Video sponsored by Ridge. Check them out here: ridge.com/readswithrachel. Use my link to get up to 40% off through June 15th!

@angelaholmes8888

Жыл бұрын

I hope you will enjoy jade fire gold And for the wolf

@joebloe4734

Жыл бұрын

I can absolutely call you Daddy if you like, but I already have a cool wallet and don't need another one. It's leather and engraved with my name!

@SoundOfMuzek

8 ай бұрын

hey know this is an old video and you probably will never see this message, but if you do I'd love to ask you an honest question. you said something that really challenged one of my core beliefs and I'm curious on your thoughts because I find many of the things you say really resonate with me. you said "the intent doesn't matter, the impact does." I personally believe the intent to be most important. as a reader and a writer I care most about the WHY. (its the reason I'm not that big of a fan of Maas, I personally find she writes good WHATs without thoroughly fleshing out the WHYs) Looking at that twitter post, as a person that knows so little about Maas that I just found out what she looks like today, the intent behind the post seems pretty obvious: to get people to vote for governors who will prevent tragedies like breona taylor from happening again. (could've been done a lot better without involving her book but that's the impression i got) she speaks very little about her book and a lot about voting almost like she just dropped the cover to get your attention while you're mindlessly scrolling. with that in mind can you honestly tell me it didn't get a single person to decide to vote? you seem to be talking exclusively about negative impact. I'm not saying this tweet would save the world but can you honestly say it didn't change one mind? lastly, you said at the start of your video something along the lines of "if you're not a part of the affected group, don't speak on the matter." of all those people who told Maas to edit or delete her post, where any of them the family of breona taylor? (honest question, IDK) and if not, why do you think this situation should be treated differently. (again, honest question) Sorry I know this is long, but i really hope you get the chance to see this and respond. I'm a new but huge fan and I'm very curious on your thoughts.

Ah yes. The author who made a character that sexually assaulted and tortured his love interest into a deal, but it's ok since he's hot, rich and now an (alleged) feminist.

@kilmouski4220

Жыл бұрын

Well and the wing span. Can’t forget that.

@NewGuy2534

Жыл бұрын

I hate to break it to him, but if he has to talk about his wing span so often it's probably not that impressive.

@Rikrobat

Жыл бұрын

Also love how the “feminist king” hides the truth about his wife’s pregnancy and becomes enraged at the one person who has the balls to inform her of the danger she faces. Because, you know, “feminism” says women don’t deserve informed consent about their bodies. :/

@NewGuy2534

Жыл бұрын

Rice-Sand’s understanding of Feminism is like Twitter’s understanding of feminism. Aka, say the right things and maybe she’ll sleep with you.

@Alexandraadftxr7052

Жыл бұрын

I sometimes like dark romances, and consensual non con, but the was Sara go about it is bad, and I seen writers who do that trying to put trigger warnings on those books.

"Mountains, wings, tan-ish, tattoos." The fact that SJM builds her worlds though Pinterest boards is really shining through

@xtian.alonso

Жыл бұрын

I’M SCREAMIIING LMFAOOOOO 🤣🤣🤣 Omg her writing truly is bad 😭

@vvitch-mist20

Жыл бұрын

"tan-ish" As someone who has a wide range of skin-tones in my human characters, and Aphantasia. This is just mad insulting.

@the_goddess_1859

Жыл бұрын

​@@vvitch-mist20 Oooh I have the exact opposite, I have hyperphantasia. Could I possibly ask you what it's like, if it's not rude to do so?

@vvitch-mist20

Жыл бұрын

@@the_goddess_1859 it's not rude. I developed mine, so I kinda remember what visualization is like, but it's pretty much close your eyes and see nothing. Like I obviously know what things are like and I remember what things look like, but I can't make images in my head. My brand of Aphantasia is a little different than someone else's just based on the fact that I did visualize at one point so my brain kinda conjures images, but it's more like a muscle memory, and I can't change how a character looks regardless of how their design changes. As a result of this I often forget details and my work might come across as a little mundane, of vague.

@katm8128

Жыл бұрын

@@vvitch-mist20 I don’t mean to add on to the questions, but I’ve always found the concept of aphantasia fascinating. I’ve seen some people say they don’t particularly enjoy reading fiction because they can’t visualize it, especially fiction which is vividly descriptive. What about you? No need to answer, just curious!

There’s honestly no point in arguing with SJM fans. The majority of them know what’s she’s done and why people consider her problematic, they just don’t care.

@MeganPugh

Жыл бұрын

I remember a post on the ACOTAR subreddit a few months ago asking if SJM was problematic, and everyone was acting so confused as to why people would think that

@itsanixela

Жыл бұрын

@@MeganPugh Believe you me, some of us ACOTAR readers are *more* than aware that she's problematic, and that SJM's writing itself is nothing all that special. I have a love-hate relationship with ACOTAR. Interesting premise, but her storytelling is atrocious. Also, honestly my favourite book of hers so far is the latest one which is basically smut. I welcomed the change because at least it wasn't pretending to be anything else but smut, unlike her other stuff.

@MeganPugh

Жыл бұрын

@@itsanixela agree

@christophermerrill8925

Жыл бұрын

Tell me about it, when you try to at least get across the problems with Nehemia’s character and story, + the issue of the other POC characters she’s written, they all harp on your or mass report you

@tansbizarreadventure

Жыл бұрын

19:03 ive been fighting with people about bryce being fat rep but turns out i shouldve been yelling ar sarah

Aside from Bloomsbury not hiring sensitivity readers, I'm convinced they no longer hire editors for her books. They are far too long and she uses too many commas.

@easilydistractedauthor

Жыл бұрын

The Em Dash has entered the chat.

@Sunzu49

Жыл бұрын

[Italics has entered the chat]

@MeriDoug

Жыл бұрын

I haven't read any of her books. Where's the spoiler alert?! JK I like long books if they're good (Sanderson reader), but too many commas sounds like sentences that are way too long. Not a good look.

@laceyjo89

Жыл бұрын

i desperately needed an editor to tell her "you used the phrase vulgar gesture way too many times" when i read the books. lol.

@krystinay

Жыл бұрын

And repeats herself like 1008397 times. I'm listening to crescent city and she explains people like they're being introduced like 10 times

On the Illyrian topic I just feel the need to mention that Illyrians were actual tribes of people inhabiting the modern day Balkans in the times of the Roman Empire. And they were back then described (by the romans ofc) as warrior tribes, uncivilized and savage, consisting of people who had tattoos and drank their wine plain (without the spices romans mixed into their own wine, and which they considered 'civilized'). Something about SJM writing in Illyrians in her books and then basically parroting the propaganda the romans spread about them rubs me the wrong way lmao.

@eveellisen

Жыл бұрын

Honestly, I didn't think she even did research on the actual Illyrians, I've always gotten the impression she just steals every archaic place name she stumbles across on Wikipedia that she thinks sounds cool. Like Prythian is just a bastardized version of *Pritanī, an ancient Brittonic version of "Britain," and Hybern is a bastardized version of Hibernia, which is just the Latin name for Ireland. They even just look like Ireland and the UK in the illustrated map. So fucking lazy.

@jasmineyu493

Жыл бұрын

I thought that I was having déjà vu when I heard the word ‘Illyrian’ in the video, I was like: I swear I’ve seen that word in a history book

@hezekiahrose2743

Жыл бұрын

Sadly just another example of Sarah having no concept of cultural sensitivity at all

@GodmotherAya

Жыл бұрын

I was just going to comment this since I’m for the Balkans myself. I’ve watched a lot of videos explaining ACOTAR and i always get whiplash hearing the name of what we call our ancestors as a forbidden race of savage fanfic bad boys from a fantasy book.

@lemonywater2979

Жыл бұрын

I'm from the Balkans in a country that's directly descendent from illyria and her just taking the name pisses me off to no end. What was the reason??? So idiotic

I'm against banning books and also baffled that people think kids won't be more motivated to read books that get banned. Have they met teenagers? And the internet?

@ZimVader-0017

6 ай бұрын

A lot of books are now in PDF form (especially classic ones), so they don't even have to have a Kindle or a Kobo app. All you need is a Libby account and a library card, and you have entire libraries in your phone.

As a Native Hawaiian who is born and raised on the Big Island, I so truly appreciate you using your platform to shine a light into our struggles caused by illegal colonization before and after the pandemic.

The "promiscuous bisexual" trope is also an easy way for people to dismiss the fact that bisexuals face much higher rates of sexual assault than straight/gay folks (cis, of course). We are also more likely to be victims of partner violence, which also points to our "slutty" reputation as the cause of our own abuse.

