my biggest beef in books (especially when i read the first two books then dnfed this series in high school) is when a character is set up as smart and incredibly competent and then is written as chronically stupid and oblivious for plot reveals... there were so many times where she drew conclusions and i was like 'girl... what is this'. there is nothing wrong with a main character being oblivious and dumb just be honest about it!!! its ok to be dumb about things!
For me that was highlighting just how young she was. She’s incredibly talented and gifted but she’s also just barely an adult and so traumatized. I 100% acted the same way when I was her age with all these expectations and working hard to get to where I am but also never really getting a chance to properly grow. Either too smart for my own good or too oblivious
Yeah I definitely get that, and I think that would have come across more for me if it was written in the first person. I guess it being written in the 3rd person automatically puts up a wall for me as the reader because, even if I don't expect the narrator to be objective, I think it could have done a better job in highlighting the difference in how: Celaena perceives herself, is perceived by others, and then how she actually is. It might get better throughout the series, but it fell too hard into tell not show and sometimes tell then show the contrary -without acknowledgement or effect- for my taste. I tried reading them when I was 17, so luckily the adult brain rational didn't effect my perception of Celaena and teen decision making in the way it can when trying to read younger characters as an adult.@@maddiemainer
ok i made this exact point when i was reading the first couple books but the main character goes through a coming into power thing in the 3rd and she actually is genuinely smart and witty i promise she’s a just deeply traumatized/closed off/paranoid in the first few.
Honestly a book even considering that periods exist is super refreshing. It's not pointless either, since the point of showing Celaena having her period is to show that she isn't malnourished anymore now that she's staying at the castle.
I thought the same! I don’t think I’ve ever encountered it in a fantasy book before so it was a very nice change of pace. And like I can see it from both perspectives, but again it’s nice to have it appear in a popular fantasy book (and in a way that isn’t like. Super traumatizing)
In defense of her having a period and reading erotica, when I read this book at like 15 ish those facts made me feel more proud of my female body and more secure in beginning to explore my sexuality so I think those are good additions to a book of this genre
Terry Pratchett (my favorite fantasy writer) even made fun of unpronounceable names in fantasy, there are some weird names in his books but they are usually easy to pronounce because they are puns or hard to pronounce on purpose and the joke is that no one gets it right. My favorite character from his books is named "Sam"
girl how come you dont have millions of subs?! you're hilarious and i love the way you talk thru these books! i found your channel yesterday and ur one of my new fav booktubers. i hated this series so much HAHA i made it to maybe the 4th or 5th one before i dropped it because i just /couldn't deal anymore/ y'know? i feel like if you have to read 1000 or some pages in a series for it to get good, it ain't worth my time 😭 excellent video!!
The only thing that stopped me from forcing myself through this series was the fact that I forgot what book I was on and eventually forgot the entire plot. Accidentally mind-wiped myself and saved so much time and money lmao
I'm a big SJM fan but if I hadn't been told countless times just how good the series got I would have stopped after ToG. I know she was young when she wrote it, and it's very obvious, but it was just...ok. BUT her writing just got better and better. Queen of Shadows is incredible.
@@tehelea I read the whole series and no, it doesn’t get any better, it gets worse. The last book is disgustingly terrible and a waste of paper. In fact, none of it was ever good. Save your money for a better book series and stay away from SJM because she’s not a good writer.
queen of shadows was actually when my enjoyment started to wane. after liking heir of fire so much, it was disappointing. i wasnt a fan of celaena being romantically involved w rowan. she needed someone more experienced to advise her and help her back in erilia yes but did he have to be her boyfriend too 💀 also maeve changing the nature of his relationship w his dead ex.... can you say retcon? cuz yea i finished the series obviously. call it stockholm syndrome or wtv, but i was 12 when i started them and refuse to account for taste. i read any and everything my mom got for me
@@nao-bo4yz the "it gets better in book 3+!!" phenomenon in books is honestly just a way to hook readers in with the sunk cost fallacy. Like-you've already spent all that time and money getting this far, you may as well finish the series to see it improve and conclude!
