If you're going to buy Descendent of the Crane, make sure you are buying a paperback copy published by Titan books. The author stopped getting paid last year by the old publishers and had to fight to get the rights back to the book to take it to a new publisher
"I pictured her as Ursula the whole time" - YES THANK YOU, I'm glad I wasn't the only one 😅 I love To Kill A Kingdom so much, i wish more authors wrote about scary killer sirens 😔
YES YES YEEES!! I appreciate fanstasy standalones more than series because the ability to write intricate and complex worldbuilding, genuinely great plot AND loveable characters you want to root for in ONE book is so damn difficult and I admire authors who do that. Margaret Rogerson for her Sorcery and Thorns is the perfect example and I am LIVING for it! 💖
Seeing you talk about a book by an Indian author makes me soooo happy 😭😭😭 because most of booktube only reads south east asian authors when they're asked to include Asian books. Thanks bestie!!
Here to recommend two of my all-time faves: The Night Circus, and The Starless Sea both by Erin Morgenstern. The Night Circus follows two magicians who are in a competition with each other, but they dont know they're each others competition. The stage for the competition is a magical travelling circus that only opens at night. It's very lyrical and whimsical, and follows multiple timelines and characters. The Starless Sea is about a magical underground library, that is discovered by a boy who had to protect it. The story is interspersed by passages from books found in the library, however those stories are in fact the history of the library, and relate to characters we later meet. Also very magical writing, and both utterly immersive
A standalone book I love is " Death under the deodars " by Ruskin Bond. It has short stories but they are all about the murders or crimes that have taken place in and around Mussourie ( It is a hill station in India where the author actually lives) and it is all narrated in the form of stories so it actually feels like you are sitting in the hotel lobby with the narrator, drinking tea and discussing these crimes. I think you'll really like it especially since these are all crime stories . If it sounds interesting then do try it :))
me in these sorts of videos: pauses video opens goodreads is now prepared to add all of them to her already super long tbr presses play with an eager smile: I'm ready to proceed cari, take it away! xD
I cannot express the ABSOLUTE JOY i felt when you brought up the near witch it was my first stand alone book, and honestly at the time the first book i had picked up in a while. It made me fall in love with reading all over again
You're literally the only booktuber that I watch and got me back into reading again, we just have the same taste! I felt like, after becoming an adult and going to college, that I read everything that I liked and fet empty trying on these new adult books that I just didn't feel the intensity I would find with YA books at my high school. To be honest I kinda felt lost for a few years because reading used to be my thing, reading 300 books a year AT LEAST and just loving it. Now, I'd just read things for college and a bunch of books where you don't feel anything, you don't see images, you just read cause the're's useful information in it and it just...sucks. So, really, THANK YOU. I've started reading again thanks to you after a book that you recommended and now I read most of the books you recommend and that fit my taste! I feel like I've found myself again and realized that, even if I'm an adult, it's okay to read books that are not targeted for my age if that's what I like :)
You know when see a video on your feed while in the bed almost asleep and you click on it just to save it your history to watch later cause you find it really really interesting. Thats what I am doing rn.
Joan He (Author of Descendant of the Crane) is publishing a new book out in May called The Ones We're Meant to Find. It's definitely different by DoTC but I think, based off of what you like, you'll enjoy TOWMTF as well!
the way i watched this video previously, completely forgot descendant of the crane was mentioned, read it recently, and then came back to this video. but oh my god the /ending/ 😱😱 and the way the author has said she has no intention of continuing the story 😭😭 when i say i had a mini breakdown when i found that out…
I really loved the standalone „the priory of the orange tree“ if you haven‘t read it yet. It’s very refreshing to read, even with lgbt elements. It‘s leaning more towards adult fantasy though.
@@tehelea Oh wait, are you German? Because I'm German, and I know that the German publisher split the book in two, maybe that's why? I hate when they do that just so that they can get more money out of it. The English book costs around 20€ but if you want to get the book in German you have to pay at least 40€ :( Was the same with "A Song of Ice and Fire" (Game of Thrones), the German publisher split every book in two so now you have to pay 160€ (!!) for the whole series instead of just 20€ for the whole enlish series :( Rip off...
Holly Black and Kristin Cashore both have some really good stand-alones! The Darkest Part of the Forest is another fantastic fey story from the urban faerie queen, and Kristin Cashore has quite a trippy one called Jane, Unlimited. There's a common beginning and then 5 different endings with increasing levels of magic that was quite an interesting read
Aaaah, I have these kind of coincidences and parallels between books I‘m reading and real life all the time! It freaks me out every time and this is the first time I hear someone has experienced this too. Aaah! And now let me add all those books (except the 3 I already read) to my tbr because I really need more fantasy standalones in my life and your recommendations never disappoint.
ok honestly your videos are the best to do homework or chores to! they’re a good length and not too distracting, but i can still pay attention to it and i love them!
