Writing a religious cosmic-horror anthology titled "The Crimson Gospel". Its about these interdimensional cat people whose leader is a pope-like being who prophecies the end of the world.
I think this might be my favourite review of yours ever! 😱 I was thoroughly entertained and I thought it was a great balance of humour and also some really great analysis too. There were some really great insights and it was so interesting to learn how the story could have been enhanced. You have created the unintentional consequence of me buying the book. As I’ve read some trashy chick lit in my time, I’m curious how it’ll land with me haha. Here’s hoping you’ll do more similar reviews- maybe ACOTAR? 😃
It was tough. It took me an entire month to read it. I know I never would have it hadn't been a request. And after finishing, I remain baffled as to why anyone thinks this is a good read.
Thank you for this review. Ive been looking for some constructive criticism on this book for a while. Actually I did enjoy Fourth Wing despite its flaws that u mentioned here. However, after reading the second book in the series, Iron Flame, I realised that all the flaws are trippled there, not to mention the plot not making sense anymore. Almost made me embarrassed to like the first book 😅 I am curious to know your thoughts on ACOTAR books ( A Court of Thrones and Roses). If you ever decide to give a review for it, I would suggest reading first 2 books, not just one. As the first one is the introduction to the story and world (and most people are not super big fans of it), and second is the one where things start to get very interesting and intense
Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Someone else mentioned I should try ACOTAR too. It would be interesting to see which book is better written or if they're both about the same. Not sure if I'll be able to make it through two if it's anything like this one, but we'll see haha
I think she genuinely wrote it, but it felt so "written by committee" that I can see it feeling like AI. It's completely derivative, trying to mash a bunch of successful tropes together. Hunger games, Harry Potter, Twilight.
"I won't talk about my sex life, I'm talkin' movies and books!" Aw, come on Jason. I'm sure you're a chad. I'll admit, I burst out laughing when I read the bit where she sees Xaden for the first time, and then we learn it's the guy that her sister told her to beware of, I laughed even harder. Because of course that's the one who she gets hot and bothered about. God bless you man for taking this on, and taking this L on the chin. We owe you a great debt on the TH-cam community.
I am the target demographic of this book, and I bought it a couple weeks after it came out because of the hype . I had to take a break like 40 pages in because it was just messy. And the more I hear about it I don't know if I can pick it back up. I can't handle cringe LOL
I tried listening to the audio book and gave up after 10 minutes. It just came across as dry and derivative, and the main character like an action figure whom the author was just moving around on paper.
Lmao 😂😂😂😂 that opening was gold. Now, as a Black Female and Queer Fantasy Writer who is looking at this rise in Romantasy; it's personally, cringey as shit. In my honest opinion, it's sad how much the Romantasy Genre is ruining it for other writers trying to get Traditionally Published or seen in the Self-Published world. Most of these writers like Yarros and Maas, speak to women readers who have internalized misogyny because they have it themselves as authors. You can tell that Yarros and Maas operate from a source of dependency with men and that they have never been truly independent themselves as women. They use their characters as a cry for help as it’s a total self-insert, but these female leads always fail because Maas and Yarros aren’t that way themselves. They have never had to suffer or struggle so there books are not compelling, compared to N.K. Jemisin or Kuang. Even Elizabeth Moon had better depth than the dingbats that are Yarros and Maas. If you read close enough these women are just lucky to receive fame, and that is only because people don’t want to read real stories with a good journey or theme. Maas and Yarros female main characters, hold this pathetic pathology about themselves. For instance the women that they start out with have a goal or ambition they want to achieve, but as soon as the dark, abusive, broody handsome love interest appears she forgets all what she's supposed to do. Capable truly independent women with a goal, do not think or deal like this. So I won’t rant for too long, but there’s a mountain of issues wrong with this book and the author. From Yarros strange stance within the issues of Gaza, to her ripping off and butchering the Gaelic Language within her books, and then to a mountain of other shady crap she’s done in and out of her books it’s problematic that people actually like her horrid books. The truth is Maas and Yarros books are Romantasy Trad-Wife reading material on steroids. Still you’re right women deserve better. We do deserve a great book with well rounded female characters. Violet or Vi from League of Legends aka. Arcane on Netflix has some of the best writing I’ve ever seen with female characters, and it’s human story. Personally, I can’t wait for this Romantasy fad to end, and I’m glad Hulu canceled her adaptation; to be honest Yarros and Maas give me creepy Karen vibes.
