cozy reading vlog: help I’m chronically disappointed by popular fantasy booktok recs
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ส.ค. 2024
- reading 2 new fantasy darlings!
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![Reading Fantasy books for a week… 🐉🗡️🥀⭐️ [Reading vlog]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/a-SLZAuXrq8/mqdefault.jpg)
0:52 The identical font choice and layout of the covers of those 2 books 😂
lolololol
"set up like a CW show" is SUCH a good way to describe that particular style of a fantasy intro and I'm obsessed
Your reading vlogs are my comfort content❤
This is really why I can’t trust booktok recommendations. They really push smut forward really poorly written books disguised as fantasy. As someone who can stand at most like 5-10% of my book being romantic content, it doesn’t work for me. I want a fantasy world and book that might happen to have a romantic side plot.
I feel that. I've been hoping that Romantasy will get its own section or absorbed into the romance section.
I can only imagine some of the whiplash experienced by someone who picks up Romantasy, thinks that's all fantasy is, and then picks up idk Way Of Kings afterwards and being confused AF. 😅
(Also it's just irritating lol. I'm in the fantasy section for fantasy, not for smut. Can literally read better written smut on AO3 or Wattpad for free other than Romantasy's reskinned fan fiction).
(Wow excuse my rant 😭).
💯
I genuinely hate picking up a fantasy book and then getting a shoehorned-in romance. Like when I’m reading the synopsis of a book and they mention romance, I immediately get less excited. And on the rare occasions I do try out those books because I do want to remain somewhat open-minded, the romance ruins the rest of it. Thief Liar Lady could’ve been great but the book cared way too much about the romance and not enough about anything else.
I am the exact same way! Let’s be friends.
Don’t give up on TikTok just yet. I managed to manipulate my FYpage by doing a search on a couple of books I really like and going through the result, focusing on creators that are men or look over 30yo. Not that I feel like all younger women focus on the spice only, but it made it easier to get to what I wanted to see. Go big with the likes of good videos, and the type of books you see recommended will be hugely impacted.
Now hardly 20% of the book videos I see even mention a spice level. They might mention it if there is some, but more as a “just so you know …”, not a “ 4 chilli peppers girls, go buy the book” 🙄
I was worried when you were loving A Fate Inked In Blood at the beginning. So relieved by your rant at the end 😂 I found that book to be incredibly frustrating
SAME. I also really liked it a LOT at the beginning but it kept getting more and more chaotic and the FMC’s characterization didn’t stay consistent. I completely agree that the relationship was rushed. It would have been so much better if it was kept slow-burn.
@@ChessiZ444yes!! She was such a “strong take no shit” woman but she consistently allowed herself to be treated like shit by anyone that felt like it. I hated her character.
A Fate Inked In Blood was such a huge let down for me too! I felt the exact same - started off with a bang was pulled in and then at the end was like what on earth did I just read?! I also hated how Freya was supposed to be uniquely gifted but most of the other side characters also had a drop of gods’ blood. The plot felt like a hamster wheel where the same sequence of events kept happening in different environments. I will say, this was a pick for my IRL book club and the discussion was super fun. Some of the members loved Bjorn so much they were willing to let the lackluster plot slide, which I respect - Bjorn was pretty great, esp his flame axe! Overall I gave it 2 stars but am def curious about book 2.
OMG! I loved Heartless Hunter! OBSESSED it is my favorite! I love the main character and I feel connection with the story too 🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞📚📖📚📙📙📖📖📚📙📙📚📖📖📚📚📚📖📖📚📙📚
I loveddddd Heartless Hunter! I am usually not good at picking up new releases (especially outside of BOTM books) so I love hearing your thoughts before I pick things up!
Your channel is my comfort channel
I'm starting Heartless Hunter tonight! So glad this vlog popped up in my subscription
I think I felt the rollercoaster of emotions you did with fate inked in blood… at first I was like dang, she’s really liking it and I was excited but then it kept going and I was like oh, the title of this video is correct and I don’t know if I want to read it anymore😂
I felt the same about A Fate Inked in Blood. I loved the beginning and then HATED the rest of the book lol I sold it after I finished it. Also just a heads up the “j” in the name Björn is pronounced as a “y” 😂😅sorry haha
Omg no ty for correcting me!!
Omg I read both of these back to back, hoping that the hype wouldn’t let me down, but of course, was once again defeated by painstakingly mid romantasy books 😭
Rocking the orange hair!!! 🎉
Hi!! Love your outfits in this video 💕
Idk why but every time I see the cover of a fate inked in blood I think it's Tilda Swinton as the Witch from the first Narnia movie lol
LOVING the new hair colour! Looks so good on you!
