Me too ^^ I always had a hard time reading growing up because I would compare my interests and reading style to other peoples’ and it would make me feel insecure, like I was just kind of “dumb” and a lot of books were just “too hard for me”. Just because I didn’t like The Magic Treehouse and couldn’t read it in an hour lol
Totally! I'm less of a "slow" reader and more of a distracted reader. Like one month I'll read 7 books and the next... 2 lol I love that Leonie loves books and her channel is very chill and not gatekeep-y lol
Me tooo ! I always compare myself to other fast-readers, and as someone who read really slow, I sometimes think I'm less of a reader, but Leonie reminds me that slow readers are as valid as readers ^^ is about how much you love to read, not about how much you read :)
Definitely love wrap up kind of videos, whether it is monthly or when you accumulate a certain amount of books, it doesn't matter! It's nice, like catching up with a friend lol
Agree 100%. Apart from curiosity about her opinions on books I have read or plan to read, recommendations for non-fiction books from someone whose taste often aligns with your own are hard to come by any other way.
i could listen to you speak about The Folk of The Air series all day. YES YES YES! everything you said about Jude “becoming more fae than human” is spot on.
@@Arawn505 I almost fell for it, I feel so stupid for believing it almost instantly. Honestly they should be ashamed of themselves whether it’s a bot or an actual hacker, they’re copying a RUclipsr that I genuinely look up to. Thank you for informing me I genuinely do appreciate it
@@shygreenbean0317 You can report spammers by clicking on the three dots next to the comment. I believe it hides the spam (and then later gets reviewed and deleted) And also, when the real Leonie comments, 'The Book Leo' shows up in this grey box with a checkmark. And before you open up the replies under a comment, you can already see a little version of her profile picture. A spam account doesn't have all this because it's not the real owner of this RUclips channel
If you like the folklore aspect of the fae, I think you'll really enjoy Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries! I'm sure someone has already recommended this book to you but it really does lean into more of the folklore side. It builds the fae world pretty comprehensively and includes stories about them, as the main character is an academic studying fae. It also has major Howl's Moving Castle vibes, which is always enjoyable in a book!
✨Timestamps✨ 1:46 Hell Bent, Leigh Bardugo 6:01 The Demon in the Wood, Leigh Bardugo 7:33 Folk of the Air Trilogy, Holly Black 12:10 Stolen Heir, Holly Black 14:26 Cultish, Amanda Montell 18:31 Come As You Are, Emily Nagoski 22:08 Bubble tea struggles💅 22:20 Letters to a Young Poet, Rainer Maria Rilke 27:18 Legends and Lattes, Travis Baldree 28:08 TBR
I love this cozy wrap-up and I appreciate so much that you don’t fall into that “I have to read 15 books a month” rhythm that’s so present on BookTube. Keep going at your pace ❤
I mean Hell Bent is a sequel, so it's not going to feel as new as Ninth House which introduced the whole world, magic system, characters. I think HB is a great follow up, I felt right back in the universe of the series from the first pages, and I love Alex so so much. And loved seeing more of Dawes as well, she's such a cool character. While Hell Bent may not be as a dark on the whole as NH, there are still sombre and graphic stuff. This book deals more with the after effects of trauma from the first book and from the characters' past and the fallout of previous events. So all the dark things are still an important diving force and the magic system didn’t get any more forgiving (just think about the House rituals we see or hear about). And honestly reading the flashback scene when we find out the significance of the rabbit was harrowing, it totally wrecked me. So I don't think Leigh Bardugo is holding back on the dark tone due to criticism, it just a part of where the characters and story is going in this volume. And I still find the complaints about NH being too dark infuriating. It's an ADULT book. People don't complain about, say, Stephen King's books being too dark, or for a better comparison, about adult fantasy releases being too dark, while there are many with heavy and graphic stuff. Getting all pearl clutchy when a prominent YA author releases an adult novel and it deals with adult themes is silly behaviour. It reminds me of the more recent "controversy" about Juniper and Thorn being "too dark" when it's an adult horror novel. For some reason some seem to have a problem with books with youger female protagonists that explore trauma and assault (which both NH and J&T do), especially if the author is in any way connected to YA or the perception of a YA author (=she is a woman).
Thank you for recommending the Folk of the Air series by Holly Black as a good, more adult, enemies-to-lovers saga. I read the three books recently as per your recommendation video and I really liked them! Some character dynamics and the conversations were great :) Edit: I agree that in the last book they could have developed the final conflict a bit more, it felt too rushed and short. The resolution (at least for me) was a bit "in your face". Like, I already knew what was going to happen lol.
24:26 One thing is that Rilke is a man of his time, people either wrote poetry and starwed or ate and did some other job in the 19th century In his letter he mentions multiple time that he is very poor, thats why he is so harsh, because he knows that art took a big sacrifice back then
I re-read Ninth House before picking up Hell Bent, and I found Ninth House to be even better than I remembered, and Hell Bent, while an enjoyable romp, left something to be desired. I think Ninth House was more meaningful and had deeper themes. So you're not alone in your opinion!
