BOOKS I OVERHYPED

[@emmaelizabeth3373]

When I first saw the title, I thought this video was going to be about books that at one point you had praised on your channel but after getting some distance your opinion on them became less positive... ... I do think that would be an interesting video topic though, if you have enough (or any) books that meet that description! But this video was great too, of course! :)

[@ladylizcreates7719]

I thought so too and would definitely watch such a video

[@Maevelittooij]

Yeah same

[@cadenshepherd5423]

i dont mean to be so off topic but does someone know of a trick to log back into an Instagram account..? I was stupid lost the account password. I appreciate any assistance you can offer me!

[@wilsononyx4750]

@Caden Shepherd instablaster =)

[@cadenshepherd5423]

@Wilson Onyx i really appreciate your reply. I got to the site thru google and im in the hacking process now. Seems to take quite some time so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.

[@shehzadshaikh9670]

The books I overhyped are: 1) An Ember in the ashes by Sabaa Tahir 2) The Toll by Neal Shusterman 3) Starsight by Brandon Sanderson 4) Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood 5) Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman 6) Good Omens by Neil Gaiman

[@bryanbaker6040]

Mistborn: The Final Empire, for sure. Prior to reading, I'd heard people saying it was one of the best fantasy series ever. It was good, but not great.

[@rolanddeschain6089]

Honestly, everything I read from Sanderson was kinda good but not great.

[@IsomerSoma]

@@rolanddeschain6089 well thats sanderson but his wlrld building and world transformations are outstanding everything else is just solid and maybe a bit too shema sanderson.

[@rolanddeschain6089]

@@IsomerSoma Everyone as he likes. That's exactly my problem with Sanderson. His worlds are detailed and complex. He builds very sophisticated worlds in his books. Which is great. The transmission of these worlds, to the reader, happens in my opinion too dull, too dry. A really good story creates a world while following events and people. While following an exciting story. It happens on the side. That doesn't just apply to fantasy. It can be a good thriller in a wintry landscape, where you can literally feel the cold, hear the dialect of the people and really get to know their traditions while the killer-hunt and the characters are still in the main focus. Sanderson chews on his world too long from time to time. Creates fantasy horses and fantasy bottle openers, that give neither the atmosphere nor the history profile.

[@bryanbaker6040]

@@omy213 talking to me or the other guy?

[@MandyGood]

I tried reading it and I hated it so I took it back to the library.

[@anthonytalksmovies]

I’m still kinda sad you didn’t like The Lies of Locke Lamora. I’ve been reading it lately and am absolutely loving it and literally your complaints are the exact opposite of what I’m feeling, I love the characters and I enjoy the way the flashbacks are implemented but oh well, different strokes for different folks, not everything can be a hit for everyone.

[@kholemcrae1100]

Anthony Dimick I’m the same as her, I can’t get into the rhythm of it and my friends love it

[@anthonytalksmovies]

Khole Mcrae I only had issues through the prologue but I can understand that. I’ve seen a few people say similar things and that they weren’t hooked until the end.

[@jessi4894]

I loved the characters, the dialogue and humor. However, I believe with all my heart that Scott Lynch cannot string together a cohearant plot to save his life.

[@lyragillespie3511]

The book premise/summary sounds like one of those really cool trailers for a hype movie, but then you watch the actual movie and you realize that it's so ridiculously bad. Like "sucky rating on Rotten Tomatoes but has a cult following" kind of thing

[@lexye.]

not book related, but I envy your hair

[@kahlbutomacfarland]

The First Law does go on. I don’t know why so many insist that LAOK is THE conclusion. The standalones are connected and the new trilogy is directly connected. The first trilogy and where it stands in the overall story is kinda similar to how the prequel Star Wars trilogy stands in that narrative (just trying to think of something everyone is familiar with). Or for another comparison, picture if people thought GOT/ASOIAF ended with the Red Wedding. Ps: the next two books are largely considered the best Abercrombie has done: Best Served Cold (my fav), and The Heroes.

[@ItalianStallionBDM]

LOVE best served cold. Haven't gotten to the heroes yet

[@danielnewton1414]

Please. please dont give up on Robbin Hobb!! The Liveship Traders is so amazing, its still may favorite trilogy. However i agree on the flaws you described on Assassins apprentice.

[@ebnovels]

I’m planning on reading the rest of that first trilogy this year 😄

[@Briancjw]

Loved the Liveship Traders trilogy way better books than the Fitz books(Farseer trilogy and Tawny Man trilogy) which I did not enjoy at all. Fitz maybe one of the most infuriating main characters iv ever read.

[@danielnewton1414]

@@ebnovels there are moments of absolute brilliance in the last two books and quite a few moments that pull on your heart strings. The relationship between Night eyes and Fitz in the last book I'd say your probably going to love,but I don't want to say anymore. But overall I feel that despite the flaws in those novels you can see the potential and when you get to liveship traders that potential is realised, it's really a dramatic step forward for Hobb as a writer. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.😉😉

[@monferno71]

To be honest, for me, The Folk of Air is always going to be a duology with an open ending

[@ebnovels]

Hahaha, this made me laugh, because I feel somewhat the same 😆

[@Ghostlyape123]

I feel like Brandon Sanderson will never live up to the hype for me. I’ve only read warbreaker and it was decent but I feel like so many treat him like the next messiah that I just won’t enjoy his other work as much.

