Thanks for your patience with this one! I tried to get it out before my trip to Japan but that was very ambitious haha. Thanks for joining me through the ACOTAR series! I hope you enjoy the other dumb stuff I'm about to post soon!
Please consider reading fiction by Madeline Miller. I would not consider her books romanticy necessarily. But I do consider her the greatest American writer of our time.
People shit on Nesta (I used to, as well) but NOTHING is as infuriating as the fact that Feyre and Rhysand made a pact so if one died, it killed the other. That one thing made me like/respect them SO much less 😅 They KNEW they’d have a child eventually (bone carver y’know) but still did it and accepted the risk of him being an ORPHAN.
Uh yall don't understand.whe they visited the bone carver,the child shown to them was not full illyrian.and they did not plan the pregnancy and their child to be full illyrian.look at Rhys he can summon his wings though not by birth,but that specific magic will surely pass on to his descendants.they were just having a little too much fun in the bedroom with shapeshifting 😂😅
Yes, I thought the same. I get it must be very difficult to lose one another, but wouldn't it be so heartbreaking for a child the loss of both parents at the same time?
I suffer from PTSD and this book inspired me to become a Valkyrie! There’s a huge community of us who all workout and meditate together. It’s called the Valkyrie Squad!
When Nesta was summoned by Feyre and Rhys to start the book, I thought that surely this must be a new quest only Nesta could do, that Nesta's fear of an intervention was a red herring. But nope, it straight up was just an intervention. That was my first indicator that SJM was diving headfirst into a full blown mental health journey like she hinted at in ACOMAF. I can't say the plot structure was my favorite in the series (I thought the training went on a little too long and the Blood Rite was highly rushed), but I liked getting to learn so much about Nesta's character and psyche in a single book. Cassian's refusal to give up on her even when she gave up on herself was touching, too. Good vibes overall, minus just about everything involving the pregnancy plotline. Cassian's guts can fall out and he walks away with just a scar, but a C-section is some impossible task? Mkay.
The Pregnancy Plot was very mishandled. It actually ruined the book for my wife as it ended up be too triggering for her. It's such a shame because Nesta and Cassian's story is so great and the development of their relationship was easily my favorite thing from the series.
I think Nesta is so much cooler as a FMC. I love how she’s imperfect and has relatable real world problems. I like Feyre, but she seems too “perfect” in the later books. Which is very different from how she is in the first couple. I really stopped caring for her in ACOWAR. Also Nesta is so badass
That's a tough question at the end there. I would put Carissa Broadbent (especially her Crowns of Nyaxia series) over both SJM and Rebecca Yarros (and pretty far over them from a craft perspective, if I'm being honest). It's hard to ignore SJM's and Rebecca's success, but in terms of quality of writing, character, worldbuilding, and consistency, Carissa comes out way ahead of both for me. I would also put Katherine Arden up there as well for her Winternight series--it's not so specifically romantasy per se, but it's absolutely phenomenal and her prose is hypnotic. T. Kingfisher is also solid and has a very different spin on romantasy--it's delightfully weird, quirky, and a little creepy at times. The humor is spot-on--you should give Paladin's Grace a shot sometime. It's not for everyone but it definitely puts a unique spin on things, and it has a male main character which is a nice change of pace for the genre! On another note, I am so glad you acknowledged Nesta being difficult (and not in a good way). Entirely too many people act like she was the victim in that intervention when her treatment of others already had been abhorrent for years. The character development with her was great and very much needed.
I’d like to point out that while Nesta was in desperate need of an intervention, Feyre still did it in a pretty problematic way. First: her motive. She didn’t intervene because her sister was clearly drinking herself into an early grave, she did it because it “looked bad” for her and Rhys every time Nesta sent them the bill. Feyre and Rhys are richer than god, it’s absurd. Then second: the conditions of the intervention. They tell Nesta she has two choices, either go die in the human realms, or consent to being locked up and isolated in the house of wind with literally only one person she knows to talk to. Remember why Feyre left Tamlin? ITS CUZ HE LOCKED HER UP! Theres a half dozen other ways Feyre could have intervened without essentially incarcerating her sister or threatening her with death in the human realms. She could have cut Nesta off financially and said “hey you can have money again, but not if it’s to buy alcohol.” Or she could have told Nesta “your building is being condemned, so you have to come live in the river house, and you’re a mess so a stipulation is that you get sober and learn how to control yourself.” But no, it had to be locking Nesta up in the most remote place in the kingdom with access to exactly one person. That is so cruel and problematic. It’s tantamount to taking an alcoholic and locking them in one room of the house with no phone, no access to friends, and a couple times a day they get to see their boyfriend. Oh qnd they literally can’t leave or theyll die. There isn’t a rehab facility in the world that is structured that way and there’s a reason for it.
Thank you for the author recommendations! I don't enjoy SJM's quality of writing style and don't always trust that I'll enjoy a recommendation if its similar to ACOTAR, but I also feel like I'm missing out!
I just finished the series, and while this isn't my favourite book, Nesta absolutely became my favourite of the sisters. I loved your analysis and I definitely agree that it's the most compelling of the books. I think the emotions were just really raw, and the journey to Cassian and Nesta becoming friends was so well-paced that they actually felt like the most real couple in the series to me. Thank you for the great review! I finally convinced my boyfriend to read the series, and he's almost done with ACOTAR. I look forward to showing him your reviews for each book, as I know he'll have a lot of fun seeing your reactions.
She is slowly gaining in more popularity but Carissa Broadbent is my No.1 romantasy writer, above SJM. I'd recommend you read her! I liked SJM a LOT, but Carissa is a level above in terms of writing quality in my opinion - all her books are 4.5+ for me.
