My most disappointing was "Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse #1)" by James S.A. Corey: I just kind of got bored and didn't care enough to go on reading. Another hyped book that didn't work for me was "The Goblin Emperor (The Goblin Emperor #1) " by Katherine Addison, it reminded be of "The Queen of the Tearling" but it didn't have the stakes and tension of it.
Have to say Children of Blood and Bone :'D Everyone seems to love it to death, and while I do like the magic system and the idea and that it's based on West African mythology… the romance, issues with pacing, and direct copying from ATLA that basically made it to me feel like a Zutara fanfic just made me unable to enjoy it. And haha I'm surprised you didn't enjoy Six of Crows, I love it, but I do respect your opinion and can see your view as well :)
Six of Crows doesn't have those Russian inspired things, cause it's inspired on Amsterdam and The Netherlands. Which made me so happy cause I'm dutch, and it was fun to read something (anything) inspired by The Netherlands. So maybe it'll make Crooked Kingdom more fun for you, though I liked Six of Crows better. Btw, hutspot is a super dutch dish that every dutch person knows about (just adding that fact here)
I love the netherlands so much , its my fave country in the whole world but tbh Six of Crows really didn't have an Amsterdam vibe at all. If that was what she was trying to do I think she kinda failed a bit. I mean you would know way better than me since i'm not dutch (sadly) but idk it didn't give me Amsterdam/The Netherlands vibes at all
Try reading Orson Scott Card's Ender's Shadow. If you're familiar with Ender's Game, that book focuses on Bean. You're in Rotterdam for a good chunk of the book.
I SUPPORT YOUR CRUEL PRINCE THOUGHTS SO HARD. NOTHING HAPPENED. It's one of those books that was written to be a series but there wasn't enough content to make it a series so they just decided to cut the exposition/opening of a book and make it it's own. There was no climax or resolution etc. Stop cutting long books into series because I'm never going to buy the rest or read the rest if it feels like you've just decided to charge me twice for one book.
I actually liked the cruel prince pretty ok. That may just be because I read a few pretty shitty books this year (one that even put me off reading for a little while). I really can't explain why I liked it besides that though, maybe something just stuck with me that I can't quite put my finger on. However, one thing that I absolutely fucking hated about that book was the extreme overuse of secondhand embarrassment. Don't get, me wrong I love feeling things when reading books, but there were a few parts that just put me in so much agony, I wanted to stab my eyes out, bleed all over the book pages, then proceed to light the book on fire, and hurl myself out of a window. Was that too dramatic? Probably. I also whole-heartedly agree with the whole cutting a book into pieces and making it a series, though, it's a very valid point.
If you had to choose only one genre or author to read for a long time, like for example, for five years or until all books of that author would be read, which would be?
Ida BL Yeah 24 is really good!! I don’t know how 100 is even possible especially with doing UA-cam as well!! I’m trying to reach my goal of 50 by the end of the year, so I’m reading all the small books on my shelves 😂
This made me realise that even though I loved The Cruel Prince and gave it 5 stars I don’t remember what happened either....may have to reread that one 😬
Personally, I think The Cruel Prince is an incredibly overrated book, so I clicked to watch this video as soon as I saw the cover of The Cruel Prince in the thumb nail. For the record, I didn't hate The Cruel Prince. I actually gave it 3 stars on Goodreads. Plus, I'm definitely going to read The Wicked King. That being said, the biggest problem that I had with it is that I found it extremely forgettable, and I'm usually able to remember what happens in the books I read pretty well. I'm so, so, so happy to know that I'm not the only person on the planet who thinks that The Cruel Prince is an incredibly forgettable book. I know that everybody should be entitled to have their own opinions about things, but I seriously don't understand why so many people love this book so much.
Writer6 I think it’s the whole hate-to (probably) love that is going to happen there between two characters (just trying to keep it spoiler free). Also the fact that the faes are pretty evil and mean and not some romaticized versions of them. Luckily, I follow this account on twitter called Incorrect Cruel Prince so I get reminded about the plot of the book 😅
With Hitchhiker's, it helps to read the whole trilogy I think. After going through the entire thing it became one of my favorite books. The story is so complex and interesting. And yes, super silly.
I might be wrong I don't know but I feel like you might have the same tastes as Merphy Napier here on youtube. Do you follow her ? She reviews quite a few of Fantasy, Mistery, even some classics... I've already put Rebecca by Daphné du Maurier and The ocean at the end of the lane on my wishlist thanks to her !
I think they have similar interest in some genres (fantasy esp) but I think they have very different opinions on some books. Merphy likes domestic thrillers and has really raved about some books while Emily said here that she hates domestic thrillers. I also think Merphy is quite forgiving to some books but Emily is more critical. idk just my two cents, bc I watch them both.
I agree with you about Cruel Prince and it made my worst of 2018 list. I respectfully disagree with Six of Crows as it was my #1 of 2016 and Strange was like my #3 of 2017. I agree there was love at first sight or instalove which is usually the kiss of death for me but Taylor's storytelling is so refreshing and beautiful that it didn't bother me. I'm curious what YA fantasies are tops for you because you don't seem to like the most critical ones.
I'm so thankful I'm not the only one who doesn't like the alcoholic female (unreliable narrator) in these new "domestic" thrillers!!! SOOO terrible. The worst ones for me were, "The Woman in Cabin 10," "Let Me Lie," "In a Cottage in a Wood" and "The Woman in the Window". I also don't know why they're popular. I don't mind an unreliable narrator, nor do I think it's unimportant to write about women who are suffering from alcoholism, agoraphobia, PTSD, depression, etc...but thrillers that only feature female leads who are alcoholics and portrayed as if they're going crazy isn't okay. I think the other reason these books really bother me is because they're written by women. It makes me wonder what these authors (and the readers who enjoy their books) think about women who suffer from things like PTSD, depression and agoraphobia. Becoming an alcoholic is not the route every woman travels, nor is alcoholism something to assume women who either work at/from home do on the daily. It's disappointing that more female (and male) readers enjoy reading about drunk, "crazy" women who have suffered from some type of trauma (death, burglary, divorce, etc...) and are trying to deal with the aftereffects.
I don’t mind an alcoholic narrator, but what I do mind is when we hear on every single page about their drinking. Like in the woman in the window, every single page was mentioning her drinking something or taking some pill. The first 150 pages were useless
@@emilygrace1160 , I agree! I don't mind an alcoholic protagonist. It's just that a alcoholic female main character has become the norm in thrillers, and, as you've pointed out, the reader is always reminded that the narrator drinks. P.S. "The Woman in the Window" was one of the worst books I read this year (DNF'd it). Sorry you didn't enjoy it either :(
@@whutzat I read that book in 2015.. before I was an avid reader, or a critical one. I thought I enjoyed it, but that is what I thought about every book I read. Now, I have no idea. I sort of want to reread it and see my thoughts now!
@@whutzat Finally someone that shares my hate for that book... I love thrillers so I had high expectations. Ugh fucking wasted. I consider it one of the worst books I've ever read
I RELATE! Woman in cabin ten, Paula Hawkins books ommmg. It seems like such a cop out to use a crap plot and just have the protagonist out of the loop till the last second! The crimes aren't amazing and well thought through its very disappointing, give me more Agatha Christie these days.
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Personally, I didn't read The Grisha trilogy before reading Six of Crows (and still haven't), and I still absolutely LOVED the book and understood the universe, so I kind of disagree with you. As for The Cruel Prince, it was one of my favorite books of 2018, but I can totally understand why you feel the way you do about it! Also, I'm so glad that I'm not the only one who was disappointed by Strange the Dreamer! Personally, I much preferred the second half of the book because there was more action going on, but I did hate the romance. I feel like it was really unnecessary, and they would have made much better friends.
