Have you read Out on a Limb?? By Hannah Bonam-Young It sort of counts since it starts with a Halloween party lol and then continues to have fall vibes throughout 10/10 recommend one of my fav romcoms and based on books you've rated previously I feel like you would like it too
diva you're 100% right about mistborn, starting the brandy sandy journey with way of kings is like starting a 5-course meal with a giant plate of steak and potatoes smothered in gravy
I was that person. It was fun, but I'm the kind of person who adores massive fantasy epics. I think most people would appreciate Mistborn or even one of his non-cosmere books first
I don't think I've ever heard anyone actually suggest TWOK as a starting point for this exact reason haha. Anyone who started the cosmere with TWOK probably did it by accident :') I'm of the Mistborn, Elantris or Warbreaker start suggestion always, even though Stormlight are my most loved... they just simply cannot be the introduction haha
One of my humblest brags is that I was the producer for the audiobook edition of Six Deaths of the Saint! Easily one of the most memorable projects I worked on, and it always cheers me up when you mention it. So few authors "get" how to craft a really good short story, and Harrow absolutely crushed it.
I read Once Upon a Broken Heart first, and it made sense and I loved it. Then I read the whole Caravel trilogy and then re-read the books and I think that was really fun because suddenly everything made a lot more sense and I saw things in a very different light. So it was almost like getting to read the books twice for the first time
OMG thanks for sharing!! I've only read Once upon a broken heart trilogy and have wondered if it would even be worth it to read caraval. But Im excited that you enjoyed rereading OUABH even more after caraval.
Thanks for sharing! I read OUBH trilogy then Caraval trilogy too. I didnt feel like I was missing anything but I think I will reread and see how it is!
The third book for Vicious has been confirmed recently by VE Schwab! Victorious is next on the docket after Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, and I believe there is a readalong of Vicious and Vengeful coming up as she prepares to write the next entry.
trawling through the stormlight archive now and i’m glad i started with mistborn cause it was like i mentally prepared myself for what feels like a gruelling marathon of a series 😂
“Masters of death” was my first Olivie Blake book, and I think I’ve never fallen in love with a book: plot, writing, atmosphere, and author as deep and fast as with this. She’s truly my queen. I’ve already read “One for my enemy” and it’s not as good as “masters of death”, it’s just so unique and amazing, can’t be done better
Murakami will always be special to me, his is an old man like you said and no author is perfect. But I don’t think he’s ever shied away from his flaws. The way he writes sucks you in in a way that hasn’t been replicated for me by any other author. He made me fall in love with reading and also expand my imagination in my own writing. I still have this very vivid memory of college me sitting in a restaurant reading one of his books and being completely absorbed by it, coming out of it an hour later as if I had truly been in another realm. Ha! And I was about to mention After Dark but you did! He also talks about his love and appreciation for music and how it is instrumental (pun intended) to the writing process.
I started with Haruki Murakami with The wind up bird chronicle and I am so so happy I did, it got me really hyped to read more books from him since it was so absolutely amazing. And totally agree with you on V.E Schwab! A darker shade of magic is a really great place to start
I literally screamed at the Cassandra Clare mention😂 I've already read the books but it's so refreshing to see someone talking about her in a non ironic way! ❤
Haha, I haven’t read all of Sanderson’s work but I actually JUST finished reading all of the Cosmere books. Mistborn was the first I read and I, like you, was scared to continue for years until I decided to just dive right into all of them (in publication order) in January this year. I would agree that Mistborn is the best place to start for anyone who wants solid fantasy! Re: The Way of Kings-I LOVE LOVE LOVE Stormlight, Kaladin is one of my favorite characters ever and they’re def my fave Sanderson books, but they are BIG bois and require readers to be prepared and patient before embarking on the journey. I think Mistborn is the perfect compromise of being a solid book that is relatively easy to get into despite its length.
@@AnonJess I staggered non-Sanderson books between, so it honestly wasn’t too bad! And most of the era 2 Mistborn books are surprisingly short, too, so spacing out the thickkk Stormlight books with those and some of the novellas/short stories was definitely helpful for avoiding getting burnt out! But I have a burning desire to just pore over google and websites to figure out everything I missed, because despite reading all of them within a year I think some of the easter eggs and stuff definitely flew over my head, haha! Preparing for the upcoming book 5 of Stormlight to absolutely destroy me 😭
I got into v.e. schwab through this savage song and even though it’s very young adult I loved it and still think about the ending of our dark duet to this day, that series is a masterpiece 😭❤️
Cari!!!! You are so so so so right about Cat Sebastian ! Not even thru ‘You should be…’ and about to order two others by Cat so I have something else to read when I’m done.
T. Kingfisher's newest fantasy is honestly a pretty great place to start with her work I think! A Sorceress Comes To Call is soooo charming as a fantasy, but she uses just a little bit of horror in there too. Lots of humor too (of course)!
I also started T. Kingfishers work with Nettle and Bone and I loved it! I say 'started' but I have yet to read another book by T. Kingfisher, but I'm really excited to read more, because of how mucht I loved Nettle and Bone.
Holly Black's first series is the Modern Faerie series! It's about Kaye and Roiben and then they show up in Cruel Prince! And yes all of her Faerie stuff happens in the same world 😁😁
Masters of death is straight up one of the best most entertaining books have yet to read and I don’t understand why it is not blowing up on booktube or book tok bc it so freaking good!
i'm so here for the t kingfisher love. you should read a wizard's guide to defensive baking, it's a very cute middle grade fantasy. i think I read it first. there's also illuminators which is another cute middle grade fantasy. thornhedge is one of my all time favs and I've reread and loved nettle and bone and paladin's grace.
