A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas - & the Role of Romantasy! ❤

I'm on a mission to help you find your new favourite books.
This is an introduction to the ACOTAR series, a fantasy romance series by Sarah J Maas. Plus a deep dive into what makes Romance so special. Subscribe to see more videos about big book series!
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[@violetalar5387]

It always feels nice to see someone not totally trashing on SJM from minute one. She has her low points in her writing, but what she does well, she does amazing. I didn't like Throne of Glass, but I love ACOTAR with all the good and the bad.

[@yelena86]

Gotta give her credit for introducing fantasy to a whole new audience. Fantastic video as usual and so well balanced ✌️👍

[@Leleerules]

I love your happy and upbeat attitude, and the fact that you're not stuck in that 'pure high fantasy' box where a lot of fantasy-lovers like to dwell. Keep doing what you're doing, you awesome gymbro smartypants!

[@cronkthebookguy]

I think that's the first time in my life I've been called gymbro! 🤣🤣🤣 I love it! Yes, it's so important to read outside your comfort box from time to time. Our tastes in books change at different times of our lives! So it's worth being open to new stories.

[@adventurerkate]

One thing I love about ACOSF and it being 3rd person POV is we get to see the world from someone else’s point of view and get to see how biased Feyre is in how she sees people and events. We all have our biases, but to me I loved seeing how characters act when they aren’t around her. I honestly loved SF (and not just for the smut) because of the exploration in dealing with trauma in an unhealthy manner and how it can cause someone to spiral and get worse, questions in how much (if at all) we should get involved in someone else’s relationships if we suspect, but cannot necessarily prove, abuse, and finding strength to move forward in community. I know you and others found it long, and Feyre and Rhysand’s story needed the most editing in my opinion, but I still adore ACOSF and have high hopes for the next book.

[@amywishmannalan2298]

Regarding problematic relationship elements in romance: fiction isn't a guidebook for life. It can be an escape, an exploration. I think trusting readers is important. And as for younger readers (you mentioned younger girls many times) I'd rather have them encounter someone/something in the pages of a book so they can gage how they feel about it, how they might respond in real life, etc. This is why I don't censor my kids' reading and why they know they can talk to me about anything "problematic" they encounter.

[@feltrix334]

I think that works great if they have a guide, but the problem is people reading about toxic/abusive behavior and not seeing it for what it is. Overall, this is most frequently an issue for young girls reading about deeply unhealthy relationships as their first introduction to what romance is and mistaking it for the way relationships should be.

[@jaginaiaelectrizs6341]

The problem is that many younger readers don't already know how to spot what is or isn't a toxic or problematic relationship-they are young, they are still learning, and showcasing toxic or problematic relationships in fiction specifically targeted at younger audiences without actually calling it out for being what it is can sometimes cause younger audiences learn incorrectly that these things are somehow actually normal or okay[ IF they didn't already know it wasn't] ... kind of like learning from bad examples set by others in reality can do for younger persons who are still just learning/discovering/ things, too. (Obviously, some younger audiences will/do. And some older audiences might not. But is far less reasonable to expect that a younger audience should already know how to correctly or accurately identify those things for themselves than it is to expect that an older audience typically should be able to.) I mean, the human brain isn't even literally fully developed physically until a person reaches their mid-20s, at the earliest.😅😅

[@blueberrybadger780]

I love your cheery and sincere attitude and your takes, my warrior-tailed brother. Thank your for the content!

[@miryamdev764]

Throne of Glass is actually incredible, but that’s only from Heir of Fire onwards. It’s better than ACOTAR imo ❤

[@Mira_Poix]

This was a super fresh breakdown on not only ACOTAR but the greater romance/fantasy genre. You have an incredible knack for really weighing the positive and negative in a fair manner that digs into the real impact. I hadn’t thought about how the fae/human prejudice analogy really doesn’t work, or how the magic system really just works for convenience. Fantastic humor and cut scenes! Well done!

[@cazzie_dy]

I absolutely love your attitude in all of your videos. Just started reading throne of glass and though I got absolutely hooked at the first chapter, all the hate and bad reviews surrounding it made me doubt myself. Thoughts of how maybe I'm wrong for liking it, and that I should stop reading because apparently it's bad. Thank you for being so open minded, that even if you don't like the book, you'd still recommend it because maybe other people would like it instead. I'm kind of new to this genre of books and you're an amazing inspiration, I subscribed :)

[@maybelore]

I'm glad you started a booktube channel, you're already one of the best out there. Also you and your wife are so cute together!

