So I'm late for this party but that whole section of the book where everyone acts as if Nesta did something wrong for telling Feyre just made me so mad and frustrated. I hate how they shamed her into apologising for an act that was justified, even if done in anger at the time. Shame on all of them for not telling Feyre right away! That whole bit gave me some creepy pro-life vibes and I felt so sad for Nesta.
y`all act as if she gave a single fck about Feyre. She was okay with withholding information from Feyre, but when someone does the same with her, she`s suddenly butthurt
@@lilpotato1039 that still doesn’t justify what Rhys and the others did. How is he any better than Tamlin if just treats her the same. Feyre is an adult and she was carrying that baby they should have told her that the fetus would kill her.
also late to this party but yeah!! it's funny how people are mad because Nesta didn't tell her with good intentions but honestly? AT LEAST SHE TOLD HER! It's like getting mad at someone who pulls you out of the way of a car because they did so angrily, where are the priorities??? I rly dislike when ppl throw around terms haphazardly bc they often misuse them, so I don't say this lightly, but what Rhys and the IC did to Feyre falls under reproductive abuse (they're withholding information that would let her make an informed decision on whether or not to continue with the pregnancy). People dunk on SMeyer's writing choices (which is fair) but at least she had Edward and most of the other Cullens explicitly tell Bella "this baby will kill you" and Bella chose to carry the pregnancy to term anyways.
Guys remember when in acomaf Tamlin was a villain for not letting Feyre step outside of the house, keeping her in a bubble for her “protection” and had his court vote on whether she should train her powers? And wanted to use her as a breeding mare to get strong heirs? And feminist icon Rhys was like, “I’d never do that to you.” And then fast forward to this book where Rhys kept her own pregnancy issues hidden from her. And put a shield around her so no one can touch her or smell her. And had his inner circle make votes on whether they should tell Feyre about her dangerous pregnancy. And it’s treated like it’s not a big deal and brushed under the rug. Like okay it’s bad if Tim tam locks you in your room built when rice rape man puts a shield around you so no one can interact with you, it’s fine? Feyre literally shrugs at this behavior even though she should be triggered by his overprotectiveness. The jokes write themselves at this point. Also SJM is really weird in vilifying characters and then glorifying others. Like are we supposed to think that it’s cool and badass that Rhys or Amren or Cassian or Az are soooo powerful and they are soooo bloodthirsty and will kill with no remorse and that’s cool. But god forbid Nesta was selfish. Killing people is cool but being a selfish person is the worst thing in Acotar. Same with Tamlin.
A couple days it occurred to me that Rhysand doesn’t really give choices. People are always saying that he gives everyone (feyre) choices but have you ever noticed that he always gets what he wants? Like when he wanted Feyre to stay in the night court with him in acomaf, he got what he wanted (Feyre staying). When he doesn’t get the answer he wanted, he’ll do anything to get it. Like when he broke Feyre’s arm UTM so she was forced to take that bargain. (This probably doesn’t make sense. Sorry)
And people wonder why Tamlin hates Rhys so much. He puts on a mask (not really) to make people believe a certain way about him. Not condoning what Tamlin did but what has he done that tops Rhys? Also Rhys was stupid for a 500 year old war fairy when he agreed to that bonding.
I really hated Ryhsand in this book too and his lameness infected the entire inner circle with the pregnancy storyline. Why the hell wouldn't Mr. Choice himself not warn Feyra that having his baby had a chance to kill her, much less tell her when that chance becomes reality and now she and the baby are gonna die. Feyra could shapeshift to adjust her body to not die in child birth but... noooo... she must not do that cuz it has a chance to hurt the baby. Bitch, they are BOTH gonna die if Feyra doesn't shapeshift, wtf. That was just a gross storyline.
@@ReadswithRachel I am not sure if I got everything in the book, but I was under the impression they (the inner circle)were going to tell her but they were trying to find info to find solutions for the problem first. Rhys asked Helion and there is a scene with the Miriam and the seraphin where it says that he was holding onto so much hope, that when he figured they could not help they had to hold him to stay up right. what I take form that is that no character is perfect, not even Rhys, and that he was also processing that he might lose them. So is it that we can easily excuse some characters for their mistakes and not others. (I do not agree with the reasoning for not telling Feyre either, by the way. But Iunderstand what he was trying to do.) Nesta was mean to everyone for no reason and one good deed does not make her a better person. Remorse, communication, empathy, asking for forgiveness, that show remorse. Not convinced about this book at all.... Not sure I will read the following, Elain.... we will plant flowers in 700 pages?
@@WendyFunez-f7z The issue is that the book frames them as Being In The Right (because to SJM Rhysand can do no wrong) because they were Just Trying To Protect Her. Which is literally what they villainized Tamlin for; so the behavior and reasoning have been acknowledged as abusive before, but not when it's Rhysand doing it. It doesn't matter _why_ they withheld the information; they had absolutely no right to keep Feyre in the dark about her own body Also why is it the 500+ year old inhumans get "no character is perfect" but the traumatized 24 year old lashing out at her abusers gets "she's just mean for no reason?"
I don’t go here (never read the books and just keep finding info by osmosis) but I find this supremely funny bc the only thing I vaguely know about Rhysand and the kid storyline is that when Feyre telepathically showed him the vision of the son they would have together while they were having sex, it triggered his orgasm??? But now she’ll die if she gives birth and he knew that the whole time too? UMMMMMMMMMMMMM
I'm convinced that SJM has a breeding-fetish or some kind. That explains where the whole "mate" and "female/male" and "c*ming to the thought of your future kid" comes from 🤣 Which is fine (except for the kid-thing, that is disturbing, even for a breeding-fetish), but why isn't she writing erotica only then? I hate how her books are being marketed as YA or NA.
