Oh I COMPLETELY agree!!!! I don’t understand why there even needs to be a “disclaimer”! I mean I do understand because there are people in this world who are ridiculous and can’t fathom that someone could not like a book they like and feel the need to be dicks about it!!! But no one should apologise for it. Love your attitude Sam!!!!!!!
FINALLY someone who isn't raving about Children of Blood and Bone. I thought it was just forgetful and predictable '-' I'll probably read the next one if I can get it cheap on Kindle, but I'm not excited for this series.
I feel exactly the same way about Children of B&B and Shadowsong. Both I had HIGH expectation for and was sooo disappointed. We always have such similar tastes.. I always feel confident in your recommendations.
Children of Blood and Bone was also disappointing for me. It was SO hyped and I put off reading it for a good 6 months after its release, but when I got into it I couldn't get over the obvious Avatar-isms. I thought the extent of the inspiration was going to be the clans and the special powers, not entire plot points like the prison. The flip-floppy character motivations and the insta-love also got me down. I don't honestly know if I'm excited for the sequel =/
I felt the same way about COBAB. I haven’t finished it yet because the amount of borrowing from Avatar and the rushed writing bothered me, but I plan to finish it will lower expectations the second time around.
I totally agree that CoBaB gets worse as time passes. I'm interested to see what happens in the sequel because I think Adeymi can grow as an author and as a person but I have some serious doubts.
Hate me all you want, but I legit do not understand the hype around Children of Blood & Bone. I tried it, I gave it a hundred pages, and I DNF-ed. Something about it just bugged me.
The Cruel Prince was another one that was really hyped but I was disappointed by it. I think there were a lot of things in it that were messy or underdeveloped, and it was lackluster despite how hyped it was. I ended up giving it 3 stars and I think I'll read book 2 out of curiosity to see what's next. But it didn't live up to the hype for me.
I agree that the cruel prince wan't as good as Holly's other books, but it seemed kind of like it was leading up to the second book. I just got the wicked king and am going to see if it lives up to it's potential
Impatiently waiting for your favorite/least favorite couples video. I love those. Also, I appreciate how honest you are with your reviews. Some people just give a book 5 stars because of the hype, but I trust your opinion.
The romance killed COBAB for me, once I started thinking about why I didn’t like it, I couldn’t stop thinking about other things that didn’t work for me and my opinion of the book just went lower and lower. I don’t plan on continuing the series sadly.
I think she lost a lot of respect when she accused another author of stealing her book title. I haven't read her book yet (I do have it though) but am debating on even reading it now......
@@StaciBarrett Once I read the article about her attacking the author because she had a similar title (in addition to bad reviews), I figured I wouldn't bother.
I use to love watching these disappointing wrap ups from various booktubers. Now I just watch to see if my book is on one. What a terrifying 12 minutes.
My most disappointing reads of 2018 were: - Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (the way she talked about adoption was so offensive. Apparently Ng thinks that only birth mothers are "real" mothers, yikes) - The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty (the ending rendered the whole book irrelevant) - Lullaby by Leila Slimani (whole pile of nope) - Dress Codes for Small Towns by Courtney Stevens (so many people rave about this book but I don't get it) - The Surface Breaks by Louise O'Neill (really wanted to like this one but it was the most unsubtle thing ever) - Uprooted by Naomi Novik (I know you love it but omg I had to DNF it, I was so bored) Thank you for that disclaimer, we need more no-nonsense acceptance of opinions on booktube 😂
Children of Blood and Bone and The Poppy War were my most disappointing reads of 2018. I DNF’d CBB which surprised me because I was hype for it for such a long time but everything about it was poorly written to me. Also I abhor Inan as a character, and I couldn’t read through his stuff anymore, especially because of the way she set him up as the love interest. And The Poppy War fell apart after the first half of the book, so it really disappointed me because I was having so much fun but then the second half came and it turned from a fantasy school story in the first half to a trauma porn story with uninteresting magic.
Trauma porn story Fair enough:") i must be those kind of people who enjoy reading trauma then because i found the suffering of our main character make her even more likable how
Maharani Apta I mean I just felt like she wasn’t characterized enough where I felt any emotional connection to the characters. So when they are going through the things, it read like it was just there to be traumatic. And the main character stopped driving the story after like the first half. Everything just starts happening to her, decisions are made for her and she takes a very passive approach to the story, so what drew me in, her determination and strong will to become better than she was were so lacking in the second half of the story that it made me dislike her
For COBAB, I remember rating it 5 stars, but now I would probably rated it 3 or 4. It was a book I did really enjoy and I still plan on reading the sequel (unless it gets bad reviews) cause I feel it could still be approved, but it did get really fan ficy at times. A usually don't read books for romance anyway but even then the romance was very noticable what couple it was supposed to represent in Avatar (one that's not canon for that matter) and it was distracting to say the least when your a fan of said series. But I know the author said she was extremely inspired by Avatar, so at least she admits it, but I hope it becomes less obvious as the series goes on. Amari was my favorite of the three povs as I feel she was the most consistant.
