Honestly I personally don't care that many readers just read books for fun. I just wish that they were less defensive when people called their books shit. You can enjoy something while also knowing it's bad. I hate how they'll go after people who criticize their shitty romances, especially shitty dark romances. Like be fr. I love lots of things that are objectively bad, and I dgaf that other people hate them.
no bc “turning off your brain” only works if you will eventually turn it back on and acknowledge problems and other criticisms about the text. It does not work if your brain stays turned off and you refuse to accept any sort of criticism about the book. There are many examples of media I know have flaws but i’ve also enjoyed them
44:42 i feel like all these books that try to be the hunger games do this, like they have their big competition but they never want it to be a thing where everyone except for 1 person dies, so it just ends up being really convoluted and kinda stupid, Lightlark did the same thing
i agree! i definitely get it from a writing perspective that maybe it's daunting to write a whole cast of characters and then kill most of them off, but that was really necessary to make THG as good and intense as it was!
also: there are some more serious allegations of plagiarism with claims of copied characters, scenes, lifted dialogue, etc from Red Queen, but I have not read that book so I cannot speak to this! maybe a commenter can confirm or deny for us :)
I had high expectations for the book because it was hyped for the banter but I was so disappointed 😭😭😭 it was insta love, and just the banter was cringe at time. The world building didn’t make sense and the trials weren’t even intriguing 😭
I love watching these types of reviews as a aspiring writter, so I can understand better where to make my universe more interesting for the reader and more attractive as well. I loved how you made predictions and pointed out the hypocrisis and total lack of political and magical understanding to do such comentary as the author aspired to. Amazing review! Looking forward for more to see what other unhinged stories we're going to dive next
I read this at, like, 13 and on every page I was shocked by how had it was. AT 13 !!! There really is no excuse. I had no idea this book was blowing up on tiktok and it was such a buried memory. I totally forgot it existed. I remember thinking then it felt like a copycat of Red Queen but Bad. If a dyslexic 13yo catches more spelling errors than you, the author, ….. girl I KNOW you did not read that back
i haven't finished watching this yet as i'm commenting but one of the problems with the social commentary of this book (that bothered me a lot, considering the time it was released and real world issues) is how, like you said, it's almost like lauren WANTS to say something, but refrains. as a romance book, to me it's fine, but as a fantasy, especially a political fantasy, it's mediocre. if you're going to delve into problems like these, you need to discuss them with the maturity and attention they deserve. because, again like you said, it's hard to take it seriously when the book doesn't take it seriously, and downplays the struggles of the lower class. (sorry for the rant, i have so much to say about this book and i look forward to finishing your video 💗💗)
definitely esp considering current events like you said! i agree, like it's completely fine if she just wants to write a fun romantasy book, but then why bring up such intense real world political issues?
34:43 actually made me scare my cat with how suddenly i laughed 😂 i just found your channel today but i love your approach and articulation already, thumbs up!
thanks for the good video. I’m very pleased that you touched on really deep topics about the analysis of how we relate to heroes. Tbh I myself have never thought about the concept “wanting something is good as long as the character doesn’t try to do anything, but as soon as they go towards the goal, the character becomes bad.” It's also very nice to see that you don't really have a negative attitude towards the book. much better than those who truly hate such literature.
Help at the start of the expectation I was like "Ilya lol, like Julian Devorak from the Aracna" and them you said post plague setting and they have powers which also both happen in that game I-
Very thoughtful review. I can't help feeling that the author wanted to have their cake and eat it too with regards to the stakes of the trial or whatever it was called I already forgot. I feel like she wanted to have the stakes of hunger games but without the inevitably depressing tone and implications of the story dragging down the mood of the romance, which is understandable but it feels like she didn't just not understand what was the purpose of the killing thematically, but just in terms of basic narrative design, the fact that each character either Has to kill or be killed means that you always know what the stakes are and each character is deeply motivated by survival. She took away the need for killing and replaced it with nothing which is bonkers because all she needed to do to make it a reasonably adequate part of the story was to make the competition have some kind of reward, as, y'know, competitions are almost unanimously known to have. And then frame the whole thing as showing how far people are willing to go to get such thing, whatever it is, as many other stories of this kind are known to do. As it stands the completely unnecessary killing doesn't characterize anyone as willing to do what it takes, but as a bunch of deranged wackos who like killing for the sake of it, which also doesn't serve adequately as characterization because the writer does not seem aware of this and therefore does not lean into it or reflect on it. It's just so wild.
my cousin recommended me this book, and as someone who just got back into reading but never really read fantasy, i thought it was good. the second book... is why you shouldn't plan a trilogy before writing the second book 😭
wait I also wanted to add, I think the author forgets that paedyn is claimed to be a psychic. i barely remember it being brought up during the trials. you know, the trials that require you to use your abilities to win.
