like if you pull it of well, by establishing why despite attraction they would not work out and then have a switch ok, but character assassination? a good written character should have enough belivable faults to have them crush and burn without fucking with who they are and turning them into pure evil
I just don't like the tyranny of love triangle plot in every other modern fantasy novel. Dude, if she can't decide between two guys, she clearly doesn't love either of them
me, in the midst of writing my Beauty and the Beast retelling from the perspective of Beauty's two vengeful sisters out to rescue the gentle baby of the family from her captor, watching this like 👀
Ooooh, I had a similar idea for part of my own BatB retelling (which is primarily told from the 'beauty' character's perspective, but part of it is her sisters planning to get her back
After listening to Cari Can Read I've been WAITING for you guys to review it. Also they try to not make Nesta garbage in her novel but it only makes me hate how the author didn't make her side characters more dimensional in this book. She was so obsessed with making the MC super good and sweet under dog she forgot to make her interesting.
I love this podcast cuz it’s sorta like a workshop for my own books. Literally as y’all were describing a better dynamic for Feyre’s family, I began fleshing out my own fantasy characters beyond “the dad”, “the mom”, “the sister”, etc.
I was struggling to figure out the overarching villain for my fantasy series, and then your rewriting of Savior’s Champion/Sister lead me to my “Aha!” moment.
I love putting on their streams whenever I write. My Sleeping Beauty was originally heavily focused on the romance dynamic, but then I watched some of their videos (specifically the Savior’s Champion ones) and was really inspired to keep it more familial/platonically oriented at its core
Hey y’all I actually used to work for graphic audio! Completely toxic and predatory company, working there literally gave me PTSD and they only paid us 30k a year. My coworkers put in the bare minimum amount of work into their books cause theres no other way to make the deadlines they set other than ridiculous amounts of overtime (which is the route I chose) I ask that you please not support them as they seriously take advantage of desperate professionals in the audio industry, most of whom are straight out of school and most with mountains of debt from for profit universities, they literally had a hiring partnership with fullsail university. So it doesnt surprise me at all that the mixing was uneven or awkward at points cause I was the only one who gave a shit at that place. We literally had a tradition where every friday we would gather outside our offices after lunch and brainstorm ways we could kill ourselves over the weekend so we wouldnt have to come into work on monday. Bonus points if you can find a way to tie the company to it. We called it Suicide Fridays.
12:53 I saw a post where someone described Rhys and Tamlin as two exes who had a terrible breakup and then one moved on (Tamlin) and the other (Rhys) didn’t and he’s MAD about it and suddenly their dynamic made so much more sense
I rarely am engaged by booktubers just talking about a book for two hours, but I keep coming back to your back catalogue of podcast episodes to get your takes. I don’t know what magic you have for me, maybe it’s just the magic of friendship?
25:44 I thought the 2nd book was going to be about Nesta, I was thinking as part of her redemption she would take Fayres place in the Rhys deal and then Nesta and Rhys would fall in love. I like that idea better.
Omg you solved half the problems of Acotar Rhys could still be the evil villain or atleast an anti hero, Tamlins character assassination doesn't take place and Nesta could be the high lady cause you know she's ACTUALLY SMART AND WITTY. Rhys could still be the bad-boy monster love intrest and it could have been an actual enemies to Lovers romance. Bravo and someone, anyone please write that book
Dude the first book is so long and boring because Sarah absolutely hates Tamlin. The entire first book is just to set up the Fae man she actually cares about. But seriously Sarah shits on Tamlin so hard through the ENTIRE series. Like even when Tamlin is trying to do the right thing and fix the mistakes he’s done and actually like kinda grows as a character the main cast just continues to shit on him and treat him like garbage (almost to a point where it’s problematic how awful he is treated. Yeah he fucked up but the man is fucking broken leave him alone). I absolutely hate how horrible Sarah treated Tamlin especially in the end. It’s actually insane how much she hates him. The man deserves so much better.
I already disliked ACOTAR but once I heard how dirty they did Tamlin in future books I dropped it IMMEDIATELY. Cause WDYM Rhys is endgame after we spent so many chapters with Tamlin?? If there was any foreshadowing (doubt it) she did a shit job of it.
@@Chukoki it was like the worst kind of "foreshadowing" cause she kinda just goes back and explains that every single bad thing rhys ever did was actually completely good
Being promised fairy ballad-based high fantasy and receiving this instead was one of the greatest betrayals ever but it's nothing compared to where it heads after book one. It's not the worst writing imaginable, but it's so grossly mismarketed and overhyped. 4:22 Maria's speech is exactly how i felt.
One thing I've never understood about ACOTAR is why SJM had to vilify Tamlin as much as she did. It's always felt like a missed oppotunity for me that Feyre and Tamlin could simply have drifted apart or changed as people in a way that meant their relationship didn't work as well anymore. Then having Feyre be nervous about entering a relationship with Rhysand because she's afraid the same thing would happen would have been such an interesting read, at least for me.
12:53 FINALLY SOMEONE ELSE SAID IT like, full disclosure I havent read these books but I do spend a lot of time in acotar critical circles bc I like being a little hater sometimes, and I saw someone on tumblr post an excerb from this book where Rhysand makes Tamlin go on his knees and kiss his boots or whatever in order to make a point about how much Rhys sucks but I just remember sitting there thinking "huh. these two jokers have more chemistry with each other than feyre dont they"
I saw a post where someone described Rhys and Tamlin as two exes who had a terrible breakup and then one moved on (Tamlin) and the other (Rhys) didn’t and he’s MAD about it and suddenly their dynamic made so much more sense
What I realized in a lot of modern YA or self insert fiction is that family is usually antagonized or dead. Either the protagonist’s parents or siblings are dead or missing (usually to spur the protagonist into a revenge/who-dun-it plot), or the protagonist is a black sheep. Or another trope of a single parent who is super busy to pay attention to their kid falling in love with a supernatural hottie and going on supernatural adventures or saving the world. And how about the other trope of their parents being the leaders of a rebellion or being the best in their “field”. Like why can’t parents just be normal and alive lmao I previously watched your video on Dark Lord, and it kind of goes into the tropes, but from what you guys described, it works really well because Diana Wynne Jones pretty much addresses these family issues and works it into the plot to make it a family drama, instead of the parents being busy or dead just for convenience sake so the main character can do shit without their parents holding them back
Annoying trope at times but... Kids with normal, caring parents don't end up in adventure shit like that. They have curfews, parents actually look after them and care about their wellbeing and don't just shrug if the kid disappears for weeks.
Probably because the parents, if alive and loving, would drag the heroine home by her ear because she's having delusions of grandeur, behaving irrationally, throwing her life away for an abusive asshole, throwing her life away for instalove, pouring her money into what seems like a con, and sit her down and tell her: "You're not the main character in a story, the universe doesn't revolve around you."