I agree with you about the cruel prince. It was so hyped by everyone that I bought and started to read as soon as it arrived. It was so boring and I kinda felt like there wasn't even a solid plot. It had nothing original and it's definitely not a YA version of Game of Thrones like everyone keeps saying. The Prince was just a bully. And I knew she was going to go with "he can do every terrible thing but since he is pretty and has a sad story, let's just love him". When did the main girl even started to love him? We are in her head but somehow we don't know many things. Anyway, it was a terrible book for me
@@baddmeeloo yeah I don't think the world building was good. The school was just a garden and I couldn't even take it seriously. It was just palace+garden+forest nothing really was described to give us a vivid imagination to the world. At least that's how I felt. The characters were all shallow, typical YA characters. This is the first time I decided to not continue a series
I dont get where you people get that the book was hyped? When I looked it up on goodreads after watching 1 person haul it, I only saw bad review about how boring it was and how horrible the prince was and that it was basically abuse. So I never had desire to read it, guess im lucky!!! :)
@@TKDDLJ09 yes you very lucky 😊 it depends on who you follow and watch their videos of that you start to think the book might be as amazing as all of them claim to be. This is why I stopped following many booktubers this year because I realized that I have different taste than them
@@socialghost1 true!! I also stopped following those who always think I hyped book is good because it's popular. It just seems so weird that they love all of them, but then again it could be true! Who knows.. 😂😂
Reading The Cruel Prince is like following a young Hermione Granger who does not have any magical aptitude or any common sense, but who is oddly hellbent on impressing Draco Malfoy and his family. Even so, it kept me engaged because I like underdog stories and Fae stories.
If you're looking for a good thriller I would recommend Too Close To Home by Linwood Barclay. It's about a family that gets murdered for no apparent reason one night and the story follows their next-door neighbors trying to piece the reasoning behind it and uncovering lots of secrets about both of the families and other people in the town. It's so fast paced and addicting, I really enjoyed it.
I read two Shirley Jackson books this year. “We Have Always Lived in the Castle” and “The Haunting of Hill House” both of which are obviously popular books, I was really disappointed by both of them.
I read we have always lived in the castle too, and it was a flip for me too. It was like Grey Gardens and ended in a pretty unrealistic, uninteresting way.
I feel like it's my mission to spread the Michael McDowell gospel. PLEASE put him on your TBR. The best, most chilling southern gothic that I've ever read. I started with The Elementals and Cold Moon Over Babylon. McDowell wrote the screenplay for Beetlejuice and Nightmare Before Christmas. Everything I've read of his is SOLID.
People should be more open about the fact that Latino Taylor is Fantasy-Romance, not Fantasy. She’s said in interview that she is inspired by the idea of Star-crossed lovers, so all her books are romance. I didn’t enjoy the romance either, but I feel like it’s the same with her other series... she likes to hit you with insta love first, then slowly make you actually want them to end up together after. Her worlds hook me tho, and I end up falling in love with even the stupid instalove couple at the end.
One of the reason why I love you and your videos is because you give honest opinions and your opinions are different than mine and that's so important to have in this world.
I think I also gave Six of Crows 4 stars and I agree with your with that I was overhyped, but the second one was soooo good! I hope you get to read it soon! I read the first 2.5 books in the Wayward Children series and they were sooo disappointing. I just really don't get the hype! Loved this video!
But the first one was miles better than the second one!! The second one had some weird as plot happening, like that weird girl who went after Inej, nothing really came of that. The death scene that was completely unnecessary and had no consequence at all... The second book disappointed me, still loved it but only gave it 4 stars, but then again I read the first one without much knowledge a year or so after it came out and it blew my mind!!!!
Magic Books “But the first one was miles better than the second one!” Why did you type that as if it’s a fact? It’s just your opinion, just like her opinion was the other way around. Lol
@@witchf4ce310 I'm sorry, did I say it was a fact? No I didn't. I said my opinion, like she said herself. I didn't state it was a fact and it doesn't sound like a fact. I literally just write my opinion. Jesus.
100% agree Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom are both over hyped! I liked them and I like the world was well but the books were kinda meh. I expected so much more!
I was so disappointed with how it was advertised by people that read it, like they only talked about it that way to get people to read it even if it was a bold face lie
I have to say, I was disappointed with the book Sadie! I had such high hopes and while the audiobook was incredible, the story wasn't as captivating as I was hoping. It felt like there was no real creepy-killer-thriller type suspense since they kept the case so vague throughout the whole novel. I was hoping for more information about the murder and more of a build up to the ending! I would love to hear some of your favorite mystery/thriller/twisted books (that aren't sci-fi based)! It is one of my favorite types of books to read, but I can't seem to find some unique and truly twisted and exciting reads!
I'm silently judging those who liked Pretty Girls, tbh. It was pure torture porn! The plot isn't even worthy of one's attention. Also, mediocre writing. The book heavily relied on those heavy descriptions of torture. 🤢
Totally agree on Six of Crows. God! I am so relieved to hear what I wanted to hear about this book from another person. I tried a lot owing to its hype but for some reason couldn't connect. Still managed to read through the first book but haven't had the heart to finish the Crooked Kingdom yet.
11:42 LOL! I'm reading strange the dreamer right now and that's how I felt when they introduced the romance. I went into it blind and I LOVED the first part, up to the point when she showed up. The moment the POV switched I cried a little on the inside knowing they are gonna be forced together eventually.
I was actually disappointed by The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle 🙈 I was SOOO pumped to read it I literally squealed when I found it in an airport bookstore. But it didn’t live up to what I was hoping for 😢
It was very interesting at the begging, I got to page 300ish, put it down, never finished, it got too boring and repetitive. Would like to know the ending though, did it make sense?
I totally agree with you, it’s ok to voice an unpopular opinion!! I really enjoy your book channel and appreciate your honest opinion (followed you here from your makeup channel). So far your book channel is the only one I really like, regularly follow and that ispires me to read more :)
I feel like Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy gets better on rereads. I was lukewarm on it the first time, but kept rereading it and liked it more. Plus, I feel like the radio series is a lot better.
The Cruel Prince was so bad. All of the tropes ever, and how am I supposed to be sympathetic towards Cardan when he literally blames Jude (is that her name?) for being too pretty? nice? lovable? for him to deal with it so he had to actively bully her. Like where is the logic.
TOTALLY AGREE about The Cruel Prince. The romance was weird af! Also found it super boring, could not understand the hype at all!! For a good thriller I would recommend The One by John Marr ( I think I recommended it before but I thought it was really good and a unique premise)
I felt the same way about The Outsider. I LOVED the first half so much and was reading it every free second I had because even though King writes good paranormal, his thrillers are just out of the park. So I was really excited reading this. The paranormal elements just made me so sad. But that said, I did give it four or five stars. Have you read 11/22/63? It's my favorite of his so far. It's fantastic.
I couldn't finish the cruel prince. I got so bored. All I remember is she killed someone and chucking them out the window and riding a frog...? Or am I making that up because I can't remember any of it?
Sometimes I Lie was so weird and I agree about the forced twists especially at the end! I left it feeling so dissatisfied as the start was just boring, I thought it started to pick up and then it was just twists for shock value. I actually tried to google the book after to see if anyone felt the same!
Loved the video and can't wait for the next! I'm right there with you on the Hitchhiker's Guide, I read it a few months ago for the first time and totally didn't get what all the fuss was about...