@@ReadswithRachel Yeah and that would be totally fine. She clearly likes Fantasy too and there are tons of adult Fantasy books series that are successful, though not marketed to a broad audience. The audience here mostly are adult women and (maybe I'm imagining this) but I think Sarah is shooing away from it because she likes having a young, teen audience maybe? But I'm just pseudo-analyzing her psyche and what you write/read has nothing to do with your true perspectives anyway.
Rhysand is the new Tamlin. Tamlin kept Feyre in the mansion and cut off from everyone. Rhysand put a “protective” shield around Feyre to where no one could touch her and she didn’t get to do anything. And now Hulu is making it into a tv series…… As a struggling writer myself, seeing sh*t like this getting eating up is unencouraging. Also, Feyre married into “royalty” basically gets everything handed to her: her court, her title, her friends, wealth, everything
Yes. I really don't know how they can publish sh*t like this and get praised for it. I didn't read it myself, but hearing from it was enough. All these books are the same nowadays. It's about 50% sex, 40% toxic relationships, and maybe 10% story if there is any. I mean... that's it? That's how you get known? The bar is very low, I guess. Just have a toxic, handsome dude, maybe another, and plenty of sex out of context. That's literally 70% of stories nowadays. Back in the day, authors needed talent to be published. Now, every idiot can be an author. You don't need any talent at all. No writing skills, no good story, no good characters, nothing. Just sex.
I can't explain but Elain gives me HUGE bless your heart vibes! Idk why people give her so much pass as if she's a layered character 💀 why? BECAUSE SHE LIKES FLOWERS? AND SHE'S A FAKE NICE PERSON? the bar is that LOW? Lol
Nesta should have left her shitty family and Cassian behind and go on adventures with the girl band. Nesta's whole family was like 'Get over your PTSD' or 'Risk your life for our purpose'. Even Cassian is problematic and would always choose the night court over her. Best scene imo was when Cassian was aroused by Nesta and his first thought was to look for Mor to lose some pressure. Like dude, wtf..
Thank you for explicitly wording out my exact feelings on this book. I literally died every time I read "like calls to like". Especially when it was used in the same chapter, in the same scene, by like 4 different characters one after the other????? The House is a better character than Rhysand the Pro-Choice Feminist unless it concerns Feyre or her sister's wellbeing. Also, what's up with the Inner Circle hyping up Rhys to colonize the other courts? SJM wtf?! Rhys is actually a dick when we don't read about him from Feyre's pov. I don't understand how he still has friends. Or how no one pointed out that by forcing Nesta into seclusion "for her well-being" but against her will, Rhys & Feyre were doing the exact same thing Tamlin did to her.... Anyways, thank you for the serotonin boost and the laughs!
I agree with you on SJM having a difficult time with writing villians. I have felt every villian has fallen short. I always felt let down on that front.
The only thing that annoyed me more than the Rhys/pregnancy storyline was the fans defending it. "Oh, he was just scared/overprotective etc!" So was Tamlin when he imprisoned Feyre, and you're not rushing to his defence! (For good reason) It was an astonishingly poor decision on his part, and I can't believe Feyre was OK with it. Very OOC for her. The whole pregnancy plotline made zero sense anyway. ...gosh darn, why am I still so mad about this??
I'm hella late to this party! Cassian panting after Nesta while she's at her lowest pissed me off. Then SJM having Nesta and Cassian have smex for the first time after being assaulted and almost killed by the Kelpie felt really gross and cheap. I've hated Rhys and Elain since Acotar and that didn't change after this book.
Thank you for this video holy shit. I was absolutely FUMING when Rhysand wouldn’t tell Feyre about the baby situation; fuck him lol. I’m fucking pissed at Amren and Az too, and Elain I couldn’t care less about. I agree with wanting actual consequences in her books- I think the baby should have died at least, then the “villain” and “conflict” would have been more dire because of the vulnerable position it would have put the inner circle in, especially feyre and Rhys. It might have also caused a rift in their relationship...more interesting and believable at this point. Considering that we only get one book with Nestas POV, I’m a tad pissed off that we spent so much time concerned with Feyre/Rhys yet again. The issue with her should have been resolved sooner. I get that it was meant to be a reality check for Nesta in regards to her relationship with Feyre, but that’s all it needed to be. Anyway, you’re hilarious and you make some great points
I actually finally borrowed the first copy from a friend and read the first few chapters. Then I forgot about reading it because I was reading so many other things. Just the first couple chapters on character building between her and her family was so frustrating.
