I realised I go over these videos with "please don't have a book I bought and are about to read" 😂

@caricanread

8 ай бұрын

LOL!

@emilyec19

8 ай бұрын

literally same.. or i wait to get a book until i hear her thoughts 😂😅

@eva6743

8 ай бұрын

I just went through the list and there are two that are on my physical TBR so i'm just gonna pretend that that part of the video doesn't exist 😂

@Kenough_in_Wonderland

8 ай бұрын

same 😂

@Lex77755

8 ай бұрын

Same 😂

“She only mentioned his height twice” um character development? 😂

@caricanread

8 ай бұрын

for ali, yes hahahhhaha

@laura_0_9

8 ай бұрын

Honestly I was waiting a review specifically about *THAT* because I COULD NOT stand another book in which his height is mentioned more than his name 😂

a curse for true love was cute when i first read it and i was just absolutely dying for more evajacks, but after i finished i couldn’t help thinking about how it didn’t quite live up to my (admittedly high) expectations. between all the loose ends, lack of true tension/banter between evangeline and jacks, and the overall lackluster plot, it just wasn’t what i expected.

@caricanread

8 ай бұрын

exactly! a totally fine reading experience but you slowly realize how it just wasnt 100% :/

@meenan1718

8 ай бұрын

I felt the same and realised many people felt this too! I dont think its high expectation if the 2nd book left with high stake cliff hanger. I used feel bad for saying having high expecation but let be honest the author left us there and its 3rd final book with fairy tale elements in it. Normally fairy tales goes into a big bang finale with tidy bow.

@Tay-Tay12

8 ай бұрын

Agreed, after reading it, I feel like there’s so many things that she needed to touch on , LIKE THOSE DAM APPLES !!🙃

@annabougato9628

8 ай бұрын

​@@Tay-Tay12 she explained the apples.

@keychilde

8 ай бұрын

@@annabougato9628 "I don't need them anymore" isn't really an explanation. She never actually says what they were needed for in the first place, nor what the different colours meant (they *had* to mean something). Only our theories can sustain us now. Alas.

About 2 Twisted Crowns and how I understood what she was trying to say: The ripping cards thing in the second book is the character's power. The first book made it seem like that character didn't have a power and his degeneration was losing the ability to use the cards and then in the second book we learned that he wasn't the first person to have this non-power, but also that his actual power was that he and that other person in the past where the only ones able to destroy the cards.

@natatatrn

7 ай бұрын

Yes! Love cari but I think she reads so fast sometimes she misses things or it goes right out the window. I thought this was clear when I read Two Twisted Crowns.

@KYX1994

6 ай бұрын

Just finished the duology and that's exactly how I interpreted it!

One of my biggest pet peeves in fantasy books is when some of the fantasy locations are literally just Asia. They really touch the line on xenophobia most of the time

@lazylaughst2907

7 ай бұрын

Can you explain please

cari reminding me to read AS ALWAYS

@caricanread

8 ай бұрын

YESSSS

oh nooo I'm sorry about your disappointments but I'm sure the video will be entertaining for us. always love the bookish rants! 😂

@caricanread

8 ай бұрын

hahaha thank you!

V.E. Schwab releases The Fragile Threads of Power in October. It goes back to the same world as a Darker Shade of Magic and I was in LOVE!

That's why I'm always careful at not hyping anything up!!!! I'm too scared to get my hopes crushed😫🤧😭😭😭😭

@caricanread

8 ай бұрын

:'(((

Okay, so I went to an authors talk with Stephanie Garber at my local Barnes and Noble and there were interesting questions from fans. Someone asked if she would continue writing in this same world and she said she would love to but made it sound like it wasn’t in the cards currently. Someone else also asked if we would ever get a Lala and Chaos story and she said she would like to but as of now the story isn’t there for her and she has a lot to work out before that’s even on the table. Supposedly at Y’all Fest this month she’s revealing her new project so I guess we will see?? I thought it was surprising because I feel like so many of us assumed that’s what her next project would be!

@renata374

8 ай бұрын

she mentioned some months ago that her currently project is not in caraval world (if im not mistaken because its been a while)

I’ve been so excited about the final book in the OUABH series but seeing all the bad reviews made me a little bummed out 🥲 but when i saw your reactions to it and how much of a fun time you were having I wanted experience it for myself. But like WHY did we get apollo’s pov?? This is Jack’s and Eva’s story and they are so dear to me like if you don’t give them the world and more I’ll hold a grudge until i die (which is overly dramatic for fictional characters but I’m mentally unstable so :,)

@caricanread

8 ай бұрын

i really did have fun reading it but just thinking too critically it lacked a lot :(( still definitely read it!!!

