วีดีโอ

Your videos are essential.

Your hair looks so cute!! I recently saw Princess Mononoke and loved it! Love Studio Ghibli in general 😍

Sorry August was a tough reading month for you, I guess they can’t all be winners!! I’m intimidated by Cloud Cuckoo Land but I do want to read it at some point. Glad you decided to DNF though. I really want to read Yumi! And basically everything Brandon Sanderson has written, big surprise 😂 So glad you loved it! My husband DNF’ed Frugal Wizard and his favorite author is Sanderson, so that’s saying something haha

Love this idea!! A Fellowship of Bakers and Magic sounds so cute and cozy. Love historical fantasy so Letters to Half Moon Street sounds right up my alley! And I’ve heard amazing things about The Sword of Kaigen! Hope you have a great reading month 😊

That’s too bad about Murder Your Employer, it sounds very interesting to me but I totally understand not being able to get into it! So glad you loved A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, I did too!! And yay, Part of Your World was great 😍 Will be curious to hear your thoughts on Yours Truly if you decide to pick it up. My favorite book in July was a tie between Just For the Summer and The Things We Cannot Say and my favorite book of August so far is Remarkably Bright Creatures!

Currently I am reading a lot of Joe Abercrombie and also Uzumaki! I don’t know why but I’m in a grim dark and horror phase which is unlike me but recently I’ve found those call to me

Also Spy Family! I need to pick that one up! The premise sounds great but I heard it is quite goofy and the plot can get wonky and not make sense. I guess as a character driven viewer I’d still like it? Wdyt?

Super interested to hear what you think about Iron Widow! My own thoughts are fairly neutral (I rated it a 2.5-3 stars) but I don’t want to spoil so I would be happy to discuss if you do a longer video on that one (no pressure, we can also talk about it here I’m just refraining from spamming you until you can finish it and form your own opinion lol)

Spellshop is great! I think you’ll love it, and it’ll be a nice change of pace from some of the chunkier (and less happy lol) fantasy you’ve been reading recently! It’s just a super cozy, feel good book (and I have more recs from the author if you are interested after)

Also random but your voice is really soothing!

Breaking into a second comment and sorry for another wall of text! You just happen to be reviewing books I love and want to talk about lately! And yeah her prose is just, chefs kiss. It’s beautiful. And I totally see what you mean. One issue I had with certain books I loved (RFK specifically with Babel - also you should read that if you haven’t, another standalone though it’s not epic fantasy even though the magic system is great, and also Spin of Fate to a lesser degree) is both those authors seems to expect the reader to have a certain level of intelligence to grasp their concepts? And if you don’t, you’re kind of left to struggle? Like it reads as if it’s been written for a specifically intelligent audience and I don’t want to pretend I’m that… ugh I feel I’m being very discourteous describing this. I don’t know how to describe it, but I do wonder if the fact that they come from quite academically elite backgrounds has anything to do with it because I also had this issue with Fireborne to a lesser degree even though I respect it and the complexity of the concepts it delivered. I don’t mean any shade at all to the authors, they’re really smart, probably more so than the average person given what they’ve achieved in their lives, but I think some authors are better at making things more accessible than others (and maybe the others don’t bother?) and Samantha Shannon is one of these which is why her writing is standout for me. I don’t know if this would have worked well for me as a duology just because I don’t see narratively any places where we could have cut the arcs short or the plot. It seemed pretty well planned for one book and I worry a duology would lead to unnecessary padding and ruin the pace. I also agree it was nice it wasn’t all neckbreakingly pageturningly fast throughout (I did take short naps during my flight haha) Anyways I’m glad you liked this book and are enjoying more epic fantasy!! Maybe one day you will start Stormlight!! Haha

