funniest and realest person on booktube. i’m torn because your channel deserves to grow even more and have all the subscribers but at the same time i want you to be my precious obscure gem that not enough people know about damn
"the biggest character development in this book...is Leigh Bardugo herself" OMG CINDY YOU BURRRNNNN. Loved hearing your thoughts on these 3 books, particularly since I loved Vengeful so much, so it was great to hear your perspective!
The transition from the Grisha Trilogy to Six of Crows was really unbelievable. Six of Crows was a heck of a masterpiece! The Grisha Trilogy was really average for me. Including Alina. Though I did think that she, along with the plot, got better in the second and third book. But, I really loved Nikolai!!! And the other supporting characters from the last two books! That's why I'm really looking forward to King of Scars. And also because Nina's still going to be in it. Would love to hear about your perspective when you finish the trilogy
i got soc without reading the shadow and bone trilogy, should i get the trilogy? i don’t want to esp if it’s not necessary for me to understand soc.. pls help!!
@@xxxxxxuan You don't need to read grisha trilogy to understand Soc. You can easily understand the storyline of soc without reading the grisha trilogy because both are set in different timeline and different eras of grishaworld. I, myself have read Soc duology without reading grisha trilogy and I understand everything even the plot was emerged.
i know exactly what you mean about the darkling bc i always see so much thirst going on and i’m ALWAYS down for thirst. and that’s such a fun name, like c’mon!! ALSO GO OFF ON THE LISTENING TO OLD CHARACTERS THING - THEY’VE ALL SEEN SOME SHIT, THEY KNOW 😩
I totally feel you on the Grisha Trilogy I'm like I can't believe leigha bardugo wrote that series before the epicness that is six of crows and crooked kingdoms. you can really tell how much she's grown as a writer!
thank god someone else said it!!! when i saw ve schwab tweet that vengeful is about "women reclaiming their powerful from men" i literally said out loud "i feel like you think you wrote a different book than what you actually wrote". vengeful was good but so insanely unfocused, and as someone who has read almost every schwab book, i think the treatment of the female characters in her stories is generally pretty bad.
i mean i GUESS i can see how marcella literally reclaimed (super) POWERS from men but if you're talking in a feminist metaphorical way she definitely did not and turned out to be a flat character/caricature. i think people often think that strong female characters are supposed to be tough, cruel, badass bitches, which is fine, but there needs to be other layers to their character. she didn't have much of a story arc or any emotional development and her character was static throughout. it's a shame, as i think she could've been better if the book just chose what to focus on.
agreed. her arc was basically that she took over the mob for a week, threw a party, and then died. she was an interesting character at the beginning, but overall how her character was handled left me with a bad taste.
Just finished A Darker Shade of Magic and I FEEL THIS COMMENT! Lila felt entirely like a plot solution and basically not a person. She had catchy one-liners but I have yet to understand how she felt about LITERALLY anything in the book.
@Kristyn, so true!! Also the fact that Victoria Schwab said that people who don't like Lila don't like her because she's a woman infinitely pisses me off. No, we don't like her because she was a poorly written character.
@@chelseas1346 I haven't read Shades of Magic 2 & 3, so I'm not sure if Lila is written better or if she stays the same, I guess we'll see! Maybe her new Addie La Rue book will be a sort of female character writing redemption
I'm currently reading Siege and Storm and oh boy do I miss Crooked Kingdom. I mean, I like it, but it is simply not as good as Six of Crows. So I'm just here adoring Leigh Bardugo for her character development 😂
man i read some crooked kingdom quotes on tumblr a few nights ago and it got me feeling all wistful and nostalgic over the amazing characters and relationships in that series which is a total 180 from the grisha trilogy lmao
Well, there might be two reasons why you should do that: 1. CK is spoiler-ish for the The Grisha trilogy 2. You may like CK even more after finishing Grisha because it's more complex and simply better, but that's just my opinion 😅
your thoughts on vengeful are just 👌👌👌 i love that you never fall to the hype. not that there's anything wrong with liking a hyped up book, but i feel like some ppl feel they can't talk about aspects of a book they didn't like if it's super hyped. but like.. u just go for it LMAO and i just love the way you critically look at the books you read. thanks for my life cindy.
