This was refreshing. Social media RIPPED THIS BOOK A NEW ONE and I didn’t feel it was warranted. Was it the best book ever? No. But it was a fun read. I think booktok has made a habit of analyzing every book to the very smallest of details and its next to impossible now for an author to create a “worthy book.”
YAY! A book video! And a Sarah J Mass, so ai know it is gonna be good. I read the first one in this series, and I was not a fan 😂 But her books are always readable. Btw have you read Fourth Wing by Rebacca Yarros? Everyone talked about it. One of my friends read it, and shared all the horny stuff 😂
I have a friend who LOVES fantasy and CC is the only one of her books he likes! But he has a higher tolerance for urban fantasy than I do. No, I’ve heard such mixed reviews for Forth Wing and none of my friends have even touched it! I do know it’s horny though lol and there’s dragons! Beyond yet, I’m a little skeptical. I need someone who loves acotar to tell me if it’s worth my time.
You mentioned cursing and sex scenes. I've really been thinking about these elements as a writer. Obviously, you know I am no prude. But I have this inclination to compartmentalize things. For example, if you watch 80s or 90s movies, there's always that one scene they cram in there, which makes no sense. The obligatory nudity or sex scene. It was always so jarring. I hated that. Not that I hated the nudity 😅 but that they slapped it stupidly in a good film. The same thing with cursing. Sometimes it feels so forced. Now, if you are writing something trashy, it makes sense to include these elements. But I have a real problem when 2 unrelated frameworks cross paths. Like if you are writing for a general audience, you wouldn't expect raunchiness in it. How do you feel about blending in trashy elements with a standard novel?
You’ve perfectly explained my own feelings on the matter. It’s smashing together two different ‘modes’ of reading. When I read fanfiction, I want minimal world-building or plot - in fact get annoyed and start skimming when there’s too much of that stuff. I’m here for my favs to be in ridiculous/scandalous situations that leads to them making out, and by golly I don’t want anything less than that! Once I crack open a real book, I want the writing/world-building/plot to be taken seriously. Sexuality can inform characters and plot, but too much attention on it feels - gross? Excessive? Like this book was an elaborate excuse for the author to explore their own pervy ideas that I got tricked into being subjected with? Now there are books that take their time, sometimes even multiple books, to work up to a sex scene that changes the characters/plot moving forward. That’s a valid way of exploring the subject and feels very human. Now, if we then go from having little-to-no sex scenes, to sex scenes every other chapter, I’m going to lose interest in that story real quick. That being said, one of my biggest criticism with Brandon Sanderson is the complete lack of sexuality in his ‘adult’ fantasy - makes his characters feel completely sterilized. Or like when Disney bough Star Wars, which was never an explicit property by any stretch, but there were women in metal bikinis, a little sexy dancing for jabba the hutt, and anakin’s refusal to be a chastised monk is quite literally the catalyst for the rest of the franchise.
@@clairehollidayauthor Your comments about Star Wars really made me ponder the original trilogy. Looking back, I always saw Leia in bikini and the dancing Oola as rather benign. But I don't think ROTJ would lose anything if these items were omitted. As a kid watching these films, I saw Han, Luke, and Leia more as a group of friends, rather than a steamy love triangle (Luke's revelation of Leia coming later of course). As a kid you don't want to see kissing in your space adventures (Eww, gross!). Do I think Star Wars should be sterilized? It's an interesting question. For example, in the Ahsoka series, I wanted to see where they were traveling to (that was the big mystery), so I was wrapped up in the story. I really didn't care if Ahsoka or some side character "got it on" with another character. It just isn't important. I watch Star Wars for story and space battles. That sounds juvenile, doesn't it? So yeah, I kinda do want it sterilized? I wasn't keen on the Kylo/Rey relationship (gasp, WHAT?!?) but rather, I wanted Rey to be a clone of Luke's hand. That would have been so interesting. It goes back to story and mystery for me. Now, if I wanted to see some space hunk and space chick "getting it on", I would probably watch the 1980s Flash Gordon movie. Wowie wow. Now that is what I am talking about. I need to stop. LOL
THANK YOU for the support alphaholes, much appreciated as always
This was refreshing. Social media RIPPED THIS BOOK A NEW ONE and I didn’t feel it was warranted. Was it the best book ever? No. But it was a fun read. I think booktok has made a habit of analyzing every book to the very smallest of details and its next to impossible now for an author to create a “worthy book.”
