Omg the ending hahaha I’m glad I could give you a confidence boost to share a not-so-overwhelmingly-positive opinion in a sea of people who love this book so dearly. It’s okay to not like every book! 🫶🏻😂
You make some of the best "I didn't really like this book" videos. To dislike and to disagree doesn't always have to equate to negativity; honestly, it's those differences that help us stay authentic. Your open-mindedness and thoughtfulness is truly a superpower.
Hahaaa I’m currently reading priory and I am MINDBLOWN that you stopped and looked up every vocabulary word… deadass didn’t even know there was a glossary. If I need to know, she better tell me in the text, otherwise I just keep reading and hope for the best 😂
When you said there were people that said that "you'd like these books even if you don't like fantasy," my jaw hit the floor. These are some of the fantasiest fantasy books that ever fantasied. I love them for that and I love that you don't :) P.S. Every time I see a comma instead of a period on your phone timer I'm reminded you live in Europe lol
I love fantasy but also HATE keeping up with names and places etc. And I literally CANNOT continue until I know EXACTLY what’s going on and it makes it extremely hard AS A FANTASY LOVER so I’m really enjoying watching someone else who will struggle JUST AS MUCH as I will before reading
I would love to see you try a Brandon Sanderson book, his fantasy is so much more accessible to me. His world building is awesome and my small brain cells can handle it
It's so cool that you gave these books a chance. The range of fantasy is so broad and these two are HIGH fantasy. I think that acknowledging that this isn't a writing you can get into is something I needed to hear. I CANNOT get into Brandon Sanderson but I could get into Priory. Just because you like one high fantasy author, doesn't mean you can get through them all happy at the end. Thanks for your perspective on these books. It was very refreshing 💛
I liked the idea of Priory more than I actually liked reading it. It was super slow until the last 200 pages and I feel like the action it spent so long leading up to ended up being anticlimactic. But I was desperate for a book with sapphics and dragons so I have a soft spot for it even though I was bored and confused
I love the fifth season! Its a favorite!! (Also it took me a while to really love it because i expected something else) plus i just this Moment finished the priory of the orange tree (and it took me almost 2 years😅 … to be fair probably online Picked it Up about 15 times) and i agree with ally -not a bad Book but i am a Charakter girly and i just wasnt invested (plus dont give me a dragonriderschool and not do more with that 😅)
This was probably the most helpful video to form my decision to put these books off for longer. Thanks for reading them and being so honest about your thoughts while reading.
Yes! This was exactly how I felt when I started (and dnfed) priory of the orange tree a few years ago! And I'm someone who generally really likes fanatsy! I actually have found the book to be very hit or miss when talking to other people. My dad did actually read the whole thing and pretty much had the same opinion you did so you are definitely not the only person!
I don't watch your videos, because we have the same taste in books (although it is very similar). In fact, some of your favorites are my flops and vice versa. I watch your videos, because I think that you express your thoughts and opinions about books so eloquently and smart, yet still manage to make the videos feel so cozy and entertaining. I started including my reading into my vlogs, because you inspired me to do so 😄 looking forward to all your upcoming book adventures 💖 and, I'm not a fantasy girly either. I try now and then, but I just can't get into it. So, I never even considered reading The Priory. However, I watched multiple reading vlogs and reviews about it 😅 don't ask me why
Hi Ally! I love your videos so much. They inspire me to take life slower and enjoy the smaller pleasures. You are responsible for my absurdly long TBR. Can you do an updated all the books on my TBR video please? ❤🎉
You do such an amazing job of being honest about your feelings on a book while still validating other’s experiences with it! Love that! Also, if it makes you feel any better, you said you don’t know anyone who doesn’t like these books. IRL I don’t know anyone who does like them! So there’s that. 😂
I haven’t yet read these, but looking forward to trying!! Figuring out what you like / dislike is so important to building your own personal “literary canon”. I’m glad you shared it with us. We need different perspectives, it’s what keeps a community excited and in discussion :)
I had to laugh in the beginning when you were saying that it takes you forever to get used to the world and just info dumping. I agreed a lot. I did somehow finished priory in 3 days, I do read fantasy as main genre ( or actually WAS. This year, my brain decided to just go hardcore for Scifi and Classics. My brain just decided for me and I said, aight. Right now I am reading the Count of Monte Cristo, the book that I vaguely remember reading shorter version as a child, but as adult I just went for the full unabridged version. And will hopefully finish it today) All I wanted to say, is I congratulate you for finishing TWO GIANT TOMES of a genre that you normally do not read. What a challenge! Thank you for sharing these monents and your thougts, always. Love from Florida 😘
This brought me so much joy just hearing your reactions and the sounds and seeing the facial expressions. I’m hopefully diving into these books myself soon!
