Can we just take a moment to give a shoutout to Petrik for reading and replying to almost every comment on his videos?! I've never left a comment that he didn't reply to. No matter how much his channel grows, he still makes time for us! Thanks Petrik!
You're welcome, Erik! I probably missed some comments, but I try my best to read and reply to every comment left on my channel. I hope I can always keep this up! :)
So good. I agree 100% with Lies of Locke Lamora. A lot of people weren't sure how they felt about Red Skies but I loved it. The third book was less of a favorite, but I also know that Lynch was going through a lot of personal hard times during that book. I saved a couple of these to my TBR and went and bought Ember Blade because you've recommended it so highly in at least 3 of the last videos of yours I've seen. XD
Thank you, Tori! Like you, I loved both The Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas Under Red Skies, and I felt a bit disappointed by Republic of Thieves. But not a surprise, considering the author's state at the time of writing it. You HAVE to read The Ember Blade!! I loved it so much. 😄
I agree with you on all of those you've chosen that I've read, but there are some I still need to check out (mainly Dragon Mage). Off the top of my head, I'd have to add Kushiel's Dart, by Jacqueline Carey. Really strong first book as a standalone, with very unique world-building and super strong voice for the first person protagonist. The next two books of the trilogy are pretty good, but there's no comparison to book one, which has a complete story arc. The others very much feel like a publisher called and said, "You have any more with these characters in this world?" To which most ambitious debut authors say, "By when do you need it?" Great topic, Petrik! Good choices.
Thank you so much, Vaughn! I think you'll love Dragon Mage. A great example of another awesome self-pub book! I have Kushiel's Dart and the entire Kushiel's Legacy on my TBR for a while now. I really have to get to it next year! :D
Very much enjoyed this video Petrik! Interestingly enough, I agree with nearly all of your comments above. The only two things I would offer an alternate opinion on are the two series on this list that I enjoyed the most, BY FAR, and also the two that I enjoyed the second book of more than the first! Stover's Acts of Caine is way up there on my favorite series lists, and Stover is even higher up there on my under-appreciated authors list. And while I certainly agree with you that "Heroes Die," could have, and can, easily stand on its own, I have to tell you that "Blade of Tyshalle," for me, is easily my favorite Stover book, not just in the Acts of Caine series, but out of his entire bibliography. It is vastly different than Heroes Die, and not just because Caine is so different in so many ways (trying not to spoil here) after the events of Heroes Die, but because of the writing style and the emphasis on the philosophical and political as opposed to such an intense focus on the insane action. I would seriously encourage you to continue reading that book though. The journey that Caine and Orbek, and others, go through on the way to the grand finale is both heart-wrenching and soul-crushing, but ultimately I found it extraordinarily rewarding. I hope you do too, someday ;-)~ As for Lynch's "Lies of Locke Lamora," I absolutely agree that it is better as a series than a stand-alone. I don't, however, agree that "Lies," would have worked (at least for me) as a stand-alone at all. The ending of "Lies," to me, was not comprehensive enough to justify it as a great stand-alone. But obviously I'm so glad it wasn't because "Red Seas Under Red Skies," just killed it. "Republic of Thieves," in my opinion, was a bit lackluster considering the previous two, but I certainly still enjoyed it. I'm happy that Lynch seems to be working through his personal issues and so hopeful that this series will continue! Keep up the great work, and happy reading!
Thank you very much, Derek! As always I appreciate your comment and input on the series you've enjoyed. I definitely have to put what you said into my mind when I attempt Acts of Caine again someday. It won't be soon, though. As you said, the writing style and the content were SO DIFFERENT to Heroes Die and I was not prepared for it. I think being prepared with the right expectation could lead to a better reading experience. That's interesting and I agree to a level. But the way I see it, if the author intended it, he could've written a chapter JUST to show what happened with Locke and Jean after the events in Camorr, and it would've worked even better as a standalone novel. As it stands, it had an open ending that lead incredibly well to Red Seas Under Red Skies! :) I will do my best to keep up with the channel and reading! :)
@@PetrikLeo Hah! Yeah, with all that you've got on you're plate, I'm not surprised "Blade of Tyshalle," will get a pass for the moment. Still, I really do hope you get back to it someday with a fresh mindset. If and when you do finish it, I'm willing to bet it will be like a massive delayed gratification explosion, emotionally speaking, in that it hits you hard and you'll appreciate the build-up at the end. 🤪 As for "Lies," your response is exactly my point; if Lynch had written that extra chapter or an epilogue that showcased a bit more Locke and Jean to wrap things up, then I'd definitely give it my stamp of approval as a great stand-alone! But, he didn't. So it doesn't ;-)~
That was such an interesting video to me since quite a few of the books you mentioned are on my TBR (Blood Song, Lancelot, Legends of The First Empire series, Ember Blade, and now Heroes Die - the synopsis and your praises convinced me, not that cover for sure 🥴). I wondered if The Lies of Locke Lamora would be mentioned because, as you said, it works well enough as a standalone for me to have waited so long before reading the second book without feeling lost. But I think it wouldn't have worked if you wanted more coherent infos about the world-building (because the magic system is definitely a mystery in that first book).
Well, now you know they are awesome imo and they worked well as a standalone! I didn't mention Legends of the First Empire, though. That's another prequel series by Michael Sullivan. 😄 That's true regarding The Lies of Locke Lamora. And we get more of the world in the 2nd and 3rd book! But assume that these two books didnt exist yet. I think people who've read Lies would be satisfied enough and there is no cliffhanger at all! 😄
@@PetrikLeo Yes, that's a very good point too. ☺️ Oh, I thought that series by Sullivan was related to Ryiria Revelations & Chronicles, because I think Jessie Mae said that it was taking place in the same universe (and that it's better chronologically speaking to start with Age of Empire). But I might have misunderstood that. 😅
@@onfaerystories Not wrong! So here's how it goes. The Legends of The First Empire is ANOTHER prequel series to the Riyria Revelations and Riyria Chronicles, taking place 3000 years before the Riyria series. And the series starts with Age of Myth; Age of Empyre is the final book in Legends of the First Empire. But that's usually considered a different series to the Riyria. AND there is another bridging series titled The Rise and Fall trilogy that takes place after The Legends of the First Empire but before The Riyria series. 😄
Thank you, my friend! I think you will love The Ember Blade! 😄 The second book will come out early next year if not delayed. So you're on time. And yeah, I agree regarding Lancelot!
I couldn't agree with you more about Demon Cycle. The first book was incredible, but I ended up DNF-ing the series halfway through the 3rd book after slogging my way through the 2nd. My biggest problem is that the series should have been a trilogy at most. The amount of time spent on boring interludes from the past really killed it for me. Also, you got me real excited to read Ember Blade. I didn't know you liked it that much! -BookMeanderings
Oh, I totally agree. I think having the series as a trilogy would work better for the series. With caveat, of course. Because length aside, Demon Cycle has a lot of other problems like the one I mentioned in the video.
Great video. remember reading Bloodsong not long after its release and commenting on Good Reads giving it 5 stars. I was so excited for the Tower lord and was so disappointed and writing the same. Ryan's next trilogy Draconis Memoria was great and he redeemed himself. Now I understand that they are going to make a show of the Raven's Shadow but will skip over Bloodsong, it figures so many with poort taste in Cable production. I have read so many of these titles, and in some cases have also stopped at book one, being satisfied, thinking the author didn't need to revisit the story. I have done that with both Children in Time and Heroes die. I purchased Dragon mage but have not read it, thanks for the heads up that it is continuing, now i can wait. I also must say that I have been waiting forever for a sequel to the Ember Blade, knowing that is was delayed as Wooding has had other projects going before he jumped back to that one. Glad to hear next year, do you have a release date?
Thank you so much, Frank! I hope the TV show adaptation will do it justice. But again, it seems like it will focus less on Vaelin... :/ Glad you agree with me on Children of Time and Heroes Die! Last I checked, The Ember Blade was scheduled to be released in the first quarter of 2023. But not sure whether that will change yet. We'll see if there is more news closer to the release date! :)
Love this video! And it (like all your other videos) highlights that you are willing to put anything on these lists and be honest, no matter your relationship with the author!
Thank you so much, Mathias! I try not to make too many 'negative' videos, but sometimes I feel like it's necessary to provide my opinions on some series I didn't enjoy. :)
@@PetrikLeo That is awesome, and I'm very happy you have this positive approach to books and reviewing them and the rare and occasional negative only highlight your authenticity, keep up the good work!
I 100% agree with you on "the warded man"! The Idea and the first book of the series was so freaking good. Had to drop the series after book 4 and I am still mad that all this potential has gone to waste.
