I read THE DEER AND THE DRAGON so you don't have to

[@ReadswithRachel]

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[@Kappinna]

"I'm currently writing about a brazilian huntress fighting colonization :P" Me, a brazilian: oh no... "But I don't want to write about Brazil but ALL of South American mythology!" Me, still very much brazilian: OH NO... (Word of advice to all non latinos: DO NOT mesh the mythology of different countries as if they were interchangeable - Brazil alone has a multitude of deities and myths based on all cultural identities that form our country - for example, the myth behind the guaraná fruit is not from the same people as the headless mule myth, and yet they're both brazilian myths equally). EDIT: Also her drinking SANGRIAS on brazil...... Bestie we'd be drinking caipirinhas - Sangrias are so fucking expensive plus its not even a drink native to our country 😭

[@robertborland5083]

Yeah; the issue with that kind of melding of mythologies in ya fantasy is that it is so often done without consideration of the contexts these traditions emerged within. (Even down to not thinking about what beverages might be popular in the country in which the story is supposed to take place.)

[@MarielWhalley]

Just to ride your point further, caipirinhas are more commonly drunken in beach cities, on beaches. In São Paulo for example people mostly drink... Uh, beer (ok this last part is not that accurate, I haven't been in a bar on SP, just house parties)

[@russelferreira1870]

Sangria is very popular (and cheap) in Portugal, wouldn't be surprised if she found a source in Portuguese and just rolled with it without digging deeper (would be extremely embarrassing though 💀)

[@Kappinna]

@@MarielWhalley DHDHHSHDHDHDH its alright! I am from São Paulo and while we do drink a lot of beer and vodka-adjacent beverages we do have caipirinhas on bars and theyre usually affordable! Although i dont think this author was thinking of São Paulo when writing her little exotic travel piece inside her weird norse mythology book 😭😭

[@MarielWhalley]

@@Kappinna definetely not, as someone that specifically lived in São Paulo it's weird to me that they only think about Rio

[@nimeskart]

The idea that she instinctually hides her true name because of her fey lineage is so fun. Too bad she doesn't actually do it. If only the writer was better at world building.

[@willowingwhispers2612]

Her: Go away! Him: okay *Life threatening situation happens* Her: omfg where were you?! Him: you told me to go away Her: how dare you! Go away! Him: I don't want to but okay Her, a little while later: omg, where is he? He hasn't come back to see me! Why?? I've seen this in other books too and it drives me up the wall. It's one of the stupidest things I've ever seen.

[@dariya1873]

@@willowingwhispers2612 omg I was on that part and I was so confused ??? The writing is so inconsistent

[@Keter9793]

Not even 5 minutes in and we already have "fae", "Nordic pantheon" and "Prince of Hell" in one sentence. For the love of garlic bread, please don't tell me this is "based on nordic folklore," I'm still annoyed that her take on slavic folklore is just fae + angels + demons + funny words. edit: so it's bargain bin American Gods, I'm too sober for this

[@emackenzie]

I have to wonder if this is the book whose initial "interest building" blurb was a running joke in the anti-SJM space. Something about ACOTAR, faeries, the norse gods, beauty and the beast, and hades and persephone all in one.

[@Ceruleansquid-lo3iv]

love me some bargain bin American Gods (that's a lie) because everyone can totally write a world that works as much as Neil Gaiman's does.

[@nymphi777]

I just started the video and this comment made me realize that I probably shouldn't be sober while I watch this

[@byMemo0]

Ahah yeah... half an hour through the video and I was like 'So it's basically American Gods?'

[@katea6721]

@@byMemo0 yeeeah as soon as rachel mentioned the idea of a god requesting a book written about her cus it would increase the amount of faith in her and how that was kind of a cool idea it's like oh.... american gods. or even small gods by pratchett

[@finnwest2782]

I definitely don't hate children, but as an AuDHD person with noise sensitivities I used to think I hated children until I actually spent time with them. They can be so chill and cool, it's just that before that I was only around the very loud screaming kids. I don't blame them for that though, they can't help that they don't know how to regulate their emotions. No one did at that age.

[@CelticGuardian7]

I have noise sensitivity issues too. I don't hate children; I've enjoyed my time babysitting some and looking after my younger sister. I do accept that they can't help crying and screaming at young ages and from certain situations. With all that being said, it's very hard to not show my discomfort when trapped in a small space (like an airplane) with a crying child. I have to cover my ears to at least prevent some pain. I hope the parents of said children didn't think I was expressing disgust or hatred when that came up. =/

[@ReadswithRachel]

I have a ton of sensory issues and a specifically noise sensitivity as well, it’s why you’ll often see me wearing headphones even if I’m not listening to anything. My oldest is autistic and has sensory processing disorder and does use headphones often as well. My youngest has a behavioral disorder and knows I’m noise sensitive and unfortunately one of his things we are working on is aggression, and he knows it physically really hurts me to deal with loud noises and does them on purpose during meltdowns. I can’t help my sensory issues, I find ways to deal with them. He can’t help his disorder, and as the adult in the situation it’s my job to get him the help he needs to find ways to deal with those big feelings. Sometimes I have to remind myself that I’m way more capable of making active choices when I have big feelings than he is. Even if my feelings are valid, I still have to remember that I’m an adult and he is not

