Mine would have to be Sarah J Maas books in general. Like you said, her characters are cliche and her books have questionable elements to them that aren't handled well. Her habit of adding em dashes to everything gets laughable after awhile.
I totally agree. Also I never found Celaena "sassy". She was just immature and bitchy. Sassy implies she has wit or charm or was clever. She is none of those things. Celaena was a petulant child and I got halfway through the 4th book and that never changes.
Imao i dislike her books too! ACOTAR is..really not good to say the least. I mean her characters in ACOTAR and TOG are basically identical. I mean i don't judge but the reason they are populare is probably the fairy porn that her books are full of. And now she has her first adult book coming out i wonder how that one will differ from her "YA" books.
OMG SOMEONE THAT FINALLY UNDERSTANDS ME! I only read A court of thorns and roses, there is nothing that makes it stand out of many other books with similar plots and the characters are just unbearable. It might sound kind of rude but I don't understand what people sees on her books :/ Maybe the only thing I could say I slightly enjoyed is the worldbuilding on ACOTAR. The world was pretty interesting, sadly, it was poorly developed, the whole world she created seems to be important when it is convenient for the plot, and that's a shame, I would truly enjoy a book about legends of the Fae, no characters, no cliches, just tales.
Tejedora de Tinta+ Well, if you want a story that focuses on the legends part of the fae, The Language of Thrones by Leigh Bardugo is pretty much just that. It's a collection of fables that are told in the fictional Grisha universe she created. Though, it doesn't focus solely on the fae, since their are other fairytale creatures mentioned in them. They're actually pretty entertaining. Also, check out her other novels, since her characters are far more fleshed out and they're entertaining.
I remember everyone was soo in love with The Red Queen and I found out the author had a youtube channel which was enjoyable, then I started following her on twitter, and then I picked up the book. DNF'd it before the first half, realized the author isn't very nice to those with differing opinions and will often belittle them "Talk to me when you've written a bestseller" even if the topic of conversation had nothing to do with books. As for her youtube channel, she hasn't posted in years so... She and her writing really don't do it for me.
Trust me...the second book doesn't get any better. When I first saw it I loved the idea od red and silver blood, silver being the obvious top dog. I loved the idea of magic. I even liked that Mare wasn't the typical, cliche female protagonist who is sunshie and rainbows...until I saw how incredibly selfish she is-and I tolerated that over the course of Red Queen because I hoped (being a strong word) it would get better with everyone's favorite process...character progression! Somehow I got through it with a I probably won't reread this in months attitude. Now it's 2018 and I pick up Glass Sword. I don't know why except for the fact that maybe I judged Red Queen too much. The beginning was okay except for my constant annoyance of how emo and melodramatic Mare is, "Oh, old Mare is dead and new Mare is a monster when I really haven't done anything." As I continued I started to hate Mare even more, and then Cal, and then Maven because why would he be obsessed with Mare, and then Shade, and then I got annoyed at how nothing really happens. I tortured myself and finished with less IQ points than what I started. So don't worry. You're not missing much. And I agree, Aveyard is a little arrogant in that area. Like, good job your book sold and people like it but that doesn't mean I have to. Okay, lady, we get your point. You profited off of an overdone trope and if that works for you...at least the bills get paid.
I was reading the 2nd book and couldn't finish it still can't... Mare is sooo annoying I am sorry for anyone who likes her One day maybe I'll be able to finish it I highly doubt it I was getting angry reading it ooof
That book sounded good, and at first the plot was good. However as I kept reading the writing style felt too plain and bland, and the characters were plain and unoriginal as well
Lmao the Everything Everything ending seems like a quick resolution so the author didn't have to deal with the problems the girl's illness brings. I honestly laughed so hard when you said that was the ending hahahahah
As someone who has read all the Red Queen quartet and quite enjoyed it, I can say that you are pretty much right: the only reason why I kept reading was because of the villain (whose name I’m not gonna say because it would be a huge spoiler). They were (along with Evangeline) the most developed/interesting character out of them all. It’s not a great work of literature and I’ll never reread it, but I found the books to be fairly addicting and easy to read (me not being a native English speaker), so, yeah, while I agree with you on their “objective quality” I still think of them as entertaining, in a cheesy way.
I have read the first two and a half books and honestly didn't love them, but i was really hoping to see something happen. It was just a cheesy and tropey ya book, and it was nothing special, except for the cover, which is gorgeous. I dnf-ed the 3rd book after i was spoiled for what happens in war storm, and i was so mad and so disappointed. I was hoping to see the big redemption arc or something, cause the villain was truly the only interesting character 😂 i completely agree with you. Also I'm not a native speaker either(where r u from?).
Elena Jovančić I’m Italian, what about you? And yeah, the finale was disappointing, which is a pity because King’s Cage was actually pretty good (not like GOOD, but slightly above the average of her other books). But I guess that the ending is what actually shows who is a good writer (and is willing to take risks and unpredictable turn on their story) and who instead relies on overly used plot devices. Still enjoyed them for their entertaining purposes though (and I agree with you on the covers, too bad the books were not as good)
@@elenajovancic6208 srpski bookwarm jess 💞💞 kupila sam prvu knjigu na proslom sajmu knjiga i bila mi je okej pa sam mislila da kupim ostale tri na sledecem. mislis li da je to dobra odluka ili da bolje kupujem jednu po jednu jer su velike sanse da mi se nece svideti? pozdrav 💓💓💓
Sometime after the movie was released, I saw Everything, Everything at a local library and I decided to read it. I saw the trailer for the movie (and I really wanted to watch it), so I thought the book was going to be good, but I was wrong. The book was so boring. I had to force myself to finish reading it. About 3 months later, I saw the movie and I was disappointed because the movie was also boring (I dozed off during the movie).
As soon as you lifted City of Bones I jumped up and started clapping. PREACH IT GIRLL Also if you ever see this comment (what're the chances of that? xD) tell The Authentic Observer that a random person on the Internet loves her to Tartarus. You both are always dripping with passion and it's goals 💞😍
The Authentic Observer saved me a fortune with her reviews of this series, because I'd heard about it, & was thinking about getting into it, but it must have been kismet that I found Galatea; she was funny & I was genuinely interested in her observations
I second that. She was a Godsent, and her snarky humor is my everything! I was actually getting many recommendations to read The Mortal Instruments. But I'd already read The Infernal Devices. And while I enjoyed certain elements of it, ultimately it was lacking and unmemorable (and unbelievably boring). And also the relationship between Will and Tessa (which was pretty much the focal point of the series and took up more than half of the second book) was a total trainwreck. From what Galatea said in her videos, people say that TID was better than TMI and was the best of Cassandra Clare, which makes me want to facepalm.
@@june9626 Same here. Some of the plot makes me frustrated and I'm not a huge fan of Cassandra Clare's writing style (not to mention some of the plagiarism) but I still read and own the books. Her series do improve with time though.
Your hair, eyebrows, make up, and fashion is always on point and i am so jealous. Also so glad i am not the only one who doesnt like everything, everything.
I refuse to read popular books now, for the most part, especially ones that have just come out. For some reason they're rarely any good, and if they are good I'll get to it a few years after the hype has died down so I can try and enjoy it more. Maybe I just have a weird taste in books, idk, but going off popular book lists (especially on booktube) doesn't work for me. This is a really good and useful video
Oh I feel you on the Mistborn book, the first time I tried reading it I felt like it was an unimaginable slog: I didn’t get past the first chapter, nothing was clicking, so I put it down. Then I finally ran out of books to read earlier this year so I picked it up again and for some reason it clicked and all of a sudden I read the entire trilogy in a little over a week and found it really enjoyable. It was a weird experience, and apparently a really common one. I don’t know why.
Definitely try to read the Mistborn trilogy again, but try it in audiobook format. The narrator for all of Brandon Sanderson's books is phenomenal and brings so much life into the characters. They're like completely different books when you listen to them, not that they're bad when in book format. I'm actually very surprised to hear that you didn't like Vin; I've always viewed her as a breath of fresh air compared to other fantasy female characters. Please give it another chance!
You should give Mistborn another try. It is a great series. Especially since it is a vital piece of Brandon Sanderson Cosmere. I found Brandon's writing style a little different than most, but it grows on you. Would also recommend his first book Elentris.
T Greene basically the comment I would I written if I wrote comments... plus you get a trilogy based 1000 years in the future in the same universe. So many pluses.
