my favorite amazon review: "You see this book while at the grocery shop. You pick it up not because it looks interesting, but because it has a recognizable name on it. You think whether this Duff character has any talent. So you read the back of the synopsis. But as you're doing that your ice cream in your arm starts to melt. You sweep it up into your cart and get to the check out. The cashier sees your novel and gives you a nod. You think that's a good sign. So you take it home, and when you have some freedom, you check it out. It's bad. So bad that you throw up. Your puke goes all over your bed and you don't wonder why. You leave the room to get paper towers, and your dog goes in and licks it up before you return. You curse the heavens, then go to bed. You don't like it. You put your Elixir book up for sale on eBay, but it only sells for a penny and the cost of shipping. You regret your decision. You light up and cigarette and accidentally burn your house down when you go to sleep. You regret buying that Duff novel. You try to sue her, but your case is thrown out, and you're seen as crazy. Now living with your mother in law, without nothing on the horizon, you end it all."
This could make a decent horror story the books basically cursed and causes misfortune from the pure depression and unbridled disgust it puts someone through, and then the story ends when the next owner of the book who bought it for a penny opens the cover.
@@kittykittybangbang9367 as dead as Edward Cullen, yet according to the books, that gobshite, his 'embodiment of beige' wife and creepy nightmare baby are still strolling around, so....
James: She had a show called the Lizzy Mcguire Show. And then a movie called the Lizzy Mcguire Movie. And then a music career... Me: -- called the Lizzy Mcguire Music Career, yes.
Honestly 50 shades had some decent sex scenes (but not all it's cracked up to be). Minus points for being a really bad intro to BDSM. Grey is a really bad dom, he needs to work on his aftercare.
Shonen_X_Trash His aftercare isn’t just nonexistent, he’s a fractured abuse victim using BDSM to abuse someone else. He employs coercion, manipulation and verbal abuse to get Dakota Johnson’s character into sexual situations she’s reluctant to try...that’s abuse.
You know, I feel like after finding out about that, it would then end the chain. Why would he bother trying to date her if he knows it's not going to work, anyway?
I heard the descriptor "dark figure" and started picturing Sage as basically the babadook, and I didn't stop doing that even when he met up with the other characters. just three teens and a shadow demon hanging out
I'm a U.S. citizen who actively follows politics. I would not be able to name the child of a senator if my life depended on it. Edit: Oh yeah, Meghan McCain. Score!
@@wrmsnicket That's different. They're presidents' kids. There can only be one president at a time, they're highly publicized and everyone's involved in what they do so it's easy to know their families. Contrast that to 100 US senators and you see why people don't know most of them and can't be expected to know what their kids look like.
Senpai, if I ever commit the shameful act of publishing a substandard novel, I hope you will make a review video for it. I can reclaim my honor through death in this arena.
The funniest part is her being constantly recognized everywhere she goes. As a Brazilian, I know exactly zero US senators, and neither does anyone I've ever met, and ESPECIALLY not their children. I don't think Japanese people know them either. But out of all the weird stuff in these books, I guess this is one of the least insulting ones.
Of the 100 US Senators, I can only consistently recognize three: McConnell, Sanders, and Cruz. I have no idea if any of them have kids, and I would certainly not be able to identify them unless they inherited their parent’s features almost exactly. For reference, I’m American and I do read the news frequently.
True. We can barely keep up with what's going on in our politics. I just know the president of some other countries and that's all. And about the kids, I only know Tump's young son because of memes and crazy theories. That's all.
"Reincarnated every hundred years just to be cuckolded by the same guy" sounds like a great curse, I need to use that in a game sometime. Also I love that you have a shirt with yourself on it.
In all honesty, I'd prefer to read a book about that guy, especially if he knows what's going to happen ahead of time. His attempt to prevent his (supposedly) inevitable destiny to have the love of his life stolen from him could make for an interesting story, and you could even have him struggle internally with whether he even should prevent it in the first place, since he ultimately does love the girl and wants her to be happy.
I actually laughed when you said they developed psychic powers by thinking hard Also if I met somebody who has stalked me since birth but assures me it's OK since they are immortal and 5 incarnations ago we were dating, I'd call the police, not bang them in a car
To be honest walking up to the girl you like and saying "hey im the guy who stalked you since you were born but we fucked in our former lifes " will totally result in you getting a date
These books weren't even written by Duff despite her claims. Duff came up with the plot and characters, but the books were written by a ghost writer who was supposedly guided by Duff. Duff claims that she wrote the whole thing, but she only came up with the plot and characters. She thinks that the fact that she came up with the plot and characters, that equals writing the book. She also didn't credit the ghost writer.
That's why they're ghost writers. I don't know the bureaucracy behind rules of being a ghost writer, but at its simplest, ghost writers are hired to basically use their skills without creditation. Famed writers often do this. A local author I know hire ghost writers under one pen name. They are never credited, except for that pen name.
I'd hate to be a ghost writer, to put all the effort in and not get any credit would feel bad. I would write a book for someone with a plot idea as long as both our names could be on the cover.
If the main character is Hillary’s self insert who’s recognized everywhere, why not just the character be a former actor too? It would make the most sense.
My theory: people don't recognize her everywhere anymore, so it was not just a simple self-insert story but a wet dream of her being more famous (= being recognized all the time).
I'm a bit late but here's my take: No matter if this applies to this case (probably not but that's not my point), many writers include personal experiences and bits of their past and traits in their books and characters to deal with this certain thing or make the book more personal. Honestly Clea being the daughter of a famous actor or being an actress herself probably screams self insert but it could also just be her trying to include some personal stuff on her book. I don't know where I'm going with this.
Sage and Clitoris They find the last place where Clay’s dad was A little vision of Clllfeeea’s dad Little does he know that Clalala And Clalis And Clalaes From Clales Trying to help Clalelases Him and Clala Hillary what the shit And then Cleala Clealalala and Sage Sage and Clalalalvava
Never read the book, but going by your description of everbody recognising the protagonist as senador's daughter, even here in Brazil. Man, her mother must have done a s**t job, to be all over the news.
