I thought i was the only one who got irritated when fantasy romances focus too much on the smut instead of keeping a balance between the romance/relationship/smut and the fantasy plot that was the original story from the beginning. It drives me nuts!!
I see that I am not the only one. I do not enjoy it when they focus on the smut and that makes me lower my rating for the books I love when there is romance but it is more like a subplot
I re-read The Hunger Games last year after 10ish years and I enjoyed it more than the first time I read it. If you do re-read it, I recommend the audiobooks that are narrated by Tatiana Maslany.
Not sure how uncommon/common of an opinion this is, but I actually prefer found family stories over romance stories. I like romances best if they involve lots of respect, communication, and support haha. I like friends to lovers for that reason. But even in a story that does that well, I'm sometimes like "damn I kind of wish they had just stayed BFFs" because I feel like we don't have enough stories that highlight the beauty of platonic friend/family relationships and how they can be just as important as romantic ones.
There are sooo many enemies to lovers books nowadays but I'm really struggling to find the one thing I crave for: super wholesome and innocent, slooooow burn (like reaaally slow) friends to lovers. There is NOTHING better than witnessing friends slowly realising they are falling in love especially when it's kept drama free. Just sweet and cute, light and wholesome. Cannot find anything like that : (
While I’m fine with the smut, I do agree that too many current writers do too much smut too fast. Like I personally can’t stand the “will they, wont they” storylines of the past because those always took too long for anything to happen or doing the immediate “misunderstanding” conversation that leads them to immediately breaking up. I would like a nice happy medium. A little bit of spicier content and have the love interests get to gather by the end of the first book in a series so that it’s possible to actually explore the full dynamics of their relationship.
I don't love all of SJM's books (I'm looking at you, crescent city) but what irritates me is that so many people disregard her as a real fantasy writer because of the smut/romance. Her world building and story lines have a lot to them and would absolutely be considered high fantasy were they less romance centered.
Fantasy romance is it's own genre at this point and doesn't interest me at all. On the other hand I love straight fantasy books. I wouldn't say that SJM isn't a fantasy author, but that is where the focus is to (in my opinion) the detriment of the other elements of her books. At this point I think she should just start writing straight smut since that's where her interest appears to be.
People don't disregard her because she writes romance, it's because she's a bad author. Her writing is racist, ableist, over the top, trauma porn, terrible character work (often because she just want to write terrible romance), terribly smut, she plagarizes herself and lately her books aren't even edited at all. (This is coming from someone who used to love her writing. Now I cannot believe she is still so famous despite being so problematic and her writing so bad. It isn't even good romance or smut!)
I really appreciate your attitude about holding onto books! I feel like booktube can really promote over consumerism. I only want to keep books that I want to read, reread, and lend to my friends!
I love the outfit in this one! and the opinions are wooo very interesting. I completely agree about the smut comments even thought I love fantasy with romance elements and I also think there is something to be said about trends breeding not as well written stories (example being the total breakdown of the enemies to lovers trope).
Back in the ‘90s, when the Wheel of Time was new and social media was called Usenet, the Jordan fans used to say that you should stick with it, because it got really interesting by the 2nd or 3rd book. Personally, I didn’t have any interest in slogging through a doorstop book waiting for it to become interesting 800 pages later…
I also love having a huge physical tbr! It doesn't stress me out at all, I love having all these options and undiscovered future favs on my shelf saved for when I'm in just the right mood.
Agree about Jennifer L Armentrout's From Blood and Ash series. ACOTAR series by Maas got me out of a huge book slump and I asked for recommendations for what to read next and FBAA was the top one, i read it and only got to book 2 before i DNF'd. Realised that i wasn't going to be surprised by any of the "twists", and the smut just kept getting more and more ridiculous while still trying to do a "will they won't they" plot which become unenjoyable, and the actual fantasy plot line got completely lost. When the author remembered "oh yeah we're supposed to be in an actual fantasy story here" she just used a random character to info dump. Hated it. Avoiding those types of books for a while now after that experience. I enjoy reading good smut! But having it be essentially the entire focus point of a book is a bit boring to me.
I started reading Robin Hobb because of your recommendations, and I've never read fantasy before it. I love the heart of her writing, the world, the plot MMM. Bad side is it's hard for me to binge because its soooo emotionally taxing (IN A GOOD WAY). Thanks for the recommendation I am loving this Hobb journey!!!
Agree with your smut point. The chase is far more compelling and the will they/won't they. This is what killed Acotor for me, I shipped Nesta and Cassian in A Court of Silver Flames but then all I got is smut. Jumping each other with zero meaningful connection between them. Not to mention a plot that felt rinse and repeat from the previous books. Now I avoid fantasy romance like the plauge.
THANK YOU, someone finally said it. Don’t get me wrong I love Sarah J Maas Acotar series, it’s my favorite but in my opinion I’m like girl…don’t this with whoever Azriel’s love interest is. It’s too played out now. lol
I went to Barnes and noble about a week ago and found the fourth wing. I hadn’t heard of it and did a quick goodreads look on it and it had amazing reviews score so I thought why not. The story was pretty fast passed and was super into it UNTIL the second half it felt like a different book and the romance and it’s spice completely took over and I felt like the story line took a back seat. It was disappointing to say the least. Im sometimes in the mood for spice but not when the story line becomes stagnant beyond the romance.
Definitely some interesting opinions! --I completely agree with you on The Hunger Games. I still think they are very good books. --I got a big smile on my face when you mentioned The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina. Such a good experience reading it a while back. --I adore friends to lovers and (generally) am not a fan of love triangles. Totally agree with second chance romances. --Another fan of "The Chosen One" here🙌 Thank you for sharing this. What a fun video!
I hate it so much. I don’t mind a spicy book once or twice a year, but I hate that if you look in the comments of any booktok video that‘s not about spicy books there are always people asking „okay but is it spicy?“.
You should definitely reread the hunger games! I just finished mockingjay because my fyp is also going through the hunger games renaissance (which I love tbh) and it holds up so well! So worth a reread as an adult imo
Try the Burn For Me series by Illona Andrews. Great tension between the main characters and even better world building. It's slow burn but I find it more realistic (can I say that about a paranormal romance??) 😂 I don't like romance and I LOVE this series
I've been trying to find these but my library system doesn't have them (anywhere in the state!). I hate buying books before I read so I probably won't end up reading them
Another vote for Kate Daniels (and Ilona Andrews in general). Kate Daniels is very light spice, and there is a LOT of tension. Hidden Legacy is a series of trilogies so less build up to the spice.
Completely agree with THG!! I reread it every year and it stills is so so good. Doesn’t age. I’ve tried rereading other big popular YA books that were cultural resets at the time (like Twilight) and they were clearly not holding up…. the only ones staying amazing through time are THG and PJO imo.