[@balrajsingh1492]

same. i read mistborn trilogy and despised the last 2 books. DESPISED. way of kings ,gods is it a long way to be bored and wonder the 'good' character work of kaladin actually a torture porn to make you like him. so dull and boring. his writing is a disaster in mistborn even though in the long of getting bored, it's much better. ironically, i loved warbreaker! so i would say, try some of his books before giving up entirely but if you still don't like the next books you red by him, join our extremely tiny club of people who don't care for his books!

[@VividReads]

Uprooted by Naomi Novik has a Soft magic system which makes it difficult to read for those who are not used to reading books such as LOTR that have the same magic system. It was written this way so it can be unexplainable. With soft magic systems that is key. In Uprooted it was made because all the magicians like the Dragon believe magic has to have strict rules and wording, read in a specific manner with exact measurements for each ingredient. And then Agnieszka steps in and turns their world upside down. She can work a different kind of magic than them because she is directly connected to the Spindle (the source of magic in the valley). I think that magic wise this is one of the best soft magic systems I've read. And this is also one of my favourite books because it was inspired by Slavic culture and mythology.

[@rissarissaroo]

Darker Shade of Magic is the first one that comes to mind for me. I've been putting off reading Children of Blood and Bone because I'm worried I've overhyped it for myself. Love the video!

[@nataliaweronikapetersson3425]

I feel like all Sanderson's book have off pacing, not only the Oathbringer. That is what Sanderson does- long expositions, uneven pacing, long climbing up that mountain of information and there is always that big avalanche at the end that leaves one speechless.

[@balrajsingh1492]

exactly exactly exactly!

[@nataliaweronikapetersson3425]

Old post, have just finished Rhythm of War and pacing in that one is spot on, so yeay Sanderson 😁

[@balrajsingh1492]

@@nataliaweronikapetersson3425 glad for you!!!! i gave up after 6 books. 6!!!!!!!!!!! but i m glad you enjoyed them.

[@nataliaweronikapetersson3425]

@@balrajsingh1492 well, you definitely gave him a chance 😁

[@christopherbacon1077]

Flipping to the opposite side have there been books where your expectations were low and then they blew you away? If so maybe you should do a video on those. If you haven't already. There are more books btw in Abercrombie's verse. There are new characters but some of the old make appearances too.

[@YourBlackLocal]

Stormlight’s been like that for me, the story is somewhat predictable so I never feel any tension. but Sanderson is really good at making endings that make the whole book feel worth while so I get hyped for the next.

[@berserker8884]

I love stormlight, but in a sense it is somewhat too focused on the main protagonists. I mean in the sense that not a ton of focus is spent on the main antagonist other than from the point of view of the protagonists. I'm sure we will get there eventually, but I wanted to get there the second book, not the fourth or fifth one. Not only that but it falls short when it comes to most big moments for me. Like yes a lot of these carry a lot of weight and punch, but like you said most of them are really predictable and not that interesting. Stormlight will never reach the greatness of LotR or HxH for example for me, because it tries too hard to be this perfection of WoT, Malazan and LotR in a sense. It doesn't carry enough identity for me personally and while the execution is basically near perfect, it never does anything really that interesting, except for some rare instances. In comparison, for a better illumination of what I mean, in HxH you have the Phantom Troupe. It is a villain group of very unique and interesting character that all have different motivations, lifestyles, etc. When the protagonists interact with them, you can never predict what they will do, it is usually not even that protagonist focused either but you get to see them do their thing from their perspective, which is very very interesting and intriguing. Furthermore some of their scenes are either incredibly hype, more so than most scenes from Stormlight IMO, and some of their scenes are downright artistic and philosophical, which carries great value for many of us. If interested, watch the scene Phantom Troupe Requiem on youtube. It 's not too spoilerish, because without the context, the scene is mostly purely artistic and philosophical to a degree. Anyhow, I know I probably didn't articulate my points too well, but the idea is that HxH is FULL of such elements like PT that make it incredibly fun, interesting, thought provoking, artistic, etc. while Stormlight doesn't compare.

[@YourBlackLocal]

Berserker Lool funnily enough HxH is my favourite Shonen and the troupe my favourite villains. I’ve watched the series like five times and I completely agree with you. HxH also has an epic ness where it feels like characters really are in this living breathing world whereas Stormlight seems to have all its action revolve around a select few.

[@berserker8884]

@@YourBlackLocal amazing! HxH is my favorite anime! Watched it like 5 times too! I just assume people here don't know anime, so thats why I went into it as much as I did lol.

[@LanaFeyah]

I'm very scared of going into Sanderson's stuff precisely because he's so hyped and I'm worried that I'll end up disappointed. On the other hand, fiance reads heaps of his works and doesn't shy away from spoiler-free criticism when I ask, so maybe I'll have a more balanced approach than I think.

[@jericosha2842]

I thought I would be disappointed too. I think starting with the stand alone "Elantris" is good because you need to temper your expectations, since it's his first published book. Gives you a good idea if you like his style/approach and it only gets much better from there.