After all the SJM hype I have been waaaiting for someone to cover TOG so this is amazing- I hate-read all the books in the series and they are all SO bad, but also selfishly I am begging you to cover them all
Girl I live for your videos! You have no idea how distraught I was when I found out you only have like 5 videos 😢 Can not wait for more, your hilarious ❤
Agree!! I actually love fantasy but I could not get to the end of a court of thrones and roses because I felt like the same thing was happening for 2-3 chapters. Idk I think I’m getting exhausted with an enemies to lovers trope
im obsessed with your channel, so happy the yt algorithm recced your channel to me!! you're so charming and funny and somehow it's so so easy to listen to u rant despite my adhd sgshdhsj
As someone who has and will continue to reread throne of glass over and over, this is a heartfelt recommendation to keep reading. At least until heir of fire. I found this series almost 10 years ago when I was very lonely and sad and since then it has been a constant source of comfort. The protagonist goes through so much and the way she manages to come back from it and be the hero she needs to be has given me strength to recover from my trauma. Sarah J Maas was 16 when she wrote the first book. He writing matured quickly. If this series were food, it wouldn’t be organic whole food nutritional balance gourmet. It would be buttery, salty soul food. And every once in a while, it feels good to indulge.
Yes! There are definitely tropey, ridiculous, problematic things in SJM's books, but I really enjoy them AND enjoy laughing at them, and I just skip the first couple books of the series when I reread to get the slightly more filler books out of the way! I love the way she represents mental health issues and the importance of art and community and healing
@@andaluciaprendes8813 that’s what I love about the series too. People give SJM Flack for having her protagonists solve their depression by training, but i love it. I was a ballerina that had to retire early because I broke my back and I came out of it with a really messed up relationship with fitness and so much emotional dysfunction, but the main factor in my recovery was going through a really physically and spiritually intensive yoga journey that was very similar to Aelin’s heir of fire training. And I get some serious vicarious vindication when Aelin and Lysandra and Fenrys get their vengeance. Without over sharing, I had an Arobynn and a Maeve in my life and it was all I could to get away from them, and I never got justice. It’s why queen of shadows is my fav.
@@missanthropy6174 the issue isn't that she has a protagonist get through their depression with training, it's that she has EVERYONE get through their depression with training. The 'trope' itself is perfectly fine on its own and works for some people irl, but she absolutely beats it to death as if it's the _only_ way to recover
@@emackenzie the claim that ALL of her characters recover from trauma through training is an unfounded one. Of the three series, only two of her protagonists go through an intense training transformation to recover from trauma- Nesta and Aelin. Feyre’s main avenues of recovery are through her art and building a found family to support her. Yes, she trains a lot, but it’s never about healing for her. She has a desire and a responsibility to learn how to fight and use her powers so that she can protect her loved ones and her country. In CC, Bryce doesn’t train at all. She has fighting skills, but they were something she worked at as a kid with her step dad, not a coping mechanism after Danika died. Her mental health journey starts with a two year period of emotional isolation and self punishment (never drinking or clubbing or dancing, denying herself the things she enjoyed before) before she and Hunt become friends and learn to forgive themselves. She also uses dance for therapy, which is exercise, but dance therapy is a thing, and dancing is clearly therapeutic for Bryce. None of the male characters in either series use training as trauma recovery. Even with Aelin and Nesta, working out wasn’t the ONLY thing they did to recover. In fact, the training was more of a vehicle through which they made connections with people, learned to trust them, and talked to them about their trauma. It’s the love and support that they receive that allows them to succeed physically and mentally. Aelin was already an elite fighter when she meets Rowen, the training isn’t what heals her. And with Nesta, she was completely out of control of herself and benefited from the structure training provided (much like many recipients of 12-step treatment). I know that Gwyn and Emerie also get the “training treatment” but they’re also the supporting cast in Nesta’s story. And again, training isn’t the only thing they do to recover. It just provides a vehicle for them to meet each other and form the support group that they need to heal. Emerie is a social outcast who doesn’t like going outside her comfort zone. But she does so that she could hang out and train with Nesta. Gwyn has hardly left the library in years but she’s the first to sign up for training because she wants hang out with her friend and learn how to defend herself. And furthermore, when Nesta is in crisis over a conflict with Cassian, Gwyn leaves the House of Wind for the first time since her trauma because she wants to support her friend. During the blood rite, all three women do astounding things in order to support and protect each other. None of their trauma is magically fixed afterward, Gwyn goes right back to the library and only leaves again to go to Nesta’s wedding. My point is that while training to heal from trauma is a frequently used trope by SJM, it’s not the only one she uses, and even when she does use it, it’s never the one perfect solution. There are always other elements present.