I literally cheered when I opened UA-cam and saw this video on my feed😭 It was definitely long awaited but couldn't be more perfect timing as im currently on my re-read of the series and am about halfway through ACOSF! I will say.. and I know it's going to be a hot take (please nobody crucify me) but this is my least favorite in the series. Though the parts in this book that hit, REALLY HIT. It's always refreshing to see other people's perspectives, especially male perspectives! Me watching your videos encouraged my guy friends to read the series after I finished my first read, and now we have a book club of sorts going and have thoroughly enjoyed the fun synopsis your videos provide! So happy the series resonated with you and that you enjoyed it and I'm excited to see what other content you sling our way! What are your thoughts on the new ACOTAR book that's in production? 👀
Dang that’s so cool to hear! I’m so glad you have all enjoyed and even formed a book club, I love that! Really encouraging! Is it in the works?? I as far as I know she just dropped the latest CC book
I am SO excited for the next ACOTAR! And I'm really hoping it's about Elaine this time, which seems likely with both sisters having had their turns and the potential love interests still being indeterminate. I also think it would be interesting to see if SJM can tackle a softer female lead, as her other protagonists tend to be more on the traditionally strong side. I love the romantasy genre, but don't feel like soft heroines get enough love. As someone a bit softer myself, I'd love to see her story❤
@@carythesnail Yes it is in the works!! Everyone's buzzing about whose perspective we could be getting for ACOTAR6 and Sarah recently made an IG post that has the fandom scrambling for clues on the drop!
this was by far my favorite book in the series too!!!! i know everyone always talks about acomaf but honestly, no. lol the first 4 books were honestly okay for me, mildly entertaining. but i feel like the 5th one has the most depth, the most character growth, a beautiful redemption arc, ACTUAL spice (lol don't get me started on the first 4 books cuz those were not spicy to me at all) and overall it just shines the most. i agree with you that it has everything. it's the only one i'd consider re-reading again. love that we're on the same page!!
Please please PLEASE read the throne of glass series! If you liked Nesta you will love the throne of glass characters. The world building in the throne of glass series is so good that you literally feel immersed in a new world. Like after reading the whole series i knew about multiple continents, countries, and kingdoms along with some of their costumes and culture. SJM did such a good job with the series. It might seem a little intimidating at first because of the number of books (and amount of pages in kingdom of ash) but it is definitely worth the read. It is also really cool to read because SJM started writing it when she was 16 and finished when she was 32 and you can see her growth as an author throughout the series. Sorry this is a lot i just absolutely love the throne of glass series and i think/hope you would enjoy it as well.
I’ve been waiting for this!!!! Also my fav of the series. I knew Nesta would have an amazing arc since the moment the glamour didn’t work on her in the first book and she went to look for Feyre.
Yayyyy I can’t tell you how many times I’ve checked for this video over the last couple months haha I’m so glad you liked this one! It’s my favorite as well by far! 🥰 the character development, the blood rite, 🤌🏽🥲 so good. My only gripe with the book is the stairs. She’s going down down down and then gets so exhausted that she can’t keep going… so she now has to go back up?! Like that’s easier?! Makes no sense to me. Also The car metaphor 🤣🤣🤣 Have you read the bonus chapters?? The PDFs are free online
I just finished this two days ago so your timing for this video is perfect! Totally agree that this is the best in the series and makes the series so, so worth it. Nesta’s arc was so immensely satisfying.
Carissa Broadbent has such good series which are similar fantasy vibes to sjm and rebcca yarros I would say (fave being the Serpents and the Wings of Night) A really great slice of life romantasy that I loved so much I read it straight through on a 9 hour flight which perfectly started and ended my flight was The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy And then if you want to get into some young adult og romantasy, Cassandra Clare's 23 book shadowhunter series goes extremely hard but I would suggest starting from the Infernal Devices. And then theres urban romantasy 😎 which Nalini Singh absolutely kills. Nothing but bangers
As someone who was a Nesta hater this book is easily my 2nd fav in the series after mist and fury and I loved Nesta's character development and House is indeed one of the best characters unironically lmao
I loved your videos with this series! I was so excited when I saw you upload this! ACOSF is my favorite book as well and I was so excited for the review! Thank you for finishing the series!
It just feels weird that after the intervention about nesta’s coping habits, they immediately stick her in a house with a thousand high ledges BY HERSELF and then she finds a new sort of “output” in cassian which isn’t bad but doesn’t feel like the healthiest option especially with their whole “rehab nesta” message
Ok HANDS DOWN my new favorite youtuber. The only channel that came close was Watcher/Ghost Files, but today they imploded. Literally. So I’m glad I found this guy! My depression has been cured 🤣
Just finished the book myself and raced over here to watch the review 😂😂 I've loved these and your approach to it is *chef's kiss* ✨ Please please please make more for the other book series aswell 👀🙏🏽
13:40 my friend was reading a book from this series, in her car, on audio book. She was in the parking garage wit the sound blaring. Her volume was not down in time. She got many weird stares.
Really enjoyed this series! The comments, narration, and editing are all fantastic and something very unique to this page. Excited to see what other book reviews you will do :)
Your reviews helped me out of the weird feeling at the end of each book❤ This last one was my favourite too! I had to slow down at the end because I didn’t want to finish it😅 I am Nesta in almost every way (except drinking) and I think most firstborn sisters feel the same way. The truth of it bothered me in the first books but I am so glad and proud of it now. And Cassian omg felt more mature for me (than Rhys).I am not ready to let Cassian go 😂
This review just gave me the motivation I needed to give the last book a chance. I finished all the other books in the series, but I heard so many negative opinions on this book without a lot of detail why. Thanks for bringing some good arguments for why this book was worth the read!
Obsessed with your videos and watch every one asap!!! 3rd queen of Romantasy has to be Jennifer L Armentrout, the From Blood and Ash series (pls cover this one if you need video material) is in vogue right now but she is a veteran!
Oooo yes I've been waiting for you to drop this video! ACOSF was such a nice departure from Feyre's story and it made me like Nesta so much more than I thought I ever would.
I have thoroughly enjoyed your series reviewing the ACOTAR books. Thank you! ☺️ This review was so thoughtful. I loved the focus on trauma recovery, embodiment, and the acknowledgement of true intimacy within relationships. It is easy to make fun of these books because of the smut elements (and plenty of people have videos doing just that) but, like you point out, there are many compelling themes beyond those parts, and, I would imagine, is why the series is so popular. In this book, when Nesta has the realization within herself that she feels joy again at Starfall, that moment is so pivotal in trauma recovery. When you go through truly dark times it can feel like you are living beneath a veil, like the vibrancy of life is hidden from you. And when you understand that you are feeling that vibrancy again and looking forward to the future rather than dreading it, as Nesta does by the end of the book, no one else will ever understand the true cost and effort it took you to get there. I appreciated the trauma recovery theme in Feyre and Rhys’s arcs as well. Very relatable. In the beginning of ACOSF, Nesta is so unlikeable. I kept with the story because I thought surely she must have an incredible character arc if she was so prickly in the beginning, and SJM did not disappoint. I am left in an ACOTAR void now, but at least have the solace of reading the Throne of Glass and Crescent City series next. 😅 There’s supposed to be a new ACOTAR book coming in the next couple of years, so I am excited for that too. Thanks again for your work! I always appreciate your perspective!