[@cronkthebookguy]

Your comments are the best! Thank you! 😊

[@maybelore]

No, thank you! I love supporting people that do what they love

[@scarletteshadow]

I loved the ACOTAR series! It went in a direction I hoped it would. Fantastic series and she's a wonderful writer...get past the first book and fall in love with Mist and Fury, like i did! 😊

[@Avid_Reader]

I really enjoy your videos. It's also fun to meet the woman behind the man. More Kit!

[@cronkthebookguy]

lol great, now she'll want to be included in every video! 😛

[@Avid_Reader]

@@cronkthebookguy And I bet she has more to do with your videos than we know. Camera operator? Sound? Script revisions/proofreading? Heck, she even designs your T-shirts!

[@cronkthebookguy]

Its mostly just incredible support and being my biggest fan. ❤️ Though she does photoshopping and thumbnails. And sometimes I ask her to check if my jokes work. She edit's out some of my more goofy jokes that literally no one would get. 🤪

[@dylanbeazer2506]

10:59 This is the main reason I read Maas, it is the only fantasy that the women in my life will read. Funny that book two for Stormlight is also the highest rated in the series (and also the highest rated fantasy book on Goodreads). Love that you are covering a wide variety of fantasy sub genres, keep up the great work!

[@Tigerbearwolf8600]

i really enjoyed acotar, I laughed, cried, I got mad. Not often does a book bring out the emotions, sjm wrote gripping characters (to me) and I couldn’t put the books down, especially silver flames. I can’t wait for more if I’m honest. I do read both fantasy and romantasy 😊 and your reviews and recommendations are fun, I’m already jotting down a few more series like the wheel of time I want to read, thank you.

[@LeaReads]

I read this series so I could bond with family and friends who love these books. I wasn’t excepting much at first but then I was surprised how much I felt for Feyre by book two. My heart went out to her for what she was going through and the new family she becomes a part of warmed my heart. The Christmas special (while not perfect) felt so cozy and comforting since I had grown to adore the characters. The plot and magic is flawed but honestly I’m here for the romances, friendships, and pretty clothing/crown/city descriptions.

[@laurencastilla5823]

Immediately yes. Immediately yes. I have never subscribed to a booktuber so fast. You're a great fantasy reviewer friend, keep being awesome!

[@angiegoodruby2906]

thank you so much amazing video and I'll be waiting for the next series , though ive read them all Iike seeing other people's thoughts on these books, I love Sara J Maas..!! ( sorry for my English I'm from Greece)

[@Above_Parr]

"BECAUSE READING IS FOR EVERYONE!!" hell yea

[@TheSpidey1fan]

I recommend Under The Oak Tree by Suji Kim. It’s a romance fantasy and a beautiful story about the main FL who has a speech impediment and overcoming trauma, conflict in marriage, WOW vibes of mages and monsters. There is also a manhwa.

[@sam-qh3iu]

saw the intro, liked the video. 10/10 - the video was great as well! but that intro mh amazing

[@angelgirl976]

I really felt like I was lied to about ACOTAR. I love it. I consider myself a reasonably varied reader. I love classics, scifi, lit, fantasy, romance etc. All I ever heard was how bad it was which was weird because the books are everywhere. After I said I liked The Crowns of Nyaxxia, a friend told me I'd like ACOTAR. and I rread the first book in a day. On 3.5 now (reading the books in between other series) and still loving it.

[@mitchd9582]

I'm glad your channel ended up in my recommendations. You convinced me to give these a go even though they're not usually my thing. Love your energy and enthusiasm, looking forward to the Malazan videos!

[@Harley24986]

I've got to be the only person alive that hated Silver Flames and Crescent City lol On another note, I love hearing men's opinions of these books. It gives such a fresh perspective. We have the same issue with romance. I much prefer a good fantasy with epic world building and high stakes and I would rather the romance be a side quest. I think this is why I preferred TOG to the rest that Maas wrote. Great breakdown! ☺ (***DESPISE Tamlin***)

[@TheOkayestBookReviewer]

I don't even remember acotar, but I clicked on your video for some reason, thanks to the algorithm. AND WOW I'M SO GLAD I CLICKED!!!!! I loved this video, you are great, your wife is great. It was such a fun, detailled and nuanced analysis. I'm off to watch all of your videos.