I'd definitely start with Enchantment of Ravens! It's a novella so it's an excellent way to get the hang of Rogerson's style in a nice, bite-sized chunk
i think t. kingfisher's newest book, a sorceress comes to call, could actually be a great starting point because it kind of has it all! it has some horror elements, it's a fairy tale retelling so you get those vibes, and there's some romance too. so it's potentially a good jumping off point for any of her main 3 genres lol
and as a side note she really does amaze me because she can write so well in FOUR different genres (horror, fantasy, fantasy romance, and middle grade under her real name), AND she can paint/draw really beautifully, AND she's published all her books over the last few years while fighting cancer....how is it possible
From the mentioned authors for me, it's best to start with: ve schwab - a darker shade of magic cassandra clare - city of bones (imo it's honestly good) stephanie garber - once upon a broken heart holly black - the darkest part of the forest t kingfisher - the hollow places margeret rogerson - sorcery of thorns
For V E Schwab (one of my favorite authors), I started with Addie LaRue and loved it, however I feel like the second book I read of her was what really made me know her writing style better, which was Vicious. I do think starting with A Darker Shade of Magic makes sense too, if you're more of a fantasy series, lots of povs, person
With T. Kingfisher, I’m starting with A Sorceress Comes to Call. Haven’t read it yet but I’m excited. With Olivie Blake, I started with The Atlas Six, no it pissed me off. I’ve read Alone With You In The Ether though since then and I loved it. I started with Stephanie Garber because of you actually, and I read OUABH first. I didn’t actually know there was a prequel series, and I don’t think I missed out at all. I prefer OUABH- so whimsical and magical.
I love sitting down to watch you cari like I don't just put you on in the background or with another tab open on the side - i like sitting and making eye contact with you in the video, intently listening. Lmao. And I'm taking notes. Mua!
Yes!! For the authors I've read, I totally agree with you!! Also I loved A Wizard's Guide for Defensive Baking so much! It's precious and cozy but still has a plot and murder! And a mean sourdough starter named Bob! 😂
For Sally Rooney: read Normal People first and I wasn‘t the biggest fan, not sure if I should pick another of her books, because I heard so many great things about that one. As for Holly Black and Stephanie Garber: you can read the later series before the others, even though they are set in the same universe. I personally think that it gave me a lot to read them before the later series, it just depends what your preferences are and if you are planning on reading only this one series or not. I think that for Stephanie Garber, you can feel (and I don’t mean that in any negative way) that Caraval was her first published novel, while in Once Upon a Broken Heart, her writing style feels more smooth and fleshed out, so going back to Caraval might not be as easy. But nevertheless they are all good series and books and if you are thinking of reading any of them, you will probably have a great time ❤
On Holly Black, I recently read her first book Tithe and would recommend it as a place to start. It's a mildly divisive book (depend on if you like the main character or not basically) but is a solid fey book, very fairy tale/whimsical but also quite dark for YA fantasy at times
hi cari, I think a good place to continue with Brando Sando is Warbreaker. Its a bit long but it’s a stand alone and, as a Cosmere newbie, i is totally approachable! The BioChroma magic is really pretty too
t kingfisher - i started with the Paladin's series. I have only read Paladin's Grace and Strength so far, but i immediately fell in love with her. Her humor in these books is insanely top tier. alex e harrow - i started with Six Deaths of the Saint. Was BLOWN AWAY with how perfectly and succintly she wrote all of that plot and intrigue in such little time. Then read Starling House, and next will read Thousand Doors of January probably. margeret rogerson - i dove straight in with Scorcery of Thorns and it was a blasssstttt. I read Enchantment of Ravens next, and although it was also really fun, im glad I read it second. It gave me a chance to stay in her writing style and imagination a little longer but with a different almost cozy vibe instead.
cassie clare has truly put me in a predicament because I wanna tell everyone I know to read the infernal devices, but that means they'd find out about that tmi plotline 👀 and I can't have ppl knowing I read those
i was one of the apparently hundreds of people who submitted t kingfisher lol and even though you said you didn't know how to answer i definitely got one! (i'm always in the market for good horror so twisted ones is definitely going on The List)
Funny I didn’t mind Cruel Prince on first read, but it was because I realized pretty quickly that it was the love story of 2 villains so I wasn’t bothered by the bad behavior. Like they’re evil, they aren’t supposed to be good or moral. I found it interesting- I forgot most of it by now but that’s what stuck with me.
My first Murakami was Sputnik Sweetheart, absolutely adored it but I rarely see people talk about it! Then I went on to read Norwegian Wood and I hated it so much I haven't picked up any of his books since then 😭💀 I'm going to though
I love loveee how i can discover new authors that i never seen or hear before. So thank you thank you for always putting us on/knowing about these amazing and unique authors❤🫧
had to come back to this video because i heard about t kingfisher via one your videos and started listening to thornhedge from this video aND now i’ve just finished paladin’s grace and have a new fave author so thanks so much
VE Schwab - I think everyone should start with Vicious. I think most people have loved it, and if you don't like that one, then she's just not going to be for you. T Kingfisher is one of my favorite authors and I agree it's hard because she writes so many different things, and they are all great! I personally just finished Clockwork Boys and would recommend people start there. It's funny, endearing, entertaining, and a great representation of her wonderful characters. So I recommend that for fantasy lovers. Horror/suspense lovers should start with A Sorceress Comes to Call.
Cari is the reason why I'm part of the OUABH gang. I read Caraval and didn't bother to read the other two, but OUABH had me gagged! Still waiting to read ACFTL though 😭 AND TBONA MADE ME HAVE AN ANEURYSM
I read the Caraval and Once Upon a Broken heart series interleaved and it was amazing. I wasn't even sure which series was first until about half way through.
Ok here is my take on these authors (not that anyone should care). V.E Schwab - Heavy on Shades of Magic (perfect trilogy), would look and Vicious after. Brandon Sanderson - Either start with Mistborn or with The Reckoners (I started with this), don't go into The Way of Kings until you've read Mistborn please (it will be more enjoyable if you are used to his worldbuilding and writing. Cassandra Clare - Go in chronological so start with Infernal Devices the Last hours followed by the other two Alix E Harrow - I started with Six Deaths of the Saint and that's all I've read so far Murakami - Only read Norweigan Wood so no opinion thus far Leigh Bardugo - Love Six of Crows but the audio for Ninth House is great so probably that Olivie Blake - Only have read the first two Atlas Six books but if you enjoy a messy-ish plot then go for it Holly Black - Cruel Prince all the way (Cardan is my boyfriend) T. Kingfisher - Thornhedge is what I started with but so far What Moves the Dead and Nettle and Bone have been my favourites Margaret Roggerson - Sorcery of Thorns all the way (only read that one but loved it) Sally Rooney - Personally love both Normal People and Conversations with Friends. Enjoyed Beautiful World, Where are You and haven't read Intermezzo. I think a big reason why Normal people is so highly loved is because of the people that relate to it. So if you have any kinda history with a one who got away or any experience struggling after leaving high school read that. Otherwise go chronologically by release (though I think Beautiful world and Conversations with friends are less romance heavy, not that any of them are really cute romance).
i have only read two of her books and didnt love one of them so i didnt feel like i was the right person to talk about her! sort of like sally rooney haha
With T. Kingfisher I started at A Wizard's Guide to defensive Baking, wich is funny since you didn't read it 😅 It was great, but I liked Nettle and Bone more and I read that next. Since then I devoured The Saint of Steel series and I loved loved loved it. So if you like phantasy and romance but don't like YA, I would so recommend this.
