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Why would this book disappoint booktok? (You: ~describes an actually good plot that doesn't center an abusive man who keeps saying the word "darling" along with knifeplay~) Ah, I see 🐉
I had a very similar experience recently, with an ARC I read, where the marketing choices (blurb, Goodreads listed categories...) made me think the book would be a more conventional romance, while in actuality, the author described the book in question as "horror, where the romance is part of the horror." Setting reader expectations is important!
seeing this book at a rating of just over 3.5 on goodreads while booktok darlings with 2% the effort and charm this one seems to have are 4.5 stars and above... whoof
I've gotten to the point where if a book on GoodReads has more than a 4, I'm like, this is not for me. And if it's a book I wrote, I go back and try to figure out where I went wrong.
The scene with Death and deciding who to bring back reminds me of a scene in Discworld where Granny Weatherwax refuses to put the burden of choosing his wife or his baby on the husband and chooses to save the wife/mother- making him choose would forever hang over them both. Another scene she plays cards with death to bring back a baby from the dead
@@atherisGAY Once Upon A Time. This incarnation of Rumpelstiltskin always calls people "dearie" and reminds them that "all magic comes with a price." He's kind of like a magical power broker, but he has a secret agenda known only to him.
I literally paused the video before you got into the spoilers because I can already tell I am going to love this. Thank you, Rachel, for consistently finding new authors for me to love!
1:20 i feel like you answered youre own question a little - its got sapphics 😔 booktok seems so much more obsessed with gross straight couples. that said, im actually not gonna watch this video bc im immediately adding this to my tbr from your summary 😳 i guess its also not the romantasy they look for lmao but im personally more into it than if it was centered on romance
@@ReadswithRachel I really liked the show too, but I think had to stop watching just before season 5 or 6. It's been too long, so I can't remember which. Both my husband and I watched it, but for us it was getting to a point where we were like "mkay, this show is getting too wack-a-doodle, even for this shows standards." So we stopped. =/
Oh it was absolutely ridiculous, completely unhinged when you realize theyre all related. I ate it up. I am a lover of ridiculous TV in a way that doesnt translate to books
Stopping before spoilers because this sounds very interesting indeed. Though I agree, the cover makes it look like a YA romantasy, and I probably would have never picked it up if you hadn’t brought up that its marketing is deceptive. So thank you! 🙏
I’m so happy my feed isn’t one that only recommends your negative reviews. You’re the most similar booktuber to me when it comes to dark fantasy and I love watching your recommendation videos
Hey! Thank you for asking. We did end up having quite a bit of water damage and unfortunately pretty soon here we are going to have to have people come in and replace a lot of our drywall. They said that we should be able to still stay in our home while they are doing this, but I have a feeling that when they get here and see how bad the damage really is they are going to feel differently. We also had some issues with my car having some water damage, but we did end up finally getting it taken care of. Things considered, we were pretty lucky because many people just a few streets up from us lost their entire homes. Everything got flooded.
@@ReadswithRachel that sucks, I hope that everything is able to be sorted out! I’m glad your family is okay and I hope those who live in the houses that are gone are getting the help they need🩷
It's interesting how Helluvir essentially controls the world supply of necromancy and she is too good to use that to her advantage. Just saying, she could pull off a lesbian Rasputin dealio and really get weird with it.
i’ve beeb early a few days now!!! love your work ❤ as an autistic girl it helps me sooo much to read reviews before getting into something since i need frontloaded information. to be validated that even negative reviews are good and theyre only for consumers has helped me a lot. it means so much to see honest, good and bad reviews for media. personally i dont read as much as i should but i love listening to your work nonetheless!!!!
@@annie-sw2yf agreed!!! This channel is so helpful if you're autistic. I'm the same way where I need to know a lot about the book before I decide to read it. I really appreciate the thorough breakdown and also specific details like the prose. I love your pfp btw! 🩷
Disappointing booktok expectations? Adding this one to my list. Really loving your recommendations so far! I absolutely DEVOURED the Ember in the Ashes saga and am currently reading Spin of Fate. I would love to see you talk about your past recommendations in detail. I know they don’t do well, views-wise, but I NEED someone to gush with me about this 😭
Dragonheart is my all time favorite movie so damn I guess this book gonna be on my to read list. Finally oh finallyyyyyy new adult fantasy that's not icky cringy romantasy!