my neck hurts from the amount of nodding I did omg (also youtube is now aware wi will skip no ads on your videos and is giving me the WEIRDEST THINGS WTF)
Haven't read that book because I've tired of the ACOTAR series, the sex scenes and the overcomplicated plots and battles won over me. I can't anymore. I'm just relating to a lot of points you've made about SJM's writing. Basically, I totally agree with the "I love it or I hate it", that contradiction within her writing. I've just finished the Throne of Glass series and... I've ADORED some parts/characters/books, and literally wished other to die instantly. May I ? May I ?? Okej, I may : I LOVE Heir of Fire, like, with a passion. It's about trauma and overcoming it, about deciding of a path of life, about cannibalistic witches WITH WYVERNS, it's introducting Maeve, it's horrific monsters like the skinchangers, it's blessed Aedion Ashryver our beloved bi icon, it's Sorscha's horrifying death, it's the first vision of the cadre, it's freakin Rowan Whitethorn being pissed 24/7 and brawling with Celaena constantly, it's precious Elide making friends with super scary witches and spying in the big bad's stronghold, it's... so many great things ! And then there's the blindingly badass revenge plan of Queen of Shadows, the arrival of Lysandra (bless her she's the absolute best), the reunion of the two hotheaded Ashryvers, all the Vaults/Pits/underground plots and it's SO DAMN GOOD. Oh and Nesryn Faliq, I will never not like Nesryn. Even when she has the hots for Chaol. BUT. But that series is also boring af so, so often. Some bits drag on for ages with no payoff, and there are So. Many. Problems. The first two books (not counting the prequel) are sooooo slooowwww and boring, Dorian always gives me the slight creeps and Chaol is so dull, everyone says Celaena is super clever but it's never SHOWN (it is in later books, and then it gets great). The plots drag on and on. Nehemia is a great character but her arc is so useless somehow, except to give Celaena a reason to break... And in the two last books there are all those "perfect" romantic pairings that somehow fit all within the same story (except for Fenrys, but Fenrys Moonbeam is my precious). So predictable and LAZY. No one of the main cast dies and it sucks, but the Thirteen do and it sucks. And the characters are all turned SO DUMB I SHOUTED AT THEM, they use some magic that could save the day and then forget about it, and as usual the battle scenes go on and on and on and on and on and on... So yeah... I love that series, and it also infuriates me to no end. I kinda want to rewrite it entirely ^^' (or at least the last book) SJM has her own tropes and she sticks to them with a passion. Possessive fae males. Super tall super strong guys. MUCH older guys with young women (yuck). Magical tattoos. THE DEAD BEST FRIEND WHO KNEW IT ALL (hello Danika). The miraculously perfect number of hetero pairings in the main cast. AND THOSE FREAKING STUPID MATING BONDS I HATE THEM PLEASE DESTROY THEM THEY RUIN EVERY RELATIONSHIP
absolutely love your take on this book! I also loved Nesta from before this book and was super excited to see her grow and evolve as a character but I was kind of disappointed with the batboys in this book. There was some really good female energy in the book which i loved so much. I'm kind of hoping for more eris content bc i think there's a lot more to him and I totally had a flashback moment to ACOMAF when reading the nessian sex scenes its was so cringe lol
i don't like sjm but nesta was one of her only somewhat interesting characters,nesta with the house gwyn emerie were the only "good" parts of this book
For me it seemed as though ACOTAR was originally planned as a trilogy, but ACOWAR had too many loose threads so SJM decided to extend it, but didnt really know how to resolve those ends The new plot points/politics/magical objects thing feels like an afterthought idk
Honestly, I haven't interacted with the books in years but I absolutely agree with your takes. One of my problems with her books is that while some of her ideas are pretty interesting (like the creatures™), the execution is just absolutely horrendous. The characters feel like copy pastes from her other series, every single man is weirdly horny, predatory or sex driven, all non romantic/sexual relationships are barely developed, everything outside of what happens to the protagonists is absolutely half-assed and a lot of things just happen to be convenient for the protagonist or to make them look better. I am still salty about Mor being a lesbian. The whole thing seemed absolutely last minute and like it was only there so that the protagonist could have a moment™. The whole thing was absolutely horrible but also never brought up again? Which seem like a trend in her writing. All in all I really don't get why those books are as huge as they are and I am really pissed that people let me read them when I was 14.
Was already thoroughly enjoying but that YIKES about 2 minutes in had me rolling 🤣🤣🤣 Oh boy... impaled....I literally just complained about Erikson using that imagery yikes on bikes 😬 OMG I thought you were joking about the Az in the back three way Lordy Hozier 🥰 I want different kinds of trauma 😃👍 I thought you loved choices 🤣 He saw her shoulder and was gonna bust a nut 😆 Milking 🤮 That Rhysand thing is super not okay and I haven’t heard anyone else talk about that like my god whose fantasy man does that I’m very concerned about the women of the Maasdom
That intro already sent me to another dimension. Okay so I was literally going to do a reading vlog for this book, was like 150 pages into it, and theeeeeeen I dnfed the book 🙃🙃🙃 oops
Yes to the repeated phrases ugh I seriously almost died when sarah said “he sheathed himself inside me”... Here’s the thing with SJM writing for me... maam I don’t need to know the thread count on Nesta’s satin gray dress with the scoop back that hasn’t been washed in 16 days and smells like many men and stale alcohol but fits her like a perfectly fitted condom
Omg this is the review I was looking for cause I too hated Elain and honestly Rhys in this book was a total jerk like he lost it. I feel that Nesta and the girls were cool and stuff but also having them compete -and win- against warriors that had been training for a lifetime felt shitty, like you say, there have to be consequences. Both of Rhys and Feyre dying at this point and *but not really* is super annoying as a reader. I wish you touched the Lucien/Eris subjects cause how does Maas simply put off characters like that, for later, and not give any details. They're just sad and saved for later, it's really uncomfortable as a reader? Not to mention that the few times book got really interesting, she really didn't elaborate into that. Anyways, I loved your review, loved loved it.
I have a love hate relationship with SJM. This book took me forever to get through. I felt like the plot was only 1/4 of the book and we went through it at 2x speed to get to nontent and smut. Part of me doesn't want to read the next book but on the other wants me to read them just to see what the fuck happens next to make me mad.
Nesta needed a more nuisanced treatment. Her truama is treated as if its an inconvenience. Ppl didn't actually tried to reach out to her be4 locking her up
I was excited for ACOSF because Nesta was a character I wanted to get to know better. However, I got to page 100 (200?) and I just stopped reading, I needed a break, and it’s been many many MANY months since I’ve touched the book. I’ve sought out spoilers to reignite my desire to read it, but they’ve instead turned me off. I’m hoping I’ll pick it up again at some point. Anyway, I was hoping to read about Nesta going to counseling, but that didn’t happen. Velaris is supposed to be this progressive city so why aren’t there counselors? And I was super confused about Feyre being kept in the dark about her pregnancy and why that whole arc was written so poorly. Why is pregnancy not a thing that’s been researched a lot by the Fae when they’re supposedly more advance than humans and have magic to help them? Why can’t Feyre use her magic to alter her body while pregnant when magic is a part of her being (it’s why she’s alive as a Fae to begin with)? This should’ve been fleshed out more and SJM just weirdly left it as is-almost like she was rushing to complete this book.