Ah your comments about special editions answered something for me. I was wondering why you didn't get book boxes like illumicrate and fairyloot, but the matching things makes sense. I recently joined illumicrate and I'm sooo excited to start getting boxes!!! my trope rant: I hate second chance romance lolol. I think it's because in most of the books I've read with that trope either the entire conflict hinges on a single bit of miscommunication which feels lazy and just makes me think of the characters as terrible communicators OR the conflict is more complex, but the characters don't seem to have enough growth/change to make the second chance seem worth it.
Yes! I hate ppl who do that with relationships irl, and I could only get behind a second chance romance if there was a good reason that they broke up that has either resolved itself or we see character growth. But imo there’s usually a good reason people have broken up and it just means they shouldn’t be together🤷🏼♀️
This video was so entertaining. As someone who has always read fantasy romance, and is just stepping her toes into the actual fantasy genre, I think the chosen one trope is nice. It feels very nostalgic, and those are the books I lean toward. I'm also feeling a hunger games reread! I unhauled those books years ago, so I'll def need to hit up my local library. I literally made smutty romance/fantasy novels my personality for years, but now it feels like it's turned into a competition of who can write the dirtiest, most shocking scenes. We still need a plot!!
It’s such a shame. I’ve been having the worst time finding new books to read bc I’m kind of burnt out with spicy fantasy romance. Like the last romance book that was decently spicy but mainly focused on tension was The Wrath of The Dawn.
The last one is so true! It’s either 1 new edition or 10 and they’re just slightly different. Cassandra Clare just announced three versions of her new book and I’m waiting to see if any book boxes announce a version, like illumicrate. It’s overwhelming for sure and definitely an easy grab for money.
As someone who has started their hunger games re-read on my lunch break today I can confirm it’s still amazing and I can’t wait for work to finish so I can read more x
As someone who enjoys smut i agree with your point. If you havent i recomend We hunt the Flame and We free the stars. There is a romance but its not the main story line. And the PINNING OMG. Insane.
Per your specific interests in fantasy romance, I would definitely recommend you continue the Hidden Legacy series by Ilona Andrews and also try out the sci-fi/fantasy Innkeeper Chronicles by Ilona Andrews. The Innkeeper is a slower and sweeter romance with mild smut when it happens. It has an almost cozy vibe but there is a lot of action that definitely keeps it from being able to 💯 say its a cozy read.
I recently reread The Hunger Games and the Divergent series and immensely loved my time back in both worlds ❤ First time rereading them since middle school
The way you feel about Assassin's Apprentice is how I feel about Wheel of Time. Just hold on. Everything changes in book 4. Everything. It's a totally different experience. Not as repetitive. Character development. Even Rand becomes interesting. Everytime I hear you talk about WoT I just think if she just pushes through to the end of 4 she will feel so differently. It's not my favorite series of all time, but it is so much better after the first three.
Listening to you talk about The Assassin’s Apprentice is like the Dark Tower series by Stephen King. The first book (The Gunslinger) is very dry and slow, but after the second book, it picks up. This may be an unpopular opinion, but I love those series!
everyone says that assassins apprentice was the slowest-paced book in the trilogy but ironically, its my only 5-star read of 2022 out of 30 books! i was taken aback by the writing style (in a good way) because most historical fantasy (or related) books are written in this jarring, contemporary style, so I was amazed that the narrative voice was on point. it had never occurred to me that it was considered a boring book until I saw everyone else's review because I was so entertained. I absolutely loved the worldbuilding, the introduction to the characters and the ENDING. The ending made me breathless and I literally dropped my kindle to go on storygraph and rate it 5 stars. It's soooo special to me and made me realise my love for high fantasy!
I'm laughing because the way you answered the 'Assassin's Quest' unpopular opinion is exactly how I want to answer the Wheel of Time one. 😭 I know it's boring, I get it, promise - but you have to just stick with it. The characters get a lot better, the plot becomes more political intrigue as it progresses. I would suggest the audiobooks, it helped me to keep going and now I'm on book 6.
Thanks to KU I’m in my romance era, but I do understand why people aren’t huge fans of it. And having read like 40 romances so far this year, some of them definitely start to blend together; and I haven’t found that to be the case with other genres. For me at least.
My unpopular opinion that is the opposite of something you said lol: I love insta-love or insta-lust stories. I love marriage of convenience. I want characters to be smashed together instantly, kinda accidentally fall in love or do the spicy times like way too fast, and then have to figure out, from there, wtf their relationship is and what they want.
Yes! I prefer each of these to Enemies to Lovers. (That said, I still love Friends to Lovers and 2nd Chance....so I like certain slow burns just as much.)
Have you checked out the follow up series from Katherine Addison? The point about shorter, prose-focused fantasy made me think of it. I LOVED those books probably more than I loved the Goblin Emperor.
I like seeing characters get together and then working through the plot together. Like Astrid and Hiccup in How to Train Your Dragon 2 & 3. I don't mind some smut, but I prefer m/m smut lol, and I need plot to go with the smut (all smut does not appeal to me).
I definitely agree with you on how WoT is over-hyped. I also wanted to love it but hated book two hahaha. I think if I'd read it when i was a teenager (before I've been spoiled for fantasy choice!) I would've maybe liked it more because I didn't know any better. I have 0 nostalgia for it though because I only recently tried it and I agree with your pacing, character and writing observations.
I could not agree with you more about smut all of a sudden just taking centre stage in a book where you feel like the crux of the story is now so far from what you were originally reading. It’s way more interesting if it takes most of the book if not half of the series! Instant gratification is rarely a good thing in a book
Yes! Thank you for this opinion! I say all the time that, while his world building is superb and the subject matter is mostly "adult," the voice/opinions/dialogue of his characters - even his older characters - comes off as very immature and "YA" to me (as a 40 year old woman). Sometimes I wonder if it's because his characters are often speaking to non-human characters as if they are children? Or maybe it's the influence the Wheel of Time had on him? (I also find Robert Jordan's writing to be quite juvenile. Like a 16 year old attempting to write something he thinks is adult?).
Love triangles are my favorite! I just find it super relatable, loving two people for completely different reasons - I'm always like oooh what do these characters go through and how do they work through how they choose the one in the end?!
I just finished a book that I think would have the kind of romance you are looking for. Throwback by Maurene Goo. There's also time travel, and a Back to the Future element.
I feel like you would LOVE the creepy hollow series by Rachel Morgan, especially after watching this latest video! Enemies to Lovers is definitely a spoiler for me 😅
I was just curious, can you read robin hobbs series like out of order if that makes sense? Because I really want to read the dragon keeper but I’m unsure if I need to read all the prior ones
I personally do like spice but only if that & the romance doesn’t overtake the plot. I feel like I can appreciate the romance a lot better when the two mcs are also focused on their quests. But these days when people recommend books on tiktok there’s always someone that asks if there’s spice 😭 in the end a lot of the spice books sound the same to me.
You don't mind slow burn, right? Mousai (which isn't smutty at all, there's very few sex scenes) does that and the tension also comes from the fantasy plots. The second one was my fave. It's a pirate one. The books are also definitely about the vibes you get, you can tell from the titles (Song of the Forever Rains, Dance of a Burning Sea, and Symphony for a Deadly throne). It doesn't have flowery writing IMO. You could give it a shot as it only has three books. If you don't mind a trial book where the vibes and what the trials will be are more important than the question who will win that would be best for the third book.
