good hype vs bad hype 🔪 finally reading lightlark and fourth wing (book review and rant)
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good hype vs bad hype 🔪 finally reading lightlark and fourth wing (book review and rant)
The fact that Lightlark was able to get published is proof that just about anybody can publish a book. So dont give up on your dreams fellow writers!!
🥴🥴🥴
Currently permanently beating myself up bc I feel like my writing is bad. Thanks for the reassurance! :D
I think it speaks more to the pitfalls of trad publishing. Apparently, trad publishers are not immune to hype, tiktok trends, skipping the Hire an Editor phase, and publishing subpar books. It annoys me to no end that trad publishing is put on some kind of pedestal, like all trad published books are superior. 🙄 They're not. And we need to stop playing the trad game. Indie authors can be just as good or bad as traditionally published authors. There's literally no difference any more. It used to be the only difference left was that a trad publisher would market your book for you, but they don't even do that much any more. Hence, taking on Light Lark, an already hyped book with a large fanbase before the book was even written. They took her on because they had literally no work to do except to rake in the cash. And it worked. And the only person that suffered for it was the author. Her publisher used her. They seem not to have even spent money on an editor for her. Her publisher sucks and no one has called them out on their b.s. They won.
Eggggggs
She comes from a rich family tho so she did have connections that helped her get her foot in the door when it came to her agent. The sad part was that her editor quit because of Lightlark. Aster kept shoving this book down her throat to the point that a grown woman had to quit.
Had no idea this wasn't your main channel. Then saw you went to Japan. I was just there for my honeymoon. Odd seeing others in the exact place I was!
hope you had a great time!!!
I had no idea this was her second channel too! Time to check out the main :D
Omg avatar guy hiiii
Was not expecting to see you in the comments but pleasantly surprised 😄
i really wanted to like the fourth wing, hut i couldn't get through it so i had to dnf it.
hyped books scare me nowadays. i decided to just create a « hyped » tag on storygraph and then i can read them a year after the hype 😅
omg such a good idea hahahha
Same 😂 I take notes, observe and then check 6 to 9 months later at least if it's actually worth my money 😁
I do this too! It’s like book jail, a lot go in, not many make it out 😂
@jac me too! I'm very hesitant to read fourth wing😭
this is so clever
Lightlark really inspired me… to realize that my own writing IS worthy of publishing in comparison. Lol.
Me too. I was writing a retelling of Mulan in a African settings. I gave up on it then I read lightlark. I think I have started writing my book😂😂😂
I think fourth wing is super popular with people who don’t usually read fantasy. Everything about it has been done already and done better in countless other books.
agreed!
I know that's a lie though, cuz one of my friends reads fantasy ALL the time, super big reader, and she LOVED fourth wing and has been recommending it to me so hard. I've only read a few chapters so far, but as a big big fantasy reader myself, I've been enjoying it. So like ?? So far I've been loving the main character, and I find that surprising because honestly it's been a while since I've loved a main character. but I haven't gotten far so maybe my opinion doesn't hold much weight, but like I said, my friend who is a super big reader, super big fantasy reader, absolutely loved it so like *shrug*
yesss!! also the inconsistent world-building and plot holes were offensive to me 🥴
@@sindrealight5182 It's not a "lie" just because you have an anecdote to counter it lmao. I read tons of fantasy and found Fourth Wing cringe at best. It's just a worse version of the Dragon Riders of Pern mixed with ACOTAR romantasy cringe, nothing new.
I read buckets of fantasy and YA and enjoyed it loads. There's always the over-done tropes but that's just what I've come to expect from these books. I enjoyed the world building and romance and felt it was better than other equally hyped books
I feel like the more I watch of your vids the more I'm like "Cari can read, but does she want to anymore?"
Do I think Fourth wing is the best book I've ever read and is a fantastic fantasy? no, but I think it hit on A LOT of nostalgia for me, bringing in a lot of pieces from other books I've loved and made it an easy to binge and just a fun read. I also really liked the disability rep and that there wasn't a "magic cured it" trope. It was mostly just nostalgia and fun vibes for me.
yes all the way to the nostalgia part!!
Yes to this! It was a fun binge read and the nostalgia really worked for me. It felt like a real resurgence of YA from 10-15 years ago, with more diversity and for a slightly older audience. (Not a huge fan of some of these comments implying enjoying it means you aren't ~sophisticated~ enough for "real" fantasy though lol.)
Agree!🎉
This. It was a fun binge, but nothing that would deserve 5 stars reviews. I'd personally give it 3 to 3,5 stars; fun, scratched that fantasy with dragon riders itch. It's like comparing a Big Mac trio to a five course meal from a fancy restaurant.
I've still enjoyed it, I'm still going to read the sequels, but I don't expect the Empyrean series to be world-shattering litterature. If I want breath-taking high fantasy, I know I can look elsewhere. But if I want brain candy, this is a good fit.
i really appreciate how respectful you are of books and authors while still being honest with your criticism of their works. sometimes it can be hard to find that balance from book reviewers so it's nice to see!!
thank you!!
I think some people are trying to create this grand conspiracy about Alex aster being an industry plant when in reality she just comes from a wealthy family. A lot of publishing houses will go for authors who can back some of the expenses. If it wasn’t for all the stuff she did on TikTok, lightlark probably would have faded into obscurity just like her first book.
10000%
Oh wow I didn’t know she wrote a book before “Lightlark”! My sister just finished reading it so I borrowed but haven’t started yet. I didn’t know there was so much hype (good and bad) behind this book 🙂
Oh wow I didn’t know she wrote a book before “Lightlark”! My sister just finished reading it so I borrowed but haven’t started yet. I didn’t know there was so much hype (good and bad) behind this book 🙂
no but like I read fourth wing in two days like a fever dream it was so addictive, and I DID in fact forget Dain had a beard until you mentioned it and was like .... really??? didn't picture it once 😂
we do not allow beards in this house!!!
