2021 GOODREADS CHOICE AWARD NOMINEES | BULK REVIEWS

[@LiteratureScienceAlliance]

I am so happy you reviewed the wolf books back to back cause I have been struggling so hard to keep track of which is which and this really helped

[@Joe_Maysky]

I loved this one, Elliot; you covered a lot of titles I had seen a lot but wasn’t sure if I’d be interested in. Your thoroughness really sold me on For the Wolf and The Wolf and the Woodsman!

[@diannabrutsman5271]

I love hearing your thoughts! I feel so bad because I am an odd one out since I didn't enjoy For The Wolf very much, I enoyed the beginning but the middle and end could have been better for me, maybe my expectations were too high or something? It just felt lacking in some areas and really great in others (also would have loved to see more of the bad things happening on the sister side than what we got). As for the Gilded Ones I loved it and completely devoured it! I can see why people don't like the ending so much and have other issues with it, but I'm really excited to see where the series goes. Anyways, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts!

[@angelaholmes8888]

I absolutely loved the gilded ones it's one of my favorite reads of 2021 💯🥰 I also enjoyed the jasmine throne

[@tylerratcliffe8808]

Absolutely love your videos! You’re one of the few creators whose videos I like before watching, just because I know it’s going to be good

[@Books_BrewsandBeyond]

For once I'm early to viewing and I'm fifth- YAY!. I have yet to read The Maidens but I'm hoping to get to it next year.

[@niebieskie2]

This was great! Love the reviews so we can decide if we want to try it or not

[@afantasybabble6222]

The Wolf And The Woodsman was a solid debut novel. There are a few plot similarities between this and the entire Winternight Trilogy and that is what hurt it a bit for me. It felt like I read the story before. It's hard to live up to The Winternight Trilogy which is no fault of the book. I think this book would have been published a few years ago, it would have felt fresher. Despite this, I still enjoyed it. Ava Reid is gonna come out with a gothic inspired novel set in the same world! Excited for that one.

[@HummingbirdG6843]

Thanks for the great reviews. I have wanted to read both "wolf" books and The Gilded Ones. I might hold off a bit longer due to how heavy they are. Still in a bit of grief mode so not quite ready.

[@strawberrylime33]

I totally understand what u mean. If I'm not feeling really upbeat or happy, when a book is describing heavy topics and depression or torture and hopeless feelings, I find it difficult to get through. Hope u are feeling better now [I see that I'm 7 months late on replying to this comment 😅]

[@tiantuatara]

The Wolf and the Woodsman sounds really interesting.

[@Theblondebass1]

I adored the book For The Wolf! I loved the tension in the romance and the humor of the little moments. Her sister annoyed me by I'm excited for book 2!

[@00moon]

Thank I added one more book to my evergrowing tbr list because you said "creepy forest" I'm... I'm weak for that. On that note, if you get the time, I think you should pick up the Girl in the tower even if you don't finish the series. The third book starts off Violent and Difficult and it's soul crushing (also there's a plague..) and then it's like a mix of the first and the second book, but the second and first are very different from each other I think there are elements you might enjoy and it's not as slow paced. Most of it takes place in Moscow, got the "Mulan trope" too. I actually didn't like the second book as much simply because I missed the forest but I got some really familiar and legendary characters to make up for it I guess.

[@MoJordanReads]

I think the mistake with The Wolf and the Woodsman was comparing it to Spinning Silver and The Bear and the Nightingale. I get that there is a similar vibe but IMO those other two books are absolutely incredible. They are two of my favorite books of all time and comparing a debut novel to those books... you're just setting a very high bar. So, The Wolf and the Woodsman is really not a bad book, but when you compare it to Spinning Silver or The Bear and the Nightingale, the quality just isn't there. I think that marketing tactic really affected how I felt about the book.

[@fabalfaqih]

i totally agree with you! i was super hyped to read The Wolf and the Woodsman having loved The Bear and the Nightingale and liked Spinning Silver but ultimately I was v disappointed. Marketing really set the bar too high. Not to mention, the author really hyped the slow burn enemies to lovers and that trope in the story also fell really flat to me. 🤣

[@catsandbats77]

The Bear and the Nightingale was Katherine Arden's debut, so I think it's fair to compare one debut to another. I haven't read The Wolf and the Woodsman but I do agree it's difficult to top the Winternight Trilogy.

[@mikalahood8749]

I'm finally reading the jasmine Throne, enjoying it so far but I definitely feel how this slow start could be hard to push through

[@txdave]

I could not get through it unfortunately but I was so excited for it when I read it and got to about 50%

[@TheBookishMom]

I have been meaning to get to the WOlf and the Woodsman, it sounds like a really cool story!

[@tylerharrell9862]

Just got She Became the Sun 😎 can't wait to read it.

