33:52 ballet is political, it has always been political, the countries that heavily promote it and fund it use it as propaganda. And I used to be a ballet dancer. When the Ukraine War started, many dancers from Russian companies hiked their tails out of Russia because that was one way they could protest and not be a part of it, because the Russian government paid their paychecks, and they weren't having that, and the ones that stayed, maybe they stayed because they were scared of change or something new, but plenty of foreign companies were willing to help those dancers out that left to get them on their feet so that wasn't gonna be an issue, so I still think the ones that stayed believe the Russian propaganda BS and should be canceled. So this character here being written without an opinion is BS, dancers have opinions, like when the dancers for the Paris Opéra were having their pensions threatened, they protested, in my opinion this writer doesn't know dancers
Yup, very well said. The argument of 'oh let's not mix culture/sport with politics' is, most often, used as a way to justify soft power and propaganda. russia has done it for ages, it's nothing new.
I understand what you said about the dancers that stayed in Russia, but could it be that some of them were scared for their families? ( I don't know much about the inner workings of the ballet world or the current intern situation in Russia, so please take my question with a grain of salt).
immediately skipped to what the river knows cause it was soooo painful pushing through that, and had to know if you had relatively the same experience 😭😭😭
omg I'm so happy I'm not alone. I thought it was just one book so I pushed through and then found it was a duology and couldn't. I had SUCH high hopes and was so disappointed
I wanted to read "What the River Knows" but the more I learned about it (i.e. tropes, writing choices, etc.) I decided I wasn't going to. Normally I don't look at reviews but this time I did, and I died when I saw one of the top Goodreads reviews was "the river aint know sh*t."
I also DNF'd what the river knows at the exact point that you did as well. You're definitely not alone in your assessment I had the same critique (especially about the characters) I have to say I feel very validated hearing your review of it because I really hoped to love it!
@@caricanreadAs someone who also loves stories set in Egypt, I was super annoyed that they marketed it as being similar to The Mummy when the only thing they had in common was they were set in Egypt🫠 I kept reading out of curiosity, I didn’t hate the story but I thought it was poorly written and crafted. I was excited for book two purely because I wanted to know the ending but I DNFed so early on because it’s somehow worse😵💫 The writing is bad, the characters got worse, I’ve read that there’s a major twist but I don’t care enough to read on. I can confirm it does not get any better🫠
i am not a sci-fi girlie, but i heard you talk about the blighted stars in a previous video, read a preview of it at the library, and AM HOOKED!! it's a several weeks wait, and i'm tempted to just buy it (probably as a "yay you finished another semester of college" gift to myself 🤣)
I hope you’re doing alright right now with everything that’s been going on in South Korea recently. Wishing you the best, Cari. Thank you for the video🤍
thank you! there was only really a one hour period (around midnight lol) where people feared for their safety but now its just back to being disappointed in the government as usual hahah
Culture and politics are very tightly connected, because art doesn't exist in vacuum. Context matters and even more so in case of art, which should communicate important messages and values. Many Ukrainian artists were persecuted and killed during the soviet union and russian empire and sadly many continue to die now during russian invasion, so world would never see their artistic contribution. It is impossible to be apolitical, because politics influence you no matter if you want it. And I am not even going to start talking about cultural approriation. So let's acknowledge the context of art, especially in this time of the year while singing Ukrainian "Shchedryk" (you might know it as Carol of the Bells). Much love from Ukraine!❤
If you're still looking for more books that are happening in Slovenia but are also written by a Slovenian author, I would recommend I Saw Her That Night by Drago Jančar. It's about a disappearance of a bourgeois woman told from different perspectives. It's very well acclaimed in Slovenia.
34:00 - this is such a huge self-report, because 1) a huge chunk of what we know as 'Russian land' belongs to the nations Russia has occupied 2) a huge part of Russian culture relies on appropriation of other nations' cultural heritage. Feels like the author knew she'd get called out if she doesn't say anything... so she decided to say something really dumb. Russian culture is part of the problem as it has bred a nation that cannot go 5 minutes without going on a killing spree. It's by no means separate from what the Russians (not 'the government') is doing right now and anyone denying it is part of the probem. Also, thank you for not ignoring this topic.
She also says that 'she cant talk about it because she doesnt want to put her family in danger, but the book is actually anti-Russian and it will all make sense in the future' ??? (in her IG comments)
@@caricanread ...I guess I could have sympathy for that as someone with family in Russia I don't want to get hurt, but that just means I use pseudonyms to speak my mind. This sounds like she's hiding behind her family from being held accountable. I'm sure I'm sounding very judgemental, but the literary world has been so disappointing when it comes to critically appraising Russian culture that we're sorta out of grace to give by now.
oh no im saying its extra odd because she doesnt seem to have any ties to russia (she's korean living in london and hasnt shared any familial or professional ties to russia) so idk why she's talking like that! she mentions being scared for her family and friends but in the same comment said she's just one insignificant human and her work wont have any effect on anything. its just overall a really odd atmosphere surrounding this book.
I love that you’re reading sci-fi, it’s my favorite. I so appreciate all the recs! ❤️ Being in grad school, I am forever indebted to you for taking the time to read and share with us. You truly help in so many ways.
Blighted Stars is SOOO good and gets nowhere near the love it deserves. Its sooo good. I recommend the Protectorate trilogy by her too. The first book is Velocity Weapon and its about siblings who get separated in time. Not by time travel though. The guy is looking for his missing soldier sister whose ship exploded in space. And she thankfully made it to a cryo pod and survived the explosion, but she's been frozen in fugue sleep for like 300yrs or something when she finally gets rescued she wakes up alone on a ship with only a locked down AI for company and shs learns that shes been out for hundreds of years. And things go from there. It's fantastic, I hugely recommend it. I prefer Blighted Stars individually, it's my fav book of hers, however, as a series, I think the Protectorate trilogy is better than the Devoured Worlds trilogy
“Art is beyond the politics/ art isn’t political” is one of the key Russian propaganda messages. They also like the phrase “I love my country, but hate the state”, meaning that the people & everything is good there except for the government. They’ve been really pushing it in Ukraine since 2014, which continued to pave the way for pro-Russian artists and the further unification of the “cultural space”. They were like “we consume the same songs, books, movies, etc, we are the same people, it’s just the politics that is trying to divide us». And the way you described the messages in the book and the author’s replies, I honestly would not be surprised if there was a “sponsor” from Russia supporting her while she wrote the book. This looked too familiar for me as a Ukrainian :(
yeah i read a piece after this book talking about how ballet is actually one of the ways russia sympathizes itself to the rest of the world and exports an image of beauty, sophistication, etc. There's a moment where she could have veered that way because she mentions how tied politicians are to ballet organizations like bolshoi but :/ everything was so surface level? she did write that the bf character was later shocked by russia's actions and had to work to get his family in ukraine/crimea to safety but again that was like ONE sentence in the entire book.
