15 popular books I WILL NOT READ

[@mumu4260]

Conclusion: read books that spark your interests.

[@TheBookLeo]

yes!

[@JordanS-ww4eu]

@@TheBookLeoyour awesome I really like you and your practically me inside a girls body❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@NeilBruder]

I'm definitely in the camp of: if you're not enjoying a book then ditch it. No shame! Life's too short and there are too many good books out there.

[@alb0zfinest]

Literature isn’t just about pleasure, it’s about learning and growing. I’ve read plenty of books I did not enjoy but I forced myself through them and it made me a better writer. It taught me technique. Alot of people seem to base everything on pleasure now, instant gratification, and that’s why writing as a whole is in the position that it is.

[@NeilBruder]

​@@alb0zfinest Maybe my comment comes across a little flippantly, let me clarify. For me enjoyment does not equal instant gratification. If I was only concerned with instant gratification reading novels certainly wouldn't be a primary hobby. I see nothing wrong with someone saying the read for pleasure, which does not preclude learning and growing. I've struggled with plenty of books and decided to put them aside for a while and then returned to them later and ended up being glad that I did. On the other hand I've picked up books based on recommendations that I realized were simply not my thing at all and in that case had no problem putting them aside and moving on to something else.

[@lightlawliet3526]

@@alb0zfinest what do you mean instant gratification? if i wanted instant gratification i'd be doing anything but reading honestly. because for some of us reading takes a lot of time and i'd rather spend that time on sth i'm going to have a good time with rather then drudging my way through the pages of sth i know full well is not for me. and sometimes reading the synopsis tells me which books are for me other times it's only the first page/paragraph.

[@doc837]

@@alb0zfinest 50 pages is my limit. There are far more great books out there than I will ever be able to read. I have a PhD in English, so I have read a lot of books I didn't enjoy. I have read a lot of books I find really interesting without "liking."My DNFs combine lack of intellectual stimulation with lack of fun.

[@dancerluver195]

Every English teacher I have had has stressed that Shakespeare was never meant to be read. Those stories are plays, they were meant to be watched. So I wouldn't feel bad about not being able to get through written Shakespeare, just go watch a production (when the theaters open up that is) or watch a movie adaptation.

[@Emma-sj6wp]

In my experience (which is sadly limited so this is more my opinion) I like reading Shakespeare after I watch a version of it. Seeing it performed adds a contextual understanding and going back and reading/translating the dialogue helps me understand it better. It is hard to get through anyhow and I hate the way teachers teach it.

[@xiaothelibrarian]

Same thing with the crused child BUT NOBODY UNDERSTANDS

[@adambeeable]

When I was in high school many years ago, they had this series called "No Fear Shakespeare" where they had the old English and then a translation into modern, understandable English on the next page. I know my teachers hated me using it, but it made getting through those stories a lot easier and made the text more enjoyable to read as well. I had to read like five Shakespeare stories in high school and although I would never read another one as an adult, it did make the process better. Not as good as seeing it performed on stage with talented Shakespearean actors, but it helps.

[@Strawberryfiend]

@@adambeeable I would have really appreciated something like that when I was a student. English wasn’t my first language, wasn’t even second but I had to read Shakespeare for my “normal” English class while also trying to learn the language. Needless to say that wasn’t a very enjoyable experience for me, especially having to analyse the text clinging on specific words.

[@Doublehelix_]

well the thing is that you can't really JUST read Shakespeare..youll have to STUDY MOOFYY SHAKESPEARE!!! ARHG

[@_sarathedreamer]

“I have seen too many readwithcindy videos” made me CACKLE 😂

[@jpsgomes2094]

cassandre clare’s books are my comfort books but yes there are SO MANY

[@emmanakhla5557]

ahh yes I just love her world sm

[@Lucieferreads]

I loved them a lot when I was in high school and I reread them a couple of times, but in all honesty, apart from the sheer number of them, they're getting ridiculously looooooooong too

[@tanishka_rajpal1230]

Then don't read them all read only one...... then u will read all on autoread bcoz they are amazing

[@maianhta552]

I have just started my TMI series and u guys are making me worried.. I watched the movie and later got interested in reading the book. I think TMI is not a really good books series, but it's not bad though.