I listened to the Children of Blood and Bone audiobook, I think that's what made me love it so much. I went in blind, not knowing what the book was about, before the hype started. I really loved the narrator, I can still hear her voice saying some lines of the lines in my head and I finished it pretty much right after it was released (almost a year ago). I understand why it felt the way it did for you, I'd be more critical too if I had higher expectations going into it.
I actually preferred Our Dark Duet to This Savage Song! Just shows how people’s tastes differ 😊. I’m wanting to give COBAB a go this year bc I’ve heard so many 5 star reviews, excited to see what I think!
I'm so surprised!! I read Children of Blood and Bone after your video about most anticipated books in 2018. It sounded amazing - & the cover 😍. I listened to it. The narrator is one of my all time fav and because of her, I really enjoyed it - initially. Then I couldn't stop thinking about it and the more I did so, the less I found I enjoyed it. I recently changed my rating from 5 stars to 3. It is lovely but not quite amazing.
I have that same scarf and I can never get it to look that good!!!! I think I need to look on Pinterest and learn how to tie scarfs to look as good as yours!!!
I love watching vids like this! Some of my most disappointing reads in 2018 were: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black - 2 Stars The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner - 2 Stars The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima - 2 Stars The Long Walk by Stephen King - 2 Stars
My theory is the reason why the MC in blood and bone forgives her enemies is because they save her. After the sister saves her MC forgives her , after brother saves her MC forgives him.
I agree with you on your points on Our Dark Duet, but I also didn't like This Savage Song :'D It was just not for me as a series, and I'm so scared to try anything else by her, because most book tubers I share a lot of opinions with didn't enjoy A Darker Shade of Magic... Maybe one day I'll give her another try And also yes, you are also consistent with me and my other favorite you tubers in that I am happy to see that some people agree that Children of Blood and Bone was NOT that good :'D I felt it was just a Zutara fanfic and I absolutely hated the main love story, it had so many problems. I love its representation, but it just was not a great book. I mean, it was good, but not great.
I'm sick so I need some good book tea. Great video, I love your gripe videos. My disappointing read was Craze by And Jaxon, typical new adult romance with a horrible, abusive love interest.
I had the same experience with the Monsters of Verity duology - loved This Savage Song, suuuuuper let down by Our Dark Duet (including that title, good lord). And it was funny because I saw a lot of people who didn't really enjoy the first one, but still wanted to read the sequel and loved it more.
The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang-dnf’d it a little over the halfway mark. Ugh. I just... no. There were so many things wrong: MAJOR pacing issues, lack of character development, plot holes/problems galore, and dialogue that didn’t seem to match the time period she was trying to write, as well as a slew of strange choices that made me feel as if this was a book that hadn’t quite finished cooking in the creative oven. Like perhaps the author wasn’t quite mature enough yet as a writer to tell this story or else the publisher just pushed the book out before it was anywhere near ready. I’d been looking forward to it too, because everyone apparently loved it (HOW??), but I was so disappointed by all the problems and it never got better. Don’t think I’ll be continuing on with the rest of this book or the series. :/
Girls of Paper and Fire, Uprooted, and Ready Player One were my most disappointing reads of 2018. Unpopular opinion, I'm sure, but I did enjoy them (they got 3 stars), they just didn't live up to the hype for me. Also, CoBaB, while I liked it, also didn't live up to its hype because of how formulaic the plot was and the instalove.
I love your honesty... there are a lot of books you mentioned i agree with. I am very honest with my reviews, if I do not like a book I will say so. I often change my mind over time...when I think back on a book I sometimes think I review from the hype rather than my own opinion
I had children of blood and bone on my TBR such a long time and I was not reading it, I didn't know why 😀 every time I was like "meeeh I'll do it another time". now I see, it was gut feeling!
I share your feelings on Our Dark Duet. The first book I swallowed on the wave of my fascination with Viscious and the Shades of Magic trilogy, and it was good, but I don't think I even got to 3/4 of ODD.
FINALLY someone who didn’t enjoy children of blood and bone as much either. I found it disappointing as well. Plotwise more ore less forgettable and standard ya characters.
I know EXACTLY what you mean about Children of Blood and Bone. I thought I just wasn't reading it at the right time, but the more I think about it the less I was thrilled about it. It just felt kind of trope-y and I hated the romances. Like, there was NO point to them.
omg Immortal Reign when I saw it on your list I was like man I still have to read that, then I went to add it to my want to read list on goodreads and I've read it, I completely forgot that I read it this year...yikes.
Felt the same way about COBAB . At first I was so excited that finally Nigerian mythology was getting its chance to shine both oh my when I saw its execution it really hurt.
I love that you're unapologetic about your reviews. I don't like when people have to review a book and they feel the need to put in disclaimers. I'm like NO... give me the tea girl! I want to the good, the bad and the ugly with my books. Even if it's a book that I like I want to hear people tell me what they didn't like about it cause that makes you a more critical reader.
Could not agree more with ur thoughts on Children of Blood and Bone- I might continue with the series...if the second book goes up for sale on kindle or something lol Honestly debating keeping the first book on my shelves. One one hand, pretty expensive hardback with an embossed cover, on the other hand, book I don’t really care about taking up space.
