Yesss to who Anden ends up with!! I was so mad that Fonda Lee didn’t give me the catharsis that I wanted with that relationship 😂 still gave the book 5 stars though because holy crap, that book broke me 🥲
I did like reading The Divine Rivals, but I still agree with you. Many of the earlier emotional moments had me rolling my eyes so hard that I could see the back of my skull. I carried on reading cause I'm a simple creature who enjoys cliche melodrama. I'll mention one small and very specific thing that annoyed me about this book more than it should as a person who has some experience working for a newspaper - how it was said on a few occasions that journalists working in the Gazette were not allowed to be seen reading the competitor. Like, how were they supposed to one-up them if they didn't know what the other paper was on about?! In my experience working for a printed medium, we always had all the newest issues of our competitors available in the office and reading them was highly encouraged and for some required, even - particularly for the younger members of writing staff cause that's how people learn argh. Thank you for listening to my particular rant.
i too am a simple creature who enjoys cliche melodrama 🤝 but i also need to feel more attachment to the characters AND YES, THAT PART HAD ME GOING ????? TOO LOL
I’ll bet you would like “The Scarlet Pimpernel”. It’s a classic and historical fiction but also a wonderful love story and an exciting mystery. It’s not a long book and I bet you’d love it.
@@christeascozycorner that’s great, she’s right lol I really think you would enjoy it. A scarlet pimpernel is an old-timey word for what’s now more popularly called a bay flower, they are small and red. Our protagonist leaves one along with messages he has for those he knows will find them. It takes place during the French revolution. I would so look forward to your review.
Yeah I like Kaladin quite a bit but have always been surprised how off the charts he is for so many people. By far the most popular person in the Cosmere.
Thank you for talking about Divine Rivals!!! I just DNF’d it this month and thought something was wrong with me 😅. Everyone I watch has loved it, including people who usually align with my taste, and it was so sad to have to accept that it just wasn’t for me
I gave Divine Rivals (and the sequel) 4 stars but I can totally see what you mean! I actually picked it up on a whim because I had a KU trial and saw it was there, and I knew it was hyped but I'd gone in without reading anything people said about it. I read it really slowly, not really sure where it was going tone-wise, but I did enjoy it in the end and felt invested enough in Roman's character to continue. overall, it was a good time, but I did feel sometimes that it was almost... trying very hard to be a sweeping story? idk how to explain it. funny enough, though, reading those two kicked me off on reading all of Rebecca Ross' backlist (most of it, anyway, I might not try her debut series) and she ended up giving me my first 5 star of the year. it was in first person (past tense though, but I know you're not a fan of 1st POV) but something about it swept me away (deals with dream magic, which is everything I look for in fantasy hahaha). I'm on my fourth book of hers of the year so far, and I think all of her books have this "cozy" feel to them, though I don't like to use that term because it doesn't quite capture it now that cozy fantasy is a thing. fairy tale feel? idk. but I feel at home reading them, and I can see she was going for that in Divine Rivals, but somehow it didn't land as hard for me there as her other books? ...anyway, that was my very long winded comment sorting out my thoughts LOL
LOL I APPRECIATE YOU SHARING ALL THIS THOUGH NIKKI what was her other book that ended up being a 5-star for you? maybe her other works will work better for me than divine rivals did
@@christeascozycorner it was Dreams Lie Beneath! it just worked for me all around; it reminded me of An Enchantment of Ravens somehow, if you’ve read that. but also, her Elements of Cadence duology might be a good try for you ☺️
I definitely agree with you about Kaladin. Like, but not obsessed. I just reread The Way Of Kings in my Stormlight 2024 reread journey, and I was still much more drawn to Shallan's and Dalinar's chapters. I honestly don't get why people dislike Shallan. I get that she has some unlikeable traits, but I think she's an interesting character. But honestly, my favorite character is Jasnah. I agree with you about Anden in a way. Your version may have been more satisfying from a storytelling perspective, but the way it was written felt more authentic to real life.
I completely agree about Tawny Man ending!! I felt it was such a regression of his character arc to end it that way. I rant about that ship all the time on Instagram lol
Shame on Divine Rivals! But I can get your complaints lol. I don’t like fake dating either most the time, there’s only 2 or 3 that I’ve actually liked and thought the trope wasn’t used for just drama.
I saw Jade Legacy in the thumbnail and was afraid what you didn't like about it, turns out it was nothing "major", but I totally agree, there was so much potential between them and Fonda just didn't want to deliver it to us. I had to skim last third of Divine Rivals. It was so boring and predictable, I just don't get the amount of hype it gets. I might try second book since the ending was interesting (still predictable though).