Ok, this is it. This is the video that finally got me to go read Sorcery of Thorns, and I just want to say, Cari, THANK YOU for not shutting up about that book because WHAT A DELIGHT. A+ book, definitely. It just felt like a fantastic adventure tied up with a hug for any booklover. I'm so glad I read it and the only problem I have is that there isn't a sequel.
Read The House of Salt and Sorrows and looooooved it! One of my good friends recommended it because she was absolutely blown away with the book and I felt exactly the same way, talking with her for like 4 hours on the phone about it. I recommended it to someone else and she enjoyed the read, but wasn't satisfied by the ending. I felt completely opposite. So glad it ended how it did. I will definitely say it was a wacky read. The writing was stunning and felt a bit higher quality than most of the YA I read. It was a spin-off somewhat of the Twelve Dancing Princesses story, but even knowing that, the plot felt 100% original. Some of the events of the story were insane and whiplashy and even though the book contained a few romantic cliches and such, it was *packed* with amazing amazing amazing, unexpected... Layers. So much. I can't even get into it because it would spoil it, but the book gets... Trippy. Anyway, that's all to say that I totally understand why some people may not like this because of its originality, but others will latch onto it aggressively because it's so different. Totally recommend the read. Maybe a hit, might be a miss. You got nothing to lose by reading it. May discover one of your favorites. 💜
yessss! i agree, I feel like i came soooo close to liking it and if i read it again I'd like it more so I definitely think people should still give it a try! glad you loved it :)
I started it not knowing what it was gonna be. It was on the YA section and I thought it was gonna be like a normal YA romance prince meets you know like more of a Less Scary book but was I sooo wrong! It scared the crap out of me that everytime I hear a floorboard creaking at night I just absolutely lose it.
A house of Salt and sorrow ☑ To kill a kingdom ☑ Sorcery of thorns☑ An enchantment of ravens ☑ The invisible life of addie larue ☑ Wicked deep.....currently reading
Thank you so much for these! It’s so hard finding YA fantasy that is not in series. I love reading books in series usually but sometimes I just want to read a single book. Btw, I think the House of Salt and Sorrows was so fascinating!
I've not long finished the audio book of to kill a kingdom. It was fantastic. The fact that the male reader would read what the siren would say slower and more delicate as it was stated that she wasn't fluent was a nice touch.
I read both a sorcery of thorns and an enchantment of ravens because of you and I LOVED THEM! the former more than the latter because i can relate to her more
I am not sure if you have heard of it, but The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is a very magical, poetic, labyrinth of a book and my absolute favorite standalone! It is a beautiful book
I loved this list! I just read one from all "House of Salt and Sorrow", also found pretty okay. But you left me excited for Margareth Rogerson books! I really like stories with fairy tale like stories, so it's right on my alley!
I’m new to the channel but loved books like “The Haunting Season” by Michelle Muto, “Sweet Unrest” by Lisa Maxwell, and “ The Caged Graves” by Diane Salerni. They are a little older but can definitely be good choices for standalone reading. I know Michelle Muto wrote a follow up to “ The Haunting Season” but it definitely works as a standalone read.
So cool to see someone mention Library of Fates! I remember enjoying it but I don’t remember what happens at all lol. I read another Aditi Khorana book called Mirror in the Sky. This is actually a science fiction standalone. Basically, scientists discover this other planet that is a mirror of Earth. The book is about how the characters react to this information. Some people try to continue living life normally. Others join cults. It was a very interesting read to see how people might deal with a huge scientific discovery like this. Definitely recommend.
I’m so happy you chose now to post this cause I’ve been feeling super guilty for reading (cause exam time😬) but I also am very much in a ready mood. So quick and easy is about as much as I can read rn hahah
Totally agree with you about Descendant of the Crane, I ABSOLUTELY NEED A SECOND BOOK RIGHT NOW!! I read it in the winter of 2020 and finished it within 2 days. I usually don't like YA books with highly political themes, but this one really blew me away. It has now become one of my all-time favorites. The writing is so beautiful, the world-building is magical, the characters are all very interesting, the fantasy aspect is very mysterious and intriguing, and the PLOT TWISTS...oh my gosh, I don't think I've ever been so shocked by so many plot twists in my life. I would def recommend it, so soo good!! 💖💜
"The Lucky Ones" by Liz Lawson is a cute standalone book here is the blurb: One chance encounter can change everything. Everyone tells May she's lucky she survived the shooting that killed her twin brother. May doesn't feel lucky, though. She feels angry. And lost. And alone. No one can possibly understand how much it hurts to be her. Zach lost his old life when his mother decided to defend the shooter. His girlfriend dumped him and his friends bailed, so now he spends his time hanging out with his little sister... and the one faithful friend who stuck around. Which is how Zach ends up at band practice that night. The same night May goes with her best friend to audition for a new band. Which is how May meets Zach. And how Zach meets May. And how they both figure out that they might be lucky after all.