That or she did/said something publicly that was embarrassing enough to obtain meme status, to the point where people all over the world knows who she is
Is no one gonna mention that the names dont even represent the places/eras people are from? Like sage isnt really an old italian name, and amelia isnt an ancient greek name ??
a big trope with immortal characters is them renaming themselves as time progresses to keep age-appropriate names. and this could easily explain the weird names, but since this series has absolutely no world-building whatsoever, why would they even think about that lmfao
Because never having to die and being gorgeous forever is a curse #TheStruggle I mean, I get that there are drawbacks to the concept of immortality, but these kind of authors do the bare minimum when it comes to exploring that, and really just want to focus on the idea of eternal love and everlasting hotness (mainly everlasting hotness.)
@@PassTheMarmalade1957 Seriously! There are so many interesting things you can explore within the curses of immortality! We never know what they did for those 100s of years besides being lonely until the 17 year old love of their life appears! I wanna know so much more!
LuxyActually The movie is also based on a book that is apparently both charming and effective in sending the whole “immortality isn’t all that great” message
I feel the Anne Rice Interview With The Vampire series does a fantastic job juggling both-emphasizing the hotness AND downsides of immortality. I mean all the main characters in her series are gorgeous, flirtatious af, mentally unwell and miserable. Yet they forgive and get back together repeatedly pretty quickly (to fight/have a falling out then go back to forgiving+getting back together). Toxic but makes sense because if you're immortal, there can't be that many options so you'll naturally latch onto what's familiar.
I'm a Brazilian who's really into politics, including american. I know most Brazilian Senators, and a good chunk of American Senators... I would NEVER be able to recognize the children of any of them... Brazilian or American. I think I wouldn't be able to recognize Obama's daughters if I saw them out of context, on the streets. So I kinda doubt random Brazilian street gangsters would be able to recognize the children of any politician in the world.
I'm curious about you now. Why are you into such a specific or niche subject? (I don't mean this in a derogatory way at all since I too have very specific interests)
Tbh there are a few good concepts here: - Clea being a reincarnation (a cliche but a good one) - the fact that Magda keeps on aging but can't die, kinda dark, didn't expect it from Hillary Duff - the Elixir wearing off and Aemilia's family being rendered immobile, again it's DARK but cool - the Cursed Vengeance (????) being cursed to suffer and die before the age of 30 as a punishment for their greed - Sage possessing Nico's body, a fun little switcheroo, again, cliche but fine That's probably it but it still has some potential and it's sad to see it wasted
MY question is... does the curse on the Cursed Vengeance also somehow gauruntee that they will always have children before they're 30? Because I don't see how you would keep a single line going for 500 years if every member of that line dies by the age of 30. Especially if it's common for them to die years and years before that, which it sounds like it is.
I like the concept of changing who the soulbond is with by falling in love with someone else. It actually reminds me of something Terry Pratchett would write, weirdly? He was always taking fantasy tropes that reflect really outdated values and turning them on their head to reflect more modern values (e.g. "the lost king emerges to save the kingdom in their hour of need" becoming "the lost king joins the City Watch and is just one of many people who help defeat the dragon because fuck monarchy.") Making a passive destiny into an active choice that the characters make is a way more interesting concept to me.
@@bubbles4897 tbh i can't really think of any original piece of media that has it (though i don't doubt that they exist) but fanfiction uses this trope a lot lol
English is my second language, and in my first language, you write in the present tense. I have this issue where I tend to shift from present tense to past tense, sometimes mid sentence. And even for me, that shit is jarring when I proofread. A whole book? Less jarring, but weird I imagine. Since the first two are past tense, and bam, third one is present tense. Then again. This series is jarring in general.
How many people recognize the children of politicians... from other countries? WAIT WAIT WAIT HIS NAME IS SAGE? AND HE'S SUPPOSED TO BE ITALIAN? NAME YOUR CHARACTERS APPROPRIATELY TO WHERE THEY ARE FROM!!!!
Yeah I guess, but I'm from Austria and most people don't really have stereotypical German names. Honestly it would probably be more realistic if people from Germany or Austria where named "Jennifer, Amy or Jim" than "Lisbeth, Gertrude or Dieter" I don't know how the situation is in Italy, but as a foreigner I'm not angry at this.
Hey, I never read Flowers in the Attic but I watched the lifetime series and it was...how can I say....emotionally confusing. But I don't think you're supposed to say that out loud!
"The worst Twilight knock-off in existence." Oh, boy. Order some pizza and settle in, kids. EDIT: Wait...This series describes the Elixir of Life coming from a pond? That...That's the Fountain of Youth. The Elixir of Life is something completely different. I mean yeah, it technically does the same thing, but the whole point of the Elixir of Life is that it's man-made, which would explain why Clea's father, a doctor, would be searching for it (and why the Saviours think they can create more Elixir using Sage.) He's not an explorer or a geologist, he'd be researching the history of the Elixir and trying to recreate it in his own lab. If it's some natural element, then part of the main plot of this series makes no damn sense!
@Kaveighleen Jacaster This is more of a Twilight knock-off in the direct sense. It wants to be Twilight. Fifty Shades just wanted Bella and Edward to have sex more.
And that 1 family of 4 people drank this ENTIRE FUCKING POND of magic life water. Like bros you could have just had 1 good gulp, bottled up a bunch to take home for later or for reviving animals or whatever, and been just fine! Why did they feel the need to drink it all!!?? How did they MANAGE to drink it all!? A puddle of life and a fountain/pond of life are very different things!?
The ironic thing is that on Younger ( a show which I must admit I have binged entirely) She has her own imprint in a publishing company. I don't think they would've agreed to publish this.
8:14 For 3 years, I went to the same high school a state senator's daughter. My older sister had multiple classes with her, and I was in the same choir as her. I didn't know who her dad was until the third year, when my sister straight up told me. One does not simply recognize a senator's daughter.
Bethlehem Shekanena that’s what’s so confusing. This series is literally what would happen if Tuck Everlasting and The Vampire Diaries had a bastard child that didn’t live up to its parents. Some plot points sound straight out of Vampire Diaries
@@iHeartHPandTwilight I was also reminded of Tuck Everlasting. And that story was adapted into a Disney channel movie when Hilary Duff was 15 years old, so I think there's some nostalgic copying going on.
Not to be a killjoy but don't get your hopes too far up. Granted this story is trash but Hilary Duff already had significant clout in the entertainment industry. Marketing has consumed the literary industry. Make sure your work is marketable with a specific audience in mind.