Love this, so helpful!!! VE Schwab: I started with Addie LaRue and absolutely loved it! Didn’t love Darker Shades of Magic but I do agree that it might be a good one to start with for her. Brandon Sanderson: definitely agree with Mistborn or Tress! I started with Mistborn and also haven’t continued the series (I’m in the middle of Stormlight though haha) Leigh Bardugo: I started with Shadow and Bone but didn’t love it at all. Totally agree about starting with Six of Crows (my favorite of hers)!! Stephanie Garber: I recently read the whole OUABH trilogy and I’ve never read Caraval… Oops 😳😂 Abby Jiminez: whoa hot take on skipping Part of Your World! I disagree because the emotional impact of the last book (Just For the Summer, my personal favorite) isn’t as much if you skip the first book. But to each their own haha Olivie Blake: I didn’t finish The Atlas 6 series either but am intrigued by her other books! T Kingfisher: I’ve only fully read A Sorceress Comes to Call and absolutely loved it! I DNF’ed Nettle and Bone but now I want to read all of her books!! So many others here that I need to read 😊
I have no other experience with V.E. Schwab but read Vicious on KU this past few weeks and was immediately hooked (rated it a 5 star!). I found I loved her writing style and normally wouldn't have thought a "super hero" book would be for me. I am so excited to read her other work!
For Abby Jimmenz I actually read Part of Your World after Yours Truly and I loved that order so much more knowing they would end up together but seeing how was the fun in the journey for me!
The first T. Kingfishers book I read was The Seventh Bride which no one has read! I see kIngfidher all over booktube but never this book. it's about a young woman who is married off to a lord and she goes with his to his enchanted castle. she discovers she's his seventh bride and has to complete a set of tasks to gain her freedom. i really enjoyed it. I'd love to see more people pick it up.
Mistborn..."if you are intimidated by its length" *cries in Stormlight Archive* :D Completely agree about starting with Mistborn. I just discovered Sanderson this year and got through his entire catalog. Currently re-reading SA to prepare for Wind and Truth in December and it is a LOT. Both "Yumi and the Nightmare Painter" and "Warbreaker" are good options for standalones too, but I still think Mistborn is a better entry point!
I'm trying to convince myself to give T. Kingfisher another try. I started with Nettle & Bone (was prepared for the humor but hated the main character), and that's really put me off her stuff! I know a lot of people love her other stuff, so I picked up The House with Good Bones recently-- hopefully I'll read that soon. I'm also going to once again recommend The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed since you like dark fairytales! 😅
I was so patiently waiting for Cari to mention The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, wondering if I missed it after she mentioned a while back that she was finally going to read it. And finally it comes up and.... she's clearly not a fan. Sadness. I started reading Cat Sebastian with We Could Be So Good after Cari rec'ed it/Cat Sebastian but had some traumatic life stuff hit just at the point that things were most stressful in the book. I literally couldn't continue for weeks, not knowing if the time appropriate situation was going to blow up, unable to handle the possibility on top of everything else that was going on IRL. I considered asking a friend to research it for me. If I'd started with other books (or even just read another chapter or two) I wouldn't have been worried. It was epically bad timing, though. Loved the book and want to read We Should Be So Lucky soon. (But lucky for me, as the traumatic life events keep on traumatic-ing, I've found an author with an immense back catalog that's really hitting just right for me so I'm tearing through those for my escapism.)
I have a review of it and i wasnt not a fan, i just think holding it up against all other holly black work, that and book of night are not top priority reads!
27:04 As someone who read once upon a broken heart first bc i didn’t do my research properly I can say that I feel like a bunch of stuff went over my head a little. I didn’t mind that too much. My bigger problem is that it contains major spoilers for the caraval series which I read after. I don’t think it’s a problem to read Once upon a broken heart first if you have no interest in reading caraval. After reading both I can say that I loved once upon a broken heart a lot more. The good thing about reading it in this order is that I relished in every single scene Jacks appeared in in Caraval. I think it made me love him a lot more
I have recently become a fan of Murakami's works, and from what I've read so far I agree with you on the controversy surrounding him which seems most especially centered on his newer works. I haven't read any of his newer stuff yet, only Hear the Wind Sing, Pinball 1973, and A Wild Sheep Chase, and I absolutely loved them. Like you, I loved his writing, and I also really enjoyed the narrator in the Rat series, as well all of the interesting women in those books. A Wild Sheep Chase in general was amazing, with beautiful descriptions, funny scenes, and an ending that made me tear up, all while capturing my complete attention even during the long information sections. My friend has only tried his popular stuff and it has really made her steer away from any of his other work, so it is interesting to hear how different his writing(?) seems to have become over time, and I wish his older stuff got more attention.
@@caricanread Oh my goodness, I added Dance Dance Dance to my reading list after finishing Sheep Chase and I am so excited to read it! Especially after hearing about your tattoo, that's so cool!
I currently have Masters of Death checked out! I read The Atlas Six without being aware of the hype around it, and thought it was all right. But I did read the whole series!
It's me, hi - I'm the person who never read The Mortal Instruments and has only read Infernal Devices and Last Hours lol. I also would disagree on Abby Jimenez. I really liked Part of Your World, but I also feel like knowing those characters and their family backgrounds makes the end of Just for the Summer more impactful.
PLEASE READ NORMAL PEOPLE by Sally Rooney 😭 one of my favorite books. Id recommend for people who enjoy painful love stories, the kind that hurt so good. I guess its perfect if you're in the mood for something like that. Plus the Hulu Show is done so well:) I think Normal People is a good place to start because it gives you an idea of what her writing style is like.
actually, third Vicious book - called Victorious - is currently in the making :D so, yes, it's coming! On her Instagram, Victoria showed us first sentence of the story.