@EmilybShore

5 ай бұрын

THIS! I am so over the homophobia in her works because it's going on to this day with the promiscuous bisexual trope which happened in the second Crescent City book.

"Who are you calling Daddy?" is replacing "How have you been?" When I run into someone I haven't seen in a long time.

@wronggeometry

Жыл бұрын

I want to like your comment but it's at 420

@leightoningstrike6971

Жыл бұрын

@@wronggeometry I appreciate your sacrifice 😛

So one thing that I wished she would have done with Nehemia was to fake her "death" and show up later in the series. Nehemia was a skilled spy and had some form of magic so I could see her planning her "death", forcing her best friend into action, and then showing up with the armies at the end of the 5th book. All the while we learn that between the books she was busy liberating her homeland since everyone believed her to be dead.

@rightsarentpolitical

Жыл бұрын

This is literally exactly what I was expecting, and was so disappointed when I realized that wasn't the case. That and the weird dynamic of keeping secrets from the reader despite it not making sense for the scene *spoiler* *spoiler* (example: the whipping scene where she gets abducted and then the 'where is my wife' which I didn't understand the love for - that was my issue with a lot of the series; we're in the POV of people who know more than they let on, but they're being cagey for the sake of the reader but in their own thoughts? the secrecy and the miscommunications were frustrating)

@user-jz2tx5fk3n

11 ай бұрын

I agree,because Nehemia’s death had so little,if any,foreshadowing and it was so unexpected,I dropped TOG after the 3rd book because of how I felt it was going downhill and Nehemia’s poorly done death did contribute to me dropping it.

Also if anyone wants GOOD stories with actually intimidating fae that aren’t sex symbols, read quite literally anything by Juliet Marillier. Most of her books are set in medieval Ireland with lots of influences from the Fair Folk

@hedgers2005

Жыл бұрын

I second this recommendation!

@ReadswithRachel

Жыл бұрын

Running to goodreads

@Artbyhurricanyounot

Жыл бұрын

@@ReadswithRachel woooo! The one thing I will say is that there should be trigger warnings, especially for her sevenwaters series. In the first book, Daughter of the Forest, the main character is r-worded. She’s a teenager. She gives a heads up in her narration beforehand and explains that it’s hard to tell, but it’s a thread in the tapestry of her story. But still. Thought you should be aware!

@Artbyhurricanyounot

Жыл бұрын

@@hedgers2005 when it comes to beauty and the beast retellings, Hearts blood by JM >>>>>>> ACOTAR

@lianai.9795

Жыл бұрын

I second this. I love this author's works so much! I hope they gain enough popularity for the rest of her Sevenwaters novels to be reprinted.

Seeing SJM use Breonna Taylor's murder as an excuse to flaunt her new book cover, I can see her having a PR person begging her to not speak online...

The fact that throne of glass was originally posted on fictionpress is adorable for some reason. That place was full of teenage wannabe writers, glad to know some of them actually got published.

@my_girl_seraphine5294

8 ай бұрын

I just with one of them hadn’t been this one

I'm not finished with the video but I wanted to give my two cents on magically cured disabilities by bringing up a book I read called "A Chance to Fly". It's about a girl named Ali who was paralyzed from the waist down in a car accident at a very young age, and so has lived near her entire life in a wheelchair. Ali loves musical theater and knows countless soundtracks by heart, including Wicked. I don't quite remember the circumstances, but I think Ali's family moved to a new town, and she joined the theater program at her new school. She was particularly excited because they were doing a production of Wicked. Despite having not read the book or actually seen the show in any way, Wicked is one of her favorite musicals, and she auditioned for the role of Nessarose, Elphaba's sister who was wheelchair bound like her. If you know the story of Wicked you know what's coming. At the auditions, by a water fountain, she is approached by another girl who asks if she's auditioning, and who she's going for. Ali excitedly says Nessarose, to which the girl asks in reply, "oh, can you stand?" not at all with the intentions of being mean, but because there is a scene in Wicked where Nessarose receives a magical pair of shoes that make it so she can walk, and that was one of the songs deemed okay to leave out of the album recordings, therefore Ali never knew about this. Ali is crushed, and is stuck playing ensemble. This is why magical mystical cures to disabilities are very not okay, because there can be kids out there who have disabilities just like the character who can now no longer relate to them because the disability is no longer there. Ali had no problem with her disability. She did track with a disabled group at her old school, loved to swim, and when posed with questions like how she got dressed she could easily shrug and say, "I've been doing it this way all my life. It's as easy as it is for you, I just do it differently." but in that moment by the water fountain, she suddenly wanted nothing more than to be able to stand up from her chair and play Nessarose in the show, because Nessarose was no longer like her.

@DarwinRoger893

5 ай бұрын

god this is heartbreaking

Thanks to Cindy, I will forever call it A Court of Thorns and Hoeses, and I feel it's much more accurate honestly.

@alexbadila1

Жыл бұрын

Is that withcindy Cindy? I love her!

@heatheryyy

Жыл бұрын

@@alexbadila1 yes! Cindy is greatttt

@alexbadila1

11 ай бұрын

@@heatheryyy Cindy is the cynical, sassy aunt we all needed.

@Pandachu123

11 ай бұрын

It's like when I accidentally misread Fifty Shades as "Filthy Shades". Haven't looked back. 🤣🤣🤣

@yoshitheorbit1118

8 ай бұрын

Have you considered "A Cvnt of thongs and hoeses 😍💅"

I think that grief that newly disabled people can feel would be fine from a disabled writer, from a non-disabled writer it just seems like ‘why don’t you hate yourself, you really should’

@sakurablossoms94

Жыл бұрын

As someone who has been in my wheelchair for 20+ years, I don't even think about it anymore. It's literally just there and I plan my life around it. But the fact that the husband has to take from his wife or vice versa bothers me a lot. My family has been taking care of me and they don't resent me or feel like I am preventing them from living their best life. I can't believe it's acceptable to say that.

@shy2infinity

Жыл бұрын

@@sakurablossoms94 I'm not gonna lie, I have a hard time believing that able bodied people can fully understand the grief, hardship, thought processes, etc of someone that's disabled. I have scoliosis and even though I got surgery it still affects my daily life, such as experiencing occasional back pain and discomfort. And yet, I can't tell you how many people I've spoken to that thought the surgery fixed all of my problems despite me having to remind them that I still experience occasional issues... lol.

@Fuckyourselfgoogle

Жыл бұрын

so then you can never write about something you haven't experienced yourself?

@smileyface7256

Жыл бұрын

​@@Fuckyourselfgoogle the issue is an able bodied person won't ever be able to truly represent what it's like to lose a limb. something like that is such a personal thing that only the person experiencing it will get right. and if you portray it and get it wrong, all you're doing is harming a community, not representing them

@squidproductions2923

Жыл бұрын

@@Fuckyourselfgoogle you really shouldn’t write other people’s lived experiences without consulting those who have experienced them. Writing fantasy is fine but if you’re writing real world dynamics you should always consult the groups you are writing about. Especially because a lot of disabled people, myself included find mobility aids incredibly freeing

Faeries/Fairies used to be my favorite mythical creature since I was a little. SJM has essentially ruined faeries for me. Her writing really went down hill when she realized she can get away with writing a bunch of gratuitous amount of sex to the point of ridiculousness instead of doing the work to write a compelling plot or character to development. Now I'm not against smut, I love a good smutty book. But the way SJM writes her smut, just makes me cringe and dry up inside. To me it's obvious she no longer utilizes an editor, because her books are far too repetitive, which results in her books being too long. I've only read the ACOTAR series by her, and while I did enjoy the first two books for what they were when I was 14, books 3 and forward are just not good. I remember reading Silver Flames and thinking every chapter "I've read this part already! Say something else!" She repeats whole paragraphs SO MUCH for no reason. I think she's found her niche in writing smut. If that is the case, she should just full on write erotica because it's clear she enjoys writing it, which again good for her. It's obvious to me that the smut is more important than the plot and characters to SJM, which is fine but then stop pretending otherwise, ya know.

@fuunosenshi

Жыл бұрын

The smutt isn't even that good, you read one scene and basically you've read them all... I skipped a lot of that, or I wouldn't have been able to finish the book 😅 also, Cassian thinks mostly with the head between his legs, I hate that. You'd think a General would think of more than just sex.

@lydedollia765

Жыл бұрын

Don’t usually comment on stuff but I’m pretty much the same, I really love fae and faerie lore, and I ended up hating these books so much that I ended up writing my own story revolving around the fae lol. It also drove me up the wall that she completely stripped them of any of the interesting things about them (that names hold power, not being able to lie, the fact they aren’t human so probably shouldn’t act very human, ext.)