I know it’s been a year but like, this series is kind of ehh for me but, ACOTAR is actually good (in my opinion) and SJM has had time as an author to adjust her writing style and make it so that it doesn’t feel like, y’know, three book of just world building (four if you count the prequel) so I do recommend that series
I would like her books if she didn’t even confuse me, and her books were so long. I write books, but I don’t even like writing long books, let alone reading them.
NO YOU HAVE TO IT DOES GET GOOD! (honestly it's an ok series but the books do get a lot more fun and i think you'd enjoy them. plus i want to watch your reactions to the later books)
my partner is 9 years younger than me and we met when i was 31. but we were in very similar phases of our lives and you can judge me all you want, but it‘s the best relationship we both ever had and i was very aware of the potential power imbalance and consent and equality has been the most important thing for both of us and we‘re gonna get married and we lived together for over 5 years now and it‘s the best thing ever. just wanted to say that age difference has inherent risks, but doesn‘t have to necessarily be an issue. but it often can be. ♥️
I started reading ACOTAR, but when I learned what happens to Tamlin in the latter parts of the series, I put the book down and never picked it up again. I think I dodged a bullet but god was I disappointed 😭
oh my goodness ACOTAR is so bad. I read the first book, then started the second, then put down the second and I haven't read it since. I hate how popular it is because it's really shitty but everyone on booktok is eating up the fae porn
@@spntageous5249 SERIOUSLY. like I’ve rarely come across a romance book that was genuinely appealing and TAMLIN I ACTUALLY LIKED 😭 I don’t understand his sudden shift in character and I hate how Sarah J Maas’s writing spiraled so terribly plot-wise throughout the series
I only pronounced Chaol correctly in my mind because it's one letter off from Chaos, which is what this series is. I love fantasy but I am not a SJM girlie
i love watching reviews where people hate the books when i really like them cause i'm amazed we came out at completely different conclusions. ultimately i'm not reading with a critical lense ever, unless it's the most gaping plot hole concocted, i'm just vibing to the end. that being said i would love for you to continue reading them and giving your feedback, i enjoyed the second book more than the first (i haven't read the rest). i will continue to read the character names as i had imagined them in my head too. kah-ol is laughable, he's chaol with a ch to me.