I think if you read the Black Jewels books by Anne Bishop (whom SJM was a huge fan) then a lot of her stuff will make more sense. Massive trigger warnings for the black jewels trilogy though - be warned
Thank you 😊 I totally agree with you about this book and series. I borrowed these books from my Libby app so I didn’t have to buy these books and I am so happy for that.
I just want to know why “ The King of Hybern “ doesn’t have a name? It just makes him a lot less threatening, honestly all of her villains are underwhelming.
The endless use of male and female drives me crazy. Also the whole prince/witch learn to love submission to a man stuff. Yet I've read every one of her books. What is wrong with me?
I had to replay the video when she talked about the plot "with the whole Briallyn thing" (and yes I had to look back through the book to spell that) because I had no idea what she was talking about the first time. Like, I seriously have forgotten the name of the villain less than a month after reading the book.
*unzips hoodie* let's get down to business aka listen to my facts 😂 yes. thank you. finally, someone who liked Nesta before this book. 👌 👍 more yes. you nailed her predictability to a T or tea is it the letter or the word and if so what word? "velvet wrapped steel" 👀 tbh I always thought velvet felt a bit furry so okay. also why does it sound like she has written a 90s romance novel with splashes of 50 shades of grey to make it relevant 🤷♀️ 🙃 🙌 🙌 your opinion of Elain and Nesta are just so great. And completely accurate imo. This is turning into a reaction comment so I'm going to stop (I'm only at 6:26) and just say that I am vibing with everything you're saying. I will also most likely still read this 😅 😬
In regards to the "can SJM write a good villain"...i think there's a good case to be made for Maeve in ToG. She didn't stick the landing, as per usual, but she's a compelling villain IMO
my theory is that Rhys was threatened by Nesta's power so he engineered a situation where she would lose most of it to save her sister. How else was there literally 0 plan to save them??? Also I coined a phrase for what happens to the men in her books turning into abusive assholes one book after they are basically perfect: "the SJM Love Interest Decay"
7:11 pisses me off, cause it just reeks of, "I want to be oppressed so badly," that fundies do. It's not like his entire culture was wiped out and his language stolen - he just has to acknowledge other religions exist outside his own. Poor baby, other people don't share his religion? He's SO oppressed! Fucking grow up.
Acosf is the worst SJM book. Nesta`s attitude toward Feyre made no sense. Was it jealousy? Resentment? SJM didn`t even know what to do with her redemption arc
I did like a court of silver flames but I still don't like nesta even though I do understand why she behaves the way she does I much prefer crescent city I absolutely love that book I read it last month along with a court of silver flames
Lol no I don’t think you or anyone else has shit taste for liking ACOMAF and ACOSF. I definitely never said that. Did you watch the video? I have other videos with reviews of books I think are great if you’re interested in which books I consider good.
i just wanna thank all of you for not commenting on my hair. it's it's own entity. i dont wear it it wears me.
It looks great! I rock that hair 24/7 but it looks better on you!
But I love it 🥺
Girl same
A LATE COMMENT BUT
I thought it was intentional until I opened the comment section, it looks cool!
So I'm late for this party but that whole section of the book where everyone acts as if Nesta did something wrong for telling Feyre just made me so mad and frustrated. I hate how they shamed her into apologising for an act that was justified, even if done in anger at the time. Shame on all of them for not telling Feyre right away! That whole bit gave me some creepy pro-life vibes and I felt so sad for Nesta.
THANK YOU!!!!!!
I’m pretty sure she did it not with good intentions, that’s why she felt bad
y`all act as if she gave a single fck about Feyre. She was okay with withholding information from Feyre, but when someone does the same with her, she`s suddenly butthurt
@@lilpotato1039 that still doesn’t justify what Rhys and the others did. How is he any better than Tamlin if just treats her the same. Feyre is an adult and she was carrying that baby they should have told her that the fetus would kill her.
also late to this party but yeah!!
it's funny how people are mad because Nesta didn't tell her with good intentions but honestly? AT LEAST SHE TOLD HER!
It's like getting mad at someone who pulls you out of the way of a car because they did so angrily, where are the priorities???
I rly dislike when ppl throw around terms haphazardly bc they often misuse them, so I don't say this lightly, but what Rhys and the IC did to Feyre falls under reproductive abuse (they're withholding information that would let her make an informed decision on whether or not to continue with the pregnancy).
People dunk on SMeyer's writing choices (which is fair) but at least she had Edward and most of the other Cullens explicitly tell Bella "this baby will kill you" and Bella chose to carry the pregnancy to term anyways.
Guys remember when in acomaf Tamlin was a villain for not letting Feyre step outside of the house, keeping her in a bubble for her “protection” and had his court vote on whether she should train her powers? And wanted to use her as a breeding mare to get strong heirs?
And feminist icon Rhys was like, “I’d never do that to you.” And then fast forward to this book where Rhys kept her own pregnancy issues hidden from her. And put a shield around her so no one can touch her or smell her. And had his inner circle make votes on whether they should tell Feyre about her dangerous pregnancy. And it’s treated like it’s not a big deal and brushed under the rug. Like okay it’s bad if Tim tam locks you in your room built when rice rape man puts a shield around you so no one can interact with you, it’s fine? Feyre literally shrugs at this behavior even though she should be triggered by his overprotectiveness. The jokes write themselves at this point.
Also SJM is really weird in vilifying characters and then glorifying others. Like are we supposed to think that it’s cool and badass that Rhys or Amren or Cassian or Az are soooo powerful and they are soooo bloodthirsty and will kill with no remorse and that’s cool. But god forbid Nesta was selfish. Killing people is cool but being a selfish person is the worst thing in Acotar. Same with Tamlin.
YAAAASSSSS. Rhys is like Edward Cullen cringe all over again.
@@Ri-Lizzie like I haven't read twilight yet but god do I hate Reece's cups. This man is a rapist, sexual assaulter, colonizer and bigot.
