Preach! ❤ I read Verity for a book club and immediately realized that I would prefer to Never read another of her books. Not my cup of tea thank you. 👍
@@heathercamera people told me to read verity because it was "her best one", when I finished it I was like "if this is her best one, please keep her worst ones away from me"
No, Lauren Roberts did the EXACT same thing as Alex Aster. She went on TT lives to ask people if she should write certain things in her book. She got the name Paedyn from a girl who was in her live. I think she (and Simon and Schuster) deserves the critique and hate because they did nothing to flesh out a story or characters. It was so lazy. It focuses on a genocide and does nothing with it. And then there’s the blatant plagiarism of Red Queen…
Definitely didn't realize that's how she went about it as well! I guess I just didn't see much about her in the beginning, I only noticed things once people got the books in their hands. That is so interesting about the live.
@@readergirl101 whether you loved it or not, she did copy and paste exact scenes and characters from the red queen and hunger games. She also failed to address issues of genocide and eugenics in her book, despite making that a central theme, and she allowed multiple grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes to go through uncorrected in her trad pub work. While the last statement can fall to Simon and Schuster, Lauren herself deserves criticism for what she has done.
@@Queencereal If you’re saying she copied scenes and characters from The Red Queen and The Hunger Games you’d need to show some real side by side proof. Lots of dystopian books use similar ideas, so it's not exact copying, she also said her book was i nspired by them and she did mention that’s it’s like red queen and hunger games had a chip e As for not really tackling the big issues like genocide and eugenics, some people might feel she didn’t go deep enough, but that’s kind of up to how the reader sees it. And yeah, grammar mistakes in a published book are annoying, but that’s not always just her fault-editors should catch that stuff too.
@@readergirl101it’s fine that authors are inspired by other works they read but everyone’s issue with lauren robert’s is that it’s not actually inspiration. it’s basically plagiarism. you can find many videos here on youtube that show exactly what was copied from other series and used in powerless/reckless. being inspired by other works doesn’t mean you copy whole plot points. it shouldn’t have been published, her writing and plot was horrendous and her saying “it’s like if powerless and the hunger games had a baby” isn’t okay at all
When my book club picked Lightlark a few months ago i truly felt a chunk of my soul die. I don’t think I’ve ever beefed with a book so much. Lazy premise, bad writing, and there’s no way they had actually hired an editor. I could not believe that i was the only one in book club who DNFed
You may still enjoy them! I think it's all about leveling expectations, which no one did for me haha. I know people still love this series, it just wasn't totally for me.
I know it’s an unpopular opinion but I think Fourth Wing really missed the mark. The plot line itself ticks all of my boxes but her writing style was just… atrocious to me. Never mind the fact that I think she copied and pasted Rhysand from ACOTAR to a tee.
It's definitely bad for so many reasons. The premise was great. But my gosh was the writing tiresome. She read like a horny teenage boy. It was all about lust and had no real depth. Ruined what could have been a good idea.
Such a great video & love your thorough inputs as always!!! Would really love a part 2 to this or a "underhyped" book that deserves more recognition kind of video!
I feel this way about Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. With how hyped it is and the way everyone talked about it I was not only sorely disappointed but the book put me in a baddddd reading slump for months. I lost interest really fast when the book suddenly failed to feel realistic, and then it was sooo slow moving, and then it was so jarringly all over the place and disorganized not mention it feeling like the main characters suddenly swapped personalities with each other. I also didn’t like the way some topics were treated but that’s a whole nother rant. Both me and my sister buddy read it and hated it and were so disappointed
haha, i actually really loved that book and was planning on including it in my "deserves the hype" list lol. but that's totally okay, i know it's not for everyone and not everyone will like it as much as i did!
Oh my god I’m so glad you felt the same about Mexican Gothic and also about Olivie Blake’s writing. In both cases, problem seems to stem from the writers thinking they’re cleverer/ more original than they are and just needing a bloody fiction edit!!
Wondering why Fourth Wing isn't on here...👀lol Completely agree about Shadow and Bone. The only books in that entire series that sit well with me were Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom. And I couldn't even finish Lightlark...it's in my graveyard for the year. Still have Blood and Ash sitting on my TBR and now I'm worried 🙃
Yeah, it annoys me when books loke fourth wing are overhyped. It makes me.think readers these days don't need actual substance and a horny main character is all they want to be happy.
Honestly, the more booktok people shoved the book Powerless into my face, the more I felt an instinctive dislike to it. Even if it is good, I feel like I really don’t want to read it.
It definitely was a bit inescapable, which is ultimately why I decided to pick it up. I think it's important to still make the decision for ourselves whether we like a book or not, but I understand getting a bit turned off by the internet hype.
How does this not have more views??? I stumbled across your video for the first time today while doing research for a bit of my own writing and I am shocked that you aren’t viral. The quality of your videos is amazing and the actual content and material you provide is so fantastic. So excited to watch more of your videos!!
I appreciate you steering us away from the overhyped books! I really like Mexican Gothic, but I read it as pretty traditional Latin American-style magical realism so the element of fantasy was there to me from the beginning. I think if you view it through that lens the plot is more coherent. The real strength of it is, though, as you pointed out, the incredibly plucky heroine. I think Silvia Moreno Garcia really excels at writing fleshed-out, complex characters.
I think if I had had that perspective going into Mexican Gothic I really would have liked it more! I was just so taken off guard by the magic at the end that it really skewed my final opinions. But I definitely loved the writing and the setup!
THANK YOU! Powerless could have been at least 100 pages shorter. It was soo repetitive. Also, I’ve only read Alone with you in the Ether by Olivie Blake, and I got the same pretentious vibe. Not everything is that deep. Yes, some thing are ok, but not the entire time. Such a slog to get through
I like alone with you in the ether because it showed how deep it can be between two people. But i gwt her writing style is something you wither love or hate
@@chrissyosozzy6465 lol ya i understand how you feel. Im the same way about Sally Rooney. Some people don’t like her writing style, but her book Normal People is one of my favorite books of all time. I feel like those authors are an acquired taste.
I appreciate your book reviews so much!! Seriously my favorite book channel. I recently read Assistant to the Villain because it’s been getting a lot of hype in the book channels I watch but I actually didn’t like it very much. Parts were funny and the story was somewhat entertaining but the characters just seemed weird to me.
That’s so nice, thank you so much wow!! I’ve been hearing things about assistant to the villain but still haven’t read it yet! I’m on the fence about picking it up. Maybe I’ll do it for video research, haha.
You absolutely have the right to your own opinion! I liked the The Guest List.I think I liked it because probably the most contemporary I had read in a long time.I got into audiobooks.,while crafting I'm 71 Realize books that I read when young are classics now😂😂😂 When I read Dune and The Hobbit the first time I was blown away! I became a Potterhead in my late 30's,Twilight in my early 40's also late 30's Outlander.I could not get into Outlander first time I tried to read so glad I went back Sometimes just not right time to read.Now I've invested over 30 yrs to Outlander!!! Reading some new fantasy 😮 always keeping a open mind!!!
You are not alone, another BookTuber I follow JulianGreystoke, is doing a read-through of Powerless right now and has completed one of LightLark where she points out not only that the writing is bad, but WHY. She has the best description of Powerless: "this is primarily a romance book wearing a Hunger Games t-shirt." F'in NAILED IT!
@@olivesbooknook Please do, she a smaller BookTuber who is also a writer and developmental editor, so she does a great job of explaining the things that a reader maybe can't quite put their finger on, but knows isn't good. She's never hateful, but isn't afraid to pull out the bad writing/trop bingo card when it's earned. 😁
This has been so fascinating to watch!!! I can absolutely see how the writing style in Atlas Six could be too much. I loved the book myself and totally understand. I actually DNFed Lightlark for many of the same reasons you did! The characters were so flat and nothing was happening and then things didn’t make sense and I honestly couldn’t stand the MC. My big overhyped book is so sad, because I wanted to love it so so so much: Fourth Wing. I remember being so upset with that book. And I read one book by Armentrout, Obsidian, and I remember being so incredibly shocked that the MMC and LI was outright abusive and yet we were supposed to root for him? I was truly horrified and had to ask my bookish community what I should do in terms of reviewing it! And finally, I haven’t read Powerless yet, but given what you’ve been saying so far, I’m honestly leery about doing so. I really appreciated this video! I love being able to chat about differing book opinions! At the moment I’m struggling to finish Cruel Prince by Holly Black and I know that’s a hugely popular book too. I don’t have any posts yet on my insta but I’m going to find you over there now! Thank you for this! ❤❤❤❤ (PS: you forgot the link to Lightlark in your “books mentioned in this video” section! ❤
Hiiiii thank you so much for your comment and for watching! I loved reading your thoughts. I know a lot of people were disappointed in Fourth Wing, I have a lot of thoughts about it and I don't really know how to discuss it in a video... I personally loved it, but I 100% knew what I was getting into - I expected cheesy/cringey writing, super over the top action and adventure, the most hyperbolic thing ever lol. But I think there's a lot of people that maybe weren't expecting that and dislike it so much for that reason. But I don't know.
@@olivesbooknook You know, with Fourth Wing, I do think that was the case for me. I read it essentially as an online book club read: a couple people were re-reading it, and a couple of us were reading for the first time and it really did come down to expectations! I got my hopes up and was so frustrated and disappointed. Whereas my friend wasn’t as upset because she fully expected nothing groundbreaking from it. So perhaps this is a great way to talk about FW in a way that can encompass all of those POVs? Just a thought. I know I struggled when I wrote my review to put it into words, so I understand what you mean!
I agree. Books are so over rated online quite often.. I LOVE your booktube! Every time I see a notification that you uploaded a video I just get prepared to tuck in, drink a coffee and listen to your videos/reviews ❤ this channel feels like such a comfy space.