ahh i’ve been so excited for this vlog! i love the priory of the orange tree and still need to read a day of fallen night. i’ve been wanting to hear your thoughts on them for a while ☺️💚
You came into my recommendations today and I'm so happy you did! Your editing (loveee the ac/zelda music) , personality, and opinions are just ~ *chefs kiss* ~ cannot wait to watch more of your videos 🥰
I’m so glad you made this video because I’ve been debating reading Priory for a while but everything negative you’ve said is something I would really hate. So thank you for saving me a LOT of time! 😂
I just picked up the Priory at my local bookstore 😂 I have a love hate relationship with Fantasy with a capital F so we’ll see. Also, I hate that you have to apologize for not liking a book. We should all be able to express our opinions about books without fear of being attacked. I understand when you love something it can feel like you need to defend whatever it is when someone else isn’t a fan but their lack of love doesn’t take away from your own.
this was the first video of yours i ever watched and have since started from the beginning and watched everything. thank you so much for the safe space and for the incredible quality videos you make. ❤
I think it's great you finally got to read these books! Your review was also fun to hear about and I enjoyed how open you were to the series too. Priory has been on my physical TBR since it came out but, while I enjoy fantasy, high fantasy has always been very daunting to me. However, I recently got into Shadow of the Gods, a high fantasy books and am actually loving it to pieces! So I am on my way to hopefully picking up my copy of Priory in the near future!
i really like the way you edit your videos. i never even read these books, but i stayed for the style of the vid which was fun yet relaxing. awesome cats btw!
I felt the exact same way when reading Priory! It's just an okay read. Also never trust the people who say "the next book is better", it's very rare that it ever is 😂
I just discovered your channel and I am in love with it. The vibes, the colors, the energy you carry in your videos. Love every part. Can't wait to binge all your vids :))))
AAAAHHHHH AM CURRENTLY BALL OF EXCITEMENT!!!!!! I look forward to your videos every week ☺️ I hope you've had a good week Ally!!! After watching appreciation post: I fricking loved the little hand drawn dragons and the Zelda beats. They made the video so much better 😁
This was an impulse buy for me. I read half of the first chapter and didn’t think it was too bad, but the mixed reviews I hear/read have me nervous 😂 it’ll be a while before I actually get into it, since I’ve got a ton other books to read. So if I remember to come back here after finishing it, I’ll give my own take.
I've always been intrigued by these books given the thickness and cover 😅 I definitely want to read it still. Your vlog is so enjoyable and funny, and very colourful 🎉
Ahhh it's such a relief to see someone else trying to get into he fantasy genre but struggling with the complexities of the world building! Love your videos, have an awesome day and keep reading :D
hehehe i got the notification for your video while currently reading priory of the orange tree!!!! i'll read a few more pages and then watch your video :)))) 💚
I appreciate your honesty and careful thought SO much! If you want a character-driven fantasy, a song of ice and fire is IT. imo it’s true world building, plenty of showing and not telling, and knock out characters. Especially if you’ve seen game of thrones, it is much easier to follow than priory. I’ve also heard Robin Hobbs’ books are super character driven and fairly accessible!
I haven't read either of these yet but I sure did sit here and watch your whole video 😂 I had a very similar experience when I read book 1 in the Crescent City series so I totally understand the struggles with all the info dumping!
One of the reasons I liked priory is because I read it over MONTHS. I do understand why people wouldn’t like it because even I didn’t like it as much when I was forcing myself to read more than 50 pages a day. But since I read it from May to December last year I think it might have allowed me to enjoy it more.
new subscriber here!! i found this video a few weeks ago when i was trying to find the courage to pick this book back up after about 100 pages and a veeery long break - and while you did admittedly convince me not to do so, i got absolutely lost in your channel and have been consuming all of your content since. thank you for being such a cozy place to hang out (and for playing zelda music in between sections) :)
Even though you didn't love Priory as much as I did, I really enjoyed this vlog and I'm so glad that you at least enjoyed the ride and the conversations! I am inspired to reread Priory and finally read the prequel
I haven’t read Priory yet, but this video was so interesting!!! Also, Saaba Tahir’s An Ember in the Ashes series is more than worth it, it’s honestly my favourite fantasy series ever! I hope you’ll enjoy it when you get around to read it!
Nothing better than a video from you on a Sunday morning, the perfect way to start the day. 🥰💕 Maybe this is the signal to finally pick up the priory of the orange tree.😅
This was such a fun video and I’m so obsessed with your channel. I watch every Sunday morning with my 2 year old 😂 (he says “meow” when he sees your cats 🥰)
I love the Trogdor day markers, gotta burninate through the pages. I never look up how to pronounce fantasy characters names, I let my brain decide how to pronounce em. I think it's more interesting that way.🙂
First of all, it was awesome to hear that you are learning Dutch! And second, you have my respect for reading those 2 bricks! I have the first one on my shelve for a while now and I'm so intimidated by it 😂 This was my first time watching one of your video's and I love your vibe! Will definitely watch more from you. Greetings from The Netherlands ❤
I read this book at the exact same time as you and i totally share your feelings towards it! Im not much of a fantasy reader either + i have never read a book that long. And i totally agree that the first 250 pages were super hard to get through, i constantly had to flip back to the map or forwards to the glossary but at some point i just gave up in trying to understand every single custom and new word and just let myself fall into the story and to enjoy it purely for the vibes. Ultimately i gave it a 4 star rating but i think thats because this was my first time reading a high fantasy story, so i dont have much to compare it to. I think ill still pick up the prequel though, just not right now. Ill give it some time and maybe ill get to it in a year or two ^^ i really enjoyed seeing that im not alone with my feelings towards Priory :D
I feel SO validated by this video! I was really underwhelmed with priory and really started to internalize that it was me and I just didn’t get it. Thank you for sharing your perspective and recognizing that every book has its audience and it’s super cool that we all have our own taste!