I kinda love that the games are not the focus in Catching Fire, hell, they are a plot twist! I wished that it was also like that in the movie marketing, but I can't blame them honestly.
YES I love seeing you back and tearing apart books that I also don't like! *Except for Mistborn - which I suggest you try listening to as an audiobook! That's what I did and it really helped me get into it, I probably would have been stuck as well. It's so worth it to get through the books, the finale brings everything together and ends in a great way. Then there is a sequel series set a couple hundred years into the future and I think it's better than the first trilogy!
Well, I made the mistake of reading it after Brandon Sanderson's other book The Way of Kings, which is easily one of the best fantasy novels ever written as far as i can tell. And it pales in comparison
I am so glad to find someone else who didn't love the final empire! My not-so-positive review of it was answered with quite some comments on how I just didn't understand actual good fantasy, which was rather discouraging. My personal explanation for not connecting with the characters is that Sanderson skips emotional reactions. When characters go through defining moments, Sanderson does not focus on the character's thoughts and emotions in reaction to the event , which kept the characters miles away from me.
@@JordanHarveybooks I hope it is, then... i'm trying something new as it's supposed to be horror. Some kind of slow cooking tension. On the other hand, the story is super long hahah i'm at 169K words.... hahahahaha I'm afraid not a lot of people will ever reach there xD
One of my biggest lifegoals is publishing a book and having you dissect it. Edit: Which will never happen because you probably don't speak german and how big is the chance it gets translated to english?
also i totally agree with you that the characters in mistborn were dull. For me, the reason for this was Sanderson's writing style. He writes very matter of factly and I noticed that he rarely focuses on the character's inner feelings or emotions. During impactful situations like the death of another character or a budding new romance, we don't get see the characters react to this, which made them feel distant to me.
I remember seeing the trailer for the movie for every day and I thought it looked like hot garbage, glad I didn't waste my time on that or the book. Please do a review on it, I would love to know more specifically what it was that you detested so much. I couldn't get past the first chapter of Divergent. It felt too much to me like the author had blatantly ripped off The Hunger Games and nobody was saying anything. I never finished it or the rest of the series nor would I ever want to. I don't even feel like I'm not missing out.
Haha I love the Throne of Glass series, although I understand why someone might hate it- but for me, I picked this one up after having read so many books with Bella-Swan-like protagonists, which is why I loved Celaena so much 🤔😂
She's amazing until Kingdom of Ash where she and Dorian forget how their brains work right before the final battle. Unless one of Dorian's powers is to read the book that he is in it makes no sense.
Yayyy another person who actually liked mockingjay! I always get weird looks when I say that While I absolutely adore the mistborn series, I understand what you mean about the pacing. The second book actually has it worse in that regard i think, in that the first half was almost entirely political intrigue, until the last act, which is so fast paced and PHENOMENAL. I don’t want to turn you away from the series because I think it’s worth it, even in the slow parts, but just wanted to mention that in case you weren’t aware so you know what you’re getting into haha. Also I don’t know if you’ve tried them but I found listening to the audiobooks to help a lot in getting through them faster. As always, great video!
I feel like "Every Day" would be amazing as a thriller based on its concept. Like this evil being or whatever takes over people's bodies (it doesn't have a choice in the matter either) and goes on this quest to seek whoever did this to it/he/she/whatever. And it always gets away with its actions until meeting somebody else who has the same problem, but is wiser with age and knows that its job isn't to seek the person who got rid of their bodies, but to help people as the one voice everybody (hopefully) has in the back of their head. Hopefully that makes sense... It'd be interesting to explain the voice that's in everybody's head. Once I listened to it in 1st grade and...uh...tripped a girl in the bathroom. (I wasn't an angelic child to say the least.)
Sorry this is months later, but actually the protagonist of Bubble Boy and the main character from Everything, Everything have the same disease, called SCID. So you're sort of right haha
Hearing you talk about horrible books is so fun like wow I thought I disliked book tube videos but it seems I just hadn’t found the best book tube channel yet
I absolutely love The Authentic Observer's series on Shadowhunters. I couldn't make it past the first chapters of the second book, but I guess I can see the appeal. (Some concepts seem interesting at first but then you finish City of Bones and realize how poorly executed those ideas are.)
Well the point with Vicious is not necessarily to connect with them, so much as understand WHY they are doing the terrible things they do. And they truly do terrible, irredeemable things. Does that make them any less interesting. Nope! That said, villain protagonists are not everyone's cup of tea. But I love them and I wish fantasy/fiction has more of them.
Nicko Mocanu Oh for sure! I don’t know if connect was the right word for me to use, but I just found them to be fairly uninteresting. Again, I can’t really pinpoint why, but they didn’t do it for me!
@Jorday Harvey: Understood. Oh and piece of advice. If you've previously had a hard time reading the Final Empire, but want to give it another go, just to see what the rest of the series is like, I suggest reading it in audiobook format. There are two audiobook formats I would recommend: the traditional audiobook format with narrator Michael Kramer who lends a certain personal charm to Sanderson's works or the audiobook made by the people at Graphic Audio. The dramatizations the people at Graphic Audio make for Brandon Sanderson's works are especially high quality and unbelievably well made. :) (I wanted to give you a sample but I just found the trailer for the GA rendition of the Stormlight Archive on youtube :( )
I didn't enjoy throne of glass that much. I also read the second book. They have they're moments. But the fact that Celeana has to 've described as the best assassin every two pages is annoying. Show don't tell. It's also pretty basic and doesn't have much depth
OMG IKR its so iritating.... and the assassin smiled..... the assassin didnt hesitate... the assasin... the aSasSiN .... ASSASSIN like STSOP. But actually i love the rest of the series very VERY much .
Mistborn is one of my favorite series but probably because I love the magic system and world building so much that it carries the rest of the downfalls through for me. I think the big issue with Vin and Elend is that you have young people in love and they are so boring and chaste. I think a lot of that has to do with Brandon Sanderson's personal religious beliefs but it really doesn't make sense in the world he built.
I’ve been waiting for this! Funny how I agreed with you on the final empire but I still enjoyed it a lot, strangely it was the plot that saved the book for me, besides the world and magic system. Also I’m really not into the hunger games anymore, but when I read them I loved the whole series and until now I still don’t understand the mockingjay hate
I enjoy Cassandra Clare and her books, but it bugs me that everyone includes her and her books in these videos because the popular opinion (from what I've seen) is that they're unlikeable. I was genuinely surprised when Hannah from A Clockwork Reader said she likes them. This is just my experience, and I know it's possible that more people on BookTube could love the books than dislike them.
Personally really liked City Of Bones. 3/5 I read it for the first time this week and was quite taken with the concept. Not a perfect novel by any means, but I think readers are far too critical of debut authors. And yes I understand she plagiarized in her fan fiction, but I don't take fan fiction particularly seriously. I am onto the second book and it's promising.
Nice video! I'm fairly surprised you did not like The Final Empire though, it has many of the things you usually like and presented in a very original way. If you do give it another try, please make a review! I do agree with the pacing, its kind of Sanderson's way of writing. Everything builds up really slow, but then it reaches a very interesting point when you're like "there's only 200 pages left, how on earth are they going to resolve this?" and then boom, a great tsunami that leaves you in pieces, in a good way
Excellent video. I'm always happy to watch people take apart things they don't like. The reverse of this (unpopular books that you DO like) would be fun to see, too! Great work as usual, Jordan!
I loved Mistborn, but I totally felt the same way regarding the characters: they were rather meh and definitely not as interesting as some of his characters in his later books (e.g. Stormlight Archive). Sanderson's strength is definitely in his plots above everything else.
I REALLY REALLY did not like Every Day as well. I bought it, read it and unhauled it within the same week. I disliked everything about this book. and the fact that the movie was promoted as a LGBT+ story when I felt no connection and whatnot.......... I just.... I did not like it.
I totally agree with your view on Schwab. I think the problem is that she’s really good at interesting ideas and worlds but not very good at creating compelling characters, so her books always fall kinda flat for me. Great video as always!
I'm so glad that you didn't like Catching Fire either! The reason I loved the original so much was Katniss's underdog story, but in the 75th games she had Finnick, Peeta, and Joanna, which is basically the dream team, so there wasn't much suspense. The story became about her relationships more than the survival aspect, which I really didn't like too much.