I'll never understand why they just didn't tell her not leave her room because her life would be in danger or something. Even if he was embarrassed or something about what the rite was, at least just be like "oh I have to do some stuff with some really dark magic and I won't be me and you'd be in danger" blah blah. Like, anything other than just "nah, stay in your room"
So, regarding what you said about the audiobook, I'm here to confirm your worst suspicions. I borrowed this book on my library app without knowing anything about it. The version they had was the graphic audio one and at first I was really getting in to it. Just like your friend I do too have ADHD so maybe that's why. Leaving the quality of the writing aside I didn't find the background sounds/music distracting at all, but rather pretty immersive. That's until you start getting to the "romantic" scenes. The first time they kissed and Tamlin went "UmMMmmmMmm Feyre" in my ear I threw my headphones across the room in panic. The moaning and grunting wasn't even the worst tho, they added ASMR mouth sounds any time they kissed. Mouth sounds are like my biggest misophonia trigger. I had to fast forward and skip every romantic scene just to get through it. So overall my opinion on this style of audiobook is pretty mixed. 😅
I am so happy you've finally read this! It is always a pleasure listening to you, but I've been waiting for someone to properly roast my most hated author for a while! As usual, you hit the nail right on the head! I really hope you get to read the second one, ACOMAF, which might be my biggest guilty pleasure: despite being a self-declared SJM hater, I've read ACOMAF 4 times (It's actually very entertaining). So please be on the lookout for something you've already mentioned & that I hate: Maas's obsession with convincing us her favorites are wonderful and amazing - especially Rhys. Also, the absurd and insane worldbuilding/power hierarchy where Rhys and Feyre are basically insanely overpowered god-like beings that have all these strange abilities but then still get randomly defetead? Anyway, waiting for your take on everything. I really hope your channel grows !!
I loved their rewrite of The Savior Series. A few tweaks to the world and it could be an original work. Damn, I'd ghostwrite it for them if they don't have the time. I'd love to see a rewrite of ACOTAR or The Cyborg Tinkerer
I love your videos, especially the “Massening”. This one has actually become a bedtime story I literally fall asleep to (but because it’s so nice, NOT because it’s boring).
Most YA simply can't tell any kind of healthy relationship, especially not one that involves slowly falling in love over time based on personality instead of a two second glance "oh, no, he's hot." "Cinderbeautyniss" Man...I mean male...cannot have more than one character trait. Must not be complex. Must be either perfect or evil.
I'm so sick of these generic, formulaic titles. "A __ of __ and ___." It was cool the first time when George R.R. Martin did it with "A Song of Ice and Fire," but now every stupid TikTok book has be titled "A (noun) of (noun) and (noun)."
Apart from his rapey tendencies, I did prefer goth boyfriend Rhysand to Tamlin (and had major gripes when she strips him of his goth-hood in book two. What was wrong with him being pale??? He's an effin NIGHT COURT FAE. Now he has to be a golden California tan like every other sunshine hero?). Honestly, Rhysand fits the Beast part of the Beauty and the Beast retelling much better since he actually has horrible traits to overcome. Over all, I think Maas actually assassinated both men by reversing what made them both attractive in the first place. Rhysand is no longer dangerous, and Tamlin is made entirely selfish. Simple fix: remove Tamlin entirely. Rhysand is her captor from the beginning because she killed someone actually very close to him. He must learn kindness and empathy from her, she must learn how to humble herself and genuinely ask forgiveness from someone she doesn't deem worthy. Remove Tamlin's realm, they are in Amarantha's Court the entire time and Rhysand is the only reason she lives beyond a day.
And side note: I loathe the fate-mating concept and how it strips the characters of fundamental free will. No longer do I actually believe they are choosing to love each other. It's only because an all powerful universe hand is pushing your uglies together and you can't stop it. Ew.
While you were describing the second trial and the lever thing I just had to think of the tattoo going “wrong lever!” like Disney’s Izma xD and I just laughed way too hard at that
YES, Maria and Will are team Nesta! Gosh what I wouldn't give for a book like this with a flawed but strong willed heroine, and it would'vebeen so much more interesting seeing how someone educated and well off fallen into poverty would be managing to survive and learn skills they had never had to before. Also would've been a nice contrast to later on when she would've been whisked away to Tamlin's estate, to see how she would've behaved in the role of the daughter of a well off merchant. It's all about contrast, past vs present. Nesta would've been SO MUCH better as well for that odd oath thing at their mum's deathbed, as older sister fills this role much better than Feyre's mother asking the literal youngest child to always protect the family. Edit: ACOTAR for anyone who ever read the Black Jewels triology this is definitely its fanfiction. I have no doubt ACOTAR started as a fanfic.
Nesta was better as Karla. Rhysand was better as Daemon. ... I'm all for fanfic, but at least *try* to pretend that the characters aren't straight up stolen from a different author when its looking to get published.
No matter how many times someone I’m subbed to posts an acotar related video I never get tired of it. Also if y’all did a rewrite of it that would be super cool. (Also, Marmalade is adorable)
Whenever I listen to you guys I automatically feel the need to go work on my book. Inspired and with fresh eyes. Don't worry, I always come back to finish the video. 😉
I would love to see one of your rewrite videos of this, or The Cyborg Tinkerer. The Savior's Champion rewrite was so good, and it could be an original work with some more tweaking to the world and set-up. Damn, I would ghostwrite that one
Katie's description of the narrator's Tamlin voice made me laugh out loud🤣 Nothing beats listening to your great reviews while I'm poking myself with a needle, trying to get a splinter out😂 And yes, I'd love a rewrite of this book, too.
i totally agree with you regarding your feelings on first person books. i feel like they often lead to the author giving their characters that cringey/quirky "i'm not like everyone else" personality that brings me out of the story. third person omniscient is great when they aren't constantly switching POVs (i mean switching POVs so much that it's happening multiple times during a chapter) because for most books i've read, the other POVs just feel like boring filler. third person is my absolute favorite and i definitely get way more invested in the story when it's told that way. you still get the main character's personality and thoughts, but rather than being told everything, you're shown it (same with third person omniscient), and you're also not stuck reading their inner monologue for pages. it's so much more effective.
Oh yeah I kind of hate how these type of fantasy series kind of imply that being human sucks, is uninteresting or isn't enough, because it's really mainly based on how hot and cool fae are (not even how strange and different they might be - those are secondary characters mostly).