@bunny_koo

8 ай бұрын

@@caricanreadI really love this series all because of you and I’m definitely going to finish it and read it again several times!! Also ordering the physical copies because they are gorgeous ❤

@saramm3765

8 ай бұрын

I had fun reading it too (read in one day which I never do) but overall I walked away feeling normal instead of the giddy high they're coming together should have brought me. The sparks weren't there when the big kiss happened because the build up all came too quick in the final chapters with a wild ride of HUH right before it. Still adore the series and head over heels for EvaJacks. This felt more like a build up to the actual final book. And then we needed a whole final novella of fighting for each other and love proclamations and fireworks exploding everywhere.

I’m so glad more people are reading Against the Loveless World. It really is an important story. Thank you for these videos. 🇵🇸

I'm excited to see Susan Abulhawa's works in your wrap this month! I'm currently reading Mornings in Jenin and man, when I pick up, I couldn't put it down and cry and cry and cry. But when I finally put it down, it took days to pick it up. It is written so well, so poectic, so complex and yet so simple.

@kind0fdarkness

8 ай бұрын

I love mornings in Jenin! I read it at the beginning of this year and I still constantly think about the characters but I’ve also never cried so much while reading a book 🥲 and even tho the characters stories are not based on true events, most of the stuff did actually happen and still happens to Palestinians in real life, which makes the reading experience so much sadder too.

I just finished Two Twisted Crowns, and here's how I understood what confused you, Cari: . . . . . Only people with a certain power can rip the cards, but the Shepherd King kept it a secret and just shared they can't be destroyed (because normal people can't anyway). In the book, the only people we know with the power to destroy the cards are Bennett, the Shepherd King's first son, and Ravyn, who actually descends from Bennett (the Shepherd King says powers are circular and come back in the family). Bennett ripped 1 Scythe card, and that's actually overshadowed in the 1st book. The 1st book says 4 Scythes were created, but in present times only 3 are known of, so in the 2nd book we discover that's because Bennett ripped it. The only other card that gets ripped is the last Nightmare card and Ravyn rips it so that the King can be set free from Elsphet's mind. Ravyn didn't realise he could rip the cards until the Spirit showed him how the King died 500 years prior and how Bennett ripped the Scythe.

I honestly agree with every word you said about ACFTL. I felt like Stephanie was trying to squeeze in too many plotlines into this book so they all ended up getting very little page time each, and some of them them were barely even explored.

@caricanread

8 ай бұрын

and why was the book the shortest book in the series? we could have used a few more pages :''''(

@camimvasquez

8 ай бұрын

@@caricanread that's the first thing I noticed when it arrived. my brain immediately went "uh oh"😓

@saramm3765

8 ай бұрын

@@caricanreadshortest and large chunks dedicated to notes so even extra short. 😞

Literally so happy Check & Mate is Cari-approved cause I’m very excited to read it

@caricanread

8 ай бұрын

hope you enjoy!!!

A Curse of True Love was such an infuriating lunch-bag let down it’s insane. Like what kind of ending was that? We got 11 chapters of Apollo being a psycho and 5 of JACKS!?! I sort of flung my kindle w bit when I read the end. Two Twisted Crowns was incredible (for me) though. I edit to expand: TTC i kind of expected the multi-POV switch (with Elspeth in 1st POV, which I thought was cool) bc Eslpeth’s arc was largely completed aside from being freed mentally and her relationship with Nightmare. And I liked that for once the MC wasn’t the instrumental character to fix everything in a story. And the importance of Elm I thought made sense bc for all the loose ends of the tier a lot of other things had to happen outside Elspeth. And the way the ends are tied I thought made sense for each character’s arc. It was so great. I wept at the final chapter and epilogue 😅😢😢❤

Haven’t seen anyone say it yet but I just wanted to thank you for being so vocal on social media about the suffering of Palestine right now. Thank you for sticking to what you believe.

thank you for including captions, it's such a small, important thing but so many people don't have them!!

girl that sneeze just made my spirit detach from my physical form im crying i was so immersed

Love your videos. They always keep me entertained at work or when I’m just taking a break from social media and want something to listen to. I appreciate you

Thank you for making these videos. I try to stay updated on new book releases but I don't read as much as you. These wrap-ups are thus very welcome.