Just finished The Ember Blade last week based on your recommendation and loved it (4.5 stars)! Looking forward to the sequel. I thought Dragon Mage was just OK though (3 stars).
Children of Time is one of my favorite books. I couldn't read beyond the half-way point in Children of Ruin. It was so unbearable. I couldn't believe the contrast.
For me, personally, one of the greatest strengths of Acts of Caine, was that Stover does sth different with each book and challenges you constantly. It might feel jarring at first, but it is very deliberate and there is a thematic throughline, if not a structural one.I love every book and I think that the whole is even greater than the sum of its parts. Stover was extremely ambitious and went balls to the walls. Is it for everyone? No. But I loved it all.
I definitely won't disagree with you on that. Stover is ambitious for sure, and I think whether it works for readers or not will be more on a 50-50 chance. But, although I felt The Blade of Tyshalle to be so jarring and different from Heroes Die, I think approaching it with the right mindset someday (knowing that I should be more open-minded instead of expecting it to be another same vein as Heroes Die) would provide a better result. At least I hope so!
@@PetrikLeo I had the same thing happen many times, with Broken Empire and First Law for example, where I went in with expectations, mostly unconsciously, and didn't like it initially. After coming back later I grew to love them. I hope the same happens for you with Acts of Caine, cause I like hearing you talk about things you enjoy 😁
Awesome video idea Petrik! Heroes Die is a book I plan on reading, but based on what a lot of people have said, I will probably pretend it’s a standalone and only read that one installment lol. I really want to check out some Giles Kristian! Lancelot sounds amazing! Great video man!
Thank you so much, Alex! Oh yes, you will LOVE Heroes Die. Not sure about the sequels, it's very mixed received. But yes, I approve you reading Heroes Die and Lancelot! :D
I totally agree with you about Demon Cycle. I read the entire series, along with it's supporting short stories, but not the new book. The Warded Man is the only physical book of that series that is in my home library.
I can't believe I actually read the entire series. I really should've dropped it. But I must say that Brett's writing is very addictive even if I disliked a lot of the stuff he put. xD
I loved the Demon Cycle when I first read it, but after sitting on it for awhile, I think what I love about it is the world building. It's such a fascinating and unique world that I want more of, but I don't really like any of the characters that inhabit it.
@@celestialdemon1316 I didn’t like the Krasian culture. Well, more like, it was tolerable at first to read, but the more time spent with them, I started to not care as much about the progression of the overall story.
Mannnn, I'm so glad to see the demon cycle here! Book 1 was very interesting and I enjoed it, but I got through about 60% of book 2 and just complete gave up on it. Almost exactly for the same reasons also. Btw have you read any of the "Kings Dark Tidings" series? Im on book 2 and I have to say it progressively keeps getting better as I read. I dont thinks it's super popular. Also, Ive added Dragon Mage to my TBR now lol.
No need to force it. Demon Cycle gets much worse in book 3. Seriously, much worse. I haven't read Kings Dark Tidings yet! It is a popular self-published fantasy series, and yeah it hasn't been talked about a lot in booktube or other social media, but yeah many self-pub fantasy readers have read it and loved it! :)
"Ugliest cover I have ever seen" - So true. I'm currently 70% of the book and it's amazing. The action sequence is stunningly written. Now that you have spoken about the 2nd book, I may not pick it up. What do you have to say about "Bloody Rose"?
Glad you're loving Heroes Die! I think it's an amazing book. I do think the second book is worth trying, you might just end up loving it more than I did. But I loved Bloody Rose by Nicholas Eames. It's a different kind of book than Kings of the Wyld, but it is super good as well, imo! :)
One that probably would have worked well as a stand-alone is Brent Weeks’ Way of Shadows, just having the battle between Kylar and Durzo would have been a decent way to end it if you ask me, even if I did still think the rest of the series was pretty good
4:55 hard agree on this one. It's really weird how the women all had to go through r@p€. It was especially hard to read for the sisters (I forgot their names). The oldest escaped by marring the mc's dad, the 2nd also married and the last I think killed her dad after days of abuse only cause he saw her sleep with another man that she liked and then was saved by the mc from mob justice. It was especially bad cuz the crime was done by the father who should be a guardian not the criminal. (I'm really sorry I forgot everyone's names but I read the series now 2+ years ago)
I think the name is Renna, but again I could also be mistaken on this. It has been a few years since I read it, and the thing I remember about the female characters was all of them went through rape to be developed as a character. It's utterly dumb. Honestly, as time passes, the more this series sit badly in my mind. xD
@@PetrikLeo I think you're right about the name. It really gets worse the more time passes somehow 😂 I also strongly dislike how Leesha I think was her name ( the main girl character) was such a Mary Sue. The mc's talent and biggest defining trait was that he's very good at warding but Leesha was taught in months and then surpassed him in the 4th or last book. She also was a healer which makes sense cuz she was apprenticed to one. But she also at the end out of nowhere is somehow good in politics and in ruling/finances. The politics can be excused by saying she's good at reading people and can use her beauty to her advantage (which is also weird, she got brutally r@p€d and then somehow started sleeping around a lot more and one of those she slept with is at the head of a brutal army of people that see no problem in r@ping conquered people or weaker people's wives & daughters and is married to a dozen wives on top of that). Ok that was a long ranty tangent. But yeah lasty she somehow knows how to rule & generate wealth tho she only knew basic maths. The author making her good... nay even exceptional at basically everything without having earned it really made me hate her
I agree about The Lies of Locke Lamora. The ending is very satisfying. Unfortunately, it means that I have put off the sequel to read other things. I do need to get back to it, though, because I love Locke and Jean.
I tried to start Gentlemen Bastard a few weeks ago but the audiobook is absolutely terrible so I had to give up on it and get the book book which I haven't started yet, but I will! Series that should have been one book, Wheel of Time, then maybe it wouldn't have wasted so much of mine! I always say The Final Empire works really well as a stand alone, not so much the others but that one I can see someone just reading that then going on to Stormlight Archives or something completely different.
I haven't heard a lot of good things about the audiobook. So yeah, definitely stick with the text for The Lies of Locke Lamora! And yeah, The Final Empire certainly would work well as a standalone novel! :)
I enjoyed this topic...honest critique when a little is too much. I often feel like the trilogy concept is overwrought with a financial motivation to sell books which is why the 2nd installments may feel like filler. I would argue that a great editor can help trim down what is needed to tell the best story.
Thank you! Yeah, that's true. Not always the case but pretty sure financial motivation has pushed plenty of series beyond its needed books. It gets even worse when a series is extended beyond a trilogy by multiple books 😂
Really interesting video! For me The Ember Blade's ending was kind of open, I can't wait for the sequel 😄Also, can I jump to the Raven's Blade after Blood Song?
Thank you so much, Ricardo! I can't wait for The Shadow Casket to come out. And yeah, you should be fine to jump into Raven's Blade duology immediately. The beginning will be a bit off, I guess, because Vaelin will be talking about events that happened in the previous two books. But after that, the story actually moves to a new storyline with minimal reference to what happened in Tower Lord and Queen of Fire.
I agree with you on Acts of Caine. The first book is absolutely amazing! I'm not a big sci-fi fan, but I loved that book so much. However, The Blade of Tyshalle was a struggle because it was so different than what I loved in the first book. The third book gets a little back on track and feels more like the first one. But the final book goes way off rails, even more so than second, and there was nothing at all that I enjoyed about it.
Glad you agree with me on The Acts of Caine! I love thr first book so much. I was certainly taken aback by how different the second book was. Not only in the story execution, but also in writing and everything. I've heard the same thing regarding the fourth book! 😅
Oh Stover writing a new science fantasy series NOW would be amazing! And yeah, I tried giving Desert Prince the benefit of the doubt, and I was so disappointed by it. :/
I absolutely love The Ember Blade and, hopefully, sequel will be just as good. The Acts of Caine- 100% agree with you. I think it bothers me this much because first book is mindblowingly awesome.
Same here, Lila. The Ember Blade is a fantastic book. I hope the sequel next year will be as good! And I am getting increasingly annoyed with Acts of Caine because, like you, I LOVED the first book. I just couldn't click with the second book. xD
Bernard Cornwell's Grail Quest Trilogy, I know he eventually wrote a 4th book but 3 was more than enough for me right now. There's a lot of meandering going on and the characters, and aside from a couple, I wasn't all that invested in. I would've rathered it condensed into one book or a duology. Im sounding more bitter than I intended, I was more underwhelmed than anything despite mostly enjoying it. Probably it's recency bias.
