I feel like dark academia is a genre that has cool aesthetics and we all want to love it but there just aren’t enough books in the genre (yet?) to really justify our continued interest in it. It reminds me of how grad programs beat us over the head with deconstruction even though there (relatively speaking) aren’t many texts that truly benefit from/open up through that lens. Just some thoughts!
Yeah, I can't say I've had big success with books pitched as being dark academia... some people seem to like them, but ofr me, it's a lot of window dressing and not a lot of "there" there
I was on team feelin’ it for The Maidens, but I completely agree with your critique of it. I thought it was fun and got on board because I was totally in the mood for it. I’m a very moody reader and know that if I had picked it up a different time, I wouldn’t have liked it as much. Cheers!
It's funny I loved The Maidens (or at least enjoyed it for what it was) and The Atlas Six and did not love Sorcery of Thorns! Although I just went to look at my review and I did give Sorcery 4 stars, so I think I'm more irritated by it after the fact than I was while reading. I remember not loving the characters and finding them underdeveloped. It didn't leave a lasting impression. This is making me realize that melodrama and that kind of overwritten style doesn't bother me if I'm into the project of the book.
i had tried some of olivie blake's fanfic a while back and could never get on with her writing style, so i've stayed far away from the atlas six! glad to see you liked sorcery of thorns. i liked it much more than an enchantment of ravens
loved the format of this vlog! i haven't read any of this yet but now i'm curious about what I would think. I've said in the past I don't mind over-written stuff, but maybe I was just fed up with stories that had dry, spare prose and no emotional closeness because I feel like now I know what you mean. it's such a fine balance between descriptive writing that gets me close to the characters and distracting over-writing.
I gave both The Atlas Six and The Maidens two stars. I have a theory about The Atlas Six. Because it was popular as a self pub book the Tor editor really had their hands tied in terms of how much could be changed. I’ll be curious to read the first couple of chapters of The Atlas Paradox to see if a real editor from the start makes the difference.
The only thing divisive about The Maidens is how best to go about destroying it. I vote burn it with fire, but I can understand where that would seem problematic.
I listened to The Maidens on audio at 2x speed and I enjoyed it for what it is. If I had had to sit and read a physical copy of it, I wouldn't have been able to get through it. I think for certain books, having that audio ups my enjoyment
It also had a REALLY good audiobook. I missed some of the questionable writing because of that, and later saw on Goodreads like "omg how did I miss that?"
I DNF'd The Atlas Six as well. Aside from being overwritten there wasn't much to the story except the relationships between the characters which is something I like a lot of times but I did not like these characters so no... Its a shame because I loved the idea of the Alexandrian Library but there was nothing really in the book about that. It was more just a background idea? I hated giving the book up as well because I bought the self pub version and it was so beautiful...oh well. I do like dark academia as a genre but my idea of good dark academia is Sherlock Holmes or Harry Potter or Susanna Clarks' Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell.
I'm also very confused about so much negativity towards Sorcery of Thornes. I had a lot of fun with it, especially because it's just a standalone and problems are not dragged out but resolved quickly. That was so refreshing with so many fantasy books with no substance being unnecessarily stretched into trilogies these days. And I really liked the humour and romance (which I usually hate in most books). I haven't read the Maidens or the Atlas Six yet but I still want to give them a try. Mostly because I'm desperate for books with dark academia vibes. At least I don't expect too much of them, so maybe they'll surprise me? 😅
I am a huge fan of An Enchantment of Ravens, it's my comfort read. I was excited for SoT knowing it would be different and dark academia-ish (something I know I don't like), what I remember is that I felt.. caged in.. in that location? I guess it was too ~British for me. The slow beginning was another reason. I loved how funny it was, like that part where Nathaniel was like "I only turn orphans into crows on tuesdays" or something like that, I cried laughing. Margaret Rogerson is a huge HUGE Howl's moving castle fan, AEoR had some of that feel too but SoT really was like that book. One of the biggest reasons people didn't like AEoR was because they expected it to be like the.. fae smut series, and then didn't like SoT because it wasn't like AEoR... that's kinda sad..