The Dyachenko spouses are well known for their rushed, confusing (and often heartbreaking) endings. But we still love them (for all that delicious pain 😅). After Vita Nostra they wrote 2 sequels (that have not yet been translated). Most fans don't like them, but, at least in the sequels they explain a bit of what transpired earlier 😬. The ending style reminded me of "Fire and Hemlock" a little bit.
Thank you for the hour long wrap up omg ❤ I think you talked about this book recently but I just read Don’t Let The Forest In and I enjoyed it so so much!!
47:45 i'm so glad i'm not the only one who had a complete meltdown at the end of the book. i keep seeing people talk about it with straight faces like it didn't affect them at all and i'm just like??? am i mentally okay??? knowing your reaction was the same is so validating. alex was my favourite characterr and the main reason i enjoyed the book
i have been waaaaiiiiiting for your review of hollow and the haunted!! i got the arc for it and immediately was distraught by the ending & was like " cari needs to know about this book asap" 🤣i commented it a few times so im happy to see it finally made it on your radar! i hope u liked it, im commenting this before finishing the video lol😂🫶🏽 edit: i will say i enjoyed it so much i messaged the author and she confirmed its a duology! shes apparently working on the second one now so fingers crossed it comes out soon!!!
yesssss! and i dont trust authors until the ending of the series is IN MY HANDS because i have had so many "duologies" become trilogies during the writing process of the second book hahahha
I think Craig was trying to say two things with the deaths that happened: first, that everyone dies, no matter who they are or what they did, and second, that you can never know what a person is truly like and that humans shouldn't be the ones to decide who gets to die and who gets to survive because they can't know everything. When Hazel saves the people destined for death, things always turn out worse in one way or another. It's only after her actions that she realizes how dangerous she made things. It's only when she accepts the deaths, that she understands certain things are inevitable and she doesn't try to control it, that things go okay. It also invokes the idea of the danse macabre (which often popped up in Gothic lit) with the different kinds of people that Hazel dithered over.
Hey Cari, thank you so much for your videos. Everytime I can watch a new video from you its such a safe space for me, especially when the day to day gets to stressfull. 🥰
Carrie I hope you read this: Vita Nostra is speculative fiction and very philosophical. I think lots of people go into it thinking it’s ‘dark academia YA’ and get really turned off when it is nothing like that. I was mostly confused too until I put the book down and really sat with it. Things started to click then. Some parts of the odd things she had to do so that Farit wouldn’t hurt her family were a critique of the ways in which academia exploits people and makes them go above and beyond just to get it. The whole idea of doom that was hanging over her head of having to perform well or else something would happen to her mom or the child is also synonymous with what happens when children (especially in Asia, East Europe and other parts of the non-western world) feel indebted to their parents for having sent them to prestigious schools and go above and beyond their capacity to perform well. Her transformation was essentially both her going against the grain, but in doing so, also becoming a part of it. The idea is similar to that of a small town kid going to a fancy school and becoming the valedictorian thinking he/she’s defied the odds but really, fell into conformity of another sort. There were so many more themes that dealt with detachment, obsession, depression, predatory behavior by professors and councilors and a lot more. I hope you read this explanation and let me know if it changes your mind about the book a bit :) it’s a 6/5 star read for me!
I am a little confused because I didnt go into it thinking it was YA dark academia 🤔 I try my best to think critically about everything I read and I still just didnt really enjoy the book. So its not that it went over my head or something, I just didn’t like it and thats okay! Glad you did.
Talking about the night birds: it's actually a very interesting approach, because it's absolutely realistic. That's exactly the approach, which thousands of Russian culture-figures, both in Russia and abroad took. They just acted and keep acting, like nothing is happing, "I see only music/dance/writing"... Very disappointing
Agreed! I thought it would have been interesting to see, since this was her pov and we could peek behind the curtain, how she felt internally instead of the just “i cant/dont want to say anything publicly” 🙃 like her closest friends were ukranian and she had zero thots in that head about what was happening???
YEAHHHHH THE BLIGHTED STARS YEAHHHHH!!! also felt similarly about the fractured dark…loved the romance at first, and then thought about it and was like “and what happened to our threat?”
I shouted “yes!” when you showed The Haunting of Tram Car 015. I think about the ending of that book all the time. I’m reading the Alamaxa Duology by Hadeer Elsbai right now, which deals with some similar themes, and am loving it!
You summed up my thoughts on Vita Nostra exactly! I was so hooked at first but definitely hit a wall in the middle where I was wondering, “Where is this going? And do I even like the characters enough to care where it goes?” I see why people love the book, but I feel kinda lukewarm. I’ll likely give the sequel a go though since it’s less than 300 pages
November was a wild ride for us all I think. I had a great reading month but very sporadic compared to my previous months. Your rants and halloween vlog was definitely a highlight lol. I hope this December would be better for you!
I need to re-read Veronika Decides to Die. There's also a film adaptation from 2009 starring Sarah Michelle Gellar and directed by Emily Young. Hasn't been reviewed very charitably. I'd be curious to see what you think if you can find it streaming somewhere.