[@viktoriabazyk8193]

so did you like for the wolf or the wolf and the woodsman more?

[@daweithisisdavidinmandarin6121]

Thank you! When I need to get lost in my brain and think I will read She who became the Sun

[@jeilee3860]

I’ve been so excited about The Jasmine Throne but that book is thick and the start of a series and I am not looking for a new series right now. I also have anxiety so I would want answers not more mystery lol. I might wait until the sequel is out to start it so I can read both back to back. Also I didn’t realize She Who Became the Sun was fantasy-lite thanks for that I would’ve been mad. That’s how The Beautiful Ones was and I DNF’d it at like 30-40 pages in.

[@HonestFiction]

I absolutely loved For the Wolf - excited to jump into The Wolf and the Woodsman!!

[@JayGTheAwkwardBookworm]

I’ve barely read ANY of the nominees for ANY of the categories 🥺

[@longtallfran7986]

I finished reading The Jasmine Throne yesterday and have such mixed feelings. The world is fascinating and I loved the concept behind the magic system but the pacing felt a bit all over the place. Some bits I flew through and then I really struggled to finish off the final 50 pages. It was like the opposite of a sanderlanche! I also felt like the cover blurb almost did the book dirty; it hyped all the wrong things about the book leading me to have some expectations, that I only had because of the blurb, that were not delivered on.

[@MLLatUtube]

I was sure Black Sun would be nominated for Fantasy - one of the best books I read this year. However, I also loved Under The Whispering Door, so at least I could vote for a favorite.

[@ebnovels]

I think it came out last year-I’m guessing that’s why!

[@MLLatUtube]

@@ebnovels Oh, that makes sense. I thought I had read it right after it came out but I guess not.

[@joshuastewart9604]

Black Sun was indeed a finalist in 2020 and finished 12th of 20.

[@sbeav1105]

@@joshuastewart9604 Has the 2nd one come out yet??? Thought I saw something abt it recently.

[@joshuastewart9604]

@@sbeav1105 According to Goodreads, the second book Fevered Star is due 19 April 2022.

[@booksnlipstick]

I was thinking of buying She Who Became the Sun without trying it out first (the whole queer Mulan historical fantasy marketing got me)…but now I think I’ll check it out of the library first cause that doesn’t sound like something I would enjoy

[@angelaholmes8888]

I'm really am enjoying the wolf and the woodsman so far She who became the sun was a nice read but I didn't love it

[@ebnovels]

I hope you continue to enjoy it!

[@julissadc6303]

I loove like you describe book, new subbie

[@lisagoldstein5676]

I loved she who became the sun but yes the characters portrayed were brutal people. I liked that it was historical fiction with a touch of fantasy.

[@evareads2817]

Oh, I really liked The Gilded Ones

[@thewitchyreader6131]

Great video!

[@amfknproblem1358]

I really liked Maidens

[@DanClapp]

For the Wolf: not for me. Got it

[@screwgravity100]

"The Maidens" is one of the worst books I've ever read and I feel obligated to warn everyone who is considering reading it. There are a lot of very inteligent and contructive (negative) reviewes on Goodreads, that point out all the issues in a great way, so I highly recommend everyone to read them instead. To me, everything with this book went wrong. No stakes, bleh characters, absolutety unreasonable and unbelivelable actions taken by the characters just to keep the plot going. The Maidens, who you would think are the main interest, appear just a few times and bring absolutely nothing to the plot... I am not even going to mention all the problematic tropes and issues this book has... It's just a terrible book and a huge waste of time.

[@ebnovels]

Thanks for providing your perspective! I definitely enjoyed the book more reading it with my mom-she doesn’t get to pick stuff up very often because she works so much, so when she does, she likes to pick things up that are fast and often pure entertainment. It’s definitely not a super realistic book!-but I think about other readers like her, and I try not to dissuade people from picking things up if they think it’ll be exactly what they’re looking for :) Obviously not every reader is looking for a book like this, though, so it’s good to have reviews and criticisms for people to determine for themselves ☺️

[@timhodge8192]

This gal is just gorgeous

[@ebnovels]

Hopefully this gal was able to give you some helpful info on some books 😄

[@shinkayee]

omg i'm first? lol

[@ebnovels]

Congrats 😆

[@shinkayee]

@@ebnovels haha thanks, such a good video - as always!!💕

[@butterflycucumbers6279]

I think when people say they can predict the ending of a book is the most annoying flexing. You’re so fricken smart. Flex, flex, flex.

[@ebnovels]

Well if you insist: 💪🏼 💪🏼 💪🏼

[@ebnovels]

On a serious note, a lot of people like to know if a thriller is too predictable or not-hence me mentioning the predictability aspect.