I just finished reading The Priory of the Orange Tree. When I picked it up I thought oh my 800 pages it will probably take 3 months to read this thing. I really enjoyed it and it only took me about 1 month not 3 to finish it. Did I miss something though because I was a little confused at the ending with what went on with Tane.
I've been reading Wheel of Time since late 2021, at least a couple of months between successive books, and I'm shortly starting book 7. Honestly I think if you're stuck in book 4 now for so long you would need to reread a lot to resume after all this time. More importantly it's fine to say it's not for you, if it's not enjoyable enough. Don't force yourself to continue reading something that isn't working for you. And in this case it is such a huge long read of books. I will be relieved if I get to the end, but am taking it a book at a time. I'm expecting a downturn soon. And will keep spreading out! But yes, do walk away from it if it's not working for you. Read what you enjoy.
Gradually read them from 2006ish-2011 and I adored the first half... and suffered through the slog of the middle then loved the last couple when it finally got back on track and I felt like Brandon Sanderson did the ending justice. Went back and listened to the Audio books while doing landscaping back in 2020-2021 and got through the first 4 and felt they were still fantastic. Definitely a hard recommend though due to its length.
Yep. The middle books in the Wheel of Time are. so. damn. bad. And the characters don't get less annoying. I felt like, as a fantasy lover, I had to read them. And the best I can say is that I made it through. And why does no one talk about the fact that he gives the MC a harem? And it's done in such a...silly and not at all believable way? I would say that it just didn't age well, but it was published in the 90s and 2000s. I will never understand the love for this series.
Totally agree on booktok!! Yes there's a lot of "spicy romance" and kinda trash books from 2015-2016 in the popular booktok fashtags but the algorithm "fixes itself" pretty fast and i get a lot of diverse fantasy and sf recommendations i never would've heard of otherwise!
So here's the thing about The Song of Achilles. I have a degree in Classical Studies, so I spend a lot of time on Classics blogs, and Classicists COMPLETELY HATE that book. Seemingly universally. Which stunned me a little, because I actually genuinely enjoyed it? The general argument I've heard, whenever a blogger deigns to acknowledge its existence, is that it forces too much of a modern view of (homo)sexuality into the relationship. Which... sure? I guess? I understand the argument that ancient Greeks did not label people as "heterosexual" and "homosexual" like we do. Sexuality was way more fluid, way less in boxes. It was just... expected that men had male lovers AND wives and maybe female concubines as well, and none of that reflected their sexual preferences. And the way Achilles and Patroclus are characterized in Song of Achilles does NOT reflect that. Especially the way Achilles and Patroclus treat the Trojan women... just... does not line up with what happened in the Iliad. Or our understanding of history. At all. Which may skew people's understanding of ancient Greek culture. Sure. Fine. I get that. HOWEVER. I actually did my Classics capstone on translating and retelling myths, and the way we can most accurately convey the meaning of the original (or not!), and the actual value there is in deviating from the original story. There's a couple levels to this. One is that, translating a story word-for-word from the original often actually LOSES a lot of meaning. Frequently, English and ancient Greek words simply don't line up perfectly; there are nuances that have been lost to time and across cultures that simply cannot be conveyed if you're super strict about word-for-word translations. For example, the word "tyrant" means something completely different to the ancient Greeks than it means to us, but you'd have to give a short history lesson to make the word make sense in English, and that's going to pull anyone out of a story. Or jeez, look up the word "logos" in the Bible and the million and one ways you can translate that word, all with competely different nuances... It's one of the most important words in the Bible, which is one of the most important books in our culture, and we cannot translate it meaningfully! To get meaning across, sometimes you have to choose a word, a character trait, a plot point, etc that doesn't literally translate from the original, but carries a meaning in English that more accurately represents what the ancient Greeks were trying to get across. Going back to the word "tyrant," this is why the Greek play "Oedipus Tyrannos" is often translated "Oedipus the King" instead of "Oedipus the Tyrant," because... he simply was NOT a tyrant in the modern sense of the word, and using that direct translation would actually color a modern audience's perception of the play. Secondly... even regardless of that... I think changing a tale to fit more modern sensibilities isn't in itself a bad thing. Like, so what if the original Achilles and Patroclus weren't exclusively romantic with each other? For modern English audiences, we tend to feel more for a story where the romantic leads were DESTINED to be together, and our hearts break more with their deaths because of it. (Yes, we can discuss how that reflects the problems of modern Christian influence on heteronormativity and mononormativity, but that's not in the scope of this comment.) The POINT of the story of the Iliad is the way that Patroclus' death breaks Achilles. "Sing, muse, of the wrath of Achilles." It's literally the first line of the Iliad, and "wrath" is the first word, to emphasize how tremendously important Patroclus' death is. A successful retelling MUST get across how important Patroclus was to Achilles. Miller does so by making their relationship a monogamous gay relationship. In this context, the change worked. And because Madeline Miller successfully twisted our hearts, more modern folk get invested in the myths of Achilles and Patroclus, and perhaps are inspired to find out what REALLY happened to them. If she got more people to read the Classics, is that really such a bad thing?? Okay, I'll get off my soap box, lol. Everyone should go read the Iliad, I love it dearly.
I like friends to lovers, but mainly because I don’t read straight-up romance. So in a book that’s sci-if or fantasy, I’ll enjoy a friends to lovers romance because it’s not the main plot line. Something I really don’t like in fiction is when authors think that writing an “adult” book means there needs to be a lot of swearing/sexual violence/gore/abuse. I love adult fantasy, but I’m so tired of the graphic r*pe scenes.
Fantasy romance or fantasy with romance has been my favorite genre for over a decade now, however, that alone does not carry the book for me. The writing has to be powerful (ex. Strange the dreamer is one of my favs) and I agree with Regan that the tension has to be top notch.
I feel like a lot of people who LOVE Wheel of Time have the nostalgia factor. My friend has reread the first book tons of times because he read them growing up. Trying to read them now when you have responsibilities and other books to read can be a bit hard. I’m the sixth book and still going though 😅
I just feel like they haven't aged well? And maybe they're not for older adults? Maybe they're something you need to read early in your fantasy journey? I didn't try to read them until my 30s, and I found the characters obnoxious and the story...meadering and...pretty dumb...
I have been reading fantasy since the 70s and 80s and a good majority were under 350 pages and they packed a lot into the pages and they did it well. I got turned off of epic fantasy epics in the 90s and I’m just getting back into it. Btw I love Brandon Sanderson. Also have you read Fourth Wing?
Personally I think that with the Wheel of Time and some other older fantasy behemots, some of the popularity and love comes from the nostalgy for it. I'm not sure if it would become as popular as it is now, if the first book was released this year. But I also don't like to speculate why some people like something as it is such a personal matter.