I am scarred because she also shared the first line of the continuation of a darker shade of magic and then its was a LONG wait hahah so im keeping my hopes at a safe level 😂😂
I read Sorcery of Thorns because of your recommendation a while ago and it instantly became one of my favourite books of all time!! It's seriously sooo amazing
25:18 I'm laughing so hard, I only rec Caraval as a standalone because I love how pragmatic Scarlett is but I can't stand Tella 😭, I almost dropped the series after Legendary (I should've done that, Finale felt like a mess)
Cari!!! Tysm for that perspective on murakamis misogyny, i do remember being upset about his female characters i read Sputnik, sweetheart(?) (Native spanish, so the literal translation of the spanish title would be, Spunik, my love). Anygays, i remember bieng very upset about it but till this day i remember perfectly some images from the book, they were very impressive for me, apparently cause i do remember them now and then. But i stop reading him bcs of it? And i didn't knew how to make peace with it. So❤ty
About Holly Black...no one talks about her Modern Faerie tales, which is kinda sad, because i love them, they are from the same world like The cruel prince and they are something like prewiew for some minor characters from CP. And she wrote them much earlier then CP.
As someone who has read every VE Schwab book mulllltiple times, I have thoughts! So I also started with A Darker Shade of Magic, and I agree that that's a great place to start. I feel like that series shows the tone of her writing perfectly. If you're a fantasy lover, definitely start with the Shades of Magic series (and the Prince of Steel comics). Don't read The Fragile Threads of Power if you haven't read Shades of Magic! I know she says you can but she LIES, it's a direct continuation of Shades of Magic and you will be so confused. If you're a sci-fi person, start with Vicious. Schwab has said before that this is her ode to X-men and the relationship between Professor X and Magneto (the ExtraOrdinary comics are also very good, and there is a short story called Warm Up). HOWEVER if you're a YA reader who hasn't dipped into adult yet, DEFINITELY start with her Monsters of Verity duology! Ooooooh it's so good. It's all about what defines a monster and how morally grey can you be before you're fully a villain. I also really love her Dark Vault series (personally it's my favorite, it's what I've reread the most) but I recognize that it isn't her greatest work. It was also never finished and never will be so if that bothers you, you can skip it, it's not connected to anything else. The Near Witch is my least favorite work of hers, but it was also her debut so it's only up from there. She has two middle-grade works, the Cassidy Blake series (City of Ghosts) that is unfortunately a little Harry Potter obsessed so if that bothers you don't read it, and Gallant which is kind of like middle-grade for adults? It's very much like a dark Secret Garden. She also has a short story called First Kill, which is a vampire/vampire hunter sapphic romance and had a Netflix adaptation of the same name (sadly cancelled after one season). Addie La Rue is good, I won't deny it, but it's far from my favorite. I feel like it's not a great place to start with her books just because it's a completely different writing style and tone from everything else. If you have read it and didn't like it, I would still try her other books because Addie is so different. Her next book coming in 2025, Bury our Bones in the Midnight Soil, seems like it might be tonally similar to Addie, but more dark academia? I know it's sapphic and that's pretty much it lol. But yeah, she really has something for everyone, whether you read fantasy, sci-fi, horror, literary fiction, or even romance. All of her books have some sort of fantastical/supernatural element to them, but all to varying degrees. Happy reading!
No you're so right about BrandySandy though. My brother was told by everyone he asked (which didnt include me 😒) to start with Way of Kings and he did NOT vibe with it at all, and now he's reluctant to try any of his other books!!
The only T Kingfisher i've read as of yet is Thorn Hedge and i dont remember it as particularly funny, but i thought it was a GREAT fairytale and i loved the writing, so it got me really excited to start reading her novels :)
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
these halloween romcoms are slowly draining me of my will to live but the video will be up next week!
I believe in you!!!!
Really looking forward to this one. 🤭
Have you read Out on a Limb?? By Hannah Bonam-Young It sort of counts since it starts with a Halloween party lol and then continues to have fall vibes throughout 10/10 recommend one of my fav romcoms and based on books you've rated previously I feel like you would like it too
diva you're 100% right about mistborn, starting the brandy sandy journey with way of kings is like starting a 5-course meal with a giant plate of steak and potatoes smothered in gravy
😂😂😂😂😂
I was that person. It was fun, but I'm the kind of person who adores massive fantasy epics. I think most people would appreciate Mistborn or even one of his non-cosmere books first
I didn't know anything about it and just started with way of kings and I loved it and I'm now addicted but I wish I started with mistborn
vejo diva e sei que é do Brasil kkkkkk
I don't think I've ever heard anyone actually suggest TWOK as a starting point for this exact reason haha. Anyone who started the cosmere with TWOK probably did it by accident :') I'm of the Mistborn, Elantris or Warbreaker start suggestion always, even though Stormlight are my most loved... they just simply cannot be the introduction haha
One of my humblest brags is that I was the producer for the audiobook edition of Six Deaths of the Saint! Easily one of the most memorable projects I worked on, and it always cheers me up when you mention it. So few authors "get" how to craft a really good short story, and Harrow absolutely crushed it.
cari is always a comfort watch for me like that friend that you always click with!
omg :"'''''')
Hi
I've been lost in the woods for 30 years and was never taught to read. This is the perfect video for me! It's time to make a change, world!
Follow my voice! We’ll get you out of the woods!!
Norwegian Wood & Kafka are also my two least favorite Murakamis! And love how you explained the misogyny in his work, I completely agree!!
Your bit on Murakami is the first time I've ever actually been interested to read his work!! Gonna have to stew on it and see
I read Once Upon a Broken Heart first, and it made sense and I loved it. Then I read the whole Caravel trilogy and then re-read the books and I think that was really fun because suddenly everything made a lot more sense and I saw things in a very different light. So it was almost like getting to read the books twice for the first time
OMG thanks for sharing!! I've only read Once upon a broken heart trilogy and have wondered if it would even be worth it to read caraval. But Im excited that you enjoyed rereading OUABH even more after caraval.
I've only read the OUABH trilogy so far. Loved it, was addicted to those books and read them soooo fast. Maybe I should pick up Caraval!
Thanks for sharing!