Leoni idk if you knew this but there is post book content for Queen of nothing, the letters cardan sent to jude, you can read them!! They are so sweet and will make you really make you fall in love with cardan
I almost always agree with you BUT I do have to say I LOVED Legends and Lattes, like I legit cried at points 😂I'm interested to hear why you didn't enjoy it! Great video 🥰
lmao agreed. i’m very sensitive and sentimental, so i cried from happiness and joy every single reading session 😹 i gave it 5 stars purely for providing me with such emotionally refreshing experience, though i don’t think that it objectively deserves that much
As someone who grew up in a fundamentalist "Cultish" environment, let me just say the book explained a lot to me about my childhood and offered lots of comfort about what had happened.
Amanda Montell also has a podcast called “Sounds Like a Cult” where she and a friend go into different groups and discuss the similarities these groups have to cults and cult language. Highly recommend it if you loved Cultish!!!
yes I definitely want these check-ins / wrap ups and I think doing them about every few months sounds great!! also, my sunday evenings are always so chill while relaxing and watching your videos!
Girl please do a video just on Monster Romance books!! I love Opal Reyne’s Duskwalker Bride series and Tiffany Roberts Spider Mates series. They are super SPICY and I don’t see enough book RUclipsrs reviewing them, because honestly once you get past the whole kinda taboo of it, it really grabs onto you and doesn’t really let go.
I definitely recommend the Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa! I hesitated several times before buying the books and I'm telling you, I ate them up. To this day they're still my favorite books. Julie Kagawa did the whole enemies to lovers thing perfectly.
From how you talk about the Folk of Air, I think you might also enjoy the "Bluebeard's Secret" series by Sarah K.L. Wilson (the 1st book is called "Fly with the Arrow") :)
I’m actually glad to see that someone else didn’t feel it with Legends and Lattes. I was so disappointed that I didn’t care for it as much as everyone else did.
Just found your channel recently and I’m loving it! Great, honest reviews that actually talk about the books not just “I liked it” or “I didn’t like it”
The plot twist with Legends&Lattes at the end is just… i’m speechless. i have no speech. though i can definitely understand why it’d be this way 🤔 makes me really excited to hear your thoughts on it and on the house in the cerulean sea (which i coincidentally finished just a couple days ago). Other than that, thanks for a great video as always ❤️
You should read Nettle and Bone, it has some elements of cozy fantasy, but the stakes are high (this was my problem with the irregular witches, is nice, but there's not a threat)
There’s finally a name for the thing that has always annoyed me - semantic stop sign! Thanks for that. The one I get most annoyed about is the “But still…” after you’ve given a full and rational explanation.
I AUDIBLY GASPED when you said you gave Legends and Lattes 2.5 stars, I’ve been waiting to hear your thoughts about it so I can decide if I wanna read it or not👀
I want to let you know that your my comfort Chanel and I watch you when ever I feel scared (I get very paranoid) and watching your videos makes me feel safe for some reason.
I think I’m kinda obsessed with your videos. Love the coziness, the vibes, your aesthetic and your voice - would love to hear a podcast about books where you describe all of the books! As someone who’s rather a fast reader, I have to thank you - you inspired me to slow down a little bit ❤ I’m currently waiting for polish translations of Legends&Lattes and Hell Bent. Can’t wait!
Thank you for recommending the Folk of the Air Series.... I have not binged a series that fast in so long. I LOVE IT SO MUCH! Love your videos too! xx Love from LA
I’ve been reading this month: Annihilation (Jeff Vandermeer), the razor’s edge (Maugham), the prince (Machiavelli), Giovanni’s room (Baldwin), fathers and sons (Turgenev), tender is the night (f.scott Fitzgerald) and breast and eggs (mieko kawaki). I rec all of them 🫶🏻 ahh I also continued reading bungo stray dogs ✌🏻 btw: love these wrap up vids. I’ll definitely be reading cultish ❤
@@gabiocampos oh okay, I just thought, because there's a german book club that read breast and eggs in feb as well, so I thought it might be possible yk
Come as you are is such an important book to read for everyone, not just women! Should be read in school...I wish I had read in my younger days. Could have saved me so much sorrow and frustration!
Tithe by Holly Black was my first ever modern/urban fantasy book. The good fae were manipulative and bloody, the characters were realisticly complicated, and the magic followed old folklore rules. I was floored.
Talking about Irish fairy tales... I recommend Juliet Marillier's books! Especially her sevenwaters series. The "otherworldly" vibes of the fay folks are sure there.
i read ninth house and hell bent back-to-back this month, and i totally agree that while hell bent was a nice sequel, i enjoyed the murder-mystery plot line and darker atmosphere of ninth house more overall. however, after slowly learning about the intricate magic system throughout much of ninth house, it was nice to jump straight into the plot of hell bent and delve deeper into the development of each of the characters 🤍
@@esme9655 i'm a lesbian and i've read it. soooo good. it's definitely not straight-centric at all. it's female centric and touches upon straight and lesbian relationships equally
Same sentiments regarding Legends and Lattes! I get that it’s *cozy* fantasy but literally nothing happens 🤣 Enjoy Vietnam! If you like coffee, I highly suggest Cong Caphe’s coconut coffee slushie, and their yogurt coffee! And make sure to have some Bun Cha, it’s really good!