Tbh I feel like the 18/22 age gap would’ve been a great opportunity for world building. Like if it’s historical fantasy where you’re expected to have a job, spouse, & kids by 16, then 18/22 is a much more similar life stage than say, something with more modern lifestyle expectations
Can I ask if you are American? Because in my country you're an adult at 18, and pairing with 18/21 or 22 y.o. are fairly normal. I know just because something is normal, doesn't mean it's okay - but it made me curious. I for example was also in a relationship with a guy that was 3 years older than me when I was 18/19. The relationship ended because he wanted to start a family and I wanted to go to university - so I wouldn't say you guys are wrong. I am just curious that this is already considered an age gap and would like to know more about why. (Btw: I think he married a woman around 5 years older than him? I only know this because his bestie was complaining about him and his partner to me... Like wtf dude, wrong address)
It's funny because Cain being behind all the bad stuff happening was so obvious, that I expected for it to be someone completely different, which made the fact of Cain actually being behind it all at the end surprising for me. Like "oh, so it's THAT easy". Other than that I enjoyed it, so I'm gonna see what happens next and is it going to get better 😄
My love for fantasy is THE REASON I stay away from Sarah J. Maas like a vampire with garlic, so maybe it's not an ideal starting point🤣 (No shade to her fans, I have personal beaf with her since that retelling of beauty and the beast who has nothing to do with beauty and the beast, you know the one)
Please please please finish the series 😁🙏 A lot changes after you get through the first two books (honestly, they’re the absolute worst). Now, I’m not saying it gets a lot BETTER… but it definitely gets A LOT more entertaining to read, and the plot goes into a totally different direction than it does in the first two. Also, some actually interesting characters show up (I loathed Chaol and Dorian tbh, they’re so bland). My final (and most important) reason for why you should read the other books in the series is that I really enjoy your rants, and I’m dying to know your opinions on all the things that go on in the rest of the series 😁😁
I'm also in the process of reading this series! I thought that this book was boring too and i don't care about either of the love interests!!! But I started with the assassin's blade which i think helped because it made me attached to celaena and part of the world so I'm excited to see how the plot expands. I also am a big fantasy girly so that probably helps lol.
not TOG being my favorite series 😭 obviously to each their own and not everyone is into the same things but i love this series and just want everyone to experience the same joy this series brought me
throne of glass is Sarah j Maas first book, she wrote it at 16 years old on a fan fiction website and it got published. Please, continue reading ! The series gets way way way way better. I promise you it’s so worth it . Ur missing out on so much
Im always here for anyone dragging SJM books but I have to say SAME abt not liking fantasy books. I feel that lately its a very beloved genre (esp fantasy with romance) and I just cannot get into it, will certainly not try again any soon. Thank yuou for your rant 🤭
I can’t even read Throne of Glass and I like SJM… Read ACOTAR (but stop after the first book cause everything you learn about the characters switches in the next… like they’re new characters… in a bad way). TOG is suck. 😅
haha right?? so many people love SJM but this book was not it 🤠 ACOTAR is on the list but I’m scared to read it lol it’s so long and all of my friends adore the whole series
The characters personalities change so much in the second book. Then in Silver Flames, the ones that changed for good change for bad AGAIN. SJM will change your darling to suit her new plot. Just make a new series, and stop catfish-bate-and-switching us, SJM 🥹
Omg HOW can you recommend stopping after the first book 😳 I just finished a court of wings and ruin and each book has been better than the last Frankly the character development was needed ✨
Wow okay this UNLOCKED some memories. I think I read the first three or so as a teen. I don't remember a ton about the books but I remember the smutty fan fics I wrote based on these! I shipped Kale and Dorian (I can't be bothered to research the spelling) as a couple established before the events of the first book and then had them and Selena be a trio.... oh boy. I remember the masquerade ball scene because I had them all dancing together in different pairings in my imagined polyam heaven.