Since reading Children of Blood and Bone, the more I think about the instalove and subsequent “relationship” the more I dislike it. Maybe if Zelie gets a new love interest that would help but I kinda doubt that will end up happening.
Girl, how you felt about "Children of Blood and Bone" is EXACTLY how I felt with "The Poppy War" - i gave it like 3.5 stars? (which, people were SHOCKED by that) and even that felt high, and as time went on, the more and more I ended up hating it until it was eventually in my Most Disappointing Books list. Books being THAT hyped up and continuing to be hyped up like... idk how ANY of them can live up to it!
I liked the poppy war but i didn't feel it was the best book ever or anything but EVERYONE raaaaaved abt it maybe it's bc i could tell that rin was gonna turn out to be.....like That
This is barely related to the main topic of the video, but THANK YOU for acknowledging that the first two books in Shades of Magic are not that good. I definitely feel the same way about Victoria Schwab as you do: sometimes her books are a hit, and sometimes it's a big miss.
Children of Blood and Bone for me felt like a really bad Zutara fan fiction. I tried to read it twice and I just can't force myself to continue. So disappointing 😰
1. Totally with you on Children of blood and Bone. First person multi-perspective storytelling should not be a thing, at least in fantasy land, in my humble opinion. 2. I didn't have a ton of let downs this year. Instead, it was full of surprises. But my two major let downs are Dark Places. After Gone Girl and Sharp Objects, I expected more mind screwy than I actually got. The other letdown was The Smoke Thieves. I No, thanks.
Shadowsong really disappointed me too. I was like, where's the plot? Where's the development in character relationships? I can't even remember if the Goblin King was actually in it...
I had to stop reading Children of Blood and Bone because it’s another one of the post-Throne of Glass fantasies: girl with a rare, ultimate power must liberate magic and/or the people from an evil king. So sick of this trope at this point, and I was majorly let down when I was reading COBAB. We need new fantasy stories, authors! Not the same, damn one!
An Ember in the Ashes was such a disappointment. Also, Siege and Storm. I’ll probably continue both series, but I definitely had high expectations going into them.
My most disappointing read of last year was The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Everyone seems to think it’s the best thing since sliced bread, but it wasn’t for me. The ending made me rage. - Nici
I had a fantastic reading year, so I didn't have much in the way of disappointing reads. I was a bit disappointed by Every Heart a Doorway. I know, I know! *gasp* The characters and storyline just didn't appeal to me as strongly as I had hoped. I didn't exactly dislike it, but I have zero interest in continuing the series. I'll just listen to you gush about them. 😊
"Winter Glass" - the sequel to "Spindle Fire" - was my most disappointing 2018 read. The first book had its flaws, but I had an overall enjoyment of it and was plain curious about how certain things would turn out. But "Winter Glass" just dropped the ball for me, in rushing things, tying stuff up in a slapdash manner, etc.
I really didn't care for The Natural Way of Things, which I had seen all over the pace at the beginning of last year. The writing wasn't gripping and I ended up DNFing it at page 125 after trying my hardest to get through.
My disappointing reads were: Being Fishkoll, Heart of Iron, Pitch Dark, Boomerang, and A Court of Frost and Starlight. I DNF'd Not Even Bones, Sanctuary, Dread Nation, and The Belles.
Well crap. Part of the merit of This Savage Song is that it didn’t have the obligatory YA tropey romance. And then she caves into it in Our Dark Duet? Bummer. And yeah, COBAB was okay. Good bits and bad bits. Neither great nor awful. 3 for me.
I totally agree about Immortal Reign (and the last half of that series). I bought and binged the ENTIRE Falling Kingdoms series like 5 months back and was overall very disappointed. The first three were AWESOME! My favorite was either 1 or 2. After those three though the plot just KEPT ON REPEATING. I don’t want to spoil so imma go down here Some one would get kidnapped, their lover would leave safety to the wind and go after them. OH but she wasn’t kidnapped though, and now the lover has been kidnapped but the girl is perfectly fine. She has to go save the lover. Another repeated plot. BETRAYL. There was so much of the same betrayal done by the same characters to the same characters and by the forth book I was just wondering to myself how anyone could trust anyone. Also the main reason I decided to finish the series was because of the ship that immortal reign focuses on, and is it just me or was it a little forced and nonexistent at the same time?
Def agree about Children of Blood and Bone and also The Belles. I kind of feel similarly about Victoria Schwab? I'm still reading some of her stuff because, like you, I sometimes feel surprised. But tbh I think I mostly read them because she is one of my closest friends favourite authors and I want to be supportive of that? Blah. XD
Everything I read this year were last or second books in series that I really enjoyed, like 'Villain' and 'Godsgrave'. The only book I found viscerally disappointing was Renegades by Marissa Meyer. The concept was cool but the execution was sub-par. The chiche yet somehow interesting romance is the only part worth investing in.
After the magic baby I am having a hard time to continue with the Falling Kingdom series. But at the same time I want to know what happened with Magnus and Cleo.😢
I totally get what you say about Children of Blood and Bone. I still enjoy it, but way too much hype. Shadowsong and Wintersong we're just SO bad. My disappointing reads were Empire of Storms (I DNFed the series at that point, completely lost it.), ADSOM, and Nyxia. Which were also too hyped series, but both disappointed me.
