what i read in february chain of thorns, harrow the ninth, and some hot takes (book rant/review)

Hi! I am in Prague right now and its midnight so I’m going to sleep but I’m excited to answer your comments and hear your thoughts in the morning! Love always 🤍✨

I was talking to my cousin who'd read the first 3 TLT while I was reading Harrow the Ninth, and I told her that that book was gaslighting me. Also, it's amazing how one series can seemingly shift genre and tone while still feeling like the same world. I also liked Hell Followed with Us and This Poison Heart.

I really love your videos, but I just wanted to comment and say that in HFWU, Benji uses he/him pronouns exclusively, if I remember correctly! As a transmasc person, I don't mind too much when people use they/them pronouns for me, but sometimes it can rub me the wrong way, as some people use they/them to avoid properly gendering me, while still not getting in trouble for misgendering me.

Thankful I watched this before picking up Harrow - I went into it with a very “okay this isn’t going to make sense, just enjoy the ride” mindset and I gotta tell you…I’m loving the book so far! 😅

Please do a Forgot the Plot for the Locked Tomb series because girl I cannot for the life of me comprehend what actually happened in HTN

Cari, PLEASE read the War of Lost Hearts trilogy! Daughter of No Worlds is the first. I stumbled upon them and they made my top 5 right away! :)

Carrie: I’m not explaining this well. Me: I’ll read it 🙋‍♀️

Hey Cari! I read Psalm for the Wild-Built too and had a similar opinion of it, but I just started the second book (Prayers of the Crown-Shy) and it's much nicer in my opinion. It's short so you might give it a try if you want! 💗

i’m not sure if you’re open to suggestions, but the iron trial by cassandra clare and holly black is a wonderful book and i feel like you’d love it! it’s mid grade fantasy (i think? it’s a magic school so modern fantasy maybe) and the main character is chefs kiss

Okay, you win. I'm going to read Gideon the Ninth rn

i personally very much enjoyed a Psalm for The Wild Built, it actually got me out of a huge reading slump (like, hadn't read in 2 years). The writing was very pretty and I related to everything that the main character, Dex was feeling. It was a fresh take on robots as well and I enjoyed that.

pls react to shadow and bone season 2, i loved it when you reacted to season 1 :D

Thanks for the vid as always!

THE SHADOWHUNTER WORLD PLOT EXPLANATION AGHH
i am in the midst of reading the shadowhunter chronicles this is amazing

Locked Tomb series... world building doesn't matter... Cari! That's what makes the characters this good! Cari no! xD <3

Any good recommendations for dark fantasy/mystery/horror novels that are geared towards adults? (i.e. No school settings and no teenagers).

SHADOW AND BONE SEASON 2 CAME OUT PLZ REACT TO IT

Could you do a shadowhunters books tier ranking?

Interesting about the Bookshop and the Barbarian.. since Travis is releasing his second book in November... Bookshops and Bonedust..

I really want to read The Locked Tomb series, I think I have to listen to them when I've finished Sistersong. Reading Robin Hobb right now, Royal Assasin the second book in The first series. So good ❤❤

I'm so looking forward to your mortal instruments summaries!!!

I recommend the prison healer cari! It's a trilogy ❤

You should do a plot summary of A court of frost and starlight

In my humble opinion, Cassandra Clare just doesn't know how to write the last book of a series. It's always the same thing, building up tension and problems then delivering a mediocre action/fight/war and holly hop everything is sorted out. It's been the same with all her other series so I don't get why people still expect a different outcome.

I´m reading Chain of Thorns now and I´m loving it. Honestly, I think it´s the best one of the series, possibly my fave Shadowhunters book.

Also, I have to differ with you on Psalm For the Wilt-Built. I loved that book. I finished it like a week ago and it was great. Didn´t find it similar to the self-help books you talk about, yes, it was telling you things, but it was still showing a lot and I really like the world. I´m a sucker for world building.

Agree on Master of Djinn, I liked the world and the characters more than I liked the plot. As someone who cannot get over a lacking plot... Well. Kind of a disappointment.

As for the Locked Tomb... I´ve come to love Gideon only to be disappointed by Harrow but still intrigued enough to read on. But I do wish the author explained things more, I get that we are meant to be a little confused and unravel things as we go, but a BIT MORE explaining wouldn´t hurt, because with both the book, up to like 3/4 I was totally lost and not in a good way. Then I caught up and love it, because I love the premise, the idea and the world (also characters), but it really annoys me when I feel like I´m missing something. I´m really struggling with this series. I want to love it, BUT

And I´m definiteloy reading Hell Followed with Us! I was on the fence with this book, but this mini review convinced me.

