i read one of booktok's favorite dark fantasy romance series | a plated prisoner book rant / review 

Hi everyone! If you're in PRAGUE on March 10th (the afternoon to evening) and VIENNA on March 15th (morning) we're going to have a meet up while I'm there! Very casual, just grabbing a coffee and meeting other little book worms and solo travel lovers :) For info on the exact time and place, please follow my instagram which is caricakez because that will be where I'm updating in case of sudden changes. Hope to see some of you there!!

If you’re going to have something called Snow Pirates there’s no reason their cats aren’t called Santa Claws

“im called his precious” now im picturing king midas as gollum

if we’ve dark fantasy smutified king midas, we must officially be running out of fairy tale creatures

Loving Cari's "This could've been an email" energy for this whole series

The thing is, I have a verrryyy specific image of King Midas in my mind (I've had that image ever since I was a child and first learnt his story) where he's just a super short and stocky and hairy and cartoonish man with a very tall and thin crown, so that made this story very weird for me on a completely different level😂

“….Now I’m picturing C-3PO” sent me onto another plane of existence. 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣

Maybe the ribbon thing is a play on Medusa's snakes? Since Medusa can turn people into stone and Auren can apparently turn people into gold, and ribbons are snake-like? Idk, I also find the ribbon thing to be really odd lmao Something to point out: I'm pretty sure her name is "Auren" because the first two letters are "Au" which is gold on the periodic table LOL

I feel like there is a definite difference between “dark” fantasy and “toxic” fantasy and pretty much everything that comes out these days that claims to be “dark” fantasy is really just “toxic” fantasy.

Everything I hear about Auren’s ribbons is against my will

Cari, I agree with you 100% on reading smut - so many times it can be done HORRIBLY wrong, and when that happens, it can literally ruin the book. 😭 I, too, can only count on one hand for how many adult romances I've read that have had truly show-stopping smut scenes. I've literally read better smut from fanfiction (and this is saying a LOT, since the fanfic authors aren't the ones getting paid and yet are still hitting it out of the park every time!! 🤡).

“HOLY DIVINE FUCK, SNOW PIRATES” IS MY NEW FAVORITE CURSE LMFAO

i'm not into the 'all the other female characters are hatefully jealous of the protagonist' trope, but there is a very good reason it's such a staple in harem dramas. 'pitting people against eachother for your favor' is a famously effective strategy that has historically been utilized to significant success by like... MOST authority figures. it is absolutely not weird that the other concubines are jealous of Auren's pure prestige lol

tbh just incredibly impressed that you managed to carry on reading it when the word "plunge" is being used multiple times in the smut scenes

imagine finding out that the book reviewer you've been watching is actually just a side channel. from a skincare ad☠️

I'm cracking up every time Cari uses 'royal saddles' in a calm technical manner. Legit in stitches. Make it stop.

The ribbons, she's literally a Sylveon 😂

Always appreciate you sacraficing your sanity for us, Cari. I'm so sorry but I love these reading vlogs SO MUCH (the Crave one always makes me laugh), so really kudos to you for making these. Have fun on your travels!!

This series holds a really special place in my heart. As someone who has experienced emotional abuse by a narcissistic partner, I could really relate to parts of Auren's story and her journey, especially around the confusion, guilt, and shame Auren struggles with in her relationship with Midas and with herself, and how it complicates her relationship with Slade. It is definitely not an experience that everyone can relate to, but I do think it is portrayed and handled very accurately and well. I think the series is really more about Auren and the transformation she experiences in getting free from not just her abusive relationship, but also the self-shaming mentality that abusive relationship left behind. Seeing the story in this way, the fact it is so spread out works a lot more. Sure, the plot is a bit slower, but in my opinion her character growth develops so much more this way, and all the twists and turns of healing from narcissistic abuse and emotional abuse can properly be explored.

I've only watched the recap on the first book so far but I just have to mention how I cannot stop thinking about this girl having FLESH RIBBONS coming out of her back.