V.E shwab man. I liked A darker shade of magic. But the second book was so incredibly bad. It took me all year to read and I honestly almost dnf'd it. I refuse to read vengeful because I don't wanna ruin the sanctity of Vicious lol. She is a hard pass for me.
I keep wanting to give Flame in the Mist a try to form my own opinion but I've heard so many negative reviews of it that I now have zero desire to pick it up. And what is it with bad Robin Hood retellings? I read No Good Deed and really disliked that retelling too.
Agh Scarlet. I read that 3 or 4 years ago & hated it. That love triangle *gag*. I agree about Our Dark Duet. I had such high expectations after This Savage Song, which I loved, but the sequel was just ok. Disappointing.
I loved Flame in the Mist 💖💖 I really enjoyed The Monsters Verity by Victoria Schwab. 4-star ratings for both. I'm obsessed with My Favorite Thing Is Monsters 😍😍 I didn't like Children of Blood and Bone. I don't understand why it's so hyped
my most disappointing books are: The Cruel Prince- for the amount of hype this book has, I expected it to be at least likeable. But it wasn´t even that. I hated the main character, her pretending to be active but actually having no power at all The Red Queen- same as with the cruel prince A court of frost and starlight- nothing actually happened in this novella and a little cheat (because I finished it this week): A gathering of shadows- I think we all know why
Wow, I thought I was the only one who didn't enjoy CBAB but seems like a lot of people agree with me! The plot was good in parts and there were some interesting mythology to it, but I didn't gel with the characters and I wasn't invested in the story. Some other disappointing reads for me were Renegades by Marissa Meyer (I still think the Lunar chronicles were her best work yet) and The Hate You Give (don't hate me 🙈)
"Also if this is your favorite book, I dont care". Giving me 2019 vibes.
Jes Reads Books I refuse to apologize for books I don’t like in the year of our lord 2019
Omg yesss hahah. My thoughts exactly.
Oh I COMPLETELY agree!!!! I don’t understand why there even needs to be a “disclaimer”! I mean I do understand because there are people in this world who are ridiculous and can’t fathom that someone could not like a book they like and feel the need to be dicks about it!!! But no one should apologise for it. Love your attitude Sam!!!!!!!
I laughed so hard at that and LOVED it
Yes! Laughed so much!
I was very disappointed with Children of Blood and Bone, I loved the mythology but found the romances and characters to be very tropey and 2D.
Lost Girl of Neverland yuuuup
Yes! This. So much this.
I dnf'd Children of Blood and Bone after forcing myself to read it over halfway through. So disappointing.
Jess Willard the amount of hype was impossible to live up to tbh
Same. This book could have been shorter, the characters are not interesting, the writing is repetitive and the romance is horrible.
I got through the whole thing (somehow) and let me tell you, you dodged a bullet.
I'm so happy I'm not the only one who was disappointed by this book!
FINALLY someone who isn't raving about Children of Blood and Bone. I thought it was just forgetful and predictable '-' I'll probably read the next one if I can get it cheap on Kindle, but I'm not excited for this series.
Histórias sem fim yeah it’s definitely one of those series that I’m like meh maybe I’ll read it if I get my hands on it but it’s not a priority
I feel exactly the same way about Children of B&B and Shadowsong. Both I had HIGH expectation for and was sooo disappointed. We always have such similar tastes.. I always feel confident in your recommendations.
Me too! I am glad there are others that feel the same way! I told a few friends that it felt like ATLA/ Zutara fanfiction.
My most disappointing reads were Nevernight and Turtles All The Way Down, I threw them both into charity bins.
Anna Starseed oooh interesting! I have read either.
Anna Starseed Nevernight was a dnf for me. It was just exhausting to read with all the distracting footnotes in the hard copy
I hated Nevernight too! It was a DNF for me, I just didn’t like the writing style.
Children of Blood and Bone was also disappointing for me. It was SO hyped and I put off reading it for a good 6 months after its release, but when I got into it I couldn't get over the obvious Avatar-isms. I thought the extent of the inspiration was going to be the clans and the special powers, not entire plot points like the prison. The flip-floppy character motivations and the insta-love also got me down. I don't honestly know if I'm excited for the sequel =/
Spectacular it felt almost like fanfic for avatar tbh it was bizarre
I felt the same way about COBAB. I haven’t finished it yet because the amount of borrowing from Avatar and the rushed writing bothered me, but I plan to finish it will lower expectations the second time around.
I totally agree that CoBaB gets worse as time passes. I'm interested to see what happens in the sequel because I think Adeymi can grow as an author and as a person but I have some serious doubts.
Hate me all you want, but I legit do not understand the hype around Children of Blood & Bone. I tried it, I gave it a hundred pages, and I DNF-ed. Something about it just bugged me.
The Cruel Prince was another one that was really hyped but I was disappointed by it. I think there were a lot of things in it that were messy or underdeveloped, and it was lackluster despite how hyped it was. I ended up giving it 3 stars and I think I'll read book 2 out of curiosity to see what's next. But it didn't live up to the hype for me.