@@joshmcirish352 The marketing strategy is really up to your publisher but the author and their agent have significant say in how it's executed. That being said, if your agent submits to a rather large (famous) publisher (like Random House), their marketing teams should be well above average. Chances are if your manuscript is accepted, the publisher will usually begin building a strategy before the final draft is submitted for print.
It actually says so now on Amazon... Elise Allen's bio on Amazon claims to be a co-writer of this series (I suspect it's more like ghost writer) -- www.amazon.com/Elise-Allen/e/B0034OZDB0?
I had to rewind to make sure I wasn't hearing things, but at @ 10:05 James refers to the main character, Clea, as "Clitoris". And I laughed and laughed 😂
I legit couldn't finish flowers in the attic because of how cruel and visceral the abuse was descripted in it, not to mention the ick factor, so to hear it was kinda hot it's just... wow.
Yeah the "recognizing the senator's daughter" thing was really dumb. I don't even know if the senator from my home state even has kids. (And I voted for him, twice.) I know he's married, but couldn't tell you the name of his wife let alone recognize her in a lineup.
The best part of hearing about this awful book was your pronunciation of the name lmao Honestly, anyone willing to throw themselves on the sword by reading a crappy novel and retelling it on RUclips is a hero in my book! You have a new sub sir! lol
nihil est enim you should read the “books” this girl in my school writes. She’s made me read extracts from several of them... it’s not good. It’s *not* good. YA trash.
I subscribed purely for your rant about abuse in YA books. It's a huge problem that teaches younger people, and especially young girls, that violence can be present in a loving relationship and that it's normal. Props for pointing all that out, dude.
The girl who was cursed by her mother to stay alive forever but still age was Sage's original fiancé. Clean is the girl he got with after he thought the fiancé died in the gang attack 500 years ago.
Very good point. How can Clea have Magda's soul if Magda still has it?? Shouldn't Magda's existence somehow mess with the connection between Clea, Sage, and Bill (Bob? Boris?)'s souls?? Especially since Magda's soul gets put into a new body after she kills herself???? Like, how????? HOW??????
I am no longer concerned about getting my novel published. P.s. "I read 'Flowers in the Attic; it was kinda hot" is an iconic phrase that has been burned into my mind forever now.
I had no idea Hilary duff wrote a YA novel until this video and it’s as disappointing as I guessed lol Also, didn’t the Jenner kids “write” one a few years ago? I wonder if that’s just as bad
I remember seeing those books in my local bookstore when I was a teen and was quite intrigued, but I had other books that were urgent so I never actually bought them. Thank you for at least letting me know it was not worth it so I can die in peace lol. Also, I'm a Brazilian and I wouldn't even know most senators from my own country, and definitely not the CHILDREN'S senators from *another* country.
Good lord. Clea being known as a senator's/sergeon's kid slightly reminds me of the Empress Theressa book. In where almost everyone in the world recognise Theressa for being perfect in almost every way.
“I read flowers in the attic, it was kinda hot” sounds like it came right from the My Immortal fanfic. Iconic. Btw, when talking about how a kid called Sage can’t be Italian, it should be mentioned that Hillary has a cover of Volare. I do not recommend listening to it.
Pamela Anderson wrote a novel. At the Pamela Anderson Comedy Central roast, Bea Arthur read aloud from it. Bea Arthur got more laughs than every other roaster that night combined.
Right now I just might be experiencing cognitive dissonance, I thought Duff was smarter than this. And all I know is that I have seen The Modern Cinderella a few times.
whenever there is a story about immortals and how there are no ways to kill them, I always wonder how come no one ever thought of chopping their head off
This makes me sad because honestly the general premise of this book sounds pretty interesting, I just know that if I actually read them I would be very disappointed
I enjoy your review style, its blunt and very, very honest but with character, including suggestions, It's exactly what an author would want in terms of constructive criticism
So, when they removed Nico's soul from his body, didn't they actually kill him then? They could also have tried to find a way to get Sage's soul out of this body that doesn't belong to him and restore Nico's soul in it. I really pity Rayna. She has to look at the walking body of her dead boyfriend while knowing (or not?) that her friend with her boyfriend gave the final blow to Nico so that they can have his body to use in their own relationship. That's so fucked up.
Bluebarnowl That’s a really good idea. When I was 12 I had this series I was writing that was born from my lifelong obsession with ancient Egypt and it had so much detail about mythology (which is what I was primarily interested in) which could probably be torn to shreds. It was a formative experience. As an adult I built my own world from the ground up because in a way it’s easier than doing all the research to make a grounded fantasy with accurate references. It takes just as long either way. As a reader, it’s so important to not be distracted by inaccuracies and to be given a rich world as a backdrop to the story.
@@RightsForZombies Aw, thanks! And yes, inaccuracies take me out of the stories and make me want to slam my head into the wall if they get too absurd or outright offense.
Your sacrifice was unneeded, but appreciated by a few people.
by a very very few people.
Without any doubt this is the best comment on RUclips .
Needs to be on a tombstone lol
You are forgetting that he color coded all the three books which means that he read each of these books atleast twice, let that sink in.......TWICE!
Like 8.3k people as of 2021
my favorite amazon review: "You see this book while at the grocery shop. You pick it up not because it looks interesting, but because it has a recognizable name on it. You think whether this Duff character has any talent. So you read the back of the synopsis. But as you're doing that your ice cream in your arm starts to melt. You sweep it up into your cart and get to the check out. The cashier sees your novel and gives you a nod. You think that's a good sign. So you take it home, and when you have some freedom, you check it out. It's bad. So bad that you throw up. Your puke goes all over your bed and you don't wonder why. You leave the room to get paper towers, and your dog goes in and licks it up before you return. You curse the heavens, then go to bed. You don't like it. You put your Elixir book up for sale on eBay, but it only sells for a penny and the cost of shipping. You regret your decision. You light up and cigarette and accidentally burn your house down when you go to sleep. You regret buying that Duff novel. You try to sue her, but your case is thrown out, and you're seen as crazy. Now living with your mother in law, without nothing on the horizon, you end it all."
masterpiece.
This could make a decent horror story the books basically cursed and causes misfortune from the pure depression and unbridled disgust it puts someone through, and then the story ends when the next owner of the book who bought it for a penny opens the cover.
Still a better love story than Twilight.