Tupperware started as a direct marking company. This was exactly what your parents experienced: you go to someone's house and they sell the product directly to you. This was very common before the internet since you could test the products before sending away for them. Direct Marketing isn't inherently more scammy than any other form of salemanship. But Tupperware DID convert to an MLM model in the 2000s (presumably due to the internet and online shopping eating into their profits) and those are, of course, inherently scammy. Kind of a shame bc Tupperware made some of the best and most longlasting containers back in the day and now that's all gone.
honestly, i haven't been able to read anything since 2016 bc my adhd picked, but i love listening to you and your reviews while i crochet. makes me think i'll be able to reead again
I feel like _The Last Tale of the Flower Bride_ is going to be such a divisive, marmite type of book. I've seen a few people praising it, but also the Goodreads rating drops every 2-3 days, so idk. So I'm really curious to hear your thoughts. (Personally, it's very well situated to be my worst book of 2023, lol) I will say for people who want to enjoy a thematically dark book with more poetic writing but find Flower Bride's writing to be pretty empty (all fancy, no substance) I highly recommend _A Dowry of Blood_ by ST Gibson. Beautiful writing, but also full of deep cuts and incisive commentary.
I re-read Dowry not too long after my Flower Bride buddy read and the whole time it was just like _'yesssss_ this is _exactly_ what I wanted and what it felt like Flower Bride was trying to be'
Omg yes!!! I hated that book! Also marketing was weird with The Last Tale because I went in thinking it was a marriage in trouble with a dark twist but it's not about that!
That was such a good teaser for your next reading vlog because I want to know your thoughs on Legends and Lattes. I haven't read it yet (still waiting for it from the library) but I have heard so much overly positive reviews that it is interesting to hear some opposite thoughts too. I also love these kind of wrap-up videos. So cozy and I love to see what other books you have read that we can't see in your vlogs.
i started reading books by Holly Black and stumbled upon White Cat by holly black (the curse worker series). its YA and boarding school based. I think you'd enjoy it.
Ok I love that you used an image from Brian Froud's Faeries when talking about the difference between Sarah J Maas brand vs Holly Black brand of Fae! I am reading The Cruel Prince for the first time and immediately I pictured Brian Froud's illustrations.
a propos the folklore aspect of the strange faerie in cruel prince - made me think of a really cool quote in it that goes like: she could scream, but screams in faerie are as common as birdsong. :o
Glad to hear that you didn’t love Legends&Lattes! Thought it was cute but not the most memorable read? The characters were very palatable (viv in particular) and I did not connect with anyone. Loved the peaceful atmosphere but I wish it would have had more depth (not in the storyline but the interactions between the characters and the overall coming of age/discovering who you are story)
Loved this video + roundup of all the books. I definitely didn’t feel as surprised and mind blown by hell bent but I think it’s because my expectations were different from when I picked up ninth house, since it’s the second in the series. Loved it a lot though and hope we won’t have to wait as long for book 3 . Hope you enjoy your time in Vietnam !
I really like your wrap-up videos! Also, if you like books that turn fantasy trope on its head, I'd recommend Dark Rise by C.S. Pacat. The twists in that book obliterated me.
I've started listening to Legends & Lattes audiobook but I quit by half of it because I found it so boring. I had high hopes for it because I love fantasy and cozy vibes, but sadly I couldn't get through it. I'm so excited to hear your thoughts about this book
Yes, I like videos like this, whether monthly wrap-up or just a random wrap-up is fine with me. And I love knowing what you're currently reading. For the books you mentioned, I've read The Demon in the Wood short story, not Graphic novel. I remember liking it, though I don't remember much of what happened. I just finished Cruel Prince and ordered the Wicked King, so I'm on close to reading Queen of Nothing and Stolen Heir afterward. I was convinced to try this series because of you and I really like it! Legends and Lattes was on my TBR but remived it after seeing your rating. I rated The House in the Cerulean Sea kinda high, BUT when I think back on it now, my rating doesn't really reflect how I feel about it, which is kinda meh. Same with Irregular Witches. I feel like I should like it because a lot of others do, but personally it just feels meh. So I think "cozy fantasy" is not for me.
I can understand what you mean about Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo. I do remember enjoying Ninth House a little more. But I re-read Ninth House and it's making me have a different perspective on Hell Bent. But I do agree with you it's less darker than Ninth House. From what I'm reading right now I feel that it might be a 4.25 or 4, definitely lower than Ninth House but not by much.
Leonie!! Amanda Montell has a podcast called Sounds Like a Cult with a woman named Isa Medina! It is exactly what you describe the book to feel like when reading
I also was a bit underwhelmed by hell bent. I read in (I think the goodreads-) Interview with Leigh Bardugo and she said, that she did initially have more of a crime/mystery/thriller/almost police procedural series in mind. And you see that in the first book, it’s a lot more on murder-solving. The rest happens on the side. I really like to read crime, and that’s why I absolutely LOVED the first one, even tho the dark bits were a bit too over the top. The second one was all (almost transitional-feeling) plot and almost no crime solving. It needed a bit more focus for me. Also I just… dont like how much the status quo has changed by the end of this. They are a bit overpowered now, and that does take away from the stakes of the situations, and also about how much sacrifice it initially needed. It does feel a lot less grounded in reality now, too; I could almost see the real societies reading the future out of innards. Out there but fine. Have them be visited by another society that oversees that nothing “too magical” happens - also amazing. It just felt a bit more adult and a bit less fantasy fantasy. All in all, I felt like it was written for younger people again, like the author got the message “make it a bit more E for Everyone” in the way of making it more teenager and not in the way of adding less (not necessarily) trauma.