I agree that the cruel prince wan't as good as Holly's other books, but it seemed kind of like it was leading up to the second book. I just got the wicked king and am going to see if it lives up to it's potential
I am the exact same with Victoria Schwab. Yes it was so heavily on Avatar and the characters emotions so fast.
As difficult as they are to hear, critical reviews are important because they help both readers and writers. Thanks for doing it with grace and tact.
Impatiently waiting for your favorite/least favorite couples video. I love those. Also, I appreciate how honest you are with your reviews. Some people just give a book 5 stars because of the hype, but I trust your opinion.
Brittany Jackson 💜
I am too. They are one of the highlights of my year. 👍😊
The romance killed COBAB for me, once I started thinking about why I didn’t like it, I couldn’t stop thinking about other things that didn’t work for me and my opinion of the book just went lower and lower. I don’t plan on continuing the series sadly.
I've heard a lot of disappointing things about Children of Blood and Bone. I don't think I'll bother.
Don’t do it. And the author is just trash. Don’t lose your time with this one
@@rdpa4019 Not the first time I've heard someone say that.
Hater Consagrado how is she trash? personally haven’t heard anything but positive things about tomi regardless of what people think of her book
I think she lost a lot of respect when she accused another author of stealing her book title. I haven't read her book yet (I do have it though) but am debating on even reading it now......
@@StaciBarrett Once I read the article about her attacking the author because she had a similar title (in addition to bad reviews), I figured I wouldn't bother.
yes on Children of Blood and Bone! the romance did it for me, it was so hard to get through it.
I use to love watching these disappointing wrap ups from various booktubers. Now I just watch to see if my book is on one. What a terrifying 12 minutes.
My most disappointing reads of 2018 were:
- Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (the way she talked about adoption was so offensive. Apparently Ng thinks that only birth mothers are "real" mothers, yikes)
- The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty (the ending rendered the whole book irrelevant)
- Lullaby by Leila Slimani (whole pile of nope)
- Dress Codes for Small Towns by Courtney Stevens (so many people rave about this book but I don't get it)
- The Surface Breaks by Louise O'Neill (really wanted to like this one but it was the most unsubtle thing ever)
- Uprooted by Naomi Novik (I know you love it but omg I had to DNF it, I was so bored)
Thank you for that disclaimer, we need more no-nonsense acceptance of opinions on booktube 😂
MusicBooksTV I’m sorry you feel that way about Little Fires Everywhere. I didn’t get that same vibe or opinion from it. I adore that book!! :)
@@marymcendree2021 Yeah I'm totally in the minority 😂 I really wanted to like it and I'd been excited to read it for ages :(
I hated LFE too, for several reasons tbh, but also that one
I was soooo mad when I finished Uprooted. I was on a beauty and the beast retelling kick and that book ended it for me.
I DNFed Uprooted too! But Spinning Silver isn't half bad.
Children of Blood and Bone and The Poppy War were my most disappointing reads of 2018. I DNF’d CBB which surprised me because I was hype for it for such a long time but everything about it was poorly written to me. Also I abhor Inan as a character, and I couldn’t read through his stuff anymore, especially because of the way she set him up as the love interest. And The Poppy War fell apart after the first half of the book, so it really disappointed me because I was having so much fun but then the second half came and it turned from a fantasy school story in the first half to a trauma porn story with uninteresting magic.
Trauma porn story
Fair enough:") i must be those kind of people who enjoy reading trauma then because i found the suffering of our main character make her even more likable how
Maharani Apta I mean I just felt like she wasn’t characterized enough where I felt any emotional connection to the characters. So when they are going through the things, it read like it was just there to be traumatic. And the main character stopped driving the story after like the first half. Everything just starts happening to her, decisions are made for her and she takes a very passive approach to the story, so what drew me in, her determination and strong will to become better than she was were so lacking in the second half of the story that it made me dislike her
Thank for the honest review of these pieces. It is a nice reminder that we don't all have to love every book.
Childer of blood and bone was 4 stars for me too, mostly cause of the romance part too fast for me tbh
For COBAB, I remember rating it 5 stars, but now I would probably rated it 3 or 4. It was a book I did really enjoy and I still plan on reading the sequel (unless it gets bad reviews) cause I feel it could still be approved, but it did get really fan ficy at times. A usually don't read books for romance anyway but even then the romance was very noticable what couple it was supposed to represent in Avatar (one that's not canon for that matter) and it was distracting to say the least when your a fan of said series. But I know the author said she was extremely inspired by Avatar, so at least she admits it, but I hope it becomes less obvious as the series goes on. Amari was my favorite of the three povs as I feel she was the most consistant.
Agree with THIS SAVAGE SONG. I expected so much more and there was too much location hopping, which is hard for me sometimes.
I listened to the Children of Blood and Bone audiobook, I think that's what made me love it so much. I went in blind, not knowing what the book was about, before the hype started. I really loved the narrator, I can still hear her voice saying some lines of the lines in my head and I finished it pretty much right after it was released (almost a year ago).