[@TheSlurpy11]

you're such a good host! 🥳 love this positive book energy

[@matthewbackhouse6309]

Its impressive that even the books i have no interest in reading doesn't negate from my enjoyment of your videos, keep up the great work

[@cronkthebookguy]

That is extremely encouraging! Thanks you!

[@aubnichole1]

Took a fraction of a second to hit subscribe. LOVEEEE all this amazing wealth of book reviews, great info on plot lines and no gate keeping haha Great humor on your channel too. The enthusiasm really comes through. Thank you for all this work you've done to help out this new lover of books. I have much to learn and now know who to go to. What luck!

[@cronkthebookguy]

Wonderful! I'm so glad my work is helping you! ❤

[@chelseaely2316]

I didn’t even make it 90 seconds before subscribing - I love your content already! And seeing QBD as your bookstore truely shocked me, same as your subscriber count! I thought you would have so so so many!!! I can’t wait to follow you on your journey from here! (This is the first time I’ve ever come across your channel)

[@cronkthebookguy]

Thank you! Yay someone recognised QBD! I'm pretty happy with my subscriber count, I only started about 5 months ago. 😊 I have a long journey ahead of me. Thanks for cheering me on!

[@Varswolf]

Great video - really enjoyed the analysis!

[@woodlandlady7011]

Thank you for a great analyses of ACOTAR series 👍

[@lorifrederick2367]

Those books are in my TBR pile. I love your wife too, her hair is beautiful 😊❤

[@ambreegold2324]

Thanks for pointing all of this out! Even though I'm not the biggest fan of acotar (ToG has my whole heart), I still admire the whole concept. I'm not nessescarily a fan of the Archeron sisters, but I like the character developments throughout the books. There were some true sarah moves pulled. Might reread the series next year and evaluate from a different POV. Great video!!

[@alannapenner37]

I just discovered your channel and going through your backlog 😄 I really enjoyed your take on this series! I can't get over how conflicted I feel about these books😅 I never really understood when people used to talk about hating and loving a book series at the same time but I get now after reading this trilogy 🤣

[@Appiboi3]

Great review! I would like to pose the idea that Tamlin is the dog and Rhysand is the viper. I personally think the series is a tragedy for Feyre as she falls through life from one horrific situation to another (her dad -> Tamlin -> Rhysand)

[@WhiteGinger10000]

I'm not really sure on that when it comes to Rhysand. He doesn't really feel controlling of Feyre at all compared to Tamlin.

[@Appiboi3]

@@WhiteGinger10000 have you read ACOSF? If yes, I would encourage you to look at the parallels between ACOSF and ACOMAF. Nesta and Feyre are both treated similarly to Feyre’s plight in ACOMAF. They’re both confined to houses under constant surveillance “for their own good”. It feels better because we get “the viper” coming in and justifying everything but is it really that different? Totally up to everyone’s personal interpretation though. In my opinion ACOSF may be harkening in the Rhysand ultimate villain arc but only time will tell lol

[@WhiteGinger10000]

@Appiboi3 I'm not so sure on that. Especially after what Nesta did for him and Feyre at the end of ACOSF.

[@WhiteGinger10000]

@Appiboi3 And the situation between Nesta and Feyre were different as well. You do have a point though but I'm not sure that is how the story will go. With Rhys being a possible villian.

[@laurena7894]

Jealous of your og covers! Thanks for the review

[@rinaf.7876]

Nice to hear a guy`s perspective on ACOTAR! Thanks!