OK I have had Enchantment of Raven's on my shelf for months! You just made me move it onto next month's tbr because that sounds even better than the synopsis I read that made me buy it! LOL
i recommend heartless by marissa meyer!! i always loved the alice in wonderland aesthetic so i literally tore through this book i rlly rlly recommend!!
oh, yeah, the house of salt and sorrows is a re-telling of the 12 dancing princesses. also, love the list. will definitely be reading some of the books you suggested.
i love how in depth you go with your summaries. a lot of the books you talk about never previously pique my interest because the summaries given are vague and it’s hard for me to become interested in them, but after you talk about them i end up adding them to my TBR!
To Kill Kingdom, Sorcery of Thorns, and The Wicked Deep was awesome. Similar Standalone: Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge. Summary on Goodreads: Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him. With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people. But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her. As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.
I really liked this one, but one thing that still stumps me is: how on earth was she supposed to guess his name? Because we as readers, never even get enough worldbuilding about the royalty in the universe to know there was any royalty 😅
'Addie LaRue' reminded me of the old movie 'Remains of the day.' Not in terms of the plot, but in terms of choices and regrets. I think Addie LaRue works if the reader is old enough to ponder 'what have I been doing with my life?' Not knowing what it was about, it was refreshing for me. (I loved the finger painting scene being the metaphorical and tangible connection for an intangible lady) 'Thousand Doors' sounds similar to 'the Midnight Library.' Instead of a door, you pick up a book of your own possible life. Also about regrets. Anyway, the two Rogerson books are on hold! Thank you for the suggestions, as always.
Such an excellent list omg, thank you. I'm honestly so tired of reading long series because I end up not liking them so I stopped reading YA Fantasy for a few months. I needed this to get back cus I really missed it.
I’m currently reading “to kill a kingdom” and I’m halfway through and it’s pretty interesting so far , so I can definitely understand why it’s on your list😆
Just finished to kill a kingdom and can say it will stick with me forever. It was amazing and uk those books that don't make u need to stay up all night because of their intensity but are these calm comfy vibes. It was like that and so was enchantment of ravens. Both these books are truly amazing. One more standalone i want to recomend is heartless by Marissa meyer i loved it sm. Anyways, lovely vid and u look beautiful
These look like so much fun to read! Also, I’ve been trying to find this book for years now but I can’t remember the title or the name of the author. But, I do remember some parts of the book: -The cover of the book was like a blue sky with fairies flying around in the middle -There was once scene where water pond/ lake fairies made you answer riddles to pass the lake -There was a scene were you walked into a shy weeping fairy in an icy cave -There was a scene in the dark, where the pond/ lake morphed into a face of person.... That’s really all I remember, also the book was more a chapter thick book, rather than a thin book If anyone knows the name of the book or the author pls tell me, thank you 🙏🏻🤍🤍
I loved To Kill a Kingdom!! I read it in one sitting and I wanted moreeee lol i actually felt like there was a decent amount of world-building and character development for such a short book which was great
Well i have to read a couple on this list. Addie larue is a pretty story but sooo slow, for me at least. And sorcery of thorns is one of my favs too! I dont usually read standalones but the bone people caught my attention. Ty cari!
About the Library of Fates - just hearing your description, I immediately recognized the plot from another book "The Star Touched Queen". Perhaps it is just in broad descriptions similar to The Library of Fates, but it has everything you mentioned was lacking in Fates, and I believe it has a sequel? But I didn't read it, and if I remember correctly, The Star Touched Queen does just as well as a standalone novel. And it is *_very_* angsty, lots of romance, lots of misunderstanding, betrayal... the perfect YA fantasy/romance set in fantastical middle East.
Hahah i always open a word document and use the voice tool to record my first run through/word vomit lol and then i pick out pieces that don’t matter 😂
I really Winterwood after you talked about it when you read it and it's awesome! It staid with my for a while after reading it. And I agree, I was in the woods, I was in the snow, at the lake during the snowstorm - the world building is so good! Although, true to myself, I had it figured out before the plot twist, but it was still interesting going back through all the scenes before to see those nuances in the writing.
I absolutely adored Sorcery of Thorns! It has become one of my top 5 standalone books! Number 1 best 2020 read! I highly highly recommend it for anyone looking to read a standalone book! Dark Academia, grimoires, sorcerers, side love story, demons, great female protagonist! It's got it all!