The sad thing about the Red Queen series is that it starts getting REALLY good in the third book. Mare gets to her senses and actually behaves well, the dynamic with Maven is just super interesting, the stakes are so high and the world is more fleshed out. So late though 😭
@@gracekim25 because the first one wasn't horrible and people loved the characters enough to not quit after the second one. I love the series but the second one was atrocious
Your Divergent story is my Mortal Instruments story. The more I read better books, the more I kept on seeing how flawed it was and how, at the end of the day, I genuinely hated Clary and Jace. They were not likable at all... But Divergent sucked. I'm happy I realized that immediately I read it XD! And Sarah J Maas books are horrible. I'd say I have given her books a try - often the first one in the series she's giving the masses but they are all so... lacking. It's as though she tries to write about this badass character but she never does then there is the fact that she has complete disregard for the correct use of punctuation marks (specifically dashes and ellipses). God I even tried to note down the number of pages where she didn't use either of the two and well, let's say, for such big books, it was not encouraging. She also has this habit of writing short sentences as though she wants to make everything mysterious or shocking; as though using conjunctions is sinful to her. I'd never recommend anyone read her book on the basis of just how badly she butchers basic English rules.
i understand about the whole plot holes and gaps in Divergent but I am still in love with series even if it really confusing if thought thoroughly. i just love it as i read it through a hard time i was going through and the whole cliche-ness helped me 😂 xx
Yikes! We need a favorite list for booktubers works or newer works (basically no big writers like JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, GRR Martin, etc)! And yes...the Maze runner series totally nose dived in the second and barely leveled out in the final. Films and books.
James Creighton I liked the movies, I thought the first and third were really good but the second was meh. I agree with you on the books though, they were not good at all.
Vicious was my first VE Schwab book and frankly I enjoyed it quite a bit, but I think the hype somewhat messed with my enjoyment level, because I went into it very critically whilst waiting to be blown away... I set myself for disappointment, although I still enjoyed it and liked the writing style. Haven't read The Final Empire yet, though I have it, I hope I'll enjoy it, Sanderson is very celebrated by fantasy lovers.
I had a similar reaction to the first Mistborn book, then picked up the second one on a whim like, five years later and ended up falling in love with it. The difference in quality between books one and two is astounding, in my opinion. That said, if you have issues with Sanderson's pacing, then you might still have trouble with the series.
OMG I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT CATCHING FIRE. It moved so slowwww. And I have never heard anyone say that, so it’s nice to see that I’m not alone in not loving it.
Mine would be snow like ashes. It's so bad and I was so excited because the premise sound so good therefore I ordered it as soon as I could and then when I opened it I saw the map and I knew I will hate it. And boy was I right. From the main character to "plot twists" to love triangle it's just a big pile of steaming shit.
@@JordanHarveybooks well I definitely wouldn't recommend it because it's not even something like a funny bad book. And the second book somehow managed to be even worse so I am really not looking forward to reading the last one. Don't read it
I have the exact opposite opinion of Mistborn - loved the characters, enjoyed the pacing, could not get into the magic system - it seems so cheesy to me. 😆 I am going to continue with the series though, for as long as I can bear to read "so and so burned ___." 🙄 Great video! Have you read and/or discussed Three Dark Crowns?
For me, I have read way worse stuff and I like the series. At least the love triangle ended in book 2 but it's still not bloody enough for me and SPOILER ALERT! No sister has died yet. The worldbuilding has the right vibe and the magic was well described
I liked mockingjay the most. And the books I hate, is not necessarily because of the book itself, but for the excessive unexplicable hype and popularity that those books get. Is unbeliavable how trashy and cliched books are, yet people consume these "stories" and claim them to be the best thing ever made. Is beyond my reasoning. And is sad, to be honest.
Sorry i know this comment is old but with most of the books that get super hyped for no reason are prodomently books read by teen or at oldest twenty year olds who haven't left ya section yet. Some i think only read the hyped book to not miss out. Some authors who have wrote ya that are amazing even to an adult like me arnt the most recognizable to the mainstream
Sasha Alsberg recently posted a video like this. Her's was so bland and empty, no intelligence or analysis whatsoever. THIS video is what decent book commentary looks like. No wonder her channel is dying (and no wonder Zenith was such a car crash). I appreciate Jordan's content so much.
you're so right. I'm watching it now and she said she didn't like a book because the main character was like a plain piece of toast.... wow. Most of her reasons are- "the tv show/movie/previous series was better". top notch analysis from a published author.....
I had the same problem with Mistborn, the magic system was really well planned out, and the characters had all the functioning parts: motivation, backstory, etc. but they just felt so bare bones, and Brandon Sanderson says in his writing lectures (they’re on youtube and are actually really helpful) that he doesn’t plan characters, he just works them out by writing them, so I think what happened with Mistborn is that he got caught up in the plot and forgot to add more to the characters than was necessary for the plot, and the plot was actually great in the first book (haven’t read the others yet) except for the pacing and a big slip up at the end which I won’t spoil
I'm so happy you mentioned the pacing problems in City of Bones. That was my main problem with it, but you're the first one who mentions it that I know of. Yes, the other things were also bad but the pacing stood out to me as the worst of it all. I have read worse books, even though this is pretty bad - but then I usually stop reading after the first chapters. This one I had to finish because I promised a friend to do it. It took me MONTHS to get through it. Normally I finish a book in a day or less. My feeling was that the book was dense in every sense of the word and so hard to get through for that reason.
If you didn’t like Vin in the first book, I’m not sure if I can recommend the other two in the trilogy. Her character does change significantly, but she’s still the protagonist. As someone who has read a lot of epic fantasy, I appreciated the trilogy’s answer to the question ‘What happens after the supposed chosen one defeats the Big Evil Thing?’
Love this! If you can, please do another video, I'd love to watch it. I love videos like this one! Also, I'd definitely love to watch a video on unpopular/hated books that you liked. :)
I would recommend giving the rest of the mistborn series a go. If Kel is your problem with them they are truly an amazing series and Kel turns out to be a severely flawed character.
You should read the Raven Cycle, the characters have amazing development and they are extremely fleshed out, the magic system is unique and the writing style is so atmospheric. I truly believe you would enjoy it.
I enjoy your negative book reviews so much, you explain your reasons so well and you have such a strong grasp of book elements and character development and so much more. You're my favorite book reviewer :) I write a lot of fiction so I really get a lot out of these videos in terms of learning how NOT to write
TEA TIME!!!! Gah! I am 6 minutes late. AND I'M MAD ABOUT IT. Liking the eyelashes and yellow shadow - fancy! You are sooo right about Catching Fire being too slow to begin with. I'm definitely in agreement regarding V.E.Schwab's writing. I do actually enjoy the ADSOM series, but I can really understand the difficulty to connect with characters. Wasn't everyday adapted to a movie/tv show?
I'm glad you spoke about "Everything, Everything." The author tried to write a somewhat decent book but it was just poorly executed. As a reader, I like to guess the ending and then see if I was right or wrong. As I read it, I guessed pretty quickly that the protagonist didn't have the super rare disease. The worst part of the book was the ending because it felt way too rushed. It really irked me that there was no justice(?) with the mother. The author could have spent some time explaining the aftermath and what would have happened to the mother. The reason I feel that way is because the mother was mentally disturbed to a point, and had it happened in real life, she would have gone to jail. Before I forget, awesome reviews! Your channel is really nice and I just subscribed!
Oh man... Breaks my heart that you think the characters in Mistborn are bland... I really hope you continue with the series because Sanderson is a MASTER of character creation.
I completely agree with you about Scorch Trials! I was so disappointed with it too! I did read The Kill Order and The Fever Code, which I quite liked. They weren't amazing but they were pretty good. I especially liked The Fever Code, because it's about Thomas's time before the Maze. I couldn't connect with VE Schwab's writing either. That's why I'm super hesitant to pick up Vicious. I had really high expectations for Darker Shade of Magic and ended up being majorly disappointed. I did like The Final Empire, but I completely get your opinion :) I would recommend maybe trying out Warbreaker first. A lot of people say that's the best Brandon Sanderson book to start out with. I thought the characters in Warbreaker were very unique and well-developed. You might enjoy it. Great video as always! :)
Honestly, I was surprised to see that you put Catching Fire on that list! I loved that one! Same for Scorch Trials! It was my favorite out of the TMR series! But it’s your opinion, so I respect it.
I would find more interesting to watch a video about popular books that you actually did like😅😅😅 because it's just seems like you dislike most books you read anyway. (and I don't mean to sound negative or complaining, on the opposite - I like that you are rather critical reader!)