[@JashanaC]

Yessss hard agree about the side characters! They’re so… samesies Oof the talk about abuse - 100%. I was unfortunately in a relationship for 5 1/2 years with the viper type of abuser and you’re so right about how they almost never actually change and yesssss it isn’t up to the victim to make them change… a lesson I learned the harder way. Far removed from that relationship now, for many years - but yeah I’m with you on all of that! Book 3 made me angry with the stupid plot line with the three magical beings that they spent SO MUCH TIME getting help from for noooo reassonnnnn

[@cronkthebookguy]

Right? The side characters were so overhyped. Thank you for sharing your experience. I actually agonised about including the section on abuse. Rewrote it and re-edited it so many times. But now I'm so glad I kept it in. It's such an important conversation. Some forms of abuse are so hard to recognise until years after. People who've gone through it understand. And people going through it might experience a revelation. Haha yes the anticlimax in book 3 was intense.

[@catelyntalks]

I agree about Tamlins character arc. Do I think he's evil and vile? No but he's not gonna change.

[@cronkthebookguy]

He better not change! I don't think every character needs a redemption arc. Also I love that you've clearly just found my channel cause I've got like 5 notifications from you! Glad you like it!

[@jenm930]

This was a great video! I think you would LOVE crescent city!! It’s less romance heavy, and written better than ToG.

[@laurendenae5045]

This is very interesting, I personally favor Caelena to Feyre! I read ACOTAR first so maybe that plays into it.. love the videos 😎

[@jaginaiaelectrizs6341]

I have always been one of those people who thought it was stupid that fiction couldn't just have a gun on the wall just to have a gun on the wall for the aesthetic.🤭🤭 But that's just me ^-^ (I also refused to memorize the mathematical times-tables, because I didn't just want to take somebody's word for it that those equations equaled those answers, I insisted on actually doing the math long-hand and figuring it out for myself.) 😆

[@vns_moon]

I just finished reading divine rivals and am starting on acotar. I bought the book months ago and completely forgot about it (whoops). I'm going to give it a good shot though.

[@M1cr0Man1a]

Definitely picking this up. Seems something a little different than I’m used to. Thanks for the awesome intros. I’m also reading mistborn and storm light cause of your videos. Thanks for great recommendations. Are you going to do any sci-fi series. Three body problem or dune would be my recommendation

[@assiahamadi5179]

Honestly, I don't understand the hatred SJM has for itself. His books are very good. Acotar is my favorite saga of his writings, although volume 4 has one flaw for me and it is this whole pregnancy story. So, I understand, even if it wasn't good, the fact that Rhys and the others didn't immediately tell Feyre the truth, because as Amren said, fear can also be dangerous. than any physical threat during pregnancy. However, the fact that abortion is never discussed poses a problem to me. Not that Feyre would not resort to it, (because she always could have at the time she learned about it) each her own choices, especially since Feyre had technically already seen what her child would look like. It is linked to it in a very deep way. On the other hand, I don't even see how they could have performed an abortion without the risk of killing her (as some claim) since apparently the extraction never worked and we can't remove the baby naturally either. ... Brief. What pissed me off is that it’s just never offered. At no time does a single character talk about it, as if it didn't exist. I know that Acotar is a universe that places great importance on children because it is apparently rare, but still! SJM became a mom I think around this time, maybe that's what influenced the shitty aspect of this plot. On the other hand, the rest of the book is very good for me, apart from this thing.

[@MissArkenstone]

It's a pity that most (not all) romance books have this kind of no healthy/problematic relationship. And as you have said, young people might consider that to be norm... Leaving that aspecto aside, I find very upseting this romantasy books for not working mucho on the fantasy building along with the romance. I might be wrong, but I got the feeling that this types of books get very hype from reader for the "fangirl/Fanboy" and what could be for the characters (as in fanfics, which i adore!) Despiste not being my cup of tea for reading, as I like more fantasy on my books, there is nothing to be ashamed of for reading romantasy genre. The more genres the better and the richer the community😊 Thanks again for another great video 💜

[@jer2dabear]

I loved Cresent city, I went in blind and was pleasantly surprised. Yeah, some cringey words and chapters. But I dug it a lot. I need to read book 2 because I saw on audible that book 3 is coming soon.

[@Michael_R_Miller]

Never thought I'd be listening to an erudite breakdown of ACOTAR then bam I see some cool dragon rider books on the top right shelf. Very nice ;) And the video was great too!

[@cronkthebookguy]

Thanks mate! Glad you noticed. They were very deliberately placed in the shot.

[@Michael_R_Miller]

@@cronkthebookguy 🤩 Big love - keep on rocking!