I don't know if you've read it already but glint seems like something you would like. It's kind of a retelling of the Midas myth but with a lot of twists!
I also pictured Lira's mom as Ursula from the Little Mermaid while reading To Kill a Kingdom hahaha I couldn't shake off the image in my mind after the book mentioned she had tentacles. To Kill a Kingdom was a great retelling of that fairytale although I wished the side characters and the world building had a little more depth.
![ออร่า (AURA) - JUEPAK feat. SARAN | [OFFICIAL MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RY9j7Lzp-FI/mqdefault.jpg)
![ภาพนี้ก็ฮาเหมือนกันนะเนี้ย #7 SS9 [ พากย์นรก MEME.EXE ] | easy boy](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/MFDRhuT4RAg/mqdefault.jpg)
If you're going to buy Descendent of the Crane, make sure you are buying a paperback copy published by Titan books. The author stopped getting paid last year by the old publishers and had to fight to get the rights back to the book to take it to a new publisher
thats horrible gahhhhhhhhhhh
This needs to be pinned. No exceptions.
@@caricanread you need pin this 💔
And I think there was a sequel planned but then that whole issue with the publisher pretty much cancelled it.
Where can you find the book published titan
To Kill a Kingdom was one of the best standalone I've read but definitely wanted more it was so good!
agreed!!! i want more of that world :')
Yep. Didn't care for her next book though.
wait how?
I am curretly reading it.
Spoliler! I just read were Elian finds out that Lira is a siren :))
YESSS
"I pictured her as Ursula the whole time" - YES THANK YOU, I'm glad I wasn't the only one 😅 I love To Kill A Kingdom so much, i wish more authors wrote about scary killer sirens 😔
bahaha how else could we picture her?! it was perfect hahaha
I pictured her more as Morgana, Ursula's sister
read a Daughter of the pirate king (Its a duology but its so good and the mc is a "scary killer siren")
YES YES YEEES!! I appreciate fanstasy standalones more than series because the ability to write intricate and complex worldbuilding, genuinely great plot AND loveable characters you want to root for in ONE book is so damn difficult and I admire authors who do that. Margaret Rogerson for her Sorcery and Thorns is the perfect example and I am LIVING for it! 💖
it literally blows my mind!! margaret's world building is impeccable!
Seeing you talk about a book by an Indian author makes me soooo happy 😭😭😭 because most of booktube only reads south east asian authors when they're asked to include Asian books. Thanks bestie!!
♥️♥️♥️
SAMEEE
Yesss!!😭😭it's so hard to find good books by Indian authors through booktube
@@rashibhanot6259 have you read the shiva Trilogy? It's soo good
Ikr
every time I watch a cari video my TBR stars sweating nervously
muhahah
😂
This is a fantastic list! We need to see more!
Yes!
@@zahando2638 I was just going out and you have no idea what time I
After weeks of trying to piece it out together I finally figured out who you looked like to me!! you look like Giselle from enchanted
bahahhaha yes i do get that sometimes! thank you!
Omg that's exactly what I was thinking lol
A House of Salt and Sorrows is actually a re-telling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses 🤣 so you had the old fairy tale vibe down right
ah ha!!! i feel like i knew that then forgot hahahaha
Also written by the Brothers Grimm so you got that right too 😂
omg what??! twelve dancing princesses are like my whole childhood 😍
@@hot_chocolate_03 yes im reading it right now! its like 12 dancing princesses but way creepier i love it :)
@@marleydean7811 ahh that must be good, I'll totally add it to my TR list 😍
Cari, I literally stopped reading just to watch this 🤧
omg im honored :'''')
Same
i'm currently reading to kill a kingdom and i'm loving it also the pirate and mermaid dynamic its just chef kiss to me
YES!
Here to recommend two of my all-time faves: The Night Circus, and The Starless Sea both by Erin Morgenstern. The Night Circus follows two magicians who are in a competition with each other, but they dont know they're each others competition. The stage for the competition is a magical travelling circus that only opens at night. It's very lyrical and whimsical, and follows multiple timelines and characters. The Starless Sea is about a magical underground library, that is discovered by a boy who had to protect it. The story is interspersed by passages from books found in the library, however those stories are in fact the history of the library, and relate to characters we later meet. Also very magical writing, and both utterly immersive
The Night Circus it's just *chef's kiss*
Just finished reading the night circus and I keep recommending it to people it’s just beautiful!
Hey, is the starless sea lgbtqia+?
@@baishalidas2318 yes! The main character is gay😊
Omg I absolutely LOVE your taste, Erin Morgenstern is one of my favourite authors!!! Do you have any more recs?