YAY! A book video! And a Sarah J Mass, so ai know it is gonna be good. I read the first one in this series, and I was not a fan 😂 But her books are always readable.
Btw have you read Fourth Wing by Rebacca Yarros? Everyone talked about it. One of my friends read it, and shared all the horny stuff 😂
I have a friend who LOVES fantasy and CC is the only one of her books he likes! But he has a higher tolerance for urban fantasy than I do.
No, I’ve heard such mixed reviews for Forth Wing and none of my friends have even touched it! I do know it’s horny though lol and there’s dragons! Beyond yet, I’m a little skeptical. I need someone who loves acotar to tell me if it’s worth my time.
You mentioned cursing and sex scenes. I've really been thinking about these elements as a writer. Obviously, you know I am no prude. But I have this inclination to compartmentalize things. For example, if you watch 80s or 90s movies, there's always that one scene they cram in there, which makes no sense. The obligatory nudity or sex scene. It was always so jarring. I hated that. Not that I hated the nudity 😅 but that they slapped it stupidly in a good film. The same thing with cursing. Sometimes it feels so forced. Now, if you are writing something trashy, it makes sense to include these elements. But I have a real problem when 2 unrelated frameworks cross paths. Like if you are writing for a general audience, you wouldn't expect raunchiness in it. How do you feel about blending in trashy elements with a standard novel?
You’ve perfectly explained my own feelings on the matter. It’s smashing together two different ‘modes’ of reading. When I read fanfiction, I want minimal world-building or plot - in fact get annoyed and start skimming when there’s too much of that stuff. I’m here for my favs to be in ridiculous/scandalous situations that leads to them making out, and by golly I don’t want anything less than that! Once I crack open a real book, I want the writing/world-building/plot to be taken seriously. Sexuality can inform characters and plot, but too much attention on it feels - gross? Excessive? Like this book was an elaborate excuse for the author to explore their own pervy ideas that I got tricked into being subjected with?
Now there are books that take their time, sometimes even multiple books, to work up to a sex scene that changes the characters/plot moving forward. That’s a valid way of exploring the subject and feels very human. Now, if we then go from having little-to-no sex scenes, to sex scenes every other chapter, I’m going to lose interest in that story real quick.
That being said, one of my biggest criticism with Brandon Sanderson is the complete lack of sexuality in his ‘adult’ fantasy - makes his characters feel completely sterilized. Or like when Disney bough Star Wars, which was never an explicit property by any stretch, but there were women in metal bikinis, a little sexy dancing for jabba the hutt, and anakin’s refusal to be a chastised monk is quite literally the catalyst for the rest of the franchise.
@@clairehollidayauthor Your comments about Star Wars really made me ponder the original trilogy. Looking back, I always saw Leia in bikini and the dancing Oola as rather benign. But I don't think ROTJ would lose anything if these items were omitted. As a kid watching these films, I saw Han, Luke, and Leia more as a group of friends, rather than a steamy love triangle (Luke's revelation of Leia coming later of course). As a kid you don't want to see kissing in your space adventures (Eww, gross!). Do I think Star Wars should be sterilized? It's an interesting question. For example, in the Ahsoka series, I wanted to see where they were traveling to (that was the big mystery), so I was wrapped up in the story. I really didn't care if Ahsoka or some side character "got it on" with another character. It just isn't important. I watch Star Wars for story and space battles. That sounds juvenile, doesn't it? So yeah, I kinda do want it sterilized? I wasn't keen on the Kylo/Rey relationship (gasp, WHAT?!?) but rather, I wanted Rey to be a clone of Luke's hand. That would have been so interesting. It goes back to story and mystery for me. Now, if I wanted to see some space hunk and space chick "getting it on", I would probably watch the 1980s Flash Gordon movie. Wowie wow. Now that is what I am talking about. I need to stop. LOL