@joan1222

Жыл бұрын

It's genuinely so disappointing! Fey are, fundamentally, incredibly interesting and versatile but you barely see that in her books :( It feels like her fae are just conventionally attractive dudes with pointy ears

@catandrobbyflores

Жыл бұрын

What you described is similar to a sims player building a house. Empty space put a plant. SJM: plot falling short, put a sex scene.

@saiikik2727

Жыл бұрын

What are some good old fae books you recommend?

The amount of people who constantly sing Rhysand’s praises genuinely sickens me. Like, y’all.. the bar is below the floor

@easilydistractedauthor

Жыл бұрын

And Sarah has a huge shovel. :(

@n.s.6984

Жыл бұрын

The bar is in hell

@emptycinema

Жыл бұрын

@@n.s.6984 just what I thought

@Pandachu123

11 ай бұрын

The bar is sinking into the deepest parts of the ocean at this point. Somebody call James Cameron! 🤣

@Artbyhurricanyounot

11 ай бұрын

@@Pandachu123 PFFFFFF and make sure the submersible won’t implode

Honestly, SJM should just write Erotica, like even to give freaking E.L.James credit at least she knows what she's doing and isn't like, trying to pretend her books are something else they're not. I hope that made sense 😭 Edit: It is possible to think a book is absolute trash and not wanting to ban said book, like, these things can co-exist 😂 Edit 2: I feel like mynameismariness is gonna be watching this with tears of joy thinking to herself, "Omg I'm so proud of you Rachel 🥺" hahahaha ❤

@angelaholmes8888

Жыл бұрын

Yeah totally agree she definitely should write erotica because at times her books are just too smutty

@corvi_dae

Жыл бұрын

I have honestly read better smut on archive of our own and it’s free

@contrarian9999

Жыл бұрын

I love Mari! And yes, my biggest issue with SJM isn't even the lack of diversity (I'm POC myself) because I'd prefer reading from actual authentic voices and people have a right to write whatever they want. My biggest issue with SJM is the sheer awfulness that is her writing. Just . . . on a stylistic and substantive level it just sucks ass lol.

@Raikua

4 ай бұрын

@@corvi_dae Agreed. I’m coming from AO3 and started reading the series, and was told it was “super spicy” …. I’m on book 3 and I’m like, what spice? I just got to a sex scene in book 3 where 80% of it was just “searing kisses,” “devouring kisses,” “lots of kisses” then 10% sex and 10% Feyre petting Rhy’s wings to get him off…. Not to mention the foreplay was Rhys, standing silently in the doorway, gripping the doorframe until there were claw marks…. Watching Feyre bathe. I literally had to put the book down and walk away. Like… what just happened??

JSYK, some wheelchair users find the term “wheelchair bound” ableist because it implies that a wheelchair is a prison. Some people prefer “wheelchair user,” or “in a wheelchair.”

@ReadswithRachel

Жыл бұрын

It didn’t occur to me until it was pointed out in comments, but yes I can totally understand that it’s ableist. Thank you for bringing this up. I apologize for using that term and I will not use it in the future.

when you were describing the problematic rep of the only black female character i thought it was going to be something like "ohh she's being told to kill the white girl character and she turns into a villain" and no. it's even worse, she just dies?!?! jfc. so glad i've never read these stupid books.

@brooklyncurrys

Жыл бұрын

don’t base it all on just this video lmfao

@bookswithike3256

Жыл бұрын

@@brooklyncurrys Why not? Everything she said was entirely accurate.

@bluester7177

8 ай бұрын

@@brooklyncurrys Well, this is enough information to choose not to read something, people can chose based on what they don't want to see.

@EmilybShore

4 ай бұрын

And all the horrible biphobia in these books

Newly disabled person here: I would not trust anyone who is not disabled to write that experience without a fuckton of sensitivity readers, which clearly were not involved. Excellent, well done video. I had only heard of her books in the context of poorly adapting folklore and people being weird about love interests. Thank you for your nuanced approach to this topic.

Me being young when I read acotar saw Feyre’s ptsd be cured by loving her boy and hated myself for not being able to do the same no matter how hard I tried :’) Also, as a recently disabled person I LOVE my wheelchair and Chaol’s ✨disability arc✨ is so monotone and depressing.

@EmilybShore

4 ай бұрын

I’m glad I didn’t read it when I was young. My abusive ex fiancé was just like Rhysand. I’d have normalized all his assault and abuse. Because Feyre let Rhys get away with everything. And credited him for helping her be less broken. I would have normalized it all bc my ex groomed me and was way older than me. I easily could have died if I’d read ACOTAR as a teen. I would’ve ended up with him.

I liked Tamlin in book 1 and didn't understand and still don't understand his sudden villanization. He went through ptsd just like feyre and did shitty things for sure. However, I feel like he was railroaded to be the bad guy just to get her to be with rhysand. I feel like to get to that point, she could have just had them go through their ptsd and try to make it work and come to the realization that they were just molded by their experiences to where they no longer fit together. I don't feel like the character assassination was necessary

@bysarahalexander4426

3 ай бұрын

I also don't understand all the Tamlin hate. He's far from the worst person in the series. He has some serious trauma to work through. At least he thought what he was doing was the best for Feyre unlike some other characters....

Oh lordy, this woman has single handedly changed the YA literature with her Fae stuff.

@bookishlybookish

Жыл бұрын

And I hate it 😭

@antoarzamendia

Жыл бұрын

for the worst

@_mermaidguts

Жыл бұрын

Unfortunately.

@meiday154

Жыл бұрын

And we've been suffering ever since

@Rikrobat

Жыл бұрын

And it’s so frustrating because I want good fae literature in the romance genre, but her “versions” have overtaken the space.

Bloomsbury has also apparently started using AI to create book covers instead of just hiring illustrators

@elenabarbieri1286

Жыл бұрын

For real? The dystopian ultracapitalist nightmare truly never ends. I've seen professional publishers putting clauses against AI in their illustrator contracts cause of the many bad implications and legal minefield of trying to copyright AI generated content... And then there's this. Wait till they find out anyone can take those AI generated covers and make money out of them legally because they can't copyright them.

@ReadswithRachel

Жыл бұрын

Yeah Bloomsbury is first up on my new series of publishers behaving badly

@boredpastel

Жыл бұрын

@@elenabarbieri1286 I coincidentally learned about it being a Maas book cover through Bloomsbury but I don’t know if it extends to other authors under them or if this was a fluke

@elenabarbieri1286

Жыл бұрын

@@boredpastel substituting the beautiful illustrations of Charlie Bowater with AI is a new level of fvckəd

@mariaz1884

Жыл бұрын

@@elenabarbieri1286 I think that would depend on what the AI is trained on. If it's trained on only works that Bloomsbury owns the rights to, I don't think that'd be a problem for them to copyright. If it's based off one of those huge "public" data sets, yeah, they better reconsider. But one would think they have enough money to hire lawyers who can navigate through that, especially considering the precedent has been set for AI artwork made from massive, non-exclusive datasets. I'm not talking about the implications of AI cover art and I'm definitely not defending them over it, I just thought I'd put my two cents in on the copyright topic.

Yes!! 👏🏼 Rhysand 👏🏼 is 👏🏼 more 👏🏼abusive 👏🏼 than 👏🏼 Tamlin 👏🏼 and we should say it more lol. While Rhysand does many abusive things, my highlight is when he made Feyre go into the house of that Weaver-monster-thing to retrieve a ring because he wanted to test if she would make for a good wife for him, WITHOUT HER KNOWLEDGE OR CONSENT. And iirc, without her even knowing the situation would be dangerous, and without saving her when she nearly died because her succeeding his waifu test was more important than her actual life. He literally didn’t want her to live if she didn’t become his perfect trophy wife who obeyed his every whim. Romantic!! And I haven’t even started ranting about how dirty Nesta was treated, bc bestie I could do that ALL DAY. Nesta tells Feyre vital information about her health that all of her other “friends” and her literal husband kept hidden from her, literally she didn’t know that her pregnancy would KILL HER, and somehow Nesta is the bad guy and everyone hates her and Rhysand wants to fucking KILL HER?? Okay, okay, I’m going to watch the rest of the video now. I just feel this rage every time Rhysand (and Nesta) are mentioned lol. The girlies in SJM books deserve better men instead of literal p*dophiles who go after little girls that aren’t even 1% of their age 😭

@NewGuy2534

Жыл бұрын

I also like to bring up that Tamlin is punished for his actions in the end, Reece’s Cups is not. There's never a moment where Rhytz-crackers has to pay for his actions. Just the opposite, he's rewarded. And the fact he's based off the author’s husband is terrifying.

