficult place, she's hurting and just a bit broken, she doesn't trust people anymore and struggles to deal with the loss she experienced. And then slowly she starts to heal, there are some awesome scenes and I love how she found new friends and people who were there for her and helped her along. And the scene at the end of the book was so emotional and touching and I loved what a perfect ending of the book it is and how it wraps up part of Sam's journey.
Sam has some important information, or at least people think she has this information, and this brings her into trouble. She finds new people to travel with, meets some more new people along the way and some characters from the first book make a return as well. I kinda liked how this book mostly featured a different group of characters than book 1. I wasn't quite sure what to think of one of the new characters we meet as she rubbed me the wrong way at times, but I love how this author writes such realistic characters that feel real and I can understand why they act a certain way. Even Sam has her moment where she can be a bit judgmental, but I loved how she admitted some of her mistakes in this one when she got a different perspective.
This book has a different vibe than the first and at the same time is a good continuation. This book has a slightly darker vibe, but that fit with what Sam went through and I liked how we really see how these events from book 1 impact her. One of my minor issues with book 1 was that some events lacked a bit of impact, but this book doesn't have that issue at all, we really feel the depth of her emotions and troubles and her mistrust of other people. And then slowly seeing her starts to heal a bit was great. This book also is a bit slower paced and more characters focused than book 1 and I liked that. It really gave the author the chance to dive deeper into Sam's personality and I felt like I understood her better and why she did certain things in this book.
There are still plenty of epic monster battles as well in this book and I like how the author writes the action scenes, they are all so easy to visualize and engaging to read. I liked how there was a good mix of between the action and story driven parts and more characters focused parts in this book.
I can't write a review of this book without mentioning the monsters. I loved getting to know Sam's Gems more in this book. Rica, the red panda who is on the cover of this book, really is the star of this book. And after listening to the audio of book 1 I can't help but hear her voice in my head when she talks to Sam. She has so much personality and I also like how she's there for Sam and how she helps Sam in her own way. There's also more of Finn, Sam's fox and first gem, and ofcourse Sev who still likes to cuddle. There are some struggles with Dew due to his berserker trait and we get to know Vortex more too. We only met him late last book, so it was nice to see more of him here. Then there are the Gems of the other characters Sam meets. I liked how it was easier in this book to keep track of who everyone was and who their Gems were.
There's some great build-up to a big event and battle toward the end of the book. While I was pretty sure about part of the direction it would go to, there are some surprises along the way. I like how it all got resolved and it was awesome seeing the big fight and results of it at the end of the book. It was a great way to wrap up the story and leaves me eager for more.
There is more we see of the world and how the monsters changes things as well as Alfie's Saviors who want to destroy all monsters. I enjoyed seeing more of the world and how the author explores it in a way that makes sense.
To summarize: I think book 2 might be even better than the first. I really enjoyed this book. It starts off with Sam in a rough spot and struggling after what happened at the end of book 1 and then slowly we starts seeing her heal, which was great to see. I really liked the focus on Sam's character and how she deals with everything that happened to her. This book has a slightly darker tone than book 1 with more focus on Sam's struggles and more character driven than book 1. I liked the balance between the story and action as well as the more character focused parts. There are again some cool fight scenes and I like how the author writes those and how easy to visualize they are. There is some build-up toward this big event at the end of the book, which made for an epic conclusion of this book, while also leaving me eager for more. I enjoyed seeing more of Sam's Gems and seeing them change and develop alongside her. There are some great new side characters as well and I like how all the characters feel realistic, even tough they might not always be likable, I could understand why they acted that way. All in all this was an awesome sequel and I can't wait for more of this series!
After reading the first installment of this series, ‘The Carnelian Fox’, I have been hanging out to read The Amethyst Panda. I was not disappointed. This book moved me, making me laugh and cry (sometimes at the same time). I felt for Sam and was completely absorbed in the story. I can’t wait to read the next one!
Set just a short time after the end of the first novel, we dive into the repercussions that Sam faces after the battle at the end of the first book.
Facing some very real and deep issues this book follows Sam as she is caught up with a whole new set of characters all the while struggling to move on after facing loss in a number of ways.
If you haven’t read the first book I recommend you get yourself a copy and read it through to get the full picture.
*I received a free copy of this book prior to release in order to leave a review. My review is completely unbiased and of my own opinion.
I really appreciate how much mental health is explored in this book. In so many fantasy situations the characters are constantly dealing with horrific and traumatic events, with practically no lasting affects or toll on their mental and physical health. In The Amethyst Panda, Sam is dealing with the fall out of what happened in book one. Everything is still tender and emotional pain flairs up throughout.
Stepping away from the inner conversation, the Maiyamon battles are just as fun, the new characters are interesting and the new info we learn about all sides (the creation of the monsters, Alfie's Saviours, character motivations etc) means this book doesn't even come close to the dreaded 'second book syndrome' - but rather it builds and expands the universe. You will feel sad and raw, laugh at Sam and Rico's interactions, be shocked by plot twists and will be begging for book three!
'The Amethyst Panda' by Kay Macleod Genre: Fantasty
About The Book: Sam is struggling to overcome the loss of one of her beloved monsters. She wants to stay away from those who appear responsible for all the pain in the world = humans. Yet, she soon finds out that a group of evil people want to destroy all the monsters forever and she can not allow that to happen.