XD I love that i listened to this but as soon as you got to the final empire i was like "this is exactly what i'm looking for" paused and went to get it on audiobook. it seems like a lot of the reviews don't like it because its long, but i've been on the market for a long audio book to last me while i work and drive and i'm so excited. I really think a lot of the complaints i've heard are solved in audiobook format. We'll see how it goes so far its a really fun listen while i'm working! Goes to show negative reviews aren't bad, I just know what to expect going into it and i think i'll enjoy it more now
Every day sounds like a great setup for a villain. A police officer is suddenly tasked with figuring out a string of identical murders done by seemingly random people once a week. They start getting dragged into the world of the meta-physical as they effectively need to track down someones pissed off soul.
I feel the same way you feel about Vicious for A Darker Shade of Magic. I was hyped by another youtuber and began reading it the same night. Oh boy, how disappointed and bored I was. I didn't even get to read till the part where both of the protagonists finally meet. Actually, I really liked the main male character at first, his interactions with the rest of the cast, people on the streets, him staring at his own image in the water and liking his appearance. It was fun. But I wasn't impressed by the book and ditched it. I never really was into YA books, and after trying to read a couple of them I undersand why. A Darker Shade of Magic felt just like all the other typical YA books discussed by RUclipsrs.
question... how comes you (still) own these books? like i get keeping catching fire and mistborn but isn't it better to get rid of them to make space for books enjoy or anticipate?
Great video! I’d really like to see the opposite (unknown/unpopular books you like) too. Anyway, I’m quite surprised by the presence of Catching Fire. I did not notice the pacing issues the first (and only) time I read it. But then, I ate up the whole trilogy in a couple of days at the time, so I’m curious whether I feel differently now if I reread it. As for Mistborn, the plot and magic system were worth it for me in the first book despite me not being able to connect with Vin. I rarely connect with the main characters as much as important side characters, so maybe that didn’t put me off as much. That said, the whole trilogy was definitely worth it imho!!!
I love watching these kinds of videos, they're so interesting! I found that I agree with you 100% on Throne of Glass--it was not for me. And, while I haven't finished Vicious yet, I think I feel similarly about not really connecting with the writing, though I probably wouldn't say I dislike it. On the other hand, Catching Fire was actually my favorite HG book back when I first read the series. I haven't reread it in a while, so I don't know what I'd think now lol.I think I enjoyed a lot of the downtime in the first half of that book after the action of the first, and I also loved Finnick and the other Victors so I think those were the main draw for me. Back then I probably would have been upset that someone else didn't like it, but I've grown to appreciate different perspectives (and I haven't come across many people that liked Mockingjay best so that's pretty cool to see). And...yeah, I'll admit, I also don't hate The Mortal Instruments, although I fully understand why people do. I started the series when I was in middle school and (after dropping it for a couple years bc the incest plot-line was really weird and then picking it back up bc some of my friends wanted me to) the entire franchise has kind of followed me into adulthood. It's on of those series that I'm stuck on, but I'm also not offended when I find out someone doesn't like it because...I get it haha. For me, though, it's kind of like a beloved soap-opera. I'm there for the characters (usually the side characters) and the world and the drama (and to raise my eyebrows when things inevitably get weird af). It's truly something I consume outside of the sphere of literary criticism at this point, which is a nice chance for me since I studied writing in college and don't often take opportunities to turn that off and just enjoy something. As for the rest of the books you mentioned, I haven't read any of them, but I do own Every Day...for that reason I hope I'll like it on some level, but you pointed out some of the concerns I already had about the plot, so we'll see! EDIT: I forgot to mention Divergent! I also agree with you on this one--I actually read that as part of a project I did in High School, and I never really connected with the characters or the plot, but I finished the series because of the project. I think I was able enjoy aspects of it because I knew I had to finish it, but ultimately I probably would never have read past book one if I hadn't needed to.
I totally get having books and series that are great for just turning your brain off and enjoying the drama. Nothing wrong with that! Its so wonderful that stories can mean so many different things to so many different people, and its even better when those people acknowledge that and respect all the other interpretations! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts :)
I hope you will give Mistborn another chance. Kelsier is written weirdly because of his plot, so in a second read he might work better. Also, the other books focus more on other characters and their development is great. I think the second book has the best foreshadowing and twists I have ever read.
I agree on your thoughts about Everyday. I think my main issue with it had to do with the lack of romantic chemistry too and how Riahnnon (is that how you write it?) never actually seemed interested in being with A at all and yet she was? Another problem I had with it had to do with that “mysterious” subplot with the pastor as it felt very out of place and forced. But I do disagree with you on your thoughts about the changing bodies every day as I felt that was a very interesting premise, which was better executed in the movie adaptation. Of course that is my personal opinion. Good video!
Mine would have to be Sarah J Maas books in general. Like you said, her characters are cliche and her books have questionable elements to them that aren't handled well. Her habit of adding em dashes to everything gets laughable after awhile.
I totally agree. Also I never found Celaena "sassy". She was just immature and bitchy. Sassy implies she has wit or charm or was clever. She is none of those things. Celaena was a petulant child and I got halfway through the 4th book and that never changes.
Imao i dislike her books too! ACOTAR is..really not good to say the least. I mean her characters in ACOTAR and TOG are basically identical. I mean i don't judge but the reason they are populare is probably the fairy porn that her books are full of. And now she has her first adult book coming out i wonder how that one will differ from her "YA" books.
OMG SOMEONE THAT FINALLY UNDERSTANDS ME! I only read A court of thorns and roses, there is nothing that makes it stand out of many other books with similar plots and the characters are just unbearable. It might sound kind of rude but I don't understand what people sees on her books :/
Maybe the only thing I could say I slightly enjoyed is the worldbuilding on ACOTAR. The world was pretty interesting, sadly, it was poorly developed, the whole world she created seems to be important when it is convenient for the plot, and that's a shame, I would truly enjoy a book about legends of the Fae, no characters, no cliches, just tales.
Tejedora de Tinta+ Well, if you want a story that focuses on the legends part of the fae, The Language of Thrones by Leigh Bardugo is pretty much just that. It's a collection of fables that are told in the fictional Grisha universe she created. Though, it doesn't focus solely on the fae, since their are other fairytale creatures mentioned in them. They're actually pretty entertaining. Also, check out her other novels, since her characters are far more fleshed out and they're entertaining.
ACOMAF was actually amazing. Wish the other books were just as good
We need a favorite updated books ! Books worth the hype
Yes! I should definitely do that!!
@@JordanHarveybooks ruclips.net/video/_64Gh0M0oPE/видео.html
I remember everyone was soo in love with The Red Queen and I found out the author had a youtube channel which was enjoyable, then I started following her on twitter, and then I picked up the book. DNF'd it before the first half, realized the author isn't very nice to those with differing opinions and will often belittle them "Talk to me when you've written a bestseller" even if the topic of conversation had nothing to do with books. As for her youtube channel, she hasn't posted in years so... She and her writing really don't do it for me.
K. Hicks I’m all of a sudden glad I didn’t read past the first book
Trust me...the second book doesn't get any better. When I first saw it I loved the idea od red and silver blood, silver being the obvious top dog. I loved the idea of magic. I even liked that Mare wasn't the typical, cliche female protagonist who is sunshie and rainbows...until I saw how incredibly selfish she is-and I tolerated that over the course of Red Queen because I hoped (being a strong word) it would get better with everyone's favorite process...character progression! Somehow I got through it with a I probably won't reread this in months attitude. Now it's 2018 and I pick up Glass Sword. I don't know why except for the fact that maybe I judged Red Queen too much. The beginning was okay except for my constant annoyance of how emo and melodramatic Mare is, "Oh, old Mare is dead and new Mare is a monster when I really haven't done anything." As I continued I started to hate Mare even more, and then Cal, and then Maven because why would he be obsessed with Mare, and then Shade, and then I got annoyed at how nothing really happens. I tortured myself and finished with less IQ points than what I started. So don't worry. You're not missing much. And I agree, Aveyard is a little arrogant in that area. Like, good job your book sold and people like it but that doesn't mean I have to. Okay, lady, we get your point. You profited off of an overdone trope and if that works for you...at least the bills get paid.