Id love if you continued these with these types of videos. I just borrowed the audiobook Cultish thanks to you! :) Im trying to get into Leigh Bardugo. I finished the first series with Alina & wasnt totally sold until the last book. Im looking forward to Six of Crows & hoping thats more up my alley. Or maybe her work just isnt for me! Which would be a shame since so many people love her stuff.
Loved this kind of wrap up videos, I hope you'll do more of these :)) And I kinda see your point on hell bent but I honestly loved both books the same but that might be because we got more Darlington content in the second book, and he made me blind to all possible negative things in the story
I read Ninth House in November so it’s not like I’m older now reading Hell Bent, I just think you’re right and it doesn’t feel as “omg never been done before.” Probably because it’s a sequel so of course it’s been done before but it still wasn’t quite as perfect for me 🤷🏼♀️ I also feel like you’re convincing me to finally read Holly Black, because I don’t like most faeries, but these sound interesting…
I listened to The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches last month, and I kinda liked it, but I wish I'd known that the book is more about romance than actual witchcraft. I'd honestly love a sequel where we get more information on magic. If the book is one thing, though, it is definitely cosy :D
The way you feel about Hell Bent is exactly how I felt about Crooked Kingdom. I read Six of Crows way back when it came out when I was still in school and absolutely loved it. I've picked up Crooked Kingdom last year and although I still enjoyed it there was something missing. And I could tell it was a very satisfying book for the duology but it just wasn't the same, it didn't quite hit the spot 😅
ahhh cant wait for your cozy fantasy reading vlogs!!! and please let us know what you think of the last tale of the flower bride -- I'm thinking of buying it so I'd love to hear your thoughts!
i feel the exact same about hell bent- really enjoyed it but just didn’t quite hit the spot like ninth house did. Also yes Dawes became such an amazing character in the second book ❤
so happy to see come as you are in here!! that book was life-changing for me! i also recommend ace by angela chen, which uses asexuality as a lens through which to critique our societal beliefs about sexuality. i absolutely loved that book
I enjoyed the queen of nothing & demon in the wood books so much! Love Holly Black now. Come As You Are sounds so interesting- I’ve been learning more and more about how workplaces, healthcare etc has been so centered around male bodies and does not account for ways women’s bodies may work differently at times. Cultish also sounds so interesting! Definitely going to check it out- I love learning more about rhetoric like that.
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
As a slow reader, I feel so represented by this channel🙌🏼
Me too ^^ I always had a hard time reading growing up because I would compare my interests and reading style to other peoples’ and it would make me feel insecure, like I was just kind of “dumb” and a lot of books were just “too hard for me”. Just because I didn’t like The Magic Treehouse and couldn’t read it in an hour lol
Totally! I'm less of a "slow" reader and more of a distracted reader. Like one month I'll read 7 books and the next... 2 lol I love that Leonie loves books and her channel is very chill and not gatekeep-y lol
Same!
Same
Me tooo ! I always compare myself to other fast-readers, and as someone who read really slow, I sometimes think I'm less of a reader, but Leonie reminds me that slow readers are as valid as readers ^^ is about how much you love to read, not about how much you read :)
Definitely love wrap up kind of videos, whether it is monthly or when you accumulate a certain amount of books, it doesn't matter! It's nice, like catching up with a friend lol
This! I feel the same way!
Agree 100%. Apart from curiosity about her opinions on books I have read or plan to read, recommendations for non-fiction books from someone whose taste often aligns with your own are hard to come by any other way.
Agreed! I am also a slow reader so I definitely understand and support the more infrequent style
Yes, agree! I like knowing what someone's currently reading because I'm nosy like that
This is incredibly random but why is your name so beautiful? Also, loved the video as per usual.
i genuinely love it when people influence me to read books that have been on my shelf for years
Me too x))
i could listen to you speak about The Folk of The Air series all day. YES YES YES! everything you said about Jude “becoming more fae than human” is spot on.
Everyone wake up, the queen is back again 👑
The funny thing is, I think the The Book Monarch herself is sleeping right now 🙂 It's the middle of the night in Vietnam
@@Arawn505 I did not know that 😶
@@Arawn505 does that mean the account that just messaged me was fake?
@@Arawn505 I almost fell for it, I feel so stupid for believing it almost instantly. Honestly they should be ashamed of themselves whether it’s a bot or an actual hacker, they’re copying a RUclipsr that I genuinely look up to. Thank you for informing me I genuinely do appreciate it
@@shygreenbean0317 You can report spammers by clicking on the three dots next to the comment. I believe it hides the spam (and then later gets reviewed and deleted)
And also, when the real Leonie comments, 'The Book Leo' shows up in this grey box with a checkmark. And before you open up the replies under a comment, you can already see a little version of her profile picture. A spam account doesn't have all this because it's not the real owner of this RUclips channel
If you like the folklore aspect of the fae, I think you'll really enjoy Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries! I'm sure someone has already recommended this book to you but it really does lean into more of the folklore side. It builds the fae world pretty comprehensively and includes stories about them, as the main character is an academic studying fae. It also has major Howl's Moving Castle vibes, which is always enjoyable in a book!