[@danielagimenezmema3720]

I loved them when I was a teenager, but I feel like as a young adult, I just can't relate to the characters anymore. I'd reread the prequel though.

[@odeath1]

If you cannot read Shakespeare because of the old English, "No Fear Shakespeare" series are great! They give you old English on the left page and modern English on the right page. I highly recommend.

[@shubhamtiwari9472]

Are they available online?

[@raoul_alexander]

@@shubhamtiwari9472 yes, you can read them on Sparknotes!

[@shubhamtiwari9472]

@@raoul_alexander thank you so much

[@finlaymcdiarmid5832]

Old English is not that hard to understand but it will be impossible if you just dont try at all

[@Nitidus]

@@finlaymcdiarmid5832 So what? It's not like that's important nowadays. If you want to deal with it, fine. If not, then don't.

[@hcoffeegirl]

king of scars: i really enjoyed it, however i understand why some people feel let down by it. most of them i think was disappointed in the book because they expected one thing and got something else. i went blind into it and really had a great time. the plot and the pacing have some issues, but imho it is worth reading it. especially for nikolai and zoya's relationship. btw i would call this more a zoya book than a nikolai one.( nina chapters were very slow) if you love the characters i think you should read it, if you love the magic system then probably not.

[@miriamcanovashernandez8019]

I personaly love how nina characters developes in the series as well as how we get to know better the side characters of Shadow and Bone.

[@lauradg8396]

I died at the "Eww emotions" lol I have never related to something so bad

[@natashagabrielle5984]

I personally love SJM, however I can totally understand why she isn't everyone's cup of tea! I am just a sucker for fantasy romance lol

[@mipaleditx]

@Alexandra Masella same I'm on the heir of fire and I'm about to start acotar

[@sukanyaparashar9474]

Honestly, I loved Throne of Glass, but ACOTAR is not for me

[@natashagabrielle5984]

@@sukanyaparashar9474 I really loved the Throne of Glass series after the first book when things stated to unravel. I think she did a great job with the world building in that series. And I really loved ACOTAR and ACOMAF but by AOWAR it got a little too smutty. I HATED the frost and starlight book OMG I didn't even make it half way haha.

[@natashagabrielle5984]

I just want to mention for any of you who do like SJM. I just finished the two books that are out in the "Blood and Ash" series by Jennifer L Armentrout. I absolutely LOVED them. Especially the second book.

[@sukanyaparashar9474]

@@natashagabrielle5984 it wasn't the smut per se that bothered me. She focused too much on smut and forgot to give relevance to the actual plot, that bothered me. Also, I feel like the characterization of most charecters was a bit off.

[@sofiajearally9710]

It's really cool that there was 0 negativity in this video ⭐️

[@rkbucknam]

If you did ever want to read Shakespeare in the future, I highly recommend watching a play production along with reading. It makes it WAY easier to understand what’s going on & far more interesting. There’s a lot of great productions for free on KZbin!

[@emilymaeauthor]

This is how I got through a college Shakespeare class

[@arianaencarnacion2568]

@@emilymaeauthor same! The movies made the stories graspable

[@Christinka888]

Exactly, plays are meant to be seen in theaters, it's so much more fun than reading them! :)

[@aliA-jz5ms]

“No river follows another’s path, though all are made out of water” (Kutb Aibek) It would be boring if all of us had same tastes

[@veerajakamthe3983]

LISTENN just read the infernal devices. don't read any of Cassandra Clare's other books. Just read this one series. i promise you will not regret it and it will change your life.

[@oceanheartz717]

No truer words than this.

[@kril4120]

wisdom

[@midsummertape]

THIS

[@MrAso90]

Agreed

[@Kittycattoxyz]

Will i still be able to understand it without reading TMI?

[@JessMcGlynn]

I adore Leigh Bardugo’s writing and I thought King of Scars was great. It was just wonderful to be back in the Grishaverse. The book really shapes Nikolai as a character, but it’s not just about him. I loved where she took Zoya’s character as well. That said, if you weren’t a fan of Nikolai in the first place it might not be for you!

[@solorespira7880]

If the reason you don’t wanna read any of Cassie’s books is because of how many of them there are. Don’t worry. You can literally pick up any of the series and read them on their own (except for TDA which will spoil so much of TMI) like TID which is a very short trilogy, or the last hours which only has one book out.