Everyone should read the bonus epilogues for a curse for true love (read the owl crate one LAST!) not only are they the most exciting scenes out of the entire book, but it totally confirms that she has already started another series

@cvrolina

8 ай бұрын

ohh, do you know where i can find those bonus epilogues?🥹 there's only one in the ebook that i have and it's about the apples

@carissadallke1345

7 ай бұрын

​@@cvrolinaI found this on the blog called enemies to lovers. Barnes & noble special edition is about the Hollow, Waterstones special edition is about Evangeline & how she feels bad about Apollo (I think this is UK version?), & then read last Owlcrate version. That one does need to be last cause is a build up from one of the other two. I found pictures of the pages by looking up bonus chapters for a curse for true love. Hope you can find them & enjoy!

I loved Curious Tides! I do understand some of why you’d take issue with Emory but the magic system was so fascinating to me and i want to read the next one bc I need to see how Bas’s storyline ends

against the loveless world is genuinely my favorite book ever and i need every single person to read it

I don't love Ali Hazelwood but you've convinced me to give Check & Mate a try hahaha

@caricanread

8 ай бұрын

:'''')

I felt the same about Curious Tides… at first I thought it was going to be amazing, loved the world, the magic, the LIBRARIES, but then I just kept getting more and more frustrated with our main girl, and it took everything in me to finish that book. Baz deserves better. Then I read Throne in the Dark and I was afraid to admit how much I enjoyed it, 🤣 glad to hear you felt the same. My copy of a Curse for True Love is coming today, (skipped that part of the video), trying to keep an open mind. 🙈 Thanks as always for sharing your thoughts, loved this wrap up!

hi cari! i look forward to your monthly wrap ups each month and you actually got me into the once upon a broken heart series! i couldn't get into the first book at first, but you really loved the second one, so i pushed on, and i totally saw why you were so affected. that being said, i did enjoy reading a curse for true love, but as i got to the end...i really found it lacking. it felt like a lot of things happening at once and too much focus on villains without it being balanced by the characters we loved. it gave me such a book hangover bc of the disappointment i felt. but my favorite reads this month was the last binding series by freya marske! i can't remember if you've mentioned reading the books before, but the last book of the series (a power unbound) is coming out this november and it's probably my fave read of the year and def saved my october. i love getting recs from you, so wanted to give one back (def gonna check out paladin's grace!!!) i also wanted to check out sword catcher, but i find that our taste usually aligns - so i will skip it based off your experience. thank you again!!!!!!!

Damn I'm so happy you had such a good time with Throne in The Dark! I was one of the people who recommended it 'cause I absolutely loved it!

I actually do recommend Curious Tides, that book was well written and cool as hell. But yeah, it sucks when you have a lot of books in a month that don’t hit. I’m straight up just not bothering at all with Swordcatcher. (I also didn’t *really* vibe with One Dark Window, I thought Elspeth was constantly getting overshadowed by the DYNAMITE supporting cast. Which was probably why I thought Two Twisted Crowns was better. Since she wasn’t in it that much.)

Finally someone is reading hush hush again! Even though I fear that you did not like it, it made my days back in the days. And perhaps it was because it had angels. And everything my teenage heart needed.💝

Based on this video I picked up Paladin’s Grace and I cannot tell you how much I *needed* a book like that right then. Just fun and sweet and with grown-ups flirting bad and some fantastic background characters. Thank you! (I read the rest of the series after, and it’s also a delight. Trope-y as heck, and not exactly Great Literature, but super fun.)

I bought The Resurrectionist for the anatomy drawings in the second half, there's a pegasus, harpy, minotaur, dragon, etc. It's REALLY fascinating. The story part was basically about this doctor guy that started to think about why some humans were born with deformations. He was trying to link it to mythical creatures like fawns and mermaids, and how those people's bodies were trying to get back to their original state. Then towards the end he got all crazy and unethical with operating animal parts and sometimes humans together to recreate some of those creatures and showing them off at circus shows. Story is rather heavy, drawings are great.

I was worried I wouldn’t love Check & Mate but Miss Hazelwood did it again and I ATE IT UP. Had such a good time with it.