I enjoy when you do videos where you compare books to what others think. You don’t hold your tongue and that is nice to see (You don’t just blush over a book cause it is the hot ticket)
I'm relieved you liked Sorcery of Throns because I bought it at Value Village earlier this year and haven't read it yet. It would have crushed my enthusiasm if you hadn't liked it!
I enjoyed Sorcery of Thorns although I did find it maybe 50-70 pages a bit too long but it was still a nice time. But I also have not read An Enchantment of Ravens
You need to suspend all disbelief and just go with the flow to enjoy the maidens, the moment you start thinking why everything crashes down. There is no way the investigation makes sense, but I chose to ignore it and go with the vibes
I have had no interest in The Maidens but I dug through Goodreads to find spoilers for the ending and it was just as bad as I was afraid of 😬 I was very middle-of-the-road on Sorcery of Thorns and actually liked Enchantment of Ravens slightly more. I wonder if part of it was because SoT was SO hyped for me personally, compared to EoR? maybe if I hadn't had such high expectations I would have enjoyed it more! I do want to try other things by the author though. And I did really like Silas!
just wanted to pop in and say you should DEFINITELY pick up Margaret Rogerson's latest book Vespertine if you get the chance, i think youd enjoy it considering how much you liked Red Sister etc. it's a necromancy nun book w/ a possession element and a protagonist on the spectrum, i'm currently listening to the audiobook and its really enjoyable!
I thank you for reading some passages from these. Though I didn't have any interest in The Maidens I considered reading Atlas Six but after that sample it's a no from me. I also like Sorcery Of Thorns & thought it was a fun, kinda soapy read.
I know this is extremely irrational, but for some reason, and it's people I'm subscribed to on UA-cam and I usually love, who gave the Silent Patient a high rating...So you not vibing with it has my heart restored 😂😂😅😅
I read The Maidens, and had many problems with it. I gave it 2 stars.It was like they put all the bad things from both Riverdale and the "new" Nancy Drew (both from CW-so tween dumpster 🔥) in it-just in book form. Let's hope the CW doesn't get their hands on this or I'm sure it will show up in their line-up. 🤣 Love you spoiling us with so much cat 🐈 🐈⬛ camera. The other 2 weren't on my radar, and they will remain that way. I can't do the YA fantasy thing and overwriting is Not my thing.
Ughh, I hate the cliffhanger at the end of every chapter gimmick. I dnf’ed The Da Vinci Code for this exact reason back when it first came out. Yeah, l’m not reading The Maidens. Truly feel like The Atlas Six is NOT well-written. I pushed through, but … 😩. I read the self-pubbed version, which seems to be worse than the edited trad-pubbed version, because there _is_ a lot of word misusage, and the writing reminds me of …. my own writing 😫 …. at 4am, when I am delirious, out of my mind, and mindlessly stacking gerunds onto my sentences in an effort to meet a word count. 😫😫😫. Self-pub version has the character illustrations too btw. Then there is that bait-and-switch twist ending which … annoyed me, clearly a cliffhanger to sell her sequel. In the end, after browsing twitter, I think this book owes its popularity to the cliffhanger ending and potential ship wars? There are a number of ways one can ship certain characters, even though fully half or more of the characters are misanthropes or sociopaths (so I’m not sure how that’s gonna pan out). Also, the text isn’t interested in any of the ideas it touches on - it’s interested in the characters and their relationships. So it’s the vibes (altho, what vibes?!!), the ships, and that cliffhanger?🤷🏻♀️ True, SoT is a good time. 😌 Liene is wrong about this. Also, I see you have a copy of The Jasmine Throne. 👀
I stopped reading The Atlas Six after the prologue, so I didn't even get far enough to consider it a DNF. I agree that it is overwritten, which is unfortunate because I thought when it was purchased by a traditional publisher, an editor might get a hold of it and improve it.