@@MarillSweatshirt dead meme
@@kittykittybangbang9367 as dead as Edward Cullen, yet according to the books, that gobshite, his 'embodiment of beige' wife and creepy nightmare baby are still strolling around, so....
James: She had a show called the Lizzy Mcguire Show. And then a movie called the Lizzy Mcguire Movie. And then a music career...
Me: -- called the Lizzy Mcguire Music Career, yes.
😂
And then the Lizzy McGuire Book Series
My drink dribbled out of my mouth when I started laughing, thanks
**autotune sounds** let's gooooo baaaaack. Baaack to the beginnnnninnnnngggg
She was also in the Lizzy McGuire Cody Banks movie
“‘ELIXER” is the worst twilight knockoff...in existence.”
Fifty Shades Trilogy: Am I a joke to you?
At least Fifty Shades has the balls to write about sex. Badly and inaccurately, but it has SOME edge.
Technically that was a twilight fanfiction
Honestly 50 shades had some decent sex scenes (but not all it's cracked up to be). Minus points for being a really bad intro to BDSM. Grey is a really bad dom, he needs to work on his aftercare.
Shonen_X_Trash His aftercare isn’t just nonexistent, he’s a fractured abuse victim using BDSM to abuse someone else. He employs coercion, manipulation and verbal abuse to get Dakota Johnson’s character into sexual situations she’s reluctant to try...that’s abuse.
@@wisemankugelmemicus1701 The worst thing is that you just described Christian Grey.
Well, I mean, we can see why Ebony Dark’ness Dementia Raven Way hated her so much now.
U DAMB RITE I DO U STOOPIF PRERP!!1!1!111!!!
@@GOFFBITZH666 omg its enonby
I like the part where those two characters were masticating. And the flying cars, can't forget the flying cars
@@TobeyFairre7861 I loved the part where Hagrid casted a spell, but not with some wannabe Latin, but with some MCR lyrics.
"His whole thing is to get cuckolded over and over."
I'll admit, I laughed at that.
Cuckolded *by the same guy* over and over.
"Oops, that's my kink"
I mean I'd be pissed too.
You know, I feel like after finding out about that, it would then end the chain. Why would he bother trying to date her if he knows it's not going to work, anyway?
It reminds me of the character Agrajag from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
I heard the descriptor "dark figure" and started picturing Sage as basically the babadook, and I didn't stop doing that even when he met up with the other characters. just three teens and a shadow demon hanging out
That actually sounds like a much better story
I would read that
Honestly same. And that would be interesting.
I'm a U.S. citizen who actively follows politics. I would not be able to name the child of a senator if my life depended on it.
Edit: Oh yeah, Meghan McCain. Score!
Albeit Arson what about Sarah Palin’s (not a senator but the best I can do) daughter that’s now staring in Teen Mom?
EZbeauty I don't watch reality TV but hey, good for the daughter of the former governor of Alaska.
I know Chelsea Clinton. And I know Obama *has* daughters. Dunno their names. Guess the Trump kids count too.
@@wrmsnicket That's different. They're presidents' kids. There can only be one president at a time, they're highly publicized and everyone's involved in what they do so it's easy to know their families. Contrast that to 100 US senators and you see why people don't know most of them and can't be expected to know what their kids look like.
@@ArnisKaye even discounting that, Trump was never a senator, so his kids wouldnt count anyway. I think theyre used to it by now....
Senpai, if I ever commit the shameful act of publishing a substandard novel, I hope you will make a review video for it. I can reclaim my honor through death in this arena.
A noble cause.
@@lesteryaytrippy7282 a Barnes and Nobles cause.
@@etchyasketch2851 WORTHY
Ditto.
👏👏
My favorite part about this was the slow devolving of how he pronounced Clea.
Tag yourself as mispronunciations of Clea
I'm CleEeeEhhhh????a
Suzanne Wdowik I’m Clae
I’m “...clee?”
I’m “Clala”
India Hawkins the girl who gets drunk at a house party and thinks all the songs are about her is Clitoris
So a big plot point of the series...which kickstarts the whole thing...is that they never looked at her baby pictures as a family until she was ~18?
Yes
Also why was sage supposedly floating in some pictures or something like that?
do people honestly keep baby pictures? never seen one of me before I was 7
@@nunyabusiness776 usually, but not publically displayed
@@nunyabusiness776 my father's liked to take my picture as naked baby, and my mom print all of that out and keep it in an album.. so yeah...
The funniest part is her being constantly recognized everywhere she goes.
As a Brazilian, I know exactly zero US senators, and neither does anyone I've ever met, and ESPECIALLY not their children. I don't think Japanese people know them either.
But out of all the weird stuff in these books, I guess this is one of the least insulting ones.
I don't even know the kids of the senators of MY country.
Trône de Marchandises European leaders don’t have children in the modern day world for some reason
Of the 100 US Senators, I can only consistently recognize three: McConnell, Sanders, and Cruz. I have no idea if any of them have kids, and I would certainly not be able to identify them unless they inherited their parent’s features almost exactly.
For reference, I’m American and I do read the news frequently.
True. We can barely keep up with what's going on in our politics. I just know the president of some other countries and that's all. And about the kids, I only know Tump's young son because of memes and crazy theories. That's all.
And the part of them leaving the beach and suddenly being in the jungle like???? Where??? Are???? You???
"Reincarnated every hundred years just to be cuckolded by the same guy" sounds like a great curse, I need to use that in a game sometime.
Also I love that you have a shirt with yourself on it.
Unseelie Now he just needs a shirt of himself wearing that shirt.
In all honesty, I'd prefer to read a book about that guy, especially if he knows what's going to happen ahead of time. His attempt to prevent his (supposedly) inevitable destiny to have the love of his life stolen from him could make for an interesting story, and you could even have him struggle internally with whether he even should prevent it in the first place, since he ultimately does love the girl and wants her to be happy.
@@DrTechnoBabel have you read the Fallen series by Lauren Kate? kind of similar, but not really. haha
@@macandcheese__ was legit looking for someone to notice this too
I mean strad kinda does that but in reverse.