She did not basically name a potential sexy love interest King Ravager 😂😂😂

I know this book isn't for me because the Queen's name is literally raspberry in my native language. I'd just burst out laughing every time she shows up, I wouldn't be able to hold a straight face when we find out the Queen is scheming something, cause why should Orrin by scared of a woman named *Malina!* It's hilarious 🤣

4 minutes in: the whole tragedy of king midas was that he *KILLED HIS DAUGHTER* because he accidentally *TURNED HER TO GOLD* ... how is the chic in the book even alive what in the name of olympus-

In Slavic and Norse mythology, silk ribbons do hold significance, so maybe the author took inspo from those myths to come up with Auren's back-ribbons. In Norse mythology, Gleipnir is the binding that holds the wolf Fenrir. Gleipnir is as thin as a silken ribbon and stronger than an iron chain. It was forged by the dwarves in their realm of Niðavellir. In Slavic mythology, fairies surround a lot of lore, often seen as beautiful young girls condemned to live forever and float in an in between state. In Croatia, young girls will make 'offerings' to the fairies, such as placing fruits, flowers, or silk ribbons upon stones in caves. Also, the 'samodiva', fairies from Bulgarian folklore, are often depicted as young women with glowing skin and long blonde hair, and they're able to turn into a bird.

I absolutely love hearing about book series I will never read and you share the experience so well. Thank you so much!

I love watching your book rants/reviews they're honestly the best 🥰

I avoid all adult smutty books because when I read it I literally cackle out loud or cringe or just feel physically ill however, I will ALWAYS love watching Cari read strange smutty books 😂

Let me get this straight. Midas rescued her from sex slavery... by putting her into sex slavery?

Oh god Auren is just a Sylveon. She's even a fairy. AUREN IS A FUCKING POKEMON I CAN'T-

You should be an audiobook narrator, I could listen to you reading for hours. You have such a calming voice :)

i'm a simple person, i see cari upload an hour long video of a series i've never heard of and of course i'm grabbing a snack and pressing play 🤷‍♀

“Holy divine fuck… snow pirates” I would never read this, but the entertainment value you provided is peak amusement 🤣

So thankful for these videos. I’m going through a divorce and massively depressed. So much so that I can’t even read, even though it’s always been my solace and escape. But these videos help. A lot. More than you know. Thank you so much for giving me comfort vicariously in what is truly a terrible time ❤

I remember reading the first book and I will give credit where credit is due, Auren has a decent character voice and it carries the entire book on its back, but the second they introduced fae I was like "dammit not again" Addendum: There are only a few things I hate more than using "male" and "female" instead of "man" and "woman." At least with SJM's books the faeries are supposed to be animalistic and a different species so she kind of gets a pass, but most of these people are humans so why not call them men and women???

The flesh ribbons very much feel like an after thought. I understand they're in this world where people just randomly get powers or mutations, but hers just seem last minute for some reason...

This series definitely gets better each book. I agreed the first 2 books could have been put together. However I really like Auren's character, she's a lot different from the bratty archetype that most fantasy books have. The way she thinks is so similar to abused victims and the way her character grows is refreshing and realistic.

I loved this series a lot! The way she speaks in the first book is so interesting cause it’s almost as she herself has forgotten that the power is hers, I loved reading the psychological side of it, but book 4 was a bit slow but I am excited to read the final hook

Not me imagining Auren's 'ribbons' like the ones Sylveon has 🤣

what I loved about this series (which I read in 4 days after seeing Cari posted) was the catharsis of Auren slowly growing a spine and fighting back. You just *know* she's going to murder Midas eventually and every step in defiance was such fun

I see cari's 1 hour video of a book I didn't read.....It'll be the best one hour !

Yeah I feel like it should be obligated for published authors to give content/ trigger warnings with serious topics. Even movies have them.

I loooooved these books! Im so excited for the final one in the series, I can't wait to watch and see how you feel about it 😂

To make you feel better about the Queens name - Malina in Polish means Raspberry, which is cute for a name

Just the way you deliver what you're saying and your facial expressions is truly rare and legendary. Thank you for all the amazing content you bless us with!