[@Gaby-yq4pn]

I reaaallly enjoyed Vengeful, I think I even loved it more than the first one. Highly recommend

[@stylesirons2335]

you should definitely try king of scars! it has others pov's similarly as soc, not only nikolai's one but also nina and zoya as well, and the next book is supposed to be the end of the grishaverse

[@Hello_Kristie]

Yes! I really loved Nina’s POV and thought it was the most interesting aspect for the book. But I love Nina in general, so it was a must for me.

[@ferbthecow5324]

@@Hello_Kristie, i skipped Nina's POV, I found it boring

[@kiranalestari1715]

I didn't really like Nina's POV in KoS as much as I did in SoC duology. I even found that I enjoyed Isaak's POV more than Nina's POV in this book.

[@jpsgomes2094]

omg not the raven boys 😭😭😭 it’s my favorite lol

[@mj_yuchan]

I feel you on Shakespeare, probably will never read any of his plays. Another popular book I have no intention of ever reading is "A Little Life" by Hanya Yanagihara, too much suffering, no thank you.

[@TheBookLeo]

ohh i should ve put that one on the list as well!

[@moralopez3213]

i started reading king of scars literally yesterday and i’m actually really enjoying it ! i don’t think i can tell you what to do because i JUST started it but idk i really wanted to read more stuff about these characters and ravka and it’s delivering pretty well! btw i love your videos so much you are my favorite booktuber of all times

[@nannamariafrandsen6517]

I really liked Vengeful! I wasn't aware of all the negative reviews when I first read it, and I really liked it. However, I will say that I can definitely see what people didn't like about it, but I LOVED the way Eli was explored and I LOVED the whole aspect of science and ahhh, I just really, really adore both Victor and Eli. And Syd and Mitch. Gotta love those two.

[@jeanreyes3393]

I have this feeling about Schwab, and it's her story ideas are great and super interesting so the first book is usually amazing. However. Her sequels are weak and tend to ruin the experience. I thought it was only me but apparently more people feel that way

[@rise7358]

Sorry but Shades of Shadows > Shades of Magic and Vengeful > Vicious

[@avapaull3814]

I adored King of Scars! Zoya is such a queen and Nikolai’s character has some really interesting stuff going on: conflict, development, and the like. The characters have matured a lot because they are several years older than they were in the Grisha trilogy, but they are still recognizable. Definitely recommend giving it a try.💗☺️

[@olivegranola]

this was the most respectful anti-tbr thing I have ever watched!

[@mildredsanchez4702]

Good for you girl, been honest with yourself and no read them just because your a booktuber and you have to agree with popular opinions or been part of the hype just because... 👍

[@gab1819]

thank you for not bashing maas. i absolutely love her books and have emotional connections with the characters, but i accept the criticisms and see them myself. however, whenever people go on rants bashing her and making it seem like trash, it makes me feel like i’m doing something wrong by liking them and it makes me sad

[@kinrateia]

Heeey. I sort of enjoyed King of Scars, though plot kinda does have weird stuff. Like, if you love the characters - Genya, twins, Zoya (my queen, my goddess) all come back, so I think you'll enjoy it just because of that. I liked the political plot A LOT, and some new characters are just awesome. I am willing to read Rule of Wolves and I pray weird plot stuff will get logical. Also, do I do all of this for Zoya? Maybe. So take it with a grain of salt if you don't love-love the characters.

[@erinmilham76]

King of Scars was one of those books where you love reading it but then go back and question everything

[@AwkwardBookworm]

I feel you on game of thrones

[@oscarbautista4156]

give it a try... I couldnt care less about the show when it was at its peak popularity... and I had been evading the books for the longest time... I finally gave book 1 a try... GRRM is a genius... he wrote chapter 1 specifically with the purpose of hooking you up... when I read it I knew that I had to continue reading.. and it only gets better.

[@UmbraKrameri]

Me too. I even tried once. I started Book one. I've read like 300 pages and then gave up because I was too bored and didn't care about the vast majority of the characters. (And that was a major issue, because of the structure of the book, if you are only interested in a couple of plot threads and characters then it seemingly takes forever until the book circles back to those.)

[@oscarbautista4156]

@@UmbraKrameri very sad that it didn't work for you.. I find GRRM writing style exquisite and I literally devour the chapters... I love his descriptions, specially of food.