[@tyraoqvist350]

I think a lot of people that "hate" children just have a hard time describing why they sometimes find them annoying, which is a totally different thing. Kids can be loud and unpredictable since they're still in the learning stages of becoming people and don't really have all the tools to express themselves in other ways and if you have a hard time with sounds that can be really hard to deal with. There's this sort of cultural thing building up right now that we can't really dislike something without also automatically hating it, so "I have a hard time with loud noises and therefore dislike being around loud kids" becomes "I hate children". I personally also have a really hard time with noises, they make it really hard for me to focus on things. The people in my appartment complex have kids that play outside, and they're extremly loud. There's also a couple above me with a baby that cries a lot. All of these things are a lot for me personally to hande, and I hate having to deal with it, but I don't hate kids. We as a culture really need to work on letting two things be true at once because it really sucks to shut yourself into this one narrow definition when it's so much more complex.

[@SarcasticShrubbery]

@@ReadswithRachel I hear you on being the adult, and you're not wrong. But being autistic and getting migraines from loud noises (especially the type of high-pitched screeching some kids can do, it's a sound like no other) is also not something I can help. It's not just about big feelings, it's about being in *physical pain*, and the kids aren't mine to manage so there's nothing I can do, which gives me anxiety. I don't hate children and babies and I don't blame them, I also usually don't blame the parents when it's clear they're doing everything they can, but I'm also not apologising for appearing annoyed or frustrated either. It doesn't mean it's anyone's fault. It's just an objectively frustrating situation. Also, there's apparently an evolutionary reason why babies crying is a sound we can't tune out. Which makes sense, but it's already hard enough to deal with sensory sensitivities - hearing a loud, high-pitched sound that *can't be tuned out* can be pure torture.

[@ohhmangos]

@@ReadswithRachel This is making me tear up to read, you sound like an amazing mother. My mother and I are only just getting to working around the fact that I was a child and she expected me to deal with my feelings better than she did. It warms my heart to know that there are parents out there who don't do that to their kids and actually take the time to understand their kid's disorders and challenges. Ik to others it might be bare minimum, and it should be, but this comment just really got me emotional. So, from a random internet stranger, I assure you that even when its tough to deal with-- it probably means the world to that kid.

[@saintxendahlia]

As someone who has done sex work and is deeply traumatized from it, I don't agree that sex work 'shouldn't' be flagged as a trigger warning

[@ReadswithRachel]

Do you feel like it would be more helpful to get specific about the particular things you experienced that were harmful within the TW? Since sex work is so broad and encompasses a variety of jobs, maybe the answer would be to specify the particulars of the job that caused harm? Genuine question btw, was just having a conversation with indie authors about trigger warnings yesterday so your feedback is important

[@saintxendahlia]

​@ReadswithRachel yes of course, a more specific trigger warning where applicable would be more productive I think :0 I'm not very good with words, so I don't know what specifically those warnings would be, but I certainly would appreciate it

[@silverdirtdraws9828]

​@@ReadswithRachelThis is a good point that I've never really considered personally. I've been out of the industry about 6 months and have come across media depicting the industry and each time I go in expecting the part I participated in only to find they're talking about a whole other section. Thankfully I've no real triggers related to any of those but I can see why this could be upsetting to many, including those who have never participated. It's a completely different set of potential triggers. I know one could be considered full service SW, maybe dancers could be erotic or just dancer SW? (If someone from that side could add their thoughts that would be great) Online could likely just be online SW.... Maybe...?

[@AidenFeltkamp]

“Only 10 kids showed up” - that’s so many?? If I had that many kids at my bday I’d think it was a huge party. Marlowe is so spoiled I can’t

[@ReadswithRachel]

I definitely never had a birthday party that had 10 kids at it either when I read that I was like wait what kind of birthday parties was everybody else having? I had two neighbors and a friend from church. 🤣

[@peggyluwhoreads]

I had the same reaction. 10 is 3.5 times the number that came to my birthdays as a kid

[@CopperPheonix]

The only time I had more then 10 kids at a party was when I convinced my mom to have my party at the roller rink.

[@TheGuardianssorrow]

I went to a party where about 10 kids showed up. The girl only talked to the 3 actual friends, and then barely touched her presents from the rest of us. 😂 Thats what I imagine Harlow is like. Just has her friends that do nothing, but praise her.

[@kbird6208]

Corporeal punishment is such a great mistake to leave in this book.

[@GeneralNooters]

As well as “inhumane child” and “FsAWNA” 🤣 proofread who?

[@EmRose.r]

26:38 Marlo's mom: who are you playing with sweetie? Marlo: Amanda! Caliban: I'm Amanda, I'm 6

[@mountainsandchapter3398]

As someone who has suffered from hallucinations since a young age, I am immediately incredibly cautious when a story has the element of "hallucination that isn't actually a hallucination." And the more I listen, the worse it gets.