@ria1821

Жыл бұрын

Omg ALL OF THIS!!

@hnichole

Жыл бұрын

YES NESTA WAS MY FAVORITE. She, of every character in this series, had the most room for character development. I loved her because, while rough around the edges, Nesta felt like a legitimate person, and she was the only character who ever spoke sense lol.

@fuunosenshi

Жыл бұрын

Yes, Nesta was the only character in this series that got any real development, anyone else devolved, in ACOSF they were nothing more than bullies, to Nesta and even to Feyre. Yet none of them get any punishment for their abuse, no consequences whatsoever. And even with that development, the mental health rep was awful. She gets cured of her PTSD and depression by getting some exercise and some dick.

@NewGuy2534

Жыл бұрын

The way I see it, the best way to know someone’s character is not through how he treats his equals, but how he treats those who he finds lesser. He tortured and used Fey for his own enjoyment. He can deny it and make excuses (Chapter 54 stans) but he still got off on it. He only treated Nesta nicely after she became useful (like a Cult leader). Treats Lucien like a pet (and oath breaker, but that is me). And decided to continuously kick a suicidal Tamlin for the lols. Rhys is less than a shadow of a snake. And I pray that son of his does not end up like his father.

Also predictions about when her work get adapted into film and tv 1) they take the concept and try their best to drop the problematic aspects of her work. Her fans are mad that it’s not book accurate but the show/film is alright. 2) she gets a lot of creative control and the show/film has a good amount of problems. It will be really hyped because she is a big name. But people who are unaware of her will see her work and it’s problematic aspects.

@eveellisen

Жыл бұрын

Oh 1000%, she'll probably get the Leigh Bardugo treatment, especially considering how she's trying to make her worlds converge and how badly this stupid woman needs an editor. Some talented screenwriter will pare it down into something inoffensive that works much better than the original, and her books will sell more copies 🙄

@tomatosoup1304

Жыл бұрын

The Bridgerton effect where the show isn't too bad but the books are weirdly problematic

@ettaetta439

Жыл бұрын

​@@tomatosoup1304 I will never get over the author of bridgerton saying she didn't want to write black characters into the story because she thought her white characters would treat them badly 💀💀💀 like we already know that, that's the part we're trying not to think about whenever we read historical smut fiction, did you have to say that aloud?

@SkyAlawi

Жыл бұрын

From minimal research about the production of the hulu show (which ofc has stopped at the time im writing this comment due to the writers & sag strike): sounds like the writers and producers are having a HORRIBLE time because she is being overly controlling. like theyre barely able to get anything done. honestly wondering if they will even continue producing it after the strike is over as usually when an author is hard to work with, the show gets dropped.

@Ashbrash1998

9 ай бұрын

​@SkyAlawi Reminds me of Fifty shades production a little

YES THANK YOU FOR POINTING OUT THAT RHYSAND WAS ABUSIVE!!!

@thxwanderer

Жыл бұрын

It's so strange to me that people read him as romantic? When he was abusive essentially the entire first book and tricked her into having to see and spend time with him. But suddenly they're meant to be together? And bastardizing Tamlin on purpose to make Rhysand look like the better pick- I didn't make it past book 2.

@Theliteraryghost_

Жыл бұрын

@@thxwanderer He literally refused to tell Feyre that her pregnancy could possibly kill her. Yet he’s still considered a “feminist icon” 😒

@thxwanderer

Жыл бұрын

​@@Theliteraryghost_oh my god- imma be sick. I never knew about this as I didn't finish the series for my mental health sake. Funny how Rhys is sounding like a Texan rep with that action.

@Theliteraryghost_

Жыл бұрын

@@thxwanderer Its truly sickening. I was absolutely appalled when I learned that information.

@Hungarycloud

Жыл бұрын

And people making excuses for his behaviour in the first book because he "had to pretend for Amarantha". I'm sorry, he did NOT have to drug and sexually assault Feyre repeatedly. He could have done literally anything else. Crazy that Feyre had any trust in him after that.

Daddy Rachel… you’ve been a better father to me than my actual sperm doner. Thank you for your service 🫡

Thank you so much for talking about Palestine and Palestinian rights. Im a Palestinian myself and i have been fighting for so long to not only advocate for Palestinian rights but also separate Judaism and zionism. These two are not synonyms. I have been called so many names from being an antisemitic a*s to much more worse. The propaganda and false information that is being spread is highly dangerous and im really happy to see someone with a platform speaking about it♡ thank u so much!

@anitanielsen1061

Жыл бұрын

Is Palestine not considered a country???

@mv9653

Жыл бұрын

@@anitanielsen1061there are recognized “Palestinian territories,” but they are not recognized as a country in the same way Israel is.

@mxngos7493

Жыл бұрын

Yes! I'm Jewish and I've been on the other end, called horrible names for being Jewish... as if that means I inherently support what Israel is doing and has done. People need to realize judaism=/=zionism, both ways.

Something else that you could relate to the princess from the ToG series is the White Saviour Trope. Like, the black princess was smart, well-loved, AND kind? And she STILL couldn't save her own people without LITERALLY DYING to get the help of the white girl protag? Sounds like the white saviour trope to me. :/ EDIT: Books with deckled edges are wonderful. i love it. EDIT 2: MAUS YES!!!!!! I got my own (used) copies from the only used bookstore near me for the same reason you got yours (snowflakes getting pissy that a comic about the Holocaust exists)

@easilydistractedauthor

Жыл бұрын

Also fridging. Although it's usually to further a man's story, and this time it's a woman's, but still.

@pixelsbykris5494

Жыл бұрын

@@easilydistractedauthor This is true! Just- Just ALL of the problematic tropes with this one. :/

Sarah j maas has truly dropped the ball on many things in her books like mental health and trauma

@NewGuy2534

Жыл бұрын

How about you read Sanderson’s books. He actually explores that and has talent.

@angelaholmes8888

Жыл бұрын

@@NewGuy2534 you are so right I really enjoyed the stormlight archives and his other books I really need to read cytonic this year

One thing that frustrates me about SJM’s writing is she sets up very interesting stories and arcs, but usually takes the fan service-y route instead of going with what would make the story enriching (imo). But it makes her richer when she does whatever her fans want. So, I’m resigned to knowing that I’ll never be someone who enjoys her work. Plus I’ll never forgive her for what she did to Nehemia. It’s super weird to me that a lot of her stories involve her brutally killing off the female best friend of the female main character and then her main group is mostly made up of males after that. But the Nehemia decision still enrages me.

I was so shocked when I learned SJM is Jewish, because I (a Jewish person), read Amren as a yikes Jewish stereotype (greedy hoarder, drinks blood, the last remnant of an outsider culture, reads the secret magic language which is literally just Hebrew). Am I just way off base or did anyone else see that comparison?

@serafinassong

Жыл бұрын

Also hype for the Rhysand video. I will die on the hill that Rhys and Tamlin are basically interchangeable and Feyre's moral compass is entirely based on who she is horny for at the time.

@Frey12

Жыл бұрын

I don't remember amren ever drinking blood nor even being a hoarder. Just that she is a bit of a troll.

@lpchambers3681

Жыл бұрын

If that was supposed to be the that, it went over my head when I read them. Armen is also widely regarded as East Asian in the fandom (and so I feel THAT stereotype would fit better, however you are first person I’ve heard bring that reading up). If I do a reread ever I’ll be on the look out for it.

@tansbizarreadventure

Жыл бұрын

ohhh my god this unlocks a new level of ick

@anastasia35816

Жыл бұрын

Ehh I never got that impression. To my understanding she drank blood because in her world she was some insanely powerful…creature? God? Demon? And when she came to Feyre’s world there was no equivalent so she had to be put into a fae like body. I kinda imagine her as some inter dimensional being that has no form their minds can comprehend. So sorta like pennywise in it maybe?

Hi! Disabled wheelchair user here. Thank you so much for explaining the ableism in SJM’s books. You did a super good job in laying it all out. Just one small thing, because I know you’d want to learn/know: most (not all, but most) people who use wheelchairs don’t like the term “wheelchair-bound” (myself included). It subtly continues the misconception that a wheelchair is a source of limitation rather than a source of liberation. “Wheelchair user” is better. You only said it once, so it’s a tiny thing in this very good video. Thanks for making this!

I think characters wishing or trying to obtain magical cures can be handled well as a plot point IF it is given the right consideration and complexity. It's fair to have that desire. I would not mind if my mental illness got and stayed better. But it should not be the point of the plot that the person must be fixed to be fully human or able to achieve things. There's a difference between a character wanting something (and their feelings can evolve) and the character being written as incomplete or useless unless "fixed".