oh noooo i've been hearing negative things about the sequel... also rlly good point you brought up! the trials barely require magic at all (paedyn doesnt even have any and shes fine) and really seem more like tests of physical strength than anything else; all the people with powers just use them for fighting and such, so removing the powers entirely would just make them... fight without powers lol, no change to the plot. it would have been cool to see pae using her "ability" to intuit solutions to problems or predict how her opponents will approach a task! ty for watching
48:37 I don't believe this book had a time period. They have running water, electricity, eyeliner, leggings (which is what Paedyn wore to the first formal dinner with the king and queen), horse and carriage, swords, bombs, projector screens for the Sights (at least from my understanding), and it sounds like other mildly modern appliances, but it's hard to say. I just know for sure that it isn't as medieval as it sound.
that’s true! i don’t remember explicit mention of electricity but that might just be my memory. i guess we can assume gun powder for the bombs? and indoor plumbing is mildly modern like you said, and then everything else could be from pretty much any time period. idk it’s hard to place for me but it’s not the biggest deal. ty for your comment 🤍
@@nataliereads.mp4 maybe I’m wrong about the electricity myself, I read the book a while ago. I really liked listening to you break down the issues with the line structure in this book. And your issue with him calling her a “little thing” I’m so glad I’m not the only one who had a problem with that lol.
@@anysnameever3872 oh thank you! i'm never sure if people are interested in the more technical grammar stuff, so that's great to hear :) and lol i can't stand cringy nicknames in romance, tysm for watching!
I read 125 pages before i decided i was not strong enough to push through. The prose was elementary (I am 15 and it still bothered me), and the scenes with “sexual tension” was simple awkward and forced. Good for her though for accomplishing this at such a young age.
i just realised that you only have 748 (i mean, still a lot lol), like i thought i was wathcing someone with like 100K subs cuz this is so fun ot watch??
wait I’m back because for some reason I didn’t watch the last 15 minutes of this? but as I finish, I had a thought re: your comments about the “both sides are bad” messaging undercutting the themes of the story. there are stories that really effectively show that resistance movements are imperfect & often filled with conflicting views of what justice looks like, while still emphasizing that those complications don’t invalidate their fight against oppression. (not to rely on an overused example, but the hunger games does a pretty great job of this). unfortunately, when these ideas aren’t developed fully, it comes across more like what you’re saying-everyone is wrong except for the magical protagonist who came out of her mother’s womb with perfect morals and the ability to discern which oppressors are *actually* bad people. it’s just an overly simplistic view of how revolutionary change happens, and it feeds into the idea that only “perfect victims” can demand that their oppression cease. all that to say-if it had been developed more fully, it seems like the resistance movement calling for the blood of the king’s children could’ve been a complex and nuanced way of exploring those ideas, but it doesn’t sound like it was
yeah definitely ty!! i rlly like what you said about the “perfect victim”, but the book was nowhere near ready for that level of nuance and tbh the mc didn’t even really campaign very hard for the end of oppression
I ate this up, but in the same way you did - it was no unserious and so ridiculous. I did not continue the series. I didn't realize it was self published haha I feel like I haven't had the best luck with self published books, but maybe I just haven't found the right ones for me yet. I heard a lot of people say this was a rip off the red queen and hunger games - I've never read the red queen, but I can 100% see the similarities between this and the hunger games.
I’m a little confused about the ages? I haven’t read the book but did Kay kill Pay’s dad as a child or is he a lot older than Pay. I haven’t read the book so maybe it’s explained! Anyway I loved this video!
lol no i was also a little confused when the twist got revealed, but they're the same age! they were both young teenagers when it happened! ty for watchinggg
"genetically engineered for booktok" is such a funny and accurate way to describe powerless and some of the other recently-released romantasy series 👀
LMAO i have a few guesses for which others u mean
@@nataliereads.mp4you’re very pretty Natalie
so you're telling me the king killed her stylist in front of her? never been done
omggggg i cant believe i missed this one
Great analysis. I really like when readers don't turn off their brain while reading, even if it's "just" romantasy.