[@rainydayjules]

Holyyyyy 25 minutes in and the description of Marlow is like the most obvious author self insert I’ve ever heard

[@steverainbow2.0]

I had the same felling

[@sidney9796]

dude im at the same point and she sounds like an author insert i would write when i was TWELVE. like the jokes ("im a slut for ___" hit me in the face, that was tumblr language too) and personality quirks like hating men. and your friends. and also everyone. lordd. having them be a successful writer whose super sexy and tortured just makes it too obvious

[@NecrozmaJade]

I was thinking, if I ever make my protagonist an author, I need someone to knock some sense into me. There's gotta be other life experiences that you can imagine living.

[@Ceruleansquid-lo3iv]

excuse me this is totally her oc, dont steal

[@blearyeyedchangeling]

i have a lot of love for those brave enough to make self inserts tbh

[@SageWillow]

knowing who the author is, and having watched some of her tiktoks to me this strikes me as a self insert fantasy

[@steverainbow2.0]

Yes I have this felling too

[@P4Stalot]

I made a list of every time I've heard her say these exact things about herself. So far I have 7 things.

[@zkkitty2436]

@@P4Stalotdrop the list

[@goonsdirge3464]

i was just coming here to say this which makes it so much funnier that rachel is constantly talking about how she sucks lmao

[@nixxdra]

Nothing inherently wrong with a self insert fantasy. Unfortunately this just also happens to be a poorly written self insert fantasy.

[@isabelamoschkovich3208]

I'm sure by now your friends have already told you this, but now you're definitely a honorary Brazilian citizen

[@CommanderDarcy]

Ela já pode descer na embaixada e tirar a dupla cidadania

[@ReadswithRachel]

Obrigada 😭 estou orgulhoso

[@andrezmira1151]

My husband is Colombian and rolled his eyes at the Columbian flag misspelling ahaha

[@ReadswithRachel]

I told my husband to tell his coworker about it who’s from Colombia and she texted him back, and I quote, “😑🙄🙄🙄”

[@saraluciaforerogarcia]

I feel like every colombian under the sun made those emojis a reality as soon as they read that

[@jamiepx9]

Isn't columbia an outdoor clothing brand or am I crazy?

[@saraluciaforerogarcia]

@@jamiepx9 and a college

[@DesertKitsune]

​@@jamiepx9and a river that runs through Washington and Oregon

[@tomdelongjohns]

i love listening to you talk about the weird interpretations of the bible in fundieland bc they make me think deeper about the shit i learned growing up in a roman catholic family that went to a working class church that was centered around the fishermen that were so important to my town's commerce. i loosely interpreted "no other gods" very similarly to the mental gymnastics way you described, but instead of "humans are inherently sinful and will idolize other things and that's bad" it was more of a "you might love shit a lot but don't let that turn you into a person god would hate" aka cruel and hurtful and hateful. so as an adult, looking back, i realize my interpretation was very "don't allow capitalism to give you brainworms, we live in a society and need each other" and i'm very proud of baby me for being like that even before i understood what capitalism was. i'm gonna say my generational scarcity trauma, the working class nature of my church, and the fact that my mom was my sunday school teacher for so many years (and taught me that god really doesn't care too much about the minutiae, just don't be a dick and you're good) for the fact that i was able to be a lil leftist.

[@ebonyamber6925]

“That scene could have been an e-mail.” Amazing. 😂

[@mst3kharris]

Two things are bothering me. One, it vexes me when people base things on mythology but then don’t use the mythology. The “Nordic fae” are specific things. Presumably Piper does mean elves and not, say, giants. That means Marlo is an eighth ljósálfar or svartálfar. Probably ljósálfar as the svartálfar are supposed to be unpleasant. Two, I’m annoyed that Silas has a Latin name instead of being named Eli or Jeremiah or something ending in -el. It can’t be that he needs to use an alias; he’s an _angel._ (Also, shout out to Kirby Puckett, who predated Kirby the Nintendo character, and was one of the greatest players the Minnesota Twins ever had.)

[@teslashark]

Giants aren't that much taller, I guess, so she could be some regular jotun descendant or even asian ashelm descendant... The Phoenicians got dealt really more boring though.

[@isaacbenrubi9613]

Man. If I had a nickel for every time a strange fae creature showed up in my life, warning me that I had been getting freaky with some sort of otherworldly deity, I would have fifteen cents.

[@DesertKitsune]

Ten cents more than I'd have, so I'm not sure if I should congratulate you on your spicy life or hope it stays at fifteen for safety sake. 😂

[@valerielevasseur8674]

You guys get warnings?

[@sentientstarz]

i feel like there could have been such a cool exploration of queerness with the past lives bit! like if marlow was amab in a past life or two-spirit (if indigenous that time) & then we could talk about how the love between their souls transcends gender/sex, but instead we just made it painfully heteronormative

[@zkkitty2436]

I don’t think this author would be capable of exploring indigenous cultures appropriately. I do think historical queerness could have been brought up, but this author would definitely