I read OUBH trilogy then Caraval trilogy too. I didnt feel like I was missing anything but I think I will reread and see how it is!
The third book for Vicious has been confirmed recently by VE Schwab! Victorious is next on the docket after Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, and I believe there is a readalong of Vicious and Vengeful coming up as she prepares to write the next entry.
trawling through the stormlight archive now and i’m glad i started with mistborn cause it was like i mentally prepared myself for what feels like a gruelling marathon of a series 😂
🙏🙏🙏
Mistborn was so so good, that ending was the most satisfying and at the same time heartbreaking stuff i have read in my whole life 😭
There is truly not enough love in the world for ninth house especially hell bent! They were my first (and only so far) leigh bardugo books
Yesss!!!
“Masters of death” was my first Olivie Blake book, and I think I’ve never fallen in love with a book: plot, writing, atmosphere, and author as deep and fast as with this. She’s truly my queen. I’ve already read “One for my enemy” and it’s not as good as “masters of death”, it’s just so unique and amazing, can’t be done better
Thank you for making this video! ❤ I tried T kingfisher by reading thorn hedge and I LOVED IT. Immediately reading everything from them now
Murakami will always be special to me, his is an old man like you said and no author is perfect. But I don’t think he’s ever shied away from his flaws. The way he writes sucks you in in a way that hasn’t been replicated for me by any other author. He made me fall in love with reading and also expand my imagination in my own writing. I still have this very vivid memory of college me sitting in a restaurant reading one of his books and being completely absorbed by it, coming out of it an hour later as if I had truly been in another realm.
Ha! And I was about to mention After Dark but you did! He also talks about his love and appreciation for music and how it is instrumental (pun intended) to the writing process.
especially his earlier work!
Yes! I love love After Dark
I started with Haruki Murakami with The wind up bird chronicle and I am so so happy I did, it got me really hyped to read more books from him since it was so absolutely amazing.
And totally agree with you on V.E Schwab! A darker shade of magic is a really great place to start
I just read The Last Tale of the Flower Bride based on your recommendation and loved it!
wahhh im so glad!!
I literally screamed at the Cassandra Clare mention😂 I've already read the books but it's so refreshing to see someone talking about her in a non ironic way! ❤
Haha, I haven’t read all of Sanderson’s work but I actually JUST finished reading all of the Cosmere books. Mistborn was the first I read and I, like you, was scared to continue for years until I decided to just dive right into all of them (in publication order) in January this year. I would agree that Mistborn is the best place to start for anyone who wants solid fantasy!
Re: The Way of Kings-I LOVE LOVE LOVE Stormlight, Kaladin is one of my favorite characters ever and they’re def my fave Sanderson books, but they are BIG bois and require readers to be prepared and patient before embarking on the journey. I think Mistborn is the perfect compromise of being a solid book that is relatively easy to get into despite its length.
Omg, how is your brain doing? I feel like if I finished all of them, I would need a year long vacation
@@AnonJess I staggered non-Sanderson books between, so it honestly wasn’t too bad! And most of the era 2 Mistborn books are surprisingly short, too, so spacing out the thickkk Stormlight books with those and some of the novellas/short stories was definitely helpful for avoiding getting burnt out!
But I have a burning desire to just pore over google and websites to figure out everything I missed, because despite reading all of them within a year I think some of the easter eggs and stuff definitely flew over my head, haha!
Preparing for the upcoming book 5 of Stormlight to absolutely destroy me 😭
Cari is actually who I see in my head for Shallan!
I got into v.e. schwab through this savage song and even though it’s very young adult I loved it and still think about the ending of our dark duet to this day, that series is a masterpiece 😭❤️
Yes!! The only reason i didn’t rec starting with it is its veeeery lyrical lol ve Schwab turned up to the max hahha
Cari!!!! You are so so so so right about Cat Sebastian ! Not even thru ‘You should be…’ and about to order two others by Cat so I have something else to read when I’m done.
Cari you are my comfort youtuber, i feel like we are friends
This concept is SO GOOD!!! Please consider repeating this periodically or annually 😊
this format really suits me
T. Kingfisher's newest fantasy is honestly a pretty great place to start with her work I think! A Sorceress Comes To Call is soooo charming as a fantasy, but she uses just a little bit of horror in there too. Lots of humor too (of course)!
I never read Caraval and love Jacks. I also love the cartoonish style that she writes in.
Yay! So excited to watch! 🩷
thanks for being here!!
I also started T. Kingfishers work with Nettle and Bone and I loved it! I say 'started' but I have yet to read another book by T. Kingfisher, but I'm really excited to read more, because of how mucht I loved Nettle and Bone.
Holly Black's first series is the Modern Faerie series! It's about Kaye and Roiben and then they show up in Cruel Prince! And yes all of her Faerie stuff happens in the same world 😁😁
Masters of death is straight up one of the best most entertaining books have yet to read and I don’t understand why it is not blowing up on booktube or book tok bc it so freaking good!
Its pretty huge on my corner of booktok at least!
For real, no one talked about it when it came out and I was losing my mind obsessing over it
i'm so here for the t kingfisher love. you should read a wizard's guide to defensive baking, it's a very cute middle grade fantasy. i think I read it first. there's also illuminators which is another cute middle grade fantasy. thornhedge is one of my all time favs and I've reread and loved nettle and bone and paladin's grace.
SIX DEATHS OF THE SAINT 🗣️🗣️🗣️
I'd definitely start with Enchantment of Ravens! It's a novella so it's an excellent way to get the hang of Rogerson's style in a nice, bite-sized chunk
i think t. kingfisher's newest book, a sorceress comes to call, could actually be a great starting point because it kind of has it all! it has some horror elements, it's a fairy tale retelling so you get those vibes, and there's some romance too. so it's potentially a good jumping off point for any of her main 3 genres lol
and as a side note she really does amaze me because she can write so well in FOUR different genres (horror, fantasy, fantasy romance, and middle grade under her real name), AND she can paint/draw really beautifully, AND she's published all her books over the last few years while fighting cancer....how is it possible
i was coming here to say basically the same thing!! a sorceress comes to call is quintessential t. kingfisher
My weekly 2am watch
omg go to sleeeeep!