Lol me too! I finished it and decided to do a deep dive and completely missed that he had a beard lol
I read it in record time myself! I also had the story invading my dreams, so I had to finish it, LOL!
I buddy read the book and from the first chapters me and my friend faked amnesia and ignored completely about his beard, still we got to hate him so the beard was just another minus to his character
Fourth Wing was my way back into reading. I literally bought a kindle right after reading it because I had such a rush of childhood nostalgia… took me right back to my teenage self, in 2015, reading the hunger games, twilight, Harry Potter, divergent… until 3 am, obsessing over it, not being able to put it down.l I honestly haven’t felt that in YEARS.. and fourth wing brought it back. I got really out of my readin mood because of social media and finding it too time consuming.. I started it at 8 pm and finished at 6 pm the next day, I skipped dinner and toilet breaks because I couldn’t put it down. It’s such a light read, funny, thrilling, the romance isn’t as much and distracting as in ACOTAR, rather it’s Story focused with soo many plot twists and SUCH a cliffhanger, oh my god I can’t wait til the next part comes out in November. I feel like I’m 16 again 😂
Same!!
This sounds insane but Krimson Rogue’s 7 hour video is actually pretty tight if you’re okay with digressions into writing as a craft. I watched the whole video a couple times since it was released. He goes into the weird reaction/scandals around the book, some of Aster’s history and behavior and the weird plot twists and how they’re built up or foreshadowed. The majority of his time is spent explaining the plot holes within plot holes and their context or giving genuinely good advice for aspiring writers.
good to know! like i said, i didnt watch it but i just dont understand the phenomenon of this book inspiring a 7hr vid, i saw another 4hr vid, etc. Like, its a forgettable book - why did we collectively make it such a huge deal lol
@@caricanread lol I think he was mad about all the time he wasted rereading it trying to understand it
@@caricanread it definitely came off as...have you heard of the "sacrificial trash" phenomenon? Where something honestly mediocre, or even bad but not legendarily so by its own merit, gets slung around as emblematic of LITERALLY EVERYTHING WRONG WITH its respective medium - I think that's what happened to Lightlark, and I still don't quite know why.
But I do love a good 7-hour readalong/dissection, to me that's where it crosses over from excessive (harassment) into excessive (good fun to leave on in the background of your day)...though anyone who devotes that much time to nitpicking is bound to say an obtuse thing or two in the name of keeping up the character of the hardened cynic, most of the points in it were thoughtful tangents OFF the book itself.
@@caricanread also, his videos are usually long format going incredibly deep into books but usually they are split up into parts. So a 7hr video doesn’t feel excessive to me😭. I’m not sure about other book tubers, but I know Crimson to be incredibly thorough.
@@caricanread That's kind of his format - he doesn't post very often or about a lot of books, but when he does it's long. And it's quite interesting, he goes in depth into the plot, reads parts of the book to give context and offers how some aspects could be done differently. While I agree that some books are criticised in a way that's weird, I just don't think this video would be an example of that. But yeah, some books just feel like scapegoats for the internet's entertainment.
Honestly I just loved how fun Fourth Wing is. Sometimes a predictable read is still a really enjoyable time. I do agree that too much hype can ruin a book and I’m glad I’m too far removed from booktok that I didn’t see any of it lol. Also I definitely called one of the twists at end. Actually most of the ending was pretty obvious but it was still a good time imo.
yeah it was just a fun book so im mad that people are talking about it like its a life changing experience when its just...not hahah did i have a good time? for the most part yea! will i reread this and make it my whole personality? hard no hahhaha
@@fa3ryg1rl1 lol what? when did i say you werent allowed to be positively affected by a book? these are my opinions pls 😭😂
As you said, it was a good time. Sometimes I don't need to be shocked, sometimes I need to be given exactly what I expect. Sometimes it is better to just give the readers what they want, lmao.
KrimsonRogue is the guy you go to when you want to watch a 7 hour video dissecting a novel and writing in general. He will give credit where it's due, and criticise what he thinks needs criticism. It's not everyone's cup of tea, and sometimes I want to split it up into chunks, but he does his research and spends time on it. You've got a point in the 'why are we spending this much time on it', but perhaps that pushback on it and people going into depth about why the book is bad is due to how much it was played up in media and that whole 'Booktok' sphere. Proportional response I guess. If you want succinct videos about not enjoying the book from a reviewer, they're out there. But in the end that book specifically is probably best described as not being worth any hype at all.
exactly lol it should have had zero hype at all :')
I'll also add, his reviews are fantastic for writers to see how certain passages and themes can be interpreted. not for everyone but I love his reviews.
Ya I watched the whole 7 hours (first of his videos i watched too), and I liked how he explained the downfalls and made suggestions on how they could have been fixed. I think it's helpful for writers, so that they dont make the same mistakes (but idk im not a writer).
oh yes, i'm over six hours into the video and i really appreciate how thorough he has been with the content of the book and the context of its publication
Same! As a writer, Krimson's videos are free education. I always learn something or find myself considering something about my own WIP.
I think I just realized why Fourth Wing kind of just blew up in the book community. It’s like the Colleen Hoover of fantasy books. Just like Colleen Hoover was an easy gateway into reading in general, Fourth Wing is a non-complicated, easy way to give fantasy a shot for the first time for the inexperienced.