I literally DNFd Sword Catcher today and I’m so glad that you posted a review about it 👌🏻👌🏻

I really appreciate hearing the “negatives” of a book in your reviews. The honesty is really helpful in deciding if the book is worth the effort! I know sometimes it can be worrisome if the video seems like a “downer”, but for me personally you have saved me money and time! So thank you!!

Oh my gosh!! Everything you said about A Curse For True Love was so true, I was so immensely disappointed and heart broken on how lackluster/rushed/sloppy the book was. I could write a whole essay on all the missing plot points and inaccuracies in the book. Ironically, the Throne in The Dark Series were my hangover books to get over ACFTL and for the OUABH series in general. And the books get better and funnier! So keep reading! I would consider the series definitely a hidden diamond in the mist of independent kindle unlimited stories which tend to be lackluster. I hope the series blows up because it deserves so much recognition. Amma and Damien are so fun to read about and root for haha

I was interested in the Resurrectionist for the drawings of creatures. I didn’t realize it had a longer story so I learned something new today!

Just finished the book and I felt much the same way. Thanks for sharing your journey with us! ❤ 🍎

I totally understand what you mean with two twisted crowns. I actually really loved it though, with the swapping pov chapters ending on a cliffhanger nearly every time I couldn’t put it down. The eerie vibes just spoke to me I guess, with some mushy cute romance.

Cariiiii I absolutely agree with you on ACFTL, it is so upsetting. After I was done reading it, I felt so sad because I wanted to love it so much but it left so much to be desired. Although I will say I cannot stop thinking about it, and especially evajacks, like they really are THAT book couple and I really really wanted more from them, I have hopes that the next books in the world might still feature them but who knows. Btw there are three bonus chapters, across like three different books (I found them on tiktok, one was owlcrate edition and two were I can't remember for sure) and they very much hint to the plot of the next book, I highly recommend reading it, because the set up actually seems interesting!!!

i’m actually really grateful for the thoroughness of your reviews, including the aspects that you didn’t enjoy-i find that sometimes, the things that you didn’t like about a book end up being interesting to me personally, so it’s kind of a reverse rec??? lol i hope november’s books treat you better!!

i absolutely loved two twisted crowns but i agree it took a completely different turn than was expected. however with the ending of one dark window i think that it made the most of the situation we were left with at the end of the first book if that makes sense …. i did come to love the two side characters that we saw so much of in two twisted crowns and i think i loved the book so much because i had no idea where she was going to be able to take us without it seeming like such a stretch

because of the current situation in Palestine, I came across Suzan Abulhawa's books as well through a recommendation and although I want to read "against the loveless world" eventually, I picked up "mornings in Jenin" which I would also recommend to you. It is again a VERY tough read - I cried a couple of times - but it is an important one. As an Arab myself and an Egyptian whose country was also once invaded by Israel and Sinai colonised, we also feel that pain on a deeper level for our Palestinians brothers and sisters.

I so agree with your opinion on the curse for true love!!! I think it was an even bigger letdown for me because of the good parts and fun I had while reading it, because it just highlights how much potential it had and how this series could be one of my fav. If u can plz share your predictions about who the next main characters you think are gonna be for Stephanie's future books, I have some guesses of my own as well 🤔👀

@caricanread

8 ай бұрын

its absolutely going to be about the valors (specifically chaos) with of course lala thrown in. i feel like she wants to salvage apollo's character too?? people have said they think it will be about donatella's daughter so we might see a time jump and then get thrown into the valors again - what do you think?

@gracezong8374

8 ай бұрын

@caricanread I think we might have two of the valors brothers--Chaos and Lala's dragon shifter lover Valor, who I'm forgetting the name of--with Lala!! I have no idea how Apollo can be Stephanie's favorite character and don't think she can make any of her audience that have read this series like Apollo, but we shall see.

@saramm3765

8 ай бұрын

@@caricanreadI can't for the life of me figure out why Stephanie is going so hard to push Apollo.