I thoroughly enjoy your videos (coming here after the 50 shades of terror) and I think the reason I initially became hooked on this series in highschool is because to me it felt like YA Lord of the Rings with girls in it. I thoroughly enjoyed the ridiculousness of the whole thing from the names to the irrational characters and it was a really good turn your brain off book series while also genuinely making me want to see what the conclusion to all the cherry bombs being dropped like bread crumbs would turn into. (Distinctly remember pissing off the friend who recommended it to me because I saw through a lot of the foreshadowing and guessed within book one the big “character reveal” ) I also enjoyed how all over the place Celeana is because at that point every other YA or fantasy novel I read the girls even the female MC’s were always so nerfed or powerless despite the blurbs and other characters saying they weren’t. Like even now I’m shocked how hard it is to find a good fantasy book YA or not where the main female character isn’t all talk no walk. Idk I think that’s why it was so popular, yeah she didn’t assassinate anyone book One; but you could actually see her progress in strength in the book up to the final confrontation. She WAS a powerful character and the book is her basically trying to be patient and regain her strength and not accidentally kill herself being cocky or letting on how weak she is. Idk that’s my take, I bought them all hardcover before they switched to the terrible new vector art so I’ll go reread them and see if they hold up to highschool and freshman college me 🤣
in high school i had a friend that owned this whole series. i powered through them in months and then completely forgot everything about them. the only specifics i remembered from this series is chaol's name and the scene where she gets her period again
I just found you and I just watched all your videos while cleaning my apartment! Thank you for existing! I love when people roast fantasy even though it's my favorite genre lol
For those who said “Oh you have to keep reading it gets better blah blah blah” NO. A good and responsible writer should make every single book in the series intriguing and meaningful.
The different perspectives thing is sooooooo true. Like there’s so many moments where we could’ve been like “WHAT?” But like girl??? *spoiler* WE KNEW KALTAIN POISONED THE WINE. That would’ve been a nice twist. Like why would you tell us that was happening 😭
Have you ever tried Mistborn? Same trope. Girl kinda of assassin who isn't supposed to fall in love during a ball, but does... If you don't enjoy those I'd love to see one of those videos about Mistborn (aka my favourite trilogy 😂)
I love fantasy. It's my favorite genre-- but I'm not a romance reader. That being said, I'm experiencing Throne of Glass for the first time through this video, and I am having a grand time ❤😂
Exactly! I knew there was no way, but until (spoilers) Nehemia dies I was hoping against hope they would be together. SHE OPENED A PORTAL TO THE SPIRIT WORLD JUST TO SEE HER. She killed multiple people to avenge her. Ms. Assassin didn’t even do that for Sam or her parents as of book 3.
Hey there, if you don’t mind the commitment The Wheel of Time is genuinely one of the best series I’ve ever read period. They’re fantasy classics if you ever wanna check them out. Scarlet St. Clair’s King of Battle and Blood is much shorter (2 books out last one out this year) and pretty awesome. It is smutty btw but still plot driven.
I read Throne of Glass and it was the kind of thing I was writing in High School, real Girl Boss is Great kinda stuff without actual personality. I didn't mind the period mention but I also thought it was really contrived like... she was attempting to do something but instead was like "mah period"
I really enjoyed this video but I also could not take my eyes off that pink flower cushion and I NEED to know where you got it. It’s my exact favorite shade of pink.
So this was more exposition than I remembered in ToG until you started talking about it (oh yeah that's why I never reread it and I found it before book 2 came out). It did remind me why I liked this first book and how crazy it got after. I honestly think it would have been so much better if they had stuck to the planned 3 book series and then did a second trilogy when it got popular instead of changing it to a 7 slash 8 book series. There were some highlights, things I still remember fondly, but I could never reread this series. I'd probably be fine with a lot of the mess but the so dirty moves to put everyone in hetero relationships, many of them very unhealthy, I can't do it again.
Girl, I love fantasy but you’re totally right about names being too hard to pronounce. It’s a pet peeve of mine. Fantasy writers, please at the very least make your names phonetically pronounceable. I read TOG years ago and I hated the names too (and the book itself really. Swore off SJM from that point onward). Chaol will forever be “coal” in my mind. Idc what anyone says. His name is Coal.
Omg same! I was saying it like Cole! I only realized that was wrong when I watch a pronunciation video of the names SJM did to figure out how to say Aelin. I was like um I beg your pardon?
ngl I tried reading a court of thorns and roses, and I didn’t like it for three reasons: 1) it’s boring as heck. 2) it’s SO long-winded, I’m sure I made it like 200 pages in and was like “is anything gonna happen?” 3) everyone is hot, which is perhaps a strange critique, but if every character introduced is described as being the hottest person you’ve ever seen, even hotter than the person before, who was SUPPOSEDLY the hottest person you’ve ever seen, then it takes me right out of it. I cannot picture any of the characters in my head. That’s dumb.