Saw this on Goodreads while I was writing my book list for Christmas and yeah, the cover and title bounced me right off. It actually sounds pretty up my alley, and yet!
Ever read "The Bone Witch" by Rin Chupeco? Necromancy, strong brother-sister bond, in-depth world building, interesting magic system, and a tasteful hint of romance. It's been years since I read the trilogy, but I remember loving it - though some people seem to find it paced too slowly.
for real, i don't know why the publishers or whoever didn't stick with the ARC cover, it looks so much better IMO and actually reflects the story's vibe
Loved this book and your review of it ❤ The ending worked for me, personally. Marianne Gordon did a fantastic job of ratcheting up the tension until it was teeth-clenchingly claustrophobic. It felt very real to me that after everything Hellevir endured, she was left exhausted and resigned. She learned some very hard lessons in order to move to the next part of her story, but not *everything* she needed to learn. And it was made clear several times throughout the story that some situations are too complicated to be tied up neatly, because anything involving how people treat each other is messy. So as a reader, I was satisfied that the ending matched the themes/tone of the rest of the book, and left me at a good point for the next one. I’m not gnawing my arm off over a cliffhanger, but I’m eager to see how all the various threads will be woven together. Can’t wait to read the sequel in February! I’m also hoping for more history/backstory. The worldbuilding was good in this one, but I definitely want more of the foundational stuff.
I really needed a new book to listen to while im at work, and in only the first 10 minutes you got me convinced. I sometimes really like the plot ideas behind romantasy books, but then they get so poorly executed it leaves a sour taste in my mouth. This one sounds right up my alley.
the ARC cover looks so much nicer, the illustration is so pretty and seems to work for the story better… why did they not go along with that? The cover they went with has a nice concept (crown of life vs crown of death it seems?) but the style isn't working for me. I wish fantasy books went with more illustrative styles for their covers!
Based on your description of the dynamic between Death and Hellevir, I think you might enjoy the short story "Ilsa Waits" from Mellissa Alberts's The Tales from the Hinterland. Death and Ilsa have a very similar type of banter, and though it is implied that Ilsa has romantic feelings for Death, Death himself recognizes that what she thinks is love is actually obsession. There is another story from the anthology called Death and the Wood Wife that also hits similar beats with Death as a place that is not exclusive to humans. Tales From the Hinterland is one of my favorite modern fantasy anthologies with that said, there is a massive trigger warning for child death, pregnancy loss, and suicide for the whole book, so just be mindful of that if you consider reading it. Anyway, I love your content, and I will definitely be checking this book out!
The "waiting room between life and death" or River of Lethe, things like that, are a favorite of mine. This isn't the first Harper Voyager where I've seen people mistake an adult book for a YA. I wouldn't have considered this one at all, myself, no thanks to that very boring cover. While not every single aspect appeals, there are certainly enough to put this one on TBR. Thanks for the in-depth look into the story and themes!
Not going to claim the vibe or story is ANYTHING like this, but I feel like you would love Discworld's version of Death. Reaperman and the Hogfather make me cry regularly
I am dropping out early because I think I need to read this, but also (can't remember)... have you read the Abhorsen series by Garth Nix? Just from the non-spoiler review of this book, there are a lot of similarities and I think you would enjoy it. It's one of my favorites from when I was a teenager, and the world and magic system are so compelling.
Adding to my tbr. On the surface, our tastes are quite different (I’m a historical fiction and sci fi crone) but every rec I’ve had from you just hits the damn spot 😊
See the problem is that when I realise the book might be good I have to stop watching the vid in case I read it and then I feel bad for screwing the analytics
I watch the majority on my computer and there I just put the video on mute and have it run in the background. Not an option on mobile, but then I put them on my watch later and have them play on mute in the background when I am doing something else 😊
I stopped watching after your general summary because this sounds super interesting and I wanna read it, so didn't want to be spoiled. Will pick up again afterwards!
I read this a little over a week ago and all I kept thinking was "I think Rachel would like this", so seeing this pop up today made me so happy! Also, I gave it a 4.5 and immediately preordered the second book.
I've been watching so many of your vids for ages (they always pop up on my feed) and blow me down apparently I wasn't subscribed. Gobsmacked. I thought I was, biggest surprise of my day.