@ReadswithRachel

Жыл бұрын

I think the only thing is though, the person writing that would def need to be the person experiencing it and writing from that POV

Nehemia was SUCH a good character at the beginning, her ending was so unnecessary, felt like an excuse for Celaena to break up with her boyfriend, which just makes it even worse, because they were a good couple and it’s even more frivolous I gave up throne of glass after that

@nick._.coleslaw

Жыл бұрын

Thank you for saying this!! I legit thought the same thing when Nehemia died and was super upset she blamed Chaol. Plus Celaena’s other female friends later in the series are literally just copies of her personality, but Nehemia was her own character. So disappointing how that ended.

@juliarangelr

Жыл бұрын

@@nick._.coleslaw I was completely devasted with her death plus him finding out about the will. If she wanted the two of them to breakup, she could’ve killed the prince, made Chaol feel guilty about it and leave Celaena. The way it went was terrible, gut wrenching in a terrible way. I just don’t trust SJM as an author anymore.

One of my best friends from college loves everything SHM writes and I did give her ACOTAR series a fat chance. I read the first book and didnt hate it. I did enjoy Tamlin and found Rhys disgusting... only for him to be the main aspect of book 2, his abuse worse and the sudden bastardization/worsening of Tamlin's character to prop Rhys up as husband material. It truly boggled my mind and left me setting the book down to never return. Edit: If you enjoy her books, good for you. But I wish I could get my time back. I wish her books were better edited. Her representation of many things are just surface level, not good, or uncomfortable at best. Edit 2: As someone who never read any of SHMs other books, to hear about the Throne of Glass series honestly hurt. It sucks so bad that there are famous authors who write poc/disabled bodies/different sized characters as add ons, not fully realized characters.

@mischarowe

Жыл бұрын

I feel the same way about Jay Kristoff. Wish I'd never picked up Nevernight.

@treceslez

Жыл бұрын

Same, I lost interest in ACOTAR after finding out Tamlin went through an ugly character derailment just to make Rhys seem more appealing. The first book wasn't close to being one of my favorites (and I don't particularly consider it a good book), but I did enjoy it and I actually liked Tamlin, so it was really disappointing to find out that he was made to be the villain, and not even a good one. I still don't understand SJM's decision to do this, it doesn't make sense to me.

@hnichole

Жыл бұрын

I read book 1 at a friend's recommendation (turns out my friend has terrible taste in books lol), but I hated Rhys so passionately. Like, more passionately than any other character I've read to date. Everything about him is awful. I only made it 100 pages into book 2 before quitting, at the stage where Rhys whisks her away from Tamlin. When I told my friend I couldn't finish because I couldn't stand to read about Rhysand, she told me that he actually ends up being the love interest and Tamlin becomes an asshole, and I was so grateful I stopped where I did. Everything about ACOTAR is trash, literally from start to finish, they're all so bad.

@hnichole

Жыл бұрын

@@treceslez Agreed, Tamlin was a little boring, but he was my favorite character of book 1. From what I heard, I guess the fans made it clear they loved Rhys after the first book was published, so SJM decided to rework the remaining novels to make him the love interest ... I've only heard this though, who knows what the original plan was for him.

@fuunosenshi

Жыл бұрын

You know, this is a really unpopular opinion, one that I share. I hate Rhysand. And I think he was Uber abusive, creepy and gross not only in the first book, and in ACOSF he just gets worse. I kept hoping he'd redeem himself, but nope.

SJM isn’t a writer. She treats her readers terribly and just writes the bare minimum of a story and claims it to be a masterpiece while glorifying abusive relationships. A true writer would create a deeper story to show a characters growth and change they go through during the story. It’s clear she doesn’t know what she’s doing but the publishing company and most of her fans won’t admit or point out what she is doing wrong. Someone needs to knock SJM off her high horse and show her what writing truly looks like.

Rachel, brace yourself for the fan backlash. I worked at barnes & noble while acotar books were coming out, and the fans can get intense. I'm not saying it is bad to love something intensely, I love many things EXTREMELY intensely, nor is every sjm fan a bad apple. However, the community is large enough that statistically there are enough bad apples to create real problems. I love acotar and respect fans, but like BTS fans I would not want to get on their bad side because the few bad fans do come for people. Stay safe

@BooksToAshes

Жыл бұрын

As a SJM book fan (not really the author herself ) AND a BTS fan, you’re completely right. The fanbases of anything that is this big is scary to talk about. If you even look at either of them the wrong way people will completely go wild on that person. It’s so bad, and also makes everyone in those fanbases look bad too. People have to learn to be mature and listen without being so defensive.

@ReadswithRachel

Жыл бұрын

Honestly fan bases that are predominantly women are less scary to me than men-dominated ones. I don’t like it either way, but men who get mad when I talk about men legitimately have scared the shit out of me. It’s the only times I’ve ever gotten death threats.

@Robi-Chaud

Жыл бұрын

I don't understand why people feel the need to attack someone for not liking what they like. Even if it's something personal to them. Like, Speak (book and movie) are extremely important to me on a personal level. I would probably not be alive if I hadn't read/watched it. So when people start criticizing it....I just leave the conversation/video/whatever. I don't attack anyone for it.

@ReadswithRachel

Жыл бұрын

I read the graphic novel! That’s a powerful work

@Hungarycloud

Жыл бұрын

​@Reads with Rachel Yes at least women don't usually threaten to kill or r*** you.

I have two friends who are OBSESSED with this series, and one of them has actually gotten frustrated with me for not wanting to read them because in their eyes, I need to read more "spicy" books if I want to find good romantic partners. I explained the controversy about SJM to her, and she just shook me off. I am so happy to see that other people aren't huge fans of ACOTAR. For me, I'm just not really into romance centered books, and I wish people could understand that better. (And I will lose my ever-loving mind if I see one more tik tok video of people saying that ACOTAR is a "read before you die" series)

@Normaschthewanderer

Жыл бұрын

I read the first few chapters of throne of glass and found it cringe.

@abhainn35

11 ай бұрын

@@Normaschthewanderer Same. I could barely get past the first chapter because it felt like a bad AO3 fanfiction.

@bluester7177

8 ай бұрын

You don't need to read anything to find good romantic partners, and if it was a necessity it wouldn't be fiction, either, you do you and read whatever you like, I'm an Aro ace person who exclusively reads sapphic romances even though I don't intend to have one.

@Raikua

4 ай бұрын

I’m halfway through book 3 of ACOTAR, and it’s not really spicy at all. You’re not missing much. And as someone who has read a ton of spicy AO3 fics, and in a happy relationship of 5+ years… them telling you to read spicy fics to find good partners is absolutely BS. I can tell you it had no part in my relationship with my partner. Read what you enjoy. (I honestly hated romance until my mid 20s. I only got into it from fanfiction… because I found them to be more creative than typical romance books)

I hate the disabled people have to be cured trope. As someone who has had a disability since the age of 2, I can manage my life. Yeah, my family supports me but to say that they are not living their best life is a little extreme. Felicity from Arrow was magically cured from being in a wheelchair and that literally made me stop watching the show.

Aloha nui loa (thank you very much) for sharing some of the struggles the Native Hawaiian People are/have been facing for years. Love your videos!!

@ReadswithRachel

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for being here! ❤️

I honestly mostly can’t stand her writing. The sheer amount of em dashes. I have read better smut on ao3. I read all of her books because the girl I had a crush on LOVED them. Which should have been a red flag. I stopped reading at the breonna taylor incident. That was just so disgusting to me. Plus her books did nothing for me and made me feel nothing so she was so easy to drop. I also really couldn’t get past the racism.

@corvi_dae

Жыл бұрын

I also hate how hard her books gender binary as well.

@corvi_dae

Жыл бұрын

Also she’s not from philly she’s from bucks country. A country that borders philly.

@emptycinema

Жыл бұрын

​@@corvi_daeTHIS

This just cemented my avoidance of SJM stuff. Still remember the only time I've opened one of her books bc I was joking with my boyfriend about how much smut was in Crescent City, I immediately found a post work out smut scene. Definitely was not my cup of tea.

As a lesbian and someone who acknowledges that SJM writes shit lgbt rep, I always thought and saw Mor as a lesbian. Due to her trauma and lack of interest in men and preference for women. It was refreshing to see as a lesbian, considering we have little representation or just isn’t written properly. Then, it was speculated that Mor was bisexual and I was hit with utter confusion and anger because Sarah had the perfect opportunity to tell the story of a femme lesbian falling for a butch lesbian and to even seek out sensitivity readers who are lesbian themselves for guidance since Sarah doesn’t identify as lesbian, bi/pan or sapphic. Instead, we are given this half assed wlw rep and plot line with a queer woman being forced to relive her past trauma with men. It truly angers me so.