I have heard a lot of stuff surrounding Sarah J Maas, and I def have jumped on that train to try and read starting at Nesta's story, and couldn't make it through. What I found mostly doing was just trying to rewrite the structure in that story, because as the series progressed, Sarah J Maas just SHOVED SO MUCH PLOT into it, like she's popular enough to not need to cut. Some other thoughts on this book specifically: ~With the unbroken promise, is there any specific consequences if you break it. I feel like is Feyre experienced this consequence herself or even her sister, it would add tension but also add to the bitterness later on that they all HAVE to stick with each other ~I really don't like the abuse porn as Katie puts it, even in a book I love like Circe, to just have all of this hate on a character just to make us feel bad just feels cheap, especially to us that have experienced complex family dynamics ~Hate the soul mate shit in these books. Hate it in general where it's just YOU HAVE TO LOVE THIS PERSON BECAUSE MAGIC, rather than choosing a person, and therefore are your mate ~A problem I have with Sarah J Maas is her writing makes it seem very modern that the spell of fantasy just constantly keep getting broken ~I like Ruby Dixon vs Sarah J Maas is because at least Ruby gets in, does her shit, and gets out. She knows what she's doing. She's not trying to pretend she's making high art Love your videos and commentary! Can't see what's in store :)
I’ve been waiting for this one!! I had a great time and cackled several times watching you guys dissect this. Would love to see a rewrite of ACOTAR from Nesta pov. Also, you should definitely review book two and three😂
I could never quite get over how dislikable Feyre was right out the gates as she describes her family and how all of them are either ass holes or idiots who are so completly useless and she is the only competent and caring one. I managed to get through the whole book and my opinion of her has not.improved.
And its so odd because I think she only had this animosity for her sister, and she just does nothing while wanting stuff constantly. She's around Feyre's age too so she could at least help with hunting but she doesn't even handle selling the product or anything. Why shit on her father? She has the magic and his leg is still fucked, just help him out
The uninspired way Sjm writes faeries bothered me so much when I first read acotar. A much better Beauty and the Beast retelling that nails the eerie faerie vibes and has an actual smart main character trying to figure stuff out is Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge. The main love interest is also very close to the archetype that Sjm was going for with Rhysand, just much better executed.
Yus!!! when I listened to this book, the word "insipid" kept springing to mind. I cannot wait to watch this, but I have to finish my eng comp homework first. I've also never figured out how a kiss can be lazy and intent...whatever that is supposed to mean.
I just listened to the graphic audio and loved it. I actually enjoyed it more than just reading the physical book. Hearing the characters voices brought it to life except for Rhysand's which I was expecting to be sexier and that wierd winnowing noise.
Honestly, on Tamlin should've been at least trying to push Feyre into saying, "I love you" makes me want to read a version of this where as the time starts running out, Tamlin gets desperate and is coming up with more elaborate and ridiculous ways to trick Feyre into saying it and every single one keeps failing 😅
I'm not defending this book or author in any way, just thought I'd share a tidbit related to the comments/complaint at 37:29 about the name of the fairy lands: I watched Cari's ACOTAR video series at your suggestion and saw the map of the ACOTAR world, where she pointed out that it looks like Britain, Ireland, and continental Europe. The name Prythian seems to be a thinly disguised copy of the Welsh name for Britain: Prydain. Similarly, Hybern looks like it comes from the Latin name for Ireland: Hibernia.
01:09:04 - In defense of this, I assume this whole thing is at least vaguely based on celtic lore, and in celtic mythology, bizarrely specific curses are actually a recurring theme. They're called geas, and they can get CRAZY. There is one welsh story about a king who would die if he didn't have a virgin holding his feet. In her lap. Except when he was away at war. How ... how would that even work in everyday life? Your guess is as good as mine. Another is about a guy who had a spell on him that meant he couldn't be killed except with a spear which had taken a year to create, and standing with one foot on a goat and the other on a bathtub. I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP. An irish king wasn't allowed to go into a redheads house if three redheads went in before him, wasn't alowed to sleep in a house were the hearth fire was visible from the outside and head to spent every ninth night in the capital city. There are countless more examples but I picked the funniest/ most insane ones. You're welcome.
Im 99% sure that maas is just writing Omegaverse and trying her damnest to not admit it. Also, the moment east of the sun, west of the moon got name dropped. I was sold
This is how I would describe the book to someone, "due to Stockholm syndrome a racist is forced to fall in love with a member of the race she hates, it turns out she was the key to solving their biggest threat and in return, she is turned into a member of that race"
I think your thoughts on ACOMAF could be VERY interesting given all the points you raised about the romance, as well as Feyre, Rhysand and Tamlin's characterizations. I don't know if ACOWAR would be worth it given it's the kind of book where you could easily shave off 200 to 300 pages and no one would notice, but you would need to read it to get to Nesta's book, unfortunately.
Is anyone else bothered by how eloquent Freye is considering she is illiterate? This girl has not read a single book in her entire life, she does not know words like "mesmerizing". If you're going to write in first person, from her pov shouldn't the prose be very plain, very matter-of-fact?
People have said that ACOTAR is a Howl’s Moving Castle fanfic, and it’s so crazy to find out that Rhysand is Howl and Tamlin is just Turnip head. They sorta fell in love in their own way and she broke his curse but are they gonna be together? No 😌❤ lmaooo
You've mentioned my biggest problem with this book, which is Tamlin's character assassination in the next. Ruins the whole Beauty and the Beast/True Love story in this one for me. Have any of you watched A Clockwork Reader's review of this book? She pointed out that this is written as if it were a Howls Moving Castle fanfic, or that it takes elements from HMC. I haven't read ACOTAR in so long so I never put that together myself. Oh, and please don't read the rest of the series. Save your precious time for better books.
Why do people in these kinds of books hunt only to eat that day? I mean, if your family's survival depends on your ability to hunt, you hunt as a full time job, you hunt more than you need. Maybe you store some of it as extra, but you'll sell most of it. Because other people who don't hunt may want to eat meat too. You get money for fish, and vegetables and God forbid maybe even fabric for your mother to make clothes so you can explain why you have clothes that aren't full of holes.
Well, tbf, the book does explicitly state that she's not really able to hunt enough to keep her family fed. And the first thing she DOES manage to catch is a fairy. There's just not enough wildlife around in the winter to sustain the family. Which really means, thank god Tamlin showed up, otherwise her entire family would have eventually gotten unlucky and starved.
There's even a way you can make Rhysand endgame without killing anyone, without changing the first book, and without reversing their personalities. It's clear they're supposed to represent a conflict between security vs excitement. You can simply just have Feyre choose the latter. This would of course mean having to deal with people who are upset their ship with Tamlin didn't pan out, but it's better than everyone else pointing out that the later character swap makes no sense.
Yes I totally agree it’s like she planned and wrote a book and then half way through changed her mind. I highly preferred Rhys but the second book changes things even more. I’ve not finished the second… but overall it has so much pooootential but so far seems to fall short every time.
Hearing y'all talk about the failure that is Prithia makes me think about how Sheri S Tepper did it so much better in Beauty. I read that book as a young teen and that version of Fairy stuck with me always as the Great Lie that is beauty in the fairy world.
I know at least three manga/anime with Beauty and the Beast vibes I think you all might like. Especially after reading A Court of Thorns and Roses or anything by Sarah J Mass. Inuyasha, if you are interested in Japanese folklore. The Ancient Magus's Bride, if you want nuanced depictions of the fey. Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts, if you want magical beast creatures. Just a suggestion or three.