@keychilde

8 ай бұрын

@@caricanread If you read the owlcrate bonus epilogue, she's very much set up an Aurora book. That epilogue is essentially the start of another story.

ahhh how calming your voice is, it's 4 am here i'm having the best time lol

thank you for bringing this up in your videos, it’s really hard to enjoy things being muslim in america in the world honestly right now but i’ve been holding on to reading and getting back into booktube. however the lack of conversation or mention as you do because books are fun but they’re also knowledge they evoke empathy they are humanizing and seriously just thank you for using your platform and educating yourself i know it’s the bare minimum but as you said it’s important and i wish even more people would. ❤️ also thanku bc sword catcher was next on my list and now idk if i want to read it to know or just steer clear of it but i’m definitely putting it off which sucks bc it was anticipated for me :( yes! I LOVED one dark window and i missed elspeth so much and i love elm and wished i could see his storyline but it should’ve been a novella that was released simultaneously so that we could have more plot points and have more of the nightmare and elspeth bc they are my everything and just more. i did like it thought like you said it was good but it could’ve been more. i’m not sure if it’s bc it’s her debut series? but i’m glad she left it a duology rather than trying to wring it out bc one dark window is one of my favs. ALSO you did miss something! when they visited the spirit on the beach the spirit told rayvn that they believed the cards couldn’t be destroyed but it was a lie i THINK ravyn one of his powers being a descendant of the shepherd king has the ability to destroy the cards. if i misunderstood and it was just a lie that ppl believed it was still mentioned so ig we can reread the scene. + ty for the recs ! will be reading the ones that made this month :)

So happy to hear you loved Paladin’s Grace! I just finished all the books and also agree that Paladin’s Strength is the best, you will love it! I’m currently reading Swordheart, which is also set in the same world and very much follows the same formula. All the books are awkward adult pining and enjoyable banter, so it does get a bit redundant…but i still loved them all 😊

I am SO excited that you loved Throne in the Dark! I fully relate to putting it down during the first chapter

@NavyblueandKwhy

7 ай бұрын

Also I'm so scared to read Curse of True Love now x)

I'm so thankful I read slow asf... cause I had like 5 of these on my TBR. You saved me so much money my queen ❤

Your thoughts on Two Twisted Crowns matched mine exactly. At first I did Not like having to read through Elm’s POV, I just wanted to see more of Elspeth and the nightmare. After a certain scene though I was on board with the dual pov. The author also did this thing where she would end a chapter RIGHt where it gets super interesting and then dumps us into another persons pov with a totally different tone. It pulled me out of the story and I was over it by then end of it.

sooo excited for what I'm hoping is a hush hush vid coming soon 😂

Okay SO in response to you partying ways with the Married To Magic series, I felt the need to reccomend you a substitute if you needed one for a rainy day. Its called the Darkmourn universe by Ben Alderson, essentially like the M2M series with every book centering on a new couple/creature, but it has a achillean, fairytale retelling twist and I ate it up so quickly. Also just... THE COVERS ARE SO PRETTY

Can’t wait for the hush hush video next week!!

For some reason, I haven't been able to take up reading for a long time. Like a year… I start and quit. But Throne in the dark sounds like really fun and relaxing story. I’ll try to read it. Maybe it will help me get involved in reading again. Love your channel though🫶🏼

Ah yes, Once upon a broken heart, the trilogy where the protagonists are the villains and the villain ignores his reasonable reasons to do what he does, choosing instead unreasonable reasons to do the exact same things

Oh my god that timing! While watching your video I heard my dad sneeze downstairs very loud like three times in a row. And not even ten seconds after Kurt also started sneezing in the video😂 and it sounded so similar that I got so confused for a second until you said bless you and I realized that okay, it was coming from the video😂

I don’t know how I feel about the fact that the POV changes in Two Twisted Crowns! I just need to read it already haha One Dark Window is one of my faves of the year!

I red the trilogy of a throne in the dark just because of you.... And I have to tell you THANKS. It was soo good I loved it! now I'm waiting for you to do a review of the other 2 books❤

I was SO heartbroken by A Curse of True Love. I still am. I was so excited to read it, i loved Once Upon a Broken Heart and ADORED Ballad and Curse just didn't deliver. It felt so unsatisfying and just felt flat.

@valentinah3601

7 ай бұрын

I want to read themmmm. Is it still worth it even if the last one sucked?

I love these rants, haha. They save me time and money when going through my book list. ❤

Thank you for the "Against the loveless world" recommendations!

oooo i felt you on ouabh being fine but then ballad being rly good!!! haven’t read curse yet but im nervous for it 😅

What is the best way to reference your book opinions and reviews is there a compilation list of books you enjoy, and that you didn't. I would love to reference the Carrie files database for book recs and opinions on books when I'm finally done with super long audible wishlist 😅

"Thrown in the Dark" was one of my fav series of this year, so lovely...