Wow thanks for the insight! I know little of any of these authors' personal lives except what Yarros wrote in the afterword about how she's a Christian. What you said makes sense, though. Often the most powerful fiction comes from suffering. Neither of these women feel like they've ever gone through anything big, though, again, I know little about them. I love the writing in Arcane as well. A great example of powerful characterization. Can't wait for season 2!
I mean, it's telling that you insult white writers with racist insult, point out two another writers which happen go be non-white, and point out hourself are black (and dont forget gay!) only for that to literally mean nothing in the rest of your comments. Its also ironic that you're bringing down other women, while talking about internalized misogyny. If you're so good, you wouldn't be 1 subscriber you tube account being jealous in the comment section.
@@sweaty8717 Oh cry me a river, if you look at Kuang and N.K. Jemisin why is their writing a better equivalent? Don’t you think you’re projecting a tad bit too much? I mean don’t you have one subscriber cause when I pulled up that musty mugshot of an account sweaty I saw that one subscriber, speak on yourself and keep those sweaty ass comments to yourself. Also, I don’t need run around with an account like sorry I touch grass and have a life unlike you keyboard warriors. Now if your troglodyte having self actually read the rest, you would know that their is alot of unpacking white women have to do with their internalized misogyny when it comes to the creation of their books. White Women of these genres have to unpack that even when they had limited choices they STILL had choices, whereas women of color did not Octavia E. Butler did not have the same choices as Maas and Yarros. Also let’s not pretend that the publishing world doesn’t still have issues with race, even when it comes to there best selling authors of color and sexism most of them are disrespected even at their own awards ceremonies. Look to the 2020 Hugo Awards and then get back to me. I think this conversation is outta your depth, if all you took was race outta it. Suffering creates art and the empathy towards your suffering and others creates passion that fuels your art. Now you cannot have suffering, but empathy can go a long way into creating decent art. I’m sorry, but I’m not here to go easy on a demographic of people that have it all within the writing world. I would say all of this would be based on talent, but after reading so many books like Maas and Yarros they are killing the industry and they are painting women in this one centered light when women deserve human stories, not whatever Maas and Yarros are giving us. Also, their fans have a porn addiction it’s not hard to understand. However, if you just got omg she’s attacking the poor white women who support genocide in Gaza then this conversation is outta your intellectual depth.
hey, brazilian reader here, the amazing thumbnail made me click and I loved your analysis. I love high fantasy and love dragons so I think the core idea from fourth wing is really cool but GOD I was aware about some of the points you talked about and they just made me run from this book so fast lol I'm young but this "romantasy" wave where the exagerated romance masks the bad quality of other aspects of the book is so sad to me.
Thanks! Yeah this was a gift to my viewers haha. I told them I'd read and review any book and this is what they picked... The romantasy genre is getting big. I just didn't like it when these books pretend they are fantasy when they are really not.
I really like the book but the first time I listen to the book I listen to that dramatization and it really brought it to life with the different people doing the characters and then after that, I got a audiobook that was just one person reading it and it did seem pretty bland and I did notice the eyebrow thing and the F word, I agree she did try to show every second in the present, but again the traumatized audiobook I was cool with that lol
A great performance can really help an audiobook. I heard that in the single actor version the narrator had a cold while reading so the beginning sounds a bit different.
This is a little harsh in my opinion, i read this book in two days, couldnt put it down. I really enjoyed it but it knows its audience, its YA book with Smut its meant for young twenties, its fun and easy you're not supposed to think about it just enjoy it
Yeah I know I'm not the audience, which is why I tried to look at it objectively as I could from a storytelling standpoint and try to leave my personal opinions out of it.
I'm a woman in her young twenties and I understand the appeal of a guilty pleasure book, but I'm tired of these types of books always taking the limelight. Personally, I like books that make me think and have an engaging plot that challenges my worldview or expands upon it.
Among others. Suzanne Collins and JK Rowling, Stephanie Meyer. Probably more, but I don't read YA so am not as familiar. This book is clearly an attempt to take a bunch of popular YA books and mash them together. Based on sales, it worked.