I really want to try Robin Hobb but I am so turned off by what I heard about the first trilogy so I just want to try Liveship. If I like it there is no harm to return to the original trilogy other than few spoilers?
I actually loved the first trilogy, though it does set up a lot of the story so it’s a bit slow but the whole realm of the elderlings series is literally my favorite series and it’s soooo good.
Not at all interested in fantasy romance, I don't care if there's a bit of romance in my fantasy but it has to be a very small part of the story for me to enjoy it ! I love Brandon Sanderson, but I could not finish the first book in the Stormlight archives yet (started it twice at this point) even though I'm a fan of high fantasy 😅 Addie Larue was a 5 stars read for me ! Really loved the vibes. But I can see why people feel like it's just ok. I really enjoy love triangles too 🙊
For slow burn fantasy romance that doesn't forget there's a fantasy plot going on, T. Kingfisher's World of the White Rat series. Apart from the first two books, they're interconnected standalones.
I am a huge fan of found family and fluff in a fantasy setting....so the spice is not for me as much. The house in the cerulean sea is so cute and I need more like it in my life. Also, Circe is far more enjoyable for me than TSOA
I think the #1 problem with Wheel of Time is it needs a heavy edit. It reads like a 1st/2nd draft, not a polished story. I read about half of the series a couple of decades ago and found myself skipping whole sections/povs. I have no interest in going back to it (same with the Game of Thrones books.)
It also hasn't aged well. I didn't read it until recently and in my 30s, and it just doesn't work for someone who has read significantly better fantasy.
I started reading Legion by Brandon Sanderson. I have not been able to put it down. I was in a reading slump for a while so I'm glad this one has gotten me out of that slump.
I love hard covers and I enjoy special editions and they are more beautiful then the original xoxo 😚 📚🤍💙💙🤍📚💙🪻💜💜💕💕🧡🤎🧡❣️❣️💚💓🌹🩷🩶💘🩷❣️❣️💜🩵🪻🪻💙💙🤍🪻🤎🧡💜💜📚📚🤍💙🪻🪻🪻🩵💕❤️🤎🤎🧡❣️❣️🌻📚📚🤍🤍💙🤍🤍🤍🪻💓💓💚💚🩶💘💘❤️❤️💕
I think the thing with Maas is less about how many people hate her or her books so much as she is the most popular author within her specific genre and therefore also is symbolic of the genre itself. So I think it would be commonly said " I dont enjoy books like those SJM books" its a stand in for the "spicy" or romance fantasy books.
It's not a love triangle unless the two dudes at the bottom of it are also going trying to seduce each other. Otherwise, it's just a love... arrow? A love ^
I from carol in the uk i am 63 a member of a book groupe in my local library, can you please recommend a book for a book group, i am desparate to get one for the group to discuss.
I can appreciate the spicy book love because I think it’s helped ignite reading again in general. I love how much content there is now surrounding books/reading and general introversion. I feel like we used to be the weirdos and now it’s almost like a “basic girl” trait…. And I’m not mad to have company? Haha. I am only a fan of enemies to lovers for fantasy for the reason you said. Otherwise I’m not a very spicy reader I’ve also been wanting to re-read Hunger Games! I haven’t read it since 16 yrs old but of course loved it. My husband just read them for the first time as an adult via audio and had seen the movies first and really enjoyed the books as well! So I think they still hold water!
Agreed about the spicy book trend. Series like ACOTAR pulled a lot of people back into reading, and many of those people will also end up reading other fantasy books while searching for what to read next. Also, I think it kind of opened up a bigger space in the fantasy genre for adult fantasy/romance-fantasy. Of course, not all of those books will be high quality, but that's every popular genre/subgenre! It's also nice to have a lot of content and more of a fandom community around fantasy reading too.
Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series are perfect blend of fantasy and romance. Huge world building. Big plot. Sexy. Sooo good. But trigger warnings. But the author explains her choices at the end of the last book.
Never Mind the unpopular opinions, I need to know about the top/dress(?) you’re wearing, that is lovely!! It looks Liberty print-ish? Please tell us more!
I feel like a lot of love triangles are either "this woman must choose between these two douchebags" or "character x and y are clearly endgame and z is just there to pad it out". Which, obviously, can be frustrating. There are some very well done love triangles that aren't like this, but I feel like there are a lot of these out there which dilate the enjoyment of the trope. That being said, I absolutely adore love triangles and love squares with secret identities involved! Think Miraculous Ladybug. I love dramatic irony! And it is certainly a build-in part of these plots.
I feel like breaks ups from misunderstandings in romance novels is lazy writing 😅
10000000%
One of the reasons I don't read romance super often. Misunderstandings instead of more creative conflicts just drives me up the wall.
I’ll let an author get away with it once. Do it again, I’m done with that writer.
I thought i was the only one who got irritated when fantasy romances focus too much on the smut instead of keeping a balance between the romance/relationship/smut and the fantasy plot that was the original story from the beginning. It drives me nuts!!
Same! I‘m looking at the FBAA series👀
I see that I am not the only one.
I do not enjoy it when they focus on the smut and that makes me lower my rating for the books
I love when there is romance but it is more like a subplot
@@eda.98 I have it but I didn't read it yet
OMG ! I really hope it is not focused on the smut
I definitely agree with you about the hunger games! It's definitely going to be a classic in the future, it just feels like a timeless story
I re-read The Hunger Games last year after 10ish years and I enjoyed it more than the first time I read it. If you do re-read it, I recommend the audiobooks that are narrated by Tatiana Maslany.
Yesss Tatiana did a great job with the audiobooks
Not sure how uncommon/common of an opinion this is, but I actually prefer found family stories over romance stories. I like romances best if they involve lots of respect, communication, and support haha. I like friends to lovers for that reason. But even in a story that does that well, I'm sometimes like "damn I kind of wish they had just stayed BFFs" because I feel like we don't have enough stories that highlight the beauty of platonic friend/family relationships and how they can be just as important as romantic ones.
I second all of this! 😁
You get it!!!!!!
Agreed!
There are sooo many enemies to lovers books nowadays but I'm really struggling to find the one thing I crave for: super wholesome and innocent, slooooow burn (like reaaally slow) friends to lovers. There is NOTHING better than witnessing friends slowly realising they are falling in love especially when it's kept drama free. Just sweet and cute, light and wholesome. Cannot find anything like that : (
I'm with you. I crave this, and it's not popular, so it's hard to find.
The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams. It’s everything you described! You’ll love it!!
Mariana zapata never disappoints for slow burn
I agree! Tension and build up in romance books is much more compelling
While I’m fine with the smut, I do agree that too many current writers do too much smut too fast. Like I personally can’t stand the “will they, wont they” storylines of the past because those always took too long for anything to happen or doing the immediate “misunderstanding” conversation that leads them to immediately breaking up. I would like a nice happy medium. A little bit of spicier content and have the love interests get to gather by the end of the first book in a series so that it’s possible to actually explore the full dynamics of their relationship.