Omg thank you for talking about From Blood and Ash! I haven’t found another person that agrees with me on it. But the way Jennifer writes it would take like full on paragraphs and pages to even get the simplest point of thought across. I couldn’t finish it so looked up how it ended. I wish I had loved it though.
I agree with your take on Mexican Gothic 😭 I did NOT expect the fantasy element, and it really disappointed me! I thought there would be a realistic explanation to everything…
I didn't expect much from Mexican Gothic, just an ready to read spooky story, still I was underwhelmed by the writing. The story was surprisingly not bad but the writing fell flat, especially compared to the hype created around it. People on the internet acted as if it was this great modern Gothic horror classic yet it wasn't. I thought it was because I read the German translation but clearly that wasn't the cause.
oh i'm so with you when it's about atlas six and from blood and ash. I am with you in every single comment you said because yes, yes, yes. i'm so glade i found someone who actually didn't like these two books because it was so overhyped and loved i genuinely thought something was wrong with me 😭😭
I personally haven't read any of these books, but I really appreciate the way you talk about them. You are calm and thoughtful and never give the impression that you are attacking the book or the author. We all have differing views and opinions on books and I think we should be able to discuss them in a calm and respectful manner.
Haha love this!! I haven’t read FBAA or Lightlark and I really enjoyed Mexican Gothic, but I 100% agree with all the others! The Guest List ending felt so unsatisfying, and I agree that Powerless was quite unoriginal/cringy. Also struggled with Shadow and Bone even though I love all her other books that I’ve read! I plan to continue with the King of Scars duology without having read the S&B trilogy, haha so nothing wrong with not reading that one!!
@@olivesbooknook totally get it!! Shadow and Bone feels so different from all her other books (writing and plot/character wise), so maybe we’ll both have a different experience with the final duology 😊
@LibrariesandLattes this comment is super late but I feel the obligation of warning you about the KoS duology 😭🤡 It's a very fanfic-like story using characters from shadow and bone and the six of crows duology 🥹 basically if you don't know who the characters are/you don't like them, the story doesn't get interesting at all 💔💔 I hope it's only my bad experience reading it but yeah, that occurred and there are some comments on Goodreads with the same feelings so it's a common theme 😢 Nevertheless I hope you enjoy them if you decide to read them ❤
I so enjoyed Book 1 of From Blood and Ash, but book 2 ? My my my… I started on April and ended this month, after 80% I was rushing it… so agree with what you said !
@@olivesbooknookme too ! But I wanted to have more information about the world. And the last chapter chapter was amazing, 600 pages for an amazing chapter… Here is my review on the book : 2 ⭐️ “He was both the villain and the hero, the monster and the monster-slayer.” Finally I made it through it… Don’t even know where to start and I gave 5 ⭐️ to Book 1. I’m staring by the summary from Sofia’s review: “Kingdom of Flesh and Fire is basically 2000s YA paranormal Wattpad fiction. How do I summarize the plot when there is no plot? I can't believe it took an entire book for Poppy to get from Solis to Atlantia. A whole book. A 637-page book. Nothing happened. No character development, no action. Just Casteel and Poppy pretending to hate each other but then kissing every other page.” So basically what I have to say is my word regarding Sofia’s summary : I did really enjoy the first book, the world building, the characters and the stories behind but this second book was at some point so hard to stay in it. The book is to long, it’s only about “I love you but you lie to me”, “let’s pretend” and at some point it’s going in circle… I wanted to have more information on the world, on the others characters and so on… The last chapter was the most interesting part out of the 600 + pages… at 80% I wanted to DNF so badly but speed read it. I wish to learn more of the universe after that last chapter but damn, I was so struggling and I rather spend time on books worthy of my time. I’m still intrigued so I will see if I will give a try to Book 3 or speed read the good part…
I can see how people who are not familiar with LatAm literature would be taken aback by the ending of Mexican Gothic. If you’ve read Isabel Allende, Carlos Fuentes, Gabriel Garcia Márquez, etc., you’d see that magical realism is not uncommon when exploring themes of colonialism and generational trauma, which is what Mexican Gothic was trying to do. The issue with magical realism is if you’re unfamiliar with the tropes, you’re going to be searching for explanations to what’s happening, but the author will never give them to you, expecting the readers to just accept it in favor of some of the bigger themes they’re trying to represent. It feels like a disservice to present Mexican Gothic as fantasy when magical realism =/= fantasy. Fantasy usually offers more detailed explanations on their magic systems while magical realism presents it as something natural. If anything, I’d say go into this book expecting supernatural horror. The ending (🚨spoilers kinda🚨) is more about breaking the cycles of violence and colonialism that have propped up the Doyle family and devastated the surrounding land rather than explaining the magic that was harnessed from the indigenous woman buried under the mansion to ensure that those cycles continue.
Normal People was soooo overhyped! All telling, no showing of their “problems.” And the characters, despite declaring themselves smarter and more opening minded than their peers, come across as immature and self righteous.
I haven’t read Normal People (or any of her other books tbh) but I’ve heard so many mixed reviews that I haven’t been able to bring myself to pick it up yet
if you are someone who rereads book i would say that reading the shadow & bone trilogy before six of crows adds a deeper layer of understanding the world, the characters and sometimes their actions and for me, the story does get a lot better throughout the trilogy
Mexican Gothic is a retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe. There are also references to other classics, and it probably enriches your reading experience to know that up front.
I only read Powerless from this list. At first, it was hard to get into but about hallway through I really started loving it. I thought the banter was so good. And I loved it for a YA book!!! I think I loved Restless even more. I'm excited to see where things go!
I skipped the books that I'm very interested in reading and are currently on my TBR as I don't want my reading experience to be (kind of) influenced by other people's opinion but this is a very interesting topic and I would love to see a part 2 😊
Some of these books I was gonna get, but I might pass on them now, so thanks for your opinions on them! I definitely agree with you on Powerless, too. I actually looooved Powerless and Reckless, simply because it was a fun book. However, it was way too similar to Hunger Games, felt very cliche and copy-paste for a lot of parts, there wasn't as much emotional depth as I would have wanted, and I agree: the writing style was younger then I thought. I enjoy most YA books I read because I really dont expect much going into them 😂. I read them to get out of a slump and to have a fun, easy read and that's what I get most of the time. Sometimes they exceed my exceptions, and other times the "faults" are too much to allow me to enjoy the book. But yeah, my book preferences are just a bit different from YA, so I dont expect soooo much from them
I love this video and how clearly and honesty you state your thoughts. I think another interesting aspect of the book-hype-train is how all the popular ya books from 10 or so years ago are undergoing this massive resurgence as part of the adult bookish community, and I feel a lot of the choices are not actually well-written books (especially by today's more modern societal acceptances and expectations) and are just repopularized because of the nostalgic factor!!
Thank you so much, that's so nice! And yeah that is a really interesting side of the hype-train as well. Nostalgia plays a huge part - which I think is really cool and important, but don't try to dress it up as something it's not. It really does sometimes just boil down to...nostalgia.
Thank you! My husband is a filmmaker so tbh, I use his setup and don't know all the gear that's involved haha. But the camera is a blackmagic Ursa 4.6K!
12:50 - I actually haaate it when a mystery/thriller turns into a sudden fantasy/paranormal story out of nowhere at the end! 😡 Always feels like such a copout
LOVE your channel and your thoughts and opinions! Just a thought I wanted to share re: Powerless (which I have not read) - I think social media marketing/advertising is the same amount of work as the trad publishing/old school route. It’s just a new way of going about the same means to an end goal! Ah, the world is changing. *sighs in Millennial*
Oof I actually bought A shadow in the Ember because I read that it was the PREQUEL to the Blood and Ash series. I haven’t read either of them yet but I do appreciate the points you made. Those are definitely good points without being spoilers and I’ll still read it (because I already bought it 😅) but this did help me with my expectations.
Honestly leveling expectations is SUCH a huge part of staying off the hype train. I feel like that's what always ends up being disappointing - expecting something way more than you actually got. But I think if you go into it knowing a little bit more of what you're gonna get, and feeling a bit more prepared (obviously without spoilers) you can still find lots of enjoyment in books! So I think that's a great way to go into the series.
I loved this video! I think so many books are overhyped and I can understand that liking a book can be personal. If you can overlook elements and you are just reading to read, completely understand. But there are some books that are just not worth the hype. I would add (and know there may be some push back) Serpent and the Wings of Night. This book was hyped and I can understand why people liked it. However... the writing was awful, there were phrases that were overused and distracting throughout the entire book, and the ending was so annoying🙄. I was so mad at the end of the book that I have yet to read the next book in the series. Thanks for the great vido Olive! 💜 I can't wait to see your other videos on what books did and do not deserve the hype.
Ah thanks for the kind words and your perspective! I definitely think liking books should be personal, and I know I like certain books that others won't - I really think the distinction is just the "hype". I chose these books because it feels like the general narrative around them all is "READ THEM THEY'RE OBJECTIVELY AMAZING AND IF YOU DON'T LIKE THEM YOU'RE CRAZY" and I just can't stand for that, lol. I actually liked Serpent and the Wings of Night personally! But it was totally circumstantial. I was in the mood for a fun, over the top, doesn't take itself too seriously fantasy novel and it just happened to check my box at the time. I would agree though that I don't really think it deserves the hype or the way people represent it....and I will say that I did NOT like the second one at all. It was so jumbled and confusing and annoying.
THANK GOODNESS SOMEONE ELSE DIDN’T LIKE ATLAS SIX! I hated that book so much and I feel like no one says anything negative about it. Thank you for this video! I love Mexican Gothic but I get other people not loving it. -G
Haha, yeah Atlas Six definitely wasn't my fav. The writing style just wasn't for me. I think I would have liked Mexican Gothic more if I knew what I was in for, but it just wasn't for me towards the end. I know a lot of people that love it though, and that's great!