thank you! i like weighing out pros and cons whenever i read a book, even if i personally loved the book (like i LOVE six of crows but i acknowledge its flaws too) i think you can still enjoy a book but know areas it could improve upon
I'm super late to this vid, but I just finished the Villains duology last week and I need to let this out: VICIOUS DID NOT NEED A SEQUEL To me, everything was pretty well fleshed out already and that ending was already perfect because it was open enough for possibilities in my imagination or maybe for some companion books set in the same universe while still managing to leave me satisfied because the whole revenge arc was sufficiently closed. Still, I was pretty excited for Vengeful because the book's synopsis made it seem like it was gonna bring back the characters I know and love from the first book while at the same time shifting the focus to new female characters who were just as badass and morally gray as Victor and Eli. But then, I got into Vengeful and I definitely intrigued at first, especially by Marcella's character (mostly because I pictured her as Cate Blanchett in my head and that woman could step on me any day) but halfway through it, all I could think about was "what is the point of this story?" we were following so many storylines with so many characters and yet not one of them managed to be fleshed out enough to be satisfying. I completely agree with you when you said that Marcella and June were nothing but glorified plot devices. I also could care less about Stell. He's literally a useless officer (the only reason he managed to catch Eli was because victor planned it and vice versa). Vengeful would have been better if Schwab just managed to decide if she wanted it to be a sequel or a companion piece. anyways, amazing video as usual. go get those dollar-dollar bills, queen!
i am so entranced by the way the ring on your jumper dangles around as you talk. also RT at leigh bardugo's glow up from the grisha trilogy to the six of crows duology
I wish Vicious had just been a standalone novel. The ending of the first book was satisfying and left so many possibilities for our imagination but it really did feel like an ending. Unlike with Vengeful...
I agree with you that women didn’t reclaim their power in Vengeful. Like in no way did Marcella. Maybe June. But I didn’t feel any female empowerment tinglies at all
Bruuuuh. Okay I’ve been falling down the rabbit hole of booktube, since coming to uni it’s been awhile since I’ve really read a book that wasn’t for school. But I used to absolutely devour YA and it’s cool to see everyone’s hot takes on them. And I am so excited to see you talk about Shadow and Bone because I remember reading when it when it had just come out and being so excited but ultimately disappointed. I had heard chatter that Six of Crows was something worth checking out, but I’ve been admittedly dragging my feet. This video really made me curious about the authors supposed glow up and has revitalized my excited for finally starting Six of Crows. Thank you and great video!
I'm only 75 pages in so far on Shadow & Bone, and I have a feeling I'm going to hold the same views you do. I'm really kind of neutral on Alina, and I hate how she interacts with the other young women in the novel so far. Hopefully that'll get better, but I have a feeling it won't. Also I must admit the reason I read this was because of Six of Crows and partly to get on board the Thirst Train for the Darkling.
So fascinating to hear your thoughts on Vengeful. It was a five star for me but I definitely understand your views, even if I don’t fully agree. 😂 The one thing I think surprised me in reading it this month is that everyone seemed to be all about Marcella (on social media) but I think June is more intriguing specifically because her background and motives were only hinted at. I hope the third - whenever it happens - focuses on her. Great wrap up!
Even tho it was an average month for you, I still loved this wrap up because sharing your thoughts is important and I always value that regardless of how many books one has read!! And I know everyone says this, but our humor is amazing AS ALWAYS xoxox ❤️👌🏻
For some reason, no matter how much I love V. E. Schwab's actual writing, I can't get into her plots or characters. Makes me feel like the odd one out but I'm glad to know someone else didn't like one of her books!
honestly same? I keep reading her books and getting exciting about what she says/does, I really like her as a person and I love her writing but there's almost always a point in her novels when I kinda lose my interest. I think it has to do with the way she portrays her characters and especially her female characters - the strong, badass, a little sassy cliché I'm not very fond of -... although I admire her for writing so much in so little time and still deliver quality novels, sometimes I wish she would spend more time on a book and make it more intricate, surprising, and perhaps more characters driven? SORRY THAT WAS LONG.