I just reread the hunger games and it definitely held up - and was even better as an adult when you can understand all of the nuances
I don't love all of SJM's books (I'm looking at you, crescent city) but what irritates me is that so many people disregard her as a real fantasy writer because of the smut/romance. Her world building and story lines have a lot to them and would absolutely be considered high fantasy were they less romance centered.
I agree! I think so does a really great job balancing romance and plot (esp in the throne of glass series)
I personally discredit her because she's a terrible, racist person who uses the murders of black people to promote her books
Fantasy romance is it's own genre at this point and doesn't interest me at all. On the other hand I love straight fantasy books.
I wouldn't say that SJM isn't a fantasy author, but that is where the focus is to (in my opinion) the detriment of the other elements of her books. At this point I think she should just start writing straight smut since that's where her interest appears to be.
The court of thorns and roses was bad I thought. The fact the first book basically gets repeated in the second book really bugged me.
People don't disregard her because she writes romance, it's because she's a bad author. Her writing is racist, ableist, over the top, trauma porn, terrible character work (often because she just want to write terrible romance), terribly smut, she plagarizes herself and lately her books aren't even edited at all. (This is coming from someone who used to love her writing. Now I cannot believe she is still so famous despite being so problematic and her writing so bad. It isn't even good romance or smut!)
I really appreciate your attitude about holding onto books! I feel like booktube can really promote over consumerism. I only want to keep books that I want to read, reread, and lend to my friends!
I love the outfit in this one! and the opinions are wooo very interesting. I completely agree about the smut comments even thought I love fantasy with romance elements and I also think there is something to be said about trends breeding not as well written stories (example being the total breakdown of the enemies to lovers trope).
I love fantasy romance! Even smut in fantasy can be so fun, everyone is going to have different preferences and tastes too which keeps things fresh
Back in the ‘90s, when the Wheel of Time was new and social media was called Usenet, the Jordan fans used to say that you should stick with it, because it got really interesting by the 2nd or 3rd book. Personally, I didn’t have any interest in slogging through a doorstop book waiting for it to become interesting 800 pages later…
I also love having a huge physical tbr! It doesn't stress me out at all, I love having all these options and undiscovered future favs on my shelf saved for when I'm in just the right mood.
Agree about Jennifer L Armentrout's From Blood and Ash series. ACOTAR series by Maas got me out of a huge book slump and I asked for recommendations for what to read next and FBAA was the top one, i read it and only got to book 2 before i DNF'd. Realised that i wasn't going to be surprised by any of the "twists", and the smut just kept getting more and more ridiculous while still trying to do a "will they won't they" plot which become unenjoyable, and the actual fantasy plot line got completely lost. When the author remembered "oh yeah we're supposed to be in an actual fantasy story here" she just used a random character to info dump. Hated it. Avoiding those types of books for a while now after that experience. I enjoy reading good smut! But having it be essentially the entire focus point of a book is a bit boring to me.
Yeah, fbaa went of the rails real quick lmaoo
I started reading Robin Hobb because of your recommendations, and I've never read fantasy before it. I love the heart of her writing, the world, the plot MMM. Bad side is it's hard for me to binge because its soooo emotionally taxing (IN A GOOD WAY). Thanks for the recommendation I am loving this Hobb journey!!!
That emotional draining is legit. I just have to read the final trilogy...but don't know if my heart can handle it haha.
Agree with your smut point. The chase is far more compelling and the will they/won't they. This is what killed Acotor for me, I shipped Nesta and Cassian in A Court of Silver Flames but then all I got is smut. Jumping each other with zero meaningful connection between them. Not to mention a plot that felt rinse and repeat from the previous books. Now I avoid fantasy romance like the plauge.
THANK YOU, someone finally said it. Don’t get me wrong I love Sarah J Maas Acotar series, it’s my favorite but in my opinion I’m like girl…don’t this with whoever Azriel’s love interest is. It’s too played out now. lol
I went to Barnes and noble about a week ago and found the fourth wing. I hadn’t heard of it and did a quick goodreads look on it and it had amazing reviews score so I thought why not. The story was pretty fast passed and was super into it UNTIL the second half it felt like a different book and the romance and it’s spice completely took over and I felt like the story line took a back seat. It was disappointing to say the least. Im sometimes in the mood for spice but not when the story line becomes stagnant beyond the romance.
Love the new sponsor! I've been looking for a book in the language I want to learn to help
Definitely some interesting opinions!
--I completely agree with you on The Hunger Games. I still think they are very good books.
--I got a big smile on my face when you mentioned The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina. Such a good experience reading it a while back.
--I adore friends to lovers and (generally) am not a fan of love triangles. Totally agree with second chance romances.
--Another fan of "The Chosen One" here🙌
Thank you for sharing this. What a fun video!
i can’t stand the spice trend like that’s all people care about when it comes to books? it annoys me
It’s Cuse reading has become a trend in mainstream society and mainstream people. That’s my theory at least
I hate it so much. I don’t mind a spicy book once or twice a year, but I hate that if you look in the comments of any booktok video that‘s not about spicy books there are always people asking „okay but is it spicy?“.
Hii, so one of my favorite fantansy romance stories is in the Black Magician trilogy by Trudi Canavan, I seriously love that story!
You should definitely reread the hunger games! I just finished mockingjay because my fyp is also going through the hunger games renaissance (which I love tbh) and it holds up so well! So worth a reread as an adult imo
Try the Burn For Me series by Illona Andrews. Great tension between the main characters and even better world building. It's slow burn but I find it more realistic (can I say that about a paranormal romance??) 😂 I don't like romance and I LOVE this series
The hunger games is incredible. I just finished reading it as an adult and it’s one of my favorite series ever.
omg i LOVE these kinds of videos!!!
The Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews is an amazing fantasy romance. Slow romance and the fantasy is just as important as the romance.
I loved this series!
I also really enjoyed the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs- another slow burn urban fantasy!
I've been trying to find these but my library system doesn't have them (anywhere in the state!). I hate buying books before I read so I probably won't end up reading them
I love this series! I think I prefer their Hidden Legacy Series.
Another vote for Kate Daniels (and Ilona Andrews in general). Kate Daniels is very light spice, and there is a LOT of tension. Hidden Legacy is a series of trilogies so less build up to the spice.
Completely agree with THG!! I reread it every year and it stills is so so good. Doesn’t age. I’ve tried rereading other big popular YA books that were cultural resets at the time (like Twilight) and they were clearly not holding up…. the only ones staying amazing through time are THG and PJO imo.
Ah your comments about special editions answered something for me. I was wondering why you didn't get book boxes like illumicrate and fairyloot, but the matching things makes sense. I recently joined illumicrate and I'm sooo excited to start getting boxes!!! my trope rant: I hate second chance romance lolol. I think it's because in most of the books I've read with that trope either the entire conflict hinges on a single bit of miscommunication which feels lazy and just makes me think of the characters as terrible communicators OR the conflict is more complex, but the characters don't seem to have enough growth/change to make the second chance seem worth it.