Ah, understandable. For Cornwell, it seems like this kind of thing happens a bit often. I also think his Last Kingdom novels shouldn't have been that long. It's gotten too repetitive. Maybe not a standalone, but definitely should've been condensed! :)
Love this video!! From those five series you mentioned, I've only read Blood Song and I am 100% treating that as a standalone, haha. Completely agree with all your picks for the second section though!! I am going to read Dragon Mage in the next couple of days, but all the others I have read and LOVED! Can't wait to reread some of those, because even though there is more in those series for me to enjoy, I just want to be back reading my favourites again, haha. Series that I think would've been better as a standalone are the Cursebreakers series by Brigid Kemmerer, Beartown by Frederik Backman, The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell and (sorry not sorry) Ash and Sand by Richard Nell... or maybe that last one didn't necessarily need to be a standalone, but the story structure shouldn't have been so convoluted over the three books (with book 2 being one major flashback, you know?).
Thank you so much, Esmay! Yeah, I don't think you will enjoy the second or the third book of Raven's Shadow. I hope you'll love Dragon Mage. Like you, on top of the books I want to read, I have so many books I want to reread, too! I have Beartown by Frederick Backman on my TBR, let's hope I'll love the series when I get to it. And I can certainly understand what you mean regarding Ash and Sand. The author took a risk with the storytelling structure, and it won't click with plenty of readers for sure! :)
I recently finished reading Emperor's Soul and I have to say that it is a fantastic book! honestly one of my favourites! audiobook is a piece of art, recommend to everyone! i relistened the last paragraph few times
I could not agree more about Blood song. I loved the 1st book, loathed the 2nd and dnf the 3rd by the 2nd chapter. Years later, I still cannot undestand how such à stellar & promising beginning could end in flames like that😢
Yeah... As far as series with amazing first book goes, I don't think I've seen anything that went downhill as hard as this series. The first book was a masterwork, but the rest were... yeah, disaster. xD
@@PetrikLeo I really struggled to finish Tower lord and never picked up Queen of fire, Blood Song was solid book though. I've recently gave up on Licanius Book 2, book 1 was preety great, plot was overly complicated, characters were not interesting and felt like multiple books crammed into one.
Same here, Angela! I'm glad Riyria Chronicles is a series! I loved Red Seas Under Red Skies, but I found Republic of Thieves a downgrade after the first two books. Still good, though! 😄
I couldn't even get into the first Children of Time book... even on a recommendation from a really good friend, which made me feel bad explaining why I couldn't finish it 😅
8:33 I agree that Bloodsong is the best of the trilogy but I liked Tower Lord and thought Queen of Fire was solid tho it was the weakest. But imo -and I ofc agree that opinion's differ- it's still an enjoyable trilogy
I listened to Children of Ruin on audiobook, but thought it was Children of Time, because the plot is so similar. I decided against reading a rehash of the same story....
Yeahhh. The first book is about spiders, and the second book is about octopuses, but that's pretty much it. Children of Memory will probably be about another animal... xD
I was surprised by how much I loved The Emperor's Soul when I first read through it. I recommended it to my brother, and it sent him down the rabbit hole of reading Sanderson's other books hahaha!
It's so strange how sometimes a book could start off as a standalone, but due to whatever reason, there's a continuation. This seems to happen in the YA market quite a bit. The one that kind of chaffs me is Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater which read very much like a standalone. But then came the announcement for the sequel, and I was like, 'Um... why?' Shiver ended on a very good note, and from what the author's said, the end of the trilogy is supposed to be ambiguous. I'm so glad I stopped with Shiver.
There are plenty of series like that, too. I don't like to assume things I'm not sure about, but sometimes I genuinely think the reason is because of money and that's it. xD
Oh man, Blood Song was so good. I was slightly disappointed with the rest of the series. I still enjoyed it, but the following 2 books didn't get to the high bar the first book set, at least for me.
I, and many readers, certainly agree with you on this, Adam! It's such a shame for the rest of the series to go downhill like that after such an amazing start! :)
I think I'd go as far as saying that Children of Time is my favourite modern science fiction novel, and one of the best sci-fi novels of all time. I love lots of Adrian's other books, but Children of Ruin just didn't do it for me. I will read Children of Memory though :)
Ravens Shadow is the best fantasy series of all time. Ryan is probably my favorite author ever. Truly don’t get why people don’t like Tower Lord and Queen of Fire. Agreed about Lancelot though. That book is dope and I view it as a stand alone.
It's really far from being the best fantasy series of all time for me. I'm glad you loved Tower Lord and Queen of Fire, though. At least we can agree with Lancelot! 😄
100% agree on The Children of Time. I often feel that sequels don't give me the part of the world or characters I liked in the first book so that now I very carefully consider if I should be even reading a series. I wish Dune was a standalone and even though I think the sequel still works as a musing on what becomes of a world when the rebels win, every book after that is just horrid. The Masquerade series is another that went downhill for me, introducing confusing perspectives and not succeeding in expanding the world in an interesting and emotionally impactful way.
Glad you agreed on The Children of Time! I haven't read the sequels to Dune actually, so I can't comment on that. As for Masquerade, I'm not even a fan of the first book already. xD
@@PetrikLeo hahaha just give in to the salt 💀🤣 it’s fun. I just got one of Ml Spencer’s earlier series (the duology) I’ll be curious to see her other works while waiting for champion of the fallen
Thank you for acknowledging the terrible portrayal of women in Demon Cycle. I hate when male fantasy authors feel the only way to develop a female character is by using sexual violence. Or even worse when they use sexual violence again a female character to develop a male character. It's good to see a male reader noticing this and calling it out. Also I completely agree about the children of time series. Children of time had a perfect conclusion it didn't need more books.
The story itself stand alone even though it's a part of Cosmere universe. Like you wont miss anything from any other series even if you dont read Emperor's Soul. And the same goes for Emperor's Soul, you cna jump into it immediately without reading any other books, too. And there is no cliffhanger. Sanderson himself and many other people also said it's a standalone.
Disagree on Acts of Caine personally. The other books are very different from Heroes Die, but I think they're all beautifully written. His Star Wars books are amazing as well, especially Traitor. Very weird and philosophical.
No worries! I think the general reception towards Acts of Caine after Heroes Die is either love or hate. I am more on the disappointed side of it. I will give it another attempt someday. I haven't read his Star Wars books yet!
I agree so much with the Demon Cycle! I had my problems with the first one, but every entry got worse, most of all in the portrayal of women. I also think it's not just the development of women that the author butchers, but in general how he writes them and I really hated it xD
The portrayal of women in the series is awful. There is probably only one main female character that didn't go through sexual violence or sexual spree as "character development." It's ridiculous, tbh.
Rage of dragons or should have been one giant book with fires of vengeance somehow. On it's own just fires of vengeance doesn't work for me if I just read it after rage of dragons it might have been better.
Petrik, I don't known you have read or hear of this series. I read "The Secret of Dragonhome" and fell in love back into books because of this book,but "The Slayers of Dragonhome" was very awful and very poorlyvwritten. I think "The Secret of Dragonhome" should be a standalone..."Between Razor's Edge should be a standalone, because I don't like was going the similar direction to The Slayer of Dragonhome". I even think "So Cursed, Dark and Lonely" could be a standalone...I even felt with The Ember Blade.
@@PetrikLeo Yeah, I am glad you didn't read Dragonhome trilogy. 🙂...I was referring to Along Razor's Edge by Rob J. Hayes,but I don't care for the sequel to it much and I DNF'ed its sequel.
I didn't even enjoy Traitor Baru Cormorant, at all. I can certainly understand The Broken Earth as a choice for this prompt. I dislike Obelisk Gate, so much. I, luckily, enjoyed the third book, though! :)
Before you even said it I was thinking Children of Ruin lol. I liked Children of Time but Ruin was rather boring and downright creepy in parts. I never want to see or hear the words "we're going on an adventure" ever again. I'm not sure if I'll bother with the third one.
I loved the first book of the Demon Cycle, the second was okay but I completely hated the rest of the series. I think I didn't even manage it to the end and only read 4 books 🤔 Definitely should have been a standalone.
Yeahh the first book was so good! The 2nd-4th books was.... yeah. A mixed bag for sure. It has been years since I read it, and I definitely think thid one should be a standalone novel. 😅
I totally agree, loved book 1 and hated the rest - I despised so many of the characters. I have no desire to read the new series - sounds like more of the same!
Couldn't agree with you more about Raven's Shadow - book 2, and especially book 3, were a travesty compared to Blood Song. Don't agree with The Acts of Caine - good series across the board. Now here's one to irk you, Petrik ( I've mentioned this before ): Mistborn The Final Empire works better as a standalone. I'll admit there is an argument for making the series into a duology by dropping the Well of Ascension which adds virtually nothing of worth and is just filler.