I mean, not everything that has dragons in it takes after Anne McCaffrey, but the moment the whole "confusion between one's own lust and a dragon's lust" thing started, I was like - yeah, this is it. Tbh I found this stuff pretty cringeworthy in McCaffrey's books as well, and I don't need to see more of that. xD
Anne McCaffrey meets Mercedes Lackey’s Heralds of Valdemar, but dragons are meaner than Companions, add a generous side of Hunger Games type violence, HP style school and ‘houses’, and some sex. I listened to the audiobook, it was recommended by Audible after I finished a Lackey book, and I’m not loving it, but I also can’t stop. Even the sex scenes seem…weird. The minute I hear/read hard c-words I’m pretty turned off.
Don't care for this book, but being uppity about "teenage girl fanfiction" in not your lane, mandude. Indelicate critique from, you were right, not the target audience. Watch your tone in space that isn't yours. Protect creative teenage girls.
If it were purely fanfiction and not a zillion dollar bestseller, 1st book recommended in the Amazon fantasy section, as well as selling to tons of non-teens, then maybe the ridicule from others outside the "lane" would be uncalled for. Jason seemed pretty kind about it. Hardly a rant or uppity.
Well, teenage girls (and boys and whoever) deserve better literature. The whole 'oh, it's for kids/teens, so it's allowed to suck!' argument needs to die. Besides, your tone was awkwardly threatening, so perhaps it's not the channel owner who should think about that.
This is supposed to be smut with a fun narrative around it, and with this in mind I think it delivered just fine. It follows a lot of tropes and narration formulas sure, to build up drama and sexual tension because the goal of it is again, smut. Idk how much lady smut have read, but this is actually one of the better ones I have seen 🥲. Smut in general doesn’t really attempt world building at all.
I'd agree with you except the smut doesn't happen until the last quarter of the novel. And there are only two scenes. I also think with a book this long, a better developed character would have improved it immensely. You can still have a "fun" book with a great character. Think of Indiana Jones for instance.
My impression was the purpose of this book was to be a smutty drama-romance. Drama romance movies are generally pretty superficial to be honest, they’re not high-quality films by their own merit. Why people like them is because they follow tropes and the protagonist characters are generally underdeveloped ‘shells’ that can be filled up with the viewers ideals. In general most romantic dramas don’t come away with film awards for good writing and character development, but they’re still enjoyable for certain people. Sure the smut scenes don’t happen until the very end of the book, but the whole entire premise from the outset is to build tension for it. The protagonists sister emphasizes people have wanton sex as they wish because they could ‘die at any moment’ and from the first scene with the Xaden it’s all about sexual tension. Every single time Violet looks at Xaden their interactions are focused on building sexual tension - and honestly not much else. I honestly did not see the purpose of this book to really delve into its fantasy setting, that’s just a backdrop to pain the romantic drama around and build tension with cliche tropes. It’s pretty much written like your typical online smutty fanfic, but with more front loading to make the actual smut scenes more - I guess you could say investable. Personally I like smutty or spicy books that front load sexual tension at the front. Would I have liked it with more character development, more world building, sure. But honestly within this genre of ‘spicy romantic drama’ I don’t think I have really seen that in general enough to criticize this author as being ‘uniquely bad’ with how she wrote this book given what I think was her goal (writing a sexually tense, smutty book with a fantasy backdrop).
@@VinnaFoxI guess I just never felt that the tension was genuine, and you pair that with how long this book is, it never felt compelling in an way, even viscerally. As I mentioned in the review, the entire middle of the book felt less lowbrow, like Yarros was trying to make you feel for these characters and their plights. But because she never laid the foundation of making us care about anyone, it all fell flat for me. This book should have probably been half the length if she was going for a quick, mindless read. Either that or ratchet up the stakes, the romance, SOMETHING. It was all spread out too much in my opinion. Also, how did she completely ruin the love triangle trope? Isn't she a romance writer?