Yes! I hate ppl who do that with relationships irl, and I could only get behind a second chance romance if there was a good reason that they broke up that has either resolved itself or we see character growth. But imo there’s usually a good reason people have broken up and it just means they shouldn’t be together🤷🏼♀️
This video was so entertaining. As someone who has always read fantasy romance, and is just stepping her toes into the actual fantasy genre, I think the chosen one trope is nice. It feels very nostalgic, and those are the books I lean toward.
I'm also feeling a hunger games reread! I unhauled those books years ago, so I'll def need to hit up my local library.
I literally made smutty romance/fantasy novels my personality for years, but now it feels like it's turned into a competition of who can write the dirtiest, most shocking scenes. We still need a plot!!
It’s such a shame. I’ve been having the worst time finding new books to read bc I’m kind of burnt out with spicy fantasy romance. Like the last romance book that was decently spicy but mainly focused on tension was The Wrath of The Dawn.
The last one is so true! It’s either 1 new edition or 10 and they’re just slightly different. Cassandra Clare just announced three versions of her new book and I’m waiting to see if any book boxes announce a version, like illumicrate. It’s overwhelming for sure and definitely an easy grab for money.
Great video! Also happy almost wedding day!
As someone who has started their hunger games re-read on my lunch break today I can confirm it’s still amazing and I can’t wait for work to finish so I can read more x
Full series special editions! Yes!! I hate having miss matched series on my shelves.
I have a massive physical TBR but its like having my own library, which has always been the dream ❤
As someone who enjoys smut i agree with your point. If you havent i recomend We hunt the Flame and We free the stars. There is a romance but its not the main story line. And the PINNING OMG. Insane.
My unpopular opinion is I am not a fan of 3rd act break ups especially if it follows the misunderstanding trope
I feel like smut/spicy kills the story 😩
Per your specific interests in fantasy romance, I would definitely recommend you continue the Hidden Legacy series by Ilona Andrews and also try out the sci-fi/fantasy Innkeeper Chronicles by Ilona Andrews. The Innkeeper is a slower and sweeter romance with mild smut when it happens. It has an almost cozy vibe but there is a lot of action that definitely keeps it from being able to 💯 say its a cozy read.
I recently reread The Hunger Games and the Divergent series and immensely loved my time back in both worlds ❤ First time rereading them since middle school
The way you feel about Assassin's Apprentice is how I feel about Wheel of Time. Just hold on. Everything changes in book 4. Everything. It's a totally different experience. Not as repetitive. Character development. Even Rand becomes interesting. Everytime I hear you talk about WoT I just think if she just pushes through to the end of 4 she will feel so differently. It's not my favorite series of all time, but it is so much better after the first three.
Listening to you talk about The Assassin’s Apprentice is like the Dark Tower series by Stephen King. The first book (The Gunslinger) is very dry and slow, but after the second book, it picks up. This may be an unpopular opinion, but I love those series!
love the dark tower series! currently on my 5th reread of the series
everyone says that assassins apprentice was the slowest-paced book in the trilogy but ironically, its my only 5-star read of 2022 out of 30 books! i was taken aback by the writing style (in a good way) because most historical fantasy (or related) books are written in this jarring, contemporary style, so I was amazed that the narrative voice was on point. it had never occurred to me that it was considered a boring book until I saw everyone else's review because I was so entertained. I absolutely loved the worldbuilding, the introduction to the characters and the ENDING. The ending made me breathless and I literally dropped my kindle to go on storygraph and rate it 5 stars. It's soooo special to me and made me realise my love for high fantasy!
I'm laughing because the way you answered the 'Assassin's Quest' unpopular opinion is exactly how I want to answer the Wheel of Time one. 😭 I know it's boring, I get it, promise - but you have to just stick with it. The characters get a lot better, the plot becomes more political intrigue as it progresses. I would suggest the audiobooks, it helped me to keep going and now I'm on book 6.
Thanks to KU I’m in my romance era, but I do understand why people aren’t huge fans of it. And having read like 40 romances so far this year, some of them definitely start to blend together; and I haven’t found that to be the case with other genres. For me at least.
My unpopular opinion that is the opposite of something you said lol: I love insta-love or insta-lust stories. I love marriage of convenience. I want characters to be smashed together instantly, kinda accidentally fall in love or do the spicy times like way too fast, and then have to figure out, from there, wtf their relationship is and what they want.
Yes! I prefer each of these to Enemies to Lovers.
(That said, I still love Friends to Lovers and 2nd Chance....so I like certain slow burns just as much.)
Have you checked out the follow up series from Katherine Addison? The point about shorter, prose-focused fantasy made me think of it. I LOVED those books probably more than I loved the Goblin Emperor.
I like seeing characters get together and then working through the plot together. Like Astrid and Hiccup in How to Train Your Dragon 2 & 3.
I don't mind some smut, but I prefer m/m smut lol, and I need plot to go with the smut (all smut does not appeal to me).
I really should reread the hunger games too… I haven’t read it since it first came out and would be so interested to see what i think now
I definitely agree with you on how WoT is over-hyped. I also wanted to love it but hated book two hahaha. I think if I'd read it when i was a teenager (before I've been spoiled for fantasy choice!) I would've maybe liked it more because I didn't know any better. I have 0 nostalgia for it though because I only recently tried it and I agree with your pacing, character and writing observations.
I think the problem people have with the chosen one trope is that it inherently lessens the character's agency
I hate love triangles. Its so rare to just have a healthy non abusive, not toxic relationship where everyone is happy.
I could not agree with you more about smut all of a sudden just taking centre stage in a book where you feel like the crux of the story is now so far from what you were originally reading. It’s way more interesting if it takes most of the book if not half of the series!
Instant gratification is rarely a good thing in a book
Unpopular opinion: if Sanderson was a woman his books would be classified as YA.
Yes! Thank you for this opinion!
I say all the time that, while his world building is superb and the subject matter is mostly "adult," the voice/opinions/dialogue of his characters - even his older characters - comes off as very immature and "YA" to me (as a 40 year old woman).
Sometimes I wonder if it's because his characters are often speaking to non-human characters as if they are children?
Or maybe it's the influence the Wheel of Time had on him? (I also find Robert Jordan's writing to be quite juvenile. Like a 16 year old attempting to write something he thinks is adult?).
@J Compton For me it's definitely how themes are presented and explored, and the character voices.
Love triangles are my favorite! I just find it super relatable, loving two people for completely different reasons - I'm always like oooh what do these characters go through and how do they work through how they choose the one in the end?!
Also, learning another language through reading sounds like my kinda deal!!!!
Yes!! 10 books before they kiss is the best!❤
I just finished a book that I think would have the kind of romance you are looking for. Throwback by Maurene Goo. There's also time travel, and a Back to the Future element.
I feel like you would LOVE the creepy hollow series by Rachel Morgan, especially after watching this latest video! Enemies to Lovers is definitely a spoiler for me 😅
I was just curious, can you read robin hobbs series like out of order if that makes sense? Because I really want to read the dragon keeper but I’m unsure if I need to read all the prior ones
For a fantasy romance try Radiance by Grace Draven. Savage Rivals by Becca Steele is good, too. (For the angst, though that one's not a fantasy)
Just bought a 4-pack of horror short stories from Prismatext. I'm interested to see how it goes. I'm always open to new ways to improve my Spanish.