@@avrilobnubile That's okay I love long comments! I totally agree with your points. All of her books' premises are so interesting but they never follow through for me. I read the Shades of Magic trilogy but wasn't invested, and then read This Savage Song and outright didn't like it. What I really read books for are the characters and hers feel like wasted potential. But gosh, her writing is gorgeous!
Watching your wrap ups aren’t overwhelming, because usually other booktubers read a crap ton of books and it makes me feel like I should be doing more reading. But I’m a slow reader 😬 so this is refreshing.
i wanted to read the Grisha trilogy, really. but soc just kicked my standards up a million notch. i wished i started the trilogy first. also, youre the only one i know who made wrap ups hilarious. always loving your intros. xo
your review of crooked kingdom was amazing. but yes i would advise you to wait a while before starting the grisha trilogy, because the difference in quality will be too much lol
‘What did the woods keep? Not my interest!’ 😂 Pure gold. I do agree with all of your opinions on Vengeful and Shadow and Bone despite giving the former 5 stars and the latter 4 stars but I am pure trash for Schwab and Bardugo - my 2 favourite writers!
I'm glad I watched your review bc I couldn't not finish shadow and bone and I was like there's no way I'm reading six of crows but now I'm gonna read it
Loved hearing your opinions about Vengeful. I haven’t gotten to it yet, but from having read the Shades of Magic trilogy, I tend to find that Scwab’s middle books kind of set up the last book. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it’s almost easier for me to wait until the trilogy is complete so I can go straight from book 2 to book 3. As I’m saying this...I’m assuming that it’s going to be a trilogy :O I went to a signing of hers and she said that was her intention. But who knows, maybe I’m full of it 💁🏻♀️
that's a great point and now makes me realize why i tend to not like schwab's sequels/middle books as much! i personally expect every book in a series to be strong enough as a standalone too and don't like it when there's no complete character arc under the guise that it will be finished in the next book. give me some closure!!
Huh, I'm a little nervous about reading Vengeful now. But somehow after your review of Shadow and Bone I'm even more excited to start it tomorrow! Love you and your reviews so much 💜💜
I've been studying the whole night watching random videos on the background and at some point RU-vid started to show me books related videos. I've seen so many videos from so many channels for the last like 12 hours but you're the first booktuber I've subscribed to. You're funny and original, already love your channel although I watched maybe just 4 or 5 videos of yours. Keep on.
Returning to this video now that I have finally read shadow and bone and I agree with you on every point 😆 though funnily enough I’m looking more forward to the show bc I feel like it will be an improvement
I felt the same way about The Grisha Trilogy. I was skeptical about Six of Crows because of it, but I just started reading Six of Crows and WOW. Talk about a glow up.
I haven’t actually seen any reviews of Vengeful because I’ve been avoiding them until I’ve read it, so it’s interesting to hear some negative opinions about it and I’ll definitely keep this in mind when I finally get to it!
Love your channel and have been subbed since dck soap gate 😂 love your realness and how youre kind of the antithesis of the stereotypical booktuber. More power to you 👊
I plan on reading Vicious and the Grisha Trilogy soon, so it’s interesting hearing your thoughts before I do that and it sort of let’s me know what to expect so I’m not disappointed 😂 great video!
shadow and bone is one of those books that is fun to read in the moment but as soon as you put the book down you forget about it seriously tho LB has improved so much I have no idea how soc and this trilogy was written by the same person ALSO you dragging Alina has me laughing so hard she really is such a fool. hopefully, you enjoy the second and third book more !