A standalone book I love is " Death under the deodars " by Ruskin Bond. It has short stories but they are all about the murders or crimes that have taken place in and around Mussourie ( It is a hill station in India where the author actually lives) and it is all narrated in the form of stories so it actually feels like you are sitting in the hotel lobby with the narrator, drinking tea and discussing these crimes. I think you'll really like it especially since these are all crime stories . If it sounds interesting then do try it :))
omg! looking this up ASAP!
@VARSHA ANAND god yes!!! i had read alot of his stories in middle school
me in these sorts of videos: pauses video
opens goodreads
is now prepared to add all of them to her already super long tbr
presses play with an eager smile: I'm ready to proceed cari, take it away! xD
hahahhaha love it!
literally me omg 😂
This is me too!!
Same lol
To kill a kingdom is one of my favorite books and I’m so happy to see people talking about it
soooo good!
you’re literally one of the fewest booktubers to put the list on the description box😭 and even a link to each book. such a treasure thank you!🌼
I cannot express the ABSOLUTE JOY i felt when you brought up the near witch it was my first stand alone book, and honestly at the time the first book i had picked up in a while. It made me fall in love with reading all over again
You're literally the only booktuber that I watch and got me back into reading again, we just have the same taste! I felt like, after becoming an adult and going to college, that I read everything that I liked and fet empty trying on these new adult books that I just didn't feel the intensity I would find with YA books at my high school. To be honest I kinda felt lost for a few years because reading used to be my thing, reading 300 books a year AT LEAST and just loving it.
Now, I'd just read things for college and a bunch of books where you don't feel anything, you don't see images, you just read cause the're's useful information in it and it just...sucks.
So, really, THANK YOU. I've started reading again thanks to you after a book that you recommended and now I read most of the books you recommend and that fit my taste! I feel like I've found myself again and realized that, even if I'm an adult, it's okay to read books that are not targeted for my age if that's what I like :)
I feel like i can listen to you the entire day, your voice, your accent everything feels just so perfect ❤️✨
Your 29:44 long video feels like seconds
your summary and short description of the story plot makes me want to read all of the books you mentioned, you make them all sound interesting
I LOVED A SORCERY OF THORNS!!! ugh it was so good
Got A Sorcery of Thorns this morning through Libby. Just finished it! Such a good book. Your description is a whole mood too :)
YAYYYYY!!!!
I finished To kill a kingdom today and I am so obsessed with this and want so much more of that world. Like a whole long series ❤🙂
I will never get tired of you mentioning Sorcery Of Thorns because yEEEEEEEESSSSS
THANK GOODNESS CAUSE THIS ISNT THE LAST TIME
@@caricanread I will always be here to see it 👀👀👀
You know when see a video on your feed while in the bed almost asleep and you click on it just to save it your history to watch later cause you find it really really interesting. Thats what I am doing rn.
😍😍😍 sweet dreams!
Joan He (Author of Descendant of the Crane) is publishing a new book out in May called The Ones We're Meant to Find. It's definitely different by DoTC but I think, based off of what you like, you'll enjoy TOWMTF as well!
ohhhhh that's great news! her plots make me stressed as hell but i enjoy it hahhah
the way i watched this video previously, completely forgot descendant of the crane was mentioned, read it recently, and then came back to this video. but oh my god the /ending/ 😱😱 and the way the author has said she has no intention of continuing the story 😭😭 when i say i had a mini breakdown when i found that out…
I love love LOVE Descendant of the Crane!! I totally understand your feeling about the ending and the need for a sequel. It's such a magical book.
You have a great handle on the YA genre. I love the way you break it down.
thank you always!
I really loved the standalone „the priory of the orange tree“ if you haven‘t read it yet. It’s very refreshing to read, even with lgbt elements. It‘s leaning more towards adult fantasy though.
Yes!! I absolutely love it too☺️☺️
yes!! i wanted to include it but i didnt have time to read it :''') i've heard good things!
isn't it a duology? i've always seen two books
@@tehelea No, Priory is a standalone, it's just one thick book :) but there's a standalone-prequel coming out 2023
@@tehelea Oh wait, are you German? Because I'm German, and I know that the German publisher split the book in two, maybe that's why? I hate when they do that just so that they can get more money out of it. The English book costs around 20€ but if you want to get the book in German you have to pay at least 40€ :( Was the same with "A Song of Ice and Fire" (Game of Thrones), the German publisher split every book in two so now you have to pay 160€ (!!) for the whole series instead of just 20€ for the whole enlish series :( Rip off...
I just have to mention how aesthetic and spring-like the thumbnail and your outfit is?! ♡
hehe thank you!