[@UmbraKrameri]

@@oscarbautista4156 Yeah, the style was good I guess. I have read it in translation though and I think it decreased the quality somewhat. I might try the original someday (and most likely in audiobook, I just have a hunch that I would really enjoy his way of storytelling better as an audiobook), but I am in no rush. I don't really want to get into the series as long as it is unclear if he can finish it. XD

[@ines6358]

I truly felt the “ew emotions” 😭 I feel the same way for most of these books which I thought was really sad at first since everyone on booktube seems to have read them but everyone has different taste.

[@gabriellaoliveira9833]

“emotions? ew” wow can relate

[@isabellamejiaa8783]

I just finished king of scars and let me tell you YOU HAVE NO IDEA YOU HAVE TO READ IT IT WAS SO GOOD

[@eileennielsen5165]

You need to read Rosamunde Pilcher's The Blue Bedroom. It's a collection of short stories. I LOVED it! All stories were GREAT and 2 were very good!

[@shirleygomes2004]

The language of thorns is actually very good and it's just six stories. I don't really like reading short stories either but I absolutely loved this collection

[@zhisu2665]

I still recommend buying second-hand when possible or reading some online to see if you vibe with the writing style

[@LovelyDray]

I loved the "A Song of Ice and Fire"-series so much when I read it in 2011 but I won't ever recommend this series to anyone, even if they enjoy that kinda thing. Not because I don't think people will like it but I simply cannot, in good concience, recommend someone a series that it is most likely never going to be finished. I mean, there are still two books missing and I've been waiting for almost ten years now and G.R.R.Martin is busy doing a million other things apart from continuing the book, so yeah. I'm just realistic. Similarly, I absolutely love and adore the "Kingkiller Chronicles"-series but I wouldn't ever recommend it to anyone because it's ALSO been almost 10 years sind the last book. I doubt the next one will come soon. Wait, the "Gentleman Bastard"-series as well...it's been 7 years now. Now that I think about it... why am I cursed to love series that seem to have been abandoned? Why!

[@aislinndonahue9131]

I love Outlander. I watched the series and was obsessed and then read the first three books of the series and stoped there lol.

[@catmoon9936]

I think Vengeful was good. It was a bit darker than Vicious I think, but we got to see a lot of the realtionship between Victor and Eli and that was cool! Also some people really like the two new characters in that series. So you should give it a go :)

[@stacicrouch5925]

Shakespeare is super hard to read! I think it's because they were written to be performed not read. If you have a chance to see some good Shakespeare performances you should totally try it out. The comedies are a lot of fun!

[@tejaswinisureshkrishnan4228]

I'm so happy that I'm not the only one who doesn't love SJM books❤

[@AnikaFuloria]

I didn't enjoy King of Scars that much because of some major plot issues - you're not really missing out

[@buddiesdog]

I finally got around to reading Vengeful and actually really loved it. I liked that Eli's backstory was explored more since most of what we saw in Vicious was from Victor's point of view.

[@KingaZajacNNR]

I'm not a Bardugo fan, but the Language of Thorns is great. I don't even count it as a part of Grisha-verse, it's more like Grimm or Anderson stories, fairytales. Most of them dark. And the art inside is Amazing!

[@mariapiaalvarez5209]

i agree, im not going to read a court of thorns and roses, throne of glass or shadowhunters either!

[@macattack1874]

@Alexandra Masella I love heir of fire. I did skip to the Rowan parts tho lol

[@darkacademiacafe8238]

First of all: bring all the polite unpopular opinions, I love it! I had your same feelings and experience with the Raven Boys until one of my closest friends in uni I met last year basically begged me for months to read it, but because I had had such a bad experience with it I tried the audiobook (which is available for free on Spotify) and it really changed the game for me. The narrator is incredible and it brings life to all the cast of characters, but I definitely understand why one would be reluctant to pick it up again!

[@charlottefeyer4735]

I personally LOVED Vengeful, and I generally think that V.E. Schwab's sequels are always better than her first books (thought the same about A Gathering of Shadows and Our Dark Duet). But the first books in her series are also always just 4 stars for me, so since you loved Vicious so much you might end up feeling differently? Vengeful is definitely very different from Vicious, if that helps.