@Rinniantoinette

Жыл бұрын

If the author doesn’t want to write her character a certain way then she shouldn’t be forced to. If you want something specific then you write it or read books from people that write those topics.

@ravenglebsky9404

Жыл бұрын

But…it is not your character. Not your story… what do you even mean?

@lemonywater2979

Жыл бұрын

Wtf are these replies even saying? Nobody put a gun to Sarah's head and told her to write a lgbt character. SHE chose to do it, and she did it BADLY. Where is the "she shouldn't have to write X if she doesn't want to" aspect of this? She doesn't have to write well if she doesn't want to? I mean I guess not.

@peppermint-ali

Жыл бұрын

@@lemonywater2979 idk why its so hard for people to understand that if youre gonna do poorly written rep of a marginalized community, then that marginalized community has all the right to look at it and go "this sucks and this hurts my community." sarah can have her choices AND her scrutiny. comes with the territory of being an author

@moondivine2288

Жыл бұрын

@@lemonywater2979 doesn’t the B in LBGTQ stand for bisexual? Why get upset writing a bisexual character over a lesbian one? I imagine that she was made bi to give her power for giving her virginity to a guy so, she doesn’t have to be forced to be married. It isn’t a well written LBGTQ+ rep but, I can see why Mor was made bisexual

For anyone who likes SJM's books but is looking for a less problematic author and more diversity, I urge you to read Nalini Singh. Her books are more diverse and respectful to minorities (Nalini herself is a WOC) and imo better than SJM's. I'm like 90% convinced that SJM read Nalini's Guild Hunter series and drew a lot of inspiration from ACOTAR from there. The similarities (especially in characters) are staggering. I mean JFC Nalini introduced a race of bat-winged warriors in the last book she published before ACOTAR came out.

@salmaa.6363

Жыл бұрын

Yes, SJM stated before that Guild Hunter is one of her favorite series in articles and interviews. She even did an interview with Nalini Singh.

@lexwritesthings

7 ай бұрын

She has been on my list to read for a long time. Thank you for reminding me to get in gear and read her stuff 😊

@asteridshydrangea-jt2hf

6 ай бұрын

@@lexwritesthingshard trigger warning for sexual violence and coercion, often from male leads or protagonistic male characters towards female leads. The hero’s right hand man makes it a habit to deliberately chemically or physically trigger women’s trauma from CSA - he does this to both the heroine of the first book and to the heroine and love interest of his own book. I recommend treading cautiously if SA/poorly handled depictions of trauma being ‘cured’ is sensitive for you. POTENTIALLY TRIGGERING elaboration of one instance. In the latter case he (the hero of the book) SA's her to deliberately trigger an extensive and horrific PTSD flashback of her childhood violation and torture to 'punish' her after he wonders if she's not being fully truthful with him, and also derides her for avoiding places that will trigger her trauma. If you're wondering about authorial handling of the aftermath, she punches him once, feels ashamed for hurting him, then fallout from the event immediately ends. Him shaming her for wanting to avoid her PTSD being triggered is presented as the 'tough love' in an ultimately positive but insultingly shallow light.

THANK YOU RHYSAND IS ABUSIVE!! I've been yelling that for so long

@mandymagnolia1966

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, I never saw him as the icon the fandom sees him as, especially after the shit he pulled in Silver Flames. But they’ll absolutely tear Tamlin to ribbons over his actions

@lydedollia765

Жыл бұрын

Well scream into the void no longer my friend :DDD

I truly appreciate you taking a firm stance about Palestine even when it’s uncomfortable/requires treading carefully. It really filled my heart to hear the clear support and I think you found the nuance perfectly. This video is so well balanced and informative (as are all of your videos), and it helps me make personal decisions about who I put my money towards. Thank you so much for doing this kind of work as I’m sure it’s taxing!

A court of silver flames was one of the worst books I have ever read 😖😬 sadly it was too smutty

@ObscurityGames

Жыл бұрын

I honestly couldn't even finish the book 😬 and am not going to be reading the next one.

@angelaholmes8888

Жыл бұрын

@@ObscurityGames that's a good idea that you dnf the book

@human9460

Жыл бұрын

I'm listening to the audiobook atm and nothing is happening😭 I'm so glad I didn't read the 800 pages!

@taylorgayhart9497

Жыл бұрын

I didn’t even make it to the smut, it was so fucking repetitive and boring outside the smut it took me a YEAR to get a quarter of the way through it before finally DNFing.

@eveellisen

Жыл бұрын

I literally couldn't get through five minutes of the audiobook, absolutely atrocious quality

Thank you for mentioning that Zionism does not equal the whole of Judaism. As a Jew, it means so much to me. 🫶✌️

As a Jewish person (we're not a monolith. As the saying goes "two Jews, three opinions"), I have a lot of empathy for any Jewish public figure who is quiet on the Israel/Palestine issue. That whole subject is nothing but landmines for many of us. When i went to Hebrew School growing up, I was literally taught to be thankful for Israel, as its existence was integral to Jewish survival. I also went on birthright, and I totally understand why someone like Sarah would come out of that experience feeling pro IDF. It took me the better part of a DECADE to come to terms with and deconstruct everything I was taught about Israel and Palestine. And being vocal about not supporting Israel has alienated me from many of my family members, who view any support of Palestine as support for Hamas and belittling of what happened on October 7. Those of us who are Jewish but not Zionist are stuck in a no win situation. If we are silent about Palestine, we're seen as complicit in Israeli atrocities. If we speak out, we are seen as cosigning antisemitism. In short, putting SJM's other issues aside, please have some grace for Jews who are silent on Israel. It's a particularly thorny subject for many of us.

@Deej210

5 ай бұрын

I'm not here to say that your feelings aren't valid or unreasonable, but when Palestinians have (long before October 7th) said that "silence = death" for them, putting your feelings of discomfort over their suffering from decades of genocide at the hands of the Israel and allies is not the best way to approach the subject no matter how thorny it may be. As others have stated, Judaism =/= Israel and speaking out against the state of Israel is not inherently antisemitic.

@hihello3204

5 ай бұрын

Thanks for saying this. Appreciate you.

@SM-BSW

3 ай бұрын

@@Deej210 I know it's not inherently antisemitic. I am on the free Palestine train. But I'm paying a price for vocally supporting Palestine in ways that are specific to Jews in my position. Based on my experience, I don't blame other Jews for not wanting to bear that cost.

@xRaiofSunshine

Ай бұрын

@@Deej210This. If you’re silent on genocide you support genocide whatever your feelings on it :/

fantastic critique - you hit on so many things I have struggled with with SJM. as an aside - most (not all) disabled folks who used wheelchairs prefer to be called "wheelchair users" vs "wheelchair bound." our mobility devices are freedom for us, and "bound" or "confined to" give the connotation that we are trapped. thank you as always for being you, Rachel. can't wait for the next video 💙

@ReadswithRachel

Жыл бұрын

Thank you for bringing this up! I should not have used that an I apologize. I won’t use it again.

@thistheywrote

Жыл бұрын

@@ReadswithRachel Thank you for the kind response. I appreciate that you are willing to hear me out. 💙 take care of yourself, Rachel!

I have never understood how some authors find it so hard to give their characters of color autonomy. As an author myself, I have never found a problem with it, but maybe that is because I'm POC-nah... There is no excuse. I love all of my characters, even the villians so why wouldn't I want to see them all live their best life and lead their own stories even if they are a side character? My MC who is of nubian descent and also part werewolf/goddess has a human best friend who's white, human (for now) and a total hilarious badass, who despite her lack of psysical strength sticks up for herself and defends her boyfriend and best friend. Her love story blossoms as a side plot and my readers are obssesed with her boyfriend and her. So much so, they've asked me for a spin off, along with one of an evil henchman, my MC's parents, and her little sister. Well developed characters are utterly important! I've been asked this question multiple times as a sensitivity reader, beta reader and author. Should I write POC characters if I'm white? My answer is always yes, absolutely. How? That's simple, envision the writing process you went through creating your main character. Name choices, quirks, strengths, weaknesses, appearence, back story, etc. Use those same steps in creating your POC, disabled or LGBTQIA+ characters. Never forget that first and foremost they are seriously just people at the end of the day. Their core personality has nothing to do with whether they are black, asian, gay, trans, blind or in a wheel chair. Next step is to consider the environment they grew up with, poverty shapes people in a subtle or extreme way, so does affluence, war, famine, love these should be considered when writing your character. Last but not least, do your research! If your character comes from a very particular culture or has a specific disability then use google, reddit, and social media to consult with people that know what it's like, don't just assume based off their skin color or disability or whatever. I know a lot of you here are also authors or inspiring authors, you got this! Trust me, no one uses google more than an author doing research on random things like "what tree leaves can be used as repellent?" Use those same abilities to do research on your characters too! You won't regret it I promise!