Holly Black and Kristin Cashore both have some really good stand-alones! The Darkest Part of the Forest is another fantastic fey story from the urban faerie queen, and Kristin Cashore has quite a trippy one called Jane, Unlimited. There's a common beginning and then 5 different endings with increasing levels of magic that was quite an interesting read
im currently reading to kill a kingdom and i literally can’t put it down it’s so good
Absolutely live for these videos! Thanks! I always read your suggestions and I’m always pleased!
Wahhhh thank you!!!
Aaaah, I have these kind of coincidences and parallels between books I‘m reading and real life all the time! It freaks me out every time and this is the first time I hear someone has experienced this too. Aaah! And now let me add all those books (except the 3 I already read) to my tbr because I really need more fantasy standalones in my life and your recommendations never disappoint.
right!? i LOVE IT!
I have been looking for YA books to read for _so_ long, thank you for this
💗💗💗
ok honestly your videos are the best to do homework or chores to! they’re a good length and not too distracting, but i can still pay attention to it and i love them!
The Wicked Deep is such a great standalone, really love it and recommend it every chance i can haha
Ok, this is it. This is the video that finally got me to go read Sorcery of Thorns, and I just want to say, Cari, THANK YOU for not shutting up about that book because WHAT A DELIGHT. A+ book, definitely. It just felt like a fantastic adventure tied up with a hug for any booklover. I'm so glad I read it and the only problem I have is that there isn't a sequel.
Read The House of Salt and Sorrows and looooooved it! One of my good friends recommended it because she was absolutely blown away with the book and I felt exactly the same way, talking with her for like 4 hours on the phone about it. I recommended it to someone else and she enjoyed the read, but wasn't satisfied by the ending. I felt completely opposite. So glad it ended how it did.
I will definitely say it was a wacky read. The writing was stunning and felt a bit higher quality than most of the YA I read. It was a spin-off somewhat of the Twelve Dancing Princesses story, but even knowing that, the plot felt 100% original. Some of the events of the story were insane and whiplashy and even though the book contained a few romantic cliches and such, it was *packed* with amazing amazing amazing, unexpected... Layers. So much. I can't even get into it because it would spoil it, but the book gets... Trippy.
Anyway, that's all to say that I totally understand why some people may not like this because of its originality, but others will latch onto it aggressively because it's so different. Totally recommend the read. Maybe a hit, might be a miss. You got nothing to lose by reading it. May discover one of your favorites. 💜
yessss! i agree, I feel like i came soooo close to liking it and if i read it again I'd like it more so I definitely think people should still give it a try! glad you loved it :)
I started it not knowing what it was gonna be. It was on the YA section and I thought it was gonna be like a normal YA romance prince meets you know like more of a Less Scary book but was I sooo wrong! It scared the crap out of me that everytime I hear a floorboard creaking at night I just absolutely lose it.
you've got me so hyped for to kill a kingdom and the wicked deep!!! those are moving up my TBR for sure now 👀
👏👏👏
A house of Salt and sorrow ☑
To kill a kingdom ☑
Sorcery of thorns☑
An enchantment of ravens ☑
The invisible life of addie larue ☑
Wicked deep.....currently reading
Cari: describes plot of literally ANY book
Me: *click* buy now
Thank you so much for these! It’s so hard finding YA fantasy that is not in series. I love reading books in series usually but sometimes I just want to read a single book. Btw, I think the House of Salt and Sorrows was so fascinating!
Love it when your book recco videos are more than 20 mins long!! Adding new books to my reading list📖✨
yeeeee! glad you like my rambling hahaha
Thank you so much. Finally a stand-alone I have time for!!!
Hope you love some 😍
I've not long finished the audio book of to kill a kingdom. It was fantastic. The fact that the male reader would read what the siren would say slower and more delicate as it was stated that she wasn't fluent was a nice touch.
OMG! I am obsessed with Sorcery of Thorns! Absolutely loved it! My new favorite is Crown of Feathers...omg..it is fantastic!!!!
I watched this a week ago and I just finished Winterwood and wow it was incredible. Thank you for this list!!
I read both a sorcery of thorns and an enchantment of ravens because of you and I LOVED THEM! the former more than the latter because i can relate to her more
I’m a simple girl. I see To Kill a Kingdom, I click
This was perhaps the only half an hour video that I watched without skipping any part. I regret not knowing this channel earlier :((
Looking for books to get out of my reading slump! This video is a life saver, thank you!
I am not sure if you have heard of it, but The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is a very magical, poetic, labyrinth of a book and my absolute favorite standalone! It is a beautiful book
I loved this list! I just read one from all "House of Salt and Sorrow", also found pretty okay. But you left me excited for Margareth Rogerson books! I really like stories with fairy tale like stories, so it's right on my alley!
I am listening to "To kill a kingdom" It’s quiet great.