I could write an entire review long on why I disagree with you regarding The Well of Ascension, but... let's just agree to disagree. 🤣 At least wecan agree on Raven's Shadow. Queen of Fire was indeed a travesty compared to Blood Song! 😂
I absolutely disagree on Children of Ruin. Personally, I think Ruin is a better book as a whole. Children of Time has a higher concept and is superior in ideas, but Ruin manages better characters while expanding the worldbuilding in an interesting way. Yes, the plot structure of Ruin is similar to Time, but that does not devalue it. Ruin's plot is sort of a mirror to Time with the added twist of a second planet. In Time desperate survivors enter a system with a developing civilisation and we explore their influence on it, in Ruin a dedicated team of specialised explorers enter a new system and engage with the resident sentient species on an equal footing, sorting through communication problems and an exterior threat. The concept of the conflict and the position of the charcters in it is entirely different. I am still in awe when they first meet the gigantic water drop ships, and realised they are so clumbersome because of their incredible mass and all the other cool worldbuilding details. Ruin is not a normal entry in a series, and we should not expect that from Memory either. it is an impressive continuation of the world without continuing the plot as a normal series does, throwing us deeper into the relationships between two species and encountering a new one far different again. I'm sure Memory will throw us through another left turn, and even if it might seem similar on the surface there will be an entirely different book underneath.
No worries. Guess we just have to disagree. You're one of the few people I know who love Ruin more than Time. And that's great! 😁 For me, repetitive plot structure aside, the characters were so incredibly forgettable (i dont rmemeber a single character from this book anymore) but I do agree that the worldbuilding expansion was well done. Just as a clarification, although I found Ruin redundant, I still gave around 3 or 3.5 stars so yeah, I still liked it enough. 😄 I love hearing why you enjoyed Ruin that much, though!
@@PetrikLeo Thankfully Adrian's range of styles is incredible, there are surely some we do agree more on than this one. (I've read all of them, last year was A LOT of Tchaikovsky for me, he has so many books)
Never cared about what critics say about raven song Anthony ryan books are a masterpiece and one of my top series to read with malazan at the top how can you stop a series when the top characters in prison while another is in slaved meanwhile the king has died and the country just survived a war and civil war it would be like lotr stopping at the fellowship it doesn't make sense
I absolutely loved Blood Song, and that's the thing, it will be hard to stop after the end of Tower Lord, but after that, Queen of Fire was a disaster mess. And I know me and many people have regretted reading it. Anyway, glad you loved it!
I read The Warded Man at least 13 years ago, when it was still new. Prior to that, I had been reading mostly science fiction and urban fantasy. I loved The Warded Man (despite the flaws) and couldn't wait for the sequel. Unfortunately, The Desert Spear was and still is the most disappointing sequel I've had the displeasure of reading. Brett's "world building" relied heavily on blatant cultural stereotypes, to the detriment of the story. His over-reliance on rape, incest, and child abuse disgusted me. I wish I had never read the sequel and I doubt I'll ever read another book by the author. Yes, I'm still salty about it. 😒 On a positive note: i loved The Dragon Mage. I am cautiously optimistic about the upcoming sequel. 🙏🏼
YESSS! Precisely. Brett has a compelling prose. There's something about his prose that keep me turning the pages, but at the same time I was so annoyed by the reliance on rape, incest, and sex sex sex to develop so many of his characters, especially the female characters. 🙃 Glad you loved Dragon Mage, Mikou!
OMG never heard of Heros Die before but the cover is so so so bad I love it, total pulp cheese. Tyshalle is the pinnacle of generic mediocrity. A 4 out of 10 made manifest
I read Children of Time last week and loved it. I am going to go on with the series, but I agree, could be counted as an excellent standalone as well. I felt the same about Mistborn The Final Empire, but ended up liking the 2 following books more. So who knows.
I hope Children of Ruin will work out well for you, Dan! I definitely love the entire Mistborn trilogy even though the first book worked well as a standalone! :)
@@PetrikLeo Regarding Children of Times Ending, since you mentioned it. Wow... I don't know if I have ever told people to read a book for the Epilogue, but this one would be a contender for that for sure. Liked the book. Loved the ending.
Can we just take a moment to give a shoutout to Petrik for reading and replying to almost every comment on his videos?!
I've never left a comment that he didn't reply to.
No matter how much his channel grows, he still makes time for us!
Thanks Petrik!
You're welcome, Erik! I probably missed some comments, but I try my best to read and reply to every comment left on my channel. I hope I can always keep this up! :)
So good. I agree 100% with Lies of Locke Lamora. A lot of people weren't sure how they felt about Red Skies but I loved it. The third book was less of a favorite, but I also know that Lynch was going through a lot of personal hard times during that book. I saved a couple of these to my TBR and went and bought Ember Blade because you've recommended it so highly in at least 3 of the last videos of yours I've seen. XD
Thank you, Tori! Like you, I loved both The Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas Under Red Skies, and I felt a bit disappointed by Republic of Thieves. But not a surprise, considering the author's state at the time of writing it. You HAVE to read The Ember Blade!! I loved it so much. 😄
I’m so excited for the sequels to The Ember Blade and The Emperor’s Soul!
Can’t wait
Me too!! They will be awesome! 😄
I agree with you on all of those you've chosen that I've read, but there are some I still need to check out (mainly Dragon Mage). Off the top of my head, I'd have to add Kushiel's Dart, by Jacqueline Carey. Really strong first book as a standalone, with very unique world-building and super strong voice for the first person protagonist. The next two books of the trilogy are pretty good, but there's no comparison to book one, which has a complete story arc. The others very much feel like a publisher called and said, "You have any more with these characters in this world?" To which most ambitious debut authors say, "By when do you need it?"
Great topic, Petrik! Good choices.
Thank you so much, Vaughn! I think you'll love Dragon Mage. A great example of another awesome self-pub book! I have Kushiel's Dart and the entire Kushiel's Legacy on my TBR for a while now. I really have to get to it next year! :D
Thank you Petrik. You helped me to save so much reading time!
Hey you're welcome. You might end up liking them more than I did, though, if you give them a try! But yeah, this is my opinion on these series! 😄
Petrik, you one of the most trusted names in fantasy book reviews! Thank you for your content!
Aww thank you so much, Casey! It means a lot to hear that! 😄
Very much enjoyed this video Petrik! Interestingly enough, I agree with nearly all of your comments above. The only two things I would offer an alternate opinion on are the two series on this list that I enjoyed the most, BY FAR, and also the two that I enjoyed the second book of more than the first!
Stover's Acts of Caine is way up there on my favorite series lists, and Stover is even higher up there on my under-appreciated authors list. And while I certainly agree with you that "Heroes Die," could have, and can, easily stand on its own, I have to tell you that "Blade of Tyshalle," for me, is easily my favorite Stover book, not just in the Acts of Caine series, but out of his entire bibliography. It is vastly different than Heroes Die, and not just because Caine is so different in so many ways (trying not to spoil here) after the events of Heroes Die, but because of the writing style and the emphasis on the philosophical and political as opposed to such an intense focus on the insane action. I would seriously encourage you to continue reading that book though. The journey that Caine and Orbek, and others, go through on the way to the grand finale is both heart-wrenching and soul-crushing, but ultimately I found it extraordinarily rewarding. I hope you do too, someday ;-)~
As for Lynch's "Lies of Locke Lamora," I absolutely agree that it is better as a series than a stand-alone. I don't, however, agree that "Lies," would have worked (at least for me) as a stand-alone at all. The ending of "Lies," to me, was not comprehensive enough to justify it as a great stand-alone. But obviously I'm so glad it wasn't because "Red Seas Under Red Skies," just killed it. "Republic of Thieves," in my opinion, was a bit lackluster considering the previous two, but I certainly still enjoyed it. I'm happy that Lynch seems to be working through his personal issues and so hopeful that this series will continue!
Keep up the great work, and happy reading!
Thank you very much, Derek! As always I appreciate your comment and input on the series you've enjoyed. I definitely have to put what you said into my mind when I attempt Acts of Caine again someday. It won't be soon, though. As you said, the writing style and the content were SO DIFFERENT to Heroes Die and I was not prepared for it. I think being prepared with the right expectation could lead to a better reading experience.