For me this is fourth wing, very bad writing, just felt like she told us things but didnt show them. Like Xaden and Violets ”enemies to lovers” but i never felt the hate she just told us they hated eachother. Also the worldbuilding was bs
Fourth Wing is a super interesting topic for me. I have a lot of thoughts about it and I don't really know how to discuss it in a video... I personally loved it, but I 100% knew what I was getting into - I expected cheesy/cringey writing, super over the top action and adventure, the most hyperbolic thing ever lol. So it just ended up matching my expectations and I was able to really enjoy it. But I think there's a lot of people that maybe weren't expecting that and dislike it so much for that reason. But I don't know.
@@olivesbooknook yeah i think it was so hyped and i think i did the mistake of listening to people who usually don’t read fantasy reviewing the book as the best fantasy book in the world, i literally saw someone compare it to asoiaf 🥲 so when i read it i got super dissapointed
Acotar….. read the whole serie. Liked it. But didn’t love it. It felt like a spicy children’s book to me. Iron flame, the same. Just a spicy children’s book. Sooooo boring.
Totally agree with you about Mexican Gothic. (Main character's name is Noemi though, not Naomi ❤). It felt a lot like a Shirley Jackson novel in the beginning and the ending was completely silly and contrived.
You can make the argument that any book with a fan following is overhyped, and that's where we have to be really careful how we talk about things. We should never shame people for liking what they like, even if it's not the highest quality or best written thing ever.
@olivesbooknook what? You yourself made a video on books that DO NOT deserve the hype, yet popular among lots of people. All the other comments are talking about how a particular book or author's books are overhyped. I contributed to that saying the author I think is extremely overhyped and I get lectured on to be careful and not shaming others? Where do you see me shaming ANYONE?? Did I touch a nerve? For the record, I think all the main characters Sarah J Maas glorifies are very hypocritical and too arrogant to take any criticism in those books.
I get where you’re coming from, and I think there’s value in discussing hype and what books do or don’t deserve it. But there’s a difference between calling out specific aspects of a book you’ve read versus dismissing an entire author’s catalog with a single blanket statement. I talk about “overhyped” books that I’ve actually read and try to provide a balanced view-even if I’m disappointed, I mention things I liked and explain why the book didn’t work for me personally. I am so not interested in bashing an author or their fans just for liking and be excited about their books. I’m more interested in pushing back on the hype culture that can lead to unrealistic expectations and disappointing reads. Let’s keep the conversation open and respectful so we can continue to get different perspectives. ✌️
@olivesbooknook the hype culture with unrealistic expectations is exactly what happened with Maas books. People who aren't interested in romantasy got roped into Maas books thinking this was traditional fantasy. On the other hand I've seen smut fans complaining ACOTAR was too vanilla but from tiktok reviews they were led to believe they'd be so much more. I still think your replies to my comment are uncalled for and of a more reproaching tone than how you replied to the other comments that said the exact same thing as me, only with CoHo. And I still don't understand why had to lecture about shaming readers because I wasn't shaming anybody. 👎
Omg I had the exact same problem with the writing in Olivie Blake's book Masters of Death. The language is SO flowery and haughty. There were asides every single paragraph, asides within asides, to the point that I had to re-read sentences two to three times because the initial point had been buried under all the asides. I gave up at chapter four. That's the only book of hers I've picked up, and I wasn't sure if the prose was a deliberate choice because the book is written from the POV of Death, or if that's just how *she* writes. Hearing you have the same criticism about The Atlas Six makes me think Masters of Death might be a permanent DNF. At least I only paid $1.99 for it on Kindle.
I read shadow and bones because a friend told me to read six of crows and i wanted to start at the beginning. But it was a pain. It felt so cringy and bad, that I didn‘t even start six of crows, because I didn’t want to read Leigh Badugo anymore. Then I read the Familiar from the same author for my bookclub and fell in love with her wrining. Now I‘m reading myself through her books, but from the back, starting with her latest ones. I Think, this is so really beautiful excample that wrinigt is something you lear and train.
Yes same thoughts on The Guest List! Also felt the same way about other hyped up thrillers like Listen for the Lie and First Lie Wins. Most thrillers/mysteries I’ve read so far are easy to get through but also mostly forgettable :(
I LOVED Powerless SO much and thought the banter between Paedyn and Kai was so well written✨❤️🔥⚔️ Was definitely a 5⭐️ read for me!! Everyone’s entitled to their opinion though😊
I am very much like you when it comes to the Grishaverse. I read Six of Crows first and absolutely loved it, but then struggled with Shadow and Bone. The issue for me was pacing. I felt like SAB was clearly written by a first time author and the plot felt a bit uneven in places. It would drag along for a while and then rush ahead, and the book really suffers for it. I also cannot stand Alina, and being in her head is a nightmare. But since I loved SOC so much, I told myself that obviously the author got better and to just push through. The second book is a bit better. The first few chapters suffer from the same pacing issues that the first books does, but once you get through them, the book is much better. Book three was my favorite until the end. The way that books ends, ruined the whole trilogy for me. I did read King of Scars. One, it was post SOC, and she had shown growth as an author, so I thought I’d give it a chance. It also centers Nikolai, who is one of my favorite characters. King of Scars itself is good, but Rule of Wolves is absolute garbage. It was so bad that I refuse to ever read any of her books ever again. It’s extremely dull and it rehashes a plot line that was better left completely dead. I would say don’t waste your time.
I totally agree with your assessments, other than I really liked Powerless and Shadow and Bone. But, the others though, I very much agree with what you said about them. I did read Shadow and Bone before Six of Crows, so that probably has something to do with it. And I couldn't really get into the 2nd book after Powerless. I'm waiting for the 3rd one.
I got maybe 5 pages into Lightlark before noticing the poor writing and very quickly DNFd it. So glad I did. Atlas Six was such a let down! You’re right, the characters trying to be so deep and thought provoking bogged down the whole thing.
I can’t believe someone else doesn’t like Shadow and Bone. I liked the tv show. Tried to read the books and I’ve forced myself through them. I need to finish the last book and I just don’t care. I also didn’t really like Six of Crows, it was fine. And I’m currently trying to get through the last one and it’s been months. I’m guessing I just don’t like Leighs writing.
Yeah, it was tough for me to get through. I think in the beginning I was like “oh this is cool!” But it just kept going on and on and on 🫤 got really tired of it towards the back half
I read the first two chapters of Powerless and didn't like it. It annoyed me that there was a 'hook' in the first sentence that turned out to not be true. She thinks there's blood but it's actually honey. It felt like clickbait so I gave it up.
Regarding mystery books - I have found it so, so hard to find good mysteries!! The ending almost always disappoints me 😫😫 Ones I've liked: The Club by Ellery Lloyd, First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston. And Kate Morton doesn't write mystery, per se, but all of her books have a strong mystery element which I really love!
This is the same problem i have with Lucy Foley. Her stories tend to have so many POVs and some of them aren't even relevant to the plot. I had such high hopes for her book The Paris Apartment and I ended up just not enjoying it because of this.
The Guest List, for me, was a good premise and i enjoyed that the victim and murderer weren't revealed until the end. However, it was so trashy and full of despicable people (was anyone likeable?) that unfortunately it was my first and last Lucy Foley book.
I love your videos whether we agree on books or not 😊 I have several of these, (Mexican Gothic, From Blood and Ash, Restless). but haven’t read them yet, hoping I am not disappointed but I’ve been fooled before ☹️
Great video and analysis!! If you’re looking for incredible, character driven mysteries you HAVE to check out Lisa Jewell. Also I could not agree more in regard to Olivie Blake! I read her romance “Alone With You In The Ether” and it was nauseatingly flowery and pretentious while actually being quite shallow. I do not understand how people get something out of her books.
Thank you so much! I'll definitely check out Lisa Jewell, sounds right up my alley and exactly what I'm looking for. It seems like Alone With You In The Ether is SO mixed between readers. Some people love it, some people hate it! I'm not sure I could get on board with her writing overall...
I am not someone that has to finish a series lol. I read From Blood and Ash and did not continue the series. And I thought I was the only one that didn't like it. Even though yours was more on the second book. I recommend Book of Azrael for romance/fantasy. That is a true enemies to lovers and one I always recommend from that genre.
ooooh i'll have to look into book of azrael! thank you for the suggestion, and thanks so much for the kind words! glad we can hang out in this corner of the internet. :)
I've read The Atlas Six last year and liked it. I can see why other people don't, it definitely IS pretentious - I just really like pretentious books sometimes. BUT I've read the second book of the series this year because the third one was released in January and I thought "well, maybe I should finish the second one and then move on to the third". And then it took me about a month to finish it, even though it's not even that long. It was boring. I didn't know what direction the plot actually moved in until 3/4 into the book. I didn't care about any of the characters' actions. It just dragged on until the last ten pages, where suddenly SO much plot was crammed into and now I dread starting to read the third one (it's been on my shelf for almost a year now). And I've had the same issue with the second book in the Crescent City series by Sarah J Maas. Usually, I don't really vibe with her stories because I'm not too big on romantasy and fae. Sure, I like a good fantasy novel, but the fae aspect just isn't my favourite. That's why I liked Crescent City book 1. There's a lot of different species, it's highly political, it's modern and - okay, the protagonists are annoying at times, but that was to be expected with such a long book. The first book was amazing, I loved it, finished it within three or four days and then I instantly moved on to the second one. And what the hell, SJM. It was way too long. It could've been shortened by well over 400 pages and not a single plot point would've been lost. Also, why did she have to throw in this ending (not going to spoil here in case someone hasn't read it yet and still wants to do so)? It felt messy and way too long for nothing. And I dread reading the third book here too.