Its tim tam and ric rape for me 🤣🤣🤣🤣
I wouldn’t put it past the next book to be titled A Court of Velvet & Steel
HAHAHAHAA
🤣🤣🤣
Sounds like a acotar themed p0rno 🫠
A couple days it occurred to me that Rhysand doesn’t really give choices. People are always saying that he gives everyone (feyre) choices but have you ever noticed that he always gets what he wants?
Like when he wanted Feyre to stay in the night court with him in acomaf, he got what he wanted (Feyre staying). When he doesn’t get the answer he wanted, he’ll do anything to get it. Like when he broke Feyre’s arm UTM so she was forced to take that bargain.
(This probably doesn’t make sense. Sorry)
This makes complete sense actually and now I kinda want to do an entire video unpacking this
@@ReadswithRachel OOOOOOHHH PLEASE DO IT❤️❤️❤️ I’ll be the first one to see it!😆
And people wonder why Tamlin hates Rhys so much. He puts on a mask (not really) to make people believe a certain way about him. Not condoning what Tamlin did but what has he done that tops Rhys? Also Rhys was stupid for a 500 year old war fairy when he agreed to that bonding.
#CancelRhysand Change my mind.
But didn't she stay in the night court because she wanted to??? I am so obsessed with him now I'm sad😭
I really hated Ryhsand in this book too and his lameness infected the entire inner circle with the pregnancy storyline. Why the hell wouldn't Mr. Choice himself not warn Feyra that having his baby had a chance to kill her, much less tell her when that chance becomes reality and now she and the baby are gonna die. Feyra could shapeshift to adjust her body to not die in child birth but... noooo... she must not do that cuz it has a chance to hurt the baby. Bitch, they are BOTH gonna die if Feyra doesn't shapeshift, wtf. That was just a gross storyline.
Fully agree with you
@@ReadswithRachel I am not sure if I got everything in the book, but I was under the impression they (the inner circle)were going to tell her but they were trying to find info to find solutions for the problem first. Rhys asked Helion and there is a scene with the Miriam and the seraphin where it says that he was holding onto so much hope, that when he figured they could not help they had to hold him to stay up right. what I take form that is that no character is perfect, not even Rhys, and that he was also processing that he might lose them. So is it that we can easily excuse some characters for their mistakes and not others. (I do not agree with the reasoning for not telling Feyre either, by the way. But Iunderstand what he was trying to do.)
Nesta was mean to everyone for no reason and one good deed does not make her a better person. Remorse, communication, empathy, asking for forgiveness, that show remorse. Not convinced about this book at all.... Not sure I will read the following, Elain.... we will plant flowers in 700 pages?
@@WendyFunez-f7z The issue is that the book frames them as Being In The Right (because to SJM Rhysand can do no wrong) because they were Just Trying To Protect Her. Which is literally what they villainized Tamlin for; so the behavior and reasoning have been acknowledged as abusive before, but not when it's Rhysand doing it. It doesn't matter _why_ they withheld the information; they had absolutely no right to keep Feyre in the dark about her own body
Also why is it the 500+ year old inhumans get "no character is perfect" but the traumatized 24 year old lashing out at her abusers gets "she's just mean for no reason?"
I don’t go here (never read the books and just keep finding info by osmosis) but I find this supremely funny bc the only thing I vaguely know about Rhysand and the kid storyline is that when Feyre telepathically showed him the vision of the son they would have together while they were having sex, it triggered his orgasm??? But now she’ll die if she gives birth and he knew that the whole time too?
UMMMMMMMMMMMMM
I'm convinced that SJM has a breeding-fetish or some kind. That explains where the whole "mate" and "female/male" and "c*ming to the thought of your future kid" comes from 🤣 Which is fine (except for the kid-thing, that is disturbing, even for a breeding-fetish), but why isn't she writing erotica only then? I hate how her books are being marketed as YA or NA.
yeah at this point its like, sarah, just write erotica! you clearly want to!
@@ReadswithRachel Yeah and that would be totally fine. She clearly likes Fantasy too and there are tons of adult Fantasy books series that are successful, though not marketed to a broad audience. The audience here mostly are adult women and (maybe I'm imagining this) but I think Sarah is shooing away from it because she likes having a young, teen audience maybe? But I'm just pseudo-analyzing her psyche and what you write/read has nothing to do with your true perspectives anyway.
I kind of wish Nesta had taken the "wrong choice" and gone to the human lands so she could just room with Lucien and his gang
SAMEEEE
THIS VIDEO WATERED MY CROPS, CLEARED MY SKIN, LET OUT A BREATH I DIDN'T KNOW I 'WAS HOLDING, AND CALLED LIKE TO LIKE
I really “impaled” myself on this review
That sentence makes no sense but we’re gonna go with it
Rhysand is the new Tamlin. Tamlin kept Feyre in the mansion and cut off from everyone. Rhysand put a “protective” shield around Feyre to where no one could touch her and she didn’t get to do anything. And now Hulu is making it into a tv series…… As a struggling writer myself, seeing sh*t like this getting eating up is unencouraging. Also, Feyre married into “royalty” basically gets everything handed to her: her court, her title, her friends, wealth, everything
Yes. I really don't know how they can publish sh*t like this and get praised for it. I didn't read it myself, but hearing from it was enough.
All these books are the same nowadays.
It's about 50% sex, 40% toxic relationships, and maybe 10% story if there is any.
I mean... that's it? That's how you get known?
The bar is very low, I guess.
Just have a toxic, handsome dude, maybe another, and plenty of sex out of context.
That's literally 70% of stories nowadays.
Back in the day, authors needed talent to be published. Now, every idiot can be an author. You don't need any talent at all. No writing skills, no good story, no good characters, nothing. Just sex.
I can't explain but Elain gives me HUGE bless your heart vibes! Idk why people give her so much pass as if she's a layered character 💀 why? BECAUSE SHE LIKES FLOWERS? AND SHE'S A FAKE NICE PERSON? the bar is that LOW? Lol
Nesta should have left her shitty family and Cassian behind and go on adventures with the girl band.