I’m shook, I was starting to think there weren’t really any booktubers that shared my unpopular opinions about popular books. I’ve seen so many videos this year where people would RAVE about books that I gave like 2/5 stars. The Cruel Prince was so hyped and by the time I finished it I was mildly disgusted at how misled I’d been. Nothing was original, nothing was memorable, and no one was even likable! Some people like “unlikable” protagonists, but for me, I can’t get invested fully in a book if I’m not rooting for anyone to succeed or be happy.
You should maybe try the Louise rick series, there is a romance but it’s never really the main theme of any of the books, some are pretty dark. Also hitchhikers guide is 5 books when they are small like that and the ending is simply brilliant.
I agree with you 100% about Strange the Dreamer. Why would something so beautiful ruin itself with a terrible trope. Also, I gave Six of Crows 5 stars purely based on the characters and their relationships because I was completely lost on the magic system and had to keep flipping to the front to remember what each power was. I’m definitely excited to read the original Grisha trilogy.
I'm sad to see The Cruel Prince on this list, not because I've read it, but because I've been a big fan of Holly Black ever since I found her works in high school with the Tithe trilogy, and now I'm wary to read it since I've just recently bought it
I have tried to read six of crows twice now and haven’t been able to finish it. I’m giving it one more try in 2019. One of my friends even said it wasn’t very memorable so I’ve never been able to understand the hype
I feel the same about Cruel Prince. Read it in August and don't remember a thing that happened other than the main character getting bullied and she has a sister and a brother and daddy issues. No major plot points stuck with me. Won't be continuing with the series.
Felt the same with Six of Crows first time I read it even gave it 3 in Goodreads and cannot understand the hype around it. Then read book 2.... became an absolute fan of this series! Reread book 1 and actually appreciated it more, perhaps because I now care more for the characters as I absolutely didn't on 1st book.
I'm also avoiding books with anything related to girl or woman in the title. Ever since Gone Girl became a hit it seems that everyone tried the same formula (but with not the same skills as Gillian) to have the next big hit... And none of them live up to the expectations.
I HATED Behind Closed Doors- I felt like the villain was so cartoonishly evil, and I was just rolling my eyes the entire time. I could not finish it. I got more than halfway through, couldn’t take it, and skimmed the rest.
Completely agree about needing to read the Grisha trilogy before Six of Crows. I haven’t read the first trilogy but just finished Six of Crows and feel like I missed something. I want to read the others before reading Crooked Kingdom.
I love unpopular opinions Emily so keep 'em coming!! Haha, I personally enjoyed Six of Crows and Strange The Dreamer but I can understand where you are coming from. Sometimes books get so much hype it ruins it!
One of the books that I read this year and felt was way overhyped was Turtles All The Way Down by John Green. I was so excited to read it because of how much everyone sang it's praises, they honestly made it sound like it could be book of the year material. I was so insanely upset by it though. It was really disappointing in basically every way imaginable, except for the bits about the main character's anxiety. Which at that point I would've rather of read a memoir about John Green's struggles with mental health over what we got.
I agree with what you said about everything I've read on this list. The Cruel Prince was forgettable because there was no world building and the romance appeared out of nowhere!
I read Six of Crows first, then the Crooked Kingdom and a few months after that I finally read the Grisha Trilogy and the collection of short stories connected to this universe. So I didn't have the same experience as you. But I think you made a good point: the Russian-inspired elements were definitively more hidden and not as obvious as in the Grisha books. I think Six of Crows would be a better book with this element more present there. I still think the duology is a great book, but if I read it now, I would probably have the same opinion as you :P
I definitely support you on The Cruel Prince. I spent the first half wondering what was even going on, and the last half wondering why I was still reading. The romance was cringeworthy, but I'll still read the second book. Hopefully it gets better.
I am soooo with you on Strange the Dreamer. That book was so ridiculously hyped, and I just couldn't get into it. It was written beautifully, but the first half dragged so much that I almost put it down. Normally insta-love doesn't bother me, but this one really did. The best part of the book was the last 10%. I will also not be continuing with the sequel.
I think Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom should also be read as a super long single book too.... I read them back to back because I got them together, and I felt like the entire six of crows book pretty much just set up the story for Crooked Kingdom. Most of the character building in six of crows and the first bit of Crooked Kingdom was flashback based, and not actually caused by the plot. And not much was resolved at the end of the first book either, only the plot
As soon as I clicked on this I knew you’d hate the romance in Strange the Dreamer haha. It’s one of my favorites, but I get what you mean. I also see people saying that dislike the flowery writing (also understandable) - everyone has their own tastes ^_^ love these videos!!
I completely agree with you about Only Human. I've made my way through all the audiobooks of that trilogy of the last year or so and was greatly disappointed by the last one. I appreciated learning about where the robots came from, but I wanted so much more than the lots of nothing they did on the planet. Everything felt extremely anti-climatic and I felt let down. :(
I probably should re-read the Hitch-Hiker's guide to the galaxy, but my memory of my impression of it sort of fits with what you say. It was sort of silly, entertaining, but I never got why people were so crazy about it....
Girl, I felt the same way about The Cruel Prince. Also, I agree with you. If I ever decide to read the second book I'm going to need to reread this first one, and I didn't read it that long ago!
I hope you can do review for high-rated classics (or modern classic). Anw, helpful video and insight. Cant wait for the surprising/worth the hype book video!
I 100% agree with you about The Cruel Prince, everyone was really annoying and their motivations never really made made sense. It was meh but I think I'll read the 2nd to see where it goes. I DNF-ed Strange the dreamer at 250 pages so didn't get to the instalove, I found it just started dragging once we were introduced the the godspawn. I may give it a go again, but it was my most disappointing read as I've been looking forward to reading that for a really long time.
I liked six of crows, but didn’t feel inclined to jump into the next one. Maybe i will one day, but im on the same page as you, slightly over hyped. I also kind of forgot what happened as well...
Damn....man...Strange the dreamer....I finally found someone who feels the same about it like me...!!! Gosh...The romance...and the ending...it was literal trash
I read both Six of Crows books and I struggled a lot! The main character (Kaz?) seems to have smart idea after another, after another and he is what 15-16? The plot wasn't creative, it was just built on tons of sudden smart and unexpected (but obviously planned in advanced duhhh) moves of the main characters. Yeah, okay. Are you planning on reading The Secret History any time soon? Everyone mentions it when talking about mysteries. I've tried reading it long time ago, but DNFed it. I do want to give it another chance, but I need someone else's opinion :D
The forever war was my 1st SF and it was so hard for me because of the military issues and the way the women were portraited... but I made through it and in retrospect I liked it. I'm collecting this editions (proudly owning 64 pc) .
i’m SO sad that all these mystery authors started trying to do the domestic mystery thing because the OG books in that genre (Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train) were SO GOOD and now the genre is just....annoying lol
ahh i completely get what you mean about hitchhiker's guide! it's my favorite book of all time (i have a tattoo about it lol) but i definitely understand that it's not for everyone. the first time i read it, i didn't love it that much, but i've come to love it more and more with each successive reread and i reread it every year now! I'm glad you at least gave it a chance tho :)
I just read The Other Woman and really enjoyed it. I'm not sure how you would feel about because I probably would classify it as a "Domestic Thriller" but it took me on a wild ride and I was not expecting a lot of the things that happened!
I felt the same way about Six of Crows and I'd say maybe lower your expectations for Crooked Kingdom. I gave CK like three stars and barely remember anything that happened in that book. So, maybe don't be too hopeful.
Oh! About The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy I actually listen to it as an audiobook. It was still weird, but when I was going through it I kinda knew that if I were to actually read it I would find it not that funny. Maybe you could give it a try that way? Although I'm don't think I would listen to it again, or the next one in the series lol
I actually felt that Vengeful by V.E. Schwab didn't fulfil my expectations. The pacing was a bit off and the plot was all over the place. It didn't leave me with the same contentment that Vicious was able to instil in its readers.