😂 I had to read the atlas six for a book club. I would’ve DNFed it if it wasn’t for the book club. I HATED it. Booktube did me dirty. First 1 ⭐️ I’ve given in a very long time.
I got through 20% of The Maidens and decided to DNF it because I knew there was gonna be some juvenile pretentious writing ahead lol And from some Booktubers’ ranting on the book, I knew my decision was right.
I didn’t like SoT, the premise was great, but the execution was underwhelming, it was kind of forgettable. I’m looking forward to reading the Atlas Six, I don’t mind when stories are a little overwritten and not interested in the Maidens
I don't think I've seen a single positive review of The Maidens by anyone at this point. My roommate read it and ranted for days about it 😂 As for Sorcery of Thorns, I read it when it came out but was pretty let down by it because I expected more with the actual library, but I hadn't read anything else by the author and I did not love the writing. And though I gave it 3 stars, the longer it's been since picking it up, the less positive my memories are. I haven't read The Atlas Six, but I got a really strong personal recommendation for it, so I'm still going to have to pick it up.
I didn't mind the second half of The Maidens and found it really page turner-y once the action ramped up. I was okay with the lack of foreshadowing too but I found the main character so annoying. I couldn't quite figure out what it was I disliked until someone pointed out how some of the sillier decisions she made really shows that the book is written by a guy and I think that was definitely part of the issue as it just comes across as so inauthentic/unrealistic the positions she ends up in.
Ahh the maidens, my least fav book of 2021 😂😂 MC was, quite frankly, too stupid to live 🥴 the way she somehow kept inserting herself into the investigation made no sense
I felt so bad for you reading such a dreadful book, The Maidens in your cozy home. I hated this book and I like you enjoyed The Silent Patient, even though I dislike the unreliable narrators trope. So I was excited for this one. But it was so pretentious. This author fell in love with his own damn hype. I am pretty generous rating books because I have learned to appreciate how authors craft their stories and their originality. But two stars for this one is too generous.
I also did not feel The Maidens. Can we stop describing ever brick in Oxford? Mad about the ending...just really turned off by the end of this book. Found the ending very distasteful and did feel cheated about how we got there. Don't want to read from this author again.
I feel most of what I read that has been published in recent years is overwritten, so I can understand and feel your disappointment. I think authors try to "unpack" their writing when they write like... that, but that is not the way I like it. It's boring, it drags and it makes me feel fed up-- it feels like fanfiction in the wrong way. That's just not good craft, in my opinion.
I feel like dark academia is a genre that has cool aesthetics and we all want to love it but there just aren’t enough books in the genre (yet?) to really justify our continued interest in it. It reminds me of how grad programs beat us over the head with deconstruction even though there (relatively speaking) aren’t many texts that truly benefit from/open up through that lens. Just some thoughts!
Yeah, I can't say I've had big success with books pitched as being dark academia... some people seem to like them, but ofr me, it's a lot of window dressing and not a lot of "there" there
Dark academia is basically the mood kid in the classroom who is aiming to be cool but is just a bit boring
I was on team feelin’ it for The Maidens, but I completely agree with your critique of it. I thought it was fun and got on board because I was totally in the mood for it. I’m a very moody reader and know that if I had picked it up a different time, I wouldn’t have liked it as much. Cheers!
Also thank you for that writing sample - I just took The Atlas Six off my TBR, I h a t e that kind of overwriting
If you do another polarizing books video, The Starless Sea would be a good candidate.
Big saaaame on Atlas Six, it felt like being trapped with the most annoying people you know waxing poetically.
You are the most elloquent booktuber I've ever watched. Thank you for your very informative reviews! I learn something every time I watch your videos.
Margaret rogerson has really fun books, i don't know why people don't like them 🤔
1 1/2 stars was NOT to harsh for The Maidens
Anything marketed as dark academia I immediately cross off my list because I cannot handle the angst
It's funny I loved The Maidens (or at least enjoyed it for what it was) and The Atlas Six and did not love Sorcery of Thorns! Although I just went to look at my review and I did give Sorcery 4 stars, so I think I'm more irritated by it after the fact than I was while reading. I remember not loving the characters and finding them underdeveloped. It didn't leave a lasting impression. This is making me realize that melodrama and that kind of overwritten style doesn't bother me if I'm into the project of the book.
for your feeling it or not feeling it, you should call it a vibe check if this becomes a series lol. The Maidens failed my vibe check, I DNF'ed it.