I appreciate that you shared your opinion about Kaladin and Divine Rivals, even though it stings a little 😅. This is why I love reading community - it's fascinating how everyone's perception can differ and how it reflects their personality and preferences. Thank you for sharing! Personally, I'm not a fan of the fake dating trope either. However, since I mostly read fantasy, it's not a theme that I come across often. As for historical fiction, I'm always intrigued and eager to read, but sometimes it can end up feeling tedious. Without any fantasy elements, it's just not my cup of tea, so I agree with you there.
it truly is amazing how different we can all feel about the same works! there is just something about fantasy that adds an extra layer of intrigue to everything lol
What’s funny to me is that I just finished reading A Curse So Dark and Lonely yesterday lol. Personally I enjoyed it, like the writing wasn’t spectacular for a few reasons and there were a lot of things that should have been explained better and just explained more in general but it was a fairly good time. And I got invested before the halfway mark so that was also good, but from what I’ve seen, she ruins the series so I’m hoping that at least the second one will be decent but then I’ll probably be like well I’m almost done, I should read the last one but risk disappointment lol idk But for a popular series that I hate and beloved character that I don’t like, Six of Crows and that whole cast. I did kind of like Nina but most of her scenes were ruined by Matthias. I hated their romance so much and Crooked Kingdom may not be the actual *worst* book I’ve ever read, but no other book has made me that mad. I literally hated it so much I’m surprised that I was even able to finish it but I know I don’t want to reread Shadow and Bone and finish that trilogy or pick up anything else by her.
yeah i didn't end up finishing the series; i feel like the first book stood a lot stronger as a standalone 😔 that is quite a popular one to hate! 😱 i still need to read that duology lol
@@christeascozycorner as much as I wouldn’t recommend it I’d be curious to know what you think. I’ve noticed that a lot of people either don’t like the SoC duology and love the Grisha trilogy or vice versa. It’s kind of interesting lol
I DNF'd Divine Rivals around 70% because i didn't care about the characters at all and i was bored pretty much the entire time. This and Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries were my two biggest book disappointments of 2023 lol
I am highly suspicious that if I ever read Stormlight, I will actively dislike Kaladin. 😂Everything Elle says about him has led me to that conclusion -- I think she also suspects I might dislike him haha
Though I ended up giving Divine rivals (both books) 4 stars, I definitely agree with your opinion! I felt the writing was a little more..on the whimsical side, and though i love such writings, writing about w@r and d£eath is something I feel like should be more tense and emotion provoking. I found myself very disinterested in the war aspect of the book itself and even came close to calling the books..cozy (even with the war). I, however did end up enjoying Iris and Roman and their banter plus the characters, but I get what you mean!
realm of the elderlings and the green bone saga are actually two of my favorite series of all time!!! the negative things are just me being nit-picky about relationships haha i have a whole review on goodreads for defy the night 🙈 to summarize, i just felt that it had very poor worldbuilding, some things happened that made no sense or were just for convenience, and the characters were annoying and incompetent. oh boy i really went in on this book LOL
I want to read Guns of the Dawn!! I haven't heard many people speak about it but those who have seem to have really enjoyed it. I feel like The Green Bone Saga was too chaotic for me after the first book, I loved Jade City but got so irritated with all the time jumps and how much nothing seemed to make sense after that first book. I SMILED SO MUCH WHEN YOU SAID KALADIN, I find him so uninteresting, that being said, I'm also having an awful time trying to read The Stormlight Archive, I've just managed to finish The Way of Kings and the only person I loved reading from was Shallan, the rest of that book was DRY in my opinion.
the way of kings is definitely reallyyyy slow. and it's very much kaladin's book too lol i hope you enjoy guns of the dawn whenever you pick it up!!!!!
Okay so my popular character I don’t like is Rand from Wheel of time . Like I hated reading from his POV 90 percent of the time. I do love him though like I read 13 books with him but still least favorite character. Did you like him ?
LOL when you love a series but can't stand the main character, me with red rising and darrow 😩✋ i haven't read the wheel of time yet!!! i should be able to answer this question by the end of this year though haha
Divine rivals was a dnf for me 😶 I understand why people love it but I didn't care for the romance, it was too mushy for my liking. Also why was everybody saying it's rivals to lovers with dragons? 😔 It was set up for the disappointment in both cases since it's not at all what the book focuses on
@@yyuna7 Sadly I've seen a lot of people describe it that way and I love dragons so 😭 Sure they were rivals for a bit but I don't feel like this is a good representation of their dynamic. But you're right I might have been too harsh on it cause I love rivals to lovers. So yeah I wouldn't say it was bad just not for my liking
@@nikolahetn944 Nah, everyone's opinion is valid. I was also disappointed by it, after all the raving reviews. I got pretty much what was advertised, and I acutally liked the beginning, but the rest was meh. Didn't care for the side characters nor the romance.