I read Six of Crows before I read the Grisha trilogy and I did not understand the magic system what so ever and also didn't help that I read Six of Crows during a reading slump.
Ahh someone else who doesn’t absolutely adore SoC and CK!!!! Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom are both on my most disappointing books of 2018 list ... I totally agree with you that people who say you don’t have to read the trilogy before hand are so wrong! I have zero interest in them so I went right into SoC and was so confused for the first like 200ish pages and had to reread every chapter twice (some times more) because I had no idea what was going on. I also could not get into the writing style at all! Like I didn’t hate it exactly but I gave it like 2 stars because I was more frustrated than anything else while reading it, and my frustration overpowered anything that I even remotely enjoyed about the story.
Omg, I remember commenting on one of your goodreads reviews saying that I was pretty sure you and I both felt similarly about domestic thrillers and now I finally have someone on my side! I feel like they are always so hyped and then I read them and it's like: Wife drinks, Husband cheats, blah. Anyway, I totally agree that thrillers were kind of a let down this year, but my two favorite thrillers of the year, by far, were Sweet Little Lies by Caz Frear (which is like a mix of detective and thriller) and The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager! The Last Time I Lied was also my biggest surprise of the year because I didn't like the author's first novel but this one was soo good! :)
I don't know which version of The Outsider you read, but mine said in the blurb that while the DNA pointed to the suspect, he had a solid alibi (which is where the dilemma arises), so I was prepared for something supernatural... Also, I tend to assume Kind will put something like that in his books; his previous crime trilogy, for example, starts off with no paranormal elements, but develops them in the second and third books. It's a shame if your book didn't have that, because it would have been great for you to be prepared. I really liked The Outsider - though I hadn't finished the previous trilogy, so it did spoil the ending for me haha I do agree that the beginning was stronger. In fact, I love everything up to and including the scene outside the courthouse, which was unbelievably thrilling. I didn't dislike the rest (I gave the book 4 stars), but it wasn't as strong as the first half.
I read the SoC duology before reading the Grisha trilogy! The beginning was a bit confusing but I was able to sort it out. When I picked up the Grisha trilogy, it felt like I was reading a prequel series so I enjoyed it. Laini Taylor is the ONLY author I give a free pass when it comes to instalove. I think the themes she explores in her books are done so well. I 100% agree with you about The Outsider! Everything up until the scene outside of the court house was amazing. It was my first Stephen King, and I kept thinking, I totally get the hype! And then the paranormal element came in...whomp whomp My most disappointing reads were The Book Thief, Muse of Nightmares, and We Are the Ants. I could also add in The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, but that’s more on my list of books I hated with a fiery passion. Love your videos!
I DNFed 'Station Eleven' after hearing so many good things about it. I just couldn't read anymore of it. Same with 'The Coldest Girl in Coldtown', I hated every moment of it until I realized that the speed I was listening to was the faster I've ever gone, and that was because I wanted it to be over. So I stopped and picked up another audiobook instead.
If you're up for a sci-fi thriller, I recommend After Atlas by Emma Newman! It's the second book in a series by can be read as a stand alone. The Dispatcher by John Scalzi is also a fun, quick read.
TBH, I think the moral of the story here is to simply ignore any hype. I only read books where I'm _genuinely_ interested in the premise and what other people can add about the premise and find that I don't tend to get too disappointed for the most part. I also tend to read older books mainly and ignore many of the newer releases I'm interested in until much further down the line to allow for any hype that _may_ have seeped into my veins, to dissapate. TFS :)
I understand why you didn't enjoy Strange the dreamer. When I read it last year for the first time I was so hyped that I thought it was amazing and just perfect, but then I reread it this year in anticipation for the Muse of nightmers, and well... I had to lower my GR rating, because it wasn't as good as I remembered! I really didn't enjoy the insta love romance thing, and was forced to skip some parts of the book, because I just couldn't deal with this whole thing. I still think that it is a magical and beautiful story, but I agree that the romance did ruin the book a little.
Finally someone on my side about Strange the Dreamer! I feel like Laini Taylor was stretching the story to make the book longer. Daughter of Smoke and Bone is so much better and fast paced!
While I've found a few science-fiction short stories that made my cut, my experience with longer works has so far been mainly disappointing. I've tried 'the greats' (Asimov, Bradbury, Clarke, Heinlein); some had good parts or aspects, some were near-misses, but none have hit the bull's-eye for me.
I feel the same about Strange the Dreamer...and I cannot even suffer through The wife between us. I stopped after like a 100 pages, because I jsut can't...I just CAN'T....
What were the most disappointing or overhyped books you've read this year?
The night circus
Aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the universe
My most disappointing was "Leviathan Wakes
(The Expanse #1)" by James S.A. Corey: I just kind of got bored and didn't care enough to go on reading. Another hyped book that didn't work for me was "The Goblin Emperor
(The Goblin Emperor #1)
" by Katherine Addison, it reminded be of "The Queen of the Tearling" but it didn't have the stakes and tension of it.
+Afroze: Agreed! Both of them left me underwhelmed...
Circe, Children of Blood and Bone (4* but the insta love and romances were so annoying good lord), Poppy War (too many inconsistencies).
Have to say Children of Blood and Bone :'D Everyone seems to love it to death, and while I do like the magic system and the idea and that it's based on West African mythology… the romance, issues with pacing, and direct copying from ATLA that basically made it to me feel like a Zutara fanfic just made me unable to enjoy it.
And haha I'm surprised you didn't enjoy Six of Crows, I love it, but I do respect your opinion and can see your view as well :)
Six of Crows doesn't have those Russian inspired things, cause it's inspired on Amsterdam and The Netherlands. Which made me so happy cause I'm dutch, and it was fun to read something (anything) inspired by The Netherlands. So maybe it'll make Crooked Kingdom more fun for you, though I liked Six of Crows better. Btw, hutspot is a super dutch dish that every dutch person knows about (just adding that fact here)
I love the netherlands so much , its my fave country in the whole world but tbh Six of Crows really didn't have an Amsterdam vibe at all. If that was what she was trying to do I think she kinda failed a bit. I mean you would know way better than me since i'm not dutch (sadly) but idk it didn't give me Amsterdam/The Netherlands vibes at all
Try reading Orson Scott Card's Ender's Shadow. If you're familiar with Ender's Game, that book focuses on Bean. You're in Rotterdam for a good chunk of the book.
this is exactly why I scrolled down the moment she mentioned it. cri thanks
Emily bashing books is a mood
Yes, I somehow love watching her rants more than her positive reviews!
I SUPPORT YOUR CRUEL PRINCE THOUGHTS SO HARD. NOTHING HAPPENED. It's one of those books that was written to be a series but there wasn't enough content to make it a series so they just decided to cut the exposition/opening of a book and make it it's own. There was no climax or resolution etc. Stop cutting long books into series because I'm never going to buy the rest or read the rest if it feels like you've just decided to charge me twice for one book.
I actually liked the cruel prince pretty ok. That may just be because I read a few pretty shitty books this year (one that even put me off reading for a little while). I really can't explain why I liked it besides that though, maybe something just stuck with me that I can't quite put my finger on. However, one thing that I absolutely fucking hated about that book was the extreme overuse of secondhand embarrassment. Don't get, me wrong I love feeling things when reading books, but there were a few parts that just put me in so much agony, I wanted to stab my eyes out, bleed all over the book pages, then proceed to light the book on fire, and hurl myself out of a window.