This became my favorite book as well after reading it. They all had morals, but this one had the clearest. Self acceptance, recovering from trauma, and opening up completely and utterly to your partner about it all. I loved your review🖤
personally I really like the shatter me series. I legit couldn’t put the books down to do anything else but read, especially the third book. There isn’t much spice in the first 3 books (haven’t read the last 3 yet bc I still need to buy them) but I really like the way the world is build in the books and the plot twists that come with it.
Nesta, at the beginning of ACOTAR, was written as a 1-dimensional "Cinderella's evil stepsister" type of character. As someone who loves ACOSF and Nesta’s relatability, it infuriates me that people still don't think she did "enough" to make up for how she treated Feyre in her youth. She went into the fae lands ALONE to rescue Feyre from Tamlin, she stood toe-to-toe with the Bat Boys in her human form to protect Elain, she put her life at risk during the war, she wanted to be far away from Feyre in case her Cauldron powers would accidentally kill her last remaining family, she helped a monastery full of female victims of abuse heal through training, and she sacrificed her powers to save Feyre, Rhysand and Nyx. "bare minimum" my ass
and she has yet to apologize for letting her little sisters starve and fend for themselves. Actions are important, but expressing that you’re actually sorry, to the people you actually hurt, is just as important.
@@MrEvldreamr That’s a fun saying you can use to ignore when apologies are required. Mature adults notice where they did wrong and apologize to who they hurt. Children think they can make it up without acknowledging the hurt they caused. Nesta allowed a child to be responsible for keeping her alive, purely out of spite. There is no action that she can do that tells feyre she is sorry for that and that she knows it was wrong. That can only be conveyed through words. Should she ALSO try and make it up through actions to prove that her apology is genuine? Yes. But with actions alone, feyre has no reason to think Nesta is apologetic or that she feels bad. It’s in Nesta’s own personal interest to act like a better person, however that doesn’t mean she feels bad or is sorry, it just means she recognizes the advantage she herself stands to gain by acting better. When you hurt someone, you cannot expect them to “figure out” that you’re sorry based on your actions alone. That’s putting the work on them to forgive you. You have to tell them yourself that you are sorry, and then you have to follow through with action. Action alone can almost always come from a selfish place and doesn’t usually convey remorse unless the person doing the actions states that they feel remorseful. It’s convenient to act nicer and have people forgive you, but it doesn’t mean you feel sorry for your past actions. Taking that extra step and actually apologizing requires maturity. Feyre may not be perfect, but Nesta sure as hell owes her an extensive apology and lengthy follow through after letting feyre keep them alive by risking her own child life for years. Elaine too, but to a lesser extent. Elaine’s neglect was not born from spite, the way Nesta’s was. Nesta would have let her little sister starve to prove a point. What action do you think you could do that would replace an apology for that? Being helpful in ways completely unrelated to what happened isn’t an apology, it’s just what she should already be doing, and it can easily be labeled as self-serving.
This is also my favorite book in the series. It made me laugh, cry and love. It even hit a little close to home. You gotta have experience with what Nesta is going through to love her as a character. Personally; I hated how perfect and rightous Feyre was. The vocabulary in this book was a tad bit more advanced compared to the rest of the series and I loved every second of it. The characters were finally allowed to swear and be actual adults. Sarah J. Maas should've written all those books in the third-person omniscient. This volume felt more in line with the high fantasies of the greatest authors out there and I understand now why one of the blurbs claimed the book had bits of "Buffy, GoT and Outlander" in it, because it finally read as an adult epic fantasy. It's also weird for the main character in a first person perspective to describe and analize everything so specifiaclly. No one does that in real life, we think more in a surface level kind of way, so the other books were hard to get through and the first one was just a mess. But wow did the characters in ACoSF actually have characters. I loved all of it.
Thank for your review of ACOSF! :) This book made me cry because I related so much to Nesta's journey with her mental health. Loved the way SJM used the characters as a vehicle to talk about hard real life issues and struggles.
I have GOT to recommend you read Sarah J Maas's other book series Throne of Glass. I enjoyed ACOTAR but to me the world building and the plot could have been better and it definitely was a very character focused series, however Throne of Glass is a perfect balance of world building, plot that seems planned meticulously the whole way through and the same character/ found family vibes. It also has smut but it's less of the main focus of the series (as I kind of feel it is in ACOTAR) and is more of a cherry on top kinda business. Also another thing I loved about Throne of Glass is how good the foreshadowing is without giving anything away. Sometimes when a character is given a riddle or a puzzle everything is described so well that you can try to solve it along with them and things that seem irrelevant from the early books turn out to be important much later down the series. I would love to see you review those books!!!
Yayayayay so many people shit on this book and I will NEVER know why. This is my absolute favorite book and Nesta is forever a character that will live in my head and heart rent free.
They mentioned how the high king was betrayed by the queen and his general. Amren wanted Rhys to be high king because of the weapons Nesta had made. And Cassian called Nesta a queen without a throne. Then that vision she had in the prison when she was ruling. I was hoping that Nesta would end up High queen because of her powers, cassian as the general who leaves rhys to join her (she could've used that bargain) because rhys and feyre are the tamlin of acosf, they also seem okay with sacrificing nesta and elain as long as they are safe, i couldn't care less about them, and nesta could make the human territory like an 8th court with jurian as high lord or something.
Lani Taylor is a good one in the genre or adjacent to it. Especially Strange the Dreamer. Uhmmmmm…. Jennifer’s Armentrout is a big one. I forget who the author is, but the plated prisoner series is a good one.
I’m so glad this is also your favorite book! Seems like ACOMAF is everyone’s favorite! ACOSF just has so much more depth to me, even tho they are all amazing!