I came here real quick just to say I'm going to read this next year, so I can't watch this video, but I'm so happy this got onto your radar and you read it!
Okay the nonspoiler section is selling me so hard. I saw it at the store last night but since i hadn't checked your video yet i didn't look at it. Maybe I'll look for it in audio
you should give the Third daughter by Adrienne Tooley a go, it has sapphics and strong religious themes, and we follow an older sister who lost her claim to the throne to her messiah-like younger sister, it was quite good from what I remembered, deconstructing religious beliefs and such
I just finished this book and it was... fine. I went in knowing it wasn't romantasy though. It felt at times like the author wished she was writing a romantasy instead but was in too deep lol. The death aspect was Very good; everything else I found meh-to-bad but the way Death was depicted kept me hooked and reading
Gonna add this one to the list. I really appreciate your insights and recommendations. I just finished Infinite Pull by Taylor Simonds and loooooved it. Had never heard of it until you featured it on your shelf. Thank you
I usually watch the video all the way though but omg the spoiler free section was soooo good!! I need this book. I won’t want to click off 😭 I’ll have to come back once I find the book
ok i was gonna just watch all of this but I've read 24:00 with the personification of Death and I'll stop here and read the book. Side note, other people have said but you'd really enjoy the Death books in the discworld series!
Okay, I stopped halfway through this video to read the book for myself over the past few days. This might be my best book of the year. Thank you thank you THANK YOU for bringing this book to my attention!!
Where you pause the review 15 minutes in cus the books sounds pretty good and you don't want to spoil yourself XD Thank you though, defnitely putting this on my list it sounds pretty cool :D ♥
I Think this review made me appreciate the book more in retrospect. I gave this book 3 stars because it frustrated me how empty the world, because i couldn't really imagine anything aesthetically outside of death, and the lack of politics and the plot felt a little slow, but i loved the complexity of the characters and character relationships, the moral choices and like you said i enjoyed how her and Death's chemistry was platonic it was very interesting relationship to me and i sincerely hope it never becomes romantic.
Gonna drop out now, coz I have this on my TBR. Btw, the prequel book of The Priory of the Orange Tree, A Day of Fallen Night, has more themes of motherhood and family, with one POV character having mommy issues. Both books have one dragon/rider dynamic. And a sexy evil witch. So I hope you give them a go, Rachel. Meanwhile, the Guilded Crown's main ship reminds me of The Locked Tomb series' main kinda sorta ship, where the love interest was horrible to the 1st POV character. So that's not a deterrent for me. Will try and get this book.
Rachel if you like bargain magic, you might like the anime Darker Than Black! Superpowers but with weird contracts to use them, like eating cigarettes or breaking their own fingers.
There's no chocobo emoji, but that would be my ideal animal companion! Using a fictional animal is probably cheating, but it's the first that came to mind.
I too was completely thrown off by the cover and what this book actually ended up being like. I read the ARC for book 2 and somehow it happened again (lol). I wonder how you'll feel about it...
Since you like MCs talking to animals and magical animal companions, I really think you would like Tamora Pierce's The Immortals quartet. Really most of her Tortall series'
Necromancy can be hard to write in my opinion. I've written one and someone trauma dumped on me while I was writing it. And well... the story only went downhill. But it's hard because you want the MC to be relatable, but that can be hard when you are raising the dead. In my never to be published novel, cause damn does it get evil, he knows what he is doing is wrong, but still does it. Anyone who can write a compelling necromancer, I will always give props to.
I do see how this book likened to Priory quite a bit at least in regards to a Sapphic MC being bound to a woman ruler and some (seemingly) heavy religious differences between the two. I cant provide anymore insight due to me not watching the whole video cause this sounds like something I'd be interested in lol.
ok see i actually think i wanna read this so. i'll have to find out if my libraries carry it (unlikely apparently, bc almost nothing on my current TBR is in any of the libraries i have access to and they deny my requests) so idk when i can finish this video bc idk when i can actually read this 😩😩😩 books are expensive so i mostly still just have to choose books that are in my library meanwhile my TBR grows and grows and grows 😭😭😭😭
You should check out The Fireborne Blade by Charlotte's Bond. It's a fantasy duology that includes a lot of the elements you're looking for regarding death.