[@Kelliemarie126]

Please read Ali Hazelwood and then talk about romance. Loved this perspective on ACOTAR!

[@varunkashyaprao]

Hey, I started reading ASOIAF cause of your video, finished the first book today, in 2 weeks. Thank you for that. I have a request, could you please make one on 'American Gods' and 'Dune'. Thank you once again.

[@lucius-lou]

This is a great review. Im normally a fantasy scifi reader too, but like a good romance when im in the mood for some easy reading. I really loved this series, mainly because of the big shift of the plot in the start of book 2. However, without spoilers, I absolutely hated the thing with feyre and rhysand in acosf. !!! It feels soo forced and kind of undoes a lot of the theme of free will sjm created. It had tainted the other books for me unfortunately, but yes, the second in the series is the absolute best!

[@AshleyRebecca]

You should also cover Blood and Ash lol. I think it’s where some people move towards after ACOTAR.

[@cronkthebookguy]

I've added it to my list! 😉

[@catsandbats77]

In fairness, I agree with your wife and would totally read that book you described. 😂

[@antiformsora]

My thoughts on predictability: If readers guess the ending, that means you did a good job with foreshadowing it.

[@MissMoontree]

The sweet spot is where they could guess it, and either still have some doubt or still like it enough to fully read it. I've had books that just were so predictable I didn't bother reading the last 30 pages, and it was not a 300+ pages book.

[@nerdgirl8978]

I felt that something was off with the Tamlin -romance in the first book first time I read it. It felt so shallow to me, as if he was pretending. My gut feeling was not entirely wrong.

[@timothyburbage]

I did not expect a romance book series to bring up Nietzsche's ideas.

[@cronkthebookguy]

Ok I have to ask, did ANYONE get the Simpsons reference at 20:09? 😂😂😂

[@jaginaiaelectrizs6341]

I would actually argue that prejudice being bad doesn't, in fact, ultimately hinge at all on everyone being remotely the same. Things do not have to be the same to have equal value. And even if some things actually do have different values, it doesn't necessarily mean that they should mean less or be worth less or be considered less important to people in general-all depending on particular individual people's personal tastes and/or needs, or the individual circumstances, and so on. (If someone is deathly allergic to salmon, a salmon sandwich is going to be far less helpful to them than say a chicken sandwich would be and/or going to be worth far less to them than it would be worth to someone else who isn't allergic to it.) Even if someone is physically weaker and/or mentally slower than someone else is, that doesn't mean they can't still matter or have worth which should be respected and/or valued equally, even if somewhat differently. And isn't it just as important for people to fight even for those incapable of fighting for themselves (such as babies or the critically ill or wounded and/or those less trained or less skilled at combat) as it is important for people capable of fighting their own battles to stand up for themselves? 🤔🤷🤷‍♀️🤷🏻‍♂️ ((I mean, just because the Fae _could_ completely and totally dominate all humans and crush them under their heels or whatever-still doesn't make it right if they did/do/ nor mean that they actually should, at all.)) I think teaching/believing/ that things or people only matter as much if they are somehow same or exactly equivalent and/or capable of genuinely/legitimately rivaling each other in any way is a dangerously misguided precedent for anyone to set. But maybe that's just me. 😁

[@PinePlug]

I’m wondering if I could skip Frost and Starlight? I started it MONTHS ago after devouring the first three and I got halfway through and put it down. I haven’t touched it in at least a month and I’m struggling to get through it.

[@EmilyParagraph]

I recently listened to this series on audiobook after being cajoled by a friend who loves the series. I'd tried to read it before and.... didnt have the best time? I'd recommend the audiobook to people who find the prose grating, bc if you're doing something else at the same time, you can easily drift in and out and not lose a whole lot of plot. The only other thing you're gonna have to accept is that Feyre is not the Mary Sue of the series--Rhysand is. The plot and world just.... bend to his will and temperament. but Feyre actually gets kinda cool by book 3 and it turns out maas can write a decent political plot.

[@cronkthebookguy]

Ooooh Rhysand as the Mary sue. Fascinating! I'd say that checka out. Yes I've done the series twice, and on audio both time. Helps me not fixate on prose so much...

[@AmandaInEly]

Are you going to talk about the Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch? I adore that series.