Great review again and your dog is adorable! So I was one of the pre-pandemic readers I think who picked it up just before COVID hit and read this over the course of a 24 hour flight and layover situation hahaha. So a bit different from you. But I adore the book and it’s my favorite female-driven fantasy ever!! I’d disagree slightly re: the plot versus characters point. As a character driven reader myself I found these 3 super nuanced and well developed (Tané was a quick favorite) with their arcs and actually that’s what compelled me more than the plot which I did feel got… convoluted would be doing a disservice because Shannon pulled together so many pieces masterfully. But I guess anticlimactic maybe? There were no big moments or fight scenes that made me go WOW and the one at the end with the Nameless One felt a bit underwhelming for me personally. Though based on what you said about fight scenes being short and sweet I can see why you prefer it! I love Sanderson MCU or anime style fights on the page since I like to imagine the characters in my mind so it was a bit disappointing that scenes wasn’t more vivid but I can see the choice! I also get what you say about the romance. I am kind of trash for mxm and fxf ships so I really applaud the choice here but I feel if it was mxf I would have found it underwhelming. It was till a great choice to have but I wished for more (I almost always wish for more romance in my books, but a very specific kind of slow burn haha which is why I’m almost never satisfied)

Also thank you again for making a detailed review and being so honest and fair about your thoughts ❤️❤️❤️ I really hope my tone doesn’t come off as aggressive I just love discussing this book and it’s so different from anything I’ve read so it frustrates me sometimes when I hear about the way it was marketed because that’s not the author’s fault Also imo it should have just been published and marketed as adult fantasy because I don’t think many YA readers are going to appreciate this since YA fantasy brings certain expectations while this author seems to be breaking a lot of rules. Which isn’t a bad thing necessarily but not what people are used to and I honestly don’t think most readers have the self awareness and fair attitude that you do toward a new thing. And it’s unlikely to expect a reader base to just evolve tastes from the norm all of a sudden when it’s marketed TO those books. Seriously what was the publisher thinking??

Also genuinely curious what fantasy you’d rate 5 stars since you said this is a 4 (or a 3? In your other video?) I don’t mean this in a condescending way I’m just aware we all have different preferences so trying to understand better! Because as a pretty intense epic and adult fantasy reader, through that lens, I actually find this blows most YA and even some adult SFF out of the water in complexity of world, magic, themes. And despite not loving the characters for personal reasons I’d argue even they are better developed because they subvert so many tropes and represent kids who’ve undergone trauma. I don’t think people spending time together necessarily means they have to be friends? Like teenagers can be suspicious and guarded too? Especially if they come from backgrounds like what Meizan and Aina do. YA shows teenagers being unrealistic in my opinion, so again I’m not trying to be aggressive (sorry if I come off as aggressive I don’t mean to be it’s just hard when it’s a wall of text) but I think it’s a bit simplistic to say “oh teenagers need to be friends sooner” like many teenagers have emotional baggage and can be jaded like adults. Not all teenagers or humans behave the same way or the way you’d expect (which shocked me too btw, I guess just thinking and discussing the book more made me realize these were my biases and maybe I needed to grow as a reader? But I also read Joe Abercrombie which I did not enjoy so it put things into perspective haha. I just think as you say this is a more realistic portrayal of unpleasant aspects of the human condition than a wishful one, and most fantasy goes the wishful route for teenagers while this doesn’t) Also since you mentioned it a couple times, to me this is nothing to do with the author being a debut and that’s doing her a disservice (but again note that I’m not what you’d call a casual fantasy reader. Sorry it just really breaks my heart that causal fantasy readers are calling this book out for doing things that epic adult and grimdark fantasy often does. Like that’s not a flaw of the author, it’s just a different genre altogether and shouldn’t be lumped in with more casual fantasy because the standards are soooo different and I don’t think everything needs to be accessible for everyone. It’s just because YA always dumbs things down and follows tropes, we’re expecting Spin of Fate to do the same exact tropey thing that 100 other YA fantasy books do and then faulting it for not… I just don’t agree, and think it’s refreshing to find an author that does unique and subversive things even if I don’t personally enjoy them) Sorry again I don’t mean to be rude! And I’m only saying “casual” since you said it yourself I don’t mean to be implying that it’s a bad thing because it’s not and you probably read a lot more diversely than I do! But since you said you wanted to discuss with people I’d love to do that with you!