Ok, 1) HOW DARE YOU SPOIL US SO ROTTEN WITH SO MANY UPLOADS SO CLOSE TO MY FAVORITE HOLIDAY!?!? and 2) I think this is the first time I have ever bowed out of one of your reviews at the end of the spoiler-free section! I just kept listening to the explanation and getting more and more interested! And (as an embarrassingly hardcore fan of LotR) I _live_ for slower-paced books. I know what's on my non-denominational "Christmas" list now!!! Thank you for sharing!
🐦⬛and you know..thinking about it 🐦⬛ for me too bc i think a crow would be a great animal companion. i'm going to read this book. i went straight away... (actually no) i went queerly fast to buy this book
Hey, idk if this is possible, but is there a way for you to set up an amazon or other bookseller affiliate link for the books you review? I would never have picked up this book based on the YA-looking cover, but after your spoiler-free explanation, I want to buy it and I figured it would be nice to give you the money for suggesting it to me lol
Stopping the video because I need to read this. But the whole needing to protect the princess while falling in love with her, as well as questions of religious truth very much remind me of the Priory of the Orange Tree. Granted the Priory isn't a dark fantasy, but it is a fantastic book.
You saying Quicksilver my mind immediately went to the plot of Wicked is the Reaper because i legit thought that was the plot of Quicksilver. Now I realize I do not remember the plot of Quicksilver in the slightest and i don't want to.
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Why would this book disappoint booktok?
(You: ~describes an actually good plot that doesn't center an abusive man who keeps saying the word "darling" along with knifeplay~)
Ah, I see 🐉
Necromancers be like: Why make friends when you can make friends
hahahahaha this got me good
HAHAHAHA
"Hellevir hates that she has to make choices at all."
girl SAME
I had a very similar experience recently, with an ARC I read, where the marketing choices (blurb, Goodreads listed categories...) made me think the book would be a more conventional romance, while in actuality, the author described the book in question as "horror, where the romance is part of the horror." Setting reader expectations is important!
Pardon my ignorance, but if I may ask, what is an ARC?
@@JayeEllisadvanced reader copy. They send it out early to some people so they can get early feedback.
@@qwinlynThanks for answering.
@@JayeEllis It's an Advance Reader Copy (from Netgalley, in my case.)
omg this sounds amazing - what is it? the romance being a part of the horror gives crimson peak vibes!
Okay but
“Does the Cover Convey the Story?”
Would be a pretty cool series 👀
Agreed!
seeing this book at a rating of just over 3.5 on goodreads while booktok darlings with 2% the effort and charm this one seems to have are 4.5 stars and above... whoof
I've gotten to the point where if a book on GoodReads has more than a 4, I'm like, this is not for me. And if it's a book I wrote, I go back and try to figure out where I went wrong.
Yeah, it's pretty ironic but I usually don't trust books who have a high rating on Goodreads... Most of my fave books are around the 3 stars rating.
Yeah I've stopped looking at Goodreads ratings. They just aren't trustworthy anymore.
Goodreads rating mean nothing... some of the worst books get 5 stars because people have no taste
Powerless has a 4.20 rating on Goodreads which should tell you everything about the trustworthiness of it.
The scene with Death and deciding who to bring back reminds me of a scene in Discworld where Granny Weatherwax refuses to put the burden of choosing his wife or his baby on the husband and chooses to save the wife/mother- making him choose would forever hang over them both. Another scene she plays cards with death to bring back a baby from the dead
9:26 "Magic comes at a price, dearie." Ah. I see Rachel is a woman of culture.
Hahaha glad someone caught it
OAUT mention!
What is it a reference to?
@@atherisGAY Once Upon A Time. This incarnation of Rumpelstiltskin always calls people "dearie" and reminds them that "all magic comes with a price."
He's kind of like a magical power broker, but he has a secret agenda known only to him.
@@JimmySmith692I read that sentence in his voice😅
I literally paused the video before you got into the spoilers because I can already tell I am going to love this. Thank you, Rachel, for consistently finding new authors for me to love!
I’m so glad to be of service!
Same!
15:02 please read Discworld you would LOVE Pratchett’s personification of Death
yep best death.
a sapphic necromancer with a raven companion? hell yeah, sign me up! gonna put this on my TBR, thanks for the recommendation!