Loved this:)
I personally do like spice but only if that & the romance doesn’t overtake the plot. I feel like I can appreciate the romance a lot better when the two mcs are also focused on their quests. But these days when people recommend books on tiktok there’s always someone that asks if there’s spice 😭 in the end a lot of the spice books sound the same to me.
I have been burned so many times, especially on Kindle Unlimited, starting a fantasy book and then it’s the spiciest spice book ever. Not for me 😂
You don't mind slow burn, right? Mousai (which isn't smutty at all, there's very few sex scenes) does that and the tension also comes from the fantasy plots. The second one was my fave. It's a pirate one. The books are also definitely about the vibes you get, you can tell from the titles (Song of the Forever Rains, Dance of a Burning Sea, and Symphony for a Deadly throne). It doesn't have flowery writing IMO. You could give it a shot as it only has three books. If you don't mind a trial book where the vibes and what the trials will be are more important than the question who will win that would be best for the third book.
I just finished reading The Priory of the Orange Tree. When I picked it up I thought oh my 800 pages it will probably take 3 months to read this thing. I really enjoyed it and it only took me about 1 month not 3 to finish it. Did I miss something though because I was a little confused at the ending with what went on with Tane.
I've been reading Wheel of Time since late 2021, at least a couple of months between successive books, and I'm shortly starting book 7. Honestly I think if you're stuck in book 4 now for so long you would need to reread a lot to resume after all this time. More importantly it's fine to say it's not for you, if it's not enjoyable enough. Don't force yourself to continue reading something that isn't working for you. And in this case it is such a huge long read of books. I will be relieved if I get to the end, but am taking it a book at a time. I'm expecting a downturn soon. And will keep spreading out! But yes, do walk away from it if it's not working for you. Read what you enjoy.
It took me nearly 5 years to read them all but tbh the ending was totally worth it to me
Gradually read them from 2006ish-2011 and I adored the first half... and suffered through the slog of the middle then loved the last couple when it finally got back on track and I felt like Brandon Sanderson did the ending justice. Went back and listened to the Audio books while doing landscaping back in 2020-2021 and got through the first 4 and felt they were still fantastic.
Definitely a hard recommend though due to its length.
Yep. The middle books in the Wheel of Time are. so. damn. bad.
And the characters don't get less annoying.
I felt like, as a fantasy lover, I had to read them. And the best I can say is that I made it through.
And why does no one talk about the fact that he gives the MC a harem? And it's done in such a...silly and not at all believable way?
I would say that it just didn't age well, but it was published in the 90s and 2000s.
I will never understand the love for this series.
Totally agree on booktok!! Yes there's a lot of "spicy romance" and kinda trash books from 2015-2016 in the popular booktok fashtags but the algorithm "fixes itself" pretty fast and i get a lot of diverse fantasy and sf recommendations i never would've heard of otherwise!
So here's the thing about The Song of Achilles. I have a degree in Classical Studies, so I spend a lot of time on Classics blogs, and Classicists COMPLETELY HATE that book. Seemingly universally. Which stunned me a little, because I actually genuinely enjoyed it? The general argument I've heard, whenever a blogger deigns to acknowledge its existence, is that it forces too much of a modern view of (homo)sexuality into the relationship. Which... sure? I guess? I understand the argument that ancient Greeks did not label people as "heterosexual" and "homosexual" like we do. Sexuality was way more fluid, way less in boxes. It was just... expected that men had male lovers AND wives and maybe female concubines as well, and none of that reflected their sexual preferences. And the way Achilles and Patroclus are characterized in Song of Achilles does NOT reflect that. Especially the way Achilles and Patroclus treat the Trojan women... just... does not line up with what happened in the Iliad. Or our understanding of history. At all. Which may skew people's understanding of ancient Greek culture. Sure. Fine. I get that.
HOWEVER. I actually did my Classics capstone on translating and retelling myths, and the way we can most accurately convey the meaning of the original (or not!), and the actual value there is in deviating from the original story. There's a couple levels to this. One is that, translating a story word-for-word from the original often actually LOSES a lot of meaning. Frequently, English and ancient Greek words simply don't line up perfectly; there are nuances that have been lost to time and across cultures that simply cannot be conveyed if you're super strict about word-for-word translations. For example, the word "tyrant" means something completely different to the ancient Greeks than it means to us, but you'd have to give a short history lesson to make the word make sense in English, and that's going to pull anyone out of a story. Or jeez, look up the word "logos" in the Bible and the million and one ways you can translate that word, all with competely different nuances... It's one of the most important words in the Bible, which is one of the most important books in our culture, and we cannot translate it meaningfully!
To get meaning across, sometimes you have to choose a word, a character trait, a plot point, etc that doesn't literally translate from the original, but carries a meaning in English that more accurately represents what the ancient Greeks were trying to get across. Going back to the word "tyrant," this is why the Greek play "Oedipus Tyrannos" is often translated "Oedipus the King" instead of "Oedipus the Tyrant," because... he simply was NOT a tyrant in the modern sense of the word, and using that direct translation would actually color a modern audience's perception of the play.
Secondly... even regardless of that... I think changing a tale to fit more modern sensibilities isn't in itself a bad thing. Like, so what if the original Achilles and Patroclus weren't exclusively romantic with each other? For modern English audiences, we tend to feel more for a story where the romantic leads were DESTINED to be together, and our hearts break more with their deaths because of it. (Yes, we can discuss how that reflects the problems of modern Christian influence on heteronormativity and mononormativity, but that's not in the scope of this comment.) The POINT of the story of the Iliad is the way that Patroclus' death breaks Achilles. "Sing, muse, of the wrath of Achilles." It's literally the first line of the Iliad, and "wrath" is the first word, to emphasize how tremendously important Patroclus' death is. A successful retelling MUST get across how important Patroclus was to Achilles. Miller does so by making their relationship a monogamous gay relationship. In this context, the change worked.
And because Madeline Miller successfully twisted our hearts, more modern folk get invested in the myths of Achilles and Patroclus, and perhaps are inspired to find out what REALLY happened to them. If she got more people to read the Classics, is that really such a bad thing??
Okay, I'll get off my soap box, lol. Everyone should go read the Iliad, I love it dearly.
I like friends to lovers, but mainly because I don’t read straight-up romance. So in a book that’s sci-if or fantasy, I’ll enjoy a friends to lovers romance because it’s not the main plot line.
Something I really don’t like in fiction is when authors think that writing an “adult” book means there needs to be a lot of swearing/sexual violence/gore/abuse. I love adult fantasy, but I’m so tired of the graphic r*pe scenes.
Fantasy romance or fantasy with romance has been my favorite genre for over a decade now, however, that alone does not carry the book for me. The writing has to be powerful (ex. Strange the dreamer is one of my favs) and I agree with Regan that the tension has to be top notch.