Was that too dramatic? Probably. I also whole-heartedly agree with the whole cutting a book into pieces and making it a series, though, it's a very valid point.
@@nightrose6116 hahahahah I'm here for that drama!
The wicked king.~~~~ Much better.
I'm filming a Q&A this week so ASK AWAY!!!
Can be about anything, doesn't have to be about books but can still be book related, you choose!
If you had to choose only one genre or author to read for a long time, like for example, for five years or until all books of that author would be read, which would be?
BookswithEmilyFox what are your reading goals for 2019?
if you were to read a story that had romance in it, how would want the romance to go, so that you don't find it cringy/love at first sight?
Do you have any interest in reading Lord of the Rings? (Or have you read it? Maybe I missed it.)
Which place would you love to visit?(fictional and/or real life)
Over a hundred books! You go girl! Me myself are very proud that I read 24 books. But hey we all got different goals, right? ❤️❤️❤️
Ida BL Yeah 24 is really good!! I don’t know how 100 is even possible especially with doing UA-cam as well!! I’m trying to reach my goal of 50 by the end of the year, so I’m reading all the small books on my shelves 😂
I agree! I just barely hit my goal of 25 with time to spare.
Natalie Wakes Haha saaame. 😂
24. Still more than what most people read dude :)
This made me realise that even though I loved The Cruel Prince and gave it 5 stars I don’t remember what happened either....may have to reread that one 😬
LOL I'm glad you enjoyed it!
It's funny how some books you'll remember forever and others... not at all!
A 88 I read it twice and still cant remember the plot very well
Stop it you're killing me 😂😂😂
Personally, I think The Cruel Prince is an incredibly overrated book, so I clicked to watch this video as soon as I saw the cover of The Cruel Prince in the thumb nail. For the record, I didn't hate The Cruel Prince. I actually gave it 3 stars on Goodreads. Plus, I'm definitely going to read The Wicked King. That being said, the biggest problem that I had with it is that I found it extremely forgettable, and I'm usually able to remember what happens in the books I read pretty well. I'm so, so, so happy to know that I'm not the only person on the planet who thinks that The Cruel Prince is an incredibly forgettable book. I know that everybody should be entitled to have their own opinions about things, but I seriously don't understand why so many people love this book so much.
Writer6 I think it’s the whole hate-to (probably) love that is going to happen there between two characters (just trying to keep it spoiler free). Also the fact that the faes are pretty evil and mean and not some romaticized versions of them. Luckily, I follow this account on twitter called Incorrect Cruel Prince so I get reminded about the plot of the book 😅
With Hitchhiker's, it helps to read the whole trilogy I think. After going through the entire thing it became one of my favorite books. The story is so complex and interesting. And yes, super silly.
LMFAOOO that sheldon cameo was everything
Yeah 😂😂😂it was amazing
I hadn't realized I could laugh like that until I was editing... I needed to add a quick Sheldon clip :P
@@BookswithEmilyFox it was the right choice of course :)
I might be wrong I don't know but I feel like you might have the same tastes as Merphy Napier here on youtube. Do you follow her ? She reviews quite a few of Fantasy, Mistery, even some classics... I've already put Rebecca by Daphné du Maurier and The ocean at the end of the lane on my wishlist thanks to her !
HelloCocoon i was thinking the same yesterday
I think they have similar taste but when I watch them I get different book vibes. Except for their shared love of Brandon Sanderson.
I think they have similar interest in some genres (fantasy esp) but I think they have very different opinions on some books. Merphy likes domestic thrillers and has really raved about some books while Emily said here that she hates domestic thrillers. I also think Merphy is quite forgiving to some books but Emily is more critical.
idk just my two cents, bc I watch them both.
I think they are very different, lol. But yes I do see your point on some genres.
I agree with you about Cruel Prince and it made my worst of 2018 list. I respectfully disagree with Six of Crows as it was my #1 of 2016 and Strange was like my #3 of 2017. I agree there was love at first sight or instalove which is usually the kiss of death for me but Taylor's storytelling is so refreshing and beautiful that it didn't bother me. I'm curious what YA fantasies are tops for you because you don't seem to like the most critical ones.
I'm so thankful I'm not the only one who doesn't like the alcoholic female (unreliable narrator) in these new "domestic" thrillers!!! SOOO terrible. The worst ones for me were, "The Woman in Cabin 10," "Let Me Lie," "In a Cottage in a Wood" and "The Woman in the Window". I also don't know why they're popular. I don't mind an unreliable narrator, nor do I think it's unimportant to write about women who are suffering from alcoholism, agoraphobia, PTSD, depression, etc...but thrillers that only feature female leads who are alcoholics and portrayed as if they're going crazy isn't okay. I think the other reason these books really bother me is because they're written by women. It makes me wonder what these authors (and the readers who enjoy their books) think about women who suffer from things like PTSD, depression and agoraphobia. Becoming an alcoholic is not the route every woman travels, nor is alcoholism something to assume women who either work at/from home do on the daily. It's disappointing that more female (and male) readers enjoy reading about drunk, "crazy" women who have suffered from some type of trauma (death, burglary, divorce, etc...) and are trying to deal with the aftereffects.
I don’t mind an alcoholic narrator, but what I do mind is when we hear on every single page about their drinking. Like in the woman in the window, every single page was mentioning her drinking something or taking some pill. The first 150 pages were useless
@@emilygrace1160 , I agree! I don't mind an alcoholic protagonist. It's just that a alcoholic female main character has become the norm in thrillers, and, as you've pointed out, the reader is always reminded that the narrator drinks. P.S. "The Woman in the Window" was one of the worst books I read this year (DNF'd it). Sorry you didn't enjoy it either :(
@@whutzat I read that book in 2015.. before I was an avid reader, or a critical one. I thought I enjoyed it, but that is what I thought about every book I read. Now, I have no idea. I sort of want to reread it and see my thoughts now!
@@whutzat Finally someone that shares my hate for that book... I love thrillers so I had high expectations. Ugh fucking wasted. I consider it one of the worst books I've ever read
I RELATE! Woman in cabin ten, Paula Hawkins books ommmg. It seems like such a cop out to use a crap plot and just have the protagonist out of the loop till the last second! The crimes aren't amazing and well thought through its very disappointing, give me more Agatha Christie these days.
Personally, I didn't read The Grisha trilogy before reading Six of Crows (and still haven't), and I still absolutely LOVED the book and understood the universe, so I kind of disagree with you. As for The Cruel Prince, it was one of my favorite books of 2018, but I can totally understand why you feel the way you do about it!
Also, I'm so glad that I'm not the only one who was disappointed by Strange the Dreamer! Personally, I much preferred the second half of the book because there was more action going on, but I did hate the romance. I feel like it was really unnecessary, and they would have made much better friends.
I agree with you about the cruel prince. It was so hyped by everyone that I bought and started to read as soon as it arrived. It was so boring and I kinda felt like there wasn't even a solid plot. It had nothing original and it's definitely not a YA version of Game of Thrones like everyone keeps saying. The Prince was just a bully. And I knew she was going to go with "he can do every terrible thing but since he is pretty and has a sad story, let's just love him". When did the main girl even started to love him? We are in her head but somehow we don't know many things. Anyway, it was a terrible book for me
@@baddmeeloo yeah I don't think the world building was good. The school was just a garden and I couldn't even take it seriously. It was just palace+garden+forest nothing really was described to give us a vivid imagination to the world. At least that's how I felt. The characters were all shallow, typical YA characters. This is the first time I decided to not continue a series
I HATED cruel prince. I dnfd it and just read the last chapter. It was dull
I dont get where you people get that the book was hyped? When I looked it up on goodreads after watching 1 person haul it, I only saw bad review about how boring it was and how horrible the prince was and that it was basically abuse.