That's interesting and I agree to a level. But the way I see it, if the author intended it, he could've written a chapter JUST to show what happened with Locke and Jean after the events in Camorr, and it would've worked even better as a standalone novel. As it stands, it had an open ending that lead incredibly well to Red Seas Under Red Skies! :)
I will do my best to keep up with the channel and reading! :)
@@PetrikLeo Hah! Yeah, with all that you've got on you're plate, I'm not surprised "Blade of Tyshalle," will get a pass for the moment. Still, I really do hope you get back to it someday with a fresh mindset. If and when you do finish it, I'm willing to bet it will be like a massive delayed gratification explosion, emotionally speaking, in that it hits you hard and you'll appreciate the build-up at the end. 🤪
As for "Lies," your response is exactly my point; if Lynch had written that extra chapter or an epilogue that showcased a bit more Locke and Jean to wrap things up, then I'd definitely give it my stamp of approval as a great stand-alone! But, he didn't. So it doesn't ;-)~
I haven't read any of these books but I like your presentation style and the personal friendly feel of the video so I subscribed!
Thank you! I try to not... get too "rude" even when I'm talking a book I dislike now. 😂
That was such an interesting video to me since quite a few of the books you mentioned are on my TBR (Blood Song, Lancelot, Legends of The First Empire series, Ember Blade, and now Heroes Die - the synopsis and your praises convinced me, not that cover for sure 🥴).
I wondered if The Lies of Locke Lamora would be mentioned because, as you said, it works well enough as a standalone for me to have waited so long before reading the second book without feeling lost. But I think it wouldn't have worked if you wanted more coherent infos about the world-building (because the magic system is definitely a mystery in that first book).
Well, now you know they are awesome imo and they worked well as a standalone! I didn't mention Legends of the First Empire, though. That's another prequel series by Michael Sullivan. 😄
That's true regarding The Lies of Locke Lamora. And we get more of the world in the 2nd and 3rd book! But assume that these two books didnt exist yet. I think people who've read Lies would be satisfied enough and there is no cliffhanger at all! 😄
@@PetrikLeo Yes, that's a very good point too. ☺️
Oh, I thought that series by Sullivan was related to Ryiria Revelations & Chronicles, because I think Jessie Mae said that it was taking place in the same universe (and that it's better chronologically speaking to start with Age of Empire). But I might have misunderstood that. 😅
@@onfaerystories Not wrong! So here's how it goes. The Legends of The First Empire is ANOTHER prequel series to the Riyria Revelations and Riyria Chronicles, taking place 3000 years before the Riyria series. And the series starts with Age of Myth; Age of Empyre is the final book in Legends of the First Empire. But that's usually considered a different series to the Riyria. AND there is another bridging series titled The Rise and Fall trilogy that takes place after The Legends of the First Empire but before The Riyria series. 😄
@@PetrikLeo Wow thank you for that explanation, now it makes much more sense and it sounds like such a clever choice from the author. 🤗
Love this video!! I’m excited to read ember blade :) I’m reading it this year for sure. i love Lancelot so much
Thank you, my friend! I think you will love The Ember Blade! 😄 The second book will come out early next year if not delayed. So you're on time. And yeah, I agree regarding Lancelot!
I couldn't agree with you more about Demon Cycle. The first book was incredible, but I ended up DNF-ing the series halfway through the 3rd book after slogging my way through the 2nd. My biggest problem is that the series should have been a trilogy at most. The amount of time spent on boring interludes from the past really killed it for me.
Also, you got me real excited to read Ember Blade. I didn't know you liked it that much!
-BookMeanderings
Oh, I totally agree. I think having the series as a trilogy would work better for the series. With caveat, of course. Because length aside, Demon Cycle has a lot of other problems like the one I mentioned in the video.
Great video.
remember reading Bloodsong not long after its release and commenting on Good Reads giving it 5 stars. I was so excited for the Tower lord and was so disappointed and writing the same. Ryan's next trilogy Draconis Memoria was great and he redeemed himself. Now I understand that they are going to make a show of the Raven's Shadow but will skip over Bloodsong, it figures so many with poort taste in Cable production.
I have read so many of these titles, and in some cases have also stopped at book one, being satisfied, thinking the author didn't need to revisit the story. I have done that with both Children in Time and Heroes die. I purchased Dragon mage but have not read it, thanks for the heads up that it is continuing, now i can wait. I also must say that I have been waiting forever for a sequel to the Ember Blade, knowing that is was delayed as Wooding has had other projects going before he jumped back to that one. Glad to hear next year, do you have a release date?
Thank you so much, Frank! I hope the TV show adaptation will do it justice. But again, it seems like it will focus less on Vaelin... :/
Glad you agree with me on Children of Time and Heroes Die! Last I checked, The Ember Blade was scheduled to be released in the first quarter of 2023. But not sure whether that will change yet. We'll see if there is more news closer to the release date! :)
Love this video! And it (like all your other videos) highlights that you are willing to put anything on these lists and be honest, no matter your relationship with the author!
Thank you so much, Mathias! I try not to make too many 'negative' videos, but sometimes I feel like it's necessary to provide my opinions on some series I didn't enjoy. :)
@@PetrikLeo That is awesome, and I'm very happy you have this positive approach to books and reviewing them and the rare and occasional negative only highlight your authenticity, keep up the good work!
I 100% agree with you on "the warded man"! The Idea and the first book of the series was so freaking good. Had to drop the series after book 4 and I am still mad that all this potential has gone to waste.
Thank you, Lenny! Glad you agree. Yeah, I loved the first book, but I had such a mixed feeling regarding book 2-4 (mostly negative) xD
Just finished The Ember Blade last week based on your recommendation and loved it (4.5 stars)! Looking forward to the sequel. I thought Dragon Mage was just OK though (3 stars).
Ah, too bad Dragon Mage didn't click that much. But hey, glad you loved The Ember Blade!! 😊
Dragon Mage was FANTASTIC! It really does work well as a standalone but I am SO excited for the sequel
It really was! I hope Champion of the Fallen will be as good or even better! 😄
Children of Time is one of my favorite books. I couldn't read beyond the half-way point in Children of Ruin. It was so unbearable. I couldn't believe the contrast.
Totally agreed, Casey. It's not that bad for me, but I was struggling so much throigh the middle section because it was so boring. 😅
This is an interesting video , helps us to keep that tbr in check 😉 😃
We need to control our TBR pile. Even if only by a bit... xD
@@PetrikLeo 😁
Evening Petrik. Thank you for this different evening meal[video]😂
Thank you so much, Samuli! Enjoy your meal! 😄
such a fun video idea!!!!
Thank you! 😄
For me, personally, one of the greatest strengths of Acts of Caine, was that Stover does sth different with each book and challenges you constantly. It might feel jarring at first, but it is very deliberate and there is a thematic throughline, if not a structural one.I love every book and I think that the whole is even greater than the sum of its parts. Stover was extremely ambitious and went balls to the walls. Is it for everyone? No. But I loved it all.
I definitely won't disagree with you on that. Stover is ambitious for sure, and I think whether it works for readers or not will be more on a 50-50 chance. But, although I felt The Blade of Tyshalle to be so jarring and different from Heroes Die, I think approaching it with the right mindset someday (knowing that I should be more open-minded instead of expecting it to be another same vein as Heroes Die) would provide a better result. At least I hope so!
@@PetrikLeo I had the same thing happen many times, with Broken Empire and First Law for example, where I went in with expectations, mostly unconsciously, and didn't like it initially. After coming back later I grew to love them. I hope the same happens for you with Acts of Caine, cause I like hearing you talk about things you enjoy 😁
Awesome video idea Petrik! Heroes Die is a book I plan on reading, but based on what a lot of people have said, I will probably pretend it’s a standalone and only read that one installment lol. I really want to check out some Giles Kristian! Lancelot sounds amazing! Great video man!
Thank you so much, Alex! Oh yes, you will LOVE Heroes Die. Not sure about the sequels, it's very mixed received. But yes, I approve you reading Heroes Die and Lancelot! :D
I totally agree with you about Demon Cycle. I read the entire series, along with it's supporting short stories, but not the new book. The Warded Man is the only physical book of that series that is in my home library.
I can't believe I actually read the entire series. I really should've dropped it. But I must say that Brett's writing is very addictive even if I disliked a lot of the stuff he put. xD
I loved the Demon Cycle when I first read it, but after sitting on it for awhile, I think what I love about it is the world building. It's such a fascinating and unique world that I want more of, but I don't really like any of the characters that inhabit it.
@@celestialdemon1316 I didn’t like the Krasian culture. Well, more like, it was tolerable at first to read, but the more time spent with them, I started to not care as much about the progression of the overall story.
@@Michael_L_Morrison Agreed. They were terrible.
Mannnn, I'm so glad to see the demon cycle here!
Book 1 was very interesting and I enjoed it, but I got through about 60% of book 2 and just complete gave up on it. Almost exactly for the same reasons also.