I’ve bing read/listened to this whole series in the last 3 weeks and have looked forward to ur videos at the end of each book almost as much as finishing the books themselves😅 this is the first series I’ve gotten into since I was a teenager and it’s so exciting, cheers to reading🎉
OMG no but we need to talk about the ending!! I was so confused because it seems like there needs to be so much more to Asrael and Gwen’s story as well as Elaine! I’ve read extra chapters that I found online, I don’t know if they’re true but they definitely allude to another book! I NEED ANSWERS! lol
I’m so glad someone finally put my thoughts into words. Nesta is AWFUL at points, inexcusably so, but she is a healing human as well that is learning nonlinearly.
The hot sauce spicy scenes are a delight. Great shtick. And you've sold these books probably better than any review I've seen before. Might have to read them ...
I’m so excited to hear ACOSF is your favorite in the series! The character growth is insane and so profoundly personal. This book holds a special place in my heart 🧡 I’m newly getting back into reading so I haven’t read much romantasy, but my favs so far have indeed been SJM and Rebecca Yarros, as well as Rebecca Ross after reading the Letters of Enchantment series (specifically Divine Rivals ✨). It’s Y/A, so don’t expect spice, but it’s such a compelling read. My sister and I buddy read the duology and she was convinced “Roman invented love” lol. If you’re not hooked, Hozier’s “Work Song” pretty much embodies Roman… it would genuinely be criminal if they adapted this book into a movie and didn’t use that song on the soundtrack. Read the book, listen to the song and then try telling me otherwise ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Unpopular opinion but Neste >>>>> Feyre I'm glad the series is switching up the main characters now because Feyre got on a high horse ever since she became the High Lady
I might be alone in this boat, but on my top 3 authors for this kind of fantasy smut I have Lara Adrian and the Midnight Breed series. I really enjoyed them - there’s like 20 of them now, but the first 5 or 6 are pretty great, and 7 through 12 are still really good, if not on par with the first Quintology.
I'm so excited this video is here! This book was by far my least favourite. It could have easily been cut in half and I felt a lot of characters were robbed of personality, or completely changed for the worse. Despite this it was a joy to hear about why you enjoyed this book! My dislike of some bigger elements kind of made me forget about the things I did enjoy. It was nice to be reminded.
I understand that a long book is not for everyone so that makes sense but for me personally because i love lore like Elden Ring and Bloodbourne I was always looking forward to how much she both fleshes out their incredibly fantastical magical and creature/god based history AND the absolutely horrifying boss battle level monsters and ancient creatures. I lived for it all! I hate when people compare her stories to other popular "spicy" literature thats not that thought out when her worlds are the opposite and dont even compare to those other stories. My only genuine problem is how terribly crafted the world map is tbh but I hope one day she'll rework it i to so.ething that makes sense.
YESSSSSSSS FINALLY IM SO HAPPY. I love the House. I wish I had one😞😞😞 I want someone to make a house for me that does that. I mean I wouldn’t be able to resist Cas either💅
This is also my favorite book in the series! I just live her character development as well. On a side note though, personally it felt like SJM was so used to writing Feyre’s character that she kind of transferred that into Nesta. I feel like the way Nesta interacted with Gwen (that was the priestess friend right?) was very Feyre-like. I dont know if that makes sense. I am one of those people who can read smut with a straight face. (That includes listening to it on audiobook) I remember my first time encountering smut, was in the middle of class in 8th grade. It was The Duke and I by Julia Quinn from the Bridgerton series so iykyk. If you are looking for new series to review Cary you should try the famous Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer or The Bridgerton series by Julie Quinn 😉
Thanks for your patience with this one! I tried to get it out before my trip to Japan but that was very ambitious haha. Thanks for joining me through the ACOTAR series! I hope you enjoy the other dumb stuff I'm about to post soon!
Are you going to read Throne of Glass? I recommend its prequel book first, it made me cry
I hope you'll review Iron Flame, Lightlark, and Nightbane someday
Bro,READ THRONE OF GLASS OR I'LL COME FR U MYSELF
thank u fr ur time 😌
Also start with assassin's blade first,u will understand more of throne of glass if u do
Please consider reading fiction by Madeline Miller. I would not consider her books romanticy necessarily. But I do consider her the greatest American writer of our time.
People shit on Nesta (I used to, as well) but NOTHING is as infuriating as the fact that Feyre and Rhysand made a pact so if one died, it killed the other. That one thing made me like/respect them SO much less 😅 They KNEW they’d have a child eventually (bone carver y’know) but still did it and accepted the risk of him being an ORPHAN.
This 10000%. "I love you more than our children's wellbeing" is such a bad vibe
Uh yall don't understand.whe they visited the bone carver,the child shown to them was not full illyrian.and they did not plan the pregnancy and their child to be full illyrian.look at Rhys he can summon his wings though not by birth,but that specific magic will surely pass on to his descendants.they were just having a little too much fun in the bedroom with shapeshifting 😂😅
Yes, I thought the same. I get it must be very difficult to lose one another, but wouldn't it be so heartbreaking for a child the loss of both parents at the same time?
I think Nesta is by far the most interesting character in the book.
Cassian and Nesta are the best couple in the series. Of course Cass would be out control in the boudoir. 😂
I suffer from PTSD and this book inspired me to become a Valkyrie! There’s a huge community of us who all workout and meditate together. It’s called the Valkyrie Squad!
do you have a link??
cult
That sounds amazing!!
Same!! Although I have a break now because I've injured my wrist but I love it!!
@@kiara4345the creators page is named the micro squad
When Nesta was summoned by Feyre and Rhys to start the book, I thought that surely this must be a new quest only Nesta could do, that Nesta's fear of an intervention was a red herring. But nope, it straight up was just an intervention. That was my first indicator that SJM was diving headfirst into a full blown mental health journey like she hinted at in ACOMAF.
I can't say the plot structure was my favorite in the series (I thought the training went on a little too long and the Blood Rite was highly rushed), but I liked getting to learn so much about Nesta's character and psyche in a single book. Cassian's refusal to give up on her even when she gave up on herself was touching, too. Good vibes overall, minus just about everything involving the pregnancy plotline. Cassian's guts can fall out and he walks away with just a scar, but a C-section is some impossible task? Mkay.
have exaclty the same problem with the pregnancy plot !
The Pregnancy Plot was very mishandled. It actually ruined the book for my wife as it ended up be too triggering for her. It's such a shame because Nesta and Cassian's story is so great and the development of their relationship was easily my favorite thing from the series.