BROOO I though i never read any sjm books but i remembered this one when it came to getting period bc it's literally the only thing i remember abt this book 💀💀💀
I remember buying this book, thinking "Finally, a fantasy book with a female main character, she must be super cool". I never finished reading it, this video reminded me that the book actually exists, so I went to check and I got until the 16-th chapter, apparently, before putting it down and forgeting it even existed. I don't even know why I stopped reading it, probably beacuse I was getting bored of nothing really happening.
i haven’t read anything by SJM since reading smut makes me uncomfy lol but the whole “contestants from different factions of a kingdom all get together and compete for something but oops,, they’re getting killed off one by one” vibe sounds a lot like Gideon the Ninth except Gideon the Ninth is actually good and well written and not boring af
TOG isn’t my favorite SJM I had to do the audio books to get through it. It’s deserves criticism for sure 🙈 I loved this. I do really love the ACOTAR and Crescent City books though :) CC all the way. It’s her only adult series actually.
honestly throne of glass books are 100× better in audiobook. i dont have to think about pronunciation. also the first book was not my fave but i also hate when i feel hints of love triangles too. buttttt i love this series it gets so deep and intense and theres so many unexpected changes and thank god the love interests evolve.
This was the only SJM book I've read. I found it repetitive and forgot like 90% of it by the time I finished reading it. On one hand, I'm glad that this was the *only* SJM book I've read because she's not for me, but also... wow that book was like going to McDonald's and ordering a burger with no ingredients but extra salt.
man.. I liked the first book when I was a freshman and the next two were…. eeehhhhhhhh not good. I dropped the series because it was so dark and depressing that I just didn’t enjoy reading it 😭 guess it’s a good thing I did also, Maximum Ride is probably the most batshit series I had the displeasure of finishing. (until he came out with TWO MORE BOOKS in 2020) and I have so many strong feelings about it 😭😭 maybe you’d like yelling about it though 😂 it’s THAT bad
I just finished acotar.. I loved throne of glass when I read it like… 8 years ago so I decided to revisit SJM.. I then realized that I have outgrown her as a 27 YO with BA in English… why did I think the read would be just as enjoyable as it was when I 19?
This is one of he books (along with graceling by Kristin Cashore) that made me fall out of love with reading when I was a teenager. I’ve gotten back into reading as an adult, but not fantasy. I got exhausted by the poor quality of the YA fantasy books from that era.
I LIKE fantasy and I didn’t really like throne of glass. It got decent in the middle for two books there (book 3 and 4) but then it lost me again. I only forced my way through it because I too was given them as a gift😂. And I was like 15, and it was kind of a sunken cost fallacy thing. Never read the last book though. (Ok, maybe book 5 was ok, I don’t really remember. But I couldn’t force myself to read the chaol book. That’s where I stopped.)
I used to read them in high school (and I think as they were coming out? Or at least as the translated editions were coming out because I didn't read them in English) and I absolutely hated how the first two books were YA fantasy/romance/love triangle and then the rest of the books are high fantasy. As if halfway Sarah J Maas said "hey I actually wanna switch genres". I didn't even finish the series but later books get soooo fantasy-esque, like it's all lost bloodlines/magic/witches/elves (or are they called fae here????), secred hidden lands, all that stuff
My dad gave me the hardback collector’s edition of the first book and I really tried to read it because I didn’t want to be ungrateful. I gave up after chapter 2 because it was just soooooooo boring 😭
Erilea is the continent, and Eyllwe, Melisande, Fenrarrow, Adarlan, and Terrasen are countries. And the king of Adarlani is power-hungry and the most evil King of all the continent.