Can I just say that I love your videos, like I'm sitting here listening to you ramble about books I have no interest in and I am having the time of my life? You could make a 30-minute long video talking what shampoo you use and I would be like "wow such a great entertaining video". Love your sass and your sense of humor
thanks so much! i sometimes feel like my wrapups are kinda boring (especially since most of the time i don't care much for the books i've read lol) but it's encouraging to hear that you still find entertainment in them anyway :) what books ARE you interested in?
@@withcindy I like fantasy a lot but I am not so keen on YA (I feel too old for all that shit even tho I am only 21). Actually, I find the books you like, for example Six of Crows, very intriguing but I am just a bad reader and I know I won't read them.
"What did the woods keep?- not my interest!" - HAAAAAA!!! Also, I'm with you on skipping the Shadow and Bone trilogy and just going straight in with Six of Crows (well... when I actually get around to it!) Amazing wrap up, as always! 💙💙💙
Can we just talk about how imf love your voice its literally the most iconic thing ever byee. The beginning of this video when you were acting Iike you read all these good books but nOpe😭😭😭
I did like some parts of “Vengeful”, but I feel like Marcella and June were really one dimensional characters, I didn’t really understand their motivations at all. I would’ve really liked to see more of the dynamic between Eli and Victor and *especially* between Victor and Sydney. Honestly I think it would’ve been okay for Schwab to ignore Eli altogether, to just let him be off in prison, and to focus mostly on Victor and Sydney, especially if Sydney brought Serena back from the dead.
You summed up how I felt about What The Woods Keep. Once I knew what was going to happen I wanted to finish it as soon as possible. I felt like I was reading a fan fiction...
I am reading Vengeful and when I first heard of it I was thinking it was gonna be just about the effects of what happened at the end of Vicious. I'm still gonna read it, but I understand where the whole "It's muddled" thing comes from. I was thrown through a loop when we started out with someone who we hadn't met. I hope I like it, but I've already gotten the feeling that the writing isn't as passionate as Vicious was. I don't know if that makes sense. I was sucked into Vicious and I haven't been sucked into Vengeful which... sucks.
I never clicked so fast on a RU-vid notification. Vengeful... Ooof don’t even get me started on that disappointment of a book 😭 (and Oml I won’t even comment on Shadow and Bome because you already know what I think of it) I personally love the way you criticise books lmao I’ll definitively check that playlist.
readwithcindy and I remember telling you I rated it 4 stars and then giving it 3 stars as well (LOL). I don’t wanna think about it because I know it’s going to turn into a 2 star. Also I love misspelling “Bone” in case you noticed
I can't believe you took us on the merry-go-round. I was expecting you to say like 12 and then you said 3 and I burst out laughing which just aggravated my coughing (I have a cold). So um, yeah, if I choke to death mid-typing this, know that I died happy. ghjghjghjghj. I had to fastforward through your vengeful talk cuz I'm trying to avoid all talk about it until I've read it. I've been doing the same for everything Laini Taylor and ADSOM series. Some series I want to walk into, blind. "She just lacked so much common sense" Fhjhjghjghjg. That was so me screaming at Alina through the entire book... *sigh* That girl... I can't believe you got through the entire wrap-up without talking about Mal........
@@withcindy Update. On page 294/356 I must say Alina is doing nothing for me. She seems like a watered down version of Bella Swan to me. Also the Darkling is the only one in the story who is keeping me interested. But I am not sure if I adore him or want to strangle him. I hope the second book picks up.
you know what i found out just recently...on twitter VE Schwab mentioned that she rewrote the entirety of Vengeful from scratch about 6 months before she handed it in. not to talk trash about her or overuse the meme but.......it really shows lol
This is completely off topic, but I've been binging your videos and the targeted ad I got before the video was for some sort of Magic Mike show in Orlando. So thanks for that, I guess.
Stalking you on Goodreads kinda spoiled the intro for me, I knew how cloudy the night sky was and how few stars could be seen that month. I read Shadow and Bone a few days ago and rated it 3 stars too, like it was nice... but I'm still not sure I would have started the second book if it wasn't Leigh Bardugo, ya know? But I had a nice reading month in November (9 books) thanks to the Lunar Chronicles, that was a journey for sure! I hope December has nice surprises in store for you!