My Review: Thank you Kay for providing me with the opportunity of being a Beta reader for you. This novel connects brilliantly to the first story. This story is also as inventive and creative as the first one. I feel Kay has done an excellent job showing the experience of grief/bereavement/loss. I could really feel the heartache Sam was going through and how that was impacting her everyday life.
Also, I could feel the love and connection Sam has for her gems especially for Fin and Rica. I love how Rica's cheeky personality shines through and she often makes me smile. The gems have a wonderful mixture of cuteness, intelligence and the ability to fight. In addition, I like how the ending brought some conclusions together yet left an open door for the possibility for another novel in the series.
The only small downside for me; was that I found the battle scences were too long and over descriptive at times.
Triggers - Violence
Congratulations Kay on another brilliant novel. I look forward to your upcoming work. If you haven't already, please read book one in this series first to fully appreciate this book. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys the fantasy genre.
Disclaimer: My Book Reviews are based on my own opinions and experiences only.
This was so fun! It was really great to see Sam processing the events of the last book and how she dealt with things going forward. I also loved getting to see more of the world and more of Rica... I just really love Rica.
The Amethyst Panda improves on ever problem I had with the first book. More character, more depth, more Maiyamon, more history, and Sam grew into a more complex character than she was. There were small things I'd harp on, but they were just that, small.
There isn't much I can say without spoiling events from either book, so I will say this - I look forward to the next novel.
This was a fun, easy read and a good sequel to The Carnelian Fox! Due to the biggest reading slump of my life as well as a shitload of university work, it took me wayyyyy too long to finish and even longer to write this review: but here I am!
This book continues to follow Sam and her gems on their journey. I did feel like I missed some of the Gem-quests-competition action, compared to the first book. Of course, there were some of those scenes, and I do realize that the ”lack” of them was due to the other plot points in this book! Speaking of, I did enjoy the route this book took! It is, in many ways, darker than the first book, which I enjoyed. Sometimes, though, I felt like we got too little information - for one, I would have loved to know more about Sam - and I felt throughout the reading that I sometimes missed stuff - but that is completely attributable to myself, since I wasn’t really in the right headspace while reading. It is also possible that it was in part due to the fact that when I started reading this book, I felt like I would have needed a reread of The Carnelian Fox. That said, I feel like it would be a great experience to binge read this series!
I really enjoyed Rica being the sassy lil panda she is! I think I highlighted numerous quotes of hers that made me laugh, she’s awesome. I kind of missed the others Gems though - especially Finn. As I said, though, Rica was amazing.
As always, I apologize for the messy review. I’ll let you go with a few quotes I highlighted that deeply resonated with me;
”Humans are all backstabbing, self-absorbed, useless idiots.”
”Ugh hydration sucked, why couldn’t my body live on pop alone?”
”You need to be as forgiving with yourself as you would be with someone else, okay?”
”Love isn’t always grabbing on and never letting go.”
I was kindly sent an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review - I’m sorry it’s so late!
Sam is heartbroken she lost one of her monster team and can't put it past her. Because of that she loses her status as a prime and the money that comes with the title. The remaining 5 members of her team are there for her but she just has so much sadness. She meets a judge and he tries to help her work through her issues. She starts traveling and meets up with a brother/sister and tries to help them on their quest because she knows they could be seriously hurt. Through their travels they have encounters with some good and bad people and you start to learn more about the main characters. This is a story of friendship and looking out for ne another, I really loved this book. I was given an ARC at my request and this is my honest review.
The long awaited book 2 to Maiyamon is no disappointment. All the fun battles are there and the travels with Battle Primes too. But Amethyst Panda is different, first Sam has grown so much and she is reeling with grief from the death of her close friend and one her Gems. Also having walked out on a questionable friendship with someone, Sam finds herself alone and questioning her decision to continue being a Prime. So begins her journey in book 2. Rica her panda gem is at her side giving her advise and trying to help move Sam forward through her depression and grief. Sam has real issues with trust when she meet some amazing and some possibly questionable people who try to help her out but it's a tough climb up out of that hole of grief. Kay MacLeod masterfully handles the issue of grief, loss, trust and the power to believe in oneself at this time in Sam's life. Kay shows there is help even if it doesn't look like it, even old friends can sometimes give you support and new friends may be a blessing is disguise, even if it seems otherwise. Kay MacLeod's characters are so fleshed out they seem real and her world building has so many dimensions. Kay actually goes a little into how Sam's world was created and why and the purpose of gems, it's such a fascinating concept. There are challenges and some old enemies are back to put an end to the gems. The ending is great and it reads as if the story is complete but could there be another book, Just maybe. There is one loose thread left.
Mistakes: I skipped large chunks of this book. I got tired of all the emotionally charged drama.
Plot: Pokemon Go, emotional drama, protecting an Ancient.
Characters:The MC spent to much time on her feelings and second guessing herself for me to enjoy this book. Doesn't mean that others won't enjoy this level of character growth. Just to much for me.
Even if you are not a gamer this book will please you
Book 2(the conclusion)of Kay Macleod's gamelit masterpiece flesh's out the game and contains notes on where those interested can both develop skills and play. A satisfactory end of the story is included.
Better pacing than its predecessor and overall very enjoyable. Some of the dialogue feels a bit off and I'm not really a fan of the Protag and the titular panda if I'm being honest. Was happy to see Lucy again, and I hope for future installments in the series.