This sounds amazing
@@yasminechoerryscherry3701 it's really good!
I loved this book!!! I didn't realize it was the first of a series and I cried when I realized I have to wait a year for another
@@isabellakoch5564 SAME THOUGH!! but at least it didn't end with a devastating cliffhanger haha
Yesss I loved this book
✨Timestamps✨
1:46 Hell Bent, Leigh Bardugo
6:01 The Demon in the Wood, Leigh Bardugo
7:33 Folk of the Air Trilogy, Holly Black
12:10 Stolen Heir, Holly Black
14:26 Cultish, Amanda Montell
18:31 Come As You Are, Emily Nagoski
22:08 Bubble tea struggles💅
22:20 Letters to a Young Poet, Rainer Maria Rilke
27:18 Legends and Lattes, Travis Baldree
28:08 TBR
You the hero!
I love this cozy wrap-up and I appreciate so much that you don’t fall into that “I have to read 15 books a month” rhythm that’s so present on BookTube. Keep going at your pace ❤
I mean Hell Bent is a sequel, so it's not going to feel as new as Ninth House which introduced the whole world, magic system, characters. I think HB is a great follow up, I felt right back in the universe of the series from the first pages, and I love Alex so so much. And loved seeing more of Dawes as well, she's such a cool character.
While Hell Bent may not be as a dark on the whole as NH, there are still sombre and graphic stuff. This book deals more with the after effects of trauma from the first book and from the characters' past and the fallout of previous events. So all the dark things are still an important diving force and the magic system didn’t get any more forgiving (just think about the House rituals we see or hear about). And honestly reading the flashback scene when we find out the significance of the rabbit was harrowing, it totally wrecked me.
So I don't think Leigh Bardugo is holding back on the dark tone due to criticism, it just a part of where the characters and story is going in this volume. And I still find the complaints about NH being too dark infuriating. It's an ADULT book. People don't complain about, say, Stephen King's books being too dark, or for a better comparison, about adult fantasy releases being too dark, while there are many with heavy and graphic stuff. Getting all pearl clutchy when a prominent YA author releases an adult novel and it deals with adult themes is silly behaviour. It reminds me of the more recent "controversy" about Juniper and Thorn being "too dark" when it's an adult horror novel. For some reason some seem to have a problem with books with youger female protagonists that explore trauma and assault (which both NH and J&T do), especially if the author is in any way connected to YA or the perception of a YA author (=she is a woman).
Thank you for recommending the Folk of the Air series by Holly Black as a good, more adult, enemies-to-lovers saga. I read the three books recently as per your recommendation video and I really liked them! Some character dynamics and the conversations were great :)
Edit: I agree that in the last book they could have developed the final conflict a bit more, it felt too rushed and short. The resolution (at least for me) was a bit "in your face". Like, I already knew what was going to happen lol.
24:26 One thing is that Rilke is a man of his time, people either wrote poetry and starwed or ate and did some other job in the 19th century
In his letter he mentions multiple time that he is very poor, thats why he is so harsh, because he knows that art took a big sacrifice back then
If you haven't read it yet, I think that the Robot and Monk duology would be perfect for your cozy fantasy video!!
I’m also a slow reader, so Im really happy to see a lot of people like me hehehe
I re-read Ninth House before picking up Hell Bent, and I found Ninth House to be even better than I remembered, and Hell Bent, while an enjoyable romp, left something to be desired. I think Ninth House was more meaningful and had deeper themes. So you're not alone in your opinion!
Same
You're recommendations never fail, thanks queen ☺️
Leoni idk if you knew this but there is post book content for Queen of nothing, the letters cardan sent to jude, you can read them!! They are so sweet and will make you really make you fall in love with cardan
I think you would like Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries! Very much a “faeries as folklore” approach.
I almost always agree with you BUT I do have to say I LOVED Legends and Lattes, like I legit cried at points 😂I'm interested to hear why you didn't enjoy it! Great video 🥰
lmao agreed. i’m very sensitive and sentimental, so i cried from happiness and joy every single reading session 😹 i gave it 5 stars purely for providing me with such emotionally refreshing experience, though i don’t think that it objectively deserves that much
As someone who grew up in a fundamentalist "Cultish" environment, let me just say the book explained a lot to me about my childhood and offered lots of comfort about what had happened.
Amanda Montell also has a podcast called “Sounds Like a Cult” where she and a friend go into different groups and discuss the similarities these groups have to cults and cult language. Highly recommend it if you loved Cultish!!!
Came to the comments to find this! Love this podcast
Thank you!! I will check out the podcast. It sounds so interesting
Thank you for sharing this because I loved her book.
yes I definitely want these check-ins / wrap ups and I think doing them about every few months sounds great!! also, my sunday evenings are always so chill while relaxing and watching your videos!
omg so happy you decided to do wrap up videos again. your taste is immaculate (and matches mine SO WELL)
Girl please do a video just on Monster Romance books!! I love Opal Reyne’s Duskwalker Bride series and Tiffany Roberts Spider Mates series. They are super SPICY and I don’t see enough book RUclipsrs reviewing them, because honestly once you get past the whole kinda taboo of it, it really grabs onto you and doesn’t really let go.