Firstly your earrings are 🔥🔥🔥 Great review! You do a super job explaining the complex world really well! Also I really appreciate that you had the self awareness and kindness to approach this while stating some of your “issues” were based on personal preferences and misleading marketing rather than a reflection on the author’s ability. Because I see many reviewers bashing this book for their own misunderstandings (like they think the world is a bad reflection of Christianity when it’s not even Christian inspired?! And then they argue that the magic didn’t make sense when they clearly have no idea how karma works) FWIW the author has explicitly stated she doesn’t agree with the marketing. I’d also argue that this is very very epic fantasy so not necessarily written for casual fantasy readers, though I think it’s cool you gave it a chance anyways! I just don’t think the author should be expected to simplify things just because it’s YA (but this is coming from someone who adores Wheel of Time, so make of that what you will) and her nomenclature is way more thought out than even some seasoned adult fantasy writers. As a character driven reader myself (who enjoys cinnamon rolls and found families) I agree with you in that I guess I did wish at times for the characters to be nicer and friendlier and less toxic. But I also applaud the author for being realistic and not going the usual YA insta-friendship route which often feels unearned to me. I think 2 of these 3 are so traumatized by their past it’s made them weary and untrustworthy so it made sense to me they wouldn’t become insta friends. But I also found it heartbreaking and bittersweet that just when they start to become a found family they’re torn apart by ideological differences. But in a way I’m also glad because I’m sick of YA where despite the characters having no reason to like each other and being morally opposed they still become BFFs, it’s just not realistic to me that people in warzones will behave like that (Iron Widow and The Ones We Burn are examples where I found it so rushed and unrealistic for these characters to be like, oh hey so we’re a family or a throuple now). It just feels unearned to me so I guess I’d disagree with you there while also understanding why you wanted them to because so did I. FWIW I’m also a person who struggled to make friends and had trust issues like Meizan all throughout school lol so maybe that’s why I relate. I’m actually glad this author doesn’t follow the usual tropes for characters (e.g. Aina is allowed to be weak at the end rather than being overpowered FMC) because I don’t see that especially in YA. But then despite enjoying the trope subversion I kind of want a feel good tropey ending too? I know I’m contradicting myself lol but I hope it makes sense what I’m trying to say. I guess this book just has me so obsessed that I now need fanfics where they all make up and become friends. Like I have a need that this book has created and if books 2 and 3 don’t fulfill it I will be heartbroken. I have hope that at the end of the series these 3 are friends and get a reconciliation and maybe romance! I NEED it to!! Also I’m not sure about the “animals as friends” thing because again the author clearly stated she hasn’t watched ATLA. And the FMA comparison doesn’t show up even once in the author’s own marketing so I don’t think it’s fair to hold her to those expectations though yeah screw the publisher for doing that to her (also I’m a huge fan of Rosaria Munda too yay but has she even watched FMA cause they’re not similar at all, if anything Attack on Titan or even Neon Genesis Evangelion would be better comps for the themes and characters). I’d recommend checking out the author’s own marketing though she hasn’t said anything about book 2 yet. She does mention Naruto a lot which makes sense since Team 7 are pretty much trying to kill each other at a point and that’s where we are left with some of these characters, though they all read more like Sasukes than Narutos haha. Finally I don’t understand why Aina and Aranel starting with A is an issue. Like so many trios have that… HarryHermioneRon also NarutoSasukeSakura. Sorry you said it in context of the author being a debut or maybe I’m misremembering but it just seems like a natural thing to do? Rather than a problem in the book? But again I’m maybe saying this after reading House of the Dragon where you have a bunch of Aegons and an Aemond, and then Rhaenyra, Rhaenys, Rhaena… so it’s really not close to as confusing if you’re into those kinds of books. There is a tumblr community btw and some really intense fans that post a lot about it (I’m just a lurker haha) though many of them seem to be Meizan / Aranel shippers! Personally I’m hoping for a throuple but I don’t think it will happen. I’d be ok with Meizan and Aranel getting together but I need more development first. I also need Aina to have a love interest and I hope this book doesn’t end with her going the whole I’m gonna be single and strong route which I can accept and applaud as a narrative choice but also it’s in her name!! She wants to be loved!! I hope the author can give her that in books 2 and 3

I almost picked up The Spellshop from Barnes yesterday! Love that cover and it sounds so cozy. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts when you get to it! 😊

Ah, love any book with a dragon - brilliant!