[@LanaFeyah]

@@jericosha2842 I'll have a look! Although I *am* currently reading Skyward, prompted by Brooke's character appreciate video, and love it so far. But I know his works are normally more fantasy than sci-fi.

[@MichaelRachal]

Iron Gold was such a disappointment for me as well. I really felt the series had jumped the shark but Dark Age sucked me back in. The newer characters take the focus and the ones I hated in Iron Gold, I came to love in Dark Age. For those who loved the Red Rising Trilogy and felt let down by Iron Gold, try Dark Age on for size. If you don't like that one, just stop. To stress the point about liking the new characters: I found myself wanting to rush through the Darrow chapters to get back to the new folks.

[@skijumpnose]

A lot of people think Sanderson is overhyped, It's the title of his next book - Overhyped, Sequel to Skyward and Starsight

[@turtleanton6539]

Wtf

[@ebnovels]

I feel like “overhyped” is subjective. He’s definitely talked about a lot, but I kinda tell myself the only one who can make me overhype something is myself 😅 Which I obviously do all the time!

[@karenbird6727]

I love The Way of Kings, it is by far my favorite Sanderson, and I have read everything by him. I have read it three times, in anticipation for the next release and I will read it again (and the other two) this year before the next book comes out. I felt like things in Oathbringer were kind of forced, or shoehorned in, awkwardly. Sanderson is still my favorite living fantasy author.

[@hibak8196]

I really, really hope it's just middle book syndrome and that the next books are much better. I loved Oathbringer but a lot if things were just rushed and it's sad.

[@goldenboy140]

​@@hibak8196 Sanderson better explain how (Warning: Spoiler} Szeth just rolled up at the end and everybody was cool with it and he immediately became Dalinars bodyguard. It's not like he killed Jasnah's father, navanis husband and tried to murder Dalinar and on top of that killed royalty all over the world. I mean I always thought he would end up on the good side but the way this was done was just beyond stupid and honestly that's just bad writing.

[@Missy_Reading89]

I love this video idea! I think being on booktube sometime makes it so easy to overhype a book for yourself and then be disappointed when it doesn’t reach that. I love watching your videos!

[@ebnovels]

I agree; especially when you generally find your tastes aligning with someone else’s. If you see them love something, you think, “Oh, I’ll probably love that too.” 😮

[@Missy_Reading89]

Elliot Brooks yes I am getting ready to start Elantris after my current read The Starless Sea and I am hoping to love Brandon Sanderson’s world as much as you and Murphy seem to love the world.

[@meghanjackson7494]

Thanks for your honest thoughts on what you read, as always. Isn’t it wonderful how books are different things to different people, even those who read within the same genre? I adored the Gentleman Bastard Sequence and the Realm of the Elderlings is my all-time favourite series, but I can see how they’re not for everyone. I also loved Skyward and Starsight, and I’ve been on a Sci Fi kick ever since (finally reading the Red Rising series now).

[@freshmaniac8450]

Hi Elliot! I'm a bit new here :D I just popped in to say that eventhough our tastes are Vastly different, I still want to hear you talk because your voice is so soothing :)

[@ebnovels]

Oh, well thank you! Also, I’m always down for suggestions, so since our tastes are pretty different, I’d love to know what you love 😄

[@djsuth7727]

I'm with you on "The Assassin's Apprentice" and the other two books in that trilogy ( which are worse in my opinion ). I was so hyped to read them after multiple recommendations from friends, but I just couldn't get on with them at all. Like you I struggled to engage with Fitz's character and I found the books very slow paced. The sequels to "Blood Song" by Anthony Ryan were also major disappointments for me. The first book was stupendously good, and I was so hyped to read the the rest of the trilogy. But the second book was merely average, and the final book was a catastophe. I'm sad that you didn't care much for the final book in the First Law trilogy ; since you had a similar reaction with "The Lies of Locke Lamora" I think it's fair to say Grimdark isn't for you ! On the other hand I was super-hyped about Luna, and she exceeded my expectations in fluffiness, cuteness and general canine charm :)

[@Jazzamonroe]

Would to love to know your thoughts on Eragon!

[@TheBookishMom]

I personally overhyped Throne of Glass for myself. Everyone loves it and I was so excited to read it and love it, and I couldn't get into it! 100 pages in and I had to DNF it.

[@robpaul7544]

I do try to keep my expectations low, exactly to prevent disappointment - even for books from authors I consider 'must buy'. It helps that I mostly buy mass market paperbacks and so have to wait a couple months after a book is released before I get to it. Just be patient and let the stories come as they come 😊

[@nuinwea]

Couldn't agree with you more about The Lies of Locke Lamora. I couldn't find a single redeeming quality to any of the characters. Like you I wanted to like this book with all the hype behind it and recommendations, but when I can't get behind any of the characters, that's a deal breaker for me.