I understand why it felt the way it did for you, I'd be more critical too if I had higher expectations going into it.
I saw immortal reign sitting on your self and I was surprised it didn’t make the cut. Then you pulled it out! 😂
I actually preferred Our Dark Duet to This Savage Song! Just shows how people’s tastes differ 😊. I’m wanting to give COBAB a go this year bc I’ve heard so many 5 star reviews, excited to see what I think!
Your videos make me smile.
"Also if this is your favorite book, I dont care". For real, I almost spit out my coffee laughing.
"So, let the salt train begin" is a great way to start a video.
I'm so surprised!! I read Children of Blood and Bone after your video about most anticipated books in 2018. It sounded amazing - & the cover 😍. I listened to it. The narrator is one of my all time fav and because of her, I really enjoyed it - initially. Then I couldn't stop thinking about it and the more I did so, the less I found I enjoyed it. I recently changed my rating from 5 stars to 3. It is lovely but not quite amazing.
I have that same scarf and I can never get it to look that good!!!! I think I need to look on Pinterest and learn how to tie scarfs to look as good as yours!!!
Really glad you mentioned Our Dark Duet. I got four chapters in, and could not escape the overwhelming thought of "I don't care about any of this".
Allison Larson yeeeep I had the same feeling when reading it
I totally agree with you regarding COBAB, I really liked it, but it was sooo overhyped that no matter how good it is, it was bound to be disapointing
Ooo the only one I’ve read is our dark duet!
I’ve seen children of blood and bone on so many favorite lists and I felt the same way you did about it. You definitely summed it up perfectly.
That's right sis. Don't feel bad for disliking someone's favorite book. You're an inspiration. xD
I love your honest feedback on these books!!! I don't own any of them and now will think twice before buying them for sure.
gosh your voice is so soothing
thank you :)
A year of reading is always well spent. :)
I love watching vids like this!
Some of my most disappointing reads in 2018 were:
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black - 2 Stars
The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner - 2 Stars
The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima - 2 Stars
The Long Walk by Stephen King - 2 Stars
My theory is the reason why the MC in blood and bone forgives her enemies is because they save her. After the sister saves her MC forgives her , after brother saves her MC forgives him.
I agree with you on your points on Our Dark Duet, but I also didn't like This Savage Song :'D It was just not for me as a series, and I'm so scared to try anything else by her, because most book tubers I share a lot of opinions with didn't enjoy A Darker Shade of Magic... Maybe one day I'll give her another try
And also yes, you are also consistent with me and my other favorite you tubers in that I am happy to see that some people agree that Children of Blood and Bone was NOT that good :'D I felt it was just a Zutara fanfic and I absolutely hated the main love story, it had so many problems. I love its representation, but it just was not a great book. I mean, it was good, but not great.
Elina Mauno it absolutely felt like fanfic!
I'm sick so I need some good book tea. Great video, I love your gripe videos. My disappointing read was Craze by And Jaxon, typical new adult romance with a horrible, abusive love interest.
Always here for the tea!!!! (Loving the disclaimer LMFAOOO)
lol yaaas
I had the same experience with the Monsters of Verity duology - loved This Savage Song, suuuuuper let down by Our Dark Duet (including that title, good lord). And it was funny because I saw a lot of people who didn't really enjoy the first one, but still wanted to read the sequel and loved it more.
The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang-dnf’d it a little over the halfway mark. Ugh. I just... no. There were so many things wrong: MAJOR pacing issues, lack of character development, plot holes/problems galore, and dialogue that didn’t seem to match the time period she was trying to write, as well as a slew of strange choices that made me feel as if this was a book that hadn’t quite finished cooking in the creative oven. Like perhaps the author wasn’t quite mature enough yet as a writer to tell this story or else the publisher just pushed the book out before it was anywhere near ready. I’d been looking forward to it too, because everyone apparently loved it (HOW??), but I was so disappointed by all the problems and it never got better. Don’t think I’ll be continuing on with the rest of this book or the series. :/
I haven't read any of those books yet. I'm still planning to read Children of Blood and Bone. But I'll remember to keep my expectations in check.
Girls of Paper and Fire, Uprooted, and Ready Player One were my most disappointing reads of 2018. Unpopular opinion, I'm sure, but I did enjoy them (they got 3 stars),
they just didn't live up to the hype for me. Also, CoBaB, while I liked it, also didn't live up to its hype because of how formulaic the plot was and the instalove.
I love your honesty... there are a lot of books you mentioned i agree with. I am very honest with my reviews, if I do not like a book I will say so. I often change my mind over time...when I think back on a book I sometimes think I review from the hype rather than my own opinion
I had children of blood and bone on my TBR such a long time and I was not reading it, I didn't know why 😀 every time I was like "meeeh I'll do it another time". now I see, it was gut feeling!
I feel the same way about Victoria Schwab Ana Children of Blood and Bone. And I hate when a series ending is disappointing. It’s the worst.
I share your feelings on Our Dark Duet. The first book I swallowed on the wave of my fascination with Viscious and the Shades of Magic trilogy, and it was good, but I don't think I even got to 3/4 of ODD.