From the mentioned authors for me, it's best to start with:
ve schwab - a darker shade of magic
cassandra clare - city of bones (imo it's honestly good)
stephanie garber - once upon a broken heart
holly black - the darkest part of the forest
t kingfisher - the hollow places
margeret rogerson - sorcery of thorns
For V E Schwab (one of my favorite authors), I started with Addie LaRue and loved it, however I feel like the second book I read of her was what really made me know her writing style better, which was Vicious. I do think starting with A Darker Shade of Magic makes sense too, if you're more of a fantasy series, lots of povs, person
I for sure think midnight has a flavor. I’d describe it as very crisp, very delightful, magical tasting.
With T. Kingfisher, I’m starting with A Sorceress Comes to Call. Haven’t read it yet but I’m excited.
With Olivie Blake, I started with The Atlas Six, no it pissed me off. I’ve read Alone With You In The Ether though since then and I loved it.
I started with Stephanie Garber because of you actually, and I read OUABH first. I didn’t actually know there was a prequel series, and I don’t think I missed out at all. I prefer OUABH- so whimsical and magical.
I love sitting down to watch you cari like I don't just put you on in the background or with another tab open on the side - i like sitting and making eye contact with you in the video, intently listening. Lmao. And I'm taking notes. Mua!
Yes!! For the authors I've read, I totally agree with you!! Also I loved A Wizard's Guide for Defensive Baking so much! It's precious and cozy but still has a plot and murder! And a mean sourdough starter named Bob! 😂
For Sally Rooney: read Normal People first and I wasn‘t the biggest fan, not sure if I should pick another of her books, because I heard so many great things about that one.
As for Holly Black and Stephanie Garber: you can read the later series before the others, even though they are set in the same universe. I personally think that it gave me a lot to read them before the later series, it just depends what your preferences are and if you are planning on reading only this one series or not. I think that for Stephanie Garber, you can feel (and I don’t mean that in any negative way) that Caraval was her first published novel, while in Once Upon a Broken Heart, her writing style feels more smooth and fleshed out, so going back to Caraval might not be as easy. But nevertheless they are all good series and books and if you are thinking of reading any of them, you will probably have a great time ❤
I’m always curious about author reading orders. By the way your hair color looks stunning in this video!!!
On Holly Black, I recently read her first book Tithe and would recommend it as a place to start. It's a mildly divisive book (depend on if you like the main character or not basically) but is a solid fey book, very fairy tale/whimsical but also quite dark for YA fantasy at times
hi cari, I think a good place to continue with Brando Sando is Warbreaker. Its a bit long but it’s a stand alone and, as a Cosmere newbie, i is totally approachable! The BioChroma magic is really pretty too
t kingfisher - i started with the Paladin's series. I have only read Paladin's Grace and Strength so far, but i immediately fell in love with her. Her humor in these books is insanely top tier.
alex e harrow - i started with Six Deaths of the Saint. Was BLOWN AWAY with how perfectly and succintly she wrote all of that plot and intrigue in such little time. Then read Starling House, and next will read Thousand Doors of January probably.
margeret rogerson - i dove straight in with Scorcery of Thorns and it was a blasssstttt. I read Enchantment of Ravens next, and although it was also really fun, im glad I read it second. It gave me a chance to stay in her writing style and imagination a little longer but with a different almost cozy vibe instead.
cassie clare has truly put me in a predicament because I wanna tell everyone I know to read the infernal devices, but that means they'd find out about that tmi plotline 👀 and I can't have ppl knowing I read those
lmaoooo i understand
i was one of the apparently hundreds of people who submitted t kingfisher lol and even though you said you didn't know how to answer i definitely got one! (i'm always in the market for good horror so twisted ones is definitely going on The List)
For Murakami, I think "Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World" is a near perfect book. That's where I'd recommend starting.
Please read tithe, valiant, and Ironside by Holly black! They are my absolute favorites
Funny I didn’t mind Cruel Prince on first read, but it was because I realized pretty quickly that it was the love story of 2 villains so I wasn’t bothered by the bad behavior. Like they’re evil, they aren’t supposed to be good or moral. I found it interesting- I forgot most of it by now but that’s what stuck with me.
My first Murakami was Sputnik Sweetheart, absolutely adored it but I rarely see people talk about it! Then I went on to read Norwegian Wood and I hated it so much I haven't picked up any of his books since then 😭💀 I'm going to though
Ahh I think this finally convinced me to give Murakami a chance
i loved the infernal devices trilogy and i have to admit, to this day, nothing compares to the epilogue of clockwork princess
I love loveee how i can discover new authors that i never seen or hear before. So thank you thank you for always putting us on/knowing about these amazing and unique authors❤🫧
oh im glad you found new ones!!
had to come back to this video because i heard about t kingfisher via one your videos and started listening to thornhedge from this video aND now i’ve just finished paladin’s grace and have a new fave author so thanks so much
VE Schwab - I think everyone should start with Vicious. I think most people have loved it, and if you don't like that one, then she's just not going to be for you. T Kingfisher is one of my favorite authors and I agree it's hard because she writes so many different things, and they are all great! I personally just finished Clockwork Boys and would recommend people start there. It's funny, endearing, entertaining, and a great representation of her wonderful characters. So I recommend that for fantasy lovers. Horror/suspense lovers should start with A Sorceress Comes to Call.
Cari is the reason why I'm part of the OUABH gang. I read Caraval and didn't bother to read the other two, but OUABH had me gagged! Still waiting to read ACFTL though 😭 AND TBONA MADE ME HAVE AN ANEURYSM
With T. Kingfisher I started at Bryony and Roses, which I think was a great start! 🥀
I read the Caraval and Once Upon a Broken heart series interleaved and it was amazing. I wasn't even sure which series was first until about half way through.
11:55 Cassandra Clare is my favorite author ever (her books introduced me to the world of reading)
Ok here is my take on these authors (not that anyone should care).
V.E Schwab - Heavy on Shades of Magic (perfect trilogy), would look and Vicious after.
Brandon Sanderson - Either start with Mistborn or with The Reckoners (I started with this), don't go into The Way of Kings until you've read Mistborn please (it will be more enjoyable if you are used to his worldbuilding and writing.