@@TheDangerOfBoredKidsi HATE how all media depicts childbirth. Its like EVERY author/producer/director never had kids
watching your ACOTAR reviews has been so much fun
Thank you so much for following, I really appreciate it:)
Nesta's trauma journey and her redemption arc is fantastic) as well as her friendship with Gwynn and Emerie
I think Nesta is so much cooler as a FMC. I love how she’s imperfect and has relatable real world problems. I like Feyre, but she seems too “perfect” in the later books. Which is very different from how she is in the first couple. I really stopped caring for her in ACOWAR. Also Nesta is so badass
I hate feyre. I kept waitng for the plot twist that rhysand lied the entire time bc of how gullible feyre is.
The car crash analogy had me cackling. 🤣
Nesta was written like a Throne of Glass character and I’m here for it!
And thank you for the use of the Skyrim soundtrack
That's a tough question at the end there. I would put Carissa Broadbent (especially her Crowns of Nyaxia series) over both SJM and Rebecca Yarros (and pretty far over them from a craft perspective, if I'm being honest). It's hard to ignore SJM's and Rebecca's success, but in terms of quality of writing, character, worldbuilding, and consistency, Carissa comes out way ahead of both for me. I would also put Katherine Arden up there as well for her Winternight series--it's not so specifically romantasy per se, but it's absolutely phenomenal and her prose is hypnotic. T. Kingfisher is also solid and has a very different spin on romantasy--it's delightfully weird, quirky, and a little creepy at times. The humor is spot-on--you should give Paladin's Grace a shot sometime. It's not for everyone but it definitely puts a unique spin on things, and it has a male main character which is a nice change of pace for the genre!
On another note, I am so glad you acknowledged Nesta being difficult (and not in a good way). Entirely too many people act like she was the victim in that intervention when her treatment of others already had been abhorrent for years. The character development with her was great and very much needed.
I’d like to point out that while Nesta was in desperate need of an intervention, Feyre still did it in a pretty problematic way. First: her motive. She didn’t intervene because her sister was clearly drinking herself into an early grave, she did it because it “looked bad” for her and Rhys every time Nesta sent them the bill. Feyre and Rhys are richer than god, it’s absurd. Then second: the conditions of the intervention. They tell Nesta she has two choices, either go die in the human realms, or consent to being locked up and isolated in the house of wind with literally only one person she knows to talk to. Remember why Feyre left Tamlin? ITS CUZ HE LOCKED HER UP! Theres a half dozen other ways Feyre could have intervened without essentially incarcerating her sister or threatening her with death in the human realms. She could have cut Nesta off financially and said “hey you can have money again, but not if it’s to buy alcohol.” Or she could have told Nesta “your building is being condemned, so you have to come live in the river house, and you’re a mess so a stipulation is that you get sober and learn how to control yourself.” But no, it had to be locking Nesta up in the most remote place in the kingdom with access to exactly one person. That is so cruel and problematic. It’s tantamount to taking an alcoholic and locking them in one room of the house with no phone, no access to friends, and a couple times a day they get to see their boyfriend. Oh qnd they literally can’t leave or theyll die. There isn’t a rehab facility in the world that is structured that way and there’s a reason for it.
Thank you for the author recommendations! I don't enjoy SJM's quality of writing style and don't always trust that I'll enjoy a recommendation if its similar to ACOTAR, but I also feel like I'm missing out!
BRB adding these to my goodreads
I just finished the series, and while this isn't my favourite book, Nesta absolutely became my favourite of the sisters. I loved your analysis and I definitely agree that it's the most compelling of the books. I think the emotions were just really raw, and the journey to Cassian and Nesta becoming friends was so well-paced that they actually felt like the most real couple in the series to me. Thank you for the great review!
I finally convinced my boyfriend to read the series, and he's almost done with ACOTAR. I look forward to showing him your reviews for each book, as I know he'll have a lot of fun seeing your reactions.
She is slowly gaining in more popularity but Carissa Broadbent is my No.1 romantasy writer, above SJM. I'd recommend you read her! I liked SJM a LOT, but Carissa is a level above in terms of writing quality in my opinion - all her books are 4.5+ for me.
I literally cheered when I opened UA-cam and saw this video on my feed😭 It was definitely long awaited but couldn't be more perfect timing as im currently on my re-read of the series and am about halfway through ACOSF! I will say.. and I know it's going to be a hot take (please nobody crucify me) but this is my least favorite in the series. Though the parts in this book that hit, REALLY HIT. It's always refreshing to see other people's perspectives, especially male perspectives! Me watching your videos encouraged my guy friends to read the series after I finished my first read, and now we have a book club of sorts going and have thoroughly enjoyed the fun synopsis your videos provide! So happy the series resonated with you and that you enjoyed it and I'm excited to see what other content you sling our way! What are your thoughts on the new ACOTAR book that's in production? 👀
Dang that’s so cool to hear! I’m so glad you have all enjoyed and even formed a book club, I love that! Really encouraging!
Is it in the works?? I as far as I know she just dropped the latest CC book
@@carythesnailyes! the next book she’s releasing will be acotar 6!
I am SO excited for the next ACOTAR! And I'm really hoping it's about Elaine this time, which seems likely with both sisters having had their turns and the potential love interests still being indeterminate. I also think it would be interesting to see if SJM can tackle a softer female lead, as her other protagonists tend to be more on the traditionally strong side. I love the romantasy genre, but don't feel like soft heroines get enough love. As someone a bit softer myself, I'd love to see her story❤
@@carythesnail Yes it is in the works!! Everyone's buzzing about whose perspective we could be getting for ACOTAR6 and Sarah recently made an IG post that has the fandom scrambling for clues on the drop!
@@floptopus5685 I agree! It's Elain's story now.
I gasped reading the title - it’s finally here!! 🥳 Welcome back Mr. Snail
Wake up, world! New Cary vid 🎉
this was by far my favorite book in the series too!!!! i know everyone always talks about acomaf but honestly, no. lol the first 4 books were honestly okay for me, mildly entertaining. but i feel like the 5th one has the most depth, the most character growth, a beautiful redemption arc, ACTUAL spice (lol don't get me started on the first 4 books cuz those were not spicy to me at all) and overall it just shines the most. i agree with you that it has everything. it's the only one i'd consider re-reading again. love that we're on the same page!!