I actually laughed when you said they developed psychic powers by thinking hard
Also if I met somebody who has stalked me since birth but assures me it's OK since they are immortal and 5 incarnations ago we were dating, I'd call the police, not bang them in a car
To be honest walking up to the girl you like and saying "hey im the guy who stalked you since you were born but we fucked in our former lifes " will totally result in you getting a date
@@nagelfischer worked for me, can confirm
These books weren't even written by Duff despite her claims. Duff came up with the plot and characters, but the books were written by a ghost writer who was supposedly guided by Duff. Duff claims that she wrote the whole thing, but she only came up with the plot and characters. She thinks that the fact that she came up with the plot and characters, that equals writing the book.
She also didn't credit the ghost writer.
BlackburnBigdragon if i was this ghostwriter i wouldn’t want to be associated with this tho tbh
That's why they're ghost writers. I don't know the bureaucracy behind rules of being a ghost writer, but at its simplest, ghost writers are hired to basically use their skills without creditation. Famed writers often do this. A local author I know hire ghost writers under one pen name. They are never credited, except for that pen name.
Ghost writers aren’t meant to be credited, that’s why they’re ghosts - we don’t see them or know who they are and sometimes don’t know that they exist
I'd hate to be a ghost writer, to put all the effort in and not get any credit would feel bad. I would write a book for someone with a plot idea as long as both our names could be on the cover.
@@RegencyLady-ho2ik that's a co-author then not a ghost writer
If the main character is Hillary’s self insert who’s recognized everywhere, why not just the character be a former actor too? It would make the most sense.
Former? She still acts. I do agree that making Clea an actor would make more sense
My theory: people don't recognize her everywhere anymore, so it was not just a simple self-insert story but a wet dream of her being more famous (= being recognized all the time).
guess she didn't want it to be too obvious but... it was too obvious anyways
I'm a bit late but here's my take: No matter if this applies to this case (probably not but that's not my point), many writers include personal experiences and bits of their past and traits in their books and characters to deal with this certain thing or make the book more personal. Honestly Clea being the daughter of a famous actor or being an actress herself probably screams self insert but it could also just be her trying to include some personal stuff on her book. I don't know where I'm going with this.
My guess is she tried making it look like less a self-insert.
She failed. Obviously.
Sage and Clitoris
They find the last place where Clay’s dad was
A little vision of Clllfeeea’s dad
Little does he know that Clalala
And Clalis
And Clalaes
From Clales
Trying to help Clalelases
Him and Clala
Hillary what the shit
And then Cleala
Clealalala and Sage
Sage and Clalalalvava
Every time he does this I get sent 🤣🤣🤣
Never read the book, but going by your description of everbody recognising the protagonist as senador's daughter, even here in Brazil.
Man, her mother must have done a s**t job, to be all over the news.
That or she did/said something publicly that was embarrassing enough to obtain meme status, to the point where people all over the world knows who she is
James Tullos: "Do any of you in my audience know who Ted Cruz's kids are?"
Ted Cruz's kids, watching: "Whose Ted Cruz?"
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zodiac_Killer
::Ted Cruz has left the chat::
I love that you wrote "whose" rather than "who's" as if you really think someone would willingly claim ownership of that melted snowman.
This is the best comment chain I’ve ever seen.
Rob Radical please, Ted Cruz couldn’t be the Zodiac Killer, he’d never be content with that small a number of vict- ... You know the bit.
Is no one gonna mention that the names dont even represent the places/eras people are from? Like sage isnt really an old italian name, and amelia isnt an ancient greek name ??
a big trope with immortal characters is them renaming themselves as time progresses to keep age-appropriate names. and this could easily explain the weird names, but since this series has absolutely no world-building whatsoever, why would they even think about that lmfao
She thinks someone who isn't actually dead can be reincarnated so I don't believe she would think about names all that much...
The famous Serbian knight who stalled the Turkish cavalry during the Battle of Kosovo, 1389:
B O B B A K E R
-this autor's worldbuilding in a nutshell
"Sage and Clitoris..."
Bahahahahah I had no idea this existed. Ty for this lol it made my day xD
Why are the hot immortals always so angsty and abusive?!
Because never having to die and being gorgeous forever is a curse #TheStruggle
I mean, I get that there are drawbacks to the concept of immortality, but these kind of authors do the bare minimum when it comes to exploring that, and really just want to focus on the idea of eternal love and everlasting hotness (mainly everlasting hotness.)
@@PassTheMarmalade1957 Seriously! There are so many interesting things you can explore within the curses of immortality! We never know what they did for those 100s of years besides being lonely until the 17 year old love of their life appears! I wanna know so much more!
@@echobean5222 The Disney channel film 'Tuck Everlasting' does a better job of saying immortality wouldn't be that great.
LuxyActually The movie is also based on a book that is apparently both charming and effective in sending the whole “immortality isn’t all that great” message
I feel the Anne Rice Interview With The Vampire series does a fantastic job juggling both-emphasizing the hotness AND downsides of immortality. I mean all the main characters in her series are gorgeous, flirtatious af, mentally unwell and miserable. Yet they forgive and get back together repeatedly pretty quickly (to fight/have a falling out then go back to forgiving+getting back together). Toxic but makes sense because if you're immortal, there can't be that many options so you'll naturally latch onto what's familiar.
Brazilian here: We barely recognise our senators, okay? American Senators? Pfff. Nope.
No, no we're not even talking about US-senators, we're talking about their kids.
what.
@@elisabeth4912 Which just proves how harder it'd be for anyone to recognise the daughter of a senator we wouldn't even know existed.
😂😂
That is just a the narcissistic thinking of many US citizens. They think they are the center of the world.
Dude I live in the U.S and I barely remember my senators names
I'm a Brazilian who's really into politics, including american. I know most Brazilian Senators, and a good chunk of American Senators... I would NEVER be able to recognize the children of any of them... Brazilian or American. I think I wouldn't be able to recognize Obama's daughters if I saw them out of context, on the streets. So I kinda doubt random Brazilian street gangsters would be able to recognize the children of any politician in the world.
I'm curious about you now. Why are you into such a specific or niche subject? (I don't mean this in a derogatory way at all since I too have very specific interests)
“Hey I read flowers in the attic,it was kind of hot”- I legitimately never wanted to lose my hearing before in my life until this came up
Isn't that book incredibly depressing and dark? I've been avoiding it because I got that impression from synopses...
I've never heard of that book
@@FroyourHistory You don't want to read it
@@ewptyewpewp is it disturbing?