I’ve heard a lot of people say this about Atlas Six specifically. Even people that are commenting and saying they LOVED book 1 - but then were super disappointed with how the author wrote the rest of the series. It kind of solidified that I don’t want to charge on and read the rest of the series. 😕 Crescent City is actually an interesting one. I do happen to be a fan of SJM books, but I was pretty disappointed with the whole CC series overall. However the first book…I read it when it first came out, and honestly didn’t like it. The world building was so intense and I couldn’t connect to the characters and I was mostly just confused. 😂 BUT I wanted to read the rest of the series when it came out cause again, I’m an SJM fan. I took a break for like 2 years and then finally decided to restart book 1 and go into book 2 and 3 immediately. I LOVED book 1 the second time I read it. I thought it was amazing. I think it’s because I already had read it once, and so I didn’t really need to be mentally bogged down with all the world building and could focus on the story more. Book 2 and 3 were much more of a letdown, and I do think one of the biggest problems is there lengths. They are just too long and could have cut out a lot of the fluff. I also don’t love the constant POV switching. Anyway…not sure where I was going with that but just wanted to share my thoughts, haha.
For me Six of crows is over rated... I've read more than half of it and then DNFd. It was too boring and the chapter were soo long I was tired and annoyed after just one chapter. But people like it as if it's a masterpiece... But I mean good for you if you do.
I mean, if you find heists boring and overdone, I totally understand, but I think you should at least try ro finish it! It gets soooo fast paced and entertaining as the story progresses, and besides, I’m one of the many who think this book has one of the best representations of PTSD in the fantasy genre( if that might interest you)
I found with the Grisha Verse that it would have been easier to dive into Shadow & Bone had the trilogy been read first. In my opinion, the trilogy introduces the magic and world building. Making Six Of Crows a much easier read. I love the duology. So complex and the characters are wonderful. But it’s like Throne of Glass for me. I’ve heard the series is amazing- but having read acotar first…going BACK to her first writing has been difficult. I’ve started Throne of Glass multiple times and haven’t been able to get through it. There are characters in King of Scars that require reading the Shadow and Bone trilogy to understand the history. Six Of Crows is in the same universe but also a separate location so reading it is easier to get through. You don’t necessarily need Shadow and Bone for Six of crows (but it does make it easier). The sequels for me were far more enjoyable than the first one for Shadow n Bone. But again, it’s like Throne of Glass for me…maybe one day I’ll get through it. Just so I can read the rest.
Dude, I totally get it when it comes to throne of glass. The first two books are a TOUGH read. I honestly kinda skim it... I really do think the remaining books (and the series as a whole) is totally worth it though if you're up for powering through it. But I completely understand where you're coming from. I read Acotar first and it was so hard to jump to TOG. Makes total sense that we feel the same way about Shadow and Bone vs Six of Crows!
I feel like "Shadow And Bone" trilogy gets a lot better near the end of the first book and becomes more interesting in the 2nd book. I felt really bored when I first picked up the first book, Alina was incredibly annoying for me, but once I finished them I was glad I did, because I enjoyed the overall story combined with the 3 books.
That makes sense! I'm sure it does get a lot better when you look at the story across all three books. I'm just having such a hard time getting through the first one apparently haha
@@olivesbooknook Yea I feel you, I don't know why I sadly had this struggle while trying to read "Six of Crows", I finally managed to finish it when becoming really curious about Nina and Matthias haha
You are the first I have watched saying this about Mexican gothic and I agree 100%, I was so disappointed in this book, I read Silver nitrate to give this author a second chance and it was such a snooze fest, I don’t understand the appeal but maybe it’s just a few of us, if silver nitrate was so boring to me being Latina and getting all the pop culture mentioned I cannot imagine how someone who didn’t grow up in a hispanic culture could understand the many mentions of people and places, half of the book will go over their heads.
Oh my goodness! Yes! The Guest List was awful (IMO). I seriously do not understand why so many people liked it. I agree with what you said about the characters. I didn't care if the island exploded & they all were gone. LOL I am a huge mystery fan & hated that book so much. LOL
Totally agree about Blood and Ash- good 1st book and then.. ugh. I have to admit I did slog through the rest of the series but Poppy Really got on my nerves. I went into Powerless hearing a bunch of negative stuff about it so I was sort pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t That bad. Not amazing or anything just like, “Huh, that was alright.” 😂
Ugh don’t get me started on Poppy 😂 And yeah it’s crazy how expectations play into how you feel about a book! I definitely had the opposite experience with Powerless which was unfortunate.
okayyyy, by now I trust your brain and Ive had Lightlark on my TBR since the early days when Alex was talking about it... but now hearing your words I trust that you are right and I won't read it. lol
all i can think about when i hear about lightlark is those moble games where you have to hatch and battle dragons and they all have their own little elemental islands.
Since you mentioned wanting to find a good mystery book, one that I would definitely recommend that I found refreshingly unique is The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennet. (The audiobook is also quite good if you enjoy consuming literature in that way
from blood and ash and powerless are definitely the worst books (imo!) that I’ve read in the last couple years. fbaa desperately needed an editor, it could’ve easily been 300 pages shorter. powerless read like a hunger games fanfiction, and not a well written one. it felt like she was just checking off tropes. but maybe I’ve just grown out of ya as a genre because I just get so annoyed when there’s a broody and mysterious and ~dangerous~ main male character and he’s... 18 😐
totally agree with everything you've said. there are very few books that i've recently read where i take the characters seriously if they're like, 18 years old haha.
Every. Single. Book. 💯 agree on everything you said. I'm amazed. I've never found someone whose taste seems to align with mine so well! I'll have to check out your other video to see if that trend holds.
i had mexican gothic on my tbr since release because i love gothic novels, like, it’s one of my favorite genres. i hated mexican gothic so much. it felt like a shitty episode of scooby doo, and it didn’t have any of the passion or atmosphere gothic novels are known for. the main character and her relationship were straight out of a contemporary rom-com romance novel lmao.
I think every single C Hoover book is overhyped....
I haven’t read a single one and I…don’t plan to 😂
Good decision
I read verity. Enough said
Preach! ❤ I read Verity for a book club and immediately realized that I would prefer to Never read another of her books. Not my cup of tea thank you. 👍
@@heathercamera people told me to read verity because it was "her best one", when I finished it I was like "if this is her best one, please keep her worst ones away from me"
No, Lauren Roberts did the EXACT same thing as Alex Aster. She went on TT lives to ask people if she should write certain things in her book. She got the name Paedyn from a girl who was in her live. I think she (and Simon and Schuster) deserves the critique and hate because they did nothing to flesh out a story or characters. It was so lazy. It focuses on a genocide and does nothing with it. And then there’s the blatant plagiarism of Red Queen…
Definitely didn't realize that's how she went about it as well! I guess I just didn't see much about her in the beginning, I only noticed things once people got the books in their hands. That is so interesting about the live.
@Queencereal I entirely disagreee I loved powerless Lauren did a wonderful job she does not deserve any hate.
@@readergirl101 whether you loved it or not, she did copy and paste exact scenes and characters from the red queen and hunger games. She also failed to address issues of genocide and eugenics in her book, despite making that a central theme, and she allowed multiple grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes to go through uncorrected in her trad pub work. While the last statement can fall to Simon and Schuster, Lauren herself deserves criticism for what she has done.
@@Queencereal If you’re saying she copied scenes and characters from The Red Queen and The Hunger Games you’d need to show some real side by side proof. Lots of dystopian books use similar ideas, so it's not exact copying, she also said her book was i nspired by them and she did mention that’s it’s like red queen and hunger games had a chip e As for not really tackling the big issues like genocide and eugenics, some people might feel she didn’t go deep enough, but that’s kind of up to how the reader sees it. And yeah, grammar mistakes in a published book are annoying, but that’s not always just her fault-editors should catch that stuff too.
@@readergirl101it’s fine that authors are inspired by other works they read but everyone’s issue with lauren robert’s is that it’s not actually inspiration. it’s basically plagiarism. you can find many videos here on youtube that show exactly what was copied from other series and used in powerless/reckless. being inspired by other works doesn’t mean you copy whole plot points. it shouldn’t have been published, her writing and plot was horrendous and her saying “it’s like if powerless and the hunger games had a baby” isn’t okay at all
When my book club picked Lightlark a few months ago i truly felt a chunk of my soul die. I don’t think I’ve ever beefed with a book so much. Lazy premise, bad writing, and there’s no way they had actually hired an editor. I could not believe that i was the only one in book club who DNFed
i love the idea of being beefed up with a book that made my day 🤣
i can no longer trust the internets opinion or GoodReads reviews because I've been LET DOWN aahhhh I appreciate other people speaking on this!
i am devastated when you pulled out Powerless because I bought all three and I haven't read them yet 😅
It's definitely tough when our expectations get too high because of what other people are saying!!
You may still enjoy them! I think it's all about leveling expectations, which no one did for me haha. I know people still love this series, it just wasn't totally for me.
That’s why a hate review makes me want to read a book more than a glazing review
I know it’s an unpopular opinion but I think Fourth Wing really missed the mark. The plot line itself ticks all of my boxes but her writing style was just… atrocious to me. Never mind the fact that I think she copied and pasted Rhysand from ACOTAR to a tee.
I’ve got a lot of thoughts about this!
I wasn’t a big fan of that book but I thought the writing was good
not just to you, objectively it is atrocious
A Cong of Tice and Rire
It's definitely bad for so many reasons. The premise was great. But my gosh was the writing tiresome. She read like a horny teenage boy. It was all about lust and had no real depth. Ruined what could have been a good idea.
100% felt the same way about powerless. Way too much copy and paste for my taste.
yeeaaaaah, it was dissapointing for sure!