I felt the same way about The Altas Six. The concept is great, but the writing is so hard to get through.
Loved the bits of funky/disco music in this, including your own contributions 😄
Sorcery of Thorns was a solid four star for me too. I also loved how it was a standalone fantasy for once!
i had tried some of olivie blake's fanfic a while back and could never get on with her writing style, so i've stayed far away from the atlas six! glad to see you liked sorcery of thorns. i liked it much more than an enchantment of ravens
I also didn’t like The Atlas Six, I did DNF it and also only got to the one action scene but before that literally nothing happened lol
loved the format of this vlog! i haven't read any of this yet but now i'm curious about what I would think. I've said in the past I don't mind over-written stuff, but maybe I was just fed up with stories that had dry, spare prose and no emotional closeness because I feel like now I know what you mean. it's such a fine balance between descriptive writing that gets me close to the characters and distracting over-writing.
I gave both The Atlas Six and The Maidens two stars. I have a theory about The Atlas Six. Because it was popular as a self pub book the Tor editor really had their hands tied in terms of how much could be changed. I’ll be curious to read the first couple of chapters of The Atlas Paradox to see if a real editor from the start makes the difference.
Tahlia Stanton's paintings are so pretty.
The only thing divisive about The Maidens is how best to go about destroying it. I vote burn it with fire, but I can understand where that would seem problematic.
I listened to The Maidens on audio at 2x speed and I enjoyed it for what it is. If I had had to sit and read a physical copy of it, I wouldn't have been able to get through it. I think for certain books, having that audio ups my enjoyment
It also had a REALLY good audiobook. I missed some of the questionable writing because of that, and later saw on Goodreads like "omg how did I miss that?"
I DNF'd The Atlas Six as well. Aside from being overwritten there wasn't much to the story except the relationships between the characters which is something I like a lot of times but I did not like these characters so no... Its a shame because I loved the idea of the Alexandrian Library but there was nothing really in the book about that. It was more just a background idea? I hated giving the book up as well because I bought the self pub version and it was so beautiful...oh well. I do like dark academia as a genre but my idea of good dark academia is Sherlock Holmes or Harry Potter or Susanna Clarks' Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell.
The Hastings and Marple content gives me life. 🥰 Definitely going to check out Sorcery of Thorns--sounds like my kind of thing!
I'm also very confused about so much negativity towards Sorcery of Thornes. I had a lot of fun with it, especially because it's just a standalone and problems are not dragged out but resolved quickly. That was so refreshing with so many fantasy books with no substance being unnecessarily stretched into trilogies these days. And I really liked the humour and romance (which I usually hate in most books).
I haven't read the Maidens or the Atlas Six yet but I still want to give them a try. Mostly because I'm desperate for books with dark academia vibes. At least I don't expect too much of them, so maybe they'll surprise me? 😅
I am a huge fan of An Enchantment of Ravens, it's my comfort read. I was excited for SoT knowing it would be different and dark academia-ish (something I know I don't like), what I remember is that I felt.. caged in.. in that location? I guess it was too ~British for me. The slow beginning was another reason. I loved how funny it was, like that part where Nathaniel was like "I only turn orphans into crows on tuesdays" or something like that, I cried laughing. Margaret Rogerson is a huge HUGE Howl's moving castle fan, AEoR had some of that feel too but SoT really was like that book.
One of the biggest reasons people didn't like AEoR was because they expected it to be like the.. fae smut series, and then didn't like SoT because it wasn't like AEoR... that's kinda sad..
Yeah, you can DEFINITELY feel the Howl's influence in a way that really worked for me! It was fun
The Maidens-I was feeling it. Sorcery of Thorns and Atlas 6-DNFs.