@@FroyourHistory it has incest in it, and Child abuse
I’m so glad my little sister(who was a crazy Hillary Duff stan when she was tiny) never found these books when she was in her twilight phase
Does she really think that italian nobles would be named Sage or Magda?
I assume those are nicknames they later made for themselves
@@KateeAngel galaxy brain ;)
@@KateeAngel that's optimistic of you
Kate S bitch you know damn well that’s BS
She has Helian people referring themselves as Ancient Greeks, take a guess
Tbh there are a few good concepts here:
- Clea being a reincarnation (a cliche but a good one)
- the fact that Magda keeps on aging but can't die, kinda dark, didn't expect it from Hillary Duff
- the Elixir wearing off and Aemilia's family being rendered immobile, again it's DARK but cool
- the Cursed Vengeance (????) being cursed to suffer and die before the age of 30 as a punishment for their greed
- Sage possessing Nico's body, a fun little switcheroo, again, cliche but fine
That's probably it but it still has some potential and it's sad to see it wasted
MY question is... does the curse on the Cursed Vengeance also somehow gauruntee that they will always have children before they're 30? Because I don't see how you would keep a single line going for 500 years if every member of that line dies by the age of 30. Especially if it's common for them to die years and years before that, which it sounds like it is.
I like the concept of changing who the soulbond is with by falling in love with someone else. It actually reminds me of something Terry Pratchett would write, weirdly? He was always taking fantasy tropes that reflect really outdated values and turning them on their head to reflect more modern values (e.g. "the lost king emerges to save the kingdom in their hour of need" becoming "the lost king joins the City Watch and is just one of many people who help defeat the dragon because fuck monarchy.") Making a passive destiny into an active choice that the characters make is a way more interesting concept to me.
katie domljan can I ask what about the reincarnation thing is cliche? I haven’t really seen it at all done in media
@@bubbles4897 tbh i can't really think of any original piece of media that has it (though i don't doubt that they exist) but fanfiction uses this trope a lot lol
That Being Said Please be sarcasm.
Read the description. Yikes. That would be so jarring
English is my second language, and in my first language, you write in the present tense. I have this issue where I tend to shift from present tense to past tense, sometimes mid sentence.
And even for me, that shit is jarring when I proofread.
A whole book? Less jarring, but weird I imagine. Since the first two are past tense, and bam, third one is present tense.
Then again. This series is jarring in general.
Like, she couldn't have stayed consistent for the last book? WTH?!
i have to say, i really appreciate your commitment in saying clea’s name in every way you could think of
How many people recognize the children of politicians... from other countries?
WAIT WAIT WAIT HIS NAME IS SAGE? AND HE'S SUPPOSED TO BE ITALIAN? NAME YOUR CHARACTERS APPROPRIATELY TO WHERE THEY ARE FROM!!!!
Just throw in Giuseppe or Antonio If you want a little extra flair
@@lavberia5419 Vittorio sounds nice. Why didn't she use that? Why a name that sounds like a spa resort?
Yeah I guess, but I'm from Austria and most people don't really have stereotypical German names. Honestly it would probably be more realistic if people from Germany or Austria where named "Jennifer, Amy or Jim" than "Lisbeth, Gertrude or Dieter"
I don't know how the situation is in Italy, but as a foreigner I'm not angry at this.
@@elisabeth4912 Please understand, most people outside of Europe think Austrians speak Austrian.
@@madcinder257 Oh...wow
I thought Lizzy McGuire actress name was Lizzy McGuire for an embarrassing amount of time.
It’s understandable a lot child actors used their real name in roles
"I read Flowers in the Attic and I thought it was kinda hot"
Burn every copy of this book. It does not deserve to exist.
Agreed
Hey, I never read Flowers in the Attic but I watched the lifetime series and it was...how can I say....emotionally confusing. But I don't think you're supposed to say that out loud!
In my head that’s Hilary Duff admitting she’s into gross abusive incest.
propogandalf The lifetime movie didn’t show them having sex, right? And it was rape the first time, too.
I audibly gagged when he read that line. Nearly as creepy as the brother sister thing is the truly bizarre obsession that author had with blonde hair.
I think I need more hour long videos of you reviewing bad YA novels it's relaxing to listen to
pls no
Don’t put him through that kind of pain.
Well if James doesn't want to do it, you got krimsom rouge
Krimson' planning to tackle After at some point (he's dealing with Empress Theresa next) so this should be a fun ride.
@@pikapower_kirby empress Teresa. ....... a old enemy
"The worst Twilight knock-off in existence."
Oh, boy. Order some pizza and settle in, kids.
EDIT: Wait...This series describes the Elixir of Life coming from a pond? That...That's the Fountain of Youth. The Elixir of Life is something completely different. I mean yeah, it technically does the same thing, but the whole point of the Elixir of Life is that it's man-made, which would explain why Clea's father, a doctor, would be searching for it (and why the Saviours think they can create more Elixir using Sage.) He's not an explorer or a geologist, he'd be researching the history of the Elixir and trying to recreate it in his own lab. If it's some natural element, then part of the main plot of this series makes no damn sense!
Lore Building 0
@Kaveighleen Jacaster This is more of a Twilight knock-off in the direct sense. It wants to be Twilight. Fifty Shades just wanted Bella and Edward to have sex more.
And that 1 family of 4 people drank this ENTIRE FUCKING POND of magic life water. Like bros you could have just had 1 good gulp, bottled up a bunch to take home for later or for reviving animals or whatever, and been just fine! Why did they feel the need to drink it all!!?? How did they MANAGE to drink it all!? A puddle of life and a fountain/pond of life are very different things!?
I wish I had pizza :( also I love that you have Opinions about this
Put it in a glass and then it's an elixir. You might be dumber than the author
No one noticed that that plot about the guy being immortal and the girl always reincarnating is the premise of the book Fallen by Lauren Kate?
I cannot believe Im saying this, but Fallen was better. Boring, but at least better. More cohesive.
ging that’s not part of stokers original. Movie adaptations added the reincarnation plot
Fallen, Evermore, and a bunch of other versions. Evermore is so close to this one it’s insane
I've written a Wattpad short with this plot... Aw... Can't claim much originality in my amateur works then...
Kinda like some short anime blonde man and a reincarnating woman that look different each time she reincarnates but always has the same name
Me: Hillary Duff HAS a young adult series????