Uhhh please do a hunger games reread and make a vlog out of it!! 🥰
I feel like a lot of people who LOVE Wheel of Time have the nostalgia factor. My friend has reread the first book tons of times because he read them growing up. Trying to read them now when you have responsibilities and other books to read can be a bit hard. I’m the sixth book and still going though 😅
I just feel like they haven't aged well? And maybe they're not for older adults? Maybe they're something you need to read early in your fantasy journey?
I didn't try to read them until my 30s, and I found the characters obnoxious and the story...meadering and...pretty dumb...
I have been reading fantasy since the 70s and 80s and a good majority were under 350 pages and they packed a lot into the pages and they did it well. I got turned off of epic fantasy epics in the 90s and I’m just getting back into it. Btw I love Brandon Sanderson. Also have you read Fourth Wing?
That top is beauuuutiful!
How fun I so liked this video -but totally agree I want all my books to match size & covers
I reread the Hunger Games last year and I still absolutley loved it. :)
Personally I think that with the Wheel of Time and some other older fantasy behemots, some of the popularity and love comes from the nostalgy for it. I'm not sure if it would become as popular as it is now, if the first book was released this year. But I also don't like to speculate why some people like something as it is such a personal matter.
For sure! My brother loves it and I wish I had read it with him growing up!
Yep, IMO, Wheel of Time hasn't aged well...at all.
I really want to try Robin Hobb but I am so turned off by what I heard about the first trilogy so I just want to try Liveship. If I like it there is no harm to return to the original trilogy other than few spoilers?
There’s no harm! Honestly there are no spoilers in liveship just Easter eggs
I actually loved the first trilogy, though it does set up a lot of the story so it’s a bit slow but the whole realm of the elderlings series is literally my favorite series and it’s soooo good.
Not at all interested in fantasy romance, I don't care if there's a bit of romance in my fantasy but it has to be a very small part of the story for me to enjoy it !
I love Brandon Sanderson, but I could not finish the first book in the Stormlight archives yet (started it twice at this point) even though I'm a fan of high fantasy 😅
Addie Larue was a 5 stars read for me ! Really loved the vibes. But I can see why people feel like it's just ok.
I really enjoy love triangles too 🙊
The Hunger Games is still so good, and completely holds up. Would highly recommend a reread!
For slow burn fantasy romance that doesn't forget there's a fantasy plot going on, T. Kingfisher's World of the White Rat series.
Apart from the first two books, they're interconnected standalones.
I am a huge fan of found family and fluff in a fantasy setting....so the spice is not for me as much. The house in the cerulean sea is so cute and I need more like it in my life. Also, Circe is far more enjoyable for me than TSOA
I think the #1 problem with Wheel of Time is it needs a heavy edit. It reads like a 1st/2nd draft, not a polished story. I read about half of the series a couple of decades ago and found myself skipping whole sections/povs. I have no interest in going back to it (same with the Game of Thrones books.)
It also hasn't aged well. I didn't read it until recently and in my 30s, and it just doesn't work for someone who has read significantly better fantasy.
I started reading Legion by Brandon Sanderson. I have not been able to put it down. I was in a reading slump for a while so I'm glad this one has gotten me out of that slump.
I really liked the Hunger Games series. I kept watching the movies repeatedly for a while
I’m only on book 2 but the Daughter of No Worlds series has a good balance of fantasy & romance.
I love hard covers and I enjoy special editions and they are more beautiful then the original xoxo 😚 📚🤍💙💙🤍📚💙🪻💜💜💕💕🧡🤎🧡❣️❣️💚💓🌹🩷🩶💘🩷❣️❣️💜🩵🪻🪻💙💙🤍🪻🤎🧡💜💜📚📚🤍💙🪻🪻🪻🩵💕❤️🤎🤎🧡❣️❣️🌻📚📚🤍🤍💙🤍🤍🤍🪻💓💓💚💚🩶💘💘❤️❤️💕
Special editions can be so fun!! especially if they are crafted to be truly special!
I think the thing with Maas is less about how many people hate her or her books so much as she is the most popular author within her specific genre and therefore also is symbolic of the genre itself. So I think it would be commonly said " I dont enjoy books like those SJM books" its a stand in for the "spicy" or romance fantasy books.
It's not a love triangle unless the two dudes at the bottom of it are also going trying to seduce each other. Otherwise, it's just a love... arrow?
A love ^
I from carol in the uk i am 63 a member of a book groupe in my local library, can you please recommend a book for a book group, i am desparate to get one for the group to discuss.
Definitely agree with the fantasy romance thing. I want more fantasy and less romance but I find it’s usually the opposite.
I can appreciate the spicy book love because I think it’s helped ignite reading again in general. I love how much content there is now surrounding books/reading and general introversion. I feel like we used to be the weirdos and now it’s almost like a “basic girl” trait…. And I’m not mad to have company? Haha.
I am only a fan of enemies to lovers for fantasy for the reason you said. Otherwise I’m not a very spicy reader
I’ve also been wanting to re-read Hunger Games! I haven’t read it since 16 yrs old but of course loved it. My husband just read them for the first time as an adult via audio and had seen the movies first and really enjoyed the books as well! So I think they still hold water!
Agreed about the spicy book trend. Series like ACOTAR pulled a lot of people back into reading, and many of those people will also end up reading other fantasy books while searching for what to read next. Also, I think it kind of opened up a bigger space in the fantasy genre for adult fantasy/romance-fantasy. Of course, not all of those books will be high quality, but that's every popular genre/subgenre! It's also nice to have a lot of content and more of a fandom community around fantasy reading too.
@@Wildflower1013 yes! Great points!!
Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series are perfect blend of fantasy and romance. Huge world building. Big plot. Sexy. Sooo good. But trigger warnings. But the author explains her choices at the end of the last book.
I love the fever series.
Kmm is starting a new series!!
SO EXCITED!!!❤️🌻💙📚📙🤍🌾🤍💖💙💙💚❤️💛🩷💛❣️❣️🪻💕💕🩷💛🌹💚💚📚📚📚📙💖🤍🌾🌾🤍💖💙💙🩷🪻🪻🪻💜💜💜💘💘🩵🧡🩵💓❣️🌹🌻💙🌻❤️💕🌾🤍📙📚📚📚📚📙💖❤️❤️
Agree with WoT - on book 5😢
And invisible life!
Never Mind the unpopular opinions, I need to know about the top/dress(?) you’re wearing, that is lovely!! It looks Liberty print-ish? Please tell us more!
The Last Binding series is spicy and has a consistent fantasy/magical storyline!
I feel like a lot of love triangles are either "this woman must choose between these two douchebags" or "character x and y are clearly endgame and z is just there to pad it out". Which, obviously, can be frustrating. There are some very well done love triangles that aren't like this, but I feel like there are a lot of these out there which dilate the enjoyment of the trope.
That being said, I absolutely adore love triangles and love squares with secret identities involved! Think Miraculous Ladybug. I love dramatic irony! And it is certainly a build-in part of these plots.