Nesta's whole family was like 'Get over your PTSD' or 'Risk your life for our purpose'. Even Cassian is problematic and would always choose the night court over her.
Best scene imo was when Cassian was aroused by Nesta and his first thought was to look for Mor to lose some pressure. Like dude, wtf..
youre not wrong!
She’s the worst sister what🤡
“like calls to like” anyone else thinking of a certain sun summoner
It’s also in the Dark Jewels series by Anne bishop.
@@BN-hp8um SJM has ripped so much off of that series it's ridiculous.
I am BEGGING Sarah to get an editor. I have DNFed this four times! I just cannot get through it!!
Thank you for explicitly wording out my exact feelings on this book. I literally died every time I read "like calls to like". Especially when it was used in the same chapter, in the same scene, by like 4 different characters one after the other?????
The House is a better character than Rhysand the Pro-Choice Feminist unless it concerns Feyre or her sister's wellbeing. Also, what's up with the Inner Circle hyping up Rhys to colonize the other courts? SJM wtf?! Rhys is actually a dick when we don't read about him from Feyre's pov. I don't understand how he still has friends. Or how no one pointed out that by forcing Nesta into seclusion "for her well-being" but against her will, Rhys & Feyre were doing the exact same thing Tamlin did to her....
Anyways, thank you for the serotonin boost and the laughs!
I’m so glad it brought you some joy!
YES wtf is up with them being like “yeah Rhys let’s do imperialism” like noooo no no let’s not
I was annoyed at how Nesta was treated. It was rage inducing. Nesta was one of the best characters, yet she got treated so badly
I agree with you on SJM having a difficult time with writing villians. I have felt every villian has fallen short. I always felt let down on that front.
The only thing that annoyed me more than the Rhys/pregnancy storyline was the fans defending it. "Oh, he was just scared/overprotective etc!" So was Tamlin when he imprisoned Feyre, and you're not rushing to his defence! (For good reason)
It was an astonishingly poor decision on his part, and I can't believe Feyre was OK with it. Very OOC for her.
The whole pregnancy plotline made zero sense anyway.
...gosh darn, why am I still so mad about this??
This (and 500 other reasons) is why I didn't bother reading the ACOTAR series or any of Sexually Justified Masochist's books.
they ignored nesta n her trauma till it was convenient for them, than locked her up.
I'm hella late to this party! Cassian panting after Nesta while she's at her lowest pissed me off. Then SJM having Nesta and Cassian have smex for the first time after being assaulted and almost killed by the Kelpie felt really gross and cheap. I've hated Rhys and Elain since Acotar and that didn't change after this book.
Thank you for this video holy shit.
I was absolutely FUMING when Rhysand wouldn’t tell Feyre about the baby situation; fuck him lol. I’m fucking pissed at Amren and Az too, and Elain I couldn’t care less about.
I agree with wanting actual consequences in her books- I think the baby should have died at least, then the “villain” and “conflict” would have been more dire because of the vulnerable position it would have put the inner circle in, especially feyre and Rhys. It might have also caused a rift in their relationship...more interesting and believable at this point.
Considering that we only get one book with Nestas POV, I’m a tad pissed off that we spent so much time concerned with Feyre/Rhys yet again.
The issue with her should have been resolved sooner. I get that it was meant to be a reality check for Nesta in regards to her relationship with Feyre, but that’s all it needed to be.
Anyway, you’re hilarious and you make some great points
This comment validates all my feelings lol
I've never gotten through a SJM book but it's been a long time so I couldn't recall why. Yes, I see now. Waaaay too much smut for my cold ace heart.
Tell your husband Tetris is the only way to load a dishwasher. 🙄
FACTS
I loved her relationships with Gwyen and Emrie. I wanna see more of her friendships
omg describing bat boys as roasted chickens im dead 😆😆😆
Hahaha glad you enjoyed my antics
I love nesta so much that I hate her book for doing her so wrong
understandable
I actually finally borrowed the first copy from a friend and read the first few chapters. Then I forgot about reading it because I was reading so many other things. Just the first couple chapters on character building between her and her family was so frustrating.
my neck hurts from the amount of nodding I did omg (also youtube is now aware wi will skip no ads on your videos and is giving me the WEIRDEST THINGS WTF)
are you getting ads for christian schools?! apparently everyone watching my channel is lol
@@ReadswithRachel thankfully, not yet! The weirdest was for fly fishing merch???
If one day someone gave me a wish I would give ACOSF a face and I would punch this book in the face because I hate it so much.
This is valid!
Haven't read that book because I've tired of the ACOTAR series, the sex scenes and the overcomplicated plots and battles won over me. I can't anymore. I'm just relating to a lot of points you've made about SJM's writing. Basically, I totally agree with the "I love it or I hate it", that contradiction within her writing.
I've just finished the Throne of Glass series and... I've ADORED some parts/characters/books, and literally wished other to die instantly. May I ? May I ?? Okej, I may :
I LOVE Heir of Fire, like, with a passion. It's about trauma and overcoming it, about deciding of a path of life, about cannibalistic witches WITH WYVERNS, it's introducting Maeve, it's horrific monsters like the skinchangers, it's blessed Aedion Ashryver our beloved bi icon, it's Sorscha's horrifying death, it's the first vision of the cadre, it's freakin Rowan Whitethorn being pissed 24/7 and brawling with Celaena constantly, it's precious Elide making friends with super scary witches and spying in the big bad's stronghold, it's... so many great things !
And then there's the blindingly badass revenge plan of Queen of Shadows, the arrival of Lysandra (bless her she's the absolute best), the reunion of the two hotheaded Ashryvers, all the Vaults/Pits/underground plots and it's SO DAMN GOOD. Oh and Nesryn Faliq, I will never not like Nesryn. Even when she has the hots for Chaol.