FINALLY someone who didn’t enjoy children of blood and bone as much either. I found it disappointing as well. Plotwise more ore less forgettable and standard ya characters.
I know EXACTLY what you mean about Children of Blood and Bone. I thought I just wasn't reading it at the right time, but the more I think about it the less I was thrilled about it. It just felt kind of trope-y and I hated the romances. Like, there was NO point to them.
omg Immortal Reign when I saw it on your list I was like man I still have to read that, then I went to add it to my want to read list on goodreads and I've read it, I completely forgot that I read it this year...yikes.
LOL
That shady disclaimer tho...LMAO
Felt the same way about COBAB . At first I was so excited that finally Nigerian mythology was getting its chance to shine both oh my when I saw its execution it really hurt.
I love that you're unapologetic about your reviews. I don't like when people have to review a book and they feel the need to put in disclaimers. I'm like NO... give me the tea girl! I want to the good, the bad and the ugly with my books. Even if it's a book that I like I want to hear people tell me what they didn't like about it cause that makes you a more critical reader.
Could not agree more with ur thoughts on Children of Blood and Bone- I might continue with the series...if the second book goes up for sale on kindle or something lol
Honestly debating keeping the first book on my shelves. One one hand, pretty expensive hardback with an embossed cover, on the other hand, book I don’t really care about taking up space.
Everless, Grace & Fury, Girls of Paper & Fire, Furyborn and - I am really in the minority on this one - Circe (activates shields in defense) :D
Since reading Children of Blood and Bone, the more I think about the instalove and subsequent “relationship” the more I dislike it. Maybe if Zelie gets a new love interest that would help but I kinda doubt that will end up happening.
This isn’t about books but DAMN your hair is just 🔥🔥🔥👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻
thank youuu
Children of Blood and bone, I'm constantly adding / removing it from my TBR! ahahah
Girl, how you felt about "Children of Blood and Bone" is EXACTLY how I felt with "The Poppy War" - i gave it like 3.5 stars? (which, people were SHOCKED by that) and even that felt high, and as time went on, the more and more I ended up hating it until it was eventually in my Most Disappointing Books list. Books being THAT hyped up and continuing to be hyped up like... idk how ANY of them can live up to it!
I liked the poppy war but i didn't feel it was the best book ever or anything but EVERYONE raaaaaved abt it maybe it's bc i could tell that rin was gonna turn out to be.....like That
The Poppy War was my most disappointing read of the year. I did not get the hype.
i love your disclaimers omg hahah straight to the point
Reaaaaallllly glad I unhauled Flame in the Mist.
This is barely related to the main topic of the video, but THANK YOU for acknowledging that the first two books in Shades of Magic are not that good. I definitely feel the same way about Victoria Schwab as you do: sometimes her books are a hit, and sometimes it's a big miss.
Children of Blood and Bone for me felt like a really bad Zutara fan fiction. I tried to read it twice and I just can't force myself to continue. So disappointing 😰
Haha I agree - just realised I would prefer to read actual Zutara fanfic online than the strange relationship between the characters in CoBaB. XD
1. Totally with you on Children of blood and Bone. First person multi-perspective storytelling should not be a thing, at least in fantasy land, in my humble opinion.
2. I didn't have a ton of let downs this year. Instead, it was full of surprises. But my two major let downs are Dark Places. After Gone Girl and Sharp Objects, I expected more mind screwy than I actually got. The other letdown was The Smoke Thieves. I No, thanks.
Shadowsong really disappointed me too. I was like, where's the plot? Where's the development in character relationships? I can't even remember if the Goblin King was actually in it...
NO PLOT! and barely any Goblin King. It was a MESS.
I kept reading thinking "SURELY something will happen soon". But nope
I had to stop reading Children of Blood and Bone because it’s another one of the post-Throne of Glass fantasies: girl with a rare, ultimate power must liberate magic and/or the people from an evil king. So sick of this trope at this point, and I was majorly let down when I was reading COBAB. We need new fantasy stories, authors! Not the same, damn one!
An Ember in the Ashes was such a disappointment. Also, Siege and Storm. I’ll probably continue both series, but I definitely had high expectations going into them.
Ethan Summy omg I cant get through siege and storm right now and everyone is saying it was the best book in the trilogy 😩😩
My most disappointing read of last year was The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Everyone seems to think it’s the best thing since sliced bread, but it wasn’t for me. The ending made me rage. - Nici
Flame in the Mist made my disappointment list, too. I actually DNF’d it. 🤷🏻♀️
I started Dune. I had to put a bookmark in it.
Very sad about that.
John Bradford same!!!
I had a fantastic reading year, so I didn't have much in the way of disappointing reads. I was a bit disappointed by Every Heart a Doorway. I know, I know! *gasp* The characters and storyline just didn't appeal to me as strongly as I had hoped. I didn't exactly dislike it, but I have zero interest in continuing the series. I'll just listen to you gush about them. 😊
"Winter Glass" - the sequel to "Spindle Fire" - was my most disappointing 2018 read. The first book had its flaws, but I had an overall enjoyment of it and was plain curious about how certain things would turn out. But "Winter Glass" just dropped the ball for me, in rushing things, tying stuff up in a slapdash manner, etc.