I can't even read it. That type of 1st person is unreadable for me.
agreed! i can’t find enough people who agree
Such a great video & love your thorough inputs as always!!! Would really love a part 2 to this or a "underhyped" book that deserves more recognition kind of video!
Ooh that’s a great idea! I definitely have some videos like that planned. Coming soon!
I feel this way about Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. With how hyped it is and the way everyone talked about it I was not only sorely disappointed but the book put me in a baddddd reading slump for months. I lost interest really fast when the book suddenly failed to feel realistic, and then it was sooo slow moving, and then it was so jarringly all over the place and disorganized not mention it feeling like the main characters suddenly swapped personalities with each other. I also didn’t like the way some topics were treated but that’s a whole nother rant. Both me and my sister buddy read it and hated it and were so disappointed
totally agree with everything you said!
haha, i actually really loved that book and was planning on including it in my "deserves the hype" list lol. but that's totally okay, i know it's not for everyone and not everyone will like it as much as i did!
I agree completely. I don’t typically really dislike books. I was stuck as well, like it caused me to distrust all authors!
OMG totally forgot to mention this one in my comment. I hated that book. I felt like such an outsider with that opinion lol
Oh my god I’m so glad you felt the same about Mexican Gothic and also about Olivie Blake’s writing. In both cases, problem seems to stem from the writers thinking they’re cleverer/ more original than they are and just needing a bloody fiction edit!!
This is a really good way to put it and gave me a good chuckle haha
Wondering why Fourth Wing isn't on here...👀lol Completely agree about Shadow and Bone. The only books in that entire series that sit well with me were Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom. And I couldn't even finish Lightlark...it's in my graveyard for the year. Still have Blood and Ash sitting on my TBR and now I'm worried 🙃
I’ve got thoughts on fourth wing, just trying to figure out how I want to share them haha.
Yeah, it annoys me when books loke fourth wing are overhyped. It makes me.think readers these days don't need actual substance and a horny main character is all they want to be happy.
Honestly, the more booktok people shoved the book Powerless into my face, the more I felt an instinctive dislike to it. Even if it is good, I feel like I really don’t want to read it.
It definitely was a bit inescapable, which is ultimately why I decided to pick it up. I think it's important to still make the decision for ourselves whether we like a book or not, but I understand getting a bit turned off by the internet hype.
How does this not have more views??? I stumbled across your video for the first time today while doing research for a bit of my own writing and I am shocked that you aren’t viral. The quality of your videos is amazing and the actual content and material you provide is so fantastic. So excited to watch more of your videos!!
Wow this is so nice 🥹 thank you so much!!
I appreciate you steering us away from the overhyped books! I really like Mexican Gothic, but I read it as pretty traditional Latin American-style magical realism so the element of fantasy was there to me from the beginning. I think if you view it through that lens the plot is more coherent. The real strength of it is, though, as you pointed out, the incredibly plucky heroine. I think Silvia Moreno Garcia really excels at writing fleshed-out, complex characters.
I think if I had had that perspective going into Mexican Gothic I really would have liked it more! I was just so taken off guard by the magic at the end that it really skewed my final opinions. But I definitely loved the writing and the setup!
Thank you for this concise description ! I enjoy books with literary references !
THANK YOU! Powerless could have been at least 100 pages shorter. It was soo repetitive.
Also, I’ve only read Alone with you in the Ether by Olivie Blake, and I got the same pretentious vibe. Not everything is that deep. Yes, some thing are ok, but not the entire time. Such a slog to get through
"not everything is that deep" haha that really sums up my entire experience reading The Atlas Six
I like alone with you in the ether because it showed how deep it can be between two people. But i gwt her writing style is something you wither love or hate
@@chrissyosozzy6465 lol ya i understand how you feel. Im the same way about Sally Rooney. Some people don’t like her writing style, but her book Normal People is one of my favorite books of all time. I feel like those authors are an acquired taste.
I appreciate your book reviews so much!! Seriously my favorite book channel. I recently read Assistant to the Villain because it’s been getting a lot of hype in the book channels I watch but I actually didn’t like it very much. Parts were funny and the story was somewhat entertaining but the characters just seemed weird to me.
That’s so nice, thank you so much wow!!
I’ve been hearing things about assistant to the villain but still haven’t read it yet! I’m on the fence about picking it up. Maybe I’ll do it for video research, haha.
You absolutely have the right to your own opinion! I liked the The Guest List.I think I liked it because probably the most contemporary I had read in a long time.I got into audiobooks.,while crafting I'm 71 Realize books that I read when young are classics now😂😂😂 When I read Dune and The Hobbit the first time I was blown away! I became a Potterhead in my late 30's,Twilight in my early 40's also late 30's Outlander.I could not get into Outlander first time I tried to read so glad I went back Sometimes just not right time to read.Now I've invested over 30 yrs to Outlander!!! Reading some new fantasy 😮 always keeping a open mind!!!
you've become my favorite here on booktube! i love the atmosphere in your videos and the way you articulate your thoughts 💗
This is so nice oh my goodness thank you 🥹
You are not alone, another BookTuber I follow JulianGreystoke, is doing a read-through of Powerless right now and has completed one of LightLark where she points out not only that the writing is bad, but WHY. She has the best description of Powerless: "this is primarily a romance book wearing a Hunger Games t-shirt." F'in NAILED IT!
Oh wow that's AWESOME. I need to look that up!
@@olivesbooknook Please do, she a smaller BookTuber who is also a writer and developmental editor, so she does a great job of explaining the things that a reader maybe can't quite put their finger on, but knows isn't good. She's never hateful, but isn't afraid to pull out the bad writing/trop bingo card when it's earned. 😁
From Blood and Ash - 100% agree.
Yeaaaah
This has been so fascinating to watch!!! I can absolutely see how the writing style in Atlas Six could be too much. I loved the book myself and totally understand.
I actually DNFed Lightlark for many of the same reasons you did! The characters were so flat and nothing was happening and then things didn’t make sense and I honestly couldn’t stand the MC.
My big overhyped book is so sad, because I wanted to love it so so so much: Fourth Wing. I remember being so upset with that book. And I read one book by Armentrout, Obsidian, and I remember being so incredibly shocked that the MMC and LI was outright abusive and yet we were supposed to root for him? I was truly horrified and had to ask my bookish community what I should do in terms of reviewing it! And finally, I haven’t read Powerless yet, but given what you’ve been saying so far, I’m honestly leery about doing so. I really appreciated this video! I love being able to chat about differing book opinions! At the moment I’m struggling to finish Cruel Prince by Holly Black and I know that’s a hugely popular book too.
I don’t have any posts yet on my insta but I’m going to find you over there now! Thank you for this! ❤❤❤❤
(PS: you forgot the link to Lightlark in your “books mentioned in this video” section! ❤
Hiiiii thank you so much for your comment and for watching! I loved reading your thoughts. I know a lot of people were disappointed in Fourth Wing, I have a lot of thoughts about it and I don't really know how to discuss it in a video... I personally loved it, but I 100% knew what I was getting into - I expected cheesy/cringey writing, super over the top action and adventure, the most hyperbolic thing ever lol. But I think there's a lot of people that maybe weren't expecting that and dislike it so much for that reason. But I don't know.
@@olivesbooknook You know, with Fourth Wing, I do think that was the case for me. I read it essentially as an online book club read: a couple people were re-reading it, and a couple of us were reading for the first time and it really did come down to expectations! I got my hopes up and was so frustrated and disappointed. Whereas my friend wasn’t as upset because she fully expected nothing groundbreaking from it. So perhaps this is a great way to talk about FW in a way that can encompass all of those POVs? Just a thought. I know I struggled when I wrote my review to put it into words, so I understand what you mean!
I agree. Books are so over rated online quite often..
I LOVE your booktube! Every time I see a notification that you uploaded a video I just get prepared to tuck in, drink a coffee and listen to your videos/reviews ❤ this channel feels like such a comfy space.
This is so so nice oh my goodness. That’s exactly the vibe I’m going for. ❤️
Omg thank you for talking about From Blood and Ash! I haven’t found another person that agrees with me on it. But the way Jennifer writes it would take like full on paragraphs and pages to even get the simplest point of thought across. I couldn’t finish it so looked up how it ended. I wish I had loved it though.
I looked up the ending once I got about half way through book 2, just to see if it was worth pushing through.
I was like….yeah….nah 😂
@ Lol yea I don’t blame you! It had a wonderful plot idea which intrigued me at first. But I just couldn’t get used to the writing
i love this channel so so so much, you're doing amazing
That is so nice, thank you so much!
I agree with your take on Mexican Gothic 😭 I did NOT expect the fantasy element, and it really disappointed me! I thought there would be a realistic explanation to everything…
Yeah it was definitely surprising to me!
I didn't expect much from Mexican Gothic, just an ready to read spooky story, still I was underwhelmed by the writing. The story was surprisingly not bad but the writing fell flat, especially compared to the hype created around it. People on the internet acted as if it was this great modern Gothic horror classic yet it wasn't. I thought it was because I read the German translation but clearly that wasn't the cause.
yes i agree! the hype is wild around it now and i was so surprised to see that recently.
oh i'm so with you when it's about atlas six and from blood and ash. I am with you in every single comment you said because yes, yes, yes. i'm so glade i found someone who actually didn't like these two books because it was so overhyped and loved i genuinely thought something was wrong with me 😭😭
Nope nothing’s wrong with you and I agree! And nothing’s wrong with anyone that likes those books either, everyone’s entitled to their opinion. :)
I personally haven't read any of these books, but I really appreciate the way you talk about them. You are calm and thoughtful and never give the impression that you are attacking the book or the author. We all have differing views and opinions on books and I think we should be able to discuss them in a calm and respectful manner.