[@cronkthebookguy]

The first four books are on my shelf, waiting for me. Hopefully soon!

[@annalena9563]

Have you read danmei/Chinese BL? It's very plot heavy but defenitly about the romance so I'd be curious to know your thoughts about some of those books.

[@cronkthebookguy]

I'd never heard of it. But it sounds amazing! 😁 I've added it to my to-read list.

[@adventurerkate]

@@cronkthebookguyif you do check out some danmei, I would suggest Heaven Official’s Blessing. It’s amazing.

[@vactoryinferno7341]

I honestly think we read different books

[@brookfeleke9629]

Noice

[@cronkthebookguy]

Smort. 😉

[@TheIkathy]

Hi!!! (this is going to be a super lighthearted comment that by no means should be taken seriously. also, it's past midnight here and i'm hella sleepy, i'll just throw some things here that maybe not everyone had thought of) I don't think you did a very good job SELLING this one to the audience, but at the same time you didn't lie at all?? ACOTAR has a lot of problems, but at the same time, my good man, who cares about the magic system? I read the whole thing because Rhysand is hot. He is the perfect book boyfriend. I want a bunch of perfect hot Fae that i can ship, is it too much to ask? anyway, i would like to offer my 2 cents on acotar, romantasy, smut writing and stuff. again, in a chaotic way. but first, here's some important context: i am a 30-year old woman and i've been reading and writing fanfiction since i was 14. i also read a lot more than the average person in various types of media (fanfic, books, webcomics). i loved acotar and hated throne of glass, so i'm not a sarah j mass super fan. the thoughts i present here result from conversations i had with the friend who recommended me acotar, who has basically the same profile as mine, except she reads 100x more than i do. 1) i have a theory that people with an experience in "fandom culture" are more likely to enjoy acotar and romantasy in general. by fandom culture i don't mean cosplaying your favorite star trek character at comic con, i mean trying to convince tumblr to ship two characters that have never even interacted in canon. i think in my first comment on the channel i said i found it very hard to like booktubers because i didn't like the tone of their reviews and one of the reasons why is the lack of fandom culture in these people's lives and the fact they take too seriously every piece of media they consume. i'm by no means saying they are at fault for this, but the differences in life experiences i share with these people make it hard for me to connect with their content. that's why i liked your more technical reviews. that all being said, i love to play a little game when i'm watching booktubers of trying to guess if they ever read fanfiction because it's super clear when they never did lol. and i think when you have lived the fandom culture you learn to consume content in a different way. 2) people read romantasy as if it were fantasy and i think this is wrong because the expectations should not be the same. again, f*ck the magic system, we want fanservice!!!! would it be even better with a decent magic system? yes. but who cares??? that's not the point. 3) everything that is catered to the female gaze is labeled as cringe, lame, cheesy, tacky, stupid, unserious and shameful. just look at every media that went popular among teenage girls, like twilight. as soon as teens start freaking about something, everyone else makes their business to tell the world how morally superior they are for hating said media. it's not a phenomenon exclusive to girls obviously, but the scale is way too different. i have never seen so much hate towards freefire or LoL or whatever is considered a "boy thing". 4) the cringe syndrome also extends towards sexual content made for women, eg 50 shades of grey. i will not be debating the quality of 50 shades or acotar or twilight, nor if there are problematic stuff on them, because that has never been the point to the cringe army. women are taught all their lives that everything sexual is bad. it's bad to think about sex, it's wrong to have sex and it's shameful to read about sex or to have sexual fantasies. meanwhile men are watching porn and it's super normal, but not worth getting into this debate here. the point is, it's so hard to tackle sex as a woman that i believe many fall victim to the restrictions imposed by society. and again, when a certain type of material becomes popular, some people NEED to express how cringe they are. i've lost count of how many times i've seen people complaining about the wings thing in acotar. or the fact that cardan from cruel prince has a tail and he... uses it. or how monster romance and reverse harem stories are bad or lame or cringe, everything is cringe, like people, maybe some things are not meant to be taken SUPER SERIOUSLY??? and some stuff are meant to make you laugh actually? and it's like ok to have a fetish, unusual or not? 5) that takes me to my next point, which is "toxic relationships" in books and how some people may see fetish and certain tropes as problematic. i think everything is about context and the way the reader interprets it and it's not only related to sexual or romantic content, but with everything actually. a very popular example is werewolf romances. they are filled with tropes that are considered problematic, such as possessive behavior, EXCEPT maybe it's just a sexual fantasy? not everything we read has to serve real life and not everything we enjoy should be romanticized. same goes for violence, shady morals, etc. the problem is that 1) not every reader has the discernment to separate life from fiction, 2) anything that doesn't attend their personal preferences is cringe and therefore bad, and 3) everything that becomes too popular is automatically bad and i have to add here too that the editorial market makes a terrible job perpetuating this sentiment because they market things the wrong way, such as colleen roover's terribly toxic books as valid real life romances. NOW MY ADVICE TO YOU, who thought omg what a freaking ass long comment, who's this crazy weirdo: read fucking acotar. buy a fake cover to hide from the world that gargoyle romance that looks so fucked up but you're dying of curiosity. deactivate that kindle function that shows your book cover so no one will notice you are reading a book with a shirtless men on the cover. don't read things with the intent of projecting them into real life. embrace the cringeness. you don't have to like it in the end, but try to keep an open mind. or else EVERYTHING will become a problem to you, romance-wise or not. EVERYTHING will feel outdated, toxic, problematic, cringe. ok, so maybe it wasn't only 2 cents, more like... 20 dollars. my intention is not to make people feel obligated to enjoy stuff out of their comfort zone, ok? i just wanted to offer my perspective on these topics which were obviously very influenced by my life experiences in fandom culture and seeing way too much aesthetics moodboards on tumblr. also, i would just like to add very randomly as a fan of this series (ppl it's 2 in the morning) that i hate the mind link thingy and the fact everything has to end the most perfect way possible for all characters (people traumatized by the renesmee thing will get me), but i love the overly idealistic male fae idc.