I’m new to the channel but loved books like “The Haunting Season” by Michelle Muto, “Sweet Unrest” by Lisa Maxwell, and “ The Caged Graves” by Diane Salerni. They are a little older but can definitely be good choices for standalone reading. I know Michelle Muto wrote a follow up to “ The Haunting Season” but it definitely works as a standalone read.
So cool to see someone mention Library of Fates! I remember enjoying it but I don’t remember what happens at all lol. I read another Aditi Khorana book called Mirror in the Sky. This is actually a science fiction standalone. Basically, scientists discover this other planet that is a mirror of Earth. The book is about how the characters react to this information. Some people try to continue living life normally. Others join cults. It was a very interesting read to see how people might deal with a huge scientific discovery like this. Definitely recommend.
I’m so happy you chose now to post this cause I’ve been feeling super guilty for reading (cause exam time😬) but I also am very much in a ready mood. So quick and easy is about as much as I can read rn hahah
All of them sound so intereasting! I'm so motivated now☺️
Thanks for making this video🧚🏻♀️✨
Thank you for watching 💗✨
it's march 32, merry christmas and happy new year everybody!
😘
Totally agree with you about Descendant of the Crane, I ABSOLUTELY NEED A SECOND BOOK RIGHT NOW!! I read it in the winter of 2020 and finished it within 2 days. I usually don't like YA books with highly political themes, but this one really blew me away. It has now become one of my all-time favorites. The writing is so beautiful, the world-building is magical, the characters are all very interesting, the fantasy aspect is very mysterious and intriguing, and the PLOT TWISTS...oh my gosh, I don't think I've ever been so shocked by so many plot twists in my life. I would def recommend it, so soo good!! 💖💜
right?! that last chapter?! how DARE she????
"The Lucky Ones" by Liz Lawson is a cute standalone book here is the blurb:
One chance encounter can change everything. Everyone tells May she's lucky she survived the shooting that killed her twin brother. May doesn't feel lucky, though. She feels angry. And lost. And alone. No one can possibly understand how much it hurts to be her.
Zach lost his old life when his mother decided to defend the shooter. His girlfriend dumped him and his friends bailed, so now he spends his time hanging out with his little sister... and the one faithful friend who stuck around.
Which is how Zach ends up at band practice that night.
The same night May goes with her best friend to audition for a new band.
Which is how May meets Zach. And how Zach meets May. And how they both figure out that they might be lucky after all.
OK I have had Enchantment of Raven's on my shelf for months! You just made me move it onto next month's tbr because that sounds even better than the synopsis I read that made me buy it! LOL
i recommend heartless by marissa meyer!! i always loved the alice in wonderland aesthetic so i literally tore through this book i rlly rlly recommend!!
ohhhh i loved her lunar chronicles!!
cari can read i haven’t read it yet but it’s the next one on my list!!
i loved how you talk about each book. i've read the wicked deep but i'll def read your recommendations!
oh, yeah, the house of salt and sorrows is a re-telling of the 12 dancing princesses. also, love the list. will definitely be reading some of the books you suggested.
me *sees to kill a kingdom on the thumbnail*
CLICKS INSTANTLY!
YES!
i love how in depth you go with your summaries. a lot of the books you talk about never previously pique my interest because the summaries given are vague and it’s hard for me to become interested in them, but after you talk about them i end up adding them to my TBR!
To Kill Kingdom, Sorcery of Thorns, and The Wicked Deep was awesome.
Similar Standalone: Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge.
Summary on Goodreads: Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.
With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.
But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.
As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.
I really liked this one, but one thing that still stumps me is: how on earth was she supposed to guess his name? Because we as readers, never even get enough worldbuilding about the royalty in the universe to know there was any royalty 😅
I just ordered Sorcery of Thorns!! Can’t wait to read it!!
I am reading House of Salt and Sorrows and it scares the hell out of me
'Addie LaRue' reminded me of the old movie 'Remains of the day.' Not in terms of the plot, but in terms of choices and regrets. I think Addie LaRue works if the reader is old enough to ponder 'what have I been doing with my life?' Not knowing what it was about, it was refreshing for me. (I loved the finger painting scene being the metaphorical and tangible connection for an intangible lady) 'Thousand Doors' sounds similar to 'the Midnight Library.' Instead of a door, you pick up a book of your own possible life. Also about regrets. Anyway, the two Rogerson books are on hold! Thank you for the suggestions, as always.
So just started the bone houses after watching this! I’m loving it! Thank you
Such an excellent list omg, thank you. I'm honestly so tired of reading long series because I end up not liking them so I stopped reading YA Fantasy for a few months. I needed this to get back cus I really missed it.
Man! 30 minutes listening to you, doesn't get any better 😱😱😱😱 (just subscribed today!!)