Thank you so much! This comment honestly means a lot to me and I really appreciate it.
Haha love this!! I haven’t read FBAA or Lightlark and I really enjoyed Mexican Gothic, but I 100% agree with all the others! The Guest List ending felt so unsatisfying, and I agree that Powerless was quite unoriginal/cringy. Also struggled with Shadow and Bone even though I love all her other books that I’ve read! I plan to continue with the King of Scars duology without having read the S&B trilogy, haha so nothing wrong with not reading that one!!
Okay I might need to start King of Scars - I've heard such good things about it but I guess I was kind of turned off by S&B.
@@olivesbooknook totally get it!! Shadow and Bone feels so different from all her other books (writing and plot/character wise), so maybe we’ll both have a different experience with the final duology 😊
@LibrariesandLattes this comment is super late but I feel the obligation of warning you about the KoS duology 😭🤡
It's a very fanfic-like story using characters from shadow and bone and the six of crows duology 🥹 basically if you don't know who the characters are/you don't like them, the story doesn't get interesting at all 💔💔
I hope it's only my bad experience reading it but yeah, that occurred and there are some comments on Goodreads with the same feelings so it's a common theme 😢
Nevertheless I hope you enjoy them if you decide to read them ❤
I so enjoyed Book 1 of From Blood and Ash, but book 2 ? My my my… I started on April and ended this month, after 80% I was rushing it… so agree with what you said !
Oh man - I'm surprised you kept powering through! Well done.
@@olivesbooknookme too ! But I wanted to have more information about the world. And the last chapter chapter was amazing, 600 pages for an amazing chapter…
Here is my review on the book :
2 ⭐️
“He was both the villain and the hero, the monster and the monster-slayer.”
Finally I made it through it…
Don’t even know where to start and I gave 5 ⭐️ to Book 1.
I’m staring by the summary from Sofia’s review: “Kingdom of Flesh and Fire is basically 2000s YA paranormal Wattpad fiction.
How do I summarize the plot when there is no plot? I can't believe it took an entire book for Poppy to get from Solis to Atlantia. A whole book. A 637-page book.
Nothing happened. No character development, no action. Just Casteel and Poppy pretending to hate each other but then kissing every other page.”
So basically what I have to say is my word regarding Sofia’s summary :
I did really enjoy the first book, the world building, the characters and the stories behind but this second book was at some point so hard to stay in it.
The book is to long, it’s only about “I love you but you lie to me”, “let’s pretend” and at some point it’s going in circle… I wanted to have more information on the world, on the others characters and so on…
The last chapter was the most interesting part out of the 600 + pages… at 80% I wanted to DNF so badly but speed read it. I wish to learn more of the universe after that last chapter but damn, I was so struggling and I rather spend time on books worthy of my time.
I’m still intrigued so I will see if I will give a try to Book 3 or speed read the good part…
I can see how people who are not familiar with LatAm literature would be taken aback by the ending of Mexican Gothic. If you’ve read Isabel Allende, Carlos Fuentes, Gabriel Garcia Márquez, etc., you’d see that magical realism is not uncommon when exploring themes of colonialism and generational trauma, which is what Mexican Gothic was trying to do. The issue with magical realism is if you’re unfamiliar with the tropes, you’re going to be searching for explanations to what’s happening, but the author will never give them to you, expecting the readers to just accept it in favor of some of the bigger themes they’re trying to represent.
It feels like a disservice to present Mexican Gothic as fantasy when magical realism =/= fantasy. Fantasy usually offers more detailed explanations on their magic systems while magical realism presents it as something natural. If anything, I’d say go into this book expecting supernatural horror. The ending (🚨spoilers kinda🚨) is more about breaking the cycles of violence and colonialism that have propped up the Doyle family and devastated the surrounding land rather than explaining the magic that was harnessed from the indigenous woman buried under the mansion to ensure that those cycles continue.
Normal People was soooo overhyped!
All telling, no showing of their “problems.”
And the characters, despite declaring themselves smarter and more opening minded than their peers, come across as immature and self righteous.
I haven’t read Normal People (or any of her other books tbh) but I’ve heard so many mixed reviews that I haven’t been able to bring myself to pick it up yet
if you are someone who rereads book i would say that reading the shadow & bone trilogy before six of crows adds a deeper layer of understanding the world, the characters and sometimes their actions and for me, the story does get a lot better throughout the trilogy
I've heard that! I'll probably give it another go someday. It's just not a high priority for me right now.
Mexican Gothic is a retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe. There are also references to other classics, and it probably enriches your reading experience to know that up front.
That's interesting!
I only read Powerless from this list. At first, it was hard to get into but about hallway through I really started loving it. I thought the banter was so good. And I loved it for a YA book!!! I think I loved Restless even more. I'm excited to see where things go!
It definitely did pick up a bit more later in the book!
I skipped the books that I'm very interested in reading and are currently on my TBR as I don't want my reading experience to be (kind of) influenced by other people's opinion but this is a very interesting topic and I would love to see a part 2 😊
Coming soon 😊
totally agree on from blood an ash, that one was a pain to read
Yeaaaaah 😬
Some of these books I was gonna get, but I might pass on them now, so thanks for your opinions on them! I definitely agree with you on Powerless, too. I actually looooved Powerless and Reckless, simply because it was a fun book. However, it was way too similar to Hunger Games, felt very cliche and copy-paste for a lot of parts, there wasn't as much emotional depth as I would have wanted, and I agree: the writing style was younger then I thought. I enjoy most YA books I read because I really dont expect much going into them 😂. I read them to get out of a slump and to have a fun, easy read and that's what I get most of the time. Sometimes they exceed my exceptions, and other times the "faults" are too much to allow me to enjoy the book. But yeah, my book preferences are just a bit different from YA, so I dont expect soooo much from them
Thank you for this honest video, there is so much overhype out there and it's so hard to trust the reviews.
Yeah, it's can be hard to form your own opinions when there are so many out there right now!
I love the vibes. It’s so peaceful it keeps me focused🫶
thank you!
I love this video and how clearly and honesty you state your thoughts. I think another interesting aspect of the book-hype-train is how all the popular ya books from 10 or so years ago are undergoing this massive resurgence as part of the adult bookish community, and I feel a lot of the choices are not actually well-written books (especially by today's more modern societal acceptances and expectations) and are just repopularized because of the nostalgic factor!!
Thank you so much, that's so nice! And yeah that is a really interesting side of the hype-train as well. Nostalgia plays a huge part - which I think is really cool and important, but don't try to dress it up as something it's not. It really does sometimes just boil down to...nostalgia.
what camera and mic do you use? the quality of your videos is so nice!!
Thank you! My husband is a filmmaker so tbh, I use his setup and don't know all the gear that's involved haha. But the camera is a blackmagic Ursa 4.6K!
12:50 - I actually haaate it when a mystery/thriller turns into a sudden fantasy/paranormal story out of nowhere at the end! 😡 Always feels like such a copout
Dude YEAH that's exactly what it feels like
Whenever I hear the word overhyped Book Lovers comes directly to my mind 😆
That wasn't one of my favorite Emily Henry books either!
LOVE your channel and your thoughts and opinions! Just a thought I wanted to share re: Powerless (which I have not read) - I think social media marketing/advertising is the same amount of work as the trad publishing/old school route. It’s just a new way of going about the same means to an end goal! Ah, the world is changing. *sighs in Millennial*
That's so nice, thank you! And yes totally agree.
Oof I actually bought A shadow in the Ember because I read that it was the PREQUEL to the Blood and Ash series. I haven’t read either of them yet but I do appreciate the points you made. Those are definitely good points without being spoilers and I’ll still read it (because I already bought it 😅) but this did help me with my expectations.
Honestly leveling expectations is SUCH a huge part of staying off the hype train. I feel like that's what always ends up being disappointing - expecting something way more than you actually got. But I think if you go into it knowing a little bit more of what you're gonna get, and feeling a bit more prepared (obviously without spoilers) you can still find lots of enjoyment in books! So I think that's a great way to go into the series.
I loved this video! I think so many books are overhyped and I can understand that liking a book can be personal. If you can overlook elements and you are just reading to read, completely understand. But there are some books that are just not worth the hype.
I would add (and know there may be some push back) Serpent and the Wings of Night. This book was hyped and I can understand why people liked it. However... the writing was awful, there were phrases that were overused and distracting throughout the entire book, and the ending was so annoying🙄. I was so mad at the end of the book that I have yet to read the next book in the series.
Thanks for the great vido Olive! 💜 I can't wait to see your other videos on what books did and do not deserve the hype.
Ah thanks for the kind words and your perspective! I definitely think liking books should be personal, and I know I like certain books that others won't - I really think the distinction is just the "hype". I chose these books because it feels like the general narrative around them all is "READ THEM THEY'RE OBJECTIVELY AMAZING AND IF YOU DON'T LIKE THEM YOU'RE CRAZY" and I just can't stand for that, lol.
I actually liked Serpent and the Wings of Night personally! But it was totally circumstantial. I was in the mood for a fun, over the top, doesn't take itself too seriously fantasy novel and it just happened to check my box at the time. I would agree though that I don't really think it deserves the hype or the way people represent it....and I will say that I did NOT like the second one at all. It was so jumbled and confusing and annoying.
THANK GOODNESS SOMEONE ELSE DIDN’T LIKE ATLAS SIX! I hated that book so much and I feel like no one says anything negative about it. Thank you for this video! I love Mexican Gothic but I get other people not loving it. -G
Haha, yeah Atlas Six definitely wasn't my fav. The writing style just wasn't for me. I think I would have liked Mexican Gothic more if I knew what I was in for, but it just wasn't for me towards the end. I know a lot of people that love it though, and that's great!