OMG I completely agree with you about A Fate Inked In Blood!!! I loved the first half and was so so disappointed by the second half. The ridiculous decisions drove me insane! You definitely made me feel seen with your review.
I agree with your thoughts on A Fate Inked in Blood but if you like Danielle L Jensen’s writing I’d suggest the Bridge Kingdom series!
I think you should give When the Moon Hatched a shot! It's romantasy, but it's very fantasy/world focused. There's a 20 page glossary at the front of the book.
Agreed! Fantastic book imo💕
I hate acotar kind of books so not a fan of heavy romance so I'm glad I watched this video, honestly we have very similar taste I love coming back to your channel and gets new books to read or just to remind me to read some of my shelf 💖
I also felt that way bout A Fate Inked in Blood! I felt like our main character just went downhill in the second half too! It was like she stopped developing and growing with the story and got stuck in a loop of hare brained decisions just to make the steamy scenes fit- but they didn’t really? So frustrated with that one!
I loved Heartless Hunter, I’m looking forward to the second book! Unfortunately, I DNF-ed A Fate Inked in Blood! I got 150 pages in and couldn’t continue.
You’ve made me want to run out and get A Fate Inked in Blood immediately and throw out my TBR.
Also, really wanted more thoughts on the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders series. 😂
Oooop! I just got to the part where you said it gets super smutty 🤦🏻♀️.
Sighhhhhh, I think this is about what sells books right now. I really wonder if this is a publisher/ editor thing. Like is the industry pushing authors to make books smuttier to sell?
@@LaurenDearmondNot sure if they're pushing it. But unfortunately since it's what's popular/mainstream/trendy right now, publishers want to capitalize on it so that they can make as much $ as possible.
When I see the cover of A Fate Inked in Blood I see either Johnny or Edgar Winter 🎸 🤘
I saw your tiktok (about fate inked in blood) and i was like oh no i hope she has a better experience than i did
I am BEGGING you to give Dark Shores by Danielle Jensen a try. These main characters are beautifully explored, it has amazing battle scenes and I adore the kind of "ethical" (for a lack of a better word) discussions this book has. It is genuinely on of my all time favorite books and is, in my opinion, criminally underrated!
I almost bought a fate inked in blood this weekend but held off since I like fantasy with a touch of romance (but not so much romantasy). And so glad I held off!
You need to read more Danielle L Jensen! Especially her Dark Shores series and The Bridge Kingdom series. Her world building and politics are 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻
Agreed on being disappointed by both! Suggesting Road of Bones by Demi Winters (vikings) or Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Torzs (witchy)!
I also have been super letdown by popular booktok recs this year, so glad to know I'm not alone in that! Heartless Hunter was a major disappointment for me.
Variety is definitely next on my tbr
Absolutely loved heartless hunter but just thought a fate inked in blood was okayb
I just finished The Ministry of Time and really liked it! I’m using it to jump start my literary fiction girlie summer
I agree so much with your takes on A Fate Inked in Blood! I was so disappointed by it :(
What a fun vlog! Gosh. I read both, mostly because I got them in a subscription box so that put them on my radar and having read them I can actually compare my own thoughts and feelings to what you felt. 'Crimson Moth' I liked quite a bit, even if it was simplistic and I guessed the plot twist, the fact I had zero expectations and how easy it was to read consumed me and ended up giving it 4 stars or around. Now for some reason I had much higher hopes for 'A Fate Inked In Blood' and that ended up being the book's downfall in my case. While the first 100 pages were fun and I was almost obsessed, then it just turned nonsensical, too obvious and annoying to a point that I dragged my feet through the second half for days. It was ridiculous and I was so disappointed I wrote a whole rant-y review with I almost never do anymore. I thought it was lacking proper characterization and what was lust was very quickly said to be love. It was so poorly executed, ugh. And I actually love ACOTAR, haha (book 3 a bit less but yk). So, I'm sorry you felt the same way. :D So much potential, right?
felt the same way about fate inked in blood 😅 tbh i was so worried you were gonna like the book lmao
A Fate Inked In Blood seems like it had two different authors! Thanks for the reviews before I picked them up, I"ll probably pass on both.
I think you'd really like my book! It's called The Beauty of Dawn and its a standalone YA epic fantasy adventure about a world without any sunlight!