@clairisaphoinix23

Жыл бұрын

Yes to all of this ! I simple don't get it. For such a successful author why doesn't she use sensitivity readers, do research, get feedback etc. It's so simple I'm actually learning alot on how not to do things by watching videos like this.

Speaking of book banning, the Throne of Glass series was banned in my middle school! I had to go to the library in another town to get it because my town was too small to have its own library outside of the school, it wasn't worth it but it's still infuriating that one kid's parent made my family go out of our way to let me read what I wanted.

@abhainn35

Жыл бұрын

At this point, I think they're just shuffling a deck of cards to decide what is "problematic".

@ettaetta439

Жыл бұрын

Fr. I hated Throne of Glass and thought it was terrible but I would never advocate it to be banned.

There’s a concerning amount of SJM fans who actually think that the “bat boys” are POC.

@ria1821

Жыл бұрын

And yet they will produce fanart where Cassian is whiter than milk and be all 😍

@emackenzie

Жыл бұрын

Iirc I'm pretty sure they were literally described as having brown skin, and that Rhysand grew darker after the first book too to not be as pale Eta: I don't have the books on me but it seems from the wiki that its specifically "golden-brown," which a lot of people took to mean POC with how little variation there was in her characters at that point

@Theliteraryghost_

Жыл бұрын

@@emackenzie “Golden Brown” thats basically tan. 😭😭

@Theliteraryghost_

Жыл бұрын

@@emackenzie Rhysand was described as being as pale as moonlight in a scene in the first book.

@felicitypevideos4224

Жыл бұрын

There’s literally a scene where cassian is identified on a battle field because his skin is darker than the other soldiers due to being Illyrian … probably an ambiguous situation because the definition of POC isn’t super clear-cut in some regions.

I have only read ACOTAR, but it has always bothered me that she uses Illyrian for her fictional winged fae, when the Illyrians were actual tribes inhabiting the Western Balkan Peninsula in ancient times. I guess she does that with the Scythians, too.

The Breona Taylor post is why I think SJM won't learn and grow. She HAD to have been made aware of the impact of the post and left it up. Which means if nothing else, she does not believe she should apologize for it. Or even acknowledge the issue. People who get richer and more popular don't become more humble over time

@ReadswithRachel

Жыл бұрын

This is a completely fair point

I’m oddly bothered to discover that SJM is my age. Not sure why, I guess I partly expected her to be older because of all of the cringe (I haven’t read her books, just really loved watching you talk about them). 💜💜💜💜🗑️Rachel💜💜💜💜

@ria1821

Жыл бұрын

Yeah this bothered me too lol

@Raikua

4 ай бұрын

Same, except I expected her to be waaaay young. 😅😂

Fun fact. Illiraians are old Albanians and we also are stereotyped to be wild and feral and ‘ mountain people’ and uncivilized so that was fun to read

thank you for this. now i don't have to explain why i don't give a shit about sjm and her fans. i'll just send them this and get you your monetization 💖 also i'm stoked for your 'authors behaving excellently' series bc i can only imagine the mental exercise required to have to deal with/read the comments of fandoms incapable of critical thought.

@ReadswithRachel

Жыл бұрын

I look forward to being like hi my names Rachel NOW LISTEN TO ME GUSH ABOUT ANGELA DAVIS FOR 45 MINUTES

@Pandachu123

11 ай бұрын

​@@ReadswithRachelMAKE IT HAPPEN! 😆

30:22 You’re right! If you’d like a little more information about the term: Bar Mitzvah = son of Mitzvah Bat Mitzvah = daughter of Mitzvah B’nai Mitzvah = plural, sometimes refers to non-binary/gender nonconforming folks or is used as a generic term It’s essentially a coming-of-age ceremony, around 12-13 years old you read from the Torah (the holy book) for the first time and are thereby considered a Jewish adult.

@HSMediaNerd

Жыл бұрын

I also haven’t read any Sarah J. Mass, just love your content ❤

@ettaetta439

Жыл бұрын

That's so interesting! I find it iffy that 12-13 is considered an adult in the Torah but obviously times were different back then, so maybe that was considered super progressive.

@HSMediaNerd

Жыл бұрын

@@ettaetta439 Back in the day, only men were allowed to be Bar Mitzvahed, so it was more a “you, sir, are a man” ceremony lol. But yeah, it is way too young to be considered a proper “adult” regardless of gender. Nowadays, it just means you’re allowed to fully participate in religious rituals, and nothing much else.

@ettaetta439

Жыл бұрын

@@HSMediaNerd Thanks for the elaboration! I love learning about religions other than just the standard Christianity that's shoved down our throats every year and some Greek paganism in English classes lol. It's interesting that only men could have their Bar Mitzvah back then, and I didn't even know Bat Mitzvah was a thing until now.

@greenstarlover1

Жыл бұрын

Grossly oversimplifying it - it's basically the Jewish equivalent of sweet 16. A celebration of coming of age (12 for girls, 13 for boys)

Bringing in some insight here, as someone who had read and loved SJM (not anymore lol) and was super active in her fandom, Chaol wasn’t even supposed to get his own book. It was supposed to just be a novella, and it was one that spawned because of the backlash she got (or knew she’d get) when she announced he wouldn’t be in the fifth book before it released. (Funny how the minute a character who was originally a main character gets relegated to a side character and kicked out of the POV lineup the moment he becomes disabled, eh?) Mor was also not meant to be queer. She and Azriel were meant to be mates, based off the multiple pins she had tagged with their names on her (now private or deleted) Pinterest. This and Lucien suddenly becoming half MOC in the third book were likely added in because around the time, SJM was being publicly called out for her lack of/damaging rep of POC/LGBTQ. Also, she didn’t write Throne of Glass at 16. She wrote Queen of Glass at 16. Throne of Glass is, essentially, the rewrite of Queen of Glass that she wrote while in college. The original had a whole Cinderella subplot with someone named Cindrillion or something and Celaena was a separate character (so literally self-insert Cinderella fanfic) and they were friends or something. So as an adult, the fact that she kept Nehemiah’s death the exact same is… 😬

I hope you enjoy Maus! I read it as a kid and it still has a choke hold on my heart and has a permenent spot on my shelf. Art knows exactly where to put a break inbetween retelling to give the reader time to processes what Vladek had to go through just to survive.

"plausible deniability" Seems like a common theme for so many popular authors. **cough, JKR, cough** Good video, btw.

It really is possible to support Jewish people while condemning the State of Israel and the actions of their government.

These [Thing] of [Thing] and [Thing] book tittles are getting exhausting.

Not me randomly coming across your video and watching it cause I wanted to be more informed and then finding you reading my tweets?! Hi, I'm Carolion! 😂 Thanks for talking about the Disability rep, we're so often ignored in these conversations, I appreciate your work to include everyone 💛

@carolion8496

4 ай бұрын

Oh, and that tweet was years ago, I'm so done with her books now. ACOSF absolutely ended her for me 💀

Imagine a book in which the characters set out to find a cure for their disability only to find out that they are just as whole and complete as everyone else and in the end they find out that's the cure, that's what the whole purpose of this promise of a cure was. If someone knows a book that does that, let me know, I could need that 😅

I've heard many native Hawaiians ask tourists not to move there in videos and comment sections . The Hawaiian language and culture has almost been completely stripped away cause of missionaries and Hawaiians can't even afford to live in their native land cause of all the tourists the fact that Sarah J Maas moved to Maui is just completely ignoring the trouble native Hawaiians go through cause of people who buy fancy vacation homes like one of my uncles and family friends have done. I'm glad you mentioned the issues Hawaii is facing. It's something I've done research on and am very passionate about

The Breonna Taylor post was just appalling. Thank you for sharing that information with all of us. I really like your approach with this on how your purpose is to inform consumers so that others can make an informative choice. Information like this can often be lost in the noise both online and off, so it’s a great boon that you and your videos exist.

SJM is the main reason I'm terrified of Fae.