I actually do agree the book was lowbrow hahaha. It is written like a fan-fiction where the focus is on drawing out trope-heavy sexual tension - BUT without the benefit of having grounded media to pull from (like making a smutty fan-fic from Dr Who and leveraging developed characters and relationships from the show) so it’s more empty out than your usual fan-fic. To be honest I am new to the world of “romantasy” and ‘smut novels’ in general to definitively say if the book was too long or not - but I did still like the world building, and the tension building before the smut at the end. I personally like ‘contextual smut’ lol with a narrative to give it grounding and investment. And yes, the ‘teasing’, the tensions, some of the descriptions, and the s*x itself are all super cheesy. Especially the dragon lust part (seriously had me lmaoing for real). What sort of p*rn-oriented media isn’t? It generally does not take itself seriously. That’s part of why I don’t heavily fault it for those things. I wasn’t expecting this to be written to the caliber of GoT or LOTR or a more serious fantasy series. I think why it met my expectations was because it was introduced to me as it was - A smutty book with a heavy focus on lusting after a “forbidden” rival male protagonist with a dragon-world backdrop. I knew it would be shallow and a lot of the elements heavily predictable. I still got a kick out of it. Also I don’t think Dain was ever really a serious love interest, in the same way that Jacob in Twilight was supposed to be (not as much of a fan of that romance series for the record, but similar level of depth tbh). He was just a barrier character to act as a catalyst and contrast to the only real male interest. Dain is there to drag Violet down so that you clearly notice the ways the Xaden pulls Violet up, he makes Xaden look better by comparison - that’s the purpose of his character. It’s not supposed to split the reader into wondering which male romance option is the better choice, Dain is there to show you who the clear choice is - there’s no conundrum there because it’s not really a love triangle. I do think one of your criticisms on the last chapter with Xanden is amusingly on point - I do doubt that is how ‘men think’ hahah - but that’s the fiction of it. Have you ever watched Futurama? You ever see that scene where the crew goes to a factory that makes Valentine items with a testing dummy that says “My 2 favorite things are commitment, and changing myself” where a woman immediately swoons at it? Xaden in that chapter is not representing how men would think, but it is a heavily romanticized reflection of how women wish men would think - there’s a reason why this book is insanely popular amongst adult female readers and that’s one of the key reasons. But you know, you don’t have to like it. My only real point was that I think this book did deliver what the author intended it to. If you know of a better ‘romantasy’ with explicit tension-built smut but with well written world building and characters I am from a female lens - all ears - but generally in smutty books so far I just haven’t seen a balance of these things. They generally toss aside background character building and much world building to focus on the growing ‘climax’ as it were of the actual smut part - that being the entire core of the book even if there is a lot of bulk around it - I know quite a lot of fellow women readers who really like that fluff to build up some context (even if it’s weakly written).
The opening shot 🤣
A very fair review, very nicely put together. Congratulations.
Thanks! I had to pick a good line haha
Question at the end: Yes I read it intending to laugh with a friend. Joke was on us. 3/10.
Writing a religious cosmic-horror anthology titled "The Crimson Gospel". Its about these interdimensional cat people whose leader is a pope-like being who prophecies the end of the world.
I came to a 300 page mark and cannot take it anymore. I just can´t. Excellent review, every word Jason. Thanks
Thanks for the kind words. And I'm glad you're stopping while you're ahead :)
I think this might be my favourite review of yours ever! 😱 I was thoroughly entertained and I thought it was a great balance of humour and also some really great analysis too. There were some really great insights and it was so interesting to learn how the story could have been enhanced. You have created the unintentional consequence of me buying the book. As I’ve read some trashy chick lit in my time, I’m curious how it’ll land with me haha.
Here’s hoping you’ll do more similar reviews- maybe ACOTAR? 😃
hahaha well I'm glad you enjoyed it. I just wish the book hadn't been so painful.
I'm always open to suggestions of other "bad" books.
@@JasonFuhrmanhehe glad to hear it! I’ll keep an ear out!
P.s. you should check out hoopla, that way you aren't out money when a book is awful, and youd be helping libraries without having to go to one.
Good idea
Omg this was gold! 🤣 That opening quote! 😂 And the Lego picture! 😂💀 This sounds like a smuttier version of Eragon. And maybe written worse. 😆
hahaha yeah I knew I had to pick a quote that encapsulated the quality of this book. I haven't read Eragon, but I doubt you're far off.