1:20 i feel like you answered youre own question a little - its got sapphics 😔 booktok seems so much more obsessed with gross straight couples. that said, im actually not gonna watch this video bc im immediately adding this to my tbr from your summary 😳 i guess its also not the romantasy they look for lmao but im personally more into it than if it was centered on romance
I’m not wearing my glasses and thought you had gotten floral arm tattoos before I realized it was your shirt !
"magic comes with a price dearie" did you make an OUAT reference?? omg
I loved that show so much 😩
@ReadswithRachel me too!! there's a part of me that hopes one day a book will come out with that same vibe
@@ReadswithRachel I really liked the show too, but I think had to stop watching just before season 5 or 6. It's been too long, so I can't remember which. Both my husband and I watched it, but for us it was getting to a point where we were like "mkay, this show is getting too wack-a-doodle, even for this shows standards." So we stopped. =/
Oh it was absolutely ridiculous, completely unhinged when you realize theyre all related. I ate it up. I am a lover of ridiculous TV in a way that doesnt translate to books
Stopping before spoilers because this sounds very interesting indeed. Though I agree, the cover makes it look like a YA romantasy, and I probably would have never picked it up if you hadn’t brought up that its marketing is deceptive. So thank you! 🙏
I’m so happy my feed isn’t one that only recommends your negative reviews. You’re the most similar booktuber to me when it comes to dark fantasy and I love watching your recommendation videos
Just wanted to ask how you and your family are doing after the hurricane? I know a lot of people are still facing issues because of it
Hey! Thank you for asking. We did end up having quite a bit of water damage and unfortunately pretty soon here we are going to have to have people come in and replace a lot of our drywall. They said that we should be able to still stay in our home while they are doing this, but I have a feeling that when they get here and see how bad the damage really is they are going to feel differently. We also had some issues with my car having some water damage, but we did end up finally getting it taken care of. Things considered, we were pretty lucky because many people just a few streets up from us lost their entire homes. Everything got flooded.
@@ReadswithRachel that sucks, I hope that everything is able to be sorted out! I’m glad your family is okay and I hope those who live in the houses that are gone are getting the help they need🩷
It's interesting how Helluvir essentially controls the world supply of necromancy and she is too good to use that to her advantage. Just saying, she could pull off a lesbian Rasputin dealio and really get weird with it.
i’ve beeb early a few days now!!! love your work ❤ as an autistic girl it helps me sooo much to read reviews before getting into something since i need frontloaded information. to be validated that even negative reviews are good and theyre only for consumers has helped me a lot. it means so much to see honest, good and bad reviews for media. personally i dont read as much as i should but i love listening to your work nonetheless!!!!
@@annie-sw2yf agreed!!! This channel is so helpful if you're autistic. I'm the same way where I need to know a lot about the book before I decide to read it. I really appreciate the thorough breakdown and also specific details like the prose. I love your pfp btw! 🩷
'The previous administration' made me laugh.
I've been foaming at the mouth for more actual fantasy books and not romantasy so I'm excited to check this one out!
Sapphics doing necromancy? As a locked tomb major fan, sign me the f up!! Thanks for thd rec!❤
Necromancy? I’m listening.
Disappointing booktok expectations? Adding this one to my list.
Really loving your recommendations so far! I absolutely DEVOURED the Ember in the Ashes saga and am currently reading Spin of Fate.
I would love to see you talk about your past recommendations in detail. I know they don’t do well, views-wise, but I NEED someone to gush with me about this 😭
The way this book reminds me of the movie Dragonheart! There are similar plot points, in the best way! I'm so in
Dragonheart is my all time favorite movie so damn I guess this book gonna be on my to read list. Finally oh finallyyyyyy new adult fantasy that's not icky cringy romantasy!
Saw this on Goodreads while I was writing my book list for Christmas and yeah, the cover and title bounced me right off. It actually sounds pretty up my alley, and yet!
I haven't read the book and I'm already annoyed with the mom who won't see it from the FMC POV. Definitely adding this to my tbr!
Two videos from Rachel less than a week? We are eating good!
Yall are getting another one on Tuesday 😅
Ever read "The Bone Witch" by Rin Chupeco? Necromancy, strong brother-sister bond, in-depth world building, interesting magic system, and a tasteful hint of romance. It's been years since I read the trilogy, but I remember loving it - though some people seem to find it paced too slowly.