@@yyuna7 Yeah, I really enjoyed it at first too. I was especially excited about the magical aspects so that ended up being another disappointing point 😆
Some of your answers I somehow guessed? I don't know how i did that? XD I'm just gonna go and answer these questions myself here so we get to know each other better ;P XD 1. Everything Sarah J Maas. 2. Starcrossed by Josefine Angelini (I don't think its popular I have never heard anyone talk about it so counts right?) 3. Ron x Hermione. I hate them. 4. Historical Fiction 5. Same as you 6. Sarah J Maas 7. / 8. Shatter me? Maybe I will though, because I read the first book but Booktok kinda ruined it for me. Its too popular.
Yesss to who Anden ends up with!! I was so mad that Fonda Lee didn’t give me the catharsis that I wanted with that relationship 😂 still gave the book 5 stars though because holy crap, that book broke me 🥲
THE WASTED POTENTIAL!!! 😭 but ughh yes still loved the book regardless
I did like reading The Divine Rivals, but I still agree with you. Many of the earlier emotional moments had me rolling my eyes so hard that I could see the back of my skull. I carried on reading cause I'm a simple creature who enjoys cliche melodrama.
I'll mention one small and very specific thing that annoyed me about this book more than it should as a person who has some experience working for a newspaper - how it was said on a few occasions that journalists working in the Gazette were not allowed to be seen reading the competitor.
Like, how were they supposed to one-up them if they didn't know what the other paper was on about?!
In my experience working for a printed medium, we always had all the newest issues of our competitors available in the office and reading them was highly encouraged and for some required, even - particularly for the younger members of writing staff cause that's how people learn argh.
Thank you for listening to my particular rant.
i too am a simple creature who enjoys cliche melodrama 🤝 but i also need to feel more attachment to the characters
AND YES, THAT PART HAD ME GOING ????? TOO LOL
I related so hard to your feelings on Anden and Lott...the pain was real.
why fonda why 😔
I’ll bet you would like “The Scarlet Pimpernel”. It’s a classic and historical fiction but also a wonderful love story and an exciting mystery. It’s not a long book and I bet you’d love it.
Ooh that's a great rec! I love that book, it's such an exciting & romantic adventure.
my friend saw your recommendation and wanted to say that she SECONDS IT, in all caps 😂
@@christeascozycorner that’s great, she’s right lol I really think you would enjoy it. A scarlet pimpernel is an old-timey word for what’s now more popularly called a bay flower, they are small and red. Our protagonist leaves one along with messages he has for those he knows will find them. It takes place during the French revolution. I would so look forward to your review.
Yeah I like Kaladin quite a bit but have always been surprised how off the charts he is for so many people. By far the most popular person in the Cosmere.
yeah kaladin... exists 😂
Thank you for talking about Divine Rivals!!! I just DNF’d it this month and thought something was wrong with me 😅. Everyone I watch has loved it, including people who usually align with my taste, and it was so sad to have to accept that it just wasn’t for me
i know, that's exactly how i felt about it too 😭
I gave Divine Rivals (and the sequel) 4 stars but I can totally see what you mean! I actually picked it up on a whim because I had a KU trial and saw it was there, and I knew it was hyped but I'd gone in without reading anything people said about it. I read it really slowly, not really sure where it was going tone-wise, but I did enjoy it in the end and felt invested enough in Roman's character to continue. overall, it was a good time, but I did feel sometimes that it was almost... trying very hard to be a sweeping story? idk how to explain it. funny enough, though, reading those two kicked me off on reading all of Rebecca Ross' backlist (most of it, anyway, I might not try her debut series) and she ended up giving me my first 5 star of the year. it was in first person (past tense though, but I know you're not a fan of 1st POV) but something about it swept me away (deals with dream magic, which is everything I look for in fantasy hahaha). I'm on my fourth book of hers of the year so far, and I think all of her books have this "cozy" feel to them, though I don't like to use that term because it doesn't quite capture it now that cozy fantasy is a thing. fairy tale feel? idk. but I feel at home reading them, and I can see she was going for that in Divine Rivals, but somehow it didn't land as hard for me there as her other books?