Saw a tiktok recently of a voice actor doing these kinds of books. It was basically clips of her saying "You like that?" and slapping a package of raw chicken. I lost it when she brought out a pot of macaroni though
I've been getting constantly harassed to read this series. I have had to struggle so hard just to get through it and I'm still only at chapter 28. Feyre is inconsistent and I just find her extremely unlikeable. Her family are absolute garbage, and she flips from Chapter 4 where Tamlin is described as a monstrous man-eating beast that threatened her family and basically kidnapped her for "murdering" his friend (who was trespassing in my opinion), to Chapter 6 "omg he's so hot". The best description I have heard is "helplessness pr0n". The story seems to be written to appeal to readers with a tortured victimhood complex. My favorite character of the whole story is the mercenary in Chapter 3.
I’m gonna be honest. I love her series BUT y’all can tear apart anything I love and make it so enjoyable 😂. Plus your points are so eye opening and interesting. I think the girl I overheard at Barnes and nobles says it best, “ I mean I loved it, (gestures to Maas table) but I’m trash so…”
After rewatching your Saviour Champion rewrite, if rewoke how when I heard this synopsis for this series, it never made sense to me that it was a batb story. With the different courts being seasons and nature, it would make more sense to start of as an Ice Queen story. As the heroine in that story has to travel through the different seasons in order to rescue her friend (love I'm other interpretations), and could diverge from that after the first book
I had the same feelings for ToG. All of it was weird. Her and the military guy had no chemistry but were forced. Actually no one had chemistry it was bad
Can you guys also do a video on Heaven Official's Blessing by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu? Something that's more international, with a different culture, and an international fan base? The book is popular enough for there to be several different adaptations--graphic novel, animated series, a live action in the works, and I think there might also be an audio drama. It was originally one book fan-translated into English and shared among fans until sevenseas publisher bought it and broke it into smaller books with cute artwork inserted in them.
I've been hoping that you guys take on this book, because I fully believe that any trash fire can be made bearable with smores: (Marshmallows - William, Chocolate - Maria, and Honey gram crackers - Katie). Your commentary on how this book would have been more interesting if it were from Nesta's POV is something I feel very strongly about, because there are SO MANY YA book out today that have this EXACT same problem. The main character POV is (of course, 1st person) so bland/needlessly stale/stupid that it's hard to impossible to connect with them. Naturally, the more interesting 'side characters' would be a better choice to follow. This video makes me want to see what you think of the sequels, because the author starts making less of an effort into trying to disguise her story for the smut fairy-boyfriend fanfiction it all really is. The book dedicated to Nesta is a big disappointment though, but still has these small nuggets of gold that show she's still the owner of her family's sole brain cell, usually when she's calling out f*cking Feyre on her BS. Thanks for reviewing this!
Okay.... potentially unusual recommendation time. Has anyone read the Parasol Protectorate by Gail Carriager? Because if you wanted victorian-steampunk supernatural romance with fantastic gay characters and a dash of hilarity... I have really fond memories of the series.
I am so glad I am hearing this comment on the large, boring, plotless middle piece of this book. I felt like I was stuck in the beginning of the book until well past two thirds of the book. And even then it didn't really pick up speed until the last quarter. And then some parts(like the trials) were suddenly kind of hurried along. I had a hard time getting through the book due to that.
I bought this book. I kind of liked parts of it. Certainly not all of it. But when I got the second in the series the author totally ruined it for me. The beauty becomes the beast and I found it disgusting. I liked Tamlin and the author did him dirty. I felt the same way about Throne of Glass. I'm never reading SJM ever again.
Yeah, I read the first book recently and actually liked Tamlin - and now I've found out that apparently he's character assassinated in the later books to make room for Rhys? I hate that idea, and now I'm not sure if I want to read the other books.
@@LordofFullmetal I don't understand how so many women like Rhysand. I didn't finish the series because of him. You should watch UTT's other reviews before you decide. 😊
Saving this video up for tomorrow, but I am so excised that I decided to comment to help the algorithm. Words cannot describe how confused I am about popularity of this series.
Maas has built her brand about surprise love interests at the cost of the previous love interests and it’s why I refuse to read her.
like if you pull it of well, by establishing why despite attraction they would not work out and then have a switch ok, but character assassination? a good written character should have enough belivable faults to have them crush and burn without fucking with who they are and turning them into pure evil
I just don't like the tyranny of love triangle plot in every other modern fantasy novel. Dude, if she can't decide between two guys, she clearly doesn't love either of them
It’s the twist-above-all theory of plotting, and she mistakes “twist” as “rug-pulling”
Seriously.
Justice for Chaol.
@@asea1203Facts 💯
me, in the midst of writing my Beauty and the Beast retelling from the perspective of Beauty's two vengeful sisters out to rescue the gentle baby of the family from her captor, watching this like 👀
Omg that sounds like a blast to read. Please let me know if you ever publish! I wanna read
I am curious, how is it going?
This sounds great. Would read. Please update here if you publish it anywhere.
Ooooh, I had a similar idea for part of my own BatB retelling (which is primarily told from the 'beauty' character's perspective, but part of it is her sisters planning to get her back
After listening to Cari Can Read I've been WAITING for you guys to review it. Also they try to not make Nesta garbage in her novel but it only makes me hate how the author didn't make her side characters more dimensional in this book. She was so obsessed with making the MC super good and sweet under dog she forgot to make her interesting.
Same here 😂
Would love to see you do an ACOTAR rewrite. Your Savior’s Champion rewrite was SOOOO good.
The Savior's Champion rewrite could be an original work with just a few more tweaks to the world. I would ghostwrite it for them
I love this podcast cuz it’s sorta like a workshop for my own books. Literally as y’all were describing a better dynamic for Feyre’s family, I began fleshing out my own fantasy characters beyond “the dad”, “the mom”, “the sister”, etc.
I was struggling to figure out the overarching villain for my fantasy series, and then your rewriting of Savior’s Champion/Sister lead me to my “Aha!” moment.
I love putting on their streams whenever I write. My Sleeping Beauty was originally heavily focused on the romance dynamic, but then I watched some of their videos (specifically the Savior’s Champion ones) and was really inspired to keep it more familial/platonically oriented at its core
I’m going to run😢😂😮🎉😅i😊
It's been a long time pet peeve of mine that in a book of tricker fae Amarantha didn't give Feyre the riddle written down because she can't read.