With Sword Catcher I think there was a lot of solid set-up for what could potentially be a really good sequel. Like we have a good idea of the central conflict, the world and lore has been explained in great detail, and the characters have all been introduced. So I’m really hoping book two just takes off with the plot, and that we get an exciting story, after all that build-up lol.

@caricanread

8 ай бұрын

Same hahha 600+ pages was just a lil too much cassie 😂

Now I'm more excited to read "check & mate" !!! And it's really a bummer when you have high expectations :( I was hoping to read more in october, but I just read 1 book and wasn't even that good. Always a pleasure to watch your videos ❤

Picked up Paladins Grace after watching this because i was in a reading slump (just finished all of ACOTR !!) and im LOVING IT. Its exactly what i needed 🙌🏻

I’ve been waiting to hear your thoughts on Sword Catcher since no one’s talking about it !!!! I was so close to not finishing it but decided to skim through the latter 3rd/4th of the book waiting for it to be more interesting. I agree with you that it just left me confused! And the romance was a teeny part of the book even though it was mentioned in the blurb. It felt like forever reading the book and I sadly just wanted get it over with.. will not be reading the next books in the series unfortunately.

Cari swearing in korean gave me a jumpscare 😭

The Clocktaur War series by T Kingfisher has a similar awkward romance in it. It was really good. I love a group of misfits with nothing to lose. There is also a really great use of tatoos that I've never seen before.

@michelleadler

7 ай бұрын

Caliban was truly the best male character within that whole white rat series tho

Cari! Can you do a video about short books you’d recommend? The year is coming to an end quickly and I’m quite behind on my reading goal. In need of some short book recommendations to help me reach it by the end of the year!

It's been a rough month for me too. I read clockwork princess at the end of September, of course broke me 😭 and in October i read only Babel and language of thorns. I tried to read other books but at the end of the day i only read 2 books the whole month. But I planning to start to read once upon broken heart and i hope i love it as much as you do

@VeliSarkar

6 ай бұрын

Check it out complete audiobook on the channel @thebookspeaks180 with title "Check and Mate Audiobook Ali Hazelwood"

I know this is coming several months later, but I’ve read all of Pushkin Press’ translations of Seishi Yokomizu’s work and the first release (The Inugami Curse) has been my absolute favorite. You won’t get the character back story of Kindaichi, but the mystery was more engaging that The Devil’s Flute. I do wonder if some things get lost in the translation, but I really enjoyed the previous books in this collection. Also, The Decagon House Murders and the subsequent House books are really great as well if you’re in a mystery mood.

"she only mentioned his height twice and i don't even think he picked her up!" xD Immediately added Check & Mate to my bookmarks on book of the month. I wasn't a fan of her earlier novels, but her last one hit home for me so hopefully this one will too!

I just read Thron in the dark, and I really liked it! The sarcastic style, also how it is so light to read, as a fairy tale with good humor! The characters are very likeable

OMG I CANT WAIT FOR YOUR VID ON HUSH HUSH

21:55 Not Cari having a certified Sassy Kermit drinking tea moment. I'm not even sure it was intentional but I gasped.

SPOILER for Two Twisted Crowns: The only people who could rip the cards were the two whose power didn't work on them. That's why the Shepherd King told Ravyn not to use the card at the end until they talked.