You're not wrong, it is divergent meets Eragon. It's YA writing with smut added in, very quick read though
I just couldn't read past 8% of this book and that 8% was torture reading. I will never get women that think this book is phenomenal
It was tough. It took me an entire month to read it. I know I never would have it hadn't been a request. And after finishing, I remain baffled as to why anyone thinks this is a good read.
Thank you for this review. Ive been looking for some constructive criticism on this book for a while. Actually I did enjoy Fourth Wing despite its flaws that u mentioned here. However, after reading the second book in the series, Iron Flame, I realised that all the flaws are trippled there, not to mention the plot not making sense anymore. Almost made me embarrassed to like the first book 😅
I am curious to know your thoughts on ACOTAR books ( A Court of Thrones and Roses). If you ever decide to give a review for it, I would suggest reading first 2 books, not just one. As the first one is the introduction to the story and world (and most people are not super big fans of it), and second is the one where things start to get very interesting and intense
Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Someone else mentioned I should try ACOTAR too. It would be interesting to see which book is better written or if they're both about the same. Not sure if I'll be able to make it through two if it's anything like this one, but we'll see haha
Feel like acotar may be slightly better but not exceptionally good either @JasonFuhrman
That's what I figured. It would still be interesting to try to compare them since they're more or less in the same space, and not written for me haha
Most ladies, that have better mental capacity and a few more quality books under their belt, hate this book.
Glad to hear it 😊
Finally a review without a preexisting hype. For the record I haven't read it 🤷♀️
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P.S.
Have you one like this about Twilight?
Thanks for watching! I do not have a video review for Twilight. This review was a request from viewers. I doubt I would have read it otherwise haha
You’re welcome for the suggestion.
This is a historic moment.
Historic indeed
Did she actually write the book or did chatgpt? It sounds terrible.
I think she genuinely wrote it, but it felt so "written by committee" that I can see it feeling like AI. It's completely derivative, trying to mash a bunch of successful tropes together. Hunger games, Harry Potter, Twilight.
"I won't talk about my sex life, I'm talkin' movies and books!" Aw, come on Jason. I'm sure you're a chad.
I'll admit, I burst out laughing when I read the bit where she sees Xaden for the first time, and then we learn it's the guy that her sister told her to beware of, I laughed even harder. Because of course that's the one who she gets hot and bothered about. God bless you man for taking this on, and taking this L on the chin. We owe you a great debt on the TH-cam community.
Well I'm glad you appreciate my sacrifice haha
I am the target demographic of this book, and I bought it a couple weeks after it came out because of the hype . I had to take a break like 40 pages in because it was just messy. And the more I hear about it I don't know if I can pick it back up. I can't handle cringe LOL
Considering the first bit and more toward the end is where all the hilarious stuff happens, you might have a tough time in that second act slump haha
Also the repetition of "vise around my heart" and mage lights and whatnot. Really, really throws you off
I'm glad someone else noticed!
Please read Jennifer Armentrout. I swear I lost years off my life reading her books.
Hahaha. I'd never heard of her so looked her up, and just the cover art is taking years off my life. I'll check out a sample.
I think if I were to make a review it would be completely opposite... the book is amazing- 👀
Not the entrance!! I can’t with the entrance!
The question is: Which entrance?
I tried listening to the audio book and gave up after 10 minutes. It just came across as dry and derivative, and the main character like an action figure whom the author was just moving around on paper.
You didn't miss anything. I would have given up if my viewers didn't request a review, but I think it was just you troll me haha.
I really liked this review.
Thank you!
Lmao 😂😂😂😂 that opening was gold. Now, as a Black Female and Queer Fantasy Writer who is looking at this rise in Romantasy; it's personally, cringey as shit. In my honest opinion, it's sad how much the Romantasy Genre is ruining it for other writers trying to get Traditionally Published or seen in the Self-Published world. Most of these writers like Yarros and Maas, speak to women readers who have internalized misogyny because they have it themselves as authors. You can tell that Yarros and Maas operate from a source of dependency with men and that they have never been truly independent themselves as women. They use their characters as a cry for help as it’s a total self-insert, but these female leads always fail because Maas and Yarros aren’t that way themselves. They have never had to suffer or struggle so there books are not compelling, compared to N.K. Jemisin or Kuang. Even Elizabeth Moon had better depth than the dingbats that are Yarros and Maas.