[@natasagajic1061]

I also felt that sense of detachment in Assassin's Apprentice and that made it, for a character driven reader as me, so slow and not involving for me. Glad to hear someone else mention it. I needed around 7 months to finish this book 😅 It also didn't help that I disliked Chade and didn't care for Fitz and his dog(s). I didn't like or dislike him, I just didn't care what happened to him. That being said, I got really attached to Chivalry and Patience by the end and the last part of the book was great. The certain battle of wits was awesome(which is also one of my favorite tropes) and the mind battle was engaging and emotionally impactful. Now I can't wait to start with the second one to see what is going to happen to Chivalry and Patience, even though I'm quite concerned for their safety 😅

[@StarspangledHeart]

I really enjoyed Oathbringer but I didn't find the Stormlight Archive until after Oathbringer was out so I didn't have a long time to get over hyped for it. I think that waiting for a book to come out can definitely add to the possibility for over hypedness.

[@JennyMullins26]

I agree with a few of your picks for sure. Last Argument of Kings just did not live up to what I wanted much at all. I'm also with you on Oathbringer and The Queen of Nothing were not quite as good as I hoped they would be, but I don't actively hate them. Even so, I've read Oathbringer twice and plan to read it again this year before the release of book 4.. because it's Stormlight. lol I didn't like Uprooted much either and I really wanted to. My pick for book I hyped and was severely disappointed with was A Heart so Fierce and Broken. I wanted to love it, but ended up hating it soooo much. I'm still so salty about it that I might not bother with the next one.

[@marielzanibegona460]

For me, Skyward was the disappointment and I was on the fence about the sequel and ended up loving. Also with Oathbringer happened something similar bc there was NO way that it was going to be as amazing as Words of Radiance. Btw The Realm of the Elderlings gets sooooooo good, don't give up on Hobb I didn't like AP either but I persisted and now she is one of my favourite authors🤙😁

[@courtgarris1396]

I do this to myself quite often, especially with sequels or new books from favourite authors. I set myself up for disappointment a lot come to think of it, lol. I really enjoyed this video 😊

[@moviedude1850]

Hi there! I was wondering if you have read Jim Butcher’s Dresden series? Character development as you go through the series gets even better and the world building is incredible.

[@s.miklaski2286]

Mike's book reviews is covering the dresden files. I had a hard time finding reviews/reviewers for this series, I'm really enjoying his. 100% agree with you on the characters and world building soooo good. Easily one of my favorite series ever!

[@wyluli-dt9wv]

I was really disappointed in "The Black Prism." I enjoyed the Night Angel trilogy so much and I guess I built up Brent's next book too much in my mind. I'll get around to reading the next in the Lightbringer series eventually because I didn't dislike the first one. Speaking of which, keep reading Fitz's adventures Elliot! Hobb's characters are so good. Only Guy Gavriel Kay's might be on par.

[@Morfeusm]

Oh for me oh so many books I overhyped! For example also Name of the Wind and Lies of Locke Lamora. I wanted to read them for years! I think it took 7-8 years of continual hype to be very disappointed when I read them. I mean NotW is very enjoyable afterwords (it gets better once you finish it and think about it as a camp fire story) and very cozy book. It is just totally not what I have expected and sometimes torture to get trough. Lies are, sigh, just above average book with nice twist. It has interesting setting and few redeeming qualities but.... it just did not do it for me. It is not a bad book. At all. Only a good one. Another case would be The Dune Trilogy. I waited to read it for 10 years, maybe even more. And now while I enjoy it, it dry as raisin in the drier on a hot not very humid day. Scorching as the Dune itself, lol. Took me 7 weeks to get through the first Trilogy, just finishing it now. I wish I had read it those 10 years ago...

[@ebnovels]

I have yet to read Dune, but I’m not sure how I’m going to feel about it 🙈 I also didn’t find NoTW to be what I thought it was going to be :O

[@hillareads]

I felt underwhelmed by Red Rising. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I didn't go into it with certain expectations. I totally agree with you on Oathbringer. I still enjoyed it, but it didn't feel the same as WoK and WoR. I'm also hyping up book four in my mind, but I think the most disappointing part in the process will be waiting for book five.

[@magicalbooknerd]

I love Robin Hobb, but I somehow started with the Tawny Man trilogy and then read my way backwards. I think I would have had a hard super time starting with Assassin’s Apprentice because it does move slowly and some of my favorite characters were introduced later in the series.

[@akellerhouse83]

I 100% agree with you on Oathbringer and The Lies of Locke Lamora. Brandon Sanderson is probably my favorite fantasy author, so I was expecting something amazing I guess. I still love the series tho... I freaking love the Robin Hobb books. All of them.

[@paigeburton2884]

I'm happy to see someone else had the same opinion on StarSight as I did. I felt like I might be the only one who was a bit disappointed in it. I mean its still a good book, but I definitely preferred the first.

[@talkinbookswithashley2410]

I felt the same about Uprooted. It was like 2 books written smooshed together to make one big book that didn't make a lot of sense. I love Spinning Silver by this same author that felt much more put together and a cohesive story.

[@BlinkFly]

Talkin' Books with Ashley those are my thoughts exactly!!

[@talkinbookswithashley2410]

Nborg I would recommend Spinning Silver all day because I really enjoyed the story. I have Uprooted because they match and I’ve read both but they don’t compare in my mind how much better I love Spinning Silver.

[@BlinkFly]

I definitely felt like Uprooted was two different books and I actually liked the first half better so it was hard to even know how I felt about it? I also felt the same about The Poppy War if you have ever read that. I read those two books around the same time and felt like I was losing my mind lol

[@talkinbookswithashley2410]

@@BlinkFly I actually read Poppy War in January and loved it but I can see how it would feel that same way. Two different story arcs just kind of shoved together.