Her book heroine reminds me of Clary from TMI and I WOULD SAY I HATE THEM SO MUCH 😂
I was reading the 2nd book and couldn't finish it still can't... Mare is sooo annoying I am sorry for anyone who likes her
One day maybe I'll be able to finish it I highly doubt it I was getting angry reading it ooof
That book sounded good, and at first the plot was good. However as I kept reading the writing style felt too plain and bland, and the characters were plain and unoriginal as well
Lmao the Everything Everything ending seems like a quick resolution so the author didn't have to deal with the problems the girl's illness brings. I honestly laughed so hard when you said that was the ending hahahahah
As someone who has read all the Red Queen quartet and quite enjoyed it, I can say that you are pretty much right: the only reason why I kept reading was because of the villain (whose name I’m not gonna say because it would be a huge spoiler). They were (along with Evangeline) the most developed/interesting character out of them all. It’s not a great work of literature and I’ll never reread it, but I found the books to be fairly addicting and easy to read (me not being a native English speaker), so, yeah, while I agree with you on their “objective quality” I still think of them as entertaining, in a cheesy way.
I have read the first two and a half books and honestly didn't love them, but i was really hoping to see something happen. It was just a cheesy and tropey ya book, and it was nothing special, except for the cover, which is gorgeous. I dnf-ed the 3rd book after i was spoiled for what happens in war storm, and i was so mad and so disappointed. I was hoping to see the big redemption arc or something, cause the villain was truly the only interesting character 😂 i completely agree with you. Also I'm not a native speaker either(where r u from?).
Elena Jovančić I’m Italian, what about you? And yeah, the finale was disappointing, which is a pity because King’s Cage was actually pretty good (not like GOOD, but slightly above the average of her other books). But I guess that the ending is what actually shows who is a good writer (and is willing to take risks and unpredictable turn on their story) and who instead relies on overly used plot devices. Still enjoyed them for their entertaining purposes though (and I agree with you on the covers, too bad the books were not as good)
@@elenajovancic6208 srpski bookwarm jess 💞💞 kupila sam prvu knjigu na proslom sajmu knjiga i bila mi je okej pa sam mislila da kupim ostale tri na sledecem. mislis li da je to dobra odluka ili da bolje kupujem jednu po jednu jer su velike sanse da mi se nece svideti? pozdrav 💓💓💓
omg, finally somebody doesn't like everything-everything. Honestly that "twist" made me so furious, for me it's one of the worst books I've ever read.
I absolutely hated it too. I threw it when I was done with it like what the hell was that and why does everyone like it!?
Sometime after the movie was released, I saw Everything, Everything at a local library and I decided to read it. I saw the trailer for the movie (and I really wanted to watch it), so I thought the book was going to be good, but I was wrong. The book was so boring. I had to force myself to finish reading it. About 3 months later, I saw the movie and I was disappointed because the movie was also boring (I dozed off during the movie).
I watched the film, after 30 minutes i knew the mother was lying
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@@staciajohnson887 ruclips.net/video/_64Gh0M0oPE/видео.html
As soon as you lifted City of Bones I jumped up and started clapping. PREACH IT GIRLL
Also if you ever see this comment (what're the chances of that? xD) tell The Authentic Observer that a random person on the Internet loves her to Tartarus. You both are always dripping with passion and it's goals 💞😍
The Authentic Observer saved me a fortune with her reviews of this series, because I'd heard about it, & was thinking about getting into it, but it must have been kismet that I found Galatea; she was funny & I was genuinely interested in her observations
I second that. She was a Godsent, and her snarky humor is my everything!
I was actually getting many recommendations to read The Mortal Instruments. But I'd already read The Infernal Devices. And while I enjoyed certain elements of it, ultimately it was lacking and unmemorable (and unbelievably boring). And also the relationship between Will and Tessa (which was pretty much the focal point of the series and took up more than half of the second book) was a total trainwreck.
From what Galatea said in her videos, people say that TID was better than TMI and was the best of Cassandra Clare, which makes me want to facepalm.
I have to agree with this even if I love TMI, they're like books trashes I love 😂
@@june9626 Same here. Some of the plot makes me frustrated and I'm not a huge fan of Cassandra Clare's writing style (not to mention some of the plagiarism) but I still read and own the books. Her series do improve with time though.
@@k-0316 what did she plagiarize?
Your hair, eyebrows, make up, and fashion is always on point and i am so jealous.
Also so glad i am not the only one who doesnt like everything, everything.
I refuse to read popular books now, for the most part, especially ones that have just come out. For some reason they're rarely any good, and if they are good I'll get to it a few years after the hype has died down so I can try and enjoy it more. Maybe I just have a weird taste in books, idk, but going off popular book lists (especially on booktube) doesn't work for me. This is a really good and useful video
I just got the free Zenith audiobook cause I saw your review and I want to learn how not to write a book
lol
@@JordanHarveybooks it's not that engaging so far... Like... I honestly don't care even if it's being read to me
I have to ask, after two months, how was it?
@@vocalcalibration8033 Average at best. Poorly imagined and boring at worst, It needed way more time with an editor.
The end of everything everything was lazy af and I hated it. It barely made any sense, it was rushed and was totally implausible and unrealistic.
I hated it because of the rushed relastionship. Like seriously...and the ending was un realistic.
We stan a Booktube Queen.
Oh I feel you on the Mistborn book, the first time I tried reading it I felt like it was an unimaginable slog: I didn’t get past the first chapter, nothing was clicking, so I put it down. Then I finally ran out of books to read earlier this year so I picked it up again and for some reason it clicked and all of a sudden I read the entire trilogy in a little over a week and found it really enjoyable. It was a weird experience, and apparently a really common one. I don’t know why.
Definitely try to read the Mistborn trilogy again, but try it in audiobook format. The narrator for all of Brandon Sanderson's books is phenomenal and brings so much life into the characters. They're like completely different books when you listen to them, not that they're bad when in book format. I'm actually very surprised to hear that you didn't like Vin; I've always viewed her as a breath of fresh air compared to other fantasy female characters. Please give it another chance!
True. I also listen to the audiobook and it was so much better. The narrator is really good. And I ended loving the series tho.
You should give Mistborn another try. It is a great series. Especially since it is a vital piece of Brandon Sanderson Cosmere. I found Brandon's writing style a little different than most, but it grows on you. Would also recommend his first book Elentris.
T Greene basically the comment I would I written if I wrote comments... plus you get a trilogy based 1000 years in the future in the same universe. So many pluses.
I kinda love that the games are not the focus in Catching Fire, hell, they are a plot twist! I wished that it was also like that in the movie marketing, but I can't blame them honestly.
Everything Everything kinda sounds like Tangled...
That's a bit of a stretch, but a little I guess!
@@JordanHarveybooks Ik I was just talking about the general structure😂
Loving that festive red look btw c:
Never read it, but that’s what I thought!
YES I love seeing you back and tearing apart books that I also don't like! *Except for Mistborn - which I suggest you try listening to as an audiobook! That's what I did and it really helped me get into it, I probably would have been stuck as well. It's so worth it to get through the books, the finale brings everything together and ends in a great way. Then there is a sequel series set a couple hundred years into the future and I think it's better than the first trilogy!
Mistborn is amazing, fight me.
Well, I made the mistake of reading it after Brandon Sanderson's other book The Way of Kings, which is easily one of the best fantasy novels ever written as far as i can tell. And it pales in comparison
@@gezak3206 agreed, Mistborn does not measure up.
@@ejedwards988 ruclips.net/video/_64Gh0M0oPE/видео.html
I loved mistborn. I love everything Sanderson does
Oh my gosh, it’s so satisfying seeing another booktuber watching another’s videos.
I am so glad to find someone else who didn't love the final empire! My not-so-positive review of it was answered with quite some comments on how I just didn't understand actual good fantasy, which was rather discouraging. My personal explanation for not connecting with the characters is that Sanderson skips emotional reactions. When characters go through defining moments, Sanderson does not focus on the character's thoughts and emotions in reaction to the event , which kept the characters miles away from me.
"The pacing was super slow..."
me: *starts sweating thinking about my slow paced WIP *
Chiky Scares You Hahah it’s fine if it’s engaging!
@@JordanHarveybooks I hope it is, then... i'm trying something new as it's supposed to be horror. Some kind of slow cooking tension. On the other hand, the story is super long hahah i'm at 169K words.... hahahahaha I'm afraid not a lot of people will ever reach there xD
One of my biggest lifegoals is publishing a book and having you dissect it. Edit: Which will never happen because you probably don't speak german and how big is the chance it gets translated to english?