Honestly I personally don't care that many readers just read books for fun. I just wish that they were less defensive when people called their books shit. You can enjoy something while also knowing it's bad. I hate how they'll go after people who criticize their shitty romances, especially shitty dark romances. Like be fr. I love lots of things that are objectively bad, and I dgaf that other people hate them.
no bc “turning off your brain” only works if you will eventually turn it back on and acknowledge problems and other criticisms about the text. It does not work if your brain stays turned off and you refuse to accept any sort of criticism about the book. There are many examples of media I know have flaws but i’ve also enjoyed them
44:42 i feel like all these books that try to be the hunger games do this, like they have their big competition but they never want it to be a thing where everyone except for 1 person dies, so it just ends up being really convoluted and kinda stupid, Lightlark did the same thing
i agree! i definitely get it from a writing perspective that maybe it's daunting to write a whole cast of characters and then kill most of them off, but that was really necessary to make THG as good and intense as it was!
also the way she named a thief character PAY ur kidding. ur joking with me right now. ur pulling my leg mama
also: there are some more serious allegations of plagiarism with claims of copied characters, scenes, lifted dialogue, etc from Red Queen, but I have not read that book so I cannot speak to this! maybe a commenter can confirm or deny for us :)
I have read "Red Queen", and it does seem extremely similar tbh
I had high expectations for the book because it was hyped for the banter but I was so disappointed 😭😭😭
it was insta love, and just the banter was cringe at time. The world building didn’t make sense and the trials weren’t even intriguing 😭
actually so real, like why did the trials even exist
😭
I love watching these types of reviews as a aspiring writter, so I can understand better where to make my universe more interesting for the reader and more attractive as well. I loved how you made predictions and pointed out the hypocrisis and total lack of political and magical understanding to do such comentary as the author aspired to. Amazing review! Looking forward for more to see what other unhinged stories we're going to dive next
I read this at, like, 13 and on every page I was shocked by how had it was. AT 13 !!! There really is no excuse. I had no idea this book was blowing up on tiktok and it was such a buried memory. I totally forgot it existed. I remember thinking then it felt like a copycat of Red Queen but Bad. If a dyslexic 13yo catches more spelling errors than you, the author, ….. girl I KNOW you did not read that back
i haven't finished watching this yet as i'm commenting but one of the problems with the social commentary of this book (that bothered me a lot, considering the time it was released and real world issues) is how, like you said, it's almost like lauren WANTS to say something, but refrains. as a romance book, to me it's fine, but as a fantasy, especially a political fantasy, it's mediocre. if you're going to delve into problems like these, you need to discuss them with the maturity and attention they deserve. because, again like you said, it's hard to take it seriously when the book doesn't take it seriously, and downplays the struggles of the lower class. (sorry for the rant, i have so much to say about this book and i look forward to finishing your video 💗💗)
definitely esp considering current events like you said! i agree, like it's completely fine if she just wants to write a fun romantasy book, but then why bring up such intense real world political issues?
I really appreciate your take on this! I thought I was crazy for not loving this because it was SO popular on booktok.
i try not to succumb to the booktok peer pressure but i swear this book was in like every other video
This is without a doubt the single funniest commentary of this book, it's so goofy. If my power was "voice loud" I'd kms too
djabahahiq ty!!!!
34:43 actually made me scare my cat with how suddenly i laughed 😂 i just found your channel today but i love your approach and articulation already, thumbs up!
tysm!!! happy you're here! :) 🤍
thanks for the good video. I’m very pleased that you touched on really deep topics about the analysis of how we relate to heroes. Tbh I myself have never thought about the concept “wanting something is good as long as the character doesn’t try to do anything, but as soon as they go towards the goal, the character becomes bad.”
It's also very nice to see that you don't really have a negative attitude towards the book. much better than those who truly hate such literature.
“put your clothes back on” akdhajsdkia i laughed out loud so many times while listening to this
EMMAAAAAA 🤍🤍🤍🤍🥰
Ugh I love deep dives and book videos and now I’m gonna have to binge ur channel so like don’t mind me in the comments😋
Help at the start of the expectation I was like "Ilya lol, like Julian Devorak from the Aracna" and them you said post plague setting and they have powers which also both happen in that game I-
OMG i knew i had heard the name Ilya before but i couldn't figure out where
Very thoughtful review. I can't help feeling that the author wanted to have their cake and eat it too with regards to the stakes of the trial or whatever it was called I already forgot. I feel like she wanted to have the stakes of hunger games but without the inevitably depressing tone and implications of the story dragging down the mood of the romance, which is understandable but it feels like she didn't just not understand what was the purpose of the killing thematically, but just in terms of basic narrative design, the fact that each character either Has to kill or be killed means that you always know what the stakes are and each character is deeply motivated by survival.
She took away the need for killing and replaced it with nothing which is bonkers because all she needed to do to make it a reasonably adequate part of the story was to make the competition have some kind of reward, as, y'know, competitions are almost unanimously known to have. And then frame the whole thing as showing how far people are willing to go to get such thing, whatever it is, as many other stories of this kind are known to do.