If you read close enough these women are just lucky to receive fame, and that is only because people don’t want to read real stories with a good journey or theme. Maas and Yarros female main characters, hold this pathetic pathology about themselves. For instance the women that they start out with have a goal or ambition they want to achieve, but as soon as the dark, abusive, broody handsome love interest appears she forgets all what she's supposed to do. Capable truly independent women with a goal, do not think or deal like this.
So I won’t rant for too long, but there’s a mountain of issues wrong with this book and the author. From Yarros strange stance within the issues of Gaza, to her ripping off and butchering the Gaelic Language within her books, and then to a mountain of other shady crap she’s done in and out of her books it’s problematic that people actually like her horrid books. The truth is Maas and Yarros books are Romantasy Trad-Wife reading material on steroids.
Still you’re right women deserve better. We do deserve a great book with well rounded female characters. Violet or Vi from League of Legends aka. Arcane on Netflix has some of the best writing I’ve ever seen with female characters, and it’s human story. Personally, I can’t wait for this Romantasy fad to end, and I’m glad Hulu canceled her adaptation; to be honest Yarros and Maas give me creepy Karen vibes.
Wow thanks for the insight! I know little of any of these authors' personal lives except what Yarros wrote in the afterword about how she's a Christian.
What you said makes sense, though. Often the most powerful fiction comes from suffering. Neither of these women feel like they've ever gone through anything big, though, again, I know little about them.
I love the writing in Arcane as well. A great example of powerful characterization. Can't wait for season 2!
I mean, it's telling that you insult white writers with racist insult, point out two another writers which happen go be non-white, and point out hourself are black (and dont forget gay!) only for that to literally mean nothing in the rest of your comments. Its also ironic that you're bringing down other women, while talking about internalized misogyny. If you're so good, you wouldn't be 1 subscriber you tube account being jealous in the comment section.
@@sweaty8717 Oh cry me a river, if you look at Kuang and N.K. Jemisin why is their writing a better equivalent? Don’t you think you’re projecting a tad bit too much? I mean don’t you have one subscriber cause when I pulled up that musty mugshot of an account sweaty I saw that one subscriber, speak on yourself and keep those sweaty ass comments to yourself. Also, I don’t need run around with an account like sorry I touch grass and have a life unlike you keyboard warriors. Now if your troglodyte having self actually read the rest, you would know that their is alot of unpacking white women have to do with their internalized misogyny when it comes to the creation of their books. White Women of these genres have to unpack that even when they had limited choices they STILL had choices, whereas women of color did not Octavia E. Butler did not have the same choices as Maas and Yarros.
Also let’s not pretend that the publishing world doesn’t still have issues with race, even when it comes to there best selling authors of color and sexism most of them are disrespected even at their own awards ceremonies. Look to the 2020 Hugo Awards and then get back to me. I think this conversation is outta your depth, if all you took was race outta it. Suffering creates art and the empathy towards your suffering and others creates passion that fuels your art. Now you cannot have suffering, but empathy can go a long way into creating decent art. I’m sorry, but I’m not here to go easy on a demographic of people that have it all within the writing world. I would say all of this would be based on talent, but after reading so many books like Maas and Yarros they are killing the industry and they are painting women in this one centered light when women deserve human stories, not whatever Maas and Yarros are giving us. Also, their fans have a porn addiction it’s not hard to understand. However, if you just got omg she’s attacking the poor white women who support genocide in Gaza then this conversation is outta your intellectual depth.
@@JasonFuhrman Me too season 2 is gonna be great especially since it took so long for them to write for Arcane.
The over use of words is *spot on*
hey, brazilian reader here, the amazing thumbnail made me click and I loved your analysis. I love high fantasy and love dragons so I think the core idea from fourth wing is really cool but GOD I was aware about some of the points you talked about and they just made me run from this book so fast lol I'm young but this "romantasy" wave where the exagerated romance masks the bad quality of other aspects of the book is so sad to me.
Thanks! Yeah this was a gift to my viewers haha. I told them I'd read and review any book and this is what they picked...
The romantasy genre is getting big. I just didn't like it when these books pretend they are fantasy when they are really not.