I know I'm late to the conversation, so I don't know if you're still interested, but I just finished Sword Catcher and I wanted to look for reviews because opinion on it seems so much more negative than I expected. Everything that didn't work for you worked for me. Right from the prologue I was like "this is not the Cassandra Clare I know" so I threw those expectations out of the window. It's a very different book with a very different emotional context to what I expected, and it's better than I thought it would be from the early marketing. I was never really confused by the worldbuilding, it felt pretty meticulous to me. I think it's worth noting that it's not just the "foreign" countries that draw heavy inspiration from real life. Castellane feels very much like France, Sarthe is based on Italy, Malgasi feels like it's somewhere in eastern Europe. The inspiration is always very clear and direct, so I'm not bothered by the Korean stuff. It's kinda how a lot of fantasies tend to worldbuild. Take a real country or kingdom from history and then give it a few quirks and twists. I don't think the purpose of the brothel scenes is just to make the book seem more adult. I think it's just part of the decadent lifestyle of the Castellani nobility, which feels quite true to the... sexual openness, shall we say, of historical France. As for the Ashkar, I don't think they're really saying anything about displaced people generally. I think they're a direct representation of Jews in the medieval and renaissance era. All of it feels very true to history. Of course, Cassandra Clare being a popular Jewish author and not saying anything about Israel/Palestine does bother me a lot. She's usually very outspoken, so it suggests to me that she thinks her views would alienate her gen z audience. But that's just an assumption on my part, it could equally be that she doesn't want beef with other Jews. And I just had the wild thought that it could be she feels like making her position on zionism clear would spoil Sword Catcher, and she's not willing to do that. Regardless, I don't see anything that suggests Sword Catcher will have zionist themes. At the moment I just feel like it's drawing inspiration from Jewish history, with things like the Sault and obvious representations of pogroms, and theology, which includes displacement from the homeland and the hope of eventual return. Lin lying about being the goddess does suggest to me that there is more to the story of the Ashkar in this series than the unambiguous fulfillment of their prophecies. I could honestly even see Lin becoming a villainous figure who uses religion to manipulate the Ashkar into doing her will. There are so many ways this story could go, I don't think there's enough to judge at the moment. As for the characters and relationships, I loved them. Kel and Conor have the most interesting relationship. But Lin's relationship with Conor is also interesting, and so is Kel's with Antonetta. I think they're fascinating, and explore some interesting ideas. But that said, I don't _ship_ them. I don't find romance a big part of my enjoyment of this series so far. Kel and Antonetta are both great, but Kel has been a misogynist prick about Antonetta for so long, she deserves better than him. I think the way Lin sees through the cracks in Conor's armour and that makes her feel conflicted about him is very well-done, but I don't think that necessarily means she actually _likes_ him. I think it just confuses her and she mistakes her sympathy for him, combined with physical attraction to him, with romantic feelings. One of the things Cassandra Clare said she likes about writing adult is that there's more freedom to change up the romantic arcs, and that the pairs in this book aren't necessarily going to last. Personally, I hope to see more of Kel and Merren together. Other than romance, I'm intrigued to see how the sword catcher relationship will develop - at the moment it seems quite codependent, but I don't think it quite edges into toxic yet. I'm intrigued to see how it's tested in future.

I'm not even 100 pages into Sword Catcher and I thought I was the only one who felt like there was such a big info dump to the point where I'm still confused on some concepts. Also the brothels scenes. Finally I find someone who shares my opinion! Like it's fine if it's in there but constantly just it's just like....... Idk how to explain it but I feel some writers when making adult content feel like the only way to show it's for an older audience is to make it too more gratuitous wether it's through sex or more detailed violence depending on what book it is. I'm not saying that's always a bad thing but in some cases it comes off as too much and more immature than anything. Like I said I'm only 100 pages in so I don't wanna say too much until I finish the book. I haven't read any of the OUABH series yet but Stephanie Garber was in my city so I went to her signing it was so fun and she was so nice so I really hope I share a different opinion from you I'm so sorry the book was such a let down for you!

@lilyd8908

8 ай бұрын

Your comment about some authors feeling like the only thing that makes a work “adult” is gratuitous sex is SO in point. Not gonna name any names but there have been a number of “adult” fantasy books I’ve read that literally just…feel like YA but with extra sex. Like there’s nothing that makes the writing style or characters or conflict actually mature, they just wrote a young adult book and then made it sexier. Which I’m sure is fine for a lot of people, especially if you’ve been in the YA sphere for a while and want to dip your toes into adult, but idk I find it so irritating.

I started reading T Kingfisher because of you! I’ve read two books so far (Thornhedge and nettle & bone )and they’re both so good!! Where is your top from btw it’s so cute!!

Hope your hubby will recover soon 🎉 love the wrap up ❤❤

Waiting for Sword Catcher and Check &mate on Libby. ❤Going to keep expectations low on SC. I also felt the same way For a curse of true love, like nothing really happened it seemed like. Would love to see the physical books that you have.

ACFTL spoilers - - - - What happened to Luc? Or Tiberius? Or even Marisol?? They all had key roles to play in Evangeline’s story but I feel like they were forgotten and pushed to the side. Also, Jacks’ “I love you” was so bland compared to Eva’s love confession. Why couldn’t there have been a longer scene with them just being openly and freely in love?? That is literally what everyone wanted. No one would have complained if we got extra chapters full of fluff. The one bed scene that was heavily hinted at was such a let down too. I don’t know how to feel about this, it was good enough that I can still recommend it to people but it’s not good enough to get a 5 star rating. :/

I just started reading Sword Catcher - I am really loving it so far. I am looking forward to the rest of the series. I am only a third of the way through but the Ragpicker King has me intrigued.