[@evieb7257]

i’d say you should read king of scars!! i read it last month and had heard pretty bad things about it so didn’t expect much but personally i loved it!! i also didn’t think i’d like it because i wasn’t obsessed with nikolai or zoya so i wasn’t sure if i’d like reading about them but i loooved it! also it was nice to see nina’s path following the events of soc

[@dashboard7006]

Ok trust me. Just trust me and take City of ashes again. I promise you won't regret it. There's more to it. Maybe you would've felt it's boring bcoz of all Jace and Clary being siblings but NO. They're not. I don't know if it helps you read Cassandra Clare's books but just trust me and give it a go. EVERY book she writes is unique. I know there are so many of her books but it doesn't matter. It's still Amazing and....Perfect.

[@blottings]

This just goes to show that people's taste can differ soooo much with books. I LOVED A Court of Mist and Fury, it's one of my all-time favorite books and I couldn't put it down when I was reading it. So it's crazy to me to hear someone say they couldn't finish it/got bored with it. Same with Heir of Fire-- I liked it so much more than Crown of Midnight, but it was the opposite for you. A book I really struggled to finish is The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. I thought it was boring, but I know a lot of people love it. I wonder what it is that makes some people love a book, while others hate it!

[@TheBookLeo]

agreed, it's so interesting! i also still need to read the night circus, and i'm really interested to see if i'm gonna love it as much as others do

[@bethxnytxmlin]

I read city of bones and LOVED IT and proceeded to beg my mum to buy me the rest of series... and I never got through the second book. Just kept falling asleep. Oops...

[@lenani9143]

I get it! I loved City of Bones, hated City of Ashes but pushed through because I already owned book three - which I loved again! Not saying anybody should read them (too many, not very good) but I'd say book two is the weakest.

[@dashboard7006]

Exactly just push through city of ashes. You'll definitely like the rest of the series and the other series of Shadow hunters. It won't be so hard for you as you already know the base of Shadow hunters world

[@musictraveller3598]

Infernal devices got me hooked to shadowhunter world

[@larchedesbrumes5960]

Hi Leonie! I'm a French reader but I really enjoy your videos, and I feel you when you're talking about loving some elements on screen but not being attracted by those in books (and I don't have any more explanation about that 😂). Can't wait to watch your next videos ! I hope I did not make so many language mistakes. 😌

[@Mano-Wan]

I read the first *OUTLANDER* while simultaneously watching the series and the first season followed the book so closely that I abandoned reading the rest of the books for the series which is so well done. I feel ya on Shakespeare... Not for me. OMG!! I LOVED *Vengeful* You need to read!!

[@idkeithertbh]

so with king of scars, i still have abt 120 pages left so take what i say with a grain of salt (I'm also more of a character reader/writer, not a plot reader/writer) but so far I'm heavily enjoying king of scars. nina from six of crows is back, we get a better look at zoya (who i adore) and although it can be slow at some parts its been very rewarding so far.

[@katerinateaser]

Okay! Hear me out, I've tried to read Shakespeare in English and I didn't understand much but when I read it in my native language (Greek), it was marvelous. First of all, he has amazing female characters, witty, funny, brave, stubborn. Some of my favorite plays are "As you like it" and this one in particular "Much Ado About Nothing". If you still don't want to try to read, please try to watch the play of Twelfth Night (The one with all the male characters, also from Shakespeare's Globe. So you can find it easier). Just trying to encourage you and lure you into this humor. If not, it's always okay.

[@creggieb]

If you’re on the fence about Vengeful know that it’s still Victor and Eli’s story despite it being marketed as revolving around an all new villain to follow. She is just a significant plot point for their conflict to be brought together.

[@agostinabianconi7353]

I think you should read vengeful, but having in mind that it is not the same kind of storyline. It isn't the continuation of the story of victor and eli, but how the world moves on after that, with the focus being on other characters and situations. I liked it but not as much as the first one, on the other hand my sister LOVED IT so it may depend on your preferences.

[@sabrielsbell]

I felt the same way about Shakespeare. I actually picked up the Twelfth Night in the No Fear Shakespeare version and ended up enjoying reading it. Not forcing myself to read it in the older English version really helped.