[@cronkthebookguy]

WOW! What a comment! 😳You know, you might want to consider your own youtube channel. And I mean that as a compliment and encouragement, not criticism. You clearly have a lot of thoughts and feelings about books, and you express yourself well. 🤷‍♂ I didn't do a good job of selling ACOTAR cause I'm not trying to sell it! My whole philosphy on books is present it to people objectively and let them choose for themselves. I think pushing books on people turns them away more often then not. And I do it objectively because everyone reads for different reasons. Eg you didn't care about the magic system but loved the whole hot Rhysand plot. That's perfectly valid and yet others will read for the opposite reasons. It's ok for everyone to like different things.

[@junebunchanumbers]

I read the first Malazan book recently. I wouldn't say it was confusing, as such, but it sure was a blur or Things Happening. Erikson can write good scenes but he doesn't seem to be interested in meaningfully tying them together into an actual story. Whole thing felt like a big waste of time. Commenting here for the engagement, I don't have anything to say about Maas.

[@radrose4864]

I’ve tried to read this series twice and always lose steam midway through book two. The love triangle was fun but Feyre’s emo whining and the painfully tedious overwriting just kills the reading experience for me. I can’t enjoy it. Glad it got lots of new people into the Fantasy genre though.

[@avid9530]

Do guys read these books or is it dominantly female.

[@cronkthebookguy]

It's mostly a book for women, and read by women. But I absolutely think guys can enjoy it. I don't really like the whole 'male/female' divide in books anyway. Read whatever makes you happy!

[@woodlandlady7011]

I just need to point out that abuse is not attractive, and while SJM has a good imagination for world building she has a tendency to invoke the not so nice qualities in her male characters. Romance should not have abuse of any kind.

[@morleywritesbooks]

i didn't like acotar. That said, Maas did open the gate to many readers into fantasy, and she did do a good job fleshing out Tamlin and Lucien as interesting male characters. Though... halfway through the book they started getting less interesting, and i think it's that the closer they got to feyre their roles just revolved around her and she's so unlikeable. The angry woman architype is not for me

[@missanthropy6174]

No, no, sorry, I must disagree with you that this series is better than ToG. The male love interest is intolerable trash and I’m not even talking about Tamlin. He’s so bad that I like the other characters less because they support and care for him. Also there’s barely a plot.

[@hexesandheroes]

ughhhh. you lost me at feaay