You’re review on Gideon the Ninth convinced me to read the Locked Tomb series and I just finished Harrow the Ninth a couple of weeks ago! I’m so glad you finished it! I enjoyed it a lot!❤🎉

I would love to hear your thoughts on Ten Thousand Doors of January ❤

I loved ‘If You Could See The Sun’ because to me, it felt like true YA. Without the BS that verges on adult themes. It was different, and I thought the magical realism element was unique (in the way the author included it). Plus academic rivals to lovers is one of my favourite tropes (its so underrated and i dont see enough of it). Plus the love interest felt like an ACTUAL love interest. They also felt like actual high schoolers to me (not some weird Americanised stereotypical archetype). Glad you liked it as well!! Def recommend to anyone interested. 🤍

I haven’t read A Master of Djinn, but I read the first novella in the novella series that came before it and it was great. I love Egyptian fantasy!

If You Could See the Sun sounds amazing! 😍

Right now, I’m reading DELICIOUS MONSTERS by Liselle Sambury.

I read some interesting books you can try The Stardust Thief The London Seance Society Weyward

The commentary about the cows is nona the ninth is simply priceless

I read The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman, it’s the 1st of 8 in the series, and it was so good. Emily Wilde meets Sherlock Holmes (think Benedict Cumberbatch Sherlock, not RDJ Sherlock) with time travel and alternative universes all connected by a library of unique editions of original works throughout known (and unknown) history. The high fae are chaos, the dragons are logical order, and the Librarians are bearers (literally) of their own form of magic meant to unify all the alternative worlds in balance. It was outstanding and I recommend it.

Definitely read the novellas for The Master of Djinn, the novel had plot problems (it was his first full length novel which I felt like explained a lot) but his plotting of the shorter works is much better and definitely worth the read.

If you liked Becky Chamber's writing I would recommend "The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet" which is book one of her Wayfarers series. I would almost call this Cozy Sci-Fi, the world is lovely and the characters are amazing. It does deal with some philosophical issues but it does not point them out but lets you think about them as you read the book (similar to what you said in the video about Project Hail Mary). It's a book more focused on the world and the characters than what is going on. Wayfarers book 2 deals more with AI than the first one and is also amazing, although very emotional, I cried a lot, book 1 is lighter. I highly recommend this series and have loved every book you have recommended so far so hope you might like it as well. Thank you for your videos, they are wonderful and have gotten me back into reading.

Word on the street is that Alecto isn’t actually coming out this year and I am SO upset about it

I love that you read a master of djinn this month because I read all the novellas this month ! I am going to read the book in march I think. I loved the worldbuilding !

Im reading the last Russian doll and it’s strange because when I’m don’t with this book I was thinking of reading all the shadow hunters series beginning with the mortal instruments.. I think it’s a sign 😜 and I luv you! You make me want to read all the books you just listed 😂

I just want to say thank you in advance for the summaries of Shadowhunter books you are going to do. I have been thinking about jumping into the world for so long but there ain't no way I am gonna sit and read mortal instruments series as an adult and not roll my eyes back into my skull permanently. So I'll be relying on your vids.

You read a Becky Chambers book!!! I highly highly suggest A Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet. Beautiful book about a found family on a space ship made up of a diverse set of characters. It's so so good and will make you weep

I'll say it, I LOVE THE MORTAL INSTRUMENT SERIES

I actually read A Master of Djinn in the same way you did - novel first and then found out about the novellas lol. I then read Haunting of Tram Car 015 (one of the novellas) and it mentioned Tajiks (my ethnicity, I'm Central Asian) and I was SO happy and SO excited because oh my god, I didn't expect it at all. Also, the author was (is?) a history prof which I think shines through the novel especially.

you have to do a reading vlog of hush hush omg

Gotta represent in the comments for Fatima and the Dead Djinn in Cairo world, cause omg, I love that series so much!!! In general I adore P. Djeli Clark's writing, but with the first 30 page story and then The Haunting of Tram car 015 novella, he won my heart! The novella has some Egyptian suffragette action and the whole lore part is a bit simple in the beginning. And then the novel I also really loved.

I totally get the love for Gideon the Ninth, I loved it too, haven't read the sequels yet, but steampunk Egypt is my fave!

uhh The Mortal Instruments is my fav series😂
to be fair, I guess TID is tied with it

omg The Mortal Instruments plot summary im so excited whatttttttttt

When I got the first book of the mortal instruments as a second hand book in maybe 2014(?) I though I’d somehow picked up a fan fic that someone had printed out and put the cover on it. It didn’t not read as a well edited book so I couldn’t get through it. Excited for your plot summaries so I can finally find out what the hype is. ❤

I did Like If You Can See the Sun Will read This Poison Heart It's been on my TBR Can you do some more romance

Hello! I found your channel a few days ago, I've been binging several videos before and after work, and I even listened to your acomaf plot break down on the road (to remember what the hell that series was about because my sister loves it). I really enjoy how you talk about books and you officially have a new subscriber!

The same author who wrote The Grace of Wild Things and Emily Wilde’s Encylopedia also wrote one of my favourite ya duologies called Even The Darkest Stars. I highly recommend you check it out.