BUT.
But that series is also boring af so, so often. Some bits drag on for ages with no payoff, and there are So. Many. Problems.
The first two books (not counting the prequel) are sooooo slooowwww and boring, Dorian always gives me the slight creeps and Chaol is so dull, everyone says Celaena is super clever but it's never SHOWN (it is in later books, and then it gets great). The plots drag on and on. Nehemia is a great character but her arc is so useless somehow, except to give Celaena a reason to break...
And in the two last books there are all those "perfect" romantic pairings that somehow fit all within the same story (except for Fenrys, but Fenrys Moonbeam is my precious). So predictable and LAZY. No one of the main cast dies and it sucks, but the Thirteen do and it sucks. And the characters are all turned SO DUMB I SHOUTED AT THEM, they use some magic that could save the day and then forget about it, and as usual the battle scenes go on and on and on and on and on and on...
So yeah... I love that series, and it also infuriates me to no end.
I kinda want to rewrite it entirely ^^' (or at least the last book)
SJM has her own tropes and she sticks to them with a passion. Possessive fae males. Super tall super strong guys. MUCH older guys with young women (yuck). Magical tattoos. THE DEAD BEST FRIEND WHO KNEW IT ALL (hello Danika). The miraculously perfect number of hetero pairings in the main cast.
AND THOSE FREAKING STUPID MATING BONDS I HATE THEM PLEASE DESTROY THEM THEY RUIN EVERY RELATIONSHIP
absolutely love your take on this book!
I also loved Nesta from before this book and was super excited to see her grow and evolve as a character but I was kind of disappointed with the batboys in this book. There was some really good female energy in the book which i loved so much.
I'm kind of hoping for more eris content bc i think there's a lot more to him and I totally had a flashback moment to ACOMAF when reading the nessian sex scenes its was so cringe lol
same, i am oddly looking forward to hearing more from eris
i don't like sjm but nesta was one of her only somewhat interesting characters,nesta with the house gwyn emerie were the only "good" parts of this book
I was made at the death pact n how Rhysand got Feyra pregnant knowing his genes can have wings which is a death sentence for Feyra.
You read my mind in regards to how I feel about this author and series
Holy crap, I love Nesta too. And now, I'm thinking maybe I might now read it, lol. Thanks for the video 😁😁😁
Hope you enjoy it!
For me it seemed as though ACOTAR was originally planned as a trilogy, but ACOWAR had too many loose threads so SJM decided to extend it, but didnt really know how to resolve those ends
The new plot points/politics/magical objects thing feels like an afterthought idk
Honestly, I haven't interacted with the books in years but I absolutely agree with your takes.
One of my problems with her books is that while some of her ideas are pretty interesting (like the creatures™), the execution is just absolutely horrendous.
The characters feel like copy pastes from her other series, every single man is weirdly horny, predatory or sex driven, all non romantic/sexual relationships are barely developed, everything outside of what happens to the protagonists is absolutely half-assed and a lot of things just happen to be convenient for the protagonist or to make them look better.
I am still salty about Mor being a lesbian. The whole thing seemed absolutely last minute and like it was only there so that the protagonist could have a moment™. The whole thing was absolutely horrible but also never brought up again? Which seem like a trend in her writing.
All in all I really don't get why those books are as huge as they are and I am really pissed that people let me read them when I was 14.
I’ve never clicked a TH-cam notification SO FAST
Scratching your head with the book and the clip of the Starbucks guy TOOK ME OUT
I wasnt even trying to be edgy i just have dry scalp and i was editing like WELL THAT LOOKS PURPOSEFUL
@@ReadswithRachel dry skin=extra sass 😄
Was already thoroughly enjoying but that YIKES about 2 minutes in had me rolling 🤣🤣🤣
Oh boy... impaled....I literally just complained about Erikson using that imagery yikes on bikes 😬
OMG I thought you were joking about the Az in the back three way Lordy
Hozier 🥰
I want different kinds of trauma 😃👍
I thought you loved choices 🤣
He saw her shoulder and was gonna bust a nut 😆
Milking 🤮
That Rhysand thing is super not okay and I haven’t heard anyone else talk about that like my god whose fantasy man does that I’m very concerned about the women of the Maasdom
I have so many concerns lol they are NOT OKAY
That intro already sent me to another dimension. Okay so I was literally going to do a reading vlog for this book, was like 150 pages into it, and theeeeeeen I dnfed the book 🙃🙃🙃 oops
Yes to the repeated phrases ugh I seriously almost died when sarah said “he sheathed himself inside me”... Here’s the thing with SJM writing for me... maam I don’t need to know the thread count on Nesta’s satin gray dress with the scoop back that hasn’t been washed in 16 days and smells like many men and stale alcohol but fits her like a perfectly fitted condom
I do wanna see more of Eris and the autumn Court tho. Lucien meet his father n more
Omg this is the review I was looking for cause I too hated Elain and honestly Rhys in this book was a total jerk like he lost it. I feel that Nesta and the girls were cool and stuff but also having them compete -and win- against warriors that had been training for a lifetime felt shitty, like you say, there have to be consequences. Both of Rhys and Feyre dying at this point and *but not really* is super annoying as a reader. I wish you touched the Lucien/Eris subjects cause how does Maas simply put off characters like that, for later, and not give any details. They're just sad and saved for later, it's really uncomfortable as a reader? Not to mention that the few times book got really interesting, she really didn't elaborate into that. Anyways, I loved your review, loved loved it.
We are totally on the same page!
I have a love hate relationship with SJM. This book took me forever to get through. I felt like the plot was only 1/4 of the book and we went through it at 2x speed to get to nontent and smut. Part of me doesn't want to read the next book but on the other wants me to read them just to see what the fuck happens next to make me mad.