Hey y’all I actually used to work for graphic audio! Completely toxic and predatory company, working there literally gave me PTSD and they only paid us 30k a year. My coworkers put in the bare minimum amount of work into their books cause theres no other way to make the deadlines they set other than ridiculous amounts of overtime (which is the route I chose) I ask that you please not support them as they seriously take advantage of desperate professionals in the audio industry, most of whom are straight out of school and most with mountains of debt from for profit universities, they literally had a hiring partnership with fullsail university. So it doesnt surprise me at all that the mixing was uneven or awkward at points cause I was the only one who gave a shit at that place. We literally had a tradition where every friday we would gather outside our offices after lunch and brainstorm ways we could kill ourselves over the weekend so we wouldnt have to come into work on monday. Bonus points if you can find a way to tie the company to it. We called it Suicide Fridays.
Holy fuck. That sounds miserable. I'm cynical enough to feel like OF COURSE it's exploitative. if it can be exploited, someone exploitative is on top.
12:53 I saw a post where someone described Rhys and Tamlin as two exes who had a terrible breakup and then one moved on (Tamlin) and the other (Rhys) didn’t and he’s MAD about it and suddenly their dynamic made so much more sense
I rarely am engaged by booktubers just talking about a book for two hours, but I keep coming back to your back catalogue of podcast episodes to get your takes. I don’t know what magic you have for me, maybe it’s just the magic of friendship?
25:44 I thought the 2nd book was going to be about Nesta, I was thinking as part of her redemption she would take Fayres place in the Rhys deal and then Nesta and Rhys would fall in love. I like that idea better.
This is such a better idea! - Maria
That would be awesome
Omg you solved half the problems of Acotar
Rhys could still be the evil villain or atleast an anti hero, Tamlins character assassination doesn't take place and Nesta could be the high lady cause you know she's ACTUALLY SMART AND WITTY. Rhys could still be the bad-boy monster love intrest and it could have been an actual enemies to Lovers romance.
Bravo and someone, anyone please write that book
Nasta woulda eaten Rhys alive. (Not in the fun way) maybe bring Rhy down a few pegs
Dude the first book is so long and boring because Sarah absolutely hates Tamlin. The entire first book is just to set up the Fae man she actually cares about. But seriously Sarah shits on Tamlin so hard through the ENTIRE series. Like even when Tamlin is trying to do the right thing and fix the mistakes he’s done and actually like kinda grows as a character the main cast just continues to shit on him and treat him like garbage (almost to a point where it’s problematic how awful he is treated. Yeah he fucked up but the man is fucking broken leave him alone). I absolutely hate how horrible Sarah treated Tamlin especially in the end. It’s actually insane how much she hates him. The man deserves so much better.
I already disliked ACOTAR but once I heard how dirty they did Tamlin in future books I dropped it IMMEDIATELY. Cause WDYM Rhys is endgame after we spent so many chapters with Tamlin?? If there was any foreshadowing (doubt it) she did a shit job of it.
@@Chukoki it was like the worst kind of "foreshadowing" cause she kinda just goes back and explains that every single bad thing rhys ever did was actually completely good
yes! and that ruined this series for me -
@@guyhathansaintil5218Which is so gross, since she ends up romantasising Rhysand’s past and future abuse of Feyre. Yuckitty yuck.
Just finished the second book and it was even worse than the first one, physically painful to both read and listen to
Being promised fairy ballad-based high fantasy and receiving this instead was one of the greatest betrayals ever but it's nothing compared to where it heads after book one. It's not the worst writing imaginable, but it's so grossly mismarketed and overhyped. 4:22 Maria's speech is exactly how i felt.
One thing I've never understood about ACOTAR is why SJM had to vilify Tamlin as much as she did. It's always felt like a missed oppotunity for me that Feyre and Tamlin could simply have drifted apart or changed as people in a way that meant their relationship didn't work as well anymore. Then having Feyre be nervous about entering a relationship with Rhysand because she's afraid the same thing would happen would have been such an interesting read, at least for me.
I 100 percent agree with you
I love Maria's tendency to say "Do a heckin' [something]." 20:04 killed me with the delivery.
Does she also say "narrORator" and "narrORating", or am I the only one hearing that?
It's driving me crazy.
12:53 FINALLY SOMEONE ELSE SAID IT like, full disclosure I havent read these books but I do spend a lot of time in acotar critical circles bc I like being a little hater sometimes, and I saw someone on tumblr post an excerb from this book where Rhysand makes Tamlin go on his knees and kiss his boots or whatever in order to make a point about how much Rhys sucks but I just remember sitting there thinking "huh. these two jokers have more chemistry with each other than feyre dont they"
Same, it helps with learning about what not to do in writing while not spending too much time and money on a bad book
I saw a post where someone described Rhys and Tamlin as two exes who had a terrible breakup and then one moved on (Tamlin) and the other (Rhys) didn’t and he’s MAD about it and suddenly their dynamic made so much more sense
"Clythia, can you find her?" Made me HOWL with laughter
Clythia sounds like an STD
Impressionism not expressionism but whatever. Should be a line in a book lol
What I realized in a lot of modern YA or self insert fiction is that family is usually antagonized or dead. Either the protagonist’s parents or siblings are dead or missing (usually to spur the protagonist into a revenge/who-dun-it plot), or the protagonist is a black sheep. Or another trope of a single parent who is super busy to pay attention to their kid falling in love with a supernatural hottie and going on supernatural adventures or saving the world. And how about the other trope of their parents being the leaders of a rebellion or being the best in their “field”. Like why can’t parents just be normal and alive lmao
I previously watched your video on Dark Lord, and it kind of goes into the tropes, but from what you guys described, it works really well because Diana Wynne Jones pretty much addresses these family issues and works it into the plot to make it a family drama, instead of the parents being busy or dead just for convenience sake so the main character can do shit without their parents holding them back
Annoying trope at times but... Kids with normal, caring parents don't end up in adventure shit like that. They have curfews, parents actually look after them and care about their wellbeing and don't just shrug if the kid disappears for weeks.
@@ulla7378Yes and that's why I make the parents psychopathic weirdos if they are actually alive
Probably because the parents, if alive and loving, would drag the heroine home by her ear because she's having delusions of grandeur, behaving irrationally, throwing her life away for an abusive asshole, throwing her life away for instalove, pouring her money into what seems like a con, and sit her down and tell her: "You're not the main character in a story, the universe doesn't revolve around you."
I'll never understand why they just didn't tell her not leave her room because her life would be in danger or something. Even if he was embarrassed or something about what the rite was, at least just be like "oh I have to do some stuff with some really dark magic and I won't be me and you'd be in danger" blah blah. Like, anything other than just "nah, stay in your room"
With how dumb and stubborn feyre is, she'd still go because "the beating of the drums was calling her and she just couldn't resist🙄"
But then there'd have to be some legitimately compelling way to move the plot forward!