Btw have you read any of the "Kings Dark Tidings" series?
Im on book 2 and I have to say it progressively keeps getting better as I read. I dont thinks it's super popular.
Also, Ive added Dragon Mage to my TBR now lol.
No need to force it. Demon Cycle gets much worse in book 3. Seriously, much worse.
I haven't read Kings Dark Tidings yet! It is a popular self-published fantasy series, and yeah it hasn't been talked about a lot in booktube or other social media, but yeah many self-pub fantasy readers have read it and loved it! :)
Loved all of demon cycle epic reading. And just finished nightfall saga the hidden queen. Would love if they made a tv show out of it.
@@desmondshannon319 who knows!? Maybe one day right!?
"Ugliest cover I have ever seen" - So true. I'm currently 70% of the book and it's amazing. The action sequence is stunningly written. Now that you have spoken about the 2nd book, I may not pick it up. What do you have to say about "Bloody Rose"?
Glad you're loving Heroes Die! I think it's an amazing book. I do think the second book is worth trying, you might just end up loving it more than I did. But I loved Bloody Rose by Nicholas Eames. It's a different kind of book than Kings of the Wyld, but it is super good as well, imo! :)
One that probably would have worked well as a stand-alone is Brent Weeks’ Way of Shadows, just having the battle between Kylar and Durzo would have been a decent way to end it if you ask me, even if I did still think the rest of the series was pretty good
Oh, I haven't read that one yet! Good to know the first book could work as a standalone! :)
4:55 hard agree on this one. It's really weird how the women all had to go through r@p€. It was especially hard to read for the sisters (I forgot their names). The oldest escaped by marring the mc's dad, the 2nd also married and the last I think killed her dad after days of abuse only cause he saw her sleep with another man that she liked and then was saved by the mc from mob justice. It was especially bad cuz the crime was done by the father who should be a guardian not the criminal. (I'm really sorry I forgot everyone's names but I read the series now 2+ years ago)
I think the name is Renna, but again I could also be mistaken on this. It has been a few years since I read it, and the thing I remember about the female characters was all of them went through rape to be developed as a character. It's utterly dumb. Honestly, as time passes, the more this series sit badly in my mind. xD
@@PetrikLeo I think you're right about the name. It really gets worse the more time passes somehow 😂 I also strongly dislike how Leesha I think was her name ( the main girl character) was such a Mary Sue. The mc's talent and biggest defining trait was that he's very good at warding but Leesha was taught in months and then surpassed him in the 4th or last book. She also was a healer which makes sense cuz she was apprenticed to one. But she also at the end out of nowhere is somehow good in politics and in ruling/finances. The politics can be excused by saying she's good at reading people and can use her beauty to her advantage (which is also weird, she got brutally r@p€d and then somehow started sleeping around a lot more and one of those she slept with is at the head of a brutal army of people that see no problem in r@ping conquered people or weaker people's wives & daughters and is married to a dozen wives on top of that). Ok that was a long ranty tangent. But yeah lasty she somehow knows how to rule & generate wealth tho she only knew basic maths. The author making her good... nay even exceptional at basically everything without having earned it really made me hate her
I agree about The Lies of Locke Lamora. The ending is very satisfying. Unfortunately, it means that I have put off the sequel to read other things. I do need to get back to it, though, because I love Locke and Jean.
Yeah it is! When you do continue, you will love Locke and jean even more! :)
I tried to start Gentlemen Bastard a few weeks ago but the audiobook is absolutely terrible so I had to give up on it and get the book book which I haven't started yet, but I will! Series that should have been one book, Wheel of Time, then maybe it wouldn't have wasted so much of mine! I always say The Final Empire works really well as a stand alone, not so much the others but that one I can see someone just reading that then going on to Stormlight Archives or something completely different.
I haven't heard a lot of good things about the audiobook. So yeah, definitely stick with the text for The Lies of Locke Lamora! And yeah, The Final Empire certainly would work well as a standalone novel! :)
You should do top 10 best endings in a book/series.
It's on the list to do before the end of the year. Want to finish more series first before I make it! 😄
Or worst endings 😏
@@Iza56 That seems like an idea for a salty Petrik video. Noted! 😂
I enjoyed this topic...honest critique when a little is too much. I often feel like the trilogy concept is overwrought with a financial motivation to sell books which is why the 2nd installments may feel like filler. I would argue that a great editor can help trim down what is needed to tell the best story.
Thank you! Yeah, that's true. Not always the case but pretty sure financial motivation has pushed plenty of series beyond its needed books. It gets even worse when a series is extended beyond a trilogy by multiple books 😂
Really interesting video! For me The Ember Blade's ending was kind of open, I can't wait for the sequel 😄Also, can I jump to the Raven's Blade after Blood Song?
Thank you so much, Ricardo! I can't wait for The Shadow Casket to come out. And yeah, you should be fine to jump into Raven's Blade duology immediately. The beginning will be a bit off, I guess, because Vaelin will be talking about events that happened in the previous two books. But after that, the story actually moves to a new storyline with minimal reference to what happened in Tower Lord and Queen of Fire.
Great video!
Thank you! 😁
I agree with you on Acts of Caine. The first book is absolutely amazing! I'm not a big sci-fi fan, but I loved that book so much.
However, The Blade of Tyshalle was a struggle because it was so different than what I loved in the first book. The third book gets a little back on track and feels more like the first one. But the final book goes way off rails, even more so than second, and there was nothing at all that I enjoyed about it.
Glad you agree with me on The Acts of Caine! I love thr first book so much. I was certainly taken aback by how different the second book was. Not only in the story execution, but also in writing and everything. I've heard the same thing regarding the fourth book! 😅
I hoping Stover has another fantasy series up his sleeve! And I agree on Demon Cycle I wish he would start a new series instead of carrying on
Oh Stover writing a new science fantasy series NOW would be amazing! And yeah, I tried giving Desert Prince the benefit of the doubt, and I was so disappointed by it. :/
I absolutely love The Ember Blade and, hopefully, sequel will be just as good. The Acts of Caine- 100% agree with you. I think it bothers me this much because first book is mindblowingly awesome.
Same here, Lila. The Ember Blade is a fantastic book. I hope the sequel next year will be as good! And I am getting increasingly annoyed with Acts of Caine because, like you, I LOVED the first book. I just couldn't click with the second book. xD
Bernard Cornwell's Grail Quest Trilogy, I know he eventually wrote a 4th book but 3 was more than enough for me right now.
There's a lot of meandering going on and the characters, and aside from a couple, I wasn't all that invested in.
I would've rathered it condensed into one book or a duology.
Im sounding more bitter than I intended, I was more underwhelmed than anything despite mostly enjoying it.
Probably it's recency bias.
Ah, understandable. For Cornwell, it seems like this kind of thing happens a bit often. I also think his Last Kingdom novels shouldn't have been that long. It's gotten too repetitive. Maybe not a standalone, but definitely should've been condensed! :)
I was waiting for Raven Shadow. Blood Song is 🙌🙌🙌
Blood Song is SO GOOD! :D
Love this video!! From those five series you mentioned, I've only read Blood Song and I am 100% treating that as a standalone, haha.
Completely agree with all your picks for the second section though!! I am going to read Dragon Mage in the next couple of days, but all the others I have read and LOVED! Can't wait to reread some of those, because even though there is more in those series for me to enjoy, I just want to be back reading my favourites again, haha.
Series that I think would've been better as a standalone are the Cursebreakers series by Brigid Kemmerer, Beartown by Frederik Backman, The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell and (sorry not sorry) Ash and Sand by Richard Nell... or maybe that last one didn't necessarily need to be a standalone, but the story structure shouldn't have been so convoluted over the three books (with book 2 being one major flashback, you know?).
Thank you so much, Esmay! Yeah, I don't think you will enjoy the second or the third book of Raven's Shadow. I hope you'll love Dragon Mage. Like you, on top of the books I want to read, I have so many books I want to reread, too!
I have Beartown by Frederick Backman on my TBR, let's hope I'll love the series when I get to it. And I can certainly understand what you mean regarding Ash and Sand. The author took a risk with the storytelling structure, and it won't click with plenty of readers for sure! :)
I just bought Dragon Mage! I will be starting it soon!
It's a fun book. I actually listened to it on audio; it has great narration.
I hope you'll love it, Lemmy!! 😄
I recently finished reading Emperor's Soul and I have to say that it is a fantastic book! honestly one of my favourites! audiobook is a piece of art, recommend to everyone! i relistened the last paragraph few times
It is such a wonderful novella. I need to reread it again! :)
I’ve resisted the Sanderson hype thus far, but now I’m game for The Emperor’s Soul.