Right? There was so little plot in this book, it was crazy
Nesta needed a more nuisanced treatment. Her truama is treated as if its an inconvenience. Ppl didn't actually tried to reach out to her be4 locking her up
I was excited for ACOSF because Nesta was a character I wanted to get to know better. However, I got to page 100 (200?) and I just stopped reading, I needed a break, and it’s been many many MANY months since I’ve touched the book. I’ve sought out spoilers to reignite my desire to read it, but they’ve instead turned me off. I’m hoping I’ll pick it up again at some point.
Anyway, I was hoping to read about Nesta going to counseling, but that didn’t happen. Velaris is supposed to be this progressive city so why aren’t there counselors?
And I was super confused about Feyre being kept in the dark about her pregnancy and why that whole arc was written so poorly. Why is pregnancy not a thing that’s been researched a lot by the Fae when they’re supposedly more advance than humans and have magic to help them? Why can’t Feyre use her magic to alter her body while pregnant when magic is a part of her being (it’s why she’s alive as a Fae to begin with)? This should’ve been fleshed out more and SJM just weirdly left it as is-almost like she was rushing to complete this book.
I think if you read the Black Jewels books by Anne Bishop (whom SJM was a huge fan) then a lot of her stuff will make more sense. Massive trigger warnings for the black jewels trilogy though - be warned
Thank you 😊 I totally agree with you about this book and series. I borrowed these books from my Libby app so I didn’t have to buy these books and I am so happy for that.
😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂
Okay, I'm back. Shoulder porn, that's a new one. Also, 'milking' and 'suckle' 🙅♀️ 🙅 🙅♂️
I was listening to this at work after finishing the book and I was cackling 😆😂😅
I’m so glad my ridiculous antics brought joy lol
@@ReadswithRachel the line about therapy was sending me 🤣
I just want to know why “ The King of Hybern “ doesn’t have a name? It just makes him a lot less threatening, honestly all of her villains are underwhelming.
WHERE IS THE ADDRESSING?
This was just fucking hilarious thank you so much
The endless use of male and female drives me crazy. Also the whole prince/witch learn to love submission to a man stuff. Yet I've read every one of her books. What is wrong with me?
By Cindy, do you mean from WithCindy?
yep!
This book kinda lacked a plot 😬
the plot took a maaaaaaajor backseat... in a different car entirely
I had to replay the video when she talked about the plot "with the whole Briallyn thing" (and yes I had to look back through the book to spell that) because I had no idea what she was talking about the first time. Like, I seriously have forgotten the name of the villain less than a month after reading the book.
What plot? There was a plot? >^>
Wasn't like calls to like also in the grishaverse?
*unzips hoodie* let's get down to business aka listen to my facts 😂
yes. thank you. finally, someone who liked Nesta before this book. 👌 👍
more yes. you nailed her predictability to a T or tea is it the letter or the word and if so what word?
"velvet wrapped steel" 👀 tbh I always thought velvet felt a bit furry so okay. also why does it sound like she has written a 90s romance novel with splashes of 50 shades of grey to make it relevant 🤷♀️ 🙃
🙌 🙌 your opinion of Elain and Nesta are just so great. And completely accurate imo.
This is turning into a reaction comment so I'm going to stop (I'm only at 6:26) and just say that I am vibing with everything you're saying. I will also most likely still read this 😅 😬
I love Rachel and Sarah, I enjoy Rachel's videos almost as much as I love Sarah's books
Stop this review was so funny 😂
In regards to the "can SJM write a good villain"...i think there's a good case to be made for Maeve in ToG. She didn't stick the landing, as per usual, but she's a compelling villain IMO
my theory is that Rhys was threatened by Nesta's power so he engineered a situation where she would lose most of it to save her sister. How else was there literally 0 plan to save them???
Also I coined a phrase for what happens to the men in her books turning into abusive assholes one book after they are basically perfect: "the SJM Love Interest Decay"
Everything you said here is why Throne of Glass is her only good series. And even then, it has its limitations...
7:11 pisses me off, cause it just reeks of, "I want to be oppressed so badly," that fundies do. It's not like his entire culture was wiped out and his language stolen - he just has to acknowledge other religions exist outside his own. Poor baby, other people don't share his religion? He's SO oppressed! Fucking grow up.
Acosf is the worst SJM book. Nesta`s attitude toward Feyre made no sense. Was it jealousy? Resentment? SJM didn`t even know what to do with her redemption arc
Man I get you we need diversity in the villains...But bro of we did there'd be no difference between them and the main dudes💀💀
I'm here for the elaine hate!!!!!!
All truths here.
I did like a court of silver flames but I still don't like nesta even though I do understand why she behaves the way she does I much prefer crescent city I absolutely love that book I read it last month along with a court of silver flames
I’d love it if you would read my Middle grade Fantasy? Not finished but I’d love to have you as a beta go make this better.
Ack someone cc Merry Christmas a decade late to tell them the diff between trick and undermine or loophole maybe
You did not just compare Rhys to Tamlin. I’m hurt
I did indeed 😬😬😬
LOL Hozier, perfect
8:14, (cah-cuh-ling) !!!
AAAAAAAAAAMEN
8:02 this took me downnnn 😭😭. Excuse me, impaled??? Nah sorry how can you say 'fumes' this video is fuh-nny!
i'm so glad you liked it!
I guess I have shit taste cause I loved them lol. Especially ACOMAF and ACOSF. Curious what books are good in your opinion.
Lol no I don’t think you or anyone else has shit taste for liking ACOMAF and ACOSF. I definitely never said that. Did you watch the video?
I have other videos with reviews of books I think are great if you’re interested in which books I consider good.
I love nesta but this book was hot garbage
That video still 🤣🤣❤
MY BEST LOOK YET
❤❤❤
I feel like im the only one that hate nesta😅
Nah most people hate her I feel
Nah, I don't hate her, but I feel very indifferent to her. Her character is too inconsistent for me.
Yeah please just keep the X scenes in ypur notes.