I’ve read that blurb a thousand times trying to psych myself up to read this but I can’t do it. It’s so bad. It tells us nothing other than how bad and derivative this book is. You reading these books so I don’t have to is truly an act of charity and I love that for me 😭 Thanks for dropping skin care info. Your skin is incredible

I thought the first book sounded so boring while you were explaining it but when it got to the climax of the third book I got so invested? I think these books mostly needed another year of editing to get better pacing because this is by far not the worst series I’ve heard you discuss. I really like a lot of the lines and the part where Auren uses her magic to control the gilded palace was genuinely very enthralling.

"to his credit, the moans do really echo nicely" really SENT ME HAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Hi cari! You have very quickly become one of my favorite comfort content creators. I was having a horrible day but the prospect of watching this hour long video with my poke has made my night so much better. I was waiting for you to talk about plated prisoner! Forever grateful for your content and your personality!

When I first started watching I wasn’t sure if I would watch all of the video incase I want to read the books, but as soon as you read the first page I was immediately like yeah I’m never reading that, lmao but I’m kind of invested in the plot, so thank you for reading these so I can simply listen to the plot without having to actually torture myself by pushing through the books 😂

you can never stop these live-series reading/review videos! they’re my everything❤😂😊

You let me experience the… something of all the books I never want to read 😂

Love your reading vlogs. I started reading the Zodiac Academy series after the video you did on them as it seemed like a really easy way to wind down after work! Now tempted by this one 😂

Perfect timing!! I just finished the 4th book last night so now I get to compare thoughts hahahah

I really appreciate the subtitles ❤ I’m outside right now and it’s noisy so I’m reading the subtitles instead😭

One of my top ten favorite words I hate for smut is "speared" ROFL 😂😂😂😂

so thankful for cari for doing these types of reading vlogs so that i never have to waste my time on these godawful books and can just watch her entertaining af videos instead 😅🙏

It’s probably not your intention, but these videos you make really motivate me to do art since I usually would want to listen to something during it and these videos are very entertaining

Now I wanna know what smut scenes are Cari approved lol. Personally, I agree with the others who have said fanfiction is WHERE IT’S AT.

i'm so glad you read all these books so i don't have to, you're truly taking one for the team here

I actually really like this series although the smut is a bit much for me personally at points. I get what you are saying about the slow start. I think she was really trying to establish a pattern in Auren and focusing on her breaking out of her Stockholm situation. I agree that it definitely could have been condensed significantly as a reader. However, the satisfaction as a reader of her destroying Midas was so satisfying. The next book you do get a lot of Auren's backstory after she's stolen by slavers as well as more on Queen Melina, Rissa, Slade's backstory, ect. There is a pretty big cliffhanger at the end as well.

I've just read the first book.... I can't wait to hear you rant about this book series! 😂 I found it hilarious! 😂

Honestly love watching these, even when I've read the whole series!

i understand why ppl call the love interest guy (who i am assuming is the one getting in her face about how she's still in the cage even though she's not behind bars anymore) darker rhysand because rhysand is ALSO constantly saying this kind of shit and making assumptions on feyre's very personal and traumatic experiences in ACOMAF. then the narrative ends up going "the guy was totally right in the end about her"

12 minutes into this video and I pulled this book from my library. Thank you for sparing me. They lost me at ribbons...

The gold bird made me think of Bubo the mechanical owl from Clash of the Titans 😆

Already cracking on the first 5 minutes with the C-3PO joke 😂😂😂

I recommend the Bitterbynde Trilogy, by Cecelia Dart-Thornton. There's secret royalty, memory loss, disabled characters, some court intrigue, loads of traditional fairy creatures (from Irish/English background, mostly), sky pirates, etc. I haven't read it since high school, but I remember really enjoying it.

Watching this in the background while I read a cute fantasy romance about magic and witches is such a vibe

I love these book reviews so much

Thanks! Keep up the good work!

I honestly thought I only read the first book a few months ago and I'm SHOOK that actually it turns out I read THREE. I honestly thought the entire snow pirates etc was literally just the first act of book one?!? It really was sooo slow. It had so much potential too but ???

What the ribbons thing immediately reminded me of is the anime "Elfen Lied", apart from that they have nothing in common though. It's a really cool power/mutation though imho so I get how seeing it in other media would inspire someone to incorporate it into their own work.