I really like the way you have put this video together, very clever, that opening is brilliant (& so much fun). And your channel name is terrific. I'm new as a BookTube creator so, love exploring differing styles to see what I can learn. Yes, the tech stuff of filming & editing is daunting, but exciting, I guess - a new challenge. Fun is a great motivation, I like that. This will help me. Funny how many of us bookish people are introverted & socially awkward - odd qualms. I really look forward to following your adventures with books.

I’m so sorry your dog passed away, so sad to lose a pet 😢💔 I also loved Irregular Witches, so fun and cute!! And I want to check out Murderbot, sounds like a fun read 😊

I'm sincerely impressed-fantastic job!

Great wrapup, glad you’re back! 😊 I really want to get into the Veronica Speedwell books, they sound right up my alley. So glad you loved Everyone On This Train Is A Suspect, really want to read that one! I also have been intrigued by This Is How You Lose The Time War, so I’m curious to see if it will go over my head too, haha. And ahhh, National Treasure was my favorite growing up! 😍😂

Loved hearing all you thoughts on the books and movies you watched!

What a great reading month! I really enjoyed Get a Life Chloe Brown and want to read more of her books! I’m scared to read The Four Winds because people have said it’s so bleak but maybe I’ll check it out. Can’t wait to read One Dark Window and those covers for The Book of Tea duology are so pretty! 😍

Hi I just found your channel and absolutely loved this video! So excited to binge all your videos! Love the cozy vibes 😄 I can't wait to see more, and I just know your channel is gonna blow up! You're doing so great, keep it up!!🎉

So fun!! I loved The Great Alone, The Stand-In, and Every Heart a Doorway! 😊

indeed

Ooh thanks for this list! I love books with a strong female lead. I just read and reviewed Tress of the Emerald Sea. I'll have to check out some of these others!

Welcome to booktube! I am new too. I love your channel name! Hilarious! 🤣

U have potential to be a good content creator

I like your content.

Currently watching the live action Avatar the Last Airbender. I think we're only on episode 5

Another great list! My girl Tress 😍😍😍 I’ve been wanting to read Spinning Silver for a while!!

Lovely.

Great recs. I recently picked up "Kaikeyi" and look forward to reading it soon. Happy Reading! 😎📚👍

Great recommendations!! I really want to read Kaikeyi, The Kingdom of Back, and the baking one haha. Also love your shirt and earrings, so cute! ❤️

I loved Tress too, everything about her and the book was just perfect to me!! I want to be friends with her haha. So glad you loved the book too 💚

Love a good book haul!! I loved Beach Read, The Maid, and Lady Tan’s Circle of Women so those are my votes haha

This was so fun, I could really use a beach vacation right about now!! Also you and your husband are me and my husband, he’s always playing his switch or steam deck while I’m reading and it’s great 😆❤️

I’m also new to BookTube! Love your pretty rainbow bookshelves 😍 Looking forward to your videos!

Snacks and snacks is absolutely incredible. I think I’ve changed my channel name like 10 times since starting Booktube. I related to so many of your answers to the tag questions. Welcome to the community!

love the name snacks&stacks. Now I'm craving that snack and I've never even tried it but it looks good. I completely understand the editing fear, just subscribed. Love the not being social, I'm sure we can all relate

Best Wishes for many more vlogs to come! Happy Reading!📚💕

There is nothing better than snacking while diving into a good book. I keep a stash of snacks in my reading room haha. I bet living in New York City made lots of good memories for you! It's been great getting to know. I look forward to more. Welcome to booktube!

whoooo welcome to booktube!!! OKAY BUT CHEEZ-ITS WITH LAUGHING COW SOUNDS SO GOOD. i used to eat goldfish crackers with laughing cow like that HAHA. i love your channel subtitle, EAT SNACKIES 💗

Hiiiii!! I can't wait to see how you grow! 👋

Snacks and stacks! 🎶These are a few of my favorite things...🎶Welcome to BookTube, from an oldie to a newbie! So glad to see so many wonderful, diverse channels popping up in 2024. Welcome aboard!

Welcome to the BookTube community! I love the name of your channel. Very clever. And yes, it's very awkward to watch yourself while editing. Best of luck with your channel - I look forward to watching more of your videos soon! 😎📚👍