I liked heartless hunter more than inked in blood, I'll def read the next book in that series. I def wouldn't say heartless hunter was the best thing ever, though. I always love a "grumpy" male lead, so Gideon was great.
Favorite youtuber posted YAYYYYY
Felt the same about heartless hunter, it wasn’t for me. I agree with the comment about Sword Catcher being one of the best books-it really is!
Really love watching your reading vlogs aaah! I felt the same than you for A Fate Inked in Blood but I gotta say that I was giggling the whole time when you were saying Björn as in "Bejorn" and not "Byorn" :D As an European, we hear those names more often I guess, it was so cute 🥰
I usually love what Danielle L. Jensen writes (I think I read everything from her??) but the second half was such a let down. I saw the twist coming SO hard. I even ended up skimming some parts... How sad. But one of the main issue for me, and it's a bit important in a romantasy (and I'm a SUCKER for romantasy!!), was that the romance just didn't add up. It was pretty much insta-lusty and that was it. I wanted something more like "Björn from the Vikings show" and it just didn't deliver. But I'll probably read book 2 to know how it ends haha
I felt the same about heartless hunter!
I’m reading/ finishing Nine Perfect Strangers
literally i haven't found a booktoc rec that was actually good??
A Fate Inked in Blood was my first romantasy. I found it quite entertaining and read it really quickly. The world-building was not really well done and the villain was sort of almost comical tbh. But I think I was in it for the romance and the tension mostly. The fantasy aspect was interesting too but not developped enough. Overall, good enough for me to continue this series! Perhaps my expectations are low for smutty romantasy. 😂
Couldn’t agree more with your review on Fate Inked in Blood. The first half pulled me in and I was just so disappointed with the second half and ending 😕 more than likely not going to continue the series!
Aw! You need a good indie book! Too much hype put on the trad books sometimes. Indies have some fantastic work out there! 🥰✨💜✨
I have date inked in blood but haven’t gotten to it yet
Love the hair! ❤ Dill sauce..... Recipe please??
I DNF’d A Fate Inked in Blood pretty early on. I just couldn’t 😬
If you like A Fate Inked In Blood by Danielle L. Jensen, you’d love her Bridge Kingdom series!!🤍🤍
I felt the exact same way about A Fate Inked in Blood. It would have been so much better if it stayed slow burn with them getting together in book 2. We didn’t need that much romantic payoff in the first book. But that wasn’t the only issue. It just got SO chaotic toward the end. The FMC’s behavior got so erratic out of absolutely nowhere.
Yes!! Literally all of this!
I love romance, I love fantasy, I hate romantasy, I don’t want a poorly written fantasy for the sake of smut. I’m disappointed because I had Heartless Hunter in my TBR,but after your review, I probably won’t pick it up.
I think you will prefer the first Bridge Kingdom duology from Danielle L Jensen. It is a much more plot centered Romantasy that I think has a good balance.
I will check it out!! I enjoyed the writing style so I think I will give another series a try!
Loved heartless hunter 🎉
I had the SAME EXACT feelings on Heartless Hunter. I ate that shizz up in two days cause it read fast & the romance was delicious....and yet when I went to write a review, I realized how shallow the actual plot was even though it had such a cool premise. I wound up giving it 4 stars because I really do wish we could've seen more plot (like all the LITERAL plotting of certain characters to make the ending happen. Why didnt we get to SEE that instead of being told about it afterwards?) I felt like all the substance was tossed aside in favor of the love triangle angst until the very last 50 pages.
I havent read A Fate Inked In Blood yet, but it sounds a lot like how I felt about Throne Of The Fallen, where the sheer amount of smut devolved the story to the point of absurdity. Which is a shame, because again, the premise was so good at first.
I think you’d like the bridge kingdom series better by Danielle Jensen. It’s much more plot heavy
I agree wholeheartedly, a lot of the recent Booktok recs are just not doing it for me, They're not particularly bad, but they just don't scratch that particular itch... However, they could still be a lot of fun - and yes, objectively a person sees the flaws, but I mean reading I supposed to be fun and bring you joy, so sometimes I am all like, who cares about the plot holes? Give me all the banter and not a lot of sense (Powerless was actually very much like this for me. Is it a perfect book? God, no! But was it super fun? Yes and I am not ashamed of it :D)
Oh, and I'm so happy to finally have someone rant about A Fate Inked in Blood. I was soooo excited for it but it turned into unexpected smut so quickly and I was like, wait this is not what I signed up for.
BUT! BUT if I can recommend something that is not fantasy but has the best yearning romance I've read since Sworch Catcher please try checking out A Crane Among Wolves. I'd be so interested in hearing your thoughts.