I'm suffering through Siege and Storm right now. I don't like Aline, I REALLY don't like Mal. The only enjoyable parts are Nikolai, Genya, and the knowledge that Leigh Bardugo has gotten 1000% better at writing
I agree with a lot of the points you raised about Vengeful, and coincidentally I also rated it as one star lower than I did Vicious as a result. - Marcella was a total waste in my opinion. She was clearly built as you said, as a catalyst to bring Eli and Victor together for the climax. Her own story started to develop and we got a tiny bit of backstory for her but then it just sort of ended without her changing or learning anything before the end of her arc. - I disagree with you about June, but she could have been handled better. It seemed pretty clear to me that there is more going on with June than we are being given in this book and it's being set up for the third installment, the same is true of Stell's second in command. - Stell was pretty useless to be honest. He could have become a Nick Fury type but he was just a lame duck. - I think the stuff we got with Victor and Eli was good but it would have been more interesting if we got to see a more covert cat and mouse game between them. Eli could catch on to Victor really early on and have to try to hinder his progress whilst keeping it secret from Stell and EON, and Victor could realise what's going on and try to find a way to take Eli out whilst dodging EON and dealing with his other stuff. - I enjoyed the time-hopping stuff but I'm a sucker for a good ticking clock device and Schwab delivered on that for me.
Yea there's def setup for June in the 3rd book but I felt like her role in the 2nd book was pointless (I judge each book in a series on its own so I personally don't like reading books that are just there as filler between the 1st and 3rd book - this was my POV on her darker shade of magic series as well). Stell was boring and useless and just a fill-in character lol. I personally don't think we got enough of Victor and Eli (and that's coming from me who doesn't even care that much for them in the first place) and you're right that there should have been more of a cat and mouse game between them rather than have it be buildup for like 80% of the book. We only got ONE scene between them where they actually saw each other and communicated; the rest of the time, they were separated, which seems kind of a shame for readers who are invested in Victor and Eli and want more interactions beyond their mind games. I really enjoyed the time-hopping format in the 1st book but found it hard to follow in the 2nd book, maybe because there were too many characters and storylines this time. And totally agree about Marcella being such a waste! I really do feel like if the book focused on Marcella VS June with a new rivalry we could've enjoyed deeper character development for these ladies.
I agree Vengeful was not necessary but still Schwab's style is so addictive. I was bored the first 2/3 of the book but still couldn't put it down? I was so excited to see the new female characters and liked June and I don't think she did her justice. I LOVED the backstory for Eli. Loved the power development for Victor. The ending felt like it was missing something. Is it obvious that I just finished the book and went on to look for your video to see what you had to say? Shadow and bone is my next read and now idk if I'll buy the whole trilogy or just borrow them from the library and have the first book be lonely forever. Keep up with the awesome videos!
great video! what are your thoughts about a darker shade of magic by ve schwab? this series are the only books i ever read by her and i was surprised by how much i didn't like it after seeing everyone hyping it so much. it was okay but i didn't really love it so i am kind of on the fence about reading the villains series. i thought adsom was so drawn out and really slow at some parts. (i really don't need a description of someone falling asleep that lasts for 3 pages).
i liked the first ADSOM book but felt ambivalent about the rest of the series afterward. i read it when i first started reading as a hobby so i was less critical back then; i def agree with you about the very slow parts throughout the series, and the 2nd book was basically filler with barely any interactions between the main characters (like vengeful!)
Soooo I decided something, now I am over with shadow and bone but I am not really into it, so next I will read six of crows, not next...right now. And then I decide if I go on. Thanks for the comments to the book. I am so excited to look why Six of crows is you favorite book.