Exactly. Fantasy is a little tough to navigate if you dont have a long attention span imo. Many people hate descriptive world building and get bored with flowery prose, so for them fourth wing is a great intro into the genre. It also has romance which is one of the most popular genres.
And that's a good thing!
Eww, how insulting to equate this book to Colleen Hoover's writing. I'd go with Emily Henry instead. Her works have been known to be so many people's gateway to reading.
@@Luxmundee yes, lol. that’s what i meant. colleen hoover is a paint by the numbers romance when there’s a lot of other superior romances out there (case in point, emily henry). fourth wing is a paint by the numbers fantasy novel when there are a lot of better fantasies out there.
yes! i got back into reading because of colleen hoover, but i now know that there are much better authors out there:)
I know Fourth Wing will likely feel overhyped by most epic/high fantasy readers but as someone who doesn't actually enjoy high fantasy, I LOVED it so I think this might be why it's become such a hit, because it's one of those rare books that bridges the gap for people who don't read much of the genre?
i just wonder what was it about this book that is making non fantasy readers pick it up? I feel like its marketed the same so what made this one get all those readers across the bridge so to speak hahah
@@caricanread for me it was a tik tok where the girl said it wasn't the best prose or anything, but it was just a lot of fun and the romance was there but didn't completely overtake the plot - and when i read it, it was all the satisfying "winning" moments, it made it somewhat low stakes which is great for my anxiety 😂
@@malintriesomg! Exactly that. Low stakes. Perfect for my anxiety. I feel seen! 🤍
@@malintries oh that's interesting, i do read high fantasy but i also didn't start that long ago and when i think of myself from when i first started to read fantasy, i know i would've hated this book because of the logic mistakes and lack commentary on things that so easily could be added (unfairness and violence in military academies? Hello?) and just the lack of emotions over deaths of STUDENTS in this school, it's just so unfair why would they kill them before training them-😭 I also kinda care about prose. Anyway- I'm really glad you loved it, but I just wanted to add it might come down to other things than experience too, like what we pay attention to or personal tastes (which is obvious, i just wanted to join in😅)
@@caricanread I learned that Rebecca Yarros is actually a romance author and has an established fanbase in that genre. So her romance readers could be following her debut into high fantasy. That could be a factor in the hype we are seeing.
Yeah. Crimson Rouge's video on Lightlark is long. But very good.
He breaks down the history of the book and how it got it's start. And then he dives into the book, and he takes it nearly chapter by chapter, and talks about the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Going over set ups that do not lead anywhere, plotholes, character motives.
And in places where a scene is struggling, or lands flat on it's face, he provides possible ways it could have been handle that would make it flow better.
He is all about helping inspiring writers to avoid making mistakes that could harm your story by breaking down books that are great examples of mistakes.
I shared his video with some of my friends, discribing it as a 7 hour video on how not to world build.
It may be long, but it is very informative, and he is professional, but also very detailed.
Most of the complains you brought up, he covered.
Though I do mot remember him mentioning being bothered by the names overly much. Though he did note that the Nightshades got a name that did not end in ling.
good to know, thank you!! i was just more overwhelmed that a book this mediocre could be talked about for 7hrs but i get it haha
Most of his videos are LONG! he is hilarious
@@lllivivien56 i love his empress theresa videos. he was FED UP 💀
@@caricanread it doesn't feel like seven + hours because KR is so entertaining. His joke about Isla pulling on the pendant and Grim coming is worth the seven hours alone 😂
@@caricanreadyeah, I completely understand how that would stand out to you without the context that he usually does long (LONG) form content lol. I wasn’t shocked because I had that context, but am kind of surprised to hear that there’s another four hour long one out there lol
I honestly enjoyed fourth wing, not because it was a mind blowing read, but because of the nostalgic tropes it carries plus the magic. It’s a very easy book to read the really flies by, and as someone who’s almost always in a reading slump, I really appreciate books that are fast paced
Can I just say how much I love you guys 🥹 So much respectful thoughtful behavior happening in the comments. Thanks to everyone explaining the video I was talking about. I still stand by the fact that its mind boggling how such a mediocre piece of media can inspire so many hours of discourse (not just the video i mentioned, but as a community as a whole - now adding my 15 minutes to that pile lol) Truly a wild time 😅 But really, thank you always. Honored to b a part of such a sweet community 🤍
** lol oops well im editing the video just to take out the portion because while most of you were kind and understanding, the not kind and understanding side of the internet found this video and they are not worth my explanations - so im just cutting out the 20 seconds :') still love yall tho!
I am looking forward for another plot video bc you can tell the story of a book better than the book itself. Thank you again!
do you ever stop to think how much people hold themselves back bc they think it's not good enough? Bc it really feels like we should all put out anything and everything... why are we not all doing that? O_o
I started Fourth Wing and I am genuinely baffled why people are going nuts over it?! The world building is so clumsy and the writing clunky. Like, they try to pack exposition into the dialogue in the most unnatural ways: "Hello older sister who just finished dragon academy, where people get unalived all the time. How are you today?" "Oh younger sister who has a disability, I am good but remember, today is the day you sign up for dragon academy! I am worried because of your disability and because you are as bookish as our father." It's unbearably bad to me, sorry.
I also really hate it when the readers have to be told how smart the character is rather than shown it. And Violet is so naive, it's aggravating. She is at a war college preparing for battle and doesn't want to unalive people and gets offended over the dumbest stuff.
this! i couldn’t even finish the first chapter because of the dialogs😅 like it may be an easy, introductry read but still
I just finished the book and completely agree. This book definitely was not worth the hype. I just got Blood of Ash hopefully this one is.