As it stands the completely unnecessary killing doesn't characterize anyone as willing to do what it takes, but as a bunch of deranged wackos who like killing for the sake of it, which also doesn't serve adequately as characterization because the writer does not seem aware of this and therefore does not lean into it or reflect on it. It's just so wild.
i love long reviews
my cousin recommended me this book, and as someone who just got back into reading but never really read fantasy, i thought it was good. the second book... is why you shouldn't plan a trilogy before writing the second book 😭
wait I also wanted to add, I think the author forgets that paedyn is claimed to be a psychic. i barely remember it being brought up during the trials. you know, the trials that require you to use your abilities to win.
oh noooo i've been hearing negative things about the sequel... also rlly good point you brought up! the trials barely require magic at all (paedyn doesnt even have any and shes fine) and really seem more like tests of physical strength than anything else; all the people with powers just use them for fighting and such, so removing the powers entirely would just make them... fight without powers lol, no change to the plot. it would have been cool to see pae using her "ability" to intuit solutions to problems or predict how her opponents will approach a task!
ty for watching
48:37 I don't believe this book had a time period. They have running water, electricity, eyeliner, leggings (which is what Paedyn wore to the first formal dinner with the king and queen), horse and carriage, swords, bombs, projector screens for the Sights (at least from my understanding), and it sounds like other mildly modern appliances, but it's hard to say. I just know for sure that it isn't as medieval as it sound.
that’s true! i don’t remember explicit mention of electricity but that might just be my memory. i guess we can assume gun powder for the bombs? and indoor plumbing is mildly modern like you said, and then everything else could be from pretty much any time period. idk it’s hard to place for me but it’s not the biggest deal. ty for your comment 🤍
@@nataliereads.mp4 maybe I’m wrong about the electricity myself, I read the book a while ago. I really liked listening to you break down the issues with the line structure in this book. And your issue with him calling her a “little thing” I’m so glad I’m not the only one who had a problem with that lol.
@@anysnameever3872 oh thank you! i'm never sure if people are interested in the more technical grammar stuff, so that's great to hear :) and lol i can't stand cringy nicknames in romance, tysm for watching!
I read 125 pages before i decided i was not strong enough to push through. The prose was elementary (I am 15 and it still bothered me), and the scenes with “sexual tension” was simple awkward and forced. Good for her though for accomplishing this at such a young age.
ahhhh, so glad to see you back, I have missed your analyses! 💖😍💖
ahhhhhh ilyyyyyy 😭💖💖💖💖💖💖💖
i just realised that you only have 748 (i mean, still a lot lol), like i thought i was wathcing someone with like 100K subs cuz this is so fun ot watch??
🤍🤍🤍
everytime you say "to Pay" I think you're saying toupee
wait I’m back because for some reason I didn’t watch the last 15 minutes of this? but as I finish, I had a thought re: your comments about the “both sides are bad” messaging undercutting the themes of the story. there are stories that really effectively show that resistance movements are imperfect & often filled with conflicting views of what justice looks like, while still emphasizing that those complications don’t invalidate their fight against oppression. (not to rely on an overused example, but the hunger games does a pretty great job of this). unfortunately, when these ideas aren’t developed fully, it comes across more like what you’re saying-everyone is wrong except for the magical protagonist who came out of her mother’s womb with perfect morals and the ability to discern which oppressors are *actually* bad people. it’s just an overly simplistic view of how revolutionary change happens, and it feeds into the idea that only “perfect victims” can demand that their oppression cease. all that to say-if it had been developed more fully, it seems like the resistance movement calling for the blood of the king’s children could’ve been a complex and nuanced way of exploring those ideas, but it doesn’t sound like it was
yeah definitely ty!! i rlly like what you said about the “perfect victim”, but the book was nowhere near ready for that level of nuance and tbh the mc didn’t even really campaign very hard for the end of oppression
@@nataliereads.mp4 so strange 😂 looking forward to watching your review of the next one!!
@@emmaexlibris aw ty, and im looking forward to YOUR next review!
I ate this up, but in the same way you did - it was no unserious and so ridiculous. I did not continue the series.
I didn't realize it was self published haha I feel like I haven't had the best luck with self published books, but maybe I just haven't found the right ones for me yet.
I heard a lot of people say this was a rip off the red queen and hunger games - I've never read the red queen, but I can 100% see the similarities between this and the hunger games.
I’m a little confused about the ages? I haven’t read the book but did Kay kill Pay’s dad as a child or is he a lot older than Pay. I haven’t read the book so maybe it’s explained! Anyway I loved this video!
lol no i was also a little confused when the twist got revealed, but they're the same age! they were both young teenagers when it happened! ty for watchinggg
I have this book on hold. Guess i can cancel that...
lollll you never know! it was an easy and fun read tbh so i get why people like it!