[@danielnewton1414]

Totally agree on the Lies of Lock Lamora , i just could not gel with that book.... but i was gutted though as its ranked so high by so many!

[@ebnovels]

I know! But I’m glad so many others love it :)

[@danielnewton1414]

@@ebnovels off topic but I hope I don't feel the same way about the King of Thorns by Mark Lawrence. I can kinda handle grey characters if their on the path to redemption.

[@Rashomon00]

The Farseer Trilogy and subsequent books following Fitz are my absolute favorite. I think you should definitely continue with The Farseer trilogy!

[@fayealexandria9036]

She does need to be aware though that the pacing is like a journey... It slows down and picks up (logically and not irrationally) but everyone thinks its going to be really fast paced after the first one because he's older and it might prove equally disappointing.

[@seeCHOsmile]

Oh no!! I loved Uprooted and Lies of Locke Lamora!! So sad.. >_< But I do agree with you on Queen of Nothing and Soul of the Sword, I think I know what that "absence of something" is!! Hoping Night of the Dragon is better ^_^

[@marieh5228]

I just finished all the light we cannot see two weeks ago and I feel the same. The writing was GORGEOUS, the characters and storyline were very well crafted, so it WAS an excellent book, just not what I thought it would be. I agree on the magical realism element, and another complaint I have is that it took too long for the two main characters to meet and they didn’t have nearly enough time together, plus the kinda insta love thing that happened just didn’t mesh with me :/

[@firesandflowers]

I felt the same way about Starsight. Skyward definitely exceeded my expectations and I also overhyped Starsight. Hopefully book 3 will tie everything together and focus more on the comradery again. I only got about 1/2 through the first book in the First Law Trilogy. I didn't really care about any of the characters at all? 🤷‍♀️ My husband keeps nagging me to give it another try (we usually like the same books) so maybe I will at some point. The Lies of Loche Lamora is on my TBR - I'm skeptical about it but I haven't really read any grimdark so I want to at least give it a try.

[@Mr007dblaine]

I know how you feel about first law. I felt exactly like you - there has to be more. This is not a real conclusion! But then I started reading the standalones and they continue the story with some side characters. So it's an ongoing process. Now the new trilogy is going to continue our main characters in a new trilogy. So hopefully this becomes a mini cosmere?? *fingers crossed *

[@apoorvajangale9667]

Listening to you talk about how you didn't like any characters and all the stuff you didn't like in the lies of locke lamora was too fascinating like a puzzle I couldn't solve... Also I totally agree with hyping up the book according to its beginning in my own head and then getting disappointed due to said overhyped expectations... I would even gush abt the book a lott to my friends nd then not say anything in regards to the ending (they don't read so they don't ask for daily updates)

[@cabefinn]

I’m going to have to force myself to finish Oathbringer. I don’t even know why, but I completely lost interest about a quarter of the way through.

[@itaygeva663]

Cabe Finn push through, it is really worth it. I gotta say that I felt the same at the time though

[@eoris12]

So not worth it for me, from my humble perspective (read it twice). Almost every important character is pushed back and the drama is so forced it felt to me as a bad 90s soap opera. But that's just my opinion. I love Sanderson as a person (of what I've seen) and think you should give him a try, just to honour his creation, by finishing the book and forging your own opinion.

[@ebnovels]

I thought the opening was great, and there were a couple of really intense moments, but it is my least favorite of the three so far. I’m hoping it’s just a case of middle book syndrome!

[@goldenboy140]

The ending of Oathbringer was so bad. How everything got resolved was just atrocious in my opinion.

[@YourBlackLocal]

All I’ll say is it felt Sanderson forced himself to have that climactic ending

[@captainhyrule98]

I just recently got into Brandon Sanderson's work after reading Steelheart (meh) and Firefight (which I loved), so I started checking out Stormlight and Mistborn. Sadly I haven't been able to even force myself to finish any of them, like I just lose the energy to continue abd stop almost halfway through, and prefer reading something else. Meanwhile, I finished reading The Last Wish, which I didn't think I would love, in one night.

[@AmeliaOak]

We were in Fitz’s head but...the narrator was older Fitz telling us about younger Fitz. I do understand your point of view though. I liked the series but I see the flaws, definitely. I think you’re probably right about the characters in Oathbreaker. I haven’t read any of that series yet, but I think Brandon Sanderson mentioned it in a lecture? You and Merphy Napier have opposite opinions about Lies of Locke Lamora...interesting lol

[@mojopie]

I feel the same about The Queen if Nothing, it just felt like a polished first draft to me, like Holly Black had written all of the main plot points but hadn't expanded or filled the book out. I overhype so many books for myself 😹my favourites are usually the ones I have low expectations for! One that comes to mind is the first book in The Seven Realms series, I still can't carry on with the series because that first book didn't live up to my hype 😬 The Lies of Locke Lamora was slightly disappointing for me too!