I read Priory a few months ago and am almost halfway through the prequel. Liked the first one better so far. Want to love the prequel more. Love your reactions to it all!
So excited for you to read the Broken Earth trilogy! All of the new words make enough sense that you can mostly figure out what they mean without the glossary. And the characters are (chef's kiss emoji, chef's kiss emoji). And all three books won the Hugo Award.
I so relate to not being a fantasy person! My bookclub with my friends is reading She Who Became the Sun this month and I'm scared lol I definitely gravitate more toward cozy fantasy and sci-fi as opposed to epic fantasy. Props to you for powering thru these books and so valid of you to not like them!
I subscribed when I saw you annotating “hell yeah” in the margins; I read it in Jenna Marbles’ voice and knew that that was the vibe you were vibing with. I felt vindicated/affirmed when you then inserted a Jenna clip. I’m so excited to binge watch all of your videos.
I want you to know that this is the video that made me subscribe to you. Haven’t read these books, and I might not, but I loved watching you experience them.
Excellent job completing those colossal books in record time! Your classics book buddy here. 😁 After finishing Orwell's "Down and Out in Paris and London" I switched to something much lighter: "Legends and Lattes"!!! So far out of my reading scope but I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Viv and her friends. I adored Cal and especially Thimble. What sweeties they were! I was really hoping that Laney, Viv's neighbor across from the coffee shop, would turn out to be a witch and when she wasn't sweeping her porch (with her BROOM) or baking not-so-pleasing desserts, that she turned into the dire cat and secretly made her way around the town to keep herself in the know. But alas, it never came to pass. Am currently reading Colette's "The Vagabond" and am thoroughly engaged in the imagery she paints with words. I wish more people knew about her, her life, and her works. She was an amazing, and spunky, lady. 🥰 Hugs to you dear!
i connected with both of these books pretty much effortlessly but the fifth season? nothing but confusion for like the first 50% 😂😂 it's ultimately still one of my favorite series though and i hope you'll have a better time with it!!! I'll love priory & adofn for both of us 🙌
Everyone: Discussing fantasy. Me: Here to tell Ally about a book I’m reading that I think she’ll love? Maybe? It’s mundane AND high stakes, it’s giving ‘I Who Have Never Known Men’ and ‘The Sound Of Music’. I’m only 50 pages in but I think it’s incredible, ‘The Wall’ by Marlen Haushofer. Awesome vlog, thank you for all your efforts despite not feeling good 🎉
I love fantasy books, they have always been my comfort. I haven't read this series yet but definitely will, eventually. Even knowing that you're not a big fantasy reader and our book tastes are a little different I always look forward to your videos. They bring me joy and the excitement you have for books makes me smile everytime. Because of you I've reached for books that are outside my regular reading comfort zones Thank you for that and for this beautiful little corner of the internet we have.
i have yet to finish watching this video, so i’m sure ally has some great insights on tackling fantasy,, but here is my approach. any time i start a new fantasy, i just accept that i will be thrown off by the jargon, the world, the magic system, etc. i am fully prepared to be confused for the first couple of chapters, and that’s okay! the author has meticulously crafted this complex world unlike our own and dumped you as the reader right into the middle of it, of course it doesn’t make sense. i just observe the language and remind myself that the rules of this world are different from my own, and eventually you pick up on what is what. i definitely don’t expect this to work for everyone, but this is what works for me! just throwing my rational mind in the trash for the time being haha
As always you videos make my sundays better! You should read The raven cycle, is more of a soft urban fantasy, with lot of vibes and character development and little plot. Very beautifully written. Very whimsical.
thank you thank you thank you, this is EXACTLY how I felt about priory! I actually dnfed two thirds of the way through which is unheard of for me (I've usually either given up in the first 100 pages or see it through to the bitter end) because some twist or other happened and I realised I just wasn't invested enough to care. Being able to loose myself in a place and story is why I love fantasy/sci-fi so much and like you say, the telling not showing was too much for me to become fully invested. I just have one rec if you're looking for a sci-fi/fantasy novel with stellar world-building and characters, I'm reading A Memory of Empire right now and it's absolutely blowing my mind. I'm so invested in the characters that the political intrigue really hits and I'm having a blast with it.
I readd Priory during the beginning of lockdown and honestly? All the terms, worldbuilding and the sheer volume of text made me forget everything bad happening in the world. It is peak distraction and it"s finest. Yes the beginning is frustrating, but that made me even more convinced to study that dang glossary at the back because I *really* wanted to read this book. I think once that initial studyphase is over, the book is an absolute blast. That being said; how come you didn't start with the prequel😅😂?