I haven't read this book, but your feelings with Fate Inked in Blood reminded me so much of me and the ACOTAR books 😅. I really liked the first 3 books (writing style, story, characters...), haven't read book 4, and was soooo disappointed with book 5, a Court of Silver Flames. It felt like it was written by a completely different person, not in a good way. Honestly, I don't understand the need for all the, sometimes even a bit hardcore, smut. It doesn't provide anything to the story and lacks quality. In my opinion, it would be ok when I buy a book of this specific genre, so I know I have to expect smut scenes. But in a "normal" book, it could be just some indications for where it leads to...no need for deep specifications all the way long 😂. For me, it's the same with many movies, where those scenes don't provide any meaningful contributions and really don't fit at all. Eventually, it's a trend that "sex sells", but honestly, in my opinion, often it's a waste of pages and a downfall in quality.
I was so excited going into A Fate Inked In Blood because I loved the authors Bridge Kingdom series (I’ve only read the first duo at the moment) and I was super let down. I had the same exact experience, great in the first half and a terrible back half of the book. There was tons going for it plot wise, which made it so much worse.
I read Heartless Hunter, it was alright, a solid 3 out of 5, I did really enjoy the setting and the ending. But it was still pretty meh to me. I will not be reading a fate inked in blood, it doesn’t sound like my cup of tea
Exactly how I felt!
Fate inked in blood another favorite book of mine and so amazing beautiful and love it 🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺📚📙📙📙📚📚📚📙📙📚📚📚📚📖📖📖📖📖📖📚📚📙📙📙📙📙📖📖📖📚📚📙
fierce
I had the same issue with her other series The Bridge Kingdom, I loved the first book but the second book got more and more ridiculous
I also didn't realize Heartless Hunter was YA when I chose it from BoTM. I didn't know until I finished the book and it made sense why I found the world-building so lacking and the character's actions so juvenile. I also couldn't get over the fact that the FMC was wearing a bralette. I know it's a small thing but it made me question what type of society we were in? She was riding around in coaches and wearing ball gowns. How was she wearing a bralette? It made no sense. She should have been wearing stays or corsets. I also couldn't figure out why she hadn't been outed as the Crimson Moth sooner. She was making the dumbest assumptions and decisions. I also guessed every plot twist fairly early on. I realized a few years ago that most YA is not for me. And that's okay. I picked this up by mistake. I am NOT the right audience for it.
I did like A Fate Inked in Blood a lot better. I gave it four stars which is the highest rating I’ve ever given to a romantasy book. The FMC was only mildly irritating but she still jumped to assumptions in a way that made no sense given what she had observed. I will continue that series but I'm done with Heartless Hunter/Crimson Moth. It as a no for me dawg. 🙂
I believe if the name is spelled Bjorn it’s pronounced like “bee-yourn” because that sounds Nordic :)
Mist Born was pretty slow at the end. I didn't like it and think i gave it a 3 star? sorry i thought i'd like it alot more. But yea. slow!
Cough cough Heaven Official’s Blessing by Mo Xiang Tong Xu
Actually all three of her books
I have read both of those books, and nothing has topped Sword Catcher for me this year, not even the Sword of Kaigen.
Sword catcher is so good
As soon as I seen the books I didn’t think this vlog was going to go well for you. Heartless Hunter was OK, but A Fate Inked In Blood was so annoying to me. The FMC sucks so bad.
how dramatic is Rob on LIUSA?!?!? like I hate him and love him because without him I know the season would be so boring
So Dramatic!!!! When he hid in the pool I died lol
I don't really trust fantasy book recommendations, unless it's from people who I know I like their reading tastes 😅
Otherwise this happens and I'm just left disappointed. Think I will skip these ones
📚❤️
Byorn
Gentle reminder that Heartless Hunter is an SMP title and the boycott is still ongoing.
Blimey! I didn't realise you were going to give away with so many spoilers. My mistake!
Yeah so, I did NOT like AFIIB. The setup of the plot was decent, but from 30% on absolutely nothing stood out. It's such a shame that the author didn't do more with the setting and the magic, and kind of impressive that she managed to turn such a promising start into such an unoriginal and cliché whole 🤐
I want to read Heartless Hunter so bad! 🥹
Everything about A Fate Inked in Blood interested me when it was released. Good thing I’m incredibly indecisive to buy some books because just about every one I follow shared a similar experience. A fun & promising first half that then it turned disappointing 🫠 i shall pass this time