My guess is the explicit scenes being in a YA book is pretty rare.thats my guess. Also, dragons.... people love dragons.
Right? There's no way a seasoned reader can love that book.
I will say I loved fourth wing. It got me out of a 4 month reading slump. It was fun and a super easy read and sometimes that’s just what you need. The hype is a lot but I did really enjoy.
same thoughts!!!
Me too! I realized I just needed to find a good book to hook me up with, and Fourth Wing did until the very last sentence. Heck I was even reading the acknowledgments HAHA
It’s a lot different from what I usually read so it was a nice change of pace for me.
Same! I hadnt touched a book in months then i found fourth wing in a book store and got it immediately lol
the youtuber who did the 7 hour video is actually one of my favourite book youtubers to watch! that's his thing, making long analytical videos on books. it's actually really interesting! he always gives credit where it's due, so it's not just a 7 hour hate video!
my issue isnt with the content (like i said i didnt watch it) but more with the whole concept of a book like lightlark getting 7 hrs worth of content (he was just one example but i've seen multiple 4+ hour videos about lightlark) so im just asking why are we as a community giving such a silly book so much air time?
Publishing companies get to hide behind logos and brand recognition. Specific writers don't get the same kind of camouflage. It's unfortunate.
definitely :/
So true unfortunately
I particularly love Fourth Wing because Violet represents a disability in an almost accurate way. The resentment that sometimes I feel towards myself when I’m incapable doing something was portrayed beautifully in the book. And the author also didn’t magically cure Violet in the end of the book is a plus
Agreed! I have POTS and at certain points, her symptoms align with my own. I also have hypermobility, chronic pain, a lot of things really, and her entire struggle really hit deeply for me.
For example, at one point she mentions she kept getting dizzy from standing up and makes a one-off comment about how she "forgot to drink her water." While to some it may seem like its dehydration, I clocked it as POTS. She was fatigued, overheated, her pulse was racing, and she was dizzy right after standing up, just like POTS symptoms, and water usually helped (which is a real thing!).
Another example is her constant issues with her joints. Like how after she banged her knee she had to wrap it for several days. I highly relate to this as someone with hypermobility and knee problems. Funnily enough, I am in a knee brace right now because I accidentally hyper-extended one day and now my knee is swollen and in a lot of pain. Or with her shoulder and how easily it slips out of place, just like my mom (who is also hypermobile and is the reason I didn't accidentally do it to myself when I was little).
The representation of disability and chronic pain in this book I think is one of the only ones I have ever seen in fantasy. Couple that with the fact that, as you mentioned, she didn't magically get "cured" and still struggles despite having worked for months on end to strengthen the muscles around her joints, I really enjoyed this book.
yes i LOVED that she got stronger but her condition didn't fully go away!!
@@mxngos7493 Honestly, I think its because the author and her kids have hEDS
@@mxngos7493literally exactly the same with me. it was giving sjm vibes mixed with divergent but i loved seeing a badass fmc who had symptoms so similar to me
So so so much this 💜
So, I only know about Lightlark as a result of the KrimsonRouge video. It is definitely worth the watch, even if you have to pause it every once in a while to take a break.
He also did a great series on Empress Theresa (a book I would only recommend if you want to cull some excess brain cells) and on a number of Onision’s books.
He’s definitely one of my favourite booktubers :)
he stoppd the wind :O, and his theresa is split in parts.
Also pretty much allwoth that said, no its not a plant,
i love his empress theresa series and i often put it on to chill to 😂
When a book is as hyped as Fourth Wing, I expect it to be a decently written, genetic book. And that's exactly what I got. It had all the popular tropes, she wrote them well, and had enough humor to let you chuckle with it. I gave it 4 stars and called the ending around the 70% mark.
All that aside the biggest reason I bought it was to reward the publishing team for making the first run printing unique. I want more pretty books available on regular store shelves, not always in a subscription book box.
I really like fourth wing for the Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome representation we see in Violet's character. I believe Rebecca Yarros has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and that is why she wanted to include the representation. For a fellow chronically ill spoonie of a human it was beautifully refreshing to discover and read about within a fantasy romance.
I couldn't find any source saying she did, but I knew she had to have known someone in the least because the representation was WAY too accurate.
I have not been diagnosed with EDS (I have POTS, fibromyalgia, hypermobility, and PCOS), but I experience Violet's symptoms (except for the silver hair lol, idk where that came from) daily and it is so validating to see a main character with chronic pain. I also know its an accurate representation though because I have friends with EDS-- thought I should clarify lmao.
Her kids hate it! 😊 she’s confirmed that’s what Violets disease is based of on tiktok, but there’s theories saying she was attacked be a (spoiler so not saying the name) creature and that’s why she’s drained of strength etc
Have it **
I have been waiting for this one!! I was soooo excited for Lightlark, but the way she hyped it up so much that it went up into space and froze 💀I really just wish she didn't betray us like that.
yeah just a lot of meh :/
Omg that analogy (is it analogy or metaphor?) "It went into space and froze" 🙃 why is it so fascinating to me!
@@kseni_vely I think it's a metaphor, sense it's not two comparing to opposite things, its comparing something that can't physically happen, I meant it in the way when you go to space there is no oxygen and it's to clod that you freeze, so she hyped it up to high it went to space. I'm glad you like it 😊
Fourth Wing to me is a combination of tropes that have been done (and done better individually) but here they are combined and to me it just works. I was looking forward to the competition an elite college provides, the mysticism of dragons, the quirky narration of rom-coms, the steem of smut. Going in, I didn't expect innovation and I didn't get that. I completely agree with all your criticism but still I loved the book because it was just entertaining from beginning to end.