Geht mir auch so xD
Yep! Same here! Kinda terrifying, but...also awesome!
theponsway translate it yourself and publish it both in Germany and the US.
Okay ich bin neugierig: wie heißt dein Buch :D
Es ist noch nicht fertig, aber bald wird das was :)
Finally someone else who's least favourite hunger games book is Catching Fire! I also actually enjoyed mockingjay, even though most people didn't
also i totally agree with you that the characters in mistborn were dull. For me, the reason for this was Sanderson's writing style. He writes very matter of factly and I noticed that he rarely focuses on the character's inner feelings or emotions. During impactful situations like the death of another character or a budding new romance, we don't get see the characters react to this, which made them feel distant to me.
I remember seeing the trailer for the movie for every day and I thought it looked like hot garbage, glad I didn't waste my time on that or the book. Please do a review on it, I would love to know more specifically what it was that you detested so much.
I couldn't get past the first chapter of Divergent. It felt too much to me like the author had blatantly ripped off The Hunger Games and nobody was saying anything. I never finished it or the rest of the series nor would I ever want to. I don't even feel like I'm not missing out.
I not only knew throne of glass would be on here, I knew it was going to be your first book
Haha I love the Throne of Glass series, although I understand why someone might hate it- but for me, I picked this one up after having read so many books with Bella-Swan-like protagonists, which is why I loved Celaena so much 🤔😂
She's amazing until Kingdom of Ash where she and Dorian forget how their brains work right before the final battle. Unless one of Dorian's powers is to read the book that he is in it makes no sense.
shes just a bella swan that can fight to me.
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Yayyy another person who actually liked mockingjay! I always get weird looks when I say that
While I absolutely adore the mistborn series, I understand what you mean about the pacing. The second book actually has it worse in that regard i think, in that the first half was almost entirely political intrigue, until the last act, which is so fast paced and PHENOMENAL. I don’t want to turn you away from the series because I think it’s worth it, even in the slow parts, but just wanted to mention that in case you weren’t aware so you know what you’re getting into haha. Also I don’t know if you’ve tried them but I found listening to the audiobooks to help a lot in getting through them faster.
As always, great video!
I feel like "Every Day" would be amazing as a thriller based on its concept. Like this evil being or whatever takes over people's bodies (it doesn't have a choice in the matter either) and goes on this quest to seek whoever did this to it/he/she/whatever. And it always gets away with its actions until meeting somebody else who has the same problem, but is wiser with age and knows that its job isn't to seek the person who got rid of their bodies, but to help people as the one voice everybody (hopefully) has in the back of their head.
Hopefully that makes sense... It'd be interesting to explain the voice that's in everybody's head. Once I listened to it in 1st grade and...uh...tripped a girl in the bathroom. (I wasn't an angelic child to say the least.)
The plot for Everything, Everything reminds me of Bubble Boy. That movie from the late 90's early 2000's.
Huh, I haven't heard of it!
It wasn't a very good movie.
Sorry this is months later, but actually the protagonist of Bubble Boy and the main character from Everything, Everything have the same disease, called SCID. So you're sort of right haha
@@JordanHarveybooks it's a comedy starring Jake Gyllenhaal but probably does a better job portraying sickness than Everything, Everything
Hearing you talk about horrible books is so fun like wow I thought I disliked book tube videos but it seems I just hadn’t found the best book tube channel yet
I absolutely love The Authentic Observer's series on Shadowhunters. I couldn't make it past the first chapters of the second book, but I guess I can see the appeal. (Some concepts seem interesting at first but then you finish City of Bones and realize how poorly executed those ideas are.)
Well the point with Vicious is not necessarily to connect with them, so much as understand WHY they are doing the terrible things they do. And they truly do terrible, irredeemable things. Does that make them any less interesting. Nope! That said, villain protagonists are not everyone's cup of tea. But I love them and I wish fantasy/fiction has more of them.
Nicko Mocanu Oh for sure! I don’t know if connect was the right word for me to use, but I just found them to be fairly uninteresting. Again, I can’t really pinpoint why, but they didn’t do it for me!
@Jorday Harvey: Understood. Oh and piece of advice. If you've previously had a hard time reading the Final Empire, but want to give it another go, just to see what the rest of the series is like, I suggest reading it in audiobook format. There are two audiobook formats I would recommend: the traditional audiobook format with narrator Michael Kramer who lends a certain personal charm to Sanderson's works or the audiobook made by the people at Graphic Audio. The dramatizations the people at Graphic Audio make for Brandon Sanderson's works are especially high quality and unbelievably well made. :) (I wanted to give you a sample but I just found the trailer for the GA rendition of the Stormlight Archive on youtube :( )
I didn't enjoy throne of glass that much. I also read the second book. They have they're moments. But the fact that Celeana has to 've described as the best assassin every two pages is annoying. Show don't tell. It's also pretty basic and doesn't have much depth
OMG IKR its so iritating.... and the assassin smiled..... the assassin didnt hesitate... the assasin... the aSasSiN .... ASSASSIN like STSOP. But actually i love the rest of the series very VERY much .
Mistborn is one of my favorite series but probably because I love the magic system and world building so much that it carries the rest of the downfalls through for me. I think the big issue with Vin and Elend is that you have young people in love and they are so boring and chaste. I think a lot of that has to do with Brandon Sanderson's personal religious beliefs but it really doesn't make sense in the world he built.
Please make a video on books you loved.
I agree with Throne of Glass. It was just ok, it wasn't worth the hype for me. It was just ok
You're honestly such a good booktuber haha love all of your videos!
Thanks
I’ve been waiting for this! Funny how I agreed with you on the final empire but I still enjoyed it a lot, strangely it was the plot that saved the book for me, besides the world and magic system. Also I’m really not into the hunger games anymore, but when I read them I loved the whole series and until now I still don’t understand the mockingjay hate
this is a random question and i don’t mean any hate by it but if you hate/dislike these books why do you still own them?
I rarely get rid of books. Especially now that I have a RUclips channel about them!
Jordan Harvey okay that makes so much sense lol
I enjoy Cassandra Clare and her books, but it bugs me that everyone includes her and her books in these videos because the popular opinion (from what I've seen) is that they're unlikeable. I was genuinely surprised when Hannah from A Clockwork Reader said she likes them. This is just my experience, and I know it's possible that more people on BookTube could love the books than dislike them.
Brianna Vore I haven’t found that to be the case, but maybe
Personally really liked City Of Bones. 3/5
I read it for the first time this week and was quite taken with the concept. Not a perfect novel by any means, but I think readers are far too critical of debut authors. And yes I understand she plagiarized in her fan fiction, but I don't take fan fiction particularly seriously.
I am onto the second book and it's promising.
Agree 100%
Nice video! I'm fairly surprised you did not like The Final Empire though, it has many of the things you usually like and presented in a very original way. If you do give it another try, please make a review! I do agree with the pacing, its kind of Sanderson's way of writing. Everything builds up really slow, but then it reaches a very interesting point when you're like "there's only 200 pages left, how on earth are they going to resolve this?" and then boom, a great tsunami that leaves you in pieces, in a good way
I LIVE for rant(y) videos like this.
Excellent video. I'm always happy to watch people take apart things they don't like.
The reverse of this (unpopular books that you DO like) would be fun to see, too!
Great work as usual, Jordan!
I loved Mistborn, but I totally felt the same way regarding the characters: they were rather meh and definitely not as interesting as some of his characters in his later books (e.g. Stormlight Archive). Sanderson's strength is definitely in his plots above everything else.
I REALLY REALLY did not like Every Day as well. I bought it, read it and unhauled it within the same week. I disliked everything about this book. and the fact that the movie was promoted as a LGBT+ story when I felt no connection and whatnot.......... I just.... I did not like it.
I totally agree with your view on Schwab. I think the problem is that she’s really good at interesting ideas and worlds but not very good at creating compelling characters, so her books always fall kinda flat for me.
Great video as always!
I'm so glad that you didn't like Catching Fire either! The reason I loved the original so much was Katniss's underdog story, but in the 75th games she had Finnick, Peeta, and Joanna, which is basically the dream team, so there wasn't much suspense. The story became about her relationships more than the survival aspect, which I really didn't like too much.