[@mobeus1]

The 5th book in the Lightbringer series The Burning White was completely this for me. Absolutely loved the first 4 and was convinced this was going to be my new favorite series of all time. Then the last 1/4 of book 5 happened :(

[@insilencea4599]

I usually have a good instinct for how much I'll like a book, except when I'm pleasantly surprised, but I really fell into this trap with the final Dragonlance trilogy by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. It came out years after their previous books in the series, and I was thrilled because it was a favorite when I was a kid/in my teens. Let's just say I wasn't crazy about everything in those last 3 books. 😂

[@stviz87]

Book I overhyped for myself: Oathbringer. The way book 2 ended my expectations were so high :(

[@ashleyholder2218]

My most recent one is the seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo 🙈 it was a good book! But I was expecting it to be one if my new favorites, and I though I was going to cry my eyeballs out lol but to me is was just good. I gave it a 3.75 stars, there was just no wow factor. I built it up way too much. I’m really worried that I’ve done that with the mistborn series! I’ve heard about it for 2 years, bought it last year and haven’t picked it up because I’m afraid I’ll be disappointed. But I’m going to read it this year!

[@priscillareads]

When I first heard of Uprooted, I was just as hyped as you were. But since then, I heard both good and bad so I feel like when I do get around to reading it, I’ll have my expectations a little lower lol. Same thing with Assassin’s Apprentice. I‘ve heard people say that some books in this world are NOT great but because they love the story and the characters so much, they put up with it to read the really incredible ones.

[@DanicaChristin]

I agree Iron Gold is a bit of a low point in the Red Rising series. Dark Age is much better again though if you wanna give it another shot one day

[@savannahwinchell4644]

continuations of series are always a mistake. always. It's never not been true (for me)

[@nochannelvideos]

I did not like uprooted too. I think you should try reading Spinning Silver; it’s well written and intriguing !

[@Trexpushups]

With Assasins Apprentice remember the story is being written by an older FitzChivalry as a memoir. You'll hate me for saying this, but the Sanderson books (Stormlight Archive), a friend hyped them right up and i just couldn't get into them.

[@ericneuhart7547]

Tomas Denson I agree with you about Assasins apprentice. I think people forget that it is recounting of his story. The rest of trilogy really fleshes out the story.

[@ebnovels]

Ah, sorry about that for Sanderson! As for Assassin’s Apprentice, it’s not that I forget he’s telling us about his youth, but rather that I still don’t think the tone matched where he was in the moment (I mean, obviously), so it made me feel disconnected to him. Hopefully that makes sense 😅

[@JayGTheAwkwardBookworm]

Yes agree to Queen of Nothing!

[@Meshuga63]

My reading strategy is to not hype it at all. The less I know about it the better. If it’s a classic, all I know is a lot of people liked it. If it’s a new author, I hope it’s good but expect it to be strictly okay. This has served me very well so far, because I am frequently pleasantly surprised even when most people don’t like the book.

[@AMAR9933]

Completely agree with Last Argument of Kings. I wanted more/different things from the ending and I did not get them.

[@annnunley9777]

A romance that didn't disappoint was called " A Heart's Journey" by Beth Howard from Amazon

[@monikawinter8819]

I share your opinion on "The Assassin's Apprentice", I am not a fan of the writing style and the whole story, despite the really bad circumstances the boy was in, left me cold. I had thought I would enjoy this quite popular book a lot but unfortunately I didn't. Just as boring as this one I found "Locke Lamora" to be when I tried to read the first book of this series. I wasn't even able to finish it, it had no proper flow and, I totally agree with you, all of the characters were so not likeable! I didn't care for any of them. One other book that I was very excited about and then quite disappointed with was "Joyland" by Stephen King who is one of my favourite authors. Boring story.

[@ebnovels]

It’s so funny how different people’s tastes can be. I thought I’d really relate to Assassin’s Apprentice, but I didn’t click with that first book. I’m hoping I will in the next ones.

[@fayealexandria9036]

@@ebnovels bare in mind that the second and third books have changes in pace (it makes sense to the story) but they have some very slow phases. So go in with tampered expectations. People seem to think that because fits is older it will suddenly become fast paced and though MORE happens the pace is still slow.

[@angelc12000]

The Book Thief was one I overhyped for myself. I agree with you on The Lies of Locke Lamora. The flashbacks just pulled me out of the story. The characters also didn't work for me.

[@shehzadshaikh9670]

I felt the same way about starsight, and I think it's just a middle book syndrome and so is this Oathbringer... I hope the following installments are better...

[@inyxfixer361]

The mad switches in perspective at the end of Oathbringer made me cross-eyed.

[@charlesrobinson3992]

You seem to read more fantasy than anything but I’m loving a series called Expeditionary Force on Audible read by R. C Bray. Written by Craig Alanson. Firefly meets Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy. Really great!

[@Alejojojo6]

The Wheel of Time was one hyperhype series for me. Everyone was like its so amazing... then it was just meh... i had a hard time finishing the first book. The set up is great the Aes Sedai idea is also great, but the story is slow and its the main problem at least in the first book. Maybe i would have love it more when i was 10-14.

[@hrvojezovko8426]

Try to read more. First book is really slow and very similar to LotR but things start to heat up later on.

[@Alejojojo6]

@@hrvojezovko8426 I want to give it a chance and read more, but Im not sure I will have the strength to do so xD. Probably I will, right after I finish the Stormlight Archives.