I think the way you phrase your critiques are so interesting and engaging while being funny so a two for one makes me feel spoiled!
lol thank you so much!
@@caricanread thank you!
I agree with someone else that Fourth Wing is great fantasy for people who don't normally read fantasy. There's an Ursula K Guin quote about it I love. "[C]ritics who set out to talk about a fantasy novel without having read any fantasy since they were eight, and in ignorance of the history and extensive theory of fantasy literature, will make fools of themselves because they don’t know how to read the book. They have no contextual information to tell them what its tradition is, where it’s coming from, what it’s trying to do, what it does. This was liberally proved when the first Harry Potter book came out and a lot of literary reviewers ran around shrieking about the incredible originality of the book. This originality was an artifact of the reviewers’ blank ignorance of its genres (children’s fantasy and the British boarding-school story), plus the fact that they hadn’t read a fantasy since they were eight. It was pitiful. It was like watching some TV gourmet chef eat a piece of buttered toast and squeal, “But this is delicious! Unheard of! Where has it been all my life?"
I had no idea Fourth Wing would have spice in it, it just looks like a fantasy cover. I feel like so many books are coming out now that just look like fantasy but they’re actually fantasy romance. It’s super confusing since it’s like a new thing, or at least it’s really popular right now so I have to check goodreads to confirm if it’s fantasy romance or not 😂 I think we need a video on the rise of this new combined genre.
Crimson is a fav creator by many readers and writers because he cares about writing and books quite a lot but also is never malicious and always well researched and well argued. I agree, the sheet size of the video comes off as shocking. However, his video includes fixing the book. He is also an amazing creator. I highly recommend you watch some of his other videos.
I completely respect your recommendations on books and your thoughts on the craft of writing! So happy to have you back making videos; they make my day! ☺
thank you!!
in defense of krimsonrogue's video, he's taking apart the writing - he's coming at it from a writer's standpoint - and he's discussing it thoroughly and intelligently, and he gets mad about the really stupid things but he never fails to mention anything that he did like or thought was interesting or even that he'd just hoped had been executed better. he has questions and wishes they got answered. it's a fascinating watch for someone who is also a writer (me) because he's not spending 7 hours merely ranting about "this book bad" he's dissecting and trying to figure out what went wrong that the story is so bad. he gives Alex Aster as fair a shake as he can and is overall much more respectful than other negative reviews I've seen.
it really is a seven hour class in writing: worldbuilding, character work, setting description, metaphor usage, plot and pacing, etc. it's not an angry rant video. I think also it's different for a writer to read a bad book than for a reader - I struggle to turn off my writer's brain when reading a book, which can hinder my experience at times. for just any reader, Lightlark is normal bad, but for a writer, it's painful, because we recognize all the parts that were not given the time and drafts they needed to be better, and make sense. also I just enjoy really long deep dives that really take into account all factors. I will shut up now.
I picked up Fourth Wing after seeing it on an anticipated releases video, and I hadn't really heard much more about it. I might have enjoyed it less if I'd heard lots of hype and raised my expectations, but I loved it for what it was. I found the world very immersive, and I loved the main character's cleverness. The audiobook was very well done as well, and I finished it in like 2 days. A really fun read.
As someone having worked trad pub for almost 10 years I sometimes still want to get reallyyyy drunk and cry about how it dares to be just another industry lol
🥲🥲🥲
I literally just read fourth wing. And I did in fact forget that Dain had a beard!😂 aside from that. I read it in two days. And I think I enjoyed it because it wasn’t making me think TOO hard. Lile all the details where there but I didn’t really WANT to figure them out. I enjoyed just watching them get figured out
I’m literally almost done with the book and I just started less than 24 hours ago ! I think I love it for the same reasons as well, it’s definitely not the most intricately written book (which is what I try to find in my books) but it is so fun and enjoyable that I literally can’t stop reading it. Especially as I’ve been in a reading slump for a bit (and the book I read before this was very underwhelming), I honestly just love fourth wing because it almost feels like a well written fanfic that makes it’s readers happy to follow along with what the books gives them! Is it the best thing I’ve ever read, no. But is it some of the best fun I’ve had while reading in a while, yes!
I've got to say, you're one of my favourite booktubers because you don’t force your opinions. Many booktubers will quickly rattle off a throw-away sentence about not judging your preferences before outrightly judging your preferences. You're always respectful.
thank you!
The way you talked about Lightlark reminded me of how I feel about Crescet City... With each chapter, I found myself thinking: "Did someone proofread this? Edited and approved this?" The text was so raw, it could have been better. I loved Fourth Wing, though.
I adore your reviews because you are very honest but also respectful. It shows the level of dedication you have. You explore little details and I'm glad for that.
My thoughts on the hype-over for these newer fantasy-romance books is that the romance girlies are branching out, following the lead of some of UA-cam’s biggest romance reading stars. So, for people who are just dipping toes into fantasy, it’s probably really fun and a great experience. On the flip side, seasoned fantasy readers are like…it was fine.
welcome back!!!!! been binging your videos to distract me from the stress of my masters thesis and you've made me laugh so much and gave me comfort after very hard days ❤❤
❤❤❤❤❤❤
Love your book reviews, it’s always so pithy yet respectful. Thank you!
KrimsonRouges videos are always very entertaining lol
I’m in the minority for fourth wing - I actually dnfd it halfway, it felt really average and had a lot of flawed logic
i was struggling in the middle hence my skimming hahhaa
I DNFd as well! I was shocked. And I completely agree about the flawed logic. I just couldn’t wrap my head around the whole set up. I do really like Yarros’ Renegades series though (contemporary romance).