I really like the book but the first time I listen to the book I listen to that dramatization and it really brought it to life with the different people doing the characters and then after that, I got a audiobook that was just one person reading it and it did seem pretty bland and I did notice the eyebrow thing and the F word, I agree she did try to show every second in the present, but again the traumatized audiobook I was cool with that lol
A great performance can really help an audiobook. I heard that in the single actor version the narrator had a cold while reading so the beginning sounds a bit different.
Really loved the book despite it not being perfect & have high hopes for the series as Rebecca grows as a writer along with Violet & Xaden.
I'm curious what you enjoyed about it. The biggest flaw for me was the poor characterization. If I can't get behind a character, the book falls apart.
This is a little harsh in my opinion, i read this book in two days, couldnt put it down. I really enjoyed it but it knows its audience, its YA book with Smut its meant for young twenties, its fun and easy you're not supposed to think about it just enjoy it
Yeah I know I'm not the audience, which is why I tried to look at it objectively as I could from a storytelling standpoint and try to leave my personal opinions out of it.
I'm a woman in her young twenties and I understand the appeal of a guilty pleasure book, but I'm tired of these types of books always taking the limelight. Personally, I like books that make me think and have an engaging plot that challenges my worldview or expands upon it.
just finished that book and agree hundred percent. so many notes to the logic and world and relationships... yet i liked it
Curious what kept you going if you saw the same shortcomings
So … what you’re saying is she ripped off Anne McCaffrey… but badly. 💀
Among others. Suzanne Collins and JK Rowling, Stephanie Meyer. Probably more, but I don't read YA so am not as familiar. This book is clearly an attempt to take a bunch of popular YA books and mash them together. Based on sales, it worked.
I mean, not everything that has dragons in it takes after Anne McCaffrey, but the moment the whole "confusion between one's own lust and a dragon's lust" thing started, I was like - yeah, this is it. Tbh I found this stuff pretty cringeworthy in McCaffrey's books as well, and I don't need to see more of that. xD
Anne McCaffrey meets Mercedes Lackey’s Heralds of Valdemar, but dragons are meaner than Companions, add a generous side of Hunger Games type violence, HP style school and ‘houses’, and some sex. I listened to the audiobook, it was recommended by Audible after I finished a Lackey book, and I’m not loving it, but I also can’t stop. Even the sex scenes seem…weird. The minute I hear/read hard c-words I’m pretty turned off.
who actually reads this shit lmao
Millions, unfortunately
Don't care for this book, but being uppity about "teenage girl fanfiction" in not your lane, mandude. Indelicate critique from, you were right, not the target audience. Watch your tone in space that isn't yours. Protect creative teenage girls.
Indelicate critique? I feel like I was pretty fair.
If it were purely fanfiction and not a zillion dollar bestseller, 1st book recommended in the Amazon fantasy section, as well as selling to tons of non-teens, then maybe the ridicule from others outside the "lane" would be uncalled for.
Jason seemed pretty kind about it. Hardly a rant or uppity.
Well, teenage girls (and boys and whoever) deserve better literature. The whole 'oh, it's for kids/teens, so it's allowed to suck!' argument needs to die. Besides, your tone was awkwardly threatening, so perhaps it's not the channel owner who should think about that.
You sir are a whiner
You need bottles and bottles of wine for this, certainly.
This is supposed to be smut with a fun narrative around it, and with this in mind I think it delivered just fine. It follows a lot of tropes and narration formulas sure, to build up drama and sexual tension because the goal of it is again, smut.
Idk how much lady smut have read, but this is actually one of the better ones I have seen 🥲. Smut in general doesn’t really attempt world building at all.
I'd agree with you except the smut doesn't happen until the last quarter of the novel. And there are only two scenes. I also think with a book this long, a better developed character would have improved it immensely. You can still have a "fun" book with a great character. Think of Indiana Jones for instance.
My impression was the purpose of this book was to be a smutty drama-romance. Drama romance movies are generally pretty superficial to be honest, they’re not high-quality films by their own merit. Why people like them is because they follow tropes and the protagonist characters are generally underdeveloped ‘shells’ that can be filled up with the viewers ideals. In general most romantic dramas don’t come away with film awards for good writing and character development, but they’re still enjoyable for certain people.