I definitely recommend the Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa! I hesitated several times before buying the books and I'm telling you, I ate them up. To this day they're still my favorite books. Julie Kagawa did the whole enemies to lovers thing perfectly.
From how you talk about the Folk of Air, I think you might also enjoy the "Bluebeard's Secret" series by Sarah K.L. Wilson (the 1st book is called "Fly with the Arrow") :)
I was just about to sleep, thank you for keeping me sleep-deprived
This channel is just so cozy, never felt this appeased watching yt videos
Love the vibes of these videos
I’m actually glad to see that someone else didn’t feel it with Legends and Lattes. I was so disappointed that I didn’t care for it as much as everyone else did.
Our tastes and approach to reading are so similar, it’s so fun to hear your point of view. Thanks for being rad.
I love you authenticity and how real you are. Been watching your channel for at least three years now and never miss a video
Just found your channel recently and I’m loving it! Great, honest reviews that actually talk about the books not just “I liked it” or “I didn’t like it”
Words can’t describe how much I love your videos, Leonie. I’m so excited for your cozy fantasy reading vlog :))
The plot twist with Legends&Lattes at the end is just… i’m speechless. i have no speech.
though i can definitely understand why it’d be this way 🤔 makes me really excited to hear your thoughts on it and on the house in the cerulean sea (which i coincidentally finished just a couple days ago). Other than that, thanks for a great video as always ❤️
You should read Nettle and Bone, it has some elements of cozy fantasy, but the stakes are high (this was my problem with the irregular witches, is nice, but there's not a threat)
There’s finally a name for the thing that has always annoyed me - semantic stop sign! Thanks for that. The one I get most annoyed about is the “But still…” after you’ve given a full and rational explanation.
I AUDIBLY GASPED when you said you gave Legends and Lattes 2.5 stars, I’ve been waiting to hear your thoughts about it so I can decide if I wanna read it or not👀
I want to let you know that your my comfort Chanel and I watch you when ever I feel scared (I get very paranoid) and watching your videos makes me feel safe for some reason.
I think I’m kinda obsessed with your videos. Love the coziness, the vibes, your aesthetic and your voice - would love to hear a podcast about books where you describe all of the books! As someone who’s rather a fast reader, I have to thank you - you inspired me to slow down a little bit ❤
I’m currently waiting for polish translations of Legends&Lattes and Hell Bent. Can’t wait!
I love these videos they are so cozy and help me find books to read in different genres I love! Please do more :))
Thank you for recommending the Folk of the Air Series.... I have not binged a series that fast in so long. I LOVE IT SO MUCH! Love your videos too! xx Love from LA
I love Alex. She is so badass and hell bent (pun intended) on getting it her way. Also learning to trust people along the way.
I’ve been reading this month: Annihilation (Jeff Vandermeer), the razor’s edge (Maugham), the prince (Machiavelli), Giovanni’s room (Baldwin), fathers and sons (Turgenev), tender is the night (f.scott Fitzgerald) and breast and eggs (mieko kawaki). I rec all of them 🫶🏻 ahh I also continued reading bungo stray dogs ✌🏻 btw: love these wrap up vids. I’ll definitely be reading cultish ❤
That's gonna sound weird, but are you german?
@@sunrisesilence hahahha nope 😂 I’m from Argentina 🇦🇷
@@gabiocampos oh okay, I just thought, because there's a german book club that read breast and eggs in feb as well, so I thought it might be possible yk
i love when you do these kinds of videos where you talk about books you've read around a certain time :)
Love this kind of video and how even briefly you manage to give enough details and insights for each book that makes me want to pick them up.
Come as you are is such an important book to read for everyone, not just women! Should be read in school...I wish I had read in my younger days. Could have saved me so much sorrow and frustration!
Tithe by Holly Black was my first ever modern/urban fantasy book. The good fae were manipulative and bloody, the characters were realisticly complicated, and the magic followed old folklore rules. I was floored.
You’re the first RUclipsr I’ve heard talk about Cultish! I really loved her book Wordslut too! So, so good.
Talking about Irish fairy tales... I recommend Juliet Marillier's books! Especially her sevenwaters series. The "otherworldly" vibes of the fay folks are sure there.
ahhh i love the vibes of your videos so much!!
I'd love you to these more regularly. Not every month but yeah, just whenever you have enough to kind of update us on!
i read ninth house and hell bent back-to-back this month, and i totally agree that while hell bent was a nice sequel, i enjoyed the murder-mystery plot line and darker atmosphere of ninth house more overall. however, after slowly learning about the intricate magic system throughout much of ninth house, it was nice to jump straight into the plot of hell bent and delve deeper into the development of each of the characters 🤍
Exactly! I would have loved more crime in the second one too; or more respect and focus on the crime that happend!
"Come as you are" is such a good book. Recommended it to so many times. So yes, if you read this comment you should read this book!
hey! do you think it would be worth reading as a lesbian? or is it mostly about straight women's experience?