The ribbon thing reminds me of Sailor Moon mid transformation since she has them coming out of her back to form her bodysuit or dr. Octopus from the Spider-Man movie when the tentacles he has attached to his back start to have a mind of their own 😂 anyways thank you for the video I love hearing your thoughts about book I’ll never read ❤

The Lizzie McGuire references killed me, LMAO 😂💙 Thank you for powering through these... questionable books for our entertainment 🙏

Love that you can read and have a fun time and poke fun even if you might never recommend the book! Oh the things you do for us hahaha

I love these videos where you read series SO much! And you also saved me time since I was unsure if I wanted to read this or not ahahah (as I don't really like books that drag too long for no reason)

Is someone going to point out that her name is Auren? Like, Au-ren, as in au (gold) on the periodic table?

The difference in plot between books 1 and 2 vs. book 3 is WILD. I’d definitely love to see you continue this series!

cari you are so brave for this bc gild was the book that made me realize that 0stars was not an option you could select on goodreads💀

These ribbons remind me of an other ribbon called Ruoye from "Heaven Official's Blessing". A spiritual device created by accident (sad story) that the MC usually wears around his body and can control at will, but also has a mind of its own and is actually quite smart and cheeky 😊

I tried to read this series based on some tiktoks but 25% in the first book I knew it was not my cup of tea ,I just Dnf'ed it...But I am happy that you are reading it ,now if I ever thought about this series your video is what I am gonna think about. So Thank you so much for your service🧡🧡🧡🧡

Hi Cari! Thank so much for your reading sacrifices, this kind of books always look attractive due to people hype on media and your videos help me so much to really know if I will just lose my money buying them 😂 PD, I had to stop the video at the C-3PO part just to laugh 😂😂

I can't get over the stock cage image at the beginning of every chapter.

“She has a spine under all those ribbons” HAS ME SCREAMING

you had me laughing soooo hard!! That synopsis edit was gooooold!

genuinely i love these videos so much!! on the one hand generally your spicy icks re: wording align with mine so it's very helpful to determine whether i will enjoy a booktok book (this is a NOPE for me based on the first like 10 min lmao) and on the other hand seeing how flustered you get is HILARIOUS

I dont have tiktok and just by looking at the thumbnail, the book cover is stunning 🥺

This was my first video I’ve seen of yours and I loved it!!

I completely agree with you I felt the same way about this series! My issue with it, is the way it was pitch as a romace/smut book so I had different expectation but once I removed those expectation of it being a romance I enjoyed it. But I do believe book 1 and 2 should have been combined.

HOUR LONG CARI VIDEO??? yes!!

Like the Crave books I also read these ones at work and let me tell you, reading these at the register of a store was am experience. I can't even decide if I liked them, they just happened. I love listening to your reviews though so I'm going to eat this up 👀

I have not yet seen this video but I already wanted to say that I saw these books in the book store a few times and I already had a feeling that it might no be the kind of thing I would spend money on. But I am curious to know the plot so I am glad you made this!

I am picky about fantasy romance and didn’t love the first book in this series, but I did love book three unapologetically. It is not that deep but it got me out of a slump last year

I just realized I bought a smutty King Midas fanfiction and didn't know until this video. I briefly looked at the synopsis on the cover and thought it sounded interesting (should've read it again), bought it to put on my bookshelf for a rainy day. That's the second time that has happened to me, that I know of.

When you said her lover is King Midas, I was originally pretty confused since in the stories about him in greek mythology he is pretty much the king of being incredibly stupid, not evil, even well meaning but just really bad decision making. He didn't exactly live up to that, but at least he wasn't the romantic lead. I wouldn't have been able to take him serious as such.

Thank you for reading this series! Really helped me decide that it's not my cup of tea

Seeing a new video from you in my feed always brings me joy❤

omg, legit i was wheezing like a dam tea kettle every time u say rip or rot like ?!?! what kind of namee is thattt

Keep ‘em coming 🫡 You’re the best!

I was excited when I saw you posted but I was ecstatic when I saw it was an hour long