I really didn't care for The Natural Way of Things, which I had seen all over the pace at the beginning of last year. The writing wasn't gripping and I ended up DNFing it at page 125 after trying my hardest to get through.
Oh no this makes me kind of nervous to try children of blood and bone :(
My disappointing reads were: Being Fishkoll, Heart of Iron, Pitch Dark, Boomerang, and A Court of Frost and Starlight. I DNF'd Not Even Bones, Sanctuary, Dread Nation, and The Belles.
Well crap. Part of the merit of This Savage Song is that it didn’t have the obligatory YA tropey romance. And then she caves into it in Our Dark Duet? Bummer.
And yeah, COBAB was okay. Good bits and bad bits. Neither great nor awful. 3 for me.
Luckily for me I managed to avoid reading every single book you mentioned, and with your reviews of them I will continue to avoid them.
I totally agree about Immortal Reign (and the last half of that series). I bought and binged the ENTIRE Falling Kingdoms series like 5 months back and was overall very disappointed. The first three were AWESOME! My favorite was either 1 or 2. After those three though the plot just KEPT ON REPEATING.
I don’t want to spoil so imma go down here
Some one would get kidnapped, their lover would leave safety to the wind and go after them. OH but she wasn’t kidnapped though, and now the lover has been kidnapped but the girl is perfectly fine. She has to go save the lover.
Another repeated plot. BETRAYL. There was so much of the same betrayal done by the same characters to the same characters and by the forth book I was just wondering to myself how anyone could trust anyone.
Also the main reason I decided to finish the series was because of the ship that immortal reign focuses on, and is it just me or was it a little forced and nonexistent at the same time?
Def agree about Children of Blood and Bone and also The Belles. I kind of feel similarly about Victoria Schwab? I'm still reading some of her stuff because, like you, I sometimes feel surprised. But tbh I think I mostly read them because she is one of my closest friends favourite authors and I want to be supportive of that? Blah. XD
Everything I read this year were last or second books in series that I really enjoyed, like 'Villain' and 'Godsgrave'. The only book I found viscerally disappointing was Renegades by Marissa Meyer. The concept was cool but the execution was sub-par. The chiche yet somehow interesting romance is the only part worth investing in.
Wildcard, Escaping from Houdini
After the magic baby I am having a hard time to continue with the Falling Kingdom series. But at the same time I want to know what happened with Magnus and Cleo.😢
I totally get what you say about Children of Blood and Bone. I still enjoy it, but way too much hype. Shadowsong and Wintersong we're just SO bad. My disappointing reads were Empire of Storms (I DNFed the series at that point, completely lost it.), ADSOM, and Nyxia. Which were also too hyped series, but both disappointed me.
I can't believe you read Shadowsong. I read Wintersong last year and it was one of my least favorite books. I actually really hated it.
interested in debut authors? Check out "A Glimpse Beyond The Aether" (What happens when we die?) and "Breachng The Sentry" ( Can we change the past?)
The Cruel Prince will probably be the biggest let down of my whole life. It was terrible!
Children of Blood and Bone! The more I think about, the less I like it as well.
V.E shwab man. I liked A darker shade of magic. But the second book was so incredibly bad. It took me all year to read and I honestly almost dnf'd it. I refuse to read vengeful because I don't wanna ruin the sanctity of Vicious lol. She is a hard pass for me.
Last year I was let down by The woman in Cabin 10. Also, The Woman in The Window was kinda meh.
I keep wanting to give Flame in the Mist a try to form my own opinion but I've heard so many negative reviews of it that I now have zero desire to pick it up. And what is it with bad Robin Hood retellings? I read No Good Deed and really disliked that retelling too.
Agh Scarlet. I read that 3 or 4 years ago & hated it. That love triangle *gag*.
I agree about Our Dark Duet. I had such high expectations after This Savage Song, which I loved, but the sequel was just ok. Disappointing.
I loved Flame in the Mist 💖💖
I really enjoyed The Monsters Verity by Victoria Schwab. 4-star ratings for both.
I'm obsessed with My Favorite Thing Is Monsters 😍😍
I didn't like Children of Blood and Bone. I don't understand why it's so hyped
my most disappointing books are:
The Cruel Prince- for the amount of hype this book has, I expected it to be at least likeable. But it wasn´t even that. I hated the main character, her pretending to be active but actually having no power at all
The Red Queen- same as with the cruel prince
A court of frost and starlight- nothing actually happened in this novella
and a little cheat (because I finished it this week):
A gathering of shadows- I think we all know why
Wow, I thought I was the only one who didn't enjoy CBAB but seems like a lot of people agree with me! The plot was good in parts and there were some interesting mythology to it, but I didn't gel with the characters and I wasn't invested in the story. Some other disappointing reads for me were Renegades by Marissa Meyer (I still think the Lunar chronicles were her best work yet) and The Hate You Give (don't hate me 🙈)
I know I ended up giving The Belles five stars on Goodreads, but I can't even remember what the book is about...
LOL it was so binge worthy but then all the content disappeared from my brain