I enjoy when you do videos where you compare books to what others think. You don’t hold your tongue and that is nice to see (You don’t just blush over a book cause it is the hot ticket)
I'm relieved you liked Sorcery of Throns because I bought it at Value Village earlier this year and haven't read it yet. It would have crushed my enthusiasm if you hadn't liked it!
When you read that portion of Atlas Six, it felt like quite the run on sentence.
I think I guessed this was the theme on IG! 😁
Woohoo! Yeah, I think a couple of people guessed it, so well done!!
I enjoyed Sorcery of Thorns although I did find it maybe 50-70 pages a bit too long but it was still a nice time. But I also have not read An Enchantment of Ravens
I agree about The Atlas Six. I found parts of the plot really contrived, and the characters were melodramatic.
You need to suspend all disbelief and just go with the flow to enjoy the maidens, the moment you start thinking why everything crashes down. There is no way the investigation makes sense, but I chose to ignore it and go with the vibes
I have had no interest in The Maidens but I dug through Goodreads to find spoilers for the ending and it was just as bad as I was afraid of 😬
I was very middle-of-the-road on Sorcery of Thorns and actually liked Enchantment of Ravens slightly more. I wonder if part of it was because SoT was SO hyped for me personally, compared to EoR? maybe if I hadn't had such high expectations I would have enjoyed it more! I do want to try other things by the author though. And I did really like Silas!
just wanted to pop in and say you should DEFINITELY pick up Margaret Rogerson's latest book Vespertine if you get the chance, i think youd enjoy it considering how much you liked Red Sister etc. it's a necromancy nun book w/ a possession element and a protagonist on the spectrum, i'm currently listening to the audiobook and its really enjoyable!
I thank you for reading some passages from these. Though I didn't have any interest in The Maidens I considered reading Atlas Six but after that sample it's a no from me. I also like Sorcery Of Thorns & thought it was a fun, kinda soapy read.
I know this is extremely irrational, but for some reason, and it's people I'm subscribed to on UA-cam and I usually love, who gave the Silent Patient a high rating...So you not vibing with it has my heart restored 😂😂😅😅
yessss the maidens hate i hate that god forsaken book
I read The Maidens, and had many problems with it. I gave it 2 stars.It was like they put all the bad things from both Riverdale and the "new" Nancy Drew (both from CW-so tween dumpster 🔥) in it-just in book form. Let's hope the CW doesn't get their hands on this or I'm sure it will show up in their line-up. 🤣 Love you spoiling us with so much cat 🐈 🐈⬛ camera. The other 2 weren't on my radar, and they will remain that way. I can't do the YA fantasy thing and overwriting is Not my thing.
Ughh, I hate the cliffhanger at the end of every chapter gimmick. I dnf’ed The Da Vinci Code for this exact reason back when it first came out. Yeah, l’m not reading The Maidens.
Truly feel like The Atlas Six is NOT well-written. I pushed through, but … 😩. I read the self-pubbed version, which seems to be worse than the edited trad-pubbed version, because there _is_ a lot of word misusage, and the writing reminds me of …. my own writing 😫 …. at 4am, when I am delirious, out of my mind, and mindlessly stacking gerunds onto my sentences in an effort to meet a word count. 😫😫😫. Self-pub version has the character illustrations too btw.
Then there is that bait-and-switch twist ending which … annoyed me, clearly a cliffhanger to sell her sequel. In the end, after browsing twitter, I think this book owes its popularity to the cliffhanger ending and potential ship wars? There are a number of ways one can ship certain characters, even though fully half or more of the characters are misanthropes or sociopaths (so I’m not sure how that’s gonna pan out). Also, the text isn’t interested in any of the ideas it touches on - it’s interested in the characters and their relationships. So it’s the vibes (altho, what vibes?!!), the ships, and that cliffhanger?🤷🏻♀️
True, SoT is a good time. 😌 Liene is wrong about this. Also, I see you have a copy of The Jasmine Throne. 👀
I loved the idea of Nine Lives by Peter Swanson. I just wanted it to pack a bigger punch.
that's fair! I was very entertained, so that was enough for me, but I have critiques of it on a more technical level
I hope you try The Atlas Six again at some point. I want to know what you think at some point.