I love this book! I've not seen anyone talk about it before so I'm glad you're covering it
I recognized the book after you read the description, and I remember also being put off by the cover when I was adding it to my reading list
for real, i don't know why the publishers or whoever didn't stick with the ARC cover, it looks so much better IMO and actually reflects the story's vibe
Loved this book and your review of it ❤
The ending worked for me, personally. Marianne Gordon did a fantastic job of ratcheting up the tension until it was teeth-clenchingly claustrophobic. It felt very real to me that after everything Hellevir endured, she was left exhausted and resigned. She learned some very hard lessons in order to move to the next part of her story, but not *everything* she needed to learn. And it was made clear several times throughout the story that some situations are too complicated to be tied up neatly, because anything involving how people treat each other is messy. So as a reader, I was satisfied that the ending matched the themes/tone of the rest of the book, and left me at a good point for the next one. I’m not gnawing my arm off over a cliffhanger, but I’m eager to see how all the various threads will be woven together.
Can’t wait to read the sequel in February! I’m also hoping for more history/backstory. The worldbuilding was good in this one, but I definitely want more of the foundational stuff.
Oh this sounds so up my alley; excited to check it out sometime!
🐅 you comp'd it to The Bear and the Niggtengale and I literally ran, not walked, to good reads and texted my reading buddy. I'm ready for this shizz.
I really needed a new book to listen to while im at work, and in only the first 10 minutes you got me convinced. I sometimes really like the plot ideas behind romantasy books, but then they get so poorly executed it leaves a sour taste in my mouth. This one sounds right up my alley.
Thank you always for incredibly in depth videos!! Not great for my ever expanding TBR lmaooo but I love listening to your reviews while I cook!!
I'm glad you're enjoying them, even if I'm not helping your TBR 😂
the ARC cover looks so much nicer, the illustration is so pretty and seems to work for the story better… why did they not go along with that? The cover they went with has a nice concept (crown of life vs crown of death it seems?) but the style isn't working for me. I wish fantasy books went with more illustrative styles for their covers!
okay you've convinced me. i'll come back to your video after I read this
Based on your description of the dynamic between Death and Hellevir, I think you might enjoy the short story "Ilsa Waits" from Mellissa Alberts's The Tales from the Hinterland. Death and Ilsa have a very similar type of banter, and though it is implied that Ilsa has romantic feelings for Death, Death himself recognizes that what she thinks is love is actually obsession. There is another story from the anthology called Death and the Wood Wife that also hits similar beats with Death as a place that is not exclusive to humans. Tales From the Hinterland is one of my favorite modern fantasy anthologies with that said, there is a massive trigger warning for child death, pregnancy loss, and suicide for the whole book, so just be mindful of that if you consider reading it. Anyway, I love your content, and I will definitely be checking this book out!
Wow something ACTUALLY disappointed the people with the lowest bar for literature.
And because it went over the bar too!
The "waiting room between life and death" or River of Lethe, things like that, are a favorite of mine.
This isn't the first Harper Voyager where I've seen people mistake an adult book for a YA. I wouldn't have considered this one at all, myself, no thanks to that very boring cover.
While not every single aspect appeals, there are certainly enough to put this one on TBR. Thanks for the in-depth look into the story and themes!
Not going to claim the vibe or story is ANYTHING like this, but I feel like you would love Discworld's version of Death. Reaperman and the Hogfather make me cry regularly
I am dropping out early because I think I need to read this, but also (can't remember)... have you read the Abhorsen series by Garth Nix? Just from the non-spoiler review of this book, there are a lot of similarities and I think you would enjoy it. It's one of my favorites from when I was a teenager, and the world and magic system are so compelling.
I sent her Sabriel in the mail so she’ll likely get around to it eventually.
Stopping before the spoilers because this sounds amazing and I’m adding it to my list right now!
Totally trust Rachel, I stoped at the spoiler part, I'm gonna read this book too!
Adding to my tbr. On the surface, our tastes are quite different (I’m a historical fiction and sci fi crone) but every rec I’ve had from you just hits the damn spot 😊
See the problem is that when I realise the book might be good I have to stop watching the vid in case I read it and then I feel bad for screwing the analytics
Don’t feel bad! I’m glad I sold you on it!