This was one that I really struggled with its dnfd for me as well. The premise seemed so neat but it really get like it had no substance and there was next to no description of any of the surrounding area.
@@xJillie glad I’m not the only one
Oh yes. How is your country in dire need of soilders, but y'all keep letting dragons kill them and other stuff? It makes no sense.
I know Fourth Wing isn’t the best fantasy in the world, but I fell in love with it bc it was the first time I’ve read a book (let alone a fantasy novel) where an MC has the same disability as I do. It felt so good to read about a character who went through a lot of the same sensations I did, and while it wasn’t perfect (ie, I personally think her chronic pain should have played a larger role in the story , been more present in the narrative) a lot of the way she’s treated by others (particularly by Dain) and over comes it felt so good and accurate, like I’ve been told some of the same things almost verbatim. It was recommended to me by a friend with no social media and I’m not on Booktok lol, so I only had him as my expectations. It’s somewhat generic but I really loved it, and so did my friend (who is a buff military guy, which is kinda funny based on how spicy it was). Anyway, I’ve been recommending it at work, and I’m looking forward to the second one in November. I really wanted better written action scenes too, and i felt more immersed in the first half, but i really loved it. Not a perfect book, but a good one. I do hope it spurs more dragon books being published cause they’ve been my favorite since I read Eragon at 11 lol (also the dragon connection with a permanent mark and telepathy felt very much like Eragon, but maybe that was just me. Saphira has my heart above any other dragon lmao)
That seven hour Lightlark vid was by KrimsonRouge, and it goes in-depth about the plot of the book itself and why it’s bad. As far as I remember, Aster is barely mentioned. If you’re into that stuff, go give him some love
I’m a huge fantasy reader and I quite enjoyed Fourth Wing! I had zero expectations on what it would be like since I got an ARC from the publisher and I won’t touch most social media with a ten foot pole, so the hype didn’t affect me. I definitely called the twists, and it was very predictable but I didn’t have to think very much which I liked. It’s not going to be in my list of top fantasy books, but I gave it four stars because it was fun to read and I had a good time! (i’m a bookseller so i’m going to be recommending it to the romance girlies and try to convert them to reading more fantasy)
This video made me go and read Fourth Wing and now I'm back. I'm actually a former fantasy girlie who has since switched to other genres. I've been trying a lot of different fantasy series, but I keep DNF-ing them one after the other. I liked this one a lot and yes it did remind me of some of the old fantasy series I used to read and I saw some clichés. I kept comparing it to other series I've read. But I'll say that it's still good, did worldbuilding and character development well. Definitely gonna read the rest of the series.
I think the myestery behind Lightlark being published is the hype itself. Normally, a good book would take aaaaages to be proofread, rewritten, reworked, marketed etc., but for what I understand (i have not read the book and frankly didn't know anything about it before watching this video), it was published very fast after that tiktok went viral. The author probably didn't have enough time to make second or third drafts, the editors probably didn't have enough time to pay very close attention to the story they were publishing, and all because of this need to publish fast, or they would lose the hype.
I've been so excited to finally hear you talk about Lightlark! Thank you so much lol
I really appreciate that your subs are written out and (mostly) accurate!
Aww I love that you mentioned Dinotopia! It's such a wonderfully told and illustrated (OH the illustrations, I wish I could frame every single one) little story
same :''')
I’m currently reading Fourth Wing, the hype is unreal, but it’s just so delightfully enjoyable to me! It’s what I expected from Tracy Wolff’s Crave a year ago. The world building, the dragons, an mc that I can relate to and the “touch her and I kill you” love interest( although the forced proximity trope doesn’t sit well w me). It did feel predictable but in a good way cause I felt satisfied if not surprised. It is noticeable though that the author is originally a romance writer, hence “scorchingly hot” type of writing. It’s become my favourite along with the Folk of Air series, so definitely gonna make it my personality for the next months 🫧🫧🐉
p.s Cari you are the best and I love you
Im currently making it my personality lol. I love dragons and hot guys
I love your dog picture pillow!!! I need one of my two dogs now. Such a cute idea
omg bae! I was just rewatching the acotar videos this past week..hope japan was wonderful, always exciting to see you pop up
thank youuuu!
Fourth Wing is like the Super Smash Bros of modern fantasy and I liked it exactly for that. 😂 I read a lot of fantasy and romantasy shell we say, and I liked it precisely because to me it felt like a very elaborate fanfic involving every trope and cliché ever.
The Fourth Wing mainly piqued my curiosity because it has dragons.
Hope you had a nice time on vaca/with your family! Glad to see a new upload :)
thank you so much!
I’m just so happy that you mentioned Dinotopia 😂 It’s one of the first things I thought too, so I’m glad someone else saw that reference!!!
Omg omg omg cari posted yayyy!!!!
I always love your rants on overhyped books. Those are the kind that depressed me--someone published them but no one wanted to publish me! But dragons make everything better! Have a good weekend, Cari!
I‘m so excited for the second volume of fourth wing 😍
its crazy to think i found your book channel first and took forever to go to your main channel... now im all over your vlogs
I know which video you're talking about at the start of the video (7h man talking about Lightlark) and I have actually watched the whole thing (or more like listened to like a podcast lol) and it's actually a really good deep dive and critique about the book. It has some little jokes about it here and there, but mostly it is serious criticism that could help one improve. I know Alex Aster didn't ask for a random person on the internet for a critique, but as a reader and hopefully future writer, I found it entertaining and helpful for young/amateur writers. It is genuine advice and he put a lot of effort into it. Yes he does spend the whole 7h talking about Lightlark, there is no movie lol. But it never came across as rude and especially not hate to me. Anyway I'd recommend anyone who is interested and has time to spare to give it a watch or a listen, it's good to keep in the bg while doing chores and stuff.