So, regarding what you said about the audiobook, I'm here to confirm your worst suspicions. I borrowed this book on my library app without knowing anything about it. The version they had was the graphic audio one and at first I was really getting in to it. Just like your friend I do too have ADHD so maybe that's why. Leaving the quality of the writing aside I didn't find the background sounds/music distracting at all, but rather pretty immersive. That's until you start getting to the "romantic" scenes. The first time they kissed and Tamlin went "UmMMmmmMmm Feyre" in my ear I threw my headphones across the room in panic. The moaning and grunting wasn't even the worst tho, they added ASMR mouth sounds any time they kissed. Mouth sounds are like my biggest misophonia trigger. I had to fast forward and skip every romantic scene just to get through it. So overall my opinion on this style of audiobook is pretty mixed. 😅
I'm realizing I'm very lucky that I got a PG version of that audiobook from my own library app.... Good lord....
I am so happy you've finally read this! It is always a pleasure listening to you, but I've been waiting for someone to properly roast my most hated author for a while! As usual, you hit the nail right on the head!
I really hope you get to read the second one, ACOMAF, which might be my biggest guilty pleasure: despite being a self-declared SJM hater, I've read ACOMAF 4 times (It's actually very entertaining). So please be on the lookout for something you've already mentioned & that I hate: Maas's obsession with convincing us her favorites are wonderful and amazing - especially Rhys. Also, the absurd and insane worldbuilding/power hierarchy where Rhys and Feyre are basically insanely overpowered god-like beings that have all these strange abilities but then still get randomly defetead? Anyway, waiting for your take on everything. I really hope your channel grows !!
Yes! And Katie is here! I'm so excited for this Maas-sacre! 🤭
I read throne of glass and am constantly surprised that it doesn’t get more hate online. You guys should do that some day.
People are too brainless to realise how shit ToG is
PLEASE do an ACOTAR rewrite i'd love that so much! P.S. totally knew will would love nesta lol
I loved their rewrite of The Savior Series. A few tweaks to the world and it could be an original work. Damn, I'd ghostwrite it for them if they don't have the time.
I'd love to see a rewrite of ACOTAR or The Cyborg Tinkerer
Thank GOD I was not the only person who saw the Tamlin and Rhys gay thing. Good to know right as always
Oh no. I will never allow cucumbers and papaya in my house again.
Let's go!!!! Great analysis and good to see Katie on this one 🙂
I love your videos, especially the “Massening”. This one has actually become a bedtime story I literally fall asleep to (but because it’s so nice, NOT because it’s boring).
Most YA simply can't tell any kind of healthy relationship, especially not one that involves slowly falling in love over time based on personality instead of a two second glance "oh, no, he's hot."
"Cinderbeautyniss"
Man...I mean male...cannot have more than one character trait. Must not be complex. Must be either perfect or evil.
I'm so sick of these generic, formulaic titles. "A __ of __ and ___." It was cool the first time when George R.R. Martin did it with "A Song of Ice and Fire," but now every stupid TikTok book has be titled "A (noun) of (noun) and (noun)."
Apart from his rapey tendencies, I did prefer goth boyfriend Rhysand to Tamlin (and had major gripes when she strips him of his goth-hood in book two. What was wrong with him being pale??? He's an effin NIGHT COURT FAE. Now he has to be a golden California tan like every other sunshine hero?). Honestly, Rhysand fits the Beast part of the Beauty and the Beast retelling much better since he actually has horrible traits to overcome. Over all, I think Maas actually assassinated both men by reversing what made them both attractive in the first place. Rhysand is no longer dangerous, and Tamlin is made entirely selfish.
Simple fix: remove Tamlin entirely. Rhysand is her captor from the beginning because she killed someone actually very close to him. He must learn kindness and empathy from her, she must learn how to humble herself and genuinely ask forgiveness from someone she doesn't deem worthy. Remove Tamlin's realm, they are in Amarantha's Court the entire time and Rhysand is the only reason she lives beyond a day.
And side note: I loathe the fate-mating concept and how it strips the characters of fundamental free will. No longer do I actually believe they are choosing to love each other. It's only because an all powerful universe hand is pushing your uglies together and you can't stop it. Ew.
Your ideas made such a better story, i really wish we got this version instead. At least there is fanfiction
While you were describing the second trial and the lever thing I just had to think of the tattoo going “wrong lever!” like Disney’s Izma xD and I just laughed way too hard at that
YES, Maria and Will are team Nesta! Gosh what I wouldn't give for a book like this with a flawed but strong willed heroine, and it would'vebeen so much more interesting seeing how someone educated and well off fallen into poverty would be managing to survive and learn skills they had never had to before. Also would've been a nice contrast to later on when she would've been whisked away to Tamlin's estate, to see how she would've behaved in the role of the daughter of a well off merchant.
It's all about contrast, past vs present.
Nesta would've been SO MUCH better as well for that odd oath thing at their mum's deathbed, as older sister fills this role much better than Feyre's mother asking the literal youngest child to always protect the family.
Edit: ACOTAR for anyone who ever read the Black Jewels triology this is definitely its fanfiction. I have no doubt ACOTAR started as a fanfic.
Nesta was better as Karla.
Rhysand was better as Daemon.
... I'm all for fanfic, but at least *try* to pretend that the characters aren't straight up stolen from a different author when its looking to get published.
No matter how many times someone I’m subbed to posts an acotar related video I never get tired of it. Also if y’all did a rewrite of it that would be super cool.
(Also, Marmalade is adorable)
Whenever I listen to you guys I automatically feel the need to go work on my book. Inspired and with fresh eyes.
Don't worry, I always come back to finish the video. 😉
I would love to see one of your rewrite videos of this, or The Cyborg Tinkerer. The Savior's Champion rewrite was so good, and it could be an original work with some more tweaking to the world and set-up. Damn, I would ghostwrite that one
Please do the whole series you guys are so entertaining and creative!
Katie's description of the narrator's Tamlin voice made me laugh out loud🤣
Nothing beats listening to your great reviews while I'm poking myself with a needle, trying to get a splinter out😂
And yes, I'd love a rewrite of this book, too.
i totally agree with you regarding your feelings on first person books. i feel like they often lead to the author giving their characters that cringey/quirky "i'm not like everyone else" personality that brings me out of the story. third person omniscient is great when they aren't constantly switching POVs (i mean switching POVs so much that it's happening multiple times during a chapter) because for most books i've read, the other POVs just feel like boring filler. third person is my absolute favorite and i definitely get way more invested in the story when it's told that way. you still get the main character's personality and thoughts, but rather than being told everything, you're shown it (same with third person omniscient), and you're also not stuck reading their inner monologue for pages. it's so much more effective.
Oh yeah I kind of hate how these type of fantasy series kind of imply that being human sucks, is uninteresting or isn't enough, because it's really mainly based on how hot and cool fae are (not even how strange and different they might be - those are secondary characters mostly).
I have heard a lot of stuff surrounding Sarah J Maas, and I def have jumped on that train to try and read starting at Nesta's story, and couldn't make it through. What I found mostly doing was just trying to rewrite the structure in that story, because as the series progressed, Sarah J Maas just SHOVED SO MUCH PLOT into it, like she's popular enough to not need to cut.