So I never had desire to read it, guess im lucky!!! :)
@@TKDDLJ09 yes you very lucky 😊 it depends on who you follow and watch their videos of that you start to think the book might be as amazing as all of them claim to be. This is why I stopped following many booktubers this year because I realized that I have different taste than them
@@socialghost1 true!! I also stopped following those who always think I hyped book is good because it's popular. It just seems so weird that they love all of them, but then again it could be true! Who knows.. 😂😂
Reading The Cruel Prince is like following a young Hermione Granger who does not have any magical aptitude or any common sense, but who is oddly hellbent on impressing Draco Malfoy and his family. Even so, it kept me engaged because I like underdog stories and Fae stories.
I agree, I haven't read the Grisha trilogy and didn't know about it, and when I read Six of Crows I was SO CONFUSED at the beginning!!
Heirofbooks it reminded me of the magic system in the Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan so I kind of figured it out
If you're looking for a good thriller I would recommend Too Close To Home by Linwood Barclay. It's about a family that gets murdered for no apparent reason one night and the story follows their next-door neighbors trying to piece the reasoning behind it and uncovering lots of secrets about both of the families and other people in the town. It's so fast paced and addicting, I really enjoyed it.
You don't know how excited I am for this video! 23:59 minutes let me get some tea and chocolate
Lmao right? Six of crows was a series of hey something bad happened but ohhhh it was all part of the plan 😂😂😂
I read two Shirley Jackson books this year. “We Have Always Lived in the Castle” and “The Haunting of Hill House” both of which are obviously popular books, I was really disappointed by both of them.
Chad Daunhauer I second this with Hill House!!!
Oh I want to read Hill House! Now I'm curious to see how I'll feel... might lower my expectations :P
Haven’t read it but I loved “The Haunting of Hill House” series in Netflix it was so good!! 👌🤷🏽♀️
I read we have always lived in the castle too, and it was a flip for me too. It was like Grey Gardens and ended in a pretty unrealistic, uninteresting way.
I feel like it's my mission to spread the Michael McDowell gospel. PLEASE put him on your TBR. The best, most chilling southern gothic that I've ever read. I started with The Elementals and Cold Moon Over Babylon. McDowell wrote the screenplay for Beetlejuice and Nightmare Before Christmas. Everything I've read of his is SOLID.
Glad I’m not the only one who didn’t like the second half of Strange the Dreamer and has no desire to read the second one
I was annoyed because the first part was solid! And like you said part 2 totally kill my desire to continue the story :(
I got stucked in March in the middle of the book and can't push through.. still wondering if I should though.. but the Polish cover is sooo pretty!
I quit after 50 pages lol
I hated the second part. Hated it because of the insta-love. If there should have been a romance, it should have been with Lazlo and Thyon.
People should be more open about the fact that Latino Taylor is Fantasy-Romance, not Fantasy. She’s said in interview that she is inspired by the idea of Star-crossed lovers, so all her books are romance. I didn’t enjoy the romance either, but I feel like it’s the same with her other series... she likes to hit you with insta love first, then slowly make you actually want them to end up together after. Her worlds hook me tho, and I end up falling in love with even the stupid instalove couple at the end.
One of the reason why I love you and your videos is because you give honest opinions and your opinions are different than mine and that's so important to have in this world.
I think I also gave Six of Crows 4 stars and I agree with your with that I was overhyped, but the second one was soooo good! I hope you get to read it soon!
I read the first 2.5 books in the Wayward Children series and they were sooo disappointing. I just really don't get the hype!
Loved this video!
But the first one was miles better than the second one!! The second one had some weird as plot happening, like that weird girl who went after Inej, nothing really came of that. The death scene that was completely unnecessary and had no consequence at all... The second book disappointed me, still loved it but only gave it 4 stars, but then again I read the first one without much knowledge a year or so after it came out and it blew my mind!!!!
Magic Books “But the first one was miles better than the second one!” Why did you type that as if it’s a fact? It’s just your opinion, just like her opinion was the other way around. Lol
@@witchf4ce310 I'm sorry, did I say it was a fact? No I didn't. I said my opinion, like she said herself. I didn't state it was a fact and it doesn't sound like a fact. I literally just write my opinion. Jesus.
You should do a video about books you DNFed this year
So... my worst of 2018? :P
Seriously though so many books I DNFed are the ones I hated this year so that should answer your request! :)
Aww man you didn't like Cruel Prince? That was one of my favorites of the year. TBF, it's one of the few YA books I've ever read so I really liked it.
For mystery/thriller I would recommend Elizabeth Haynes. Especially her book "Into The Darkest Corner"
100% agree Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom are both over hyped! I liked them and I like the world was well but the books were kinda meh. I expected so much more!
I was so disappointed with how it was advertised by people that read it, like they only talked about it that way to get people to read it even if it was a bold face lie
I have to say, I was disappointed with the book Sadie! I had such high hopes and while the audiobook was incredible, the story wasn't as captivating as I was hoping. It felt like there was no real creepy-killer-thriller type suspense since they kept the case so vague throughout the whole novel. I was hoping for more information about the murder and more of a build up to the ending!
I would love to hear some of your favorite mystery/thriller/twisted books (that aren't sci-fi based)! It is one of my favorite types of books to read, but I can't seem to find some unique and truly twisted and exciting reads!
Did you read Behind Her Eyes? Very polarizing book, but I thought it was awesome. Didn't see the final twist coming at all.
I really liked Behind Her Eyes but I agree it's not for everyone lol It even had the alcoholic single mom trope but I thought it was fun!
Definitely felt the same about Sadie. For all the hype it was getting, it just fell flat for me.
The cruel prince is like the buttered white dinner roll of YA fantasies
stealing that, thanks
Dinner rolls deserve better.
I'm silently judging those who liked Pretty Girls, tbh.
It was pure torture porn! The plot isn't even worthy of one's attention. Also, mediocre writing. The book heavily relied on those heavy descriptions of torture. 🤢
Literally watched this while packing Six of Crows for my trip LOL
Pretty Girls was good as in good writing.. but, it literally freaked me out. I’m not sure if I’ll ever pick up another book from her
Totally agree on Six of Crows. God! I am so relieved to hear what I wanted to hear about this book from another person. I tried a lot owing to its hype but for some reason couldn't connect. Still managed to read through the first book but haven't had the heart to finish the Crooked Kingdom yet.
11:42 LOL! I'm reading strange the dreamer right now and that's how I felt when they introduced the romance. I went into it blind and I LOVED the first part, up to the point when she showed up. The moment the POV switched I cried a little on the inside knowing they are gonna be forced together eventually.
OMG! I work in a bookstore and I totally agree on the "Domestic Thriller" thing this year, like what the hell was going on!
I was actually disappointed by The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle 🙈 I was SOOO pumped to read it I literally squealed when I found it in an airport bookstore. But it didn’t live up to what I was hoping for 😢
It was very interesting at the begging, I got to page 300ish, put it down, never finished, it got too boring and repetitive. Would like to know the ending though, did it make sense?
Noooooo!! Oh well it happens lol
I found it to be SO dramatic personally. Too many things happening to just one person. Glad I’m not the only one who was disappointed.
Gah! I loved this book. But I can totally understand why you might not have liked it. It is also overhyped.
Oh no. It was almost my favorite book this year. BUT I kinda see your point...
I totally agree with you, it’s ok to voice an unpopular opinion!! I really enjoy your book channel and appreciate your honest opinion (followed you here from your makeup channel). So far your book channel is the only one I really like, regularly follow and that ispires me to read more :)
I feel like Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy gets better on rereads. I was lukewarm on it the first time, but kept rereading it and liked it more. Plus, I feel like the radio series is a lot better.