*Since when?!*
Edit: Wtf this got 814 likes since I last saw it almost two months ago. Lol
since 2010 apparently.
Jasc Random I posted that before I watched the video.
Gee, I wonder why she never mentions it ;)
I only found a hard back of elixir
::putting noose around neck:: wait what!? Are they any good?
The ironic thing is that on Younger ( a show which I must admit I have binged entirely) She has her own imprint in a publishing company. I don't think they would've agreed to publish this.
Her name sells so her barrier to entry is lower. That is something every publishing company has to consider.
8:14 For 3 years, I went to the same high school a state senator's daughter. My older sister had multiple classes with her, and I was in the same choir as her. I didn't know who her dad was until the third year, when my sister straight up told me. One does not simply recognize a senator's daughter.
Ohhhh godddd Sage I was rooting for you! We were all rooting for you! Can't have a YA without our male love interest being abusive, right?
This is literally the entire Vampire Diaries series and spin offs
Bethlehem Shekanena that’s what’s so confusing. This series is literally what would happen if Tuck Everlasting and The Vampire Diaries had a bastard child that didn’t live up to its parents. Some plot points sound straight out of Vampire Diaries
@@iHeartHPandTwilight I was also reminded of Tuck Everlasting. And that story was adapted into a Disney channel movie when Hilary Duff was 15 years old, so I think there's some nostalgic copying going on.
Don’t forget Hush Hush
I grew up a HUGE fan of Lizzy. Can anyone summarize Tuck Everlasting for me? Never heard of or seen it
I won't ask about Vampire Diaries because I was OBSESSED with the books (I owned ALL the books and spin offs at one point) and show.
Person: What’s the name of your protagonist?
Author: Cleats
P: What?
A: Clear
P: ?
A: Clorox
P: Never mind
DeathbyPixels “Clea” is actually the name of Dr. Strange‘s love interest in the comics. It’s pronounced “Klee-uh”
Cloaca
🤣🤣
Is no one gonna talk about that awesome introduction song?
I don't think it's very good, but thankfully it's not too long.
really wish my first instance of finding my name in fictional literature wasn't .... in this
Hey at least you're not Meg from Family Guy.
The first use of the name in fiction was in the Bible.
@@rickymcgowen6776 I'd rather be farted in the face by my dad on a regular basis.
knightkrawler That she read this was her first instance.
I'm reminded of a great line from Lorien in Babylon 5, "Only those whose lives are brief can imagine that love is eternal."
"If that bothers you... get over it." I had to hit like for that alone.
Him: Do you even know what Ted Cruz's kids look like?
Me: I don't even know what Ted Cruz looks like, and I live in Texas.
What's a ted cruise? Sounds kinky...
This kind of gives me hope in getting my own book published
This is like the most likes and replies I have gotten on a comment
Not to be a killjoy but don't get your hopes too far up. Granted this story is trash but Hilary Duff already had significant clout in the entertainment industry. Marketing has consumed the literary industry. Make sure your work is marketable with a specific audience in mind.
Just go for it lol. If it's good, people will flock to it. Just try to also focus on marketing plans and so on.
@@joshmcirish352 The marketing strategy is really up to your publisher but the author and their agent have significant say in how it's executed. That being said, if your agent submits to a rather large (famous) publisher (like Random House), their marketing teams should be well above average. Chances are if your manuscript is accepted, the publisher will usually begin building a strategy before the final draft is submitted for print.
I said kind of getting a book published is hard and it just baffles me how there can be so many bad books
Blu Guyolem honestly, I do wonder who green-lights just god-awful books
Before the video: Hillary duff wrote ya books? Huh.
After the video: ...huh?
This trilogy was most likely ghostwritten. Still horrible either way.
Why do you think so?
It actually says so now on Amazon... Elise Allen's bio on Amazon claims to be a co-writer of this series (I suspect it's more like ghost writer) -- www.amazon.com/Elise-Allen/e/B0034OZDB0?
Late reply and all, but apparently it was! And honestly...I wouldn't be surprised if the person asked not to be credited
There is literally another book series exactly like this called Evermore. Elixir is a blatant rip-off of it.
I was thinking the same thing. Read the series in high school and I'm not sure how good it was looking back now but I really enjoyed it back then.
I live on Brazil and I don't even know a single brazilian politician's child.
we know bolsonaro's lol
ah sabe sim
E o Supla? 😄
I had to rewind to make sure I wasn't hearing things, but at @ 10:05 James refers to the main character, Clea, as "Clitoris".
And I laughed and laughed 😂
I legit couldn't finish flowers in the attic because of how cruel and visceral the abuse was descripted in it, not to mention the ick factor, so to hear it was kinda hot it's just... wow.
Yeah the "recognizing the senator's daughter" thing was really dumb. I don't even know if the senator from my home state even has kids. (And I voted for him, twice.) I know he's married, but couldn't tell you the name of his wife let alone recognize her in a lineup.
Me: (zoning out and drinking root beer)
"Hey I've read Flowers in the Attic, that was kinda hot!"
Me: (fucking chokes and dies)
as a brazilian i'd like to say i don't even know my senators, let alone their kids. and let even more alone the u.s.a's senators
I feel like this was her NaNoWriMo project and she just has the money to force people to have them print it.
The best part of hearing about this awful book was your pronunciation of the name lmao
Honestly, anyone willing to throw themselves on the sword by reading a crappy novel and retelling it on RUclips is a hero in my book! You have a new sub sir! lol
I wanna write a nasty YA novel just to get you to review it 💖
Thats what i am exactly do doing 😆
Yeah. I want my bad stories roasted.
nihil est enim you should read the “books” this girl in my school writes. She’s made me read extracts from several of them... it’s not good. It’s *not* good. YA trash.
I love the way you describe these absolutely absurd plot points in such a matter of fact way.
I subscribed purely for your rant about abuse in YA books. It's a huge problem that teaches younger people, and especially young girls, that violence can be present in a loving relationship and that it's normal.
Props for pointing all that out, dude.
Almost all the romance novels in my country is love between a rapist boy and a pathetic girl who falls in love with him after rape. Pathetic.
Sounds like Twilight meets Tuck Everlasting. God, I hope they aren't set in the same universe...
BenHopkins1000 Yes, I was searching for this comment! It’s a Tuck Everlasting rip-off.