I've only read ACoTaR and ACoMaF, but as a disabled person, the way that Feyre, Nesta, and Elaine's dad was written and talked about as a disabled man was disgusting. He was consistently talked about at if he was faking, "broken," or could get better if he just "wanted to." The discussion of his disability being tied to his "will power" was just so gross and inappropriate. Disabled people already have to deal with people saying we're faking or just don't want to get better, so the way it was handled was in extremely poor taste and, frankly, harmful.

@moondivine2288

Жыл бұрын

When I read it I saw it as Feyre and Nesta being frustrated that they were young and their father didn’t provide for them anymore. Feyre herself was forced to grow up fast so she could provide for her family. You would also have to consider the time period as back then people unfortunately wouldn’t care about the care of disabled people

@my_girl_seraphine5294

7 ай бұрын

@@moondivine2288 It's a fantasy though she could have chosen not to write them like that

How did I miss that she’d moved to Hawaii? I’m from Hawaii, born and raised (although not Native Hawaiian myself), and I can’t believe the audacity.

Thank you so much for your careful analysis of the extremely complex discussion around zionism, the Israel-Palestine conflict, anti-Palestinian, anti-Semitic rhetoric. It's so incredibly affirming to know that you obviously did your research and pulled from both personal and legit journalistic/political sources and put together a thoughtful and factual inspection of the subject.

One thing I'd like to add is the messy and careless worldbuilding of Prythian and Hybern: the map is clearly based on the UK + Ireland. The Romans referred to Ireland as Hibernia! I just think it's very ignorant, on Sarah's part, to not try and create a new fantastical setting but to instead use another country's rich history and kind of poorly re-write it. Hybern (Ireland) being written as this antagonistic force against Prythian (UK) just rubs me the wrong way - the British colonised Ireland. Irish people are still affected by this colonisation and some of them are my family. It is careless and ignorant for a professional writer to just flip the violent histories of real-world countries to serve her agenda. Could she not have hired an artist to design a more creative map...

I'm honest - ACOTAR as a series is/was for me like McDonald's. I know its bad, but sometimes its nice to read.

SJM is up there with Jay Kr*stoff, that I as a nonbinary person am extremely grateful that they are seemingly unaware that trans peeps exist despite LOVING to cash in their "Ally!❤" card for brownie points. 🙄

@Hungarycloud

Жыл бұрын

Trans people aren't trendy enough for them to co-opt. They only care about surface level brownie points for minimum effort

Pinterest is not only flooded with AI-art, it's full of comments like "looks like so-and-so!" and when I look up so-and-so it's always some damn SJM character.

Thank you for the care and thought that goes into videos like this, for the work you do for your community and those outside of it too. Very appreciated to hear someone with a platform talk about the issues with Hawaii as well.

It's incredibly frustrating when some authors get to a certain level of fame/ego and they start thinking their writing is infalliable. That or they just don't care if the representation is done well or not because the books sell anyway. I'm too self-conscious about my writing to be an author, but I have told friends that if I ever start acting like my work is above criticism, they have free reign to break my literary knees. We can always learn to do better, and it's a shame that someone with as big a platform as SJM doesn't try to BE better.

Yeah Sarah really is a great example of doing nothing is still doing something.

Oh my god we're now finally acknowledging that Rhysand is worse than Tamlin???? Lets Goooo 🎉🎉🎉 Waiting for that video Rachel, 👏

I was really into sjm books when I was younger and I remember getting to the scene where mor comes out. I was just beginning to realise my sexuality so it was pretty disturbing how her identity is treated. Her backstory is nothing but trauma and her queerness seems like a substantial part of that trauma which makes the fact that that book (didn't read the follow ups lol) never picks it up again absolutely insane. The scene is pretty much just there so that the protagonist can look better. You'd think it's going to begin a character arc for mor or something like that and it's just never mentioned again. Love how she has a backstory that traumatic and it's absolutely trivial

SJM fans give the same vibe as Kelly Osbourne asking Trump who would be cleaning his toilets if he banned all Mexicans, they all think they did something with that comeback when it actually is just really tone deaf and amplifies the problem at hand.

The writing was on the wall when she came up with a glass castle and, lacking two brain cells to rub together, didn't even for one minute realise the logistical nightmare that place would be. Like who tf is cleaning all this glass, how can anyone sleep here when the walls and floors are transparent? How is this structure holding its own weight? How ridiculous does the floating furniture and people look from the ground? How does anyone know their way around when they can see through all the walls? How is it not incredibly slippy? How come nobody catches fire when its sunny and the castle becomes a huge magnifying glass?

Whether you like her books or not, or her as a person or not, the Crescent City books have some of the most beautiful covers I've ever seen 😂

@angelaholmes8888

Жыл бұрын

Yep those covers look good

Hi Rachel, I'm a big fan of your videos :) I really appreciate how you point out ableism, as it's often overlooked. A quick note on language, though: Most people that I know, myself included, really dislike the terms "wheelchair-bound" and "in a wheelchair". We use chairs, which allow us to go out and do things. They're devices that give freedom; they don't take it. Hope that makes sense :) Also, as an ambulatory wheelchair user, I must say the shocked stares when I stand up from my chair never get old haha

@ReadswithRachel

Жыл бұрын

It makes total sense and I sincerely apologize for using an ableist term. I won’t use it again in the future. Thank you for bringing this up to me, I appreciate you taking the time to do so. ❤️

Another thing that really worries me in relation to Nesta's storyline is that her stans justify or even deny her abusive behaviour "because she was sick". I've seen people say that how Nesta treats Feyre isn't abuse because they're siblings. And so many people ignore how abusive she was towards Cassian too because they got together in the end. They also love to throw the "what about what Tamlin did" red herring around as if a victim having multiple abusers somehow negates the actions of one of them. Honestly, people proudly saying that they identify with Nesta has become a major red flag for me... especially concerning people who say they act like Nesta and use her character to justify their behaviour.

@alicedeligny9240

Жыл бұрын

The way Maas treated their relationship in the first book was very yikes. Nesta was being verbally abusive and slut-shamed her sister, and the effect of her abuse are visible throughout the book with how low Feyre's self esteem is, but they basically reconcile at the end and Nesta being just like "I was hard on you because I knew you could take it"... 💀

@Shayril

10 ай бұрын

I find different people's experiences with this fascinating. Everyone I've known to say the identify with Nesta don't say they are her, they say that they WERE her but they have learned, healed, and have grown since then.

YES! Just in time. I'm writing my final college essay today for sociology and I needed something to listen to. Can't wait for this one.

She had a minor in RELIGIOUS STUDIES and still wrote the crap that she did? Friggin' incredible.

Quick note on the term "wheelchair bound", it's generally preferred to say "wheelchair user" because the other implies that a wheelchair is a prison when it actually allows for more independence and mobility for chair users. Just one example of how ablism sneaks up on all the us.

I was super into booktube when I was like 14 and bought all of the throne of glass and a court of x and y cause everyone was always raving about how fantastic and amazing they were. Never read any of them. Found out recently they are trash lol Welp. I watched caricanread’s videos about the plot and wow just very not good.

@TeroTheShortOne

Жыл бұрын

Gods bless Cari for putting herself through all of the books so the rest of us don't have to.

@wolflover306

Жыл бұрын

Cari 😭😭😭😭🫶 god bless her for doing this for us

@starlitbri

Жыл бұрын

cari is my hero for those videos 💙

Just an fyi: wheelchair user is much preferred over wheelchair bound. The latter just reinforces the idea of wheelchairs as prisons, rather than tools

@saiikik2727

Жыл бұрын

She just glossed over your comment like it was nothing and interacted with the other comments before and after yours.

@cuan7769

Жыл бұрын

​@Saii Kik there's 600+ comments here, and I'm not expecting Rachel to see all of them. I'm probably not the only person to point this out, and Rachel may well have interacted with someone else's similar comment

After reading Sarah Janet’s work for some time, I think she got the often terrible for the readers, no edit clause. I don’t think anyone is pre reading her books be it sensitivity readers or a decent editor. Her work has become so bloated with endless unnecessary paragraphs. But great points in this video. There is a lot of questionable stuff.

When you mentioned the racism I thought yo were gonna mention the "lesser fae"and the way they are treated and discriminated by the "high" fae and are basically their servants. Some of them have darker shades of skin colors, and are supposedly violent and/or lazy.

@xRaiofSunshine

10 ай бұрын

They’re also described as more inhuman looking/monster-ish and therefore unfuckable (which I completely disagree with) so in combination with what you said, it all boils down to *DEEP AGGRAVATED SIGH*

the makeup today is awesome!! your patreons have some great ideas and your execution is always super great!!

As far as the wheelchair thing, I felt that Brandon Sanderson's portrayal of Rysn's disability in Dawnshard was very well done.