Also, love me some Royce & Hadrian! 🗡⚔️
I just realized how many of these I already thought were standalones when putting them on my tbr
If you do continue, I hope you'll love them! 😄
I could not agree more about Blood song. I loved the 1st book, loathed the 2nd and dnf the 3rd by the 2nd chapter. Years later, I still cannot undestand how such à stellar & promising beginning could end in flames like that😢
Yeah... As far as series with amazing first book goes, I don't think I've seen anything that went downhill as hard as this series. The first book was a masterwork, but the rest were... yeah, disaster. xD
Your passive-aggressive stance on Heroes Die book cover had me rolling 😭😂
I hate it. Such a horrible cover!
I haven't watched complete video yet, but Blood Song always comes to mind first when i think about series better as standalone.
Yeah, and you bet it is on the list. It is probably the best example of the situation... xD
@@PetrikLeo I really struggled to finish Tower lord and never picked up Queen of fire, Blood Song was solid book though. I've recently gave up on Licanius Book 2, book 1 was preety great, plot was overly complicated, characters were not interesting and felt like multiple books crammed into one.
🤞🏻fingers crossed you enjoy the Dragon Mage sequel.
I hope so, too! :)
I am curious if you read The Heart of the Ronin and felt the same
I haven't read that one, so I can't say anything on it yet. 😄
I really enjoyed the crown tower 🙂
I really enjoyed the second and third books in the gentleman bastard series
Same here, Angela! I'm glad Riyria Chronicles is a series! I loved Red Seas Under Red Skies, but I found Republic of Thieves a downgrade after the first two books. Still good, though! 😄
I couldn't even get into the first Children of Time book... even on a recommendation from a really good friend, which made me feel bad explaining why I couldn't finish it 😅
Oops. If The Children of Time did not work for you, I don't think the rest of the series will. 😅
Bro. Tower Lord was an amazing book. Vaelin was AWESOME in Tower Lord. Totally disagree with this take. But I do agree Queen of Fire wasn’t as good.
@@terryj33 nothing wrong with that! Glad you loved Tower Lord. I wanted MORE of Vaelin in that book. He was awesome there though!
@@PetrikLeo I can understand that. If Queen of Fire was on par with Blood Song. This would have been the greatest trilogy ever. 😝
8:33 I agree that Bloodsong is the best of the trilogy but I liked Tower Lord and thought Queen of Fire was solid tho it was the weakest. But imo -and I ofc agree that opinion's differ- it's still an enjoyable trilogy
Glad you still liked the sequels. I was disappointed with Tower Lord but still liked it, but Queen of Fire definitely was a no for me hahaha.
I listened to Children of Ruin on audiobook, but thought it was Children of Time, because the plot is so similar. I decided against reading a rehash of the same story....
LOL 🤣🤣🤣
I'm reading The Ember Blade in August 📚
Nice! I hope you'll love it! 😄
@@PetrikLeo Well, I enjoyed Retribution Falls and by all accounts Ember Blade is better so 🤞😁
I totally agree about Children of Ruin! It felt like the exact same story...
Yeahhh. The first book is about spiders, and the second book is about octopuses, but that's pretty much it. Children of Memory will probably be about another animal... xD
I completely agree on Blood Song. I loved that book.
Such an amazing book! 😄
I couldn't agree more with The Emperor's Soul. That was the first Sanderson book I read and made me want to read more of his works.
I was surprised by how much I loved The Emperor's Soul when I first read through it. I recommended it to my brother, and it sent him down the rabbit hole of reading Sanderson's other books hahaha!
It's so strange how sometimes a book could start off as a standalone, but due to whatever reason, there's a continuation. This seems to happen in the YA market quite a bit. The one that kind of chaffs me is Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater which read very much like a standalone. But then came the announcement for the sequel, and I was like, 'Um... why?' Shiver ended on a very good note, and from what the author's said, the end of the trilogy is supposed to be ambiguous. I'm so glad I stopped with Shiver.
Because money. 😮💨
There are plenty of series like that, too. I don't like to assume things I'm not sure about, but sometimes I genuinely think the reason is because of money and that's it. xD
@@unavezms8167 it's sad, but true.
@@PetrikLeo you're likely correct on the money front. XD
Oh man, Blood Song was so good. I was slightly disappointed with the rest of the series. I still enjoyed it, but the following 2 books didn't get to the high bar the first book set, at least for me.
I, and many readers, certainly agree with you on this, Adam! It's such a shame for the rest of the series to go downhill like that after such an amazing start! :)
I think I'd go as far as saying that Children of Time is my favourite modern science fiction novel, and one of the best sci-fi novels of all time. I love lots of Adrian's other books, but Children of Ruin just didn't do it for me. I will read Children of Memory though :)
Yeahhh! Even though I'm disappointed with Children of Ruin. I know I'll be reading Children of Memory, too! :D
Praising Michael J Sullivan and The Emperor's Soul has convinced me to try some of the other recommendations.
Awesome! Dragon Mage, The Ember Blade, and The Lies of Locke Lamora are all amazing. Give Lancelot and Blood Song a read, too, if you haven't! :)
Hi 👋 interesting video! Like ur thoughts 💭 on about book series! Happy reading to you!! 🥳🦋🎥
Thank you!! 😊 Happy reading to you, too!
Ravens Shadow is the best fantasy series of all time. Ryan is probably my favorite author ever. Truly don’t get why people don’t like Tower Lord and Queen of Fire.
Agreed about Lancelot though. That book is dope and I view it as a stand alone.
It's really far from being the best fantasy series of all time for me. I'm glad you loved Tower Lord and Queen of Fire, though. At least we can agree with Lancelot! 😄
Best example I can give of a series that should have been a standalone: Mistborn.
Yeah someone mentioned this, too! I love the entire trilogy but the first book could've easily work as a standalone. 😄
@@PetrikLeo Agreed 👍
so glad Sullivan kept writing!!!!
Yeahh!!!
100% agree on The Children of Time. I often feel that sequels don't give me the part of the world or characters I liked in the first book so that now I very carefully consider if I should be even reading a series. I wish Dune was a standalone and even though I think the sequel still works as a musing on what becomes of a world when the rebels win, every book after that is just horrid. The Masquerade series is another that went downhill for me, introducing confusing perspectives and not succeeding in expanding the world in an interesting and emotionally impactful way.
Glad you agreed on The Children of Time! I haven't read the sequels to Dune actually, so I can't comment on that. As for Masquerade, I'm not even a fan of the first book already. xD
@@PetrikLeo Haha, yeah, well tastes are different but we like to discuss them on book tube. ♥️
How often will we see Salty Petrik, i wish we see him atleast once a month. He is so awesome 😎.
LOL. Not too often, hopefully. xD
I'm loving Spicy Petrik!
Haha! Thank you! 😄
Oooooh salty Petrik time? I'm here for it 🤣 and yaaaas Dragon Mage is so goood. I hope book 2 is gooood.
Hahaha. Not completely salty. Half-half! And yesss to Dragon Mage!! 😄
@@PetrikLeo hahaha just give in to the salt 💀🤣 it’s fun. I just got one of Ml Spencer’s earlier series (the duology) I’ll be curious to see her other works while waiting for champion of the fallen
Thank you for acknowledging the terrible portrayal of women in Demon Cycle. I hate when male fantasy authors feel the only way to develop a female character is by using sexual violence. Or even worse when they use sexual violence again a female character to develop a male character. It's good to see a male reader noticing this and calling it out.
Also I completely agree about the children of time series. Children of time had a perfect conclusion it didn't need more books.
You're welcome. Urgh, the more I think about this series the angrier I am with it... Glad you agreed on The Children of Time!!
What a lazy, stupid take. Useless millennial fragility...
But Emperors soul is a part of the cosmere, how is it a stand alone?
The story itself stand alone even though it's a part of Cosmere universe. Like you wont miss anything from any other series even if you dont read Emperor's Soul. And the same goes for Emperor's Soul, you cna jump into it immediately without reading any other books, too. And there is no cliffhanger. Sanderson himself and many other people also said it's a standalone.
Disagree on Acts of Caine personally. The other books are very different from Heroes Die, but I think they're all beautifully written. His Star Wars books are amazing as well, especially Traitor. Very weird and philosophical.
No worries! I think the general reception towards Acts of Caine after Heroes Die is either love or hate. I am more on the disappointed side of it. I will give it another attempt someday. I haven't read his Star Wars books yet!
I'm not saying it _should_ have been a standalone, but _The Final Empire_ by B. Sanderson would have worked as such.
Oh that's actually a great example. Why the heck didn't I put that!? I love the series but the first book indeed could've work nicely as a standalone.