I watch the majority on my computer and there I just put the video on mute and have it run in the background. Not an option on mobile, but then I put them on my watch later and have them play on mute in the background when I am doing something else 😊
I stopped watching after your general summary because this sounds super interesting and I wanna read it, so didn't want to be spoiled. Will pick up again afterwards!
I read this a little over a week ago and all I kept thinking was "I think Rachel would like this", so seeing this pop up today made me so happy!
Also, I gave it a 4.5 and immediately preordered the second book.
CariReads said ReadswithRachel said a book is good and read it, so I came to check it out too! And I’m definitely going to be reading this now! ❤
I thought your cardigan was a tattoo sleeve 😂 sounds like a really good book i might need to buy it for a friend who would def like this 👀
I don’t usually read fantasy but this sounds so wonderful im going to give it a try. it hits so many of my personal fav beats.
I've been watching so many of your vids for ages (they always pop up on my feed) and blow me down apparently I wasn't subscribed. Gobsmacked. I thought I was, biggest surprise of my day.
I came here real quick just to say I'm going to read this next year, so I can't watch this video, but I'm so happy this got onto your radar and you read it!
That makes me so happy, I'm glad you are interested!
Okay the nonspoiler section is selling me so hard. I saw it at the store last night but since i hadn't checked your video yet i didn't look at it. Maybe I'll look for it in audio
you should give the Third daughter by Adrienne Tooley a go, it has sapphics and strong religious themes, and we follow an older sister who lost her claim to the throne to her messiah-like younger sister, it was quite good from what I remembered, deconstructing religious beliefs and such
Gonna have to pause so I can also read it! Did the same with Dragonfall, which I really enjoyed!
I love starting my day with a new one of your vids! 😌
That makes me so happy to hear! 😌
I just finished this book and it was... fine. I went in knowing it wasn't romantasy though. It felt at times like the author wished she was writing a romantasy instead but was in too deep lol. The death aspect was Very good; everything else I found meh-to-bad but the way Death was depicted kept me hooked and reading
I hope you have a happy Thanksgiving holiday this upcoming Thursday.
I would have passed this by as ya romantasy ... Covers make all the difference!!!! 🐦⬛
Gonna add this one to the list. I really appreciate your insights and recommendations. I just finished Infinite Pull by Taylor Simonds and loooooved it. Had never heard of it until you featured it on your shelf. Thank you
I'm 6 minutes in. I think I grasped this as adult and more fantasy-inclined just from The Priory comparison. But the cover does give me YA vibes.
I usually watch the video all the way though but omg the spoiler free section was soooo good!! I need this book. I won’t want to click off 😭 I’ll have to come back once I find the book
ok i was gonna just watch all of this but I've read 24:00 with the personification of Death and I'll stop here and read the book.
Side note, other people have said but you'd really enjoy the Death books in the discworld series!
I read it after already hearing the spoilers, and it was so good. Just do it. Read it. I loved it.
I love catching up on a 2hr+ video only to find out that another one has been uploaded while I was watching the other one. 😍
Okay, I stopped halfway through this video to read the book for myself over the past few days. This might be my best book of the year. Thank you thank you THANK YOU for bringing this book to my attention!!
Where you pause the review 15 minutes in cus the books sounds pretty good and you don't want to spoil yourself XD
Thank you though, defnitely putting this on my list it sounds pretty cool :D ♥
omg i listened to the audiobook for this one a couple months ago and loved it
I Think this review made me appreciate the book more in retrospect. I gave this book 3 stars because it frustrated me how empty the world, because i couldn't really imagine anything aesthetically outside of death, and the lack of politics and the plot felt a little slow, but i loved the complexity of the characters and character relationships, the moral choices and like you said i enjoyed how her and Death's chemistry was platonic it was very interesting relationship to me and i sincerely hope it never becomes romantic.
Another book I want on my TBR. Sounds awesome.
Gonna drop out now, coz I have this on my TBR. Btw, the prequel book of The Priory of the Orange Tree, A Day of Fallen Night, has more themes of motherhood and family, with one POV character having mommy issues. Both books have one dragon/rider dynamic. And a sexy evil witch. So I hope you give them a go, Rachel.
Meanwhile, the Guilded Crown's main ship reminds me of The Locked Tomb series' main kinda sorta ship, where the love interest was horrible to the 1st POV character. So that's not a deterrent for me. Will try and get this book.
anything death related really does it for me, I'll probably read this
Rachel if you like bargain magic, you might like the anime Darker Than Black! Superpowers but with weird contracts to use them, like eating cigarettes or breaking their own fingers.