Some other thoughts on this book specifically:
~With the unbroken promise, is there any specific consequences if you break it. I feel like is Feyre experienced this consequence herself or even her sister, it would add tension but also add to the bitterness later on that they all HAVE to stick with each other
~I really don't like the abuse porn as Katie puts it, even in a book I love like Circe, to just have all of this hate on a character just to make us feel bad just feels cheap, especially to us that have experienced complex family dynamics
~Hate the soul mate shit in these books. Hate it in general where it's just YOU HAVE TO LOVE THIS PERSON BECAUSE MAGIC, rather than choosing a person, and therefore are your mate
~A problem I have with Sarah J Maas is her writing makes it seem very modern that the spell of fantasy just constantly keep getting broken
~I like Ruby Dixon vs Sarah J Maas is because at least Ruby gets in, does her shit, and gets out. She knows what she's doing. She's not trying to pretend she's making high art
Love your videos and commentary! Can't see what's in store :)
I’ve been waiting for this one!! I had a great time and cackled several times watching you guys dissect this. Would love to see a rewrite of ACOTAR from Nesta pov. Also, you should definitely review book two and three😂
I love nesta. She was done so dirty in that book and whole series. She was the best thing about this book
I could never quite get over how dislikable Feyre was right out the gates as she describes her family and how all of them are either ass holes or idiots who are so completly useless and she is the only competent and caring one. I managed to get through the whole book and my opinion of her has not.improved.
And its so odd because I think she only had this animosity for her sister, and she just does nothing while wanting stuff constantly. She's around Feyre's age too so she could at least help with hunting but she doesn't even handle selling the product or anything. Why shit on her father? She has the magic and his leg is still fucked, just help him out
The uninspired way Sjm writes faeries bothered me so much when I first read acotar.
A much better Beauty and the Beast retelling that nails the eerie faerie vibes and has an actual smart main character trying to figure stuff out is Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge.
The main love interest is also very close to the archetype that Sjm was going for with Rhysand, just much better executed.
ACOTAR got me back into reading on the reg and literally every book I've read since then has convinced me it's not a series worth finishing.
The best part of reading ACOTAR is that I found this channel when looking for roasts lol
It's so reassuring to hear that the mercenary left a lasting impression on others. The second she appeared, I was so much more invested in her story
Yus!!! when I listened to this book, the word "insipid" kept springing to mind. I cannot wait to watch this, but I have to finish my eng comp homework first. I've also never figured out how a kiss can be lazy and intent...whatever that is supposed to mean.
I just listened to the graphic audio and loved it. I actually enjoyed it more than just reading the physical book. Hearing the characters voices brought it to life except for Rhysand's which I was expecting to be sexier and that wierd winnowing noise.
32:21 y’all are amazing. PLEASE do a rewrite 😍
Let's go!! My whole neighborhood heard me shout. I've been waiting all my life for this.
Honestly, on Tamlin should've been at least trying to push Feyre into saying, "I love you" makes me want to read a version of this where as the time starts running out, Tamlin gets desperate and is coming up with more elaborate and ridiculous ways to trick Feyre into saying it and every single one keeps failing 😅
I'm not defending this book or author in any way, just thought I'd share a tidbit related to the comments/complaint at 37:29 about the name of the fairy lands:
I watched Cari's ACOTAR video series at your suggestion and saw the map of the ACOTAR world, where she pointed out that it looks like Britain, Ireland, and continental Europe. The name Prythian seems to be a thinly disguised copy of the Welsh name for Britain: Prydain. Similarly, Hybern looks like it comes from the Latin name for Ireland: Hibernia.
01:09:04 - In defense of this, I assume this whole thing is at least vaguely based on celtic lore, and in celtic mythology, bizarrely specific curses are actually a recurring theme. They're called geas, and they can get CRAZY. There is one welsh story about a king who would die if he didn't have a virgin holding his feet. In her lap. Except when he was away at war. How ... how would that even work in everyday life? Your guess is as good as mine.
Another is about a guy who had a spell on him that meant he couldn't be killed except with a spear which had taken a year to create, and standing with one foot on a goat and the other on a bathtub. I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP.
An irish king wasn't allowed to go into a redheads house if three redheads went in before him, wasn't alowed to sleep in a house were the hearth fire was visible from the outside and head to spent every ninth night in the capital city.
There are countless more examples but I picked the funniest/ most insane ones. You're welcome.
Im 99% sure that maas is just writing Omegaverse and trying her damnest to not admit it.
Also, the moment east of the sun, west of the moon got name dropped. I was sold
Can't believe I read the books just to find out that wingspan length correlates to something
This is how I would describe the book to someone, "due to Stockholm syndrome a racist is forced to fall in love with a member of the race she hates, it turns out she was the key to solving their biggest threat and in return, she is turned into a member of that race"
I think your thoughts on ACOMAF could be VERY interesting given all the points you raised about the romance, as well as Feyre, Rhysand and Tamlin's characterizations. I don't know if ACOWAR would be worth it given it's the kind of book where you could easily shave off 200 to 300 pages and no one would notice, but you would need to read it to get to Nesta's book, unfortunately.
Is anyone else bothered by how eloquent Freye is considering she is illiterate? This girl has not read a single book in her entire life, she does not know words like "mesmerizing". If you're going to write in first person, from her pov shouldn't the prose be very plain, very matter-of-fact?
People have said that ACOTAR is a Howl’s Moving Castle fanfic, and it’s so crazy to find out that Rhysand is Howl and Tamlin is just Turnip head. They sorta fell in love in their own way and she broke his curse but are they gonna be together? No 😌❤ lmaooo
You've mentioned my biggest problem with this book, which is Tamlin's character assassination in the next. Ruins the whole Beauty and the Beast/True Love story in this one for me.
Have any of you watched A Clockwork Reader's review of this book? She pointed out that this is written as if it were a Howls Moving Castle fanfic, or that it takes elements from HMC. I haven't read ACOTAR in so long so I never put that together myself.
Oh, and please don't read the rest of the series. Save your precious time for better books.
Why do people in these kinds of books hunt only to eat that day? I mean, if your family's survival depends on your ability to hunt, you hunt as a full time job, you hunt more than you need. Maybe you store some of it as extra, but you'll sell most of it. Because other people who don't hunt may want to eat meat too. You get money for fish, and vegetables and God forbid maybe even fabric for your mother to make clothes so you can explain why you have clothes that aren't full of holes.
Well, tbf, the book does explicitly state that she's not really able to hunt enough to keep her family fed. And the first thing she DOES manage to catch is a fairy. There's just not enough wildlife around in the winter to sustain the family. Which really means, thank god Tamlin showed up, otherwise her entire family would have eventually gotten unlucky and starved.
Acotar is the kind of book that makes you see a thousand fixes for its mediocre story I swear.
I vote for an ACoTaR rewrite! The few changes you mention sound way more interesting than Maas' book.