[@purple_hoodie21]

Woah you're the first person I hear who said they DNFed The Raven Boys. I did too and I feel so bad because apparently everyone loves it. I really tried to restart it but I just fell into a slump instead 😶

[@unprofessionalcritic3107]

You can just read the three books in The Infernal Devices series be done with all of her works. They're some of her best. I HATED City of Bones and dnfd City of Ashes , but gave the Infernal Devices books 4 or 5 stars each.

[@musictraveller3598]

Sameeee I loved TID but can't get through mortal instruments.

[@juanacastillo9484]

Yess same

[@acupoffluff404]

*inhales* GIVE VENGEFUL A CHANCE. ✨ *possible spoilers for vicious ahead* ✨ here's the thing, i personally believe vengeful is different from vicious in the way it gets a lil bit out of victor's pov to completely treat the whole situation objectively. In Vicious, we overly sympathize with him because we mostly see his view of everything that happened. So i think Schwab came in with this second book to give us a broader perspective and be like: okay now you can go and form a solid opinion. i personally read it without comparing the two books (although i read them one month apart), which i think is what you should do, enjoy Schwab's writing and you may appreciate her take on many other characters (*cough* you don't wanna miss out on cute syd moments)

[@probablyhyperfixating]

The girl with the dragon tattoo series... My favorite! They are just so good!!!!! On the 5th one now😳

[@tehelea]

god i loved that series

[@bettyswitchedhomerooms]

Totally relate to when you're more interested with the story in movies. That's me on dystopian books 😂

[@hopes4u]

I LOVE YOUR SHIRT omg

[@aubreyjdickens]

i think vengeful is good and i like characters; i would actually wait to read this because she’s planning to write a third book, but not for a long while. i think this book suffers from second book syndrome and so i would wait to give it a try until you hear how the third one goes ; king of scars has political intrigue but it also has a lot of action and fantasy so- if you love zoya and nina, then i would say continue! zoya and nina were my personal favorites in the book and nina’s struggle with mourning matthias was really beautifully written. that’s up to you tho! i think its valid if you don’t want to read either

[@UmbraKrameri]

I was OBSESSED with The Language of Thorns. And I went into it expecting very little, since I tend to do not like short story collections all that much either. But, I don't know... these dark twists on fairytales + the feminism and the women's perspective + the subtle nods at the Grishaverse as a whole just did it for me. (Plus the illustrations are to die for. They basically function as comic strips running along the edges of the pages, they kind of tell the story without the text too. ) I can't remember if you have read Uprooted by Naomi Novak, but if you liked that book, I think you would love The Language of Thorns as well, the vibe and themes are very similar.

[@tiffanymoton704]

I am here to tell you that you should 100% read king of scars, nikolai is developed extremely well as a character and you also follow zoya and nina who both have really interesting storylines as well. you actually start to understand and like zoya whereas in the original trilogy she was an antagonistic character. and nina just slays always. you will love it I promise!

[@yolandavandermerwe5907]

I personally love the whole shadowhunter universe but yes it is a BIG commitment, I personally also liked King of Scars so if you really on the side maybe try a sample and see if you liked it, that is normally what I do

[@lauradias7449]

I thought the same thing about game of thrones, literally last week I started reading it and completely feel in love, might even risk saying it’s about to become one of my favorite books ever

[@rosa5207]

thankyouuu people always think it’s to big of a commitment to begin with but it’s so worth it lol

[@Leticia-gq8tx]

I absolutely love the asoiaf books! it can get a bit exhausting, but it’s definitely worthy.... the type of reading that makes you feel so many things at the same time, you never know what's going to happen next.... my fave thing about this books probably is the way the characters are presented, never ‘good’ or ‘evil’, but humans that will inevitably make mistakes.... also, grrm world building skills are divine

[@marwanali4878]

Same man. They are some of the best books I have every read. They are very well written and the world building is gold

[@sieliestschonwieder1987]

Great video! I had the same experience with the Raven boy books. Although I love Maggie Stiefvater, this book did not at all 'speak to me'. The Language of thorns is one of my favorite books now, though, even when I usually don't like any short stories. But on the one hand, Language of thorns is beautifully illustrated which carries the stories even more and the short stories are like really dark adult fairy tales, which are long enough to get into. I am gonna read it this Winter again ❤

[@wolkcumulus2547]

In King of Scars Nikolai isnt the only main character. Zoya and Nina have the same amount POV chapters. Im not planned on reading the next book because I thought it was disappointed. Not really wanna spoil something, but someone is gonna be back and I hate that. I liked the person in the other books but they shouldn't bring the person back.