...anyway, that was my very long winded comment sorting out my thoughts LOL
LOL I APPRECIATE YOU SHARING ALL THIS THOUGH NIKKI
what was her other book that ended up being a 5-star for you? maybe her other works will work better for me than divine rivals did
@@christeascozycorner it was Dreams Lie Beneath! it just worked for me all around; it reminded me of An Enchantment of Ravens somehow, if you’ve read that. but also, her Elements of Cadence duology might be a good try for you ☺️
I definitely agree with you about Kaladin. Like, but not obsessed. I just reread The Way Of Kings in my Stormlight 2024 reread journey, and I was still much more drawn to Shallan's and Dalinar's chapters. I honestly don't get why people dislike Shallan. I get that she has some unlikeable traits, but I think she's an interesting character. But honestly, my favorite character is Jasnah.
I agree with you about Anden in a way. Your version may have been more satisfying from a storytelling perspective, but the way it was written felt more authentic to real life.
i think shallan definitely has the most interesting character journey! BUT YESSSS JASNAH 💗
i don't want authentic, i want my SHIP 🤣 but you're right
Oh man I am with you on Anden in Jade Legacy I was really rooting for him and Lott 😭
THE WASTED POTENTIAL
I completely agree about Tawny Man ending!! I felt it was such a regression of his character arc to end it that way. I rant about that ship all the time on Instagram lol
LMAO TWINS 🤝🤝 i love this series, but this is one thing i really wish i could change about it
Shame on Divine Rivals! But I can get your complaints lol. I don’t like fake dating either most the time, there’s only 2 or 3 that I’ve actually liked and thought the trope wasn’t used for just drama.
I saw Jade Legacy in the thumbnail and was afraid what you didn't like about it, turns out it was nothing "major", but I totally agree, there was so much potential between them and Fonda just didn't want to deliver it to us.
I had to skim last third of Divine Rivals. It was so boring and predictable, I just don't get the amount of hype it gets. I might try second book since the ending was interesting (still predictable though).
EVERYTHING WAS ALREADY SET UP, AND THEN SHE GAVE US NOTHING. WHY FONDA
my '' A popular or beloved character that you do not like'' is Murtagh from The inheritance cycle (Eragon)
I appreciate that you shared your opinion about Kaladin and Divine Rivals, even though it stings a little 😅. This is why I love reading community - it's fascinating how everyone's perception can differ and how it reflects their personality and preferences. Thank you for sharing!
Personally, I'm not a fan of the fake dating trope either. However, since I mostly read fantasy, it's not a theme that I come across often. As for historical fiction, I'm always intrigued and eager to read, but sometimes it can end up feeling tedious. Without any fantasy elements, it's just not my cup of tea, so I agree with you there.
it truly is amazing how different we can all feel about the same works!
there is just something about fantasy that adds an extra layer of intrigue to everything lol
What’s funny to me is that I just finished reading A Curse So Dark and Lonely yesterday lol. Personally I enjoyed it, like the writing wasn’t spectacular for a few reasons and there were a lot of things that should have been explained better and just explained more in general but it was a fairly good time. And I got invested before the halfway mark so that was also good, but from what I’ve seen, she ruins the series so I’m hoping that at least the second one will be decent but then I’ll probably be like well I’m almost done, I should read the last one but risk disappointment lol idk
But for a popular series that I hate and beloved character that I don’t like, Six of Crows and that whole cast. I did kind of like Nina but most of her scenes were ruined by Matthias. I hated their romance so much and Crooked Kingdom may not be the actual *worst* book I’ve ever read, but no other book has made me that mad. I literally hated it so much I’m surprised that I was even able to finish it but I know I don’t want to reread Shadow and Bone and finish that trilogy or pick up anything else by her.
yeah i didn't end up finishing the series; i feel like the first book stood a lot stronger as a standalone 😔
that is quite a popular one to hate! 😱 i still need to read that duology lol
@@christeascozycorner as much as I wouldn’t recommend it I’d be curious to know what you think. I’ve noticed that a lot of people either don’t like the SoC duology and love the Grisha trilogy or vice versa. It’s kind of interesting lol
I DNF'd Divine Rivals around 70% because i didn't care about the characters at all and i was bored pretty much the entire time.