There's no chocobo emoji, but that would be my ideal animal companion! Using a fictional animal is probably cheating, but it's the first that came to mind.
Im dipping out after non spoiler section because this book sounds soooo good ❤❤
I too was completely thrown off by the cover and what this book actually ended up being like. I read the ARC for book 2 and somehow it happened again (lol). I wonder how you'll feel about it...
Since you like MCs talking to animals and magical animal companions, I really think you would like Tamora Pierce's The Immortals quartet. Really most of her Tortall series'
Have you read feathers so vicious by Liv Zander? It’s dark and has crows shapeshift wars. But it’s a dreary read in a good way.
Abandoning this video at 24:03 because now I really wanna read the book
this book seems great from your review, can't wait to know your thoughts on the sequel so i can decided if it's worth ir or not lmao
Necromancy can be hard to write in my opinion. I've written one and someone trauma dumped on me while I was writing it. And well... the story only went downhill. But it's hard because you want the MC to be relatable, but that can be hard when you are raising the dead. In my never to be published novel, cause damn does it get evil, he knows what he is doing is wrong, but still does it. Anyone who can write a compelling necromancer, I will always give props to.
The description of Death immediately made me picture The Man In Black from “Lost.” Well, other than the being-sexy part 😂
I do see how this book likened to Priory quite a bit at least in regards to a Sapphic MC being bound to a woman ruler and some (seemingly) heavy religious differences between the two.
I cant provide anymore insight due to me not watching the whole video cause this sounds like something I'd be interested in lol.
ok see i actually think i wanna read this so. i'll have to find out if my libraries carry it (unlikely apparently, bc almost nothing on my current TBR is in any of the libraries i have access to and they deny my requests) so idk when i can finish this video bc idk when i can actually read this 😩😩😩 books are expensive so i mostly still just have to choose books that are in my library meanwhile my TBR grows and grows and grows 😭😭😭😭
You should check out The Fireborne Blade by Charlotte's Bond. It's a fantasy duology that includes a lot of the elements you're looking for regarding death.
You like sapphic women and making bargains for a price you say?...have you read The Invocations?
not yet!
Ok, 1) HOW DARE YOU SPOIL US SO ROTTEN WITH SO MANY UPLOADS SO CLOSE TO MY FAVORITE HOLIDAY!?!?
and 2) I think this is the first time I have ever bowed out of one of your reviews at the end of the spoiler-free section! I just kept listening to the explanation and getting more and more interested! And (as an embarrassingly hardcore fan of LotR) I _live_ for slower-paced books. I know what's on my non-denominational "Christmas" list now!!! Thank you for sharing!
I would love to see what kind of books you would recommend if you read the Ember in teh Ashes series. I always like watching your reviews
This sounds really good!😊
hm magical animal companion, so many options! Either a corvid or a wolf!
My wip story has an animal companion that's like a bipedal grey fox 😁
Personified death always has my attention. Love it. I'll be listening intently. 👀
Since you like necromancy, have you read The Locked Tomb Series?
I read the first book and I super enjoy it
@@ReadswithRachel you totally should continue the series! The second is my personal favorite, I love Harrow so much🖤
🐦⬛and you know..thinking about it 🐦⬛ for me too bc i think a crow would be a great animal companion. i'm going to read this book. i went straight away... (actually no) i went queerly fast to buy this book
Hey, idk if this is possible, but is there a way for you to set up an amazon or other bookseller affiliate link for the books you review? I would never have picked up this book based on the YA-looking cover, but after your spoiler-free explanation, I want to buy it and I figured it would be nice to give you the money for suggesting it to me lol
Stopping the video because I need to read this. But the whole needing to protect the princess while falling in love with her, as well as questions of religious truth very much remind me of the Priory of the Orange Tree. Granted the Priory isn't a dark fantasy, but it is a fantastic book.
that marshmallow pie sounds wonderful 🐦⬛
Stopping at the spoiler part because I really want to read this book now lol.
You saying Quicksilver my mind immediately went to the plot of Wicked is the Reaper because i legit thought that was the plot of Quicksilver. Now I realize I do not remember the plot of Quicksilver in the slightest and i don't want to.