So lovely to have queen cindy grace us with another video. ❤ I wish i could find the time to read the grisha books so i could understand what is going to be talked about later on in yalls live stream (im assuming yall are doing that) but i already made a commitment to myself that i would binge read the hunger games now that i own the special edition box set and do a binge read 3 part video for it on my own channel. 💔 so torn! I do plan to do a ">insert booktuber name< influenced my next reading decision" series and i plan to feature you and read both six of crows and defy the stars. (I know it probably sounds like im obsessed with you at this point but im not i swear i have at least 2 other booktubers in mind too 😂) Ps idk if you have already filmed your q&a video and waiting to release it for another day or just haven't gotten around to it but i have another question for you: what is your stance on sponsered content and have you already been approached for sponsorships and do you plan to ever do it?
So I’ve finished Shadow and Bone and... idk like... OMG I AM SO INTO IT. Like, in the middle something happened (I think it was when Mal finds Alina in the woods, idk) and I had to stop reading it and I was so happy for Alina’s sake that now she’s was gonna be ok... I nearly cried... in that time I felt that the story got into me. Now when I listen to a playlist made for the book I feel SO EMOTIONAL thinking about the whole thing... the time Mal and Alina spent suffering together URGH THEY ARE SO CUTE. In the end of the ebook I was reading, it had a “bonus” part with part of the story being told from Genya point of view and it was A THING... Like... now I feel emotional when it comes to the relationship of Alina and her, because I like her but she’s kinda in the villain side... so.. idk... I LIKE HER and I don’t want her to feel sad (like in the end of the book when she has her eyes full with tears 😭 leaving Alina...) I know the book has some flaws, and clichés, but still made me FEEL a lot of FEELS 😂, so I gave 4 stars but I know it deserves 3... I’m a little overwhelmed with the story so idk. I’m kinda in the side of hating the Darkling btw, but he’s a interesting character 👌🏻
i like genya too!! honestly if u really enjoyed the book then that's fantastic, it's ok if it ur rating is not what the book "deserves", what matters is that u enjoy it and it impacts u
I also thought shadow and bone was kinda generic but I also felt like I read it at the right time because I still really enjoyed it! It gave me kind of a nostalgic feel by reminding me about other stories. Also I have no feelings toward the darkling even after finishing the trilogy. I just don't get the thirst at all. The thirst for Nikolai however... can't wait for you to finish the second book!
You are SPOT ON about vengeful. I was kinda disappointed about the plot line of this one. I feel like the first one was well left alone with the ending and everything. On the other hand Vengefuls ending mmmm I’m looking forward to more books if there will undoubtably be 😂🤷🏽♀️
i think there will be more books because of how she wrote the ending but i appreciate books that can be both strong as a standalone AND as part of a series
I actually liked Vengeful a lot more than Vicious. Eli was never a good villain to me, and Serena was the one I was invested in in Vicious. In Vengeful, Marcella took that spot, and her quirky minion squad made it more fun.
Thanks for your insightful but without spoilers reviews. They helped me a lot as to decide what to read. Do you think you can also mention whether the book has a good plot, even if characterization is lacking? Listening to your review of Vengeful, I was left wondering whether the plot was actually interesting even if the characters were not. Thanks again!
i read the print version but have not tried audio. it's up to your preferences! i find it hard to retain information with audiobooks so i go for print instead. if you're fine with audio tho maybe you can sample it on audible and see if you like the narration?
Cindy have you read "language of thorns" by Leigh Bardugo? It's fariytales from the grishaverse and I liked the book a lot. On a side note: I'm kind of a lurker but I wanted to let you know your videos make me very happy ♥️
If you want to read a series that has excellent strong female characters I recommend the abhorsen trilogy by Garth Nix. I am not a fan of ya fantasy BUT i just re read this series and was pleasantly surprised that I still loved the series. The two main characters aren't "bad arsed woman " but are just girls that are capable of getting shit done and get shit done. It was refreshing to read.
Archenemies is out Cindy! Do you plan to read th sequel to renegades? It's less action but we see more on the growing relationship between Adrian and Nova 💖
WHY DIDNT I GET A NOTIFICATION RU-vid FAILED ME YOU ALL FAILED ME AND CINDY WHY DONT YOU POST ON YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA THAT YOU UPLOADED IT WOULD SAVE LIVES