[@iwishiwasthemoon87]

I've had to read some Shakespeare for school, and I do find him very enjoyable, but I find you need cliff notes and No Fear Shakespeare or they can be impossible to understand. The English language has changed so much since they were written....

[@jeneljackson4363]

I felt the same way about the Raven boys when I first started I didn't really enjoy it until the second half of the book and now I'm obsessed with the whole series but I totally see where your coming from.

[@musictraveller3598]

I am thinking about giving it a try.

[@MsBlulucky]

I'm 100% on your side regarding Shakespeare! I want to be sophisticated and be able to say I have read Shakespeare, but I tried reading Romeo and Juliet (while actually traveling to Verona) and I hated it. DNFd it after like 30 pages because I didn't understand half of it and for the other half I wanted to slap the characters and smash my head into a wall. Someone who loves Shakespeare later told me that you just have to find a website that explains what all those cryptic and old-fashioned expressions mean, but I think it would absolutely take the joy out of reading and I would still hate the story/characters. No thank you, I've got better things to read!

[@marianadias6769]

I completely respect your decision not to read certain books, but as someone who has LOVED language of thorns, I really think you should give it a try If you don't want a big commitment, I suggest reading The Witch of Duva, which was my fav story, and then if you don't like it then don't read the rest of the book :)

[@readpersephone]

if you want to give shakespeare a try again i'd recommend reading alongside watching a movie adaptation/recorded theatre performance!!! it adds so much to the story and makes it a lot more fun. i also find it helps with the old english thing!!

[@olgavarnava7137]

The thing about political intrigue is that you have to be interested in history in order to be able to see the parallels. I felt it clearly while reading "The Witcher" (Saga), cause the first time I read the books I was interested in the main character's shenanigans. Later I ran across few good analytical reviews of the political situation throughout the story (and the parallels to the history of Europe), and it made me return to the books and re-read it with the focus on the political background of the story and the main "villain". It felt like I have read two different sagas! And I liked the last bit much more, I really enjoyed all that political things. Yet, again, It depends on your preferences.

[@Grace-fz5dt]

I haven't read most of these books but I can relate to your explanations and why you may not read them (and great video and editing :D)

[@asgrn1489]

Vengeful: Yes, Myrcella was really interesting to follow. King of Scars : Spare yourself... Nikolai is my fav character in the grishaverse but the plot just made me mad, especially the whole let's re-use some previously established dead people... I thought it was lazy. Anyways 💕💕💕💕💕

[@Rosenrot0eme]

I understand your reasons for not getting into The Language of Thorns. However, if you ever see it in a store or on a friend's shelf I encourage you to at least flip through it because the illustrations are super interesting. They start off as frames for the text but as the story progresses, details from the stories get added to them until they form a complete picture in the end. It's such a clever concept, really helped make them feel more authentically fairytale-like, and the art is just gorgeous.

[@Silverraine1]

You can read most of the fairytales in The Language of Thorns for free online at Tor.com magazine. It's basically the only Bardugo I've ever read as the writing is quite beautiful and I love fairytales. For Shakespeare I recommend watching the original Globe Theater productions - they've been showing several plays free on youtube for a limited duration throughout lockdown, I loved Macbeth (even though I never finished reading the second half, but it's such a gothic thriller) and Romeo & Juliet (hated reading it, turned out funnier than I expected). These plays are meant to be experienced first and foremost and then read/studied closely

[@mikmik6158]

I wish you would consider the infernal devices by cassandra clare. objectively speaking, the tropes were executed in an innovative way (in that I haven’t read any other books that mirrored the execution), a lot of likable characters, and the lead girl is actually pretty intelligent like she doesn’t needlessly put herself in harm’s way and always acts in accordance to what she knows and what is safe, the romance was a bit too shove-it-in-your-face and loses at the “show dont tell” rule but didn’t ruin my enjoyment (i read this when i was 15 and i liked it but i reread it now that I’m 22 and absolutely loved it even more)

[@jujomue]

Vengeful is a great book. I really enjoyed it. For me it fits perfectly as the sequel to vicious.. I just remember it's a bit slow at the start.. But after it picked up momentum I couldn't stop reading 😊

[@ashleystorrer6899]

I really like The Language of Thorns. I don't normally like short stories, but the book has beautiful illustrations and all of the stories are twisted, dark fairytales

[@mattkean1128]

The fun energy in this video! Shakespeare is a big blank spot for me as well, even though I have a nice set on my shelf (oh god am I one of those people). I've heard and go by the idea that Shakespeare is better and meant to be seen, not read, since they're plays. As for which book to give another chance; neither, read The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue instead.