Sure the smut scenes don’t happen until the very end of the book, but the whole entire premise from the outset is to build tension for it. The protagonists sister emphasizes people have wanton sex as they wish because they could ‘die at any moment’ and from the first scene with the Xaden it’s all about sexual tension. Every single time Violet looks at Xaden their interactions are focused on building sexual tension - and honestly not much else.
I honestly did not see the purpose of this book to really delve into its fantasy setting, that’s just a backdrop to pain the romantic drama around and build tension with cliche tropes. It’s pretty much written like your typical online smutty fanfic, but with more front loading to make the actual smut scenes more - I guess you could say investable. Personally I like smutty or spicy books that front load sexual tension at the front.
Would I have liked it with more character development, more world building, sure. But honestly within this genre of ‘spicy romantic drama’ I don’t think I have really seen that in general enough to criticize this author as being ‘uniquely bad’ with how she wrote this book given what I think was her goal (writing a sexually tense, smutty book with a fantasy backdrop).
@@VinnaFoxI guess I just never felt that the tension was genuine, and you pair that with how long this book is, it never felt compelling in an way, even viscerally.
As I mentioned in the review, the entire middle of the book felt less lowbrow, like Yarros was trying to make you feel for these characters and their plights. But because she never laid the foundation of making us care about anyone, it all fell flat for me.
This book should have probably been half the length if she was going for a quick, mindless read. Either that or ratchet up the stakes, the romance, SOMETHING. It was all spread out too much in my opinion.
Also, how did she completely ruin the love triangle trope? Isn't she a romance writer?
I actually do agree the book was lowbrow hahaha. It is written like a fan-fiction where the focus is on drawing out trope-heavy sexual tension - BUT without the benefit of having grounded media to pull from (like making a smutty fan-fic from Dr Who and leveraging developed characters and relationships from the show) so it’s more empty out than your usual fan-fic.
To be honest I am new to the world of “romantasy” and ‘smut novels’ in general to definitively say if the book was too long or not - but I did still like the world building, and the tension building before the smut at the end. I personally like ‘contextual smut’ lol with a narrative to give it grounding and investment. And yes, the ‘teasing’, the tensions, some of the descriptions, and the s*x itself are all super cheesy. Especially the dragon lust part (seriously had me lmaoing for real). What sort of p*rn-oriented media isn’t? It generally does not take itself seriously. That’s part of why I don’t heavily fault it for those things. I wasn’t expecting this to be written to the caliber of GoT or LOTR or a more serious fantasy series. I think why it met my expectations was because it was introduced to me as it was - A smutty book with a heavy focus on lusting after a “forbidden” rival male protagonist with a dragon-world backdrop. I knew it would be shallow and a lot of the elements heavily predictable. I still got a kick out of it.
Also I don’t think Dain was ever really a serious love interest, in the same way that Jacob in Twilight was supposed to be (not as much of a fan of that romance series for the record, but similar level of depth tbh). He was just a barrier character to act as a catalyst and contrast to the only real male interest. Dain is there to drag Violet down so that you clearly notice the ways the Xaden pulls Violet up, he makes Xaden look better by comparison - that’s the purpose of his character. It’s not supposed to split the reader into wondering which male romance option is the better choice, Dain is there to show you who the clear choice is - there’s no conundrum there because it’s not really a love triangle.
I do think one of your criticisms on the last chapter with Xanden is amusingly on point - I do doubt that is how ‘men think’ hahah - but that’s the fiction of it. Have you ever watched Futurama? You ever see that scene where the crew goes to a factory that makes Valentine items with a testing dummy that says “My 2 favorite things are commitment, and changing myself” where a woman immediately swoons at it? Xaden in that chapter is not representing how men would think, but it is a heavily romanticized reflection of how women wish men would think - there’s a reason why this book is insanely popular amongst adult female readers and that’s one of the key reasons.
But you know, you don’t have to like it. My only real point was that I think this book did deliver what the author intended it to. If you know of a better ‘romantasy’ with explicit tension-built smut but with well written world building and characters I am from a female lens - all ears - but generally in smutty books so far I just haven’t seen a balance of these things. They generally toss aside background character building and much world building to focus on the growing ‘climax’ as it were of the actual smut part - that being the entire core of the book even if there is a lot of bulk around it - I know quite a lot of fellow women readers who really like that fluff to build up some context (even if it’s weakly written).