[@hrvojezovko8426]

@@Alejojojo6 to be honest, I haven't read all of it yet. It just became overwhelming for me, by sheer size of it. But I can assure you, it becomes much more interesting later on

[@Alejojojo6]

@@hrvojezovko8426 hahaha yeah its overwhelming. 14 books are a lot. Im not sure if its worth the travel. Maybe when i have nothing else to read i go into this journey. We will see

[@hrvojezovko8426]

@@Alejojojo6 I'm on a book 6, and I already feel like a spend a lifetime with those characters lol. So I decided to take it slowly, to raise my entertainment and emotional factor higher up. Anyway, I think it's a worthy read, and so far not overhyped. Most of the things I read online before I even got to reading first book have proven true, so I believe all the hype

[@felipealonso7859]

I kind of feel like that with WoT , I had the intention to read the whole thing in one go and I did read to book 8 , but it hasn't been as satisfying as I was expecting , instead it has been exhasparating at times , I'm just reading for Mat and Perryn nowadays.

[@eltic3]

You might need to gibe yourself a pass on oathbringer. I read all three books that are out so far. Within about a month of picking up way of Kings. (I was traveling cross country many ling flights) I did not have any time to become height and I found oathbringer disappointing. Even going back to reread the series in preparation for the Nextbook. I struggle to finish it without skipping around. I have read nearly every Sanderson story published. And Oates bringer is in my opinion The weakest

[@sephestra.]

Holy Sister by Mark Lawrence. I really liked Red Sister and absolutely loved Grey Sister (best second book in a trilogy I have read in a long time), so I was ridiculously hyped for Holy Sister. And it just wasn't even close to the other two; clunky and blah overall. I slogged through because I wanted to know how the series ended.

[@jazsminlyon6884]

I LOVE the red Rising trilogy (I even got my first tattoo from it). But man... it took me over a month to get into Iron Gold. Once I finished it I loved it, but it was a rocky start for me.

[@whosaidthat84]

I'm not gonna lie, one of the main reasons I watch your videos is to hear "Hi, guys. So today's video..." 😂😁

[@jaelynnallison9899]

I have had Restore Me and Defy Me since they came out and I cannot bring myself to read them. Im telling myself its because I want to want until the end of next month and get Imagine Me so that I have the whole second trilogy of the Shatter Me series and I can read it in one go. Either I love it or I hate it. But I know in my gut that its never going to compare to the first trilogy. Not even close. I read the first like 3 chapters of Restore Me and it just felt like fanfiction.

[@lucasrochasm]

I get the hype for Last Argument of Kings. It still bothers me that I don't understand many of the plot details that could have been explored more, but the characters hold your eyes and hand for so long that by the end I didn't even care how the magic system worked, for example.

[@hodaaghaei]

Mild Uprooted spoilers ahead: . . . . Oh Uprooted..... the first 3rd of the book killed me, it was so bad.... the middle was meh, ok... but I absolutely loved the ending. It was quite creative and exactly the kind of magical fantasy that I enjoy. Mystical old magic, and a 180 in your assumptions of the antagonist.

[@jenna.livingston]

I heard that was the case for a lot of people who read The Starless Sea after reading The Night Circus. I made the mistake of reading The Starless Sea first and I didnt like it AT ALL! All style, no substance. And now I'm worried about trying the Night Circus even though people swear its awesome 😅

[@DL-idk]

It's not me. I haven't read the books. But I think the last few unreleased books in ASOIAF is so anticipated that many fans would be disappointed however good they turn out to be.

[@nicholaus3248]

Dragonsbane by Barbara Hambly is apparently the book that got Brandon Sanderson into fantasy in the first place. Due to that fact I was ready to be blown away, but it's really just... fine.

[@HannahReadsFiction]

Almost done reading The Cruel Prince because I wanted to see what all the hype is about. So far I thought it was worth the hype.

[@devinmccarthy7673]

I am shocked that you weren’t a fan of Lies of Locke Lamora seems like it would be right up your alley! I do agree with you about Starsight wasn’t a fan of it at all

[@kailaniivo]

For me the two books I overhyped for myself were the third book in the Locke Lamora series and the second book in the Kingkiller chronicles. With the Locke Lamora third book I was so over the flashbacks that I ended up just glancing through the entire back story, plus I did not like Locke's love interest, nor did I like the big reveal about Locke's origins. And with the Kingkiller book I just felt like the story was all over the place. Way too many details and unnecessary worldbuilding and meandering. It's no wonder Rothfuss can't finish the third novel. With so many loose ends, I'm hardly surprised.

[@ebnovels]

I don’t really have a desire to pick up the next Kingkiller book 😮 I didn’t enjoy the first much, so I’d probably end up feeling similarly to you about the second.

[@TheShad0w1897]

Lol I got Lies of Locke Lamora after watching your review because I thought it sounded cool, but now I'm kinda confused as to what you could have said that made me think that.

[@ladyslibrarium]

I remember being eager to read Uprooted and even obtained an advanced copy through Shelf Awareness. Started reading it and was like, "Um, what? I totally didn't sign up for this." I promptly gave it to another library coworker. Not sure if it was Novik's writing style that put me off or the fact that it was toted as a "Beauty and the Beast retelling" when it really wasn't. Ah, well, there's other fantasy books I want to read.