@@esme9655 i'm a lesbian and i've read it. soooo good. it's definitely not straight-centric at all. it's female centric and touches upon straight and lesbian relationships equally
@@Cherry20955 awesome, thanks!
Same sentiments regarding Legends and Lattes! I get that it’s *cozy* fantasy but literally nothing happens 🤣
Enjoy Vietnam! If you like coffee, I highly suggest Cong Caphe’s coconut coffee slushie, and their yogurt coffee!
And make sure to have some Bun Cha, it’s really good!
Tupperware started as a direct marking company. This was exactly what your parents experienced: you go to someone's house and they sell the product directly to you. This was very common before the internet since you could test the products before sending away for them. Direct Marketing isn't inherently more scammy than any other form of salemanship. But Tupperware DID convert to an MLM model in the 2000s (presumably due to the internet and online shopping eating into their profits) and those are, of course, inherently scammy. Kind of a shame bc Tupperware made some of the best and most longlasting containers back in the day and now that's all gone.
honestly, i haven't been able to read anything since 2016 bc my adhd picked, but i love listening to you and your reviews while i crochet. makes me think i'll be able to reead again
this is so so sweet!! i love just listening to people chat about books :)
Please make more of these! I loved watching this video.
I feel like _The Last Tale of the Flower Bride_ is going to be such a divisive, marmite type of book. I've seen a few people praising it, but also the Goodreads rating drops every 2-3 days, so idk. So I'm really curious to hear your thoughts.
(Personally, it's very well situated to be my worst book of 2023, lol)
I will say for people who want to enjoy a thematically dark book with more poetic writing but find Flower Bride's writing to be pretty empty (all fancy, no substance) I highly recommend _A Dowry of Blood_ by ST Gibson. Beautiful writing, but also full of deep cuts and incisive commentary.
I re-read Dowry not too long after my Flower Bride buddy read and the whole time it was just like _'yesssss_ this is _exactly_ what I wanted and what it felt like Flower Bride was trying to be'
Omg yes!!! I hated that book! Also marketing was weird with The Last Tale because I went in thinking it was a marriage in trouble with a dark twist but it's not about that!
I like watching Leonie's videos because they feel like entering a cozy and warm room in the middle of the winter
Oh my heck I need to know where you got your lamp !
That was such a good teaser for your next reading vlog because I want to know your thoughs on Legends and Lattes. I haven't read it yet (still waiting for it from the library) but I have heard so much overly positive reviews that it is interesting to hear some opposite thoughts too. I also love these kind of wrap-up videos. So cozy and I love to see what other books you have read that we can't see in your vlogs.
i started reading books by Holly Black and stumbled upon White Cat by holly black (the curse worker series). its YA and boarding school based. I think you'd enjoy it.
Ok I love that you used an image from Brian Froud's Faeries when talking about the difference between Sarah J Maas brand vs Holly Black brand of Fae! I am reading The Cruel Prince for the first time and immediately I pictured Brian Froud's illustrations.
a propos the folklore aspect of the strange faerie in cruel prince - made me think of a really cool quote in it that goes like: she could scream, but screams in faerie are as common as birdsong. :o
also in the last book i loved the story part about the ... well, the big magical thing :D
Glad to hear that you didn’t love Legends&Lattes! Thought it was cute but not the most memorable read? The characters were very palatable (viv in particular) and I did not connect with anyone. Loved the peaceful atmosphere but I wish it would have had more depth (not in the storyline but the interactions between the characters and the overall coming of age/discovering who you are story)
I love this kind of content, always add your recommendations to my goodreads lol
Loved this video + roundup of all the books. I definitely didn’t feel as surprised and mind blown by hell bent but I think it’s because my expectations were different from when I picked up ninth house, since it’s the second in the series. Loved it a lot though and hope we won’t have to wait as long for book 3 . Hope you enjoy your time in Vietnam !
If I get a vote, I say, yes please, more mini reviews! Have a great week, Leonie!
I think you'd really enjoy Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino!
got a cup of tea as soon as I saw the notification, can't wait
I really like your wrap-up videos! Also, if you like books that turn fantasy trope on its head, I'd recommend Dark Rise by C.S. Pacat. The twists in that book obliterated me.
At first I was like ok it’s another YA fantasy and then 😭😭 THE ENDING CHANGED EVERYTHING
I feel so validated that you gave L&L 2.5 stars. I didn't even finish it I was so underwhelmed.
I've started listening to Legends & Lattes audiobook but I quit by half of it because I found it so boring. I had high hopes for it because I love fantasy and cozy vibes, but sadly I couldn't get through it. I'm so excited to hear your thoughts about this book
Yes, I like videos like this, whether monthly wrap-up or just a random wrap-up is fine with me. And I love knowing what you're currently reading.
For the books you mentioned, I've read The Demon in the Wood short story, not Graphic novel. I remember liking it, though I don't remember much of what happened.
I just finished Cruel Prince and ordered the Wicked King, so I'm on close to reading Queen of Nothing and Stolen Heir afterward. I was convinced to try this series because of you and I really like it!