I loved Check & Mate so much as well! ❤ I also had the feeling the protagonists were older than they were supposed be. But suspension of disbelief helped a lot. 🤭

I sat with A curse for True Love before watching your review, and watching the review made me even more unfulfilled with the book. Now i'm glad were on the same page. And I feel bad about it.

oh man i loved sword catcher !!! i really like her adult writing

Still hoping book of the month will do international shipping one day :3 I’m currently reading Between by L.L. Starling which is a fantasy rom com and I’m really enjoying it so far!

Awesome video‼️💯 As someone who just discovered Cassandra Claire I really hope that her new book was good 😌

Good video!! Did you ever thought about uploading this on spotify etc. as a podcast? would love to hear this when I am on the train or so

Swordheart also takes place in the same universe as Paladin's Grace and I loved it so much! Def recommend it too, one of my favorite books this year

@MatildaTheBookDragon

7 ай бұрын

Ooh fun to hear, I'm listening to Swordheart now, and I really enjoy it ❤

i was waiting for your swordcatcher review sooo badly after i read it 😭 i’m still so confused how i feel about it

Nooo, I was about to start once upon a broken heart this month and hoping to binge it all 😢😂 glad you could end the month on a good note❤

@saramm3765

8 ай бұрын

Still binge it! Overall the series as a whole is still enjoyable and book 2 alone is worth it.

@Rwebs

8 ай бұрын

I’ll echo the other commenter! It’s still worth it! Once Upon A Broken Heart is turning into one of my all time favorite reads

Nervous to see some of my new and unread books on the thumbnail! I am also DNFing a lot at the moment~ just hoping I read something good soon :`) Love ya videos gal, always look forward to them 🍂🍄🤍

@caricanread

8 ай бұрын

its really dnf season :'( hope you get a good read too!

I feel the EXACT SAME about A Curse For True Love. It really did feel like a set up for whatever her next book will be, and I wanted a more satisfying conclusion to Eva and Jacks story. The book also felt very short to me, not sure if the pacing contributed to that or what. I really felt like I honestly skipped a couple chapters after the night with Eva and Jacks in that inn (don't want to spoil anything!). I wonder if an extra 100 pages could have helped give more focus to OUABH while still setting up the next series. Who was the character that was briefly mentioned in the beginning? I totally missed that too! I really enjoyed Two Twisted Crowns, but normally I would not have liked the path the book took with multiple POVs and really drastically shifting the focus away from Elspeth. The main reason I liked it was because I LOVED Elm in the first book, so I was super happy to get more of him in the second (honestly think he might have been my favorite character). Luckily I waited to read the first book and could basically read them fresh for the first time back to back, and I am so glad I did. It made me feel really immersed in the world, and made reading both books a more intense experience in a good way. The way I read the ripping the cards thing - I think everyone believed that you couldn't do that, and then the Nightmare revealed that one of his kids could, and the kid was basically the only person who could do that because that was one of his powers, and since Ravyn was *you know what no spoilers*, then also... I think basically Raven and his siblings were supposed to sort of match Nightmare's kids because of what happened with Jesper too (tried to write that without leaving a clear spoiler so I hope that makes sense!). Honestly this series and Garden of the Cursed (which I read because of you!) have probably been my best reads this year so far.

@caricanread

8 ай бұрын

it was kristoff knightlinger! he randomly walks into her room while she's first being examined and apparently he looked a little glassy eyes (aka controlled) and then when the doctor was going to yell at him to get out, suddenly he stopped - so it could have been jacks was trying to help encourage her to escape and leave the castle but also it could have just been kristoff being weird hahah who knows!!

@lauracthis

8 ай бұрын

@@caricanread oh DUH wow, I COMPLETELY missed that. thanks! I think you said this before too, but I will totally still read her next series. with all of the plot points left open I have to!

Ooh no, I was gonna start Sword Catcher and hopefully finish it before my trip to NYC. She's doing a discussion about the book in B&N, obvs I booked myself a ticket for it. 😅

have you ever done or would you ever do a recommendation video for your favorite books available on kindle unlimited?

I have not recovered from the whirlwind of Sword Catcher. Im glad you're just as lost as I am. I ate it up but also was left wondering where is the romance? Is that the end? Would love to analyze this futher 👀