Please please PLEASE read the throne of glass series! If you liked Nesta you will love the throne of glass characters. The world building in the throne of glass series is so good that you literally feel immersed in a new world. Like after reading the whole series i knew about multiple continents, countries, and kingdoms along with some of their costumes and culture. SJM did such a good job with the series. It might seem a little intimidating at first because of the number of books (and amount of pages in kingdom of ash) but it is definitely worth the read. It is also really cool to read because SJM started writing it when she was 16 and finished when she was 32 and you can see her growth as an author throughout the series. Sorry this is a lot i just absolutely love the throne of glass series and i think/hope you would enjoy it as well.
I just finished this book yesterday. It was definitely my favorite out of the series.
Best part of my ACOTAR reading experience has been watching these vids after each book. Keep it going dude!
I’ve been waiting for this!!!! Also my fav of the series. I knew Nesta would have an amazing arc since the moment the glamour didn’t work on her in the first book and she went to look for Feyre.
I came running soooo fast LOL i love your book reviews, they're refreshing haah
Yayyyy
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve checked for this video over the last couple months haha
I’m so glad you liked this one! It’s my favorite as well by far! 🥰 the character development, the blood rite, 🤌🏽🥲 so good.
My only gripe with the book is the stairs. She’s going down down down and then gets so exhausted that she can’t keep going… so she now has to go back up?! Like that’s easier?! Makes no sense to me.
Also The car metaphor 🤣🤣🤣
Have you read the bonus chapters?? The PDFs are free online
You’ve become one of my favourite book reviewers! Looking forward to what you do next!
I've been loving this series so much but you yelling "they don't got insurance!" killed me lmaooo
I just finished this two days ago so your timing for this video is perfect! Totally agree that this is the best in the series and makes the series so, so worth it. Nesta’s arc was so immensely satisfying.
Such a great video! Your editing is so unique and your scripting and comedy is so talented! Keep it up!
Holly Black, Stephanie Garber and of course Sarah J Maas
Are my top romantasy authors
Carissa Broadbent has such good series which are similar fantasy vibes to sjm and rebcca yarros I would say (fave being the Serpents and the Wings of Night)
A really great slice of life romantasy that I loved so much I read it straight through on a 9 hour flight which perfectly started and ended my flight was The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy
And then if you want to get into some young adult og romantasy, Cassandra Clare's 23 book shadowhunter series goes extremely hard but I would suggest starting from the Infernal Devices.
And then theres urban romantasy 😎 which Nalini Singh absolutely kills. Nothing but bangers
Thank you for the recs! Urban romantasy huh? Whoa that sounds pretty interesting
As someone who was a Nesta hater this book is easily my 2nd fav in the series after mist and fury and I loved Nesta's character development and House is indeed one of the best characters unironically lmao
I loved your videos with this series! I was so excited when I saw you upload this! ACOSF is my favorite book as well and I was so excited for the review! Thank you for finishing the series!
It just feels weird that after the intervention about nesta’s coping habits, they immediately stick her in a house with a thousand high ledges BY HERSELF and then she finds a new sort of “output” in cassian which isn’t bad but doesn’t feel like the healthiest option especially with their whole “rehab nesta” message
I literally love your recaps and reviews on this series. Way too funny🤣😭
Ok HANDS DOWN my new favorite youtuber. The only channel that came close was Watcher/Ghost Files, but today they imploded. Literally. So I’m glad I found this guy! My depression has been cured 🤣
Just finished the book myself and raced over here to watch the review 😂😂 I've loved these and your approach to it is *chef's kiss* ✨
Please please please make more for the other book series aswell 👀🙏🏽
No, we have to THANK YOU for this whole video series ❤
13:40 my friend was reading a book from this series, in her car, on audio book. She was in the parking garage wit the sound blaring. Her volume was not down in time. She got many weird stares.
Leigh Bardugo? Light on the roman but heavy on the tasy
Glad to see you back! Definitely enjoy these and can’t wait to see what’s next
Really enjoyed this series! The comments, narration, and editing are all fantastic and something very unique to this page. Excited to see what other book reviews you will do :)
Your reviews helped me out of the weird feeling at the end of each book❤ This last one was my favourite too! I had to slow down at the end because I didn’t want to finish it😅
I am Nesta in almost every way (except drinking) and I think most firstborn sisters feel the same way. The truth of it bothered me in the first books but I am so glad and proud of it now. And Cassian omg felt more mature for me (than Rhys).I am not ready to let Cassian go 😂
I got so excited when I saw this video had been posted! You're the sole reason I've convinced my boyfriend to read the series lol
Thank you!! I hope he’s enjoying it as well!
House-kun as the best acotar character was not a take I was ready for, but I respect it 😂
The top 3 Romantacy writers in my option are: Sarah J. Mass, Rebecca Yarros, and Lauren Roberts!! Would definitely recommend reading "Powerless" 💜💜💜
Once again the editing is incredibly entertaining
"feyre and riseeee" 😭😭😭
This review just gave me the motivation I needed to give the last book a chance. I finished all the other books in the series, but I heard so many negative opinions on this book without a lot of detail why. Thanks for bringing some good arguments for why this book was worth the read!
Obsessed with your videos and watch every one asap!!! 3rd queen of Romantasy has to be Jennifer L Armentrout, the From Blood and Ash series (pls cover this one if you need video material) is in vogue right now but she is a veteran!
Oooo yes I've been waiting for you to drop this video! ACOSF was such a nice departure from Feyre's story and it made me like Nesta so much more than I thought I ever would.
I have thoroughly enjoyed your series reviewing the ACOTAR books. Thank you! ☺️ This review was so thoughtful. I loved the focus on trauma recovery, embodiment, and the acknowledgement of true intimacy within relationships. It is easy to make fun of these books because of the smut elements (and plenty of people have videos doing just that) but, like you point out, there are many compelling themes beyond those parts, and, I would imagine, is why the series is so popular. In this book, when Nesta has the realization within herself that she feels joy again at Starfall, that moment is so pivotal in trauma recovery. When you go through truly dark times it can feel like you are living beneath a veil, like the vibrancy of life is hidden from you. And when you understand that you are feeling that vibrancy again and looking forward to the future rather than dreading it, as Nesta does by the end of the book, no one else will ever understand the true cost and effort it took you to get there. I appreciated the trauma recovery theme in Feyre and Rhys’s arcs as well. Very relatable. In the beginning of ACOSF, Nesta is so unlikeable. I kept with the story because I thought surely she must have an incredible character arc if she was so prickly in the beginning, and SJM did not disappoint. I am left in an ACOTAR void now, but at least have the solace of reading the Throne of Glass and Crescent City series next. 😅 There’s supposed to be a new ACOTAR book coming in the next couple of years, so I am excited for that too. Thanks again for your work! I always appreciate your perspective!