Cassandra Clare - Go in chronological so start with Infernal Devices the Last hours followed by the other two
Alix E Harrow - I started with Six Deaths of the Saint and that's all I've read so far
Murakami - Only read Norweigan Wood so no opinion thus far
Leigh Bardugo - Love Six of Crows but the audio for Ninth House is great so probably that
Olivie Blake - Only have read the first two Atlas Six books but if you enjoy a messy-ish plot then go for it
Holly Black - Cruel Prince all the way (Cardan is my boyfriend)
T. Kingfisher - Thornhedge is what I started with but so far What Moves the Dead and Nettle and Bone have been my favourites
Margaret Roggerson - Sorcery of Thorns all the way (only read that one but loved it)
Sally Rooney - Personally love both Normal People and Conversations with Friends. Enjoyed Beautiful World, Where are You and haven't read Intermezzo. I think a big reason why Normal people is so highly loved is because of the people that relate to it. So if you have any kinda history with a one who got away or any experience struggling after leaving high school read that. Otherwise go chronologically by release (though I think Beautiful world and Conversations with friends are less romance heavy, not that any of them are really cute romance).
suprised ava reid wasn’t here with t king being so asked about.
loved this starter vid
i have only read two of her books and didnt love one of them so i didnt feel like i was the right person to talk about her! sort of like sally rooney haha
@@caricanread heard! i just feel like I always see the two names in tandem.
With T. Kingfisher I started at A Wizard's Guide to defensive Baking, wich is funny since you didn't read it 😅
It was great, but I liked Nettle and Bone more and I read that next.
Since then I devoured The Saint of Steel series and I loved loved loved it. So if you like phantasy and romance but don't like YA, I would so recommend this.
Love this, so helpful!!!
VE Schwab: I started with Addie LaRue and absolutely loved it! Didn’t love Darker Shades of Magic but I do agree that it might be a good one to start with for her.
Brandon Sanderson: definitely agree with Mistborn or Tress! I started with Mistborn and also haven’t continued the series (I’m in the middle of Stormlight though haha)
Leigh Bardugo: I started with Shadow and Bone but didn’t love it at all. Totally agree about starting with Six of Crows (my favorite of hers)!!
Stephanie Garber: I recently read the whole OUABH trilogy and I’ve never read Caraval… Oops 😳😂
Abby Jiminez: whoa hot take on skipping Part of Your World! I disagree because the emotional impact of the last book (Just For the Summer, my personal favorite) isn’t as much if you skip the first book. But to each their own haha
Olivie Blake: I didn’t finish The Atlas 6 series either but am intrigued by her other books!
T Kingfisher: I’ve only fully read A Sorceress Comes to Call and absolutely loved it! I DNF’ed Nettle and Bone but now I want to read all of her books!!
So many others here that I need to read 😊
Just read Sorcery of Thorns. Loved it. Thanks for the recommend!
I have no other experience with V.E. Schwab but read Vicious on KU this past few weeks and was immediately hooked (rated it a 5 star!). I found I loved her writing style and normally wouldn't have thought a "super hero" book would be for me. I am so excited to read her other work!
For Abby Jimmenz I actually read Part of Your World after Yours Truly and I loved that order so much more knowing they would end up together but seeing how was the fun in the journey for me!
I never thought (as a woman) Murakami was a misogynist, I didn't know that was a popular stance. He just has his own world in his head.
@@ursulaking4411 exactly
The first T. Kingfishers book I read was The Seventh Bride which no one has read! I see kIngfidher all over booktube but never this book. it's about a young woman who is married off to a lord and she goes with his to his enchanted castle. she discovers she's his seventh bride and has to complete a set of tasks to gain her freedom. i really enjoyed it. I'd love to see more people pick it up.
Mistborn..."if you are intimidated by its length" *cries in Stormlight Archive* :D
Completely agree about starting with Mistborn. I just discovered Sanderson this year and got through his entire catalog. Currently re-reading SA to prepare for Wind and Truth in December and it is a LOT. Both "Yumi and the Nightmare Painter" and "Warbreaker" are good options for standalones too, but I still think Mistborn is a better entry point!
I'm trying to convince myself to give T. Kingfisher another try. I started with Nettle & Bone (was prepared for the humor but hated the main character), and that's really put me off her stuff! I know a lot of people love her other stuff, so I picked up The House with Good Bones recently-- hopefully I'll read that soon.
I'm also going to once again recommend The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed since you like dark fairytales! 😅
I started with Nettle and bone, it was so funny 😂. I'm reading the Hollow places rn.
Not me taking notes for Leigh Bardugo when I already read The familiar and absolutely love it 😂😂😂
I was so patiently waiting for Cari to mention The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, wondering if I missed it after she mentioned a while back that she was finally going to read it. And finally it comes up and.... she's clearly not a fan. Sadness.
I started reading Cat Sebastian with We Could Be So Good after Cari rec'ed it/Cat Sebastian but had some traumatic life stuff hit just at the point that things were most stressful in the book. I literally couldn't continue for weeks, not knowing if the time appropriate situation was going to blow up, unable to handle the possibility on top of everything else that was going on IRL. I considered asking a friend to research it for me. If I'd started with other books (or even just read another chapter or two) I wouldn't have been worried. It was epically bad timing, though. Loved the book and want to read We Should Be So Lucky soon. (But lucky for me, as the traumatic life events keep on traumatic-ing, I've found an author with an immense back catalog that's really hitting just right for me so I'm tearing through those for my escapism.)
I have a review of it and i wasnt not a fan, i just think holding it up against all other holly black work, that and book of night are not top priority reads!
And hope things start getting easier for you!!
vicious is my favorite of ve schwab (and you're not alone, I have, so far, mixed opinions on addie larue too)
You have to read Warbraker by Brandon Sanderson! It's a standalone with an amazing magic system based on colours. I am rereading it right now! ❤
27:04 As someone who read once upon a broken heart first bc i didn’t do my research properly I can say that I feel like a bunch of stuff went over my head a little. I didn’t mind that too much. My bigger problem is that it contains major spoilers for the caraval series which I read after. I don’t think it’s a problem to read Once upon a broken heart first if you have no interest in reading caraval. After reading both I can say that I loved once upon a broken heart a lot more. The good thing about reading it in this order is that I relished in every single scene Jacks appeared in in Caraval. I think it made me love him a lot more
Loved this video, Cari! Thank you :)
I still think about Six Deaths of a Saint. It was so incredible. Just unreal.