[@jamesaaron7211]

Have you read Kay yet? I’ve missed it if you have. I have slightly mixed feelings because while I really like his tapestry series, it’s his earliest work and not quite peak for pm to me...many disagree...but more because I think what you are wanting from his, the kind of pseudo historical fiction things he’s the master of, this series is the one where he doesn’t do that, more pretty classic high fantasy with some real world crossover...not spoiling, it’s literally where it starts, at my school ;)...and very much his kinda homage to Tolkien about who, I know you have mixed feelings. Definitely worth reading, but I don’t think you’ll get a sense of him from it beyond his lyrical use of language and his drawing on/spinning classic romantic motivations like agape and sacrifice.

[@M_aryAnne]

I overhyped the whole first law trilogy for myself, I honestly didn't think it was dark at all lol oh well to each their own :)

[@ItalianStallionBDM]

Yeah its violent but also somehow whimsical and funny. Check out the stand-alones (best served cold, the heroes, red country)

[@rolanddeschain6089]

Wouldn't say it's particularly grim and dark either. But I say it's awesome and very entertaining.

[@M_aryAnne]

Mimir's Head yeah my husband read best served cold (hasn’t read the 1st law) and he liked that. I just was really disappointed by the first law I mean I liked the characters but I just found when reading it that I am way more of a plot driven reader

[@M_aryAnne]

Roland Deschain I just found out a lot about myself as a fantasy reader while reading this and it’s I’m a plot driven reader for sure haha but I’m so glad you enjoyed it and I liked the characters a lot just not the final product

[@rolanddeschain6089]

@@M_aryAnne For sure. Everyone as he/she likes. For me, fantasy is often too plot-related. But of course I'm happy that there is such a wide range of literature (also apart from fantasy) and that we all find great things there again and again.

[@sgeist1981]

I was also let down by All the Light. I was expecting The Nightingale and got... board.

[@CupCakeUnleashed]

I still really loved Starsight and Oathbringer, but they definitely don't live up to their others. Starsight had great worldbuilding, but didn't do much with the characters I enjoyed from the first. Oathbringer was amazing, expanding everything I wanted it to and introducing great new elements, but there was more "filler" in it. Even when something big happened it was over so quickly I didn't get much time to delve into it, which is odd considering its a sanderson sized novel. And there are some scenes straight up missing? (Spoilers) I realllllyyy wanted to see Shallan and Jasnah meet up again, but he just skips that scene and explains what happens after which was a massive let down for me. He's donet his a few times but that one really got to me.

[@ebnovels]

Yes!!! In general, the return of the character was-imo-pretty brief and it didn’t feel like the other characters had much of a reaction 😆

[@TheEmmaLucille]

I ry not to have expectations when I choose a book to read. Just check the subject and hope for the best.

[@MandyGood]

I find the popular books aren’t as good as some people say they are. I find that if I’m reading a book and I’m not feeling it, I’ll stop reading it. I love a lot of books that aren’t popular or new. It’s the same with mainstream music. I love more underground music that’s not been fainted with the music industry. I find it with books too.

[@cussundriakneal9904]

I think, for Queen of Nothing, i honestly thonk Holly Black got burnt out of the characters by the time the third book rolled around. It honestly felt like she just wanted to get the series over and done with, and didn't really care about developing the characters even further. She just wanted to get to her ending that she thought for the characters, and then wipe her hands clean with it? I don't know, maybe but its just me. :/ But, for me personally, i think the series that either i, or friends around me overhyped was the Six of Crows duology. I mean, it wasn't BAD, it was just okayish? Just... not amazing? There were a couple of characters i loved and found to be very well done, but the rest were kinda... meh? And i just didn't understand what was so amazing about it. It was a good, but not amazing.

[@aliciacroft]

Spinning Silver is so so much better than Uprooted in my opinion - But I read Spinning Silver first and had the same issue with high expectations.

[@fuzzyninja8788]

The only robin hobb series that I really enjoyed was the solider son trilogy. It say give that one a shot if your looking for some hobb to read.

[@tulekahju]

I felt the same way about Assassin's Apprentice I didn't care for the time jumps when all the interesting elements were summarized; I prefer 'show dont tell'. I also didnt care for their names it made all of the characters one dimensional for me. Chivalry is chivalrous , Shrewd is shrewd, Verity is.. well you get the point. Queen of Nothing was simply a flop for me.

[@ElDaumo]

Have you read the Prince of Nothing series? Would love to hear your opinion on it!

[@ebnovels]

I JUST got the first one recently :D I’m always looking for it when I go to my local used bookstores :)

[@HysteriaDuzz]

Sins of Empire by Brian McClellan was a book I way over-hyped. I loved the Powder Mage trilogy so I figured the next trilogy would be just as good but it turned out just meh. (in my opinion)

[@halimorrow6025]

I was also disappointed in Queen of Nothing as well. Not enough scheming

[@bluebrightstar1117]

Mistborn. I still don't get the hype

[@balrajsingh1492]

same! same same!

[@ravenevermore7338]

I completely agree with everything you said about Assassin’s Apprentice.