This and Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries were my two biggest book disappointments of 2023 lol
I am highly suspicious that if I ever read Stormlight, I will actively dislike Kaladin. 😂Everything Elle says about him has led me to that conclusion -- I think she also suspects I might dislike him haha
LMAOO we can be kaladin dislikers together 🤝
Though I ended up giving Divine rivals (both books) 4 stars, I definitely agree with your opinion! I felt the writing was a little more..on the whimsical side, and though i love such writings, writing about w@r and d£eath is something I feel like should be more tense and emotion provoking. I found myself very disinterested in the war aspect of the book itself and even came close to calling the books..cozy (even with the war). I, however did end up enjoying Iris and Roman and their banter plus the characters, but I get what you mean!
realm of the elderlings and the green bone saga are actually two of my favorite series of all time!!! the negative things are just me being nit-picky about relationships haha
i have a whole review on goodreads for defy the night 🙈 to summarize, i just felt that it had very poor worldbuilding, some things happened that made no sense or were just for convenience, and the characters were annoying and incompetent. oh boy i really went in on this book LOL
@christeascozycorner Oh, that's wonderful to know!! I'm so sorry you didn't enjoy Defy the night though..😭
I want to read Guns of the Dawn!! I haven't heard many people speak about it but those who have seem to have really enjoyed it. I feel like The Green Bone Saga was too chaotic for me after the first book, I loved Jade City but got so irritated with all the time jumps and how much nothing seemed to make sense after that first book. I SMILED SO MUCH WHEN YOU SAID KALADIN, I find him so uninteresting, that being said, I'm also having an awful time trying to read The Stormlight Archive, I've just managed to finish The Way of Kings and the only person I loved reading from was Shallan, the rest of that book was DRY in my opinion.
the way of kings is definitely reallyyyy slow. and it's very much kaladin's book too lol
i hope you enjoy guns of the dawn whenever you pick it up!!!!!
Okay so my popular character I don’t like is Rand from Wheel of time . Like I hated reading from his POV 90 percent of the time. I do love him though like I read 13 books with him but still least favorite character. Did you like him ?
LOL when you love a series but can't stand the main character, me with red rising and darrow 😩✋
i haven't read the wheel of time yet!!! i should be able to answer this question by the end of this year though haha
I doubt I'll ever read Sarah J.
Great content.
THANK YOU for your opinion on Divine Rivals, I gave this book two stars and felt very lonely in my dislike for it 😂
i wanted to like it so bad 😭
Always look forward to your videos! 😍
My favorite historical fiction is The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave, it's dark and heavy but soooo good!
witch hunters?! oooh interesting
I am also not that big Kaladin Fan! I love Shallan so much and I think she should get more attention:)
shallan gets so much hate for no reason 😔
I'm praying for both of us 😢 to find the romantsy that make me believe that I don't care about the genre at all ❤❤
i'm on my knees begging 🤞🤞🤞
@@christeascozycorner 😩🙏
Divine rivals was a dnf for me 😶 I understand why people love it but I didn't care for the romance, it was too mushy for my liking. Also why was everybody saying it's rivals to lovers with dragons? 😔 It was set up for the disappointment in both cases since it's not at all what the book focuses on
I've never heard anyone talk about the book having dragons in it?? 😅 And the beginning does focus on the rivalry, even if it is more one-sided.
@@yyuna7 Sadly I've seen a lot of people describe it that way and I love dragons so 😭 Sure they were rivals for a bit but I don't feel like this is a good representation of their dynamic. But you're right I might have been too harsh on it cause I love rivals to lovers. So yeah I wouldn't say it was bad just not for my liking
@@nikolahetn944 Nah, everyone's opinion is valid. I was also disappointed by it, after all the raving reviews. I got pretty much what was advertised, and I acutally liked the beginning, but the rest was meh. Didn't care for the side characters nor the romance.
@@yyuna7 Yeah, I really enjoyed it at first too. I was especially excited about the magical aspects so that ended up being another disappointing point 😆
ahwfaj are you sure you didn't mix up fourth wing and divine rivals? i think they were both talked about a lot at the same time !
FINALLY 🙌🏻 someone who doesn’t like Divine Rivals! I thought I was the only one😅
omg i've found my people 😂
Some of your answers I somehow guessed? I don't know how i did that? XD
I'm just gonna go and answer these questions myself here so we get to know each other better ;P XD
1. Everything Sarah J Maas.
2. Starcrossed by Josefine Angelini (I don't think its popular I have never heard anyone talk about it so counts right?)
3. Ron x Hermione. I hate them.
4. Historical Fiction
5. Same as you
6. Sarah J Maas
7. /
8. Shatter me? Maybe I will though, because I read the first book but Booktok kinda ruined it for me. Its too popular.
hahaha omg @ 5 🫣🤝
You’ll like Kaladin more when Syladin happens though right??
syladin is the only thing that would make kaladin interesting- JK
NOOOOOOOO!!!!
You don’t love Kaladin?! I’ve never read Stormlight Archive, but I’m unsubscribing. The nerve. 😅
admitting this was a calculated risk 🤣