I agree so much with the Demon Cycle! I had my problems with the first one, but every entry got worse, most of all in the portrayal of women. I also think it's not just the development of women that the author butchers, but in general how he writes them and I really hated it xD
The portrayal of women in the series is awful. There is probably only one main female character that didn't go through sexual violence or sexual spree as "character development." It's ridiculous, tbh.
Rage of dragons or should have been one giant book with fires of vengeance somehow.
On it's own just fires of vengeance doesn't work for me if I just read it after rage of dragons it might have been better.
Understandable. I do think the books are better to be binged or read closer to each other! 😄
Petrik, I don't known you have read or hear of this series. I read "The Secret of Dragonhome" and fell in love back into books because of this book,but "The Slayers of Dragonhome" was very awful and very poorlyvwritten. I think "The Secret of Dragonhome" should be a standalone..."Between Razor's Edge should be a standalone, because I don't like was going the similar direction to The Slayer of Dragonhome". I even think "So Cursed, Dark and Lonely" could be a standalone...I even felt with The Ember Blade.
I haven't heard any of the series you mentioned except for The Ember Blade! 😅 Unfortunate that The Slayers of Dragonhome was awful for you!
@@PetrikLeo Yeah, I am glad you didn't read Dragonhome trilogy. 🙂...I was referring to Along Razor's Edge by Rob J. Hayes,but I don't care for the sequel to it much and I DNF'ed its sequel.
The Traitor Baru Cormorant, The Sparrow and (I’m sorry, don’t hurt me) The Broken Earth are my picks for this
I didn't even enjoy Traitor Baru Cormorant, at all. I can certainly understand The Broken Earth as a choice for this prompt. I dislike Obelisk Gate, so much. I, luckily, enjoyed the third book, though! :)
Before you even said it I was thinking Children of Ruin lol. I liked Children of Time but Ruin was rather boring and downright creepy in parts. I never want to see or hear the words "we're going on an adventure" ever again. I'm not sure if I'll bother with the third one.
Oh god don't remind me of "We're going on an adventure" again!!! 🤣
Huh, I didn’t know Dragon Mage was a standalone. If M.L. Spencer can make it work, it shouldn’t be an issue. I heard she’s good.
It was originally a standalone novel, but it became a series after its high reception and readers demanding it. :)
I loved the first book of the Demon Cycle, the second was okay but I completely hated the rest of the series. I think I didn't even manage it to the end and only read 4 books 🤔 Definitely should have been a standalone.
Yeahh the first book was so good! The 2nd-4th books was.... yeah. A mixed bag for sure. It has been years since I read it, and I definitely think thid one should be a standalone novel. 😅
I totally agree, loved book 1 and hated the rest - I despised so many of the characters. I have no desire to read the new series - sounds like more of the same!
Idk what it is but I loved the demon cycle
That's good! 😁
Couldn't agree with you more about Raven's Shadow - book 2, and especially book 3, were a travesty compared to Blood Song. Don't agree with The Acts of Caine - good series across the board. Now here's one to irk you, Petrik ( I've mentioned this before ): Mistborn The Final Empire works better as a standalone. I'll admit there is an argument for making the series into a duology by dropping the Well of Ascension which adds virtually nothing of worth and is just filler.
I could write an entire review long on why I disagree with you regarding The Well of Ascension, but... let's just agree to disagree. 🤣 At least wecan agree on Raven's Shadow. Queen of Fire was indeed a travesty compared to Blood Song! 😂
@@PetrikLeo I did say my comments about Mistborn would irk you ! !
I absolutely disagree on Children of Ruin. Personally, I think Ruin is a better book as a whole. Children of Time has a higher concept and is superior in ideas, but Ruin manages better characters while expanding the worldbuilding in an interesting way. Yes, the plot structure of Ruin is similar to Time, but that does not devalue it.
Ruin's plot is sort of a mirror to Time with the added twist of a second planet. In Time desperate survivors enter a system with a developing civilisation and we explore their influence on it, in Ruin a dedicated team of specialised explorers enter a new system and engage with the resident sentient species on an equal footing, sorting through communication problems and an exterior threat. The concept of the conflict and the position of the charcters in it is entirely different. I am still in awe when they first meet the gigantic water drop ships, and realised they are so clumbersome because of their incredible mass and all the other cool worldbuilding details.
Ruin is not a normal entry in a series, and we should not expect that from Memory either. it is an impressive continuation of the world without continuing the plot as a normal series does, throwing us deeper into the relationships between two species and encountering a new one far different again. I'm sure Memory will throw us through another left turn, and even if it might seem similar on the surface there will be an entirely different book underneath.
No worries. Guess we just have to disagree. You're one of the few people I know who love Ruin more than Time. And that's great! 😁 For me, repetitive plot structure aside, the characters were so incredibly forgettable (i dont rmemeber a single character from this book anymore) but I do agree that the worldbuilding expansion was well done. Just as a clarification, although I found Ruin redundant, I still gave around 3 or 3.5 stars so yeah, I still liked it enough. 😄 I love hearing why you enjoyed Ruin that much, though!
@@PetrikLeo Thankfully Adrian's range of styles is incredible, there are surely some we do agree more on than this one. (I've read all of them, last year was A LOT of Tchaikovsky for me, he has so many books)
@@nanotyrannus5435 yeah! I still have so MANY of his books to read. Doors of Eden is my favorite by him so far! 😄
Yeah, Demon cycle fell off. I read I think the first three books almost 10 years ago-ish and I barely remember them
First book was super good! It's such a shame the rest were a mixed experience for me.
I wish the Warded Man was a standalone. I was so disappointed by book 2
If you get to book 3, it will disappoint you even harder. xD
Never cared about what critics say about raven song Anthony ryan books are a masterpiece and one of my top series to read with malazan at the top how can you stop a series when the top characters in prison while another is in slaved meanwhile the king has died and the country just survived a war and civil war it would be like lotr stopping at the fellowship it doesn't make sense
I absolutely loved Blood Song, and that's the thing, it will be hard to stop after the end of Tower Lord, but after that, Queen of Fire was a disaster mess. And I know me and many people have regretted reading it. Anyway, glad you loved it!
I read The Warded Man at least 13 years ago, when it was still new. Prior to that, I had been reading mostly science fiction and urban fantasy. I loved The Warded Man (despite the flaws) and couldn't wait for the sequel. Unfortunately, The Desert Spear was and still is the most disappointing sequel I've had the displeasure of reading. Brett's "world building" relied heavily on blatant cultural stereotypes, to the detriment of the story. His over-reliance on rape, incest, and child abuse disgusted me. I wish I had never read the sequel and I doubt I'll ever read another book by the author.
Yes, I'm still salty about it. 😒
On a positive note: i loved The Dragon Mage. I am cautiously optimistic about the upcoming sequel. 🙏🏼
YESSS! Precisely. Brett has a compelling prose. There's something about his prose that keep me turning the pages, but at the same time I was so annoyed by the reliance on rape, incest, and sex sex sex to develop so many of his characters, especially the female characters. 🙃
Glad you loved Dragon Mage, Mikou!
@@PetrikLeo Your channel is where I first heard of Dragon Mage. Your review prompted me to give it try, so thank you!
OMG never heard of Heros Die before but the cover is so so so bad I love it, total pulp cheese. Tyshalle is the pinnacle of generic mediocrity. A 4 out of 10 made manifest
😂
I read Children of Time last week and loved it. I am going to go on with the series, but I agree, could be counted as an excellent standalone as well. I felt the same about Mistborn The Final Empire, but ended up liking the 2 following books more. So who knows.
I hope Children of Ruin will work out well for you, Dan! I definitely love the entire Mistborn trilogy even though the first book worked well as a standalone! :)
@@PetrikLeo Regarding Children of Times Ending, since you mentioned it. Wow... I don't know if I have ever told people to read a book for the Epilogue, but this one would be a contender for that for sure. Liked the book. Loved the ending.
The amount of negative opinions I have heard about Blood Song sequels. It must be quite a feat for the sequels of a book to be so universally hated
They're there for many valid reasons. It's hard to enjoy the third book if you love Blood Song. 😅
And yeah, Raven Shadow first book is great, past that it's meh
@@connorp8408 totally agree
Two words come to mind when I realize a series went straight downhill after the first book - money grab
I've certainly seen situation where this play into part. No doubt. 😅
❤️❤️❤️❤️
:)
#PetrikPonders
Yes I do... 😂
@@PetrikLeo so far.. great video. I also am apprehensive about a sequel to Emperor's Soul but.. in Sanderson we trust haha
@@zenthepoet. I surely hope it will be an awesome sequel when it's out!
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Nice! 😄