[@Patricia-wo9gk]

When I read City of ashes I thought about giving up the series, but I decided to read the third book, and GOD, I loved it. Today, Cassandra Clare is one of my favorites writers. About Vengeful... I read Vicious and I didn't like it, so I don't wanna read the sequence. But if you like the first book so much you should give a chance to Vengeful.

[@WatchJolene]

I'm the biggest fan of making your own opinion. To me it doesn't matter if it's populair or not, if I like it I'm liking it. If I have read a first book and loved it I'm always going to give the sequel a chance, who cares what someone else thinks? You're not going to know for yourself if you don't give it a try.

[@brittanyfewster7607]

I honestly ADORED King of Scars and highly recommend! It doesn't just follow Nikolai and ties the two original series together really well!

[@mayakane9978]

Ooh, for space sci-fi/ fiction I would definitely recommend Claudia Grey's Defy the Stars. It was a wonderful story and still one of my favorites.

[@manonane1148]

OMG where are your earrings from? 😍

[@beckettasticm9456]

YES! I have the same opinion about Sarah J. Maas. I flip-flopped on the beginning of her Throne of Glass series, and I just don't rank her writing as a "Must Read."

[@madelinefieldshalva3121]

I agree on shakespeare! I'm a native English speaker and I still think it's very dumb that in the US many high schoolers have to read shakespeare. One, the most common form are plays which you don't read, you watch, and two it's not english english, it's kinda old english. And then when people aren't interested we shame them for not being "intellectual enough" and they go on to hate reading because they think reading only counts if it's classics.

[@katiemarsden8753]

I feel like King of Scars was just as much about Zoya as Nikolai, so if you are interested in her character maybe give it a try?

[@Electroclan17]

Popular Book Series That I Read The First Book Of But Won't Continue: The Raven Boys, A Court Of Thorns & Roses, Throne Of Glass, & Red Queen [might continue it since I own glass sword but I'm not sure]

[@manoeksbooknook]

Just watch the Outlander show !! Especially the first two seasons are amazing adaptations

[@sreepoornavadlamudi6275]

u should totally read king of scars its so good nikolai and zoya and nina are amazing characters and does very well as main characters mainly nikloai and zoya

[@wellesradio]

I’ll just say it now - Harry Potter. I read the first one when I was a teen, liked it, but by then I wanted more adult themes (namely sex) in my books. By the time I returned to reading kid’s books I looked at those tomes and thought, “too much work for a kid’s book.”

[@doorran]

being able to throw out a quote from Shakespeare for any occasion is kind of cool...but I get the off putting vernacular could be a struggle.

[@finaleclipse2110]

Please read Vengeful!!! I was a bit iffy about reading it, but I absolutely loved it. It was different to Vicious, but I think it was still amazing in its own way. It’s always worth a try!

[@leslydelgado7718]

The same happened to me with The Mortal Instruments! I enjoyed City of Bones but City of Ashes was so boring that I spent like 8 months trying to read and couldn’t even finish it. Now I don’t want anything to do with the Shadowhunters books

[@nataliarossi19]

i had the same problem for the longest time, but have you tried audiobooks? i'm currently on book 5 and i just put it in 2x speed and makes it soooo easier to finish the boring parts

[@zqingng1123]

@@nataliarossi19 Thank you for that suggestion, maybe I will try that. 🤔 I've been stuck on book 4 (for a year+) and I forgot everything that has happened in the previous books. 😅

[@anniemeridian270]

I usually dnf books after the first chapter. Most of the time you can see the author’s style and skill in the first one or two chapters. Unsophisticated authors might started to get in to his or her comfort zone more slowly, I’ve missed out a few good books, but often it is not a big deal