I stopped reading The Atlas Six after the prologue, so I didn't even get far enough to consider it a DNF. I agree that it is overwritten, which is unfortunate because I thought when it was purchased by a traditional publisher, an editor might get a hold of it and improve it.
Which Useful Chart is that in the background?
😂 I had to read the atlas six for a book club. I would’ve DNFed it if it wasn’t for the book club. I HATED it. Booktube did me dirty. First 1 ⭐️ I’ve given in a very long time.
It's definitely a "distinctive" flavor :D - I'm glad other people enjoyed but it wasn't for me
Agreed very distinctive writing. Glad for those that enjoy the atlas six but it was not my cup of tea, unfortunately.
I have to say, I hated An Enchantment of Ravens and LOVED Sorcery of Thorns. It has made me really nervous about picking up Vespertine!
I had the same feelings for all three :D
I got through 20% of The Maidens and decided to DNF it because I knew there was gonna be some juvenile pretentious writing ahead lol And from some Booktubers’ ranting on the book, I knew my decision was right.
Hate The Maidens so much - one of the worst of the year. And made even worse by attaching itself narratively to The Silent Patient.
This video is Reaction to Unpopular Opinions but make it Literature 😂
I didn’t like SoT, the premise was great, but the execution was underwhelming, it was kind of forgettable. I’m looking forward to reading the Atlas Six, I don’t mind when stories are a little overwritten and not interested in the Maidens
I don't think I've seen a single positive review of The Maidens by anyone at this point. My roommate read it and ranted for days about it 😂 As for Sorcery of Thorns, I read it when it came out but was pretty let down by it because I expected more with the actual library, but I hadn't read anything else by the author and I did not love the writing. And though I gave it 3 stars, the longer it's been since picking it up, the less positive my memories are.
I haven't read The Atlas Six, but I got a really strong personal recommendation for it, so I'm still going to have to pick it up.
The Maidens was a 1 star for me...the writing itself was just torturous
everything you said about the maidens I relate by only reading the silent patient by the same author. just awful.
I didn't mind the second half of The Maidens and found it really page turner-y once the action ramped up. I was okay with the lack of foreshadowing too but I found the main character so annoying. I couldn't quite figure out what it was I disliked until someone pointed out how some of the sillier decisions she made really shows that the book is written by a guy and I think that was definitely part of the issue as it just comes across as so inauthentic/unrealistic the positions she ends up in.
Ahh the maidens, my least fav book of 2021 😂😂 MC was, quite frankly, too stupid to live 🥴 the way she somehow kept inserting herself into the investigation made no sense
Mara rocks 😁
I felt so bad for you reading such a dreadful book, The Maidens in your cozy home. I hated this book and I like you enjoyed The Silent Patient, even though I dislike the unreliable narrators trope. So I was excited for this one. But it was so pretentious. This author fell in love with his own damn hype. I am pretty generous rating books because I have learned to appreciate how authors craft their stories and their originality. But two stars for this one is too generous.
I feel so vindicated that you also didn't like Atlas Six lol
I also did not feel The Maidens. Can we stop describing ever brick in Oxford? Mad about the ending...just really turned off by the end of this book. Found the ending very distasteful and did feel cheated about how we got there. Don't want to read from this author again.
DNF? Do Not Finish?
I feel most of what I read that has been published in recent years is overwritten, so I can understand and feel your disappointment.
I think authors try to "unpack" their writing when they write like... that, but that is not the way I like it. It's boring, it drags and it makes me feel fed up-- it feels like fanfiction in the wrong way.
That's just not good craft, in my opinion.
I just started Atlas Six and I feel like it’s a F. Scott Fitzgerald level of pretentious writing. I mean that in a mean way. Hahaha
"I mean that in a mean way" is one of my favorite clarifications I've ever seen :D