I’m currently reading “to kill a kingdom” and I’m halfway through and it’s pretty interesting so far , so I can definitely understand why it’s on your list😆
bestie! i bought it after reading so many reviews about it and im definetly reading it now!
Me: “wow I need tea before I start the video”
Cari, about to start the video: “I need tea, oh my gosh”
Me: 👁👄👁☕️
Cheers 😂✨✨
lmao same I just picked up my tea and and-
To kill a kingdom sounds sooooo good
It is 😍😍😍😍
Just finished to kill a kingdom and can say it will stick with me forever. It was amazing and uk those books that don't make u need to stay up all night because of their intensity but are these calm comfy vibes. It was like that and so was enchantment of ravens. Both these books are truly amazing. One more standalone i want to recomend is heartless by Marissa meyer i loved it sm. Anyways, lovely vid and u look beautiful
These look like so much fun to read!
Also, I’ve been trying to find this book for years now but I can’t remember the title or the name of the author. But, I do remember some parts of the book:
-The cover of the book was like a blue sky with fairies flying around in the middle
-There was once scene where water pond/ lake fairies made you answer riddles to pass the lake
-There was a scene were you walked into a shy weeping fairy in an icy cave
-There was a scene in the dark, where the pond/ lake morphed into a face of person....
That’s really all I remember, also the book was more a chapter thick book, rather than a thin book
If anyone knows the name of the book or the author pls tell me, thank you 🙏🏻🤍🤍
Got so many book recommendations from this! Love you
I loved To Kill a Kingdom!! I read it in one sitting and I wanted moreeee lol i actually felt like there was a decent amount of world-building and character development for such a short book which was great
I need all of these books on my bookshelf immediately! 💫 Keep rising to be who you want to be! 💫 #keeprising #risingtobe #aswerise
More on my TBR! Yes!! 🙌
🙌
every time you post a new video my TBR gets longer and longer 😂
YESSSS!! sorcery of thorns is one of the best books that I've read this year. 5 ⭐
👏👏👏
Cari! I heard you haven’t read the song of Achilles- please do a reading vlog for it! I would love to see your emotions throughout the book 💗💗
I definitely will!!!
Well i have to read a couple on this list. Addie larue is a pretty story but sooo slow, for me at least. And sorcery of thorns is one of my favs too! I dont usually read standalones but the bone people caught my attention. Ty cari!
Margaret Rogerson knows how to get me 👏
About the Library of Fates - just hearing your description, I immediately recognized the plot from another book "The Star Touched Queen". Perhaps it is just in broad descriptions similar to The Library of Fates, but it has everything you mentioned was lacking in Fates, and I believe it has a sequel? But I didn't read it, and if I remember correctly, The Star Touched Queen does just as well as a standalone novel. And it is *_very_* angsty, lots of romance, lots of misunderstanding, betrayal... the perfect YA fantasy/romance set in fantastical middle East.
How do you craft synopsis so well, so simple yet so intriguing 😍
Hahah i always open a word document and use the voice tool to record my first run through/word vomit lol and then i pick out pieces that don’t matter 😂
@@caricanread oh thank you this is actually a really good idea!! Will help a lot with my videos
I'm currently reading The House in the Cerulean Sea. I think you'll love it!
I really Winterwood after you talked about it when you read it and it's awesome! It staid with my for a while after reading it. And I agree, I was in the woods, I was in the snow, at the lake during the snowstorm - the world building is so good!
Although, true to myself, I had it figured out before the plot twist, but it was still interesting going back through all the scenes before to see those nuances in the writing.
A great standalone I recently read is called Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher! It's a non-traditional fairy tale with very original characters
Not me adding so many of these to my shopping cart after watching this 👀
hehehehe
I absolutely adored Sorcery of Thorns! It has become one of my top 5 standalone books! Number 1 best 2020 read! I highly highly recommend it for anyone looking to read a standalone book! Dark Academia, grimoires, sorcerers, side love story, demons, great female protagonist! It's got it all!
yesssss so good!
yes this video is amazing but can we talk about the outfit!?! adorable :}
I don't know if you've read it already but glint seems like something you would like. It's kind of a retelling of the Midas myth but with a lot of twists!
Just finished to kill a kingdom becuz u recommended it , I'm speechless and I absolutely adore it
YAAAAAY!!!!
I just finished a SORCERY OF THORNS and I loved it !!! Very nice recommendation(!) thanx so much
I also pictured Lira's mom as Ursula from the Little Mermaid while reading To Kill a Kingdom hahaha I couldn't shake off the image in my mind after the book mentioned she had tentacles.
To Kill a Kingdom was a great retelling of that fairytale although I wished the side characters and the world building had a little more depth.