That aside, I love how everyone struggles to pronounce the main characters name haha. Everyone I watch pronounces "Isla" in a different way and at this point I really don't know what the correct pronunciation is. Personally I like the Spanish pronunciation better!
yes and just to make it clear - i wasnt saying he was being rude or hateful! i just said that 7 hours when this book had nothing in it that i thought was worthy of talking about was a lot of hours lol. glad you got some use out of it!
This is the one thing I was thinking of after I made my own comment. It's the type of video you would actually want if you're a writer yourself. Listening to suggestions and reader feedback from someone like him who does this basically for a living, it's gold. It really would be so helpful for a writer of a novel. Send a draft to him and get a proper review.
i was so confused by the fourth wing craze bc for me it was just… mid? like there’s so many books i like less but ig for some people it really changed their brain chemistry or something
cari, the video is amazing as always! also just felt the need to comment that you look incredible in this video, your hair and your face are glowing! hope you had a great trip :)
you should fr be one of those audiobook reader people. your voice is literally perfect
I recently watched the 7 hour lightlark video, it was actually filled with valid criticism and was very interesting!
great!
Same, felt like deep dive critique, not mindless hate!
I think Krimson's vids are more directed towards aspiring/amatheur writers than just readers searching for review vids.
He dissects the plot, the worldbuilding, and just the writing style and narrative in general. He goes deep into why this or that element didn't work, and gives examples of how it could've been fixed or avoided altogether. At points he does get exasperated with the book and rants about it lol, but yeah, he tends to focus on the writing on a more technical way, if that makes sense? And as an aspiring/amatheur writer, watching his long long vids does help, you sort of realize if you're making the same mistakes these bad authors/books made, or you become aware of these tricky pitfalls and learn how to avoid them. So his vids always gave me the vibe of writing advise in the form of book commentary, or something like that.
here is why i appreciate your channel. you read and you write. the way you critique and talk about a book in the negative conotation is like a breath of fresh air. compared to readers of baseline books who don't understand genre, story structure, analytics to scenes and plot development, so forth and so on, completely bash stories with no explanation. they give false accusations and rude comments for no reason other than opinions, which is fine but to me, obsurd. however, you give the negative feedback on a book so well! you go through and explain the discourse you felt in the book, for example in lightlark when you talked about name placeholders and the feel that this wasn't a fleshed out enough/didn't go through enough sophisticated editing etc. those comments are so helpful as an aspiring author to hear and think about for my own writing. THANK YOU!
I can't believe this is turning into a movie soon, can't wait!!!
I think we are entering into an era where authors will take a number of popular tropes, mash them together and then discuss the book on tiktok. People who don’t usually read will read it, remember that reading is fun, love it and gush about the book. A hype train will then begin all over a middling book that’s a bit trophy and uninspired. Then people will read it expecting god’s gift to books and find it mediocre. A counter-hype train will start of people hating on it for being famous but kinda bad and people will hate-read it out of curiosity, doubling its readership.
Watching this video made me realize how much information on Lightlark I have stored in my brain xD I was just going "there are no Sealings, Moonlings are the water people!" and "she's named Isla like 'island'!". The book's bad, but I can't wish it hadn't been published when it's given me so much joy, it's like a playground of silly worldbuilding decisions :)
And also, I agree with you about Lightlark and the reaction to Lightlark! I always really appreciate your channel (among other reasons) because you can make fun of a book, you can laugh at it or point out when it's bad, but you're never meanspirited in reviews. I really appreciate that.
I really enjoyed the 4th Wing! I loved the dragons, and the twist at the end. Such a fun read!
I had so much fun with Fourth Wing! It definitely gave me the vibes of the fantasy/dystopian novels that came out in the 2010's, but in the best way. I don't read a lot of fantasy anymore because adult fantasy has too much world building for me, so I really liked that this wasn't wasn't overly complicated in the concept. There were definitely plot holes or things that I think the author could've done differently, but it was so much fun to read.
I loved fourth wing! I just happened to see it at target one day and picked it up, not knowing the hype. So I had zero expectations.
But I also LOVE dragon fantasy and haven’t read anything with it in a very long time. I’m not even sure there’s a good market for it? But after reading this, it makes me want to find more dragon based fantasy-romance
yeah there was a feeling of nostalgia somehow but i couldnt quite place it - did i grow up reading dragon stuff and just not remembering? hahah
You've probably already read them but Anne McCaffrey does really good dragon and romance stuff :)
In the drama of booktok and goodreads, we can always count on Cari to be the only normal one about it
I enjoyed Lightlark for the most part. The middle was slow, but i did not see the ending coming! Yes, the writing was not the best but it was overall entertaining. Watching you talk about your opinions on the book was really interesting tho
I’m really late to the party but I thought Lightlark and Nightbane were really good. Both were easy, fun reads with lots of action. In my opinion, much better written than Powerless, which has had so much hype. Not saying they’re literary masterpieces but they were very entertaining and I’ll continue the series.
OH MY GOD I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS
When it comes to fourth wing, I think it's taken the world by storm because for me, it feels nostalgic. Like, I had so much fun reading it and it reminded me of the times I read divergent and the hunger games because of how I enjoyed it. Predictable yes, cringy sometimes yes but I enjoyed it so much!
It definitely felt like every other fantasy book I’ve read which is what I enjoyed
Yes this! I’m 24 now, it’s not eragon or game of thrones, but it took me back to 15 year old me reading divergent! And that’s why I loved it.
completely unrelated but can we talk about how good your skin looks??????? absolutely goals
yay cari is back!!