Wow. You just completely trashed the majority of my favourite books.. & omg I'm living for it 😂
haha I'm glad you're taking it in such good spirits :)
Honestly thought I was the only one who hated Throne of Glass 😂
U ARE
Honestly people like u don’t even deserve having throne of glass in your lives
The sad thing about the Red Queen series is that it starts getting REALLY good in the third book. Mare gets to her senses and actually behaves well, the dynamic with Maven is just super interesting, the stakes are so high and the world is more fleshed out. So late though 😭
No Love yeah I’m not about to try to get through another one of those
@@JordanHarveybooks not a bad idea. The second is the WORST out of all the books. You're definitely not missing out 😅
No Love so why was there four books?😅
@@gracekim25 because the first one wasn't horrible and people loved the characters enough to not quit after the second one. I love the series but the second one was atrocious
Your Divergent story is my Mortal Instruments story. The more I read better books, the more I kept on seeing how flawed it was and how, at the end of the day, I genuinely hated Clary and Jace. They were not likable at all... But Divergent sucked. I'm happy I realized that immediately I read it XD!
And Sarah J Maas books are horrible. I'd say I have given her books a try - often the first one in the series she's giving the masses but they are all so... lacking. It's as though she tries to write about this badass character but she never does then there is the fact that she has complete disregard for the correct use of punctuation marks (specifically dashes and ellipses). God I even tried to note down the number of pages where she didn't use either of the two and well, let's say, for such big books, it was not encouraging. She also has this habit of writing short sentences as though she wants to make everything mysterious or shocking; as though using conjunctions is sinful to her. I'd never recommend anyone read her book on the basis of just how badly she butchers basic English rules.
i understand about the whole plot holes and gaps in Divergent but I am still in love with series even if it really confusing if thought thoroughly. i just love it as i read it through a hard time i was going through and the whole cliche-ness helped me 😂 xx
This is a great video (of course), but also. This is a LOOK 👌 I think this is actually my favourite outfit/makeup I’ve seen this year on anyone.
YOU'RE SO NICE OMG THANK YOU
Everything you said about Catching Fire was seriously on point!
Yikes! We need a favorite list for booktubers works or newer works (basically no big writers like JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, GRR Martin, etc)!
And yes...the Maze runner series totally nose dived in the second and barely leveled out in the final. Films and books.
James Creighton I liked the movies, I thought the first and third were really good but the second was meh. I agree with you on the books though, they were not good at all.
@@chloejacobs6165 my sister's in the same boat. Hated books, adores the movies. All of them. It's totally because of Brodie-Sangster. :P
James Creighton yeah your right lol and Dylan O’Brien (:
Vicious was my first VE Schwab book and frankly I enjoyed it quite a bit, but I think the hype somewhat messed with my enjoyment level, because I went into it very critically whilst waiting to be blown away... I set myself for disappointment, although I still enjoyed it and liked the writing style. Haven't read The Final Empire yet, though I have it, I hope I'll enjoy it, Sanderson is very celebrated by fantasy lovers.
Oh dude, it’d be awesome if you did more videos like this. You roasting popular books makes me so happy
I had a similar reaction to the first Mistborn book, then picked up the second one on a whim like, five years later and ended up falling in love with it. The difference in quality between books one and two is astounding, in my opinion. That said, if you have issues with Sanderson's pacing, then you might still have trouble with the series.
OMG I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT CATCHING FIRE. It moved so slowwww. And I have never heard anyone say that, so it’s nice to see that I’m not alone in not loving it.
Mine would be snow like ashes. It's so bad and I was so excited because the premise sound so good therefore I ordered it as soon as I could and then when I opened it I saw the map and I knew I will hate it. And boy was I right. From the main character to "plot twists" to love triangle it's just a big pile of steaming shit.
I am dying I have that book but I haven’t read it yet!
@@JordanHarveybooks well I definitely wouldn't recommend it because it's not even something like a funny bad book. And the second book somehow managed to be even worse so I am really not looking forward to reading the last one. Don't read it
So "Everything, evirything" had the same plot twist that "Bubble Boy"? Weird
A list of unpopular books you like would be interesting
sorry to hear you didn't like The Final Empire! I had to skip your reasons though because spoilers :p
I have the exact opposite opinion of Mistborn - loved the characters, enjoyed the pacing, could not get into the magic system - it seems so cheesy to me. 😆 I am going to continue with the series though, for as long as I can bear to read "so and so burned ___." 🙄
Great video! Have you read and/or discussed Three Dark Crowns?
I haven't read three dark crowns... I heard it wasn't very good!
Oh good, you've heard correctly. 🙊
@@kelsey5863 i agree, its prett shitty lol
For me, I have read way worse stuff and I like the series. At least the love triangle ended in book 2 but it's still not bloody enough for me and SPOILER ALERT! No sister has died yet. The worldbuilding has the right vibe and the magic was well described
I liked mockingjay the most.
And the books I hate, is not necessarily because of the book itself, but for the excessive unexplicable hype and popularity that those books get. Is unbeliavable how trashy and cliched books are, yet people consume these "stories" and claim them to be the best thing ever made. Is beyond my reasoning. And is sad, to be honest.
Angie Carrizo I think it’s a point of view thing
Sorry i know this comment is old but with most of the books that get super hyped for no reason are prodomently books read by teen or at oldest twenty year olds who haven't left ya section yet. Some i think only read the hyped book to not miss out. Some authors who have wrote ya that are amazing even to an adult like me arnt the most recognizable to the mainstream
You look like such a queen with that cape and honestly I’m here for it
Hahah it's a sweater but thank you!!
Jordan Harvey 😂😂 whoops!
Sasha Alsberg recently posted a video like this. Her's was so bland and empty, no intelligence or analysis whatsoever. THIS video is what decent book commentary looks like. No wonder her channel is dying (and no wonder Zenith was such a car crash). I appreciate Jordan's content so much.
you're so right. I'm watching it now and she said she didn't like a book because the main character was like a plain piece of toast.... wow. Most of her reasons are- "the tv show/movie/previous series was better". top notch analysis from a published author.....
I love your jacket/blazer that you're wearing!!
Thank you! It's a sweater, or cardigan maybe?
I completely agree with catching fire, it's too slow at the beginning! I DNF'd it after trying to read it multiple times
I had the same problem with Mistborn, the magic system was really well planned out, and the characters had all the functioning parts: motivation, backstory, etc. but they just felt so bare bones, and Brandon Sanderson says in his writing lectures (they’re on youtube and are actually really helpful) that he doesn’t plan characters, he just works them out by writing them, so I think what happened with Mistborn is that he got caught up in the plot and forgot to add more to the characters than was necessary for the plot, and the plot was actually great in the first book (haven’t read the others yet) except for the pacing and a big slip up at the end which I won’t spoil
I'm so happy you mentioned the pacing problems in City of Bones. That was my main problem with it, but you're the first one who mentions it that I know of. Yes, the other things were also bad but the pacing stood out to me as the worst of it all. I have read worse books, even though this is pretty bad - but then I usually stop reading after the first chapters. This one I had to finish because I promised a friend to do it. It took me MONTHS to get through it. Normally I finish a book in a day or less. My feeling was that the book was dense in every sense of the word and so hard to get through for that reason.
Oh my gosh!! I didn't know you had a channel Jordan!! I'm going to binge now haha xx
Seeing Mistborn on this list makes me sad :(
Sorry pal
If you didn’t like Vin in the first book, I’m not sure if I can recommend the other two in the trilogy. Her character does change significantly, but she’s still the protagonist. As someone who has read a lot of epic fantasy, I appreciated the trilogy’s answer to the question ‘What happens after the supposed chosen one defeats the Big Evil Thing?’
Read The Way of Kings, its superior in every way. You WILL want to punch Khaladin but he's well written.
Love this! If you can, please do another video, I'd love to watch it. I love videos like this one! Also, I'd definitely love to watch a video on unpopular/hated books that you liked. :)
I would recommend giving the rest of the mistborn series a go. If Kel is your problem with them they are truly an amazing series and Kel turns out to be a severely flawed character.
Okay so I’m not surprised you didn’t like vicious, but CATCHING FIRE? that book was ffiiire though..pun intended! Haha, but seriously..😭
S. Herondale haha sorry, not sorry!
I agree, that book was so vividly wonderful to me.
Speaketh the truth, ma queen!
Oh my gosh, you're the first other person I've seen who likes Mockingjay the most too!
You should read the Raven Cycle, the characters have amazing development and they are extremely fleshed out, the magic system is unique and the writing style is so atmospheric. I truly believe you would enjoy it.
It's on my list!