I knew ACOSF would be your favourite! Couldn’t wait for this video
This became my favorite book as well after reading it. They all had morals, but this one had the clearest. Self acceptance, recovering from trauma, and opening up completely and utterly to your partner about it all. I loved your review🖤
i love how Feyre's name in the subtitles was either "phah" or "pharaoh" lol
personally I really like the shatter me series. I legit couldn’t put the books down to do anything else but read, especially the third book. There isn’t much spice in the first 3 books (haven’t read the last 3 yet bc I still need to buy them) but I really like the way the world is build in the books and the plot twists that come with it.
Nesta, at the beginning of ACOTAR, was written as a 1-dimensional "Cinderella's evil stepsister" type of character. As someone who loves ACOSF and Nesta’s relatability, it infuriates me that people still don't think she did "enough" to make up for how she treated Feyre in her youth.
She went into the fae lands ALONE to rescue Feyre from Tamlin, she stood toe-to-toe with the Bat Boys in her human form to protect Elain, she put her life at risk during the war, she wanted to be far away from Feyre in case her Cauldron powers would accidentally kill her last remaining family, she helped a monastery full of female victims of abuse heal through training, and she sacrificed her powers to save Feyre, Rhysand and Nyx. "bare minimum" my ass
and she has yet to apologize for letting her little sisters starve and fend for themselves. Actions are important, but expressing that you’re actually sorry, to the people you actually hurt, is just as important.
@@annabelledrake2027 no it isnt. Actions speaknlouder than words. Besides alot of the issues are feyres fault far as I can see
@@MrEvldreamr That’s a fun saying you can use to ignore when apologies are required. Mature adults notice where they did wrong and apologize to who they hurt. Children think they can make it up without acknowledging the hurt they caused. Nesta allowed a child to be responsible for keeping her alive, purely out of spite. There is no action that she can do that tells feyre she is sorry for that and that she knows it was wrong. That can only be conveyed through words. Should she ALSO try and make it up through actions to prove that her apology is genuine? Yes. But with actions alone, feyre has no reason to think Nesta is apologetic or that she feels bad. It’s in Nesta’s own personal interest to act like a better person, however that doesn’t mean she feels bad or is sorry, it just means she recognizes the advantage she herself stands to gain by acting better. When you hurt someone, you cannot expect them to “figure out” that you’re sorry based on your actions alone. That’s putting the work on them to forgive you. You have to tell them yourself that you are sorry, and then you have to follow through with action. Action alone can almost always come from a selfish place and doesn’t usually convey remorse unless the person doing the actions states that they feel remorseful. It’s convenient to act nicer and have people forgive you, but it doesn’t mean you feel sorry for your past actions. Taking that extra step and actually apologizing requires maturity.
Feyre may not be perfect, but Nesta sure as hell owes her an extensive apology and lengthy follow through after letting feyre keep them alive by risking her own child life for years. Elaine too, but to a lesser extent. Elaine’s neglect was not born from spite, the way Nesta’s was. Nesta would have let her little sister starve to prove a point. What action do you think you could do that would replace an apology for that? Being helpful in ways completely unrelated to what happened isn’t an apology, it’s just what she should already be doing, and it can easily be labeled as self-serving.
Cassandra Clare has to be one of the top writers of the romantasy genre.
You’re so real for this! The 3 other books are so worth this one
OMG I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS TO DROP FOR AGES I'M SO EXCITED
This is also my favorite book in the series. It made me laugh, cry and love. It even hit a little close to home. You gotta have experience with what Nesta is going through to love her as a character. Personally; I hated how perfect and rightous Feyre was. The vocabulary in this book was a tad bit more advanced compared to the rest of the series and I loved every second of it. The characters were finally allowed to swear and be actual adults. Sarah J. Maas should've written all those books in the third-person omniscient. This volume felt more in line with the high fantasies of the greatest authors out there and I understand now why one of the blurbs claimed the book had bits of "Buffy, GoT and Outlander" in it, because it finally read as an adult epic fantasy. It's also weird for the main character in a first person perspective to describe and analize everything so specifiaclly. No one does that in real life, we think more in a surface level kind of way, so the other books were hard to get through and the first one was just a mess. But wow did the characters in ACoSF actually have characters. I loved all of it.
I never realised how much needed these videos in my life. Made my day, week, month, … for sure!!! 😂🤩🤣
Thank for your review of ACOSF! :) This book made me cry because I related so much to Nesta's journey with her mental health. Loved the way SJM used the characters as a vehicle to talk about hard real life issues and struggles.
I have GOT to recommend you read Sarah J Maas's other book series Throne of Glass. I enjoyed ACOTAR but to me the world building and the plot could have been better and it definitely was a very character focused series, however Throne of Glass is a perfect balance of world building, plot that seems planned meticulously the whole way through and the same character/ found family vibes. It also has smut but it's less of the main focus of the series (as I kind of feel it is in ACOTAR) and is more of a cherry on top kinda business. Also another thing I loved about Throne of Glass is how good the foreshadowing is without giving anything away. Sometimes when a character is given a riddle or a puzzle everything is described so well that you can try to solve it along with them and things that seem irrelevant from the early books turn out to be important much later down the series. I would love to see you review those books!!!
Yayayayay so many people shit on this book and I will NEVER know why. This is my absolute favorite book and Nesta is forever a character that will live in my head and heart rent free.
They mentioned how the high king was betrayed by the queen and his general. Amren wanted Rhys to be high king because of the weapons Nesta had made. And Cassian called Nesta a queen without a throne. Then that vision she had in the prison when she was ruling. I was hoping that Nesta would end up High queen because of her powers, cassian as the general who leaves rhys to join her (she could've used that bargain) because rhys and feyre are the tamlin of acosf, they also seem okay with sacrificing nesta and elain as long as they are safe, i couldn't care less about them, and nesta could make the human territory like an 8th court with jurian as high lord or something.