Oh wow, Flowers in the Attic! I haven't heard that in 25 years and the PTSD is back, baby!
some say Clea's famous surgeon dad is still searching for the elixir to this day
Why would you subject yourself to that?! Are you mad?
I am now.
@@JamesTullos Yeah poor choice of words on my part. Sorry.
I am insane.
Repeat message
Repeat message Repeat message Repeat message Repeat message Repeat message Repeat message Repeat message Repeat message Repeat message Repeat message Repeat message Repeat message Repeat message Repeat message Repeat message Repeat message Repeat message Repeat message Repeat message Repeat message Repeat message Repeat message Repeat message Repeat message Repeat message Repeat message Repeat message Repeat message
You should read Marie Brennan's Memoirs of Lady Trent series. Dragons in an alternate Victorian era, what's not to love 😁
Tbh it sounds more like vampire diaries than twilight
...if Sage's fiancé from Italy is still alive how can she have been reincarnated into Clea???
Weren't they two different characters? I don't even know anymore...
He was a noble so engaged to one girl in love with another one the mc
The girl who was cursed by her mother to stay alive forever but still age was Sage's original fiancé. Clean is the girl he got with after he thought the fiancé died in the gang attack 500 years ago.
Very good point. How can Clea have Magda's soul if Magda still has it?? Shouldn't Magda's existence somehow mess with the connection between Clea, Sage, and Bill (Bob? Boris?)'s souls?? Especially since Magda's soul gets put into a new body after she kills herself???? Like, how????? HOW??????
I am no longer concerned about getting my novel published.
P.s. "I read 'Flowers in the Attic; it was kinda hot" is an iconic phrase that has been burned into my mind forever now.
She called it 'Ancient Greece'
Sweet jesus. I enjoyed this so much...😂
Gotta sub.
Got an ad for a bad twilight rip-off during this video. Sounds about right.
Same
I had no idea Hilary duff wrote a YA novel until this video and it’s as disappointing as I guessed lol
Also, didn’t the Jenner kids “write” one a few years ago? I wonder if that’s just as bad
now is probably not the time to mention Tyra Banks also wrote a YA novel...
You know, I can see this idea working somehow. You just need a fix everything
I remember seeing those books in my local bookstore when I was a teen and was quite intrigued, but I had other books that were urgent so I never actually bought them. Thank you for at least letting me know it was not worth it so I can die in peace lol. Also, I'm a Brazilian and I wouldn't even know most senators from my own country, and definitely not the CHILDREN'S senators from *another* country.
Good lord. Clea being known as a senator's/sergeon's kid slightly reminds me of the Empress Theressa book. In where almost everyone in the world recognise Theressa for being perfect in almost every way.
21:18 "There were stakes involved" is my new favorite line when referring to Twilight!
“I read flowers in the attic, it was kinda hot” sounds like it came right from the My Immortal fanfic. Iconic. Btw, when talking about how a kid called Sage can’t be Italian, it should be mentioned that Hillary has a cover of Volare. I do not recommend listening to it.
Pamela Anderson wrote a novel.
At the Pamela Anderson Comedy Central roast, Bea Arthur read aloud from it.
Bea Arthur got more laughs than every other roaster that night combined.
NJGuy1973 Bea Arthur always gets the most laughs at a roast
@@RightsForZombies Anyone who read that novel aloud would have gotten the most laughs that night.
that whole reincarnation thing instantly made me think of the evermore book series
Sameeee
Right now I just might be experiencing cognitive dissonance, I thought Duff was smarter than this. And all I know is that I have seen The Modern Cinderella a few times.
I thought this too but it's probably because she didn't do a lot of drugs or other stupid stuff like most child actors.
"Sorry, my memory's going, I have to hit my girlfriend later"
*OOF*
In all seriousness though, this series sounds like a big fucking yikes
It's really entertaining to watch you criticize awful YA's. Some of these books are truly bizzare. I hope you do more.
i can thing of at least like 5 books ive read with this same plot its like madlibs
I think the only famous surgeon I know is Ben Carson so....
Eowyn Gordon dr miami
But do to know his kids.
The beginning was soo good that it hurt me psychically when the shitty illogical dumb stuff started
Thank you for taking one for the team 👍
Not related but I always get so excited when I see that you have uploaded a new video
whenever there is a story about immortals and how there are no ways to kill them, I always wonder how come no one ever thought of chopping their head off
How hard would it have been to make her a president’s kid and not a senator’s kid? That would be way more believable.
The introduction deadass felt like you were giving us a villain backstory for a moment
Your voice is sleep asmr.
when he said now we move on to DEVOTED ... i was like that was only ONE book till now? i cant take more of this torturous story
This makes me sad because honestly the general premise of this book sounds pretty interesting, I just know that if I actually read them I would be very disappointed
I enjoy your review style, its blunt and very, very honest but with character, including suggestions, It's exactly what an author would want in terms of constructive criticism
So, when they removed Nico's soul from his body, didn't they actually kill him then?
They could also have tried to find a way to get Sage's soul out of this body that doesn't belong to him and restore Nico's soul in it.
I really pity Rayna. She has to look at the walking body of her dead boyfriend while knowing (or not?) that her friend with her boyfriend gave the final blow to Nico so that they can have his body to use in their own relationship.
That's so fucked up.
Thank you for pointing out why abuse in YA is so so dangerous. And also reading your description post video cracked me up ^_^
Hey, do you think you could do a video on WHY authors and writers should do factual research for stories and worldbuilding?
Bluebarnowl That’s a really good idea. When I was 12 I had this series I was writing that was born from my lifelong obsession with ancient Egypt and it had so much detail about mythology (which is what I was primarily interested in) which could probably be torn to shreds. It was a formative experience. As an adult I built my own world from the ground up because in a way it’s easier than doing all the research to make a grounded fantasy with accurate references. It takes just as long either way. As a reader, it’s so important to not be distracted by inaccuracies and to be given a rich world as a backdrop to the story.
@@RightsForZombies Aw, thanks! And yes, inaccuracies take me out of the stories and make me want to slam my head into the wall if they get too absurd or outright offense.
@@RachelMWinship I have the same strategy as the guy above. No historical accurate shit for me lol.
the plot point about the people who were cursed to never live past 30 was lifted straight from one of Lovecraft's stories
What happened with the mumified ex-girlfriend? Damn, her mother really must've hated her to do that.