The Cruel Prince was so bad. All of the tropes ever, and how am I supposed to be sympathetic towards Cardan when he literally blames Jude (is that her name?) for being too pretty? nice? lovable? for him to deal with it so he had to actively bully her. Like where is the logic.
TOTALLY AGREE about The Cruel Prince. The romance was weird af! Also found it super boring, could not understand the hype at all!!
For a good thriller I would recommend The One by John Marr ( I think I recommended it before but I thought it was really good and a unique premise)
I felt the same way about The Outsider. I LOVED the first half so much and was reading it every free second I had because even though King writes good paranormal, his thrillers are just out of the park. So I was really excited reading this. The paranormal elements just made me so sad. But that said, I did give it four or five stars. Have you read 11/22/63? It's my favorite of his so far. It's fantastic.
I totally agree with The Cruel Prince, it was so hyped but I honestly don't understand for what
I couldn't finish the cruel prince. I got so bored. All I remember is she killed someone and chucking them out the window and riding a frog...? Or am I making that up because I can't remember any of it?
Sometimes I Lie was so weird and I agree about the forced twists especially at the end! I left it feeling so dissatisfied as the start was just boring, I thought it started to pick up and then it was just twists for shock value. I actually tried to google the book after to see if anyone felt the same!
Loved the video and can't wait for the next! I'm right there with you on the Hitchhiker's Guide, I read it a few months ago for the first time and totally didn't get what all the fuss was about...
I’m shook, I was starting to think there weren’t really any booktubers that shared my unpopular opinions about popular books. I’ve seen so many videos this year where people would RAVE about books that I gave like 2/5 stars.
The Cruel Prince was so hyped and by the time I finished it I was mildly disgusted at how misled I’d been. Nothing was original, nothing was memorable, and no one was even likable! Some people like “unlikable” protagonists, but for me, I can’t get invested fully in a book if I’m not rooting for anyone to succeed or be happy.
Tbh I like unlikeable characters.... when they are meant to be lol
It didn't feel like it was the case for a lot of them here!
You should maybe try the Louise rick series, there is a romance but it’s never really the main theme of any of the books, some are pretty dark.
Also hitchhikers guide is 5 books when they are small like that and the ending is simply brilliant.
I only agreed with you on The Cruel Prince. The other first five hurt my heart.
100 books 😨😨😨 I read 27 books this year.. 🙌 gonna finish 40+ books this year
The Domestic thriller turns me off too. It's getting to the point where it's His Wife's Brother's Cat, it's getting that ridiculous!!
I agree with you 100% about Strange the Dreamer. Why would something so beautiful ruin itself with a terrible trope. Also, I gave Six of Crows 5 stars purely based on the characters and their relationships because I was completely lost on the magic system and had to keep flipping to the front to remember what each power was. I’m definitely excited to read the original Grisha trilogy.
I'm sad to see The Cruel Prince on this list, not because I've read it, but because I've been a big fan of Holly Black ever since I found her works in high school with the Tithe trilogy, and now I'm wary to read it since I've just recently bought it
I have tried to read six of crows twice now and haven’t been able to finish it. I’m giving it one more try in 2019. One of my friends even said it wasn’t very memorable so I’ve never been able to understand the hype
I feel the same about Cruel Prince. Read it in August and don't remember a thing that happened other than the main character getting bullied and she has a sister and a brother and daddy issues. No major plot points stuck with me. Won't be continuing with the series.
The last time I have watched you is in your makeup vlogs I am really delighted I saw this channel. I will definitely binge watch your vids 😍
Felt the same with Six of Crows first time I read it even gave it 3 in Goodreads and cannot understand the hype around it. Then read book 2.... became an absolute fan of this series! Reread book 1 and actually appreciated it more, perhaps because I now care more for the characters as I absolutely didn't on 1st book.
I'm also avoiding books with anything related to girl or woman in the title. Ever since Gone Girl became a hit it seems that everyone tried the same formula (but with not the same skills as Gillian) to have the next big hit... And none of them live up to the expectations.
Marcos Ferreira completely agree
I agree with six of crows. I was expecting it to be really good good but I didn't really like it.
I HATED Behind Closed Doors- I felt like the villain was so cartoonishly evil, and I was just rolling my eyes the entire time. I could not finish it. I got more than halfway through, couldn’t take it, and skimmed the rest.
Completely agree about needing to read the Grisha trilogy before Six of Crows. I haven’t read the first trilogy but just finished Six of Crows and feel like I missed something. I want to read the others before reading Crooked Kingdom.
I love unpopular opinions Emily so keep 'em coming!! Haha, I personally enjoyed Six of Crows and Strange The Dreamer but I can understand where you are coming from. Sometimes books get so much hype it ruins it!
One of the books that I read this year and felt was way overhyped was Turtles All The Way Down by John Green. I was so excited to read it because of how much everyone sang it's praises, they honestly made it sound like it could be book of the year material. I was so insanely upset by it though. It was really disappointing in basically every way imaginable, except for the bits about the main character's anxiety. Which at that point I would've rather of read a memoir about John Green's struggles with mental health over what we got.
Well, the comments have convinced me that I don't need to read The Cruel Prince. One more book off my TBR.
I agree with what you said about everything I've read on this list. The Cruel Prince was forgettable because there was no world building and the romance appeared out of nowhere!
I read Six of Crows first, then the Crooked Kingdom and a few months after that I finally read the Grisha Trilogy and the collection of short stories connected to this universe. So I didn't have the same experience as you. But I think you made a good point: the Russian-inspired elements were definitively more hidden and not as obvious as in the Grisha books. I think Six of Crows would be a better book with this element more present there. I still think the duology is a great book, but if I read it now, I would probably have the same opinion as you :P
I definitely support you on The Cruel Prince. I spent the first half wondering what was even going on, and the last half wondering why I was still reading. The romance was cringeworthy, but I'll still read the second book. Hopefully it gets better.
I am soooo with you on Strange the Dreamer. That book was so ridiculously hyped, and I just couldn't get into it. It was written beautifully, but the first half dragged so much that I almost put it down. Normally insta-love doesn't bother me, but this one really did. The best part of the book was the last 10%. I will also not be continuing with the sequel.
I think Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom should also be read as a super long single book too.... I read them back to back because I got them together, and I felt like the entire six of crows book pretty much just set up the story for Crooked Kingdom. Most of the character building in six of crows and the first bit of Crooked Kingdom was flashback based, and not actually caused by the plot. And not much was resolved at the end of the first book either, only the plot
I audibly hissed at cruel prince, "back beast, back to the hell from wence you came!"
As soon as I clicked on this I knew you’d hate the romance in Strange the Dreamer haha. It’s one of my favorites, but I get what you mean. I also see people saying that dislike the flowery writing (also understandable) - everyone has their own tastes ^_^ love these videos!!
I completely agree with you about Only Human. I've made my way through all the audiobooks of that trilogy of the last year or so and was greatly disappointed by the last one. I appreciated learning about where the robots came from, but I wanted so much more than the lots of nothing they did on the planet. Everything felt extremely anti-climatic and I felt let down. :(
I probably should re-read the Hitch-Hiker's guide to the galaxy, but my memory of my impression of it sort of fits with what you say. It was sort of silly, entertaining, but I never got why people were so crazy about it....
Girl, I felt the same way about The Cruel Prince. Also, I agree with you. If I ever decide to read the second book I'm going to need to reread this first one, and I didn't read it that long ago!