^_^
I've seen the whole video you're talking about and he does go through the entire video going over Lightlark with a fine-toothed comb. I think what made Krimson's video go on for so long is because he goes over the book plot-beat by plot-beat and the problem's in Lightlark compounds upon each other instead of being their own separate thing.
His Empress Theresa review series is probably longer though.
my question is more what about this book in particular inspired this many hours of content online hahah? not just that vid but i also saw 4 hour vids, a lot of 1hr vids. Just interesting that there isnt this much anger and deep diving into books with harmful themes and controversies but this mediocre meh book gets so much noise made? idk its just a weird situation all around.
@@caricanread Because it was a book tiktok darling and a lot of drama and to look what is up with it?! Ithink the hyp was it with the weird way it got pushed. There seem tobe also how she is a humble selfmade author,which, ticked off a lot becaue, she isnt a plant aut definitly has previledge there. Including her sister.
I think its the weird drama and accusations and hype and straight uplies how humble , that she comes from a wealthie background, did not help at all, with that claim. I think they just dug in it and it piled up, and analyzed what doe not work. And what could have done better.
I thinkit a reaction too how book tiktok tried to push it ssso hard. It would probably not mattered if it werent pushed so much.
@@caricanread Honestly I think it has to do more with the book not meeting exceptions while people can usually see a toxic book just by reading the summary or by who the author is. The fact that Lightlark has different problems that feed into each other rather than the same problem just repeated throughout the narrative probably added to its length.
Hi Cari! I just want to say that I’ve recently discovered your channel and I love your videos!❤
thank you so much!
I love Louie giving you the side eye from the pillow as you talk about smut around 23:00. 😂
nope, he talked about lightlark the whole time; he went through the whole book. he is fabulous, he reads terrible books and teaches what makes a bad book bad. I rewatch his vids from time to time so I don't fall into terrible writing habits.
I totally agree, some book just shouldn’t have been published…
Zodiac academy I’m talkin bout you-
:'''''''')
Finished fourth wing and oh my god..I immediately pre-ordered the sequel😭 I was like 😦😦😭😩🤯🥵 the whole time
It reminded me of Iron Widow actually which I also loved and am awaiting the sequel
I devoured it in two days lmao
New to the channel and loving the content!! First time I read a book after Cari's recommendation and so far I am enjoying it! Very entertaining 😊
seeing all the comments about how good Krimson Rogue’s video is 💞💞
Agreed. I love my fans, lol!
Fourth Wing felt very formulaic to me. It's the perfect storm of popular tropes to make it wildly popular, but it does not bring anything new to the table in its execution. I fear that readers in spaces like BookTok just have a laundry list of tropes they like, and will automatically like a book if it meets that requirement, regardless of whether the tropes are done well and/or in a new way. This author had that list. It's entertaining, but old hat.
I loved Fourth Wing so much and its one of my favorites from this year but I think that's just cause I haven't read much fantasy recently and was just excited to be getting back into it.
Hi cari!! I’m glad you’re back, your Japan trip looked so fun! I think one of the things that I mainly saw critiquing Lightlark was the fact that the author was claiming she had received a movie deal before it had come out and people were getting annoyed about that. I also think I enjoyed reading Fourth Wing so much because I haven’t read a fantasy that wasn’t about Fae in so long and the dragons really reminded me about HTTYD. That’s completely my preference though and just has to go in hand with the type of books I’ve been reading lately.
yeah i think the whole publishing deal in its entirety pissed people off but people get movie deals all the time so again, just wondering what was the special ingredient in this case - i think it was just a hype train that ran off the rails haha
I find that hype around a book usually ruins it for me. 😭 I haven’t read Fourth Wing yet for that reason, and it looks like my fears may be well founded. Still going to try it out, though!
For Lightlark… I actually had to mute the author on Instagram a while ago simply because her reels kept showing up in my For You page, and I couldn’t stand the marketing. I’m all for self-promotion, but the way she did it made me cringe. Then I heard so much negative feedback about the actual book that I never bothered. Thank you for doing that for us and talking about it! 😂 Very much appreciate it
i am always a fan of authors being quiet on social media but i know so many publishing houses pressure them into trying to go viral so they can sell books :/ i dont think the author of lightlark needed to promote as much as she has but i pity other authors who have to self promote cause that sounds awful!
@@caricanread Absolutely agree! I feel so bad for those authors, especially when it seems obvious they don’t want to do it, because trying to go viral also sounds like my own personal hell.
Me as an author: Can I just… not talk about it? *Immediately fired*
I don't know why but I find it funny that you had to clarify BookTalk 😭😭😭
im a TALK girl not a TOK girl lmao
I just finished fourth wing and I just LOVE IT!!
I was so confused when fourth wing started to be everywhere because it really came out of nowhere and somehow it seemed like everybody had already read it (???)
It’s so good to hear your thoughts because people never actually pitch it so hearing that it is more like Serpent&Dove instead of epic fantasy helped me realise I’m not missing out 😂 some comments are saying that it seems like it mainly being pushed by romance readers which makes sense since I feel like most of the hype is happening on TikTok and we know the TikTok scene is quite Collen Hoover/ smut heavy
I know exactly the review you're talking about and he does similar deep dives on lots of books, the light Lark one was long but his others aren't exactly short. It's just sorta his thing.
Welcome back! Hope visit with the ‘rents was everything you wanted and more! I’m 45 and finally in the Shadowhunters realm. Almost done with Clockwork Princess….sigh. I’m going to miss the characters, I loved the Infernal Devices.
omg yeah buckle up for that series :'''''')