I enjoy your negative book reviews so much, you explain your reasons so well and you have such a strong grasp of book elements and character development and so much more. You're my favorite book reviewer :) I write a lot of fiction so I really get a lot out of these videos in terms of learning how NOT to write
Though I’d agree with everything you said about it, I still love Zenith 😂
TEA TIME!!!!
Gah! I am 6 minutes late. AND I'M MAD ABOUT IT.
Liking the eyelashes and yellow shadow - fancy!
You are sooo right about Catching Fire being too slow to begin with. I'm definitely in agreement regarding V.E.Schwab's writing. I do actually enjoy the ADSOM series, but I can really understand the difficulty to connect with characters.
Wasn't everyday adapted to a movie/tv show?
Yeah, the Everyday movie was actually shot here in Toronto
And thanks, the makeup and lashes are new :)
Jordan Harvey Hmm 🤔 I thought so 💙
I'm glad you spoke about "Everything, Everything." The author tried to write a somewhat decent book but it was just poorly executed. As a reader, I like to guess the ending and then see if I was right or wrong. As I read it, I guessed pretty quickly that the protagonist didn't have the super rare disease. The worst part of the book was the ending because it felt way too rushed. It really irked me that there was no justice(?) with the mother. The author could have spent some time explaining the aftermath and what would have happened to the mother. The reason I feel that way is because the mother was mentally disturbed to a point, and had it happened in real life, she would have gone to jail.
Before I forget, awesome reviews! Your channel is really nice and I just subscribed!
Oh man... Breaks my heart that you think the characters in Mistborn are bland... I really hope you continue with the series because Sanderson is a MASTER of character creation.
Yeah, it might just be this book! I feel like out of the books I mentioned, this one is one of the ones that I might like more with a reread.
I completely agree with you about Scorch Trials! I was so disappointed with it too! I did read The Kill Order and The Fever Code, which I quite liked. They weren't amazing but they were pretty good. I especially liked The Fever Code, because it's about Thomas's time before the Maze.
I couldn't connect with VE Schwab's writing either. That's why I'm super hesitant to pick up Vicious. I had really high expectations for Darker Shade of Magic and ended up being majorly disappointed.
I did like The Final Empire, but I completely get your opinion :) I would recommend maybe trying out Warbreaker first. A lot of people say that's the best Brandon Sanderson book to start out with. I thought the characters in Warbreaker were very unique and well-developed. You might enjoy it. Great video as always! :)
I love the Hunger Games, but yes Catching Fire could have some improvements!
Honestly, I was surprised to see that you put Catching Fire on that list! I loved that one! Same for Scorch Trials! It was my favorite out of the TMR series! But it’s your opinion, so I respect it.
I would find more interesting to watch a video about popular books that you actually did like😅😅😅 because it's just seems like you dislike most books you read anyway. (and I don't mean to sound negative or complaining, on the opposite - I like that you are rather critical reader!)
Juli-Yashka I am a critical reader for sure! I have a few recommendation videos, but I’m happy to do a “favourites” video
XD I love that i listened to this but as soon as you got to the final empire i was like "this is exactly what i'm looking for" paused and went to get it on audiobook. it seems like a lot of the reviews don't like it because its long, but i've been on the market for a long audio book to last me while i work and drive and i'm so excited. I really think a lot of the complaints i've heard are solved in audiobook format. We'll see how it goes so far its a really fun listen while i'm working! Goes to show negative reviews aren't bad, I just know what to expect going into it and i think i'll enjoy it more now
Every day sounds like a great setup for a villain.
A police officer is suddenly tasked with figuring out a string of identical murders done by seemingly random people once a week.
They start getting dragged into the world of the meta-physical as they effectively need to track down someones pissed off soul.
oooh that's pretty interesting actually
I agree so much with Divergent. The first book was so good, and i loved it, and when I read the two last books I was just like "no."
I respectfully disagree on Mockingjay. I feel it is the worst book in the series. But it's my opinion.
I feel the same way you feel about Vicious for A Darker Shade of Magic. I was hyped by another youtuber and began reading it the same night. Oh boy, how disappointed and bored I was. I didn't even get to read till the part where both of the protagonists finally meet. Actually, I really liked the main male character at first, his interactions with the rest of the cast, people on the streets, him staring at his own image in the water and liking his appearance. It was fun. But I wasn't impressed by the book and ditched it. I never really was into YA books, and after trying to read a couple of them I undersand why. A Darker Shade of Magic felt just like all the other typical YA books discussed by RUclipsrs.
question... how comes you (still) own these books? like i get keeping catching fire and mistborn but isn't it better to get rid of them to make space for books enjoy or anticipate?
I have a problem with hoarding books. I have a hard time getting rid of them, and this channel gives me an excuse to keep them.
haha, yea i get that. my shelves are crying for a deep and through cleanse but it's for me to actually get rid of some...
Great video! I’d really like to see the opposite (unknown/unpopular books you like) too.
Anyway, I’m quite surprised by the presence of Catching Fire. I did not notice the pacing issues the first (and only) time I read it. But then, I ate up the whole trilogy in a couple of days at the time, so I’m curious whether I feel differently now if I reread it.
As for Mistborn, the plot and magic system were worth it for me in the first book despite me not being able to connect with Vin. I rarely connect with the main characters as much as important side characters, so maybe that didn’t put me off as much. That said, the whole trilogy was definitely worth it imho!!!
If you have to pick the worst protagonist between Celaena Sardothien, Mare Barrow, and Androma Racella, who would you choose?
Frea Mare or Androma
Frea But that’s a mean question
I love watching these kinds of videos, they're so interesting! I found that I agree with you 100% on Throne of Glass--it was not for me. And, while I haven't finished Vicious yet, I think I feel similarly about not really connecting with the writing, though I probably wouldn't say I dislike it. On the other hand, Catching Fire was actually my favorite HG book back when I first read the series. I haven't reread it in a while, so I don't know what I'd think now lol.I think I enjoyed a lot of the downtime in the first half of that book after the action of the first, and I also loved Finnick and the other Victors so I think those were the main draw for me. Back then I probably would have been upset that someone else didn't like it, but I've grown to appreciate different perspectives (and I haven't come across many people that liked Mockingjay best so that's pretty cool to see). And...yeah, I'll admit, I also don't hate The Mortal Instruments, although I fully understand why people do. I started the series when I was in middle school and (after dropping it for a couple years bc the incest plot-line was really weird and then picking it back up bc some of my friends wanted me to) the entire franchise has kind of followed me into adulthood. It's on of those series that I'm stuck on, but I'm also not offended when I find out someone doesn't like it because...I get it haha. For me, though, it's kind of like a beloved soap-opera. I'm there for the characters (usually the side characters) and the world and the drama (and to raise my eyebrows when things inevitably get weird af). It's truly something I consume outside of the sphere of literary criticism at this point, which is a nice chance for me since I studied writing in college and don't often take opportunities to turn that off and just enjoy something. As for the rest of the books you mentioned, I haven't read any of them, but I do own Every Day...for that reason I hope I'll like it on some level, but you pointed out some of the concerns I already had about the plot, so we'll see!
EDIT: I forgot to mention Divergent! I also agree with you on this one--I actually read that as part of a project I did in High School, and I never really connected with the characters or the plot, but I finished the series because of the project. I think I was able enjoy aspects of it because I knew I had to finish it, but ultimately I probably would never have read past book one if I hadn't needed to.
I totally get having books and series that are great for just turning your brain off and enjoying the drama. Nothing wrong with that! Its so wonderful that stories can mean so many different things to so many different people, and its even better when those people acknowledge that and respect all the other interpretations! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts :)
I hope you will give Mistborn another chance. Kelsier is written weirdly because of his plot, so in a second read he might work better.
Also, the other books focus more on other characters and their development is great. I think the second book has the best foreshadowing and twists I have ever read.
YESS, SPILL THAT TEA, QUEEN
Oh my Gosh!!! this is is insane
finally I watched a book review sooo similar to my taste
love ya Queen💕
I agree on your thoughts about Everyday. I think my main issue with it had to do with the lack of romantic chemistry too and how Riahnnon (is that how you write it?) never actually seemed interested in being with A at all and yet she was? Another problem I had with it had to do with that “mysterious” subplot with the pastor as it felt very out of place and forced. But I do disagree with you on your thoughts about the changing bodies every day as I felt that was a very interesting premise, which was better executed in the movie adaptation. Of course that is my personal opinion.
Good video!