Yo the mercenary and tamlin as muscle bros would have been amazing
There's even a way you can make Rhysand endgame without killing anyone, without changing the first book, and without reversing their personalities. It's clear they're supposed to represent a conflict between security vs excitement. You can simply just have Feyre choose the latter. This would of course mean having to deal with people who are upset their ship with Tamlin didn't pan out, but it's better than everyone else pointing out that the later character swap makes no sense.
Yes I totally agree it’s like she planned and wrote a book and then half way through changed her mind. I highly preferred Rhys but the second book changes things even more. I’ve not finished the second… but overall it has so much pooootential but so far seems to fall short every time.
What is that Beauty book u guys keep referencing? I want to take a look at it
Roasting acotar for AN HOUR? This the shit I wanted 🤭
Hearing y'all talk about the failure that is Prithia makes me think about how Sheri S Tepper did it so much better in Beauty. I read that book as a young teen and that version of Fairy stuck with me always as the Great Lie that is beauty in the fairy world.
I can't wait for this! I think I only got a few chapters in. I hit my character growling limit
Please read the sequels , I need your reactions to ....the lengths....that Freyra endures
The SC rewrite was amazing, would love a rewrite for this book
I personally think the first half is ....ok while the second half tried too hard to be an action movie / actually fantasy .
"I was the alpha. He was the omega... and he was with our child!" ... damdam daaa ...
YES, please do a rewrite, I love those videos! Give them better storylines!
Thank u for the welcome. I really needed this video.
I know at least three manga/anime with Beauty and the Beast vibes I think you all might like. Especially after reading A Court of Thorns and Roses or anything by Sarah J Mass.
Inuyasha, if you are interested in Japanese folklore.
The Ancient Magus's Bride, if you want nuanced depictions of the fey.
Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts, if you want magical beast creatures.
Just a suggestion or three.
Saw a tiktok recently of a voice actor doing these kinds of books. It was basically clips of her saying "You like that?" and slapping a package of raw chicken. I lost it when she brought out a pot of macaroni though
whenever i read the series, i think to myself: what if her paintings are like......bad actually
I've been getting constantly harassed to read this series. I have had to struggle so hard just to get through it and I'm still only at chapter 28. Feyre is inconsistent and I just find her extremely unlikeable.
Her family are absolute garbage, and she flips from Chapter 4 where Tamlin is described as a monstrous man-eating beast that threatened her family and basically kidnapped her for "murdering" his friend (who was trespassing in my opinion), to Chapter 6 "omg he's so hot".
The best description I have heard is "helplessness pr0n". The story seems to be written to appeal to readers with a tortured victimhood complex. My favorite character of the whole story is the mercenary in Chapter 3.
Since _The Most Dangerous Game_ was mentioned in this podcast, I recommend UTT read and review it and an assortment of other classic short stories.
I tried to read _Throne of Glass_ twice and didn’t make it past the first chapter either time.
I’m gonna be honest. I love her series BUT y’all can tear apart anything I love and make it so enjoyable 😂. Plus your points are so eye opening and interesting. I think the girl I overheard at Barnes and nobles says it best, “ I mean I loved it, (gestures to Maas table) but I’m trash so…”
I love this! Already 30 minutes into this and I keep saying EXACTLYYYYYY every two seconds 🤣
After rewatching your Saviour Champion rewrite, if rewoke how when I heard this synopsis for this series, it never made sense to me that it was a batb story. With the different courts being seasons and nature, it would make more sense to start of as an Ice Queen story. As the heroine in that story has to travel through the different seasons in order to rescue her friend (love I'm other interpretations), and could diverge from that after the first book
I had the same feelings for ToG. All of it was weird. Her and the military guy had no chemistry but were forced. Actually no one had chemistry it was bad
Can you guys also do a video on Heaven Official's Blessing by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu? Something that's more international, with a different culture, and an international fan base? The book is popular enough for there to be several different adaptations--graphic novel, animated series, a live action in the works, and I think there might also be an audio drama.
It was originally one book fan-translated into English and shared among fans until sevenseas publisher bought it and broke it into smaller books with cute artwork inserted in them.
VINDICATION! JUSTIFICATION! VALIDATION!
I've been hoping that you guys take on this book, because I fully believe that any trash fire can be made bearable with smores: (Marshmallows - William, Chocolate - Maria, and Honey gram crackers - Katie).
Your commentary on how this book would have been more interesting if it were from Nesta's POV is something I feel very strongly about, because there are SO MANY YA book out today that have this EXACT same problem. The main character POV is (of course, 1st person) so bland/needlessly stale/stupid that it's hard to impossible to connect with them. Naturally, the more interesting 'side characters' would be a better choice to follow.
This video makes me want to see what you think of the sequels, because the author starts making less of an effort into trying to disguise her story for the smut fairy-boyfriend fanfiction it all really is. The book dedicated to Nesta is a big disappointment though, but still has these small nuggets of gold that show she's still the owner of her family's sole brain cell, usually when she's calling out f*cking Feyre on her BS.
Thanks for reviewing this!
Just finished reading the entire series of ACOTAR. Not happy about what was done to Tamlin's character.
Okay.... potentially unusual recommendation time. Has anyone read the Parasol Protectorate by Gail Carriager? Because if you wanted victorian-steampunk supernatural romance with fantastic gay characters and a dash of hilarity... I have really fond memories of the series.
I am so glad I am hearing this comment on the large, boring, plotless middle piece of this book. I felt like I was stuck in the beginning of the book until well past two thirds of the book. And even then it didn't really pick up speed until the last quarter. And then some parts(like the trials) were suddenly kind of hurried along.
I had a hard time getting through the book due to that.
god hearing about this book always just makes me want to go read Rose Daughter instead.
What's Rose Daughter about?
I wish Maria had ranted about first person some more and what it’s good for 😂 what a cliffhanger
I bought this book. I kind of liked parts of it. Certainly not all of it. But when I got the second in the series the author totally ruined it for me. The beauty becomes the beast and I found it disgusting. I liked Tamlin and the author did him dirty. I felt the same way about Throne of Glass. I'm never reading SJM ever again.
Yeah, I read the first book recently and actually liked Tamlin - and now I've found out that apparently he's character assassinated in the later books to make room for Rhys? I hate that idea, and now I'm not sure if I want to read the other books.
@@LordofFullmetal I don't understand how so many women like Rhysand. I didn't finish the series because of him. You should watch UTT's other reviews before you decide. 😊
The riddle was stupidly easy and it frustrated me reading about her complaining that she couldn't solve it.
Saving this video up for tomorrow, but I am so excised that I decided to comment to help the algorithm.
Words cannot describe how confused I am about popularity of this series.
Where is this Tamlin and Andras fanfic??? I NEED IT!!!!!!😆😆😆
Y'all were actively avoiding calling this book Maasterbation, right?