For me this is fourth wing, very bad writing, just felt like she told us things but didnt show them. Like Xaden and Violets ”enemies to lovers” but i never felt the hate she just told us they hated eachother. Also the worldbuilding was bs
Fourth Wing is a super interesting topic for me. I have a lot of thoughts about it and I don't really know how to discuss it in a video... I personally loved it, but I 100% knew what I was getting into - I expected cheesy/cringey writing, super over the top action and adventure, the most hyperbolic thing ever lol. So it just ended up matching my expectations and I was able to really enjoy it. But I think there's a lot of people that maybe weren't expecting that and dislike it so much for that reason. But I don't know.
@@olivesbooknook yeah i think it was so hyped and i think i did the mistake of listening to people who usually don’t read fantasy reviewing the book as the best fantasy book in the world, i literally saw someone compare it to asoiaf 🥲 so when i read it i got super dissapointed
As much as I hate to see Powerless on this list, I find it really interesting to hear everyone’s opinions. Ps. I love your editing style❤
Thank you for being kind ❤️
Acotar….. read the whole serie. Liked it. But didn’t love it. It felt like a spicy children’s book to me.
Iron flame, the same. Just a spicy children’s book. Sooooo boring.
i personally love those books but they're not for everyone and that's okay!
Totally agree with you about Mexican Gothic. (Main character's name is Noemi though, not Naomi ❤). It felt a lot like a Shirley Jackson novel in the beginning and the ending was completely silly and contrived.
Yeah, not my fav!
You mean every Sarah J Maas book in existence?
You can make the argument that any book with a fan following is overhyped, and that's where we have to be really careful how we talk about things. We should never shame people for liking what they like, even if it's not the highest quality or best written thing ever.
@olivesbooknook what? You yourself made a video on books that DO NOT deserve the hype, yet popular among lots of people. All the other comments are talking about how a particular book or author's books are overhyped. I contributed to that saying the author I think is extremely overhyped and I get lectured on to be careful and not shaming others? Where do you see me shaming ANYONE?? Did I touch a nerve? For the record, I think all the main characters Sarah J Maas glorifies are very hypocritical and too arrogant to take any criticism in those books.
I get where you’re coming from, and I think there’s value in discussing hype and what books do or don’t deserve it. But there’s a difference between calling out specific aspects of a book you’ve read versus dismissing an entire author’s catalog with a single blanket statement. I talk about “overhyped” books that I’ve actually read and try to provide a balanced view-even if I’m disappointed, I mention things I liked and explain why the book didn’t work for me personally. I am so not interested in bashing an author or their fans just for liking and be excited about their books. I’m more interested in pushing back on the hype culture that can lead to unrealistic expectations and disappointing reads. Let’s keep the conversation open and respectful so we can continue to get different perspectives. ✌️
@olivesbooknook the hype culture with unrealistic expectations is exactly what happened with Maas books. People who aren't interested in romantasy got roped into Maas books thinking this was traditional fantasy. On the other hand I've seen smut fans complaining ACOTAR was too vanilla but from tiktok reviews they were led to believe they'd be so much more.
I still think your replies to my comment are uncalled for and of a more reproaching tone than how you replied to the other comments that said the exact same thing as me, only with CoHo. And I still don't understand why had to lecture about shaming readers because I wasn't shaming anybody. 👎
Omg I had the exact same problem with the writing in Olivie Blake's book Masters of Death. The language is SO flowery and haughty. There were asides every single paragraph, asides within asides, to the point that I had to re-read sentences two to three times because the initial point had been buried under all the asides. I gave up at chapter four. That's the only book of hers I've picked up, and I wasn't sure if the prose was a deliberate choice because the book is written from the POV of Death, or if that's just how *she* writes. Hearing you have the same criticism about The Atlas Six makes me think Masters of Death might be a permanent DNF. At least I only paid $1.99 for it on Kindle.
Haha I absolutely love this comment
So glad someone finally agrees with me about Mexican Gothic, FBAA and Shadow and Bone
Oh hi 👋
I read shadow and bones because a friend told me to read six of crows and i wanted to start at the beginning. But it was a pain. It felt so cringy and bad, that I didn‘t even start six of crows, because I didn’t want to read Leigh Badugo anymore. Then I read the Familiar from the same author for my bookclub and fell in love with her wrining. Now I‘m reading myself through her books, but from the back, starting with her latest ones. I Think, this is so really beautiful excample that wrinigt is something you lear and train.
I’m so interested in reading some of her later books! It blows my mind that she also wrote Ninth House and the grishaverse
Yes same thoughts on The Guest List! Also felt the same way about other hyped up thrillers like Listen for the Lie and First Lie Wins. Most thrillers/mysteries I’ve read so far are easy to get through but also mostly forgettable :(
oh man don't get my started on First Lie Wins oh my gosh. that book was such a letdown.
I LOVED Powerless SO much and thought the banter between Paedyn and Kai was so well written✨❤️🔥⚔️ Was definitely a 5⭐️ read for me!! Everyone’s entitled to their opinion though😊
I'm glad you were able to enjoy it!
I am very much like you when it comes to the Grishaverse. I read Six of Crows first and absolutely loved it, but then struggled with Shadow and Bone. The issue for me was pacing. I felt like SAB was clearly written by a first time author and the plot felt a bit uneven in places. It would drag along for a while and then rush ahead, and the book really suffers for it. I also cannot stand Alina, and being in her head is a nightmare. But since I loved SOC so much, I told myself that obviously the author got better and to just push through. The second book is a bit better. The first few chapters suffer from the same pacing issues that the first books does, but once you get through them, the book is much better. Book three was my favorite until the end. The way that books ends, ruined the whole trilogy for me. I did read King of Scars. One, it was post SOC, and she had shown growth as an author, so I thought I’d give it a chance. It also centers Nikolai, who is one of my favorite characters. King of Scars itself is good, but Rule of Wolves is absolute garbage. It was so bad that I refuse to ever read any of her books ever again. It’s extremely dull and it rehashes a plot line that was better left completely dead. I would say don’t waste your time.
Yes this is exactly how I feel about SAB - you summed it up perfectly. Alina really was insufferable.
And that’s a bummer to hear about ROW!!
Totally agree on Mexican Gothic. Haven’t read the rest.
Totally agree with your comments on The guest list.
I totally agree with your assessments, other than I really liked Powerless and Shadow and Bone.
But, the others though, I very much agree with what you said about them. I did read Shadow and Bone before Six of Crows, so that probably has something to do with it.
And I couldn't really get into the 2nd book after Powerless. I'm waiting for the 3rd one.
Yeah I didn’t love either of those books but everyone has different opinions and that’s great!
I got maybe 5 pages into Lightlark before noticing the poor writing and very quickly DNFd it. So glad I did. Atlas Six was such a let down! You’re right, the characters trying to be so deep and thought provoking bogged down the whole thing.
Yes, totally agree on both points! Although I didn't DNF either (for science, ya know?) but maybe I should have haha.
Couldn't agree with you more on The Guest List. Also agree on Powerless.
yeaaaah not my favs
I can’t believe someone else doesn’t like Shadow and Bone. I liked the tv show. Tried to read the books and I’ve forced myself through them. I need to finish the last book and I just don’t care. I also didn’t really like Six of Crows, it was fine. And I’m currently trying to get through the last one and it’s been months. I’m guessing I just don’t like Leighs writing.
Yeah that could be! It's not for everyone.
I’m so happy to see someone have the same opinion about Atlas 6 as me. It was so beyond pretentious.. I also just ended up skimming.
Yeah, it was tough for me to get through. I think in the beginning I was like “oh this is cool!” But it just kept going on and on and on 🫤 got really tired of it towards the back half
Thank god you said, I had the exact word for Atlas Six the whole time I was reading it “Pretentious”
yeeeeeeaaaah 😬
I really enjoy the way you talk about books. It feels very reflective. Do you by any chance work in a bookshop or publishing?
wow thank you so much! i actually don't work at a bookshop or in publishing, but i'll take that has a really big compliment. :)
Thank-you so much for having the courage to post this video - absolutely agree with you :)
❤️❤️❤️
I read the first two chapters of Powerless and didn't like it.
It annoyed me that there was a 'hook' in the first sentence that turned out to not be true. She thinks there's blood but it's actually honey. It felt like clickbait so I gave it up.
Regarding mystery books - I have found it so, so hard to find good mysteries!! The ending almost always disappoints me 😫😫 Ones I've liked: The Club by Ellery Lloyd, First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston. And Kate Morton doesn't write mystery, per se, but all of her books have a strong mystery element which I really love!
Yeah it's tough out here for those of us looking for mysteries 😭
This is the same problem i have with Lucy Foley. Her stories tend to have so many POVs and some of them aren't even relevant to the plot. I had such high hopes for her book The Paris Apartment and I ended up just not enjoying it because of this.
yeaaaah, it's just really tough to follow...
The Guest List, for me, was a good premise and i enjoyed that the victim and murderer weren't revealed until the end. However, it was so trashy and full of despicable people (was anyone likeable?) that unfortunately it was my first and last Lucy Foley book.
TOTALLY AGREE
Gonna say this in the nicest way possible… I WILL NEVER ALLOW ANY POWERLESS SLANDER ITS ACTUALLY THE GREATEST BOOK SERIES IVE EVER READ
lol I’m glad you got to enjoy it but it definitely isn’t for everyone, and having different opinions is still okay.
I love your videos whether we agree on books or not 😊 I have several of these, (Mexican Gothic, From Blood and Ash, Restless). but haven’t read them yet, hoping I am not disappointed but I’ve been fooled before ☹️
Ah thank you so much for watching!
Great video and analysis!! If you’re looking for incredible, character driven mysteries you HAVE to check out Lisa Jewell.
Also I could not agree more in regard to Olivie Blake! I read her romance “Alone With You In The Ether” and it was nauseatingly flowery and pretentious while actually being quite shallow. I do not understand how people get something out of her books.