I loved this one best too! However I will never understand how someone with healing blood could die from too much bleeding…
Lol that’s a great point!!
YYEEEESSS this is what i've been waiting for hahaha omg the car crash description, the dancing, the house, I cant 😂
OOOOH BOI I’ve been waiting for this one hahaha
I would die for Gwyn and her sassy self. I think she and Azriel have such great potential 🩵
Ooooooooh me too!!!!
Lani Taylor is a good one in the genre or adjacent to it. Especially Strange the Dreamer. Uhmmmmm…. Jennifer’s Armentrout is a big one. I forget who the author is, but the plated prisoner series is a good one.
I’ve been waiting for this video for so long!!!!! I love your inputs on this series
I’m so glad this is also your favorite book! Seems like ACOMAF is everyone’s favorite! ACOSF just has so much more depth to me, even tho they are all amazing!
I know you didn't ask, but I'd love to see some TOG reviews next (it's even better I swear)👀
I’ve bing read/listened to this whole series in the last 3 weeks and have looked forward to ur videos at the end of each book almost as much as finishing the books themselves😅 this is the first series I’ve gotten into since I was a teenager and it’s so exciting, cheers to reading🎉
Seductive dance off arc is so good
I loved these videos, so interesting to hear your take on them and the hot sauce for the spicy bits a fun hook. Thanks!
oh man i really hope you read assassins blade and throne of glass theyre my favorite series ever!!!
Jennifer Armentrout as a romantasy author!
I read the Blood and Ash series, my first ever smutty series, and i was NOT expecting so much hot sauce 😂😂😂
Your car analogies are incredible.
This is my first video of yours and I LOVE this content. What a review 👏
I just finished the audiobook and it was definitely a challenge to keep a straight face while listening to it on the bus 😬
Are you going to read the other Sarah J Maas books?
I probably will at some point but I’m going to try/read some other things first
OMG no but we need to talk about the ending!! I was so confused because it seems like there needs to be so much more to Asrael and Gwen’s story as well as Elaine! I’ve read extra chapters that I found online, I don’t know if they’re true but they definitely allude to another book! I NEED ANSWERS! lol
I’m so glad someone finally put my thoughts into words. Nesta is AWFUL at points, inexcusably so, but she is a healing human as well that is learning nonlinearly.
The hot sauce spicy scenes are a delight. Great shtick.
And you've sold these books probably better than any review I've seen before. Might have to read them ...
I’m so excited to hear ACOSF is your favorite in the series! The character growth is insane and so profoundly personal. This book holds a special place in my heart 🧡
I’m newly getting back into reading so I haven’t read much romantasy, but my favs so far have indeed been SJM and Rebecca Yarros, as well as Rebecca Ross after reading the Letters of Enchantment series (specifically Divine Rivals ✨). It’s Y/A, so don’t expect spice, but it’s such a compelling read. My sister and I buddy read the duology and she was convinced “Roman invented love” lol. If you’re not hooked, Hozier’s “Work Song” pretty much embodies Roman… it would genuinely be criminal if they adapted this book into a movie and didn’t use that song on the soundtrack. Read the book, listen to the song and then try telling me otherwise ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
My Top 5 are Sarah J Maas, Jennifer Armentrout ,Clarissa Broadbent, Rebecca Ross and Penn Cole.
Oh my god I was so excited to see this come up! Here for Cary's Romantasy era
YYYAAASSSS!! I needed this video so much!! Best way to end a stressful week.
Oh good! I hope this was an enjoyable way to kick off the weekend!
Unpopular opinion but Neste >>>>> Feyre
I'm glad the series is switching up the main characters now because Feyre got on a high horse ever since she became the High Lady
I might be alone in this boat, but on my top 3 authors for this kind of fantasy smut I have Lara Adrian and the Midnight Breed series. I really enjoyed them - there’s like 20 of them now, but the first 5 or 6 are pretty great, and 7 through 12 are still really good, if not on par with the first Quintology.
Been waiting for your review of this book for months 😂 finally it’s here! Woohoooo
I'm so excited this video is here! This book was by far my least favourite. It could have easily been cut in half and I felt a lot of characters were robbed of personality, or completely changed for the worse. Despite this it was a joy to hear about why you enjoyed this book! My dislike of some bigger elements kind of made me forget about the things I did enjoy. It was nice to be reminded.
I just need recaps like this for mistborn
I understand that a long book is not for everyone so that makes sense but for me personally because i love lore like Elden Ring and Bloodbourne I was always looking forward to how much she both fleshes out their incredibly fantastical magical and creature/god based history AND the absolutely horrifying boss battle level monsters and ancient creatures. I lived for it all! I hate when people compare her stories to other popular "spicy" literature thats not that thought out when her worlds are the opposite and dont even compare to those other stories. My only genuine problem is how terribly crafted the world map is tbh but I hope one day she'll rework it i to so.ething that makes sense.
YESSSSSSSS FINALLY IM SO HAPPY. I love the House. I wish I had one😞😞😞 I want someone to make a house for me that does that. I mean I wouldn’t be able to resist Cas either💅
I’m so excited for this review! I love these videos so much
Damn I’m 13 days too late. I love your reviews and summaries and this was my favourite book of the series! 😂 your inputs had me screaaaammmINGG 😂🤣
I love your take ❤️ You do Nesta justice
Corrissa Broadbent was amazing. I also love Mary Pearson.
Been waiting for this one, glad you enjoyed the series ! 🐌
This is also my favorite book in the series! I just live her character development as well. On a side note though, personally it felt like SJM was so used to writing Feyre’s character that she kind of transferred that into Nesta. I feel like the way Nesta interacted with Gwen (that was the priestess friend right?) was very Feyre-like. I dont know if that makes sense.
I am one of those people who can read smut with a straight face. (That includes listening to it on audiobook) I remember my first time encountering smut, was in the middle of class in 8th grade. It was The Duke and I by Julia Quinn from the Bridgerton series so iykyk.
If you are looking for new series to review Cary you should try the famous Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer or The Bridgerton series by Julie Quinn 😉