I have recently become a fan of Murakami's works, and from what I've read so far I agree with you on the controversy surrounding him which seems most especially centered on his newer works. I haven't read any of his newer stuff yet, only Hear the Wind Sing, Pinball 1973, and A Wild Sheep Chase, and I absolutely loved them. Like you, I loved his writing, and I also really enjoyed the narrator in the Rat series, as well all of the interesting women in those books. A Wild Sheep Chase in general was amazing, with beautiful descriptions, funny scenes, and an ending that made me tear up, all while capturing my complete attention even during the long information sections. My friend has only tried his popular stuff and it has really made her steer away from any of his other work, so it is interesting to hear how different his writing(?) seems to have become over time, and I wish his older stuff got more attention.
I actually have a tattoo based of a character/scene in dance dance dance 🥹 (sequel to wild sheep chase!)
@@caricanread Oh my goodness, I added Dance Dance Dance to my reading list after finishing Sheep Chase and I am so excited to read it! Especially after hearing about your tattoo, that's so cool!
I currently have Masters of Death checked out! I read The Atlas Six without being aware of the hype around it, and thought it was all right. But I did read the whole series!
The infernal devices... Those books did something to me
It's me, hi - I'm the person who never read The Mortal Instruments and has only read Infernal Devices and Last Hours lol. I also would disagree on Abby Jimenez. I really liked Part of Your World, but I also feel like knowing those characters and their family backgrounds makes the end of Just for the Summer more impactful.
I actually started V.E. with her children's book series published under Victoria Schwab City of Ghosts. That is a great place to start.
PLEASE READ NORMAL PEOPLE by Sally Rooney 😭 one of my favorite books. Id recommend for people who enjoy painful love stories, the kind that hurt so good. I guess its perfect if you're in the mood for something like that. Plus the Hulu Show is done so well:)
I think Normal People is a good place to start because it gives you an idea of what her writing style is like.
actually, third Vicious book - called Victorious - is currently in the making :D so, yes, it's coming! On her Instagram, Victoria showed us first sentence of the story.
I am scarred because she also shared the first line of the continuation of a darker shade of magic and then its was a LONG wait hahah so im keeping my hopes at a safe level 😂😂
The Hollow Places by T Kingfisher is god tier. One of my top 10 horror novels
I read Sorcery of Thorns because of your recommendation a while ago and it instantly became one of my favourite books of all time!! It's seriously sooo amazing
my favorite weird game is trying to guess the sponsor of the video before you introduce them and i don’t wanna brag but im very good at it 😂
I will definitely be watching this again cause i’m just now getting back into reading and I trust your taste more than my own so far 😅
🙏🙏🙏
25:18 I'm laughing so hard, I only rec Caraval as a standalone because I love how pragmatic Scarlett is but I can't stand Tella 😭, I almost dropped the series after Legendary (I should've done that, Finale felt like a mess)
Cari!!! Tysm for that perspective on murakamis misogyny, i do remember being upset about his female characters i read Sputnik, sweetheart(?) (Native spanish, so the literal translation of the spanish title would be, Spunik, my love). Anygays, i remember bieng very upset about it but till this day i remember perfectly some images from the book, they were very impressive for me, apparently cause i do remember them now and then. But i stop reading him bcs of it? And i didn't knew how to make peace with it. So❤ty
About Holly Black...no one talks about her Modern Faerie tales, which is kinda sad, because i love them, they are from the same world like The cruel prince and they are something like prewiew for some minor characters from CP. And she wrote them much earlier then CP.
You Should Be So Lucky was my first Cat Sebastian book, and it definitely works as an intro!
For Sally Rooney, start with Normal People OR Intermezzo. I just read Intermezzo and it was GENIUS and my favorite book by her yet!
As someone who has read every VE Schwab book mulllltiple times, I have thoughts! So I also started with A Darker Shade of Magic, and I agree that that's a great place to start. I feel like that series shows the tone of her writing perfectly. If you're a fantasy lover, definitely start with the Shades of Magic series (and the Prince of Steel comics). Don't read The Fragile Threads of Power if you haven't read Shades of Magic! I know she says you can but she LIES, it's a direct continuation of Shades of Magic and you will be so confused. If you're a sci-fi person, start with Vicious. Schwab has said before that this is her ode to X-men and the relationship between Professor X and Magneto (the ExtraOrdinary comics are also very good, and there is a short story called Warm Up). HOWEVER if you're a YA reader who hasn't dipped into adult yet, DEFINITELY start with her Monsters of Verity duology! Ooooooh it's so good. It's all about what defines a monster and how morally grey can you be before you're fully a villain. I also really love her Dark Vault series (personally it's my favorite, it's what I've reread the most) but I recognize that it isn't her greatest work. It was also never finished and never will be so if that bothers you, you can skip it, it's not connected to anything else. The Near Witch is my least favorite work of hers, but it was also her debut so it's only up from there. She has two middle-grade works, the Cassidy Blake series (City of Ghosts) that is unfortunately a little Harry Potter obsessed so if that bothers you don't read it, and Gallant which is kind of like middle-grade for adults? It's very much like a dark Secret Garden. She also has a short story called First Kill, which is a vampire/vampire hunter sapphic romance and had a Netflix adaptation of the same name (sadly cancelled after one season). Addie La Rue is good, I won't deny it, but it's far from my favorite. I feel like it's not a great place to start with her books just because it's a completely different writing style and tone from everything else. If you have read it and didn't like it, I would still try her other books because Addie is so different. Her next book coming in 2025, Bury our Bones in the Midnight Soil, seems like it might be tonally similar to Addie, but more dark academia? I know it's sapphic and that's pretty much it lol. But yeah, she really has something for everyone, whether you read fantasy, sci-fi, horror, literary fiction, or even romance. All of her books have some sort of fantastical/supernatural element to them, but all to varying degrees. Happy reading!
No you're so right about BrandySandy though. My brother was told by everyone he asked (which didnt include me 😒) to start with Way of Kings and he did NOT vibe with it at all, and now he's reluctant to try any of his other books!!
The only T Kingfisher i've read as of yet is Thorn Hedge and i dont remember it as particularly funny, but i thought it was a GREAT fairytale and i loved the writing, so it got me really excited to start reading her novels :)
cari try The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw! It's definitely for the weather right now and I have a feeling you might like it; or not idk