I hope you can do review for high-rated classics (or modern classic). Anw, helpful video and insight. Cant wait for the surprising/worth the hype book video!
I 100% agree with you about The Cruel Prince, everyone was really annoying and their motivations never really made made sense. It was meh but I think I'll read the 2nd to see where it goes. I DNF-ed Strange the dreamer at 250 pages so didn't get to the instalove, I found it just started dragging once we were introduced the the godspawn. I may give it a go again, but it was my most disappointing read as I've been looking forward to reading that for a really long time.
I liked six of crows, but didn’t feel inclined to jump into the next one. Maybe i will one day, but im on the same page as you, slightly over hyped. I also kind of forgot what happened as well...
I completely agree with you about The Cruel Prince, I hated it while I was reading it and I can't remember a single thing about it.
The thing with the random twists is so relatable! I had the same feeling when read 13 Minutes, but it got really high ratings so maybe that's just me.
I'm so glad I'm not the only one, referring to Hitchhiker's Guide.
Damn....man...Strange the dreamer....I finally found someone who feels the same about it like me...!!!
Gosh...The romance...and the ending...it was literal trash
Yes!!!
I read both Six of Crows books and I struggled a lot! The main character (Kaz?) seems to have smart idea after another, after another and he is what 15-16? The plot wasn't creative, it was just built on tons of sudden smart and unexpected (but obviously planned in advanced duhhh) moves of the main characters. Yeah, okay.
Are you planning on reading The Secret History any time soon? Everyone mentions it when talking about mysteries. I've tried reading it long time ago, but DNFed it. I do want to give it another chance, but I need someone else's opinion :D
The forever war was my 1st SF and it was so hard for me because of the military issues and the way the women were portraited... but I made through it and in retrospect I liked it. I'm collecting this editions (proudly owning 64 pc) .
i’m SO sad that all these mystery authors started trying to do the domestic mystery thing because the OG books in that genre (Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train) were SO GOOD and now the genre is just....annoying lol
ahh i completely get what you mean about hitchhiker's guide! it's my favorite book of all time (i have a tattoo about it lol) but i definitely understand that it's not for everyone. the first time i read it, i didn't love it that much, but i've come to love it more and more with each successive reread and i reread it every year now! I'm glad you at least gave it a chance tho :)
I just read The Other Woman and really enjoyed it. I'm not sure how you would feel about because I probably would classify it as a "Domestic Thriller" but it took me on a wild ride and I was not expecting a lot of the things that happened!
I felt the same way about Six of Crows and I'd say maybe lower your expectations for Crooked Kingdom. I gave CK like three stars and barely remember anything that happened in that book. So, maybe don't be too hopeful.
Oh! About The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy I actually listen to it as an audiobook. It was still weird, but when I was going through it I kinda knew that if I were to actually read it I would find it not that funny. Maybe you could give it a try that way? Although I'm don't think I would listen to it again, or the next one in the series lol
I actually felt that Vengeful by V.E. Schwab didn't fulfil my expectations. The pacing was a bit off and the plot was all over the place. It didn't leave me with the same contentment that Vicious was able to instil in its readers.
I read Six of Crows before I read the Grisha trilogy and I did not understand the magic system what so ever and also didn't help that I read Six of Crows during a reading slump.
Ahh someone else who doesn’t absolutely adore SoC and CK!!!!
Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom are both on my most disappointing books of 2018 list ...
I totally agree with you that people who say you don’t have to read the trilogy before hand are so wrong! I have zero interest in them so I went right into SoC and was so confused for the first like 200ish pages and had to reread every chapter twice (some times more) because I had no idea what was going on.
I also could not get into the writing style at all!
Like I didn’t hate it exactly but I gave it like 2 stars because I was more frustrated than anything else while reading it, and my frustration overpowered anything that I even remotely enjoyed about the story.
Omg, I remember commenting on one of your goodreads reviews saying that I was pretty sure you and I both felt similarly about domestic thrillers and now I finally have someone on my side! I feel like they are always so hyped and then I read them and it's like: Wife drinks, Husband cheats, blah. Anyway, I totally agree that thrillers were kind of a let down this year, but my two favorite thrillers of the year, by far, were Sweet Little Lies by Caz Frear (which is like a mix of detective and thriller) and The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager! The Last Time I Lied was also my biggest surprise of the year because I didn't like the author's first novel but this one was soo good! :)
I don't know which version of The Outsider you read, but mine said in the blurb that while the DNA pointed to the suspect, he had a solid alibi (which is where the dilemma arises), so I was prepared for something supernatural... Also, I tend to assume Kind will put something like that in his books; his previous crime trilogy, for example, starts off with no paranormal elements, but develops them in the second and third books. It's a shame if your book didn't have that, because it would have been great for you to be prepared. I really liked The Outsider - though I hadn't finished the previous trilogy, so it did spoil the ending for me haha
I do agree that the beginning was stronger. In fact, I love everything up to and including the scene outside the courthouse, which was unbelievably thrilling. I didn't dislike the rest (I gave the book 4 stars), but it wasn't as strong as the first half.
I read the SoC duology before reading the Grisha trilogy! The beginning was a bit confusing but I was able to sort it out. When I picked up the Grisha trilogy, it felt like I was reading a prequel series so I enjoyed it.
Laini Taylor is the ONLY author I give a free pass when it comes to instalove. I think the themes she explores in her books are done so well.
I 100% agree with you about The Outsider! Everything up until the scene outside of the court house was amazing. It was my first Stephen King, and I kept thinking, I totally get the hype! And then the paranormal element came in...whomp whomp
My most disappointing reads were The Book Thief, Muse of Nightmares, and We Are the Ants. I could also add in The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, but that’s more on my list of books I hated with a fiery passion.
Love your videos!
I DNFed 'Station Eleven' after hearing so many good things about it. I just couldn't read anymore of it.
Same with 'The Coldest Girl in Coldtown', I hated every moment of it until I realized that the speed I was listening to was the faster I've ever gone, and that was because I wanted it to be over. So I stopped and picked up another audiobook instead.
I too dnf station eleven... Its just meh from starting.. 😁
If you're up for a sci-fi thriller, I recommend After Atlas by Emma Newman! It's the second book in a series by can be read as a stand alone. The Dispatcher by John Scalzi is also a fun, quick read.
TBH, I think the moral of the story here is to simply ignore any hype. I only read books where I'm _genuinely_ interested in the premise and what other people can add about the premise and find that I don't tend to get too disappointed for the most part. I also tend to read older books mainly and ignore many of the newer releases I'm interested in until much further down the line to allow for any hype that _may_ have seeped into my veins, to dissapate. TFS :)
I understand why you didn't enjoy Strange the dreamer. When I read it last year for the first time I was so hyped that I thought it was amazing and just perfect, but then I reread it this year in anticipation for the Muse of nightmers, and well... I had to lower my GR rating, because it wasn't as good as I remembered! I really didn't enjoy the insta love romance thing, and was forced to skip some parts of the book, because I just couldn't deal with this whole thing. I still think that it is a magical and beautiful story, but I agree that the romance did ruin the book a little.
Finally someone on my side about Strange the Dreamer! I feel like Laini Taylor was stretching the story to make the book longer. Daughter of Smoke and Bone is so much better and fast paced!
While I've found a few science-fiction short stories that made my cut, my experience with longer works has so far been mainly disappointing. I've tried 'the greats' (Asimov, Bradbury, Clarke, Heinlein); some had good parts or aspects, some were near-misses, but none have hit the bull's-eye for me.
I feel the same about Strange the Dreamer...and I cannot even suffer through The wife between us. I stopped after like a 100 pages, because I jsut can't...I just CAN'T....