My apologies for not keeping it lighthearted and fun. I fully understand that for the majority of people, reading is a form of relaxation, entertainment or escapism from the problems in their lives. I'm writing this with the hope that more people will finally realize, that, the more we try to escape the "politics" everyone hates discussing so much, the faster those "politics" will catch up with us. As a Ukrainian living in Kyiv, Ukraine, I'd like to say that the call to separate the artist from the art is total BS. Art does not exist in a vacuum; ignoring its origins is a willful denial of the interconnectedness of creativity, morality, and society. By ignoring the broader context surrounding the art in question, society risks overlooking harm and allowing abusers to retain their influence. "Sure, russians bombed Ohmatdyt children’s oncological hospital, mined and blew up Kakhovka Dam, they murder, torture and r@pə civilians daily under occupation but...but...but their literature, their ballet, their music, their movies, their sports!". This mindset diminishes the impact of the horrors brought on the victims, framing their experiences as secondary to the art’s/culture’s value. Normalizing cruel and violent behaviors in the name of aesthetic appreciation or entertainment is sick. russia spends billions on crafting an image of refinement and artistic greatness to cover up its abhorrent and barbaric actions and pretending that it's not the case fosters complicity in perpetuating harm under the guise of cultural appreciation. While people are free to enjoy and appreciate the art they love, this choice is not neutral. russian art/culture was and still is deeply entwined with the imperialist agendas of the government (and tbh the majority of russians as well) that silenced dissent and perpetuated oppression. Glorification of russian culture often marginalizes the voices of oppressed groups, such as ethnic minorities and neighboring nations, whose suffering has often been erased or overshadowed. Nations in russia's "sphere of influence" (which includes ALL of the Post-Soviet states) were forced to learn russian language, were forced to read russian literature, were forced to watch f***ing Swan Lake on TV because their native language, literature, and media were oppressed or banned or outlawed. If anyone is interested in understanding what russia does and has been doing for centuries and why it's imperative to be aware of the atrocities committed by russians and soviets please read "russian colonialism 101" by Maxym Eristavi or "On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century" or "The Road to Unfreedom: Russia, Europe, America" by Timothy Snyder. Hope this reaches at least one person somewhere out there... Because by now it feels like screaming in the void.
Hi I couldnt finish this comment because my eyes hurt in the mornings but i just want to be clear that if you listen to what I said, I am saying just that - that I dont like how flippant she was about being apolitical. I hope you didnt think I said I dont want politics in books because I said the exact opposite. Sending love.
One of my recent fav reads is Empire of Shadows by Jacquelyn Benson and the second one is set in Egypt! Its a connected series so you’d have to read the first one but it might be worth it for you
girl I felt the same way about Metal Slinger. the writing was so off, it had me re-reading paragraphs thinking I missed something. I couldn't visualize the ships they were on, where they live (the world building was so poor), or like tell when there was a transition?? things felt OFF. I'm still confused tbh
I'm currently reading The Courting of Bristol Keats. I'm a major fan of Mary E Pearson as well. I went into this book blind and assumed from the character interactions that it was YA until about 1/4th of the way in. I agree with the things you're saying. I could even add to it and I'm only 1/3rd in and have not read any time change chapters yet (not looking forward to those). I'm still reading it but I'm not binging it like I usually do for her. I mean, I read Dance of Thieves in one sitting on a Sunday. All I will say is that I'm glad I'm reading this book as a library book and not as one I've bought.
as a ukrainian who continues to live in Ukraine even while the war is ongoing, i just wanted to thank you for the way you talked about the invasion and your thoughts on this matter and how it is adressed in the book. it's always so great to see that people can recognise the horrible situation we are in and support us with at least the right mindset about it
FINALLY the nov wrap up is here 😭 I was waiting for this video to get new recommendations lmao. (also your videos are just soo fun, it literally feels like sitting with a friend and talking)
The Crimson Moth sounds like it might have taken some inspiration from the Scarlet Pimpernel novels from the early 20th century (1903 or 1905 depending on if you're counting the stage play). Set during the Reign of Terror and told partly from the perspective of a former actress turned noblewoman being blackmailed into finding the titular character, who has been helping nobles escape the guillotine. All while dealing with her crumbling marriage to a foppish man who is more than he seems. The rich idiot that's secretly a badass trope really got introduced/codified in these books and has been made into various plays, movies, TV series, and radio productions.
I just got “what the library hides” in from the library which was the sequel to “what the river knows”. I loved the concept for the 1st book but kinda felt meh overall after finishing it. I am hoping the second book elevates the series.
I’m gonna tell you now that it doesn’t really go the way it should’ve gone. You’d think Inez wouldve learned from her mistakes but she doesn’t 😔 It was slightly slow in the beginning but had a rlly weird plot twist near the end that actually shook me. The duology is kinda only worth reading for the characters I guess? At least that’s what drived me to finish it. (Whit especially)
Thank you for not bashing Vita Nostra. It definitely was a slower read for me to understand, but I credit that to it being a story from a different culture. I won't go into a whole explanation here cause I'm sure anyone reading gets that not every reading culture is the same, but I read it and enjoyed it. If you're the type that can easily piece together complicated plots, you might enjoy this challenge. It's almost like a chosen one trope. She's extremely special, but special isn't always that great. She can't reach her potential unless she works really hard, so the story goes into her struggle to push beyond her limits because once she starts developing her potential, it's follow through or... if you want to know, you could try reading.... the second book is translated and released, which I am working my way through.
Kind of related to The Haunting of Tram Car 015: Have you read the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch? I was already kind of reminded of it when you talked about your “What to read while waiting for Alector the Ninth” video, mainly because of the vibes and magic cop similarities
If you still are in the mood for a book with The Mummy vibes I HIGHLY recommend Empire of Shadows by Jacquelyn Benson! It’s got history, banter and a great commentary on historical site preservation/excavation
the 1975 speaks to my specific brand of millennial depression so well. also every video you upload is delightful to me and I look forward to them always
lol i liked what the river knows but you have to keep in mind that she's living a very sheltered life. so yeah MC is VERY naive and in that lens it made more sense, but is definitely frustrating as an adult. I ended up liking the parts that explained what her parents were doing because they were all so shady and I think that hooked me more.
30 minutes in: The Hollow and the Haunted joins my TBR lol 36 minutes in: About the ballerina just wanting to dance and not addressing politics, and saying she's just a bystander bla bla bla... I see what you mean, and I didn't read the book so maybe I'm missing something, but I feel like lots of people have such a mindset in real life. It's not so far fetched, in my opinion. End of the video: SO looking forward to the Christmas Romcom videoooooo🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Megan O'Keefe iwas friend of mine and I am blown away at how successful an author she has become. I was writing with her creatively in my late teens right through to my 30s. She's a powerhouse, always has been.
I loved the Blighted Stars trilogy! The romance didn't feel overpowering, wasn't insta love and seemed more realistic in that each character had their own desires and motivations that sometimes conflicted with their affection for each other. Loved the super twisty and complicated plot, it only gets wilder. There where so many points where I was legitimately gasping. I won't spoil the end, but I almost wish she would have ended the series a few chapters earlier (I cried) Highly recommend!
I'm intrigued and wanna read The Hollow and The Haunted bc the beginning is somehow has The Raven Boys' vibe? It's like when Blue saw Gansey's "ghost" and on the next day she saw the real Gansey with the boys. Gonna add it to my TBR, so thank you!
I actually loved What the River Knows but I also did the audiobook. I feel like it gives it such a sense of vibrancy that regular reading doesn't. What the Library Hides was good but not my favorite second book.
I spent most of the video staring at the shiny copy of The Ministry of Time innocently sitting at the top of your book stack in the back and fighting the urge to reread my sadly not shiny copy.
Your reaction to Metal Slinger is my reaction when I look at the Goodreads ratings for Quicksilver and Powerless/Reckless 😂 Lauren Roberts also seems to love a final act twist that makes zero sense!
You should read the Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski if you haven't yet. It's an old series but I've reread it like 3 times and it still holds imo! Super excited to read The Blighted Stars after your review 🎉
Hi i love your videos! i have a rec for you! Alexis Hall has a romantasy series with the tagline of “queer magic bridgerton” these two books feature the characters in both books but each book is focused on different characters in the same world. set in like regency/bridgerton-esque era and i loved the way it was narrated (by a fairy!)- i listened to the audiobooks. Mortal Follies is the first one and Confounding Oaths is the second one. I enjoyed the second book more and loved the cast of characters! queer! magic! fairies! 1800s!
So glad I'm not alone in my dislike of What the River Knows. All the love I've seen recently with the second book's release made me start to doubt myself.
@caricanread I thought it was alright, nothing special - until I closed the book and immediately wanted the world back. So something special after all. Bit bamboozled by how it's stayed w me 😵💫
I feel like we usually have really similar tastes but i liked What the River Knows and absolutely hated Heartless Hunter. Just goes to show how individual your reading experience with a book can be
I have a final exam in less than two hours but here I am because I saw the crimson moth (aka heartless hunter) in the thumbnail and I was OBSESSED when I read it a week ago sksksksk
40:06 I dnf’d Where The Library Hides. I got through What the River Knows and was pretty unimpressed but the cliff hanger did cause me to pick up the second one. The problem was in between books 1 & 2, I read “Empire of Shadows” by Jacquelyn Benson and it was so much better! I couldn’t get through WTLH because the main characters just felt like worse version of Ellie and Adam.
If you want more Egypt inspired books, N.K. Jemisin has a (completed!) duology called The Dreamblood Duology set in a world inspired by Ancient Egypt. It’s not quite as good as The Fifth Season, but it’s pretty great and definitely scratches the itch. It has a very interesting magic system that has to do with dream magic and corruption.
54:33 if reads with Rachel recommends a book, I have no choice but to read it & apparently you’re capable of convincing me to read sci-fi bc I’m about to check out blighted stars
I enjoyed what the river knows but the little brain cells the characters had said goodbye in the second part. It was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024 and unfortunately a big let down
Drove me nuts for a few minutes trying to figure out why your description of The Gilded Crown by Marianne Goldon sounded so familiar. I recently read Cursed by Jennifer L Armentrout, and for a bit, I could SWEAR you were talking about this book. Weird. Definitely not, as your description went on, but similar themes.
every time I watch your videos minutes after you upload them it feels like everything is right in the world again
:''''''''') thank you!
agreed!!!
33:52 ballet is political, it has always been political, the countries that heavily promote it and fund it use it as propaganda. And I used to be a ballet dancer. When the Ukraine War started, many dancers from Russian companies hiked their tails out of Russia because that was one way they could protest and not be a part of it, because the Russian government paid their paychecks, and they weren't having that, and the ones that stayed, maybe they stayed because they were scared of change or something new, but plenty of foreign companies were willing to help those dancers out that left to get them on their feet so that wasn't gonna be an issue, so I still think the ones that stayed believe the Russian propaganda BS and should be canceled. So this character here being written without an opinion is BS, dancers have opinions, like when the dancers for the Paris Opéra were having their pensions threatened, they protested, in my opinion this writer doesn't know dancers
Yup, very well said. The argument of 'oh let's not mix culture/sport with politics' is, most often, used as a way to justify soft power and propaganda. russia has done it for ages, it's nothing new.
I understand what you said about the dancers that stayed in Russia, but could it be that some of them were scared for their families? ( I don't know much about the inner workings of the ballet world or the current intern situation in Russia, so please take my question with a grain of salt).
immediately skipped to what the river knows cause it was soooo painful pushing through that, and had to know if you had relatively the same experience 😭😭😭
ok thank goodness im not alone :'''')
I read both books hoping each page it was going to be better… 😢
One of my favourite reads of the year😅
omg I'm so happy I'm not alone. I thought it was just one book so I pushed through and then found it was a duology and couldn't. I had SUCH high hopes and was so disappointed
Sameee! So glad I’m not the only one who struggled with this one 🙃
I wanted to read "What the River Knows" but the more I learned about it (i.e. tropes, writing choices, etc.) I decided I wasn't going to. Normally I don't look at reviews but this time I did, and I died when I saw one of the top Goodreads reviews was "the river aint know sh*t."
lollllll
I also DNF'd what the river knows at the exact point that you did as well. You're definitely not alone in your assessment I had the same critique (especially about the characters) I have to say I feel very validated hearing your review of it because I really hoped to love it!
such a let down sadly :'''')
@@caricanreadAs someone who also loves stories set in Egypt, I was super annoyed that they marketed it as being similar to The Mummy when the only thing they had in common was they were set in Egypt🫠 I kept reading out of curiosity, I didn’t hate the story but I thought it was poorly written and crafted. I was excited for book two purely because I wanted to know the ending but I DNFed so early on because it’s somehow worse😵💫 The writing is bad, the characters got worse, I’ve read that there’s a major twist but I don’t care enough to read on. I can confirm it does not get any better🫠
literally yesterday i was looking on your account for this wrap up, manifestedd
yeeeee!
omg sameeee
i am not a sci-fi girlie, but i heard you talk about the blighted stars in a previous video, read a preview of it at the library, and AM HOOKED!! it's a several weeks wait, and i'm tempted to just buy it (probably as a "yay you finished another semester of college" gift to myself 🤣)
bahahah stay strong!!! i bet the second you buy it, your hold will come thru hahaha
It’s so good. Too 5 of the year. The end of the trilogy is… phew. I liked it a lot hahah
You don’t understand how much I look forward to your wrap ups. I get myself a treat, light some candles, curl up in bed, it’s a whole thing 😂
I need you to know that every time I am in a reading slump your videos and passion for books make me excited for reading again!
I'm glad ur feeling better, November is somehow a compile of never-ending illness. 😭
the cold here took me and all the people i know OUT :'''')
Even in Australia we’ve had a weird upper respiratory cold running rampant. I was sick twice in November and it’s spring 😣 Stay well out there ❤
Monday with monthly wrap-up! That's THE way to start my week! Thanks Cari ❤
thank YOU!
I hope you’re doing alright right now with everything that’s been going on in South Korea recently. Wishing you the best, Cari. Thank you for the video🤍
thank you! there was only really a one hour period (around midnight lol) where people feared for their safety but now its just back to being disappointed in the government as usual hahah
Culture and politics are very tightly connected, because art doesn't exist in vacuum. Context matters and even more so in case of art, which should communicate important messages and values. Many Ukrainian artists were persecuted and killed during the soviet union and russian empire and sadly many continue to die now during russian invasion, so world would never see their artistic contribution. It is impossible to be apolitical, because politics influence you no matter if you want it. And I am not even going to start talking about cultural approriation.
So let's acknowledge the context of art, especially in this time of the year while singing Ukrainian "Shchedryk" (you might know it as Carol of the Bells). Much love from Ukraine!❤
If you're still looking for more books that are happening in Slovenia but are also written by a Slovenian author, I would recommend I Saw Her That Night by Drago Jančar. It's about a disappearance of a bourgeois woman told from different perspectives. It's very well acclaimed in Slovenia.
34:00 - this is such a huge self-report, because 1) a huge chunk of what we know as 'Russian land' belongs to the nations Russia has occupied 2) a huge part of Russian culture relies on appropriation of other nations' cultural heritage. Feels like the author knew she'd get called out if she doesn't say anything... so she decided to say something really dumb. Russian culture is part of the problem as it has bred a nation that cannot go 5 minutes without going on a killing spree. It's by no means separate from what the Russians (not 'the government') is doing right now and anyone denying it is part of the probem.
Also, thank you for not ignoring this topic.
She also says that 'she cant talk about it because she doesnt want to put her family in danger, but the book is actually anti-Russian and it will all make sense in the future' ??? (in her IG comments)
@@caricanread ...I guess I could have sympathy for that as someone with family in Russia I don't want to get hurt, but that just means I use pseudonyms to speak my mind. This sounds like she's hiding behind her family from being held accountable. I'm sure I'm sounding very judgemental, but the literary world has been so disappointing when it comes to critically appraising Russian culture that we're sorta out of grace to give by now.
oh no im saying its extra odd because she doesnt seem to have any ties to russia (she's korean living in london and hasnt shared any familial or professional ties to russia) so idk why she's talking like that! she mentions being scared for her family and friends but in the same comment said she's just one insignificant human and her work wont have any effect on anything. its just overall a really odd atmosphere surrounding this book.
@@caricanreadomg I got confused there for a sec thinking "wait, isn't she Korean? Maybe life happened" so thanks for clarifying that😅
thank youu for saying this i had similar thoughts.
Yessss just what I needed after crying. I missed my flight but at least now I get to watch a cari can read video 😆
omg nooo thats the WORST feeling but hope you get to your destination safely and quickly!!!
I love that you’re reading sci-fi, it’s my favorite. I so appreciate all the recs! ❤️ Being in grad school, I am forever indebted to you for taking the time to read and share with us. You truly help in so many ways.
Props to you for DNFing What the River Knows. I wish I had. I read it all the way through and FULLY regretted it.
Oooh yes! I need some book ideas for an upcoming trip so I'm excited to watch! Thanks Cari 🩷
oh yay hope whereever youre going is nice^^
Omg yes! I felt the exact same about What the River knows. Like such a modern character dropped in such an old school world. Hated it
Blighted Stars is SOOO good and gets nowhere near the love it deserves. Its sooo good. I recommend the Protectorate trilogy by her too.
The first book is Velocity Weapon and its about siblings who get separated in time. Not by time travel though.
The guy is looking for his missing soldier sister whose ship exploded in space. And she thankfully made it to a cryo pod and survived the explosion, but she's been frozen in fugue sleep for like 300yrs or something when she finally gets rescued she wakes up alone on a ship with only a locked down AI for company and shs learns that shes been out for hundreds of years.
And things go from there.
It's fantastic, I hugely recommend it. I prefer Blighted Stars individually, it's my fav book of hers, however, as a series, I think the Protectorate trilogy is better than the Devoured Worlds trilogy
“Art is beyond the politics/ art isn’t political” is one of the key Russian propaganda messages. They also like the phrase “I love my country, but hate the state”, meaning that the people & everything is good there except for the government. They’ve been really pushing it in Ukraine since 2014, which continued to pave the way for pro-Russian artists and the further unification of the “cultural space”. They were like “we consume the same songs, books, movies, etc, we are the same people, it’s just the politics that is trying to divide us». And the way you described the messages in the book and the author’s replies, I honestly would not be surprised if there was a “sponsor” from Russia supporting her while she wrote the book. This looked too familiar for me as a Ukrainian :(
yeah i read a piece after this book talking about how ballet is actually one of the ways russia sympathizes itself to the rest of the world and exports an image of beauty, sophistication, etc. There's a moment where she could have veered that way because she mentions how tied politicians are to ballet organizations like bolshoi but :/ everything was so surface level? she did write that the bf character was later shocked by russia's actions and had to work to get his family in ukraine/crimea to safety but again that was like ONE sentence in the entire book.
As a Lithuanian I can only second that the phrase "we should separate art/sport from politics" triggers massive alarm bells in my head.
The Dyachenko spouses are well known for their rushed, confusing (and often heartbreaking) endings. But we still love them (for all that delicious pain 😅).
After Vita Nostra they wrote 2 sequels (that have not yet been translated). Most fans don't like them, but, at least in the sequels they explain a bit of what transpired earlier 😬.
The ending style reminded me of "Fire and Hemlock" a little bit.
Hi Cari!!! These are some of my favorite videos of yours! In for the night, and listening away!!! 😍
thank you! they're my fav to make so :''')
Thank you for the hour long wrap up omg ❤ I think you talked about this book recently but I just read Don’t Let The Forest In and I enjoyed it so so much!!
mornings spent listening to you talking about books, regardless of your perceptions of them, are my favorite ways to start the day! ☀
how the king of elfhame learned to hate stories is my FAVORITE holly black book
love the (new?) font you're using for the books on the upper right. it's so clean.
I am on day 7 of possibly the worst cold of my life 😢 so glad you’re feeling better!!
omg noooo its always darkest before the dawn so i hope this just means youre on the mend!!
47:45 i'm so glad i'm not the only one who had a complete meltdown at the end of the book. i keep seeing people talk about it with straight faces like it didn't affect them at all and i'm just like??? am i mentally okay??? knowing your reaction was the same is so validating. alex was my favourite characterr and the main reason i enjoyed the book
The year goes by so quickly! I can't believe it's already time for the Christmas RomCom video. I feel like the last one JUST happened!
After listening to your opinion on thirteenth child I'm like "did i enjoy that book" lol you make a lot of good points
i have been waaaaiiiiiting for your review of hollow and the haunted!! i got the arc for it and immediately was distraught by the ending & was like " cari needs to know about this book asap" 🤣i commented it a few times so im happy to see it finally made it on your radar! i hope u liked it, im commenting this before finishing the video lol😂🫶🏽
edit: i will say i enjoyed it so much i messaged the author and she confirmed its a duology! shes apparently working on the second one now so fingers crossed it comes out soon!!!
yesssss! and i dont trust authors until the ending of the series is IN MY HANDS because i have had so many "duologies" become trilogies during the writing process of the second book hahahha
I think Craig was trying to say two things with the deaths that happened: first, that everyone dies, no matter who they are or what they did, and second, that you can never know what a person is truly like and that humans shouldn't be the ones to decide who gets to die and who gets to survive because they can't know everything. When Hazel saves the people destined for death, things always turn out worse in one way or another. It's only after her actions that she realizes how dangerous she made things. It's only when she accepts the deaths, that she understands certain things are inevitable and she doesn't try to control it, that things go okay.
It also invokes the idea of the danse macabre (which often popped up in Gothic lit) with the different kinds of people that Hazel dithered over.
Hey Cari, thank you so much for your videos. Everytime I can watch a new video from you its such a safe space for me, especially when the day to day gets to stressfull. 🥰
Absolutely adore your monthly wrap ups!! ❤
thank you :''')
Carrie I hope you read this: Vita Nostra is speculative fiction and very philosophical. I think lots of people go into it thinking it’s ‘dark academia YA’ and get really turned off when it is nothing like that. I was mostly confused too until I put the book down and really sat with it. Things started to click then. Some parts of the odd things she had to do so that Farit wouldn’t hurt her family were a critique of the ways in which academia exploits people and makes them go above and beyond just to get it. The whole idea of doom that was hanging over her head of having to perform well or else something would happen to her mom or the child is also synonymous with what happens when children (especially in Asia, East Europe and other parts of the non-western world) feel indebted to their parents for having sent them to prestigious schools and go above and beyond their capacity to perform well. Her transformation was essentially both her going against the grain, but in doing so, also becoming a part of it. The idea is similar to that of a small town kid going to a fancy school and becoming the valedictorian thinking he/she’s defied the odds but really, fell into conformity of another sort. There were so many more themes that dealt with detachment, obsession, depression, predatory behavior by professors and councilors and a lot more. I hope you read this explanation and let me know if it changes your mind about the book a bit :) it’s a 6/5 star read for me!
I am a little confused because I didnt go into it thinking it was YA dark academia 🤔 I try my best to think critically about everything I read and I still just didnt really enjoy the book. So its not that it went over my head or something, I just didn’t like it and thats okay! Glad you did.
@ fair enough! Love your videos by the way, Set timers and notifications for them 💕🥺
Carrie thanks you. You validate all my bookish opinions. I love you, I hope your cold goes away soon.
Talking about the night birds: it's actually a very interesting approach, because it's absolutely realistic. That's exactly the approach, which thousands of Russian culture-figures, both in Russia and abroad took. They just acted and keep acting, like nothing is happing, "I see only music/dance/writing"... Very disappointing
Agreed! I thought it would have been interesting to see, since this was her pov and we could peek behind the curtain, how she felt internally instead of the just “i cant/dont want to say anything publicly” 🙃 like her closest friends were ukranian and she had zero thots in that head about what was happening???
YEAHHHHH THE BLIGHTED STARS YEAHHHHH!!! also felt similarly about the fractured dark…loved the romance at first, and then thought about it and was like “and what happened to our threat?”
I shouted “yes!” when you showed The Haunting of Tram Car 015. I think about the ending of that book all the time. I’m reading the Alamaxa Duology by Hadeer Elsbai right now, which deals with some similar themes, and am loving it!
ohhhh looking that up right now!!!!
You summed up my thoughts on Vita Nostra exactly! I was so hooked at first but definitely hit a wall in the middle where I was wondering, “Where is this going? And do I even like the characters enough to care where it goes?” I see why people love the book, but I feel kinda lukewarm. I’ll likely give the sequel a go though since it’s less than 300 pages
I honestly wish it was a novella! I think then it would have been unsettling and fantastic but around page 250 it started to lose steam :/
I read it last year and same. It felt very nostalgic of 00’s YA fiction at first and then… a huge big gap of meh
Bristol Keats alone put me in a slump😭😂I was so looking forward to it, rip😔
suuuuuch a let down :''''(
Thank you for the video. Perhaps I have a biased perspective as a Ukrainian, but it was important for me to hear what you highlighted.
my november reading list was rough too 😔 will be adding blighted stars to my list!!
AHHH ILY CARI EXCITED TO WATCH THIS ONE :)
thank you!!!!!!
November was a wild ride for us all I think. I had a great reading month but very sporadic compared to my previous months. Your rants and halloween vlog was definitely a highlight lol. I hope this December would be better for you!
I need to re-read Veronika Decides to Die. There's also a film adaptation from 2009 starring Sarah Michelle Gellar and directed by Emily Young. Hasn't been reviewed very charitably. I'd be curious to see what you think if you can find it streaming somewhere.
Happy Holidays to you & Kurt Cari. I love you and am so grateful for your recommendations.❤
Cari, thank you for your take on the ballerina book and calling out the BS. It means a lot.
My apologies for not keeping it lighthearted and fun. I fully understand that for the majority of people, reading is a form of relaxation, entertainment or escapism from the problems in their lives. I'm writing this with the hope that more people will finally realize, that, the more we try to escape the "politics" everyone hates discussing so much, the faster those "politics" will catch up with us.
As a Ukrainian living in Kyiv, Ukraine, I'd like to say that the call to separate the artist from the art is total BS. Art does not exist in a vacuum; ignoring its origins is a willful denial of the interconnectedness of creativity, morality, and society. By ignoring the broader context surrounding the art in question, society risks overlooking harm and allowing abusers to retain their influence.
"Sure, russians bombed Ohmatdyt children’s oncological hospital, mined and blew up Kakhovka Dam, they murder, torture and r@pə civilians daily under occupation but...but...but their literature, their ballet, their music, their movies, their sports!". This mindset diminishes the impact of the horrors brought on the victims, framing their experiences as secondary to the art’s/culture’s value. Normalizing cruel and violent behaviors in the name of aesthetic appreciation or entertainment is sick.
russia spends billions on crafting an image of refinement and artistic greatness to cover up its abhorrent and barbaric actions and pretending that it's not the case fosters complicity in perpetuating harm under the guise of cultural appreciation. While people are free to enjoy and appreciate the art they love, this choice is not neutral. russian art/culture was and still is deeply entwined with the imperialist agendas of the government (and tbh the majority of russians as well) that silenced dissent and perpetuated oppression. Glorification of russian culture often marginalizes the voices of oppressed groups, such as ethnic minorities and neighboring nations, whose suffering has often been erased or overshadowed. Nations in russia's "sphere of influence" (which includes ALL of the Post-Soviet states) were forced to learn russian language, were forced to read russian literature, were forced to watch f***ing Swan Lake on TV because their native language, literature, and media were oppressed or banned or outlawed.
If anyone is interested in understanding what russia does and has been doing for centuries and why it's imperative to be aware of the atrocities committed by russians and soviets please read "russian colonialism 101" by Maxym Eristavi or "On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century" or "The Road to Unfreedom: Russia, Europe, America" by Timothy Snyder.
Hope this reaches at least one person somewhere out there... Because by now it feels like screaming in the void.
Hi I couldnt finish this comment because my eyes hurt in the mornings but i just want to be clear that if you listen to what I said, I am saying just that - that I dont like how flippant she was about being apolitical. I hope you didnt think I said I dont want politics in books because I said the exact opposite. Sending love.
One of my recent fav reads is Empire of Shadows by Jacquelyn Benson and the second one is set in Egypt! Its a connected series so you’d have to read the first one but it might be worth it for you
someone else just mentioned it in the comments and i immediately put it on hold at the lib ahahhhaa
I hated that book but loved what the river knows so she might like empire of shadows better lol
girl I felt the same way about Metal Slinger. the writing was so off, it had me re-reading paragraphs thinking I missed something. I couldn't visualize the ships they were on, where they live (the world building was so poor), or like tell when there was a transition?? things felt OFF. I'm still confused tbh
right?! i have no idea if they were on a rowboat or something more substantial hahaha
54:45 this sounds like the foxglove king. 👀 highly recommend i LOVED it.
I'm currently reading The Courting of Bristol Keats. I'm a major fan of Mary E Pearson as well. I went into this book blind and assumed from the character interactions that it was YA until about 1/4th of the way in. I agree with the things you're saying. I could even add to it and I'm only 1/3rd in and have not read any time change chapters yet (not looking forward to those). I'm still reading it but I'm not binging it like I usually do for her. I mean, I read Dance of Thieves in one sitting on a Sunday. All I will say is that I'm glad I'm reading this book as a library book and not as one I've bought.
as a ukrainian who continues to live in Ukraine even while the war is ongoing, i just wanted to thank you for the way you talked about the invasion and your thoughts on this matter and how it is adressed in the book. it's always so great to see that people can recognise the horrible situation we are in and support us with at least the right mindset about it
dude I was also SO sick this past month lmao glad you're feeling better! hope you fully heal up very soon 💗
FINALLY the nov wrap up is here 😭 I was waiting for this video to get new recommendations lmao. (also your videos are just soo fun, it literally feels like sitting with a friend and talking)
All I can say is that I love your rants on your videos 😂😂😂
The Crimson Moth sounds like it might have taken some inspiration from the Scarlet Pimpernel novels from the early 20th century (1903 or 1905 depending on if you're counting the stage play). Set during the Reign of Terror and told partly from the perspective of a former actress turned noblewoman being blackmailed into finding the titular character, who has been helping nobles escape the guillotine. All while dealing with her crumbling marriage to a foppish man who is more than he seems. The rich idiot that's secretly a badass trope really got introduced/codified in these books and has been made into various plays, movies, TV series, and radio productions.
I just got “what the library hides” in from the library which was the sequel to “what the river knows”. I loved the concept for the 1st book but kinda felt meh overall after finishing it. I am hoping the second book elevates the series.
keep me updated because im mad hahah those books should have been right up my alley!!
I’m gonna tell you now that it doesn’t really go the way it should’ve gone. You’d think Inez wouldve learned from her mistakes but she doesn’t 😔 It was slightly slow in the beginning but had a rlly weird plot twist near the end that actually shook me. The duology is kinda only worth reading for the characters I guess? At least that’s what drived me to finish it. (Whit especially)
Thank you for not bashing Vita Nostra. It definitely was a slower read for me to understand, but I credit that to it being a story from a different culture. I won't go into a whole explanation here cause I'm sure anyone reading gets that not every reading culture is the same, but I read it and enjoyed it. If you're the type that can easily piece together complicated plots, you might enjoy this challenge.
It's almost like a chosen one trope. She's extremely special, but special isn't always that great. She can't reach her potential unless she works really hard, so the story goes into her struggle to push beyond her limits because once she starts developing her potential, it's follow through or... if you want to know, you could try reading.... the second book is translated and released, which I am working my way through.
Same for the reaction at the end of Heartless Hunter. I was at the bus stop and people were staring but like, that wrecked me
Kind of related to The Haunting of Tram Car 015: Have you read the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch? I was already kind of reminded of it when you talked about your “What to read while waiting for Alector the Ninth” video, mainly because of the vibes and magic cop similarities
oh yes!! that exact sense of humor is so hard to find in books and i loved the first one!!
@@caricanread the ones after that become really complicated if you don’t binge read them but the first really has a charm about it
I live for your wrap ups Cari!
I loved the blighted stars!! Glad you did too. I agree it is so hard to describe 😅
i had to film that part at least 4 times and realized no matter what, i would sound crazy trying to get the plot right hahaha
If you still are in the mood for a book with The Mummy vibes I HIGHLY recommend Empire of Shadows by Jacquelyn Benson!
It’s got history, banter and a great commentary on historical site preservation/excavation
i have a 5 week wait at the library but i am excited!!
It’s 5am here in LA. My one year old son and I are watching the wrap up together. We’re too tired to get up, but we can’t shut our eyes.
the 1975 speaks to my specific brand of millennial depression so well. also every video you upload is delightful to me and I look forward to them always
lol i liked what the river knows but you have to keep in mind that she's living a very sheltered life. so yeah MC is VERY naive and in that lens it made more sense, but is definitely frustrating as an adult. I ended up liking the parts that explained what her parents were doing because they were all so shady and I think that hooked me more.
idk that doesnt excuse how annoying the boy was tho hahahaha
@@caricanread oh yeah that guy sucks lol
I live for these monthly wraps❤
checking in at 11pm london time ready to add to my tbr for the new year!! i hope you are doing well cari! 🎄💌
hope you have a good night :'''')
30 minutes in: The Hollow and the Haunted joins my TBR lol
36 minutes in: About the ballerina just wanting to dance and not addressing politics, and saying she's just a bystander bla bla bla... I see what you mean, and I didn't read the book so maybe I'm missing something, but I feel like lots of people have such a mindset in real life. It's not so far fetched, in my opinion.
End of the video: SO looking forward to the Christmas Romcom videoooooo🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Megan O'Keefe iwas friend of mine and I am blown away at how successful an author she has become. I was writing with her creatively in my late teens right through to my 30s. She's a powerhouse, always has been.
LOVED HEARTLESS HUNTER!!
I didn’t realize lots of kids had an ancient Egypt phase. Mine was a big part of my life and I still love it 😂
Insantly made my day! 🥰
:''') thanks for being here!!!
I love this 💕you saying having a dinosaur phase and Egypt phase…that’s me as a child 😊
I loved the Blighted Stars trilogy! The romance didn't feel overpowering, wasn't insta love and seemed more realistic in that each character had their own desires and motivations that sometimes conflicted with their affection for each other. Loved the super twisty and complicated plot, it only gets wilder. There where so many points where I was legitimately gasping. I won't spoil the end, but I almost wish she would have ended the series a few chapters earlier (I cried) Highly recommend!
I'm intrigued and wanna read The Hollow and The Haunted bc the beginning is somehow has The Raven Boys' vibe? It's like when Blue saw Gansey's "ghost" and on the next day she saw the real Gansey with the boys. Gonna add it to my TBR, so thank you!
I actually loved What the River Knows but I also did the audiobook. I feel like it gives it such a sense of vibrancy that regular reading doesn't. What the Library Hides was good but not my favorite second book.
ugh i wish i could get into fiction audiobooks but my brain will only absorb nonfiction :''')
A good twist is one you should’ve seen coming
I spent most of the video staring at the shiny copy of The Ministry of Time innocently sitting at the top of your book stack in the back and fighting the urge to reread my sadly not shiny copy.
I think you described everything perfectly! I loved listening to you talk for this whole hour. But maybe I just speak that language fluently 😜
Your reaction to Metal Slinger is my reaction when I look at the Goodreads ratings for Quicksilver and Powerless/Reckless 😂 Lauren Roberts also seems to love a final act twist that makes zero sense!
You should read the Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski if you haven't yet. It's an old series but I've reread it like 3 times and it still holds imo! Super excited to read The Blighted Stars after your review 🎉
Hi i love your videos! i have a rec for you!
Alexis Hall has a romantasy series with the tagline of “queer magic bridgerton” these two books feature the characters in both books but each book is focused on different characters in the same world. set in like regency/bridgerton-esque era
and i loved the way it was narrated (by a fairy!)- i listened to the audiobooks.
Mortal Follies is the first one and Confounding Oaths is the second one. I enjoyed the second book more and loved the cast of characters!
queer! magic! fairies! 1800s!
I thought you did a fine job explaining things, and I've got some new books to check out so...
So glad I'm not alone in my dislike of What the River Knows. All the love I've seen recently with the second book's release made me start to doubt myself.
great timing bc i just finished welcome to the hyunam dong bookshop and im looking for new book recs 😄
ohh thats been on my tbr for forever!
@caricanread I thought it was alright, nothing special - until I closed the book and immediately wanted the world back. So something special after all. Bit bamboozled by how it's stayed w me 😵💫
watching your videos while i crochet my first scarf :')
I feel like we usually have really similar tastes but i liked What the River Knows and absolutely hated Heartless Hunter. Just goes to show how individual your reading experience with a book can be
I have a final exam in less than two hours but here I am because I saw the crimson moth (aka heartless hunter) in the thumbnail and I was OBSESSED when I read it a week ago sksksksk
That’s crazy because i felt nothing at the end of Heartless Hunter sadly 😭
40:06 I dnf’d Where The Library Hides. I got through What the River Knows and was pretty unimpressed but the cliff hanger did cause me to pick up the second one. The problem was in between books 1 & 2, I read “Empire of Shadows” by Jacquelyn Benson and it was so much better! I couldn’t get through WTLH because the main characters just felt like worse version of Ellie and Adam.
* immediately puts empire of shadows on hold at the lib *
If you want more Egypt inspired books, N.K. Jemisin has a (completed!) duology called The Dreamblood Duology set in a world inspired by Ancient Egypt. It’s not quite as good as The Fifth Season, but it’s pretty great and definitely scratches the itch. It has a very interesting magic system that has to do with dream magic and corruption.
54:33 if reads with Rachel recommends a book, I have no choice but to read it
& apparently you’re capable of convincing me to read sci-fi bc I’m about to check out blighted stars
Its the law 😂🤷♀️
I enjoyed what the river knows but the little brain cells the characters had said goodbye in the second part. It was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024 and unfortunately a big let down
Drove me nuts for a few minutes trying to figure out why your description of The Gilded Crown by Marianne Goldon sounded so familiar. I recently read Cursed by Jennifer L Armentrout, and for a bit, I could SWEAR you were talking about this book. Weird. Definitely not, as your description went on, but similar themes.
There is also a film adaptation of 'Veronica Decides to Die' starring Sarah Michelle Gellar.