Thank you so much! I'll definitely check out Lisa Jewell, sounds right up my alley and exactly what I'm looking for.
It seems like Alone With You In The Ether is SO mixed between readers. Some people love it, some people hate it! I'm not sure I could get on board with her writing overall...
If you loved six of crows, you need to read the mistborn series. First book is the Final Empire
I’ve heart amazing things about this series!
I am not someone that has to finish a series lol. I read From Blood and Ash and did not continue the series. And I thought I was the only one that didn't like it. Even though yours was more on the second book. I recommend Book of Azrael for romance/fantasy. That is a true enemies to lovers and one I always recommend from that genre.
New subscriber as well! This is the first video I've seen of urs but I love it! 😅
ooooh i'll have to look into book of azrael! thank you for the suggestion, and thanks so much for the kind words! glad we can hang out in this corner of the internet. :)
I've read The Atlas Six last year and liked it. I can see why other people don't, it definitely IS pretentious - I just really like pretentious books sometimes. BUT I've read the second book of the series this year because the third one was released in January and I thought "well, maybe I should finish the second one and then move on to the third". And then it took me about a month to finish it, even though it's not even that long. It was boring. I didn't know what direction the plot actually moved in until 3/4 into the book. I didn't care about any of the characters' actions. It just dragged on until the last ten pages, where suddenly SO much plot was crammed into and now I dread starting to read the third one (it's been on my shelf for almost a year now).
And I've had the same issue with the second book in the Crescent City series by Sarah J Maas. Usually, I don't really vibe with her stories because I'm not too big on romantasy and fae. Sure, I like a good fantasy novel, but the fae aspect just isn't my favourite. That's why I liked Crescent City book 1. There's a lot of different species, it's highly political, it's modern and - okay, the protagonists are annoying at times, but that was to be expected with such a long book. The first book was amazing, I loved it, finished it within three or four days and then I instantly moved on to the second one. And what the hell, SJM. It was way too long. It could've been shortened by well over 400 pages and not a single plot point would've been lost. Also, why did she have to throw in this ending (not going to spoil here in case someone hasn't read it yet and still wants to do so)?
It felt messy and way too long for nothing. And I dread reading the third book here too.
I’ve heard a lot of people say this about Atlas Six specifically. Even people that are commenting and saying they LOVED book 1 - but then were super disappointed with how the author wrote the rest of the series. It kind of solidified that I don’t want to charge on and read the rest of the series. 😕
Crescent City is actually an interesting one. I do happen to be a fan of SJM books, but I was pretty disappointed with the whole CC series overall. However the first book…I read it when it first came out, and honestly didn’t like it. The world building was so intense and I couldn’t connect to the characters and I was mostly just confused. 😂 BUT I wanted to read the rest of the series when it came out cause again, I’m an SJM fan. I took a break for like 2 years and then finally decided to restart book 1 and go into book 2 and 3 immediately. I LOVED book 1 the second time I read it. I thought it was amazing. I think it’s because I already had read it once, and so I didn’t really need to be mentally bogged down with all the world building and could focus on the story more.
Book 2 and 3 were much more of a letdown, and I do think one of the biggest problems is there lengths. They are just too long and could have cut out a lot of the fluff. I also don’t love the constant POV switching.
Anyway…not sure where I was going with that but just wanted to share my thoughts, haha.
For me Six of crows is over rated... I've read more than half of it and then DNFd. It was too boring and the chapter were soo long I was tired and annoyed after just one chapter. But people like it as if it's a masterpiece... But I mean good for you if you do.
I mean, if you find heists boring and overdone, I totally understand, but I think you should at least try ro finish it! It gets soooo fast paced and entertaining as the story progresses, and besides, I’m one of the many who think this book has one of the best representations of PTSD in the fantasy genre( if that might interest you)
Six of Crows is one of my favs - it may not be for everyone though and that's okay.
I think like the first 100 pages are slow but then it picks up and gets really good so ig u just gotta let it cook
I found with the Grisha Verse that it would have been easier to dive into Shadow & Bone had the trilogy been read first. In my opinion, the trilogy introduces the magic and world building. Making Six Of Crows a much easier read. I love the duology. So complex and the characters are wonderful. But it’s like Throne of Glass for me. I’ve heard the series is amazing- but having read acotar first…going BACK to her first writing has been difficult. I’ve started Throne of Glass multiple times and haven’t been able to get through it. There are characters in King of Scars that require reading the Shadow and Bone trilogy to understand the history. Six Of Crows is in the same universe but also a separate location so reading it is easier to get through. You don’t necessarily need Shadow and Bone for Six of crows (but it does make it easier). The sequels for me were far more enjoyable than the first one for Shadow n Bone. But again, it’s like Throne of Glass for me…maybe one day I’ll get through it. Just so I can read the rest.
Dude, I totally get it when it comes to throne of glass. The first two books are a TOUGH read. I honestly kinda skim it... I really do think the remaining books (and the series as a whole) is totally worth it though if you're up for powering through it. But I completely understand where you're coming from. I read Acotar first and it was so hard to jump to TOG.
Makes total sense that we feel the same way about Shadow and Bone vs Six of Crows!
I feel like "Shadow And Bone" trilogy gets a lot better near the end of the first book and becomes more interesting in the 2nd book. I felt really bored when I first picked up the first book, Alina was incredibly annoying for me, but once I finished them I was glad I did, because I enjoyed the overall story combined with the 3 books.
That makes sense! I'm sure it does get a lot better when you look at the story across all three books. I'm just having such a hard time getting through the first one apparently haha
@@olivesbooknook Yea I feel you, I don't know why I sadly had this struggle while trying to read "Six of Crows", I finally managed to finish it when becoming really curious about Nina and Matthias haha
Loved Shadow and Bone but thanks for the info on the others.
You're welcome!
You are the first I have watched saying this about Mexican gothic and I agree 100%, I was so disappointed in this book, I read Silver nitrate to give this author a second chance and it was such a snooze fest, I don’t understand the appeal but maybe it’s just a few of us, if silver nitrate was so boring to me being Latina and getting all the pop culture mentioned I cannot imagine how someone who didn’t grow up in a hispanic culture could understand the many mentions of people and places, half of the book will go over their heads.
That is SO interesting
Thank you for your honesty! On my way to your page to see what books you do like!
Thank you!
Oh my goodness! Yes! The Guest List was awful (IMO). I seriously do not understand why so many people liked it. I agree with what you said about the characters. I didn't care if the island exploded & they all were gone. LOL I am a huge mystery fan & hated that book so much. LOL
Okay this makes me feel better that you love mystery and still didn’t like this book!
Your video production is amazing! What camera do you use?
Thank you! I’m using a blackmagic Ursa here.
100% on Shadow and Bone and From Blood and Ash.
Totally agree about Blood and Ash- good 1st book and then.. ugh. I have to admit I did slog through the rest of the series but Poppy Really got on my nerves. I went into Powerless hearing a bunch of negative stuff about it so I was sort pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t That bad. Not amazing or anything just like, “Huh, that was alright.” 😂
Ugh don’t get me started on Poppy 😂
And yeah it’s crazy how expectations play into how you feel about a book! I definitely had the opposite experience with Powerless which was unfortunate.
Loved your video aesthetic
Thank you so much!
okayyyy, by now I trust your brain and Ive had Lightlark on my TBR since the early days when Alex was talking about it... but now hearing your words I trust that you are right and I won't read it. lol
if there's any book from this list that you could skip.............it's that one lol
hearing you not like shadow and bone kinda breaks my heart 💔 but personal preference is a thing and not everyone will like what I liked.
I tried Masters of Death by Olivia Blake (same author as The Atlas Six) and couldn't finish the book because the writing style was so peculiar.
Atlas six is the only one I’ve tried from her so far but it’s good to know it seems like a universal thing in all her books…
all i can think about when i hear about lightlark is those moble games where you have to hatch and battle dragons and they all have their own little elemental islands.
I'm dead that's so funny
Since you mentioned wanting to find a good mystery book, one that I would definitely recommend that I found refreshingly unique is The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennet. (The audiobook is also quite good if you enjoy consuming literature in that way
Ooh thank you so much! I'll definitely need to look into it. I've got a couple of trips coming up that could be great for the audio book.
from blood and ash and powerless are definitely the worst books (imo!) that I’ve read in the last couple years. fbaa desperately needed an editor, it could’ve easily been 300 pages shorter. powerless read like a hunger games fanfiction, and not a well written one. it felt like she was just checking off tropes. but maybe I’ve just grown out of ya as a genre because I just get so annoyed when there’s a broody and mysterious and ~dangerous~ main male character and he’s... 18 😐
totally agree with everything you've said. there are very few books that i've recently read where i take the characters seriously if they're like, 18 years old haha.
Every. Single. Book. 💯 agree on everything you said. I'm amazed. I've never found someone whose taste seems to align with mine so well! I'll have to check out your other video to see if that trend holds.
Haha, that's awesome!
If you didn’t like The Atlas Six…do not carry on with it…it only gets worse. I’ve given up! I read the first two and I cannot be bothered.
A lot of people have actually commented that recently :( so sad when a series just gets worse and worse
I had to push through shadow and bone simply so I’ll know what’s going on in Six of Crows and King of Scars😅
Frr
i had mexican gothic on my tbr since release because i love gothic novels, like, it’s one of my favorite genres. i hated mexican gothic so much. it felt like a shitty episode of scooby doo, and it didn’t have any of the passion or atmosphere gothic novels are known for. the main character and her relationship were straight out of a contemporary rom-com romance novel lmao.
haha episode of scooby doo really got me i love that description
I think powerless is so completely overhyped I really think some people promoting it didnt even read it😬