Legends and Lattes was on my TBR but remived it after seeing your rating. I rated The House in the Cerulean Sea kinda high, BUT when I think back on it now, my rating doesn't really reflect how I feel about it, which is kinda meh. Same with Irregular Witches. I feel like I should like it because a lot of others do, but personally it just feels meh. So I think "cozy fantasy" is not for me.
Same! Really happy for people who are into cozy fantasy, but I don’t really get it.
I loved the book check-in format, it's so cozy and non-pressury 💖
I’m currently listening an audiobook version of The House in The Cerulean Sea and I’m really enjoying it so far! Excited to hear your thoughts on it!
I can understand what you mean about Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo. I do remember enjoying Ninth House a little more. But I re-read Ninth House and it's making me have a different perspective on Hell Bent. But I do agree with you it's less darker than Ninth House. From what I'm reading right now I feel that it might be a 4.25 or 4, definitely lower than Ninth House but not by much.
Cant wait to see how you liked the house in the cerulean sea! I read it in german and i looooved it so much 🥰🙈
I'm soo excited to watch your next reading vlog ! Especially for The house in the cerulean sea !
Leonie!! Amanda Montell has a podcast called Sounds Like a Cult with a woman named Isa Medina! It is exactly what you describe the book to feel like when reading
Margaret Rogerson also writes fae like Holly Black.
I also was a bit underwhelmed by hell bent. I read in (I think the goodreads-) Interview with Leigh Bardugo and she said, that she did initially have more of a crime/mystery/thriller/almost police procedural series in mind. And you see that in the first book, it’s a lot more on murder-solving. The rest happens on the side. I really like to read crime, and that’s why I absolutely LOVED the first one, even tho the dark bits were a bit too over the top.
The second one was all (almost transitional-feeling) plot and almost no crime solving. It needed a bit more focus for me. Also I just… dont like how much the status quo has changed by the end of this. They are a bit overpowered now, and that does take away from the stakes of the situations, and also about how much sacrifice it initially needed. It does feel a lot less grounded in reality now, too; I could almost see the real societies reading the future out of innards. Out there but fine. Have them be visited by another society that oversees that nothing “too magical” happens - also amazing. It just felt a bit more adult and a bit less fantasy fantasy.
All in all, I felt like it was written for younger people again, like the author got the message “make it a bit more E for Everyone” in the way of making it more teenager and not in the way of adding less (not necessarily) trauma.
Would love to see more of these! I adore listening to you talk about your recent reads! :D
I love this kind of sum up videos! It would be great to hear your thoughts on all the books you read
Id love if you continued these with these types of videos. I just borrowed the audiobook Cultish thanks to you! :)
Im trying to get into Leigh Bardugo. I finished the first series with Alina & wasnt totally sold until the last book. Im looking forward to Six of Crows & hoping thats more up my alley. Or maybe her work just isnt for me! Which would be a shame since so many people love her stuff.
I would absolutely love it if you did this more often. It makes me feel so comforted
That Legends and Lattes cover is everything
it’s not quite fae but for folklore vibes i think the book ‘all the murmuring bones’ you would like!
Loved this kind of wrap up videos, I hope you'll do more of these :))
And I kinda see your point on hell bent but I honestly loved both books the same but that might be because we got more Darlington content in the second book, and he made me blind to all possible negative things in the story
Leonie, I recommend you to read The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea! I'm currently in the middle of it and so far, it is so good
I absolutely love this video format! Would totally watch more
Just in time for lunch, perfect😂
I read Ninth House in November so it’s not like I’m older now reading Hell Bent, I just think you’re right and it doesn’t feel as “omg never been done before.” Probably because it’s a sequel so of course it’s been done before but it still wasn’t quite as perfect for me 🤷🏼♀️ I also feel like you’re convincing me to finally read Holly Black, because I don’t like most faeries, but these sound interesting…
I listened to The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches last month, and I kinda liked it, but I wish I'd known that the book is more about romance than actual witchcraft. I'd honestly love a sequel where we get more information on magic. If the book is one thing, though, it is definitely cosy :D
The way you feel about Hell Bent is exactly how I felt about Crooked Kingdom. I read Six of Crows way back when it came out when I was still in school and absolutely loved it. I've picked up Crooked Kingdom last year and although I still enjoyed it there was something missing. And I could tell it was a very satisfying book for the duology but it just wasn't the same, it didn't quite hit the spot 😅
ahhh cant wait for your cozy fantasy reading vlogs!!! and please let us know what you think of the last tale of the flower bride -- I'm thinking of buying it so I'd love to hear your thoughts!
i feel the exact same about hell bent- really enjoyed it but just didn’t quite hit the spot like ninth house did.
Also yes Dawes became such an amazing character in the second book ❤
so happy to see come as you are in here!! that book was life-changing for me! i also recommend ace by angela chen, which uses asexuality as a lens through which to critique our societal beliefs about sexuality. i absolutely loved that book
i second this recommendation, i think it's a book everyone should read!
I enjoyed the queen of nothing & demon in the wood books so much! Love Holly Black now. Come As You Are sounds so interesting- I’ve been learning more and more about how workplaces, healthcare etc has been so centered around male bodies and does not account for ways women’s bodies may work differently at times. Cultish also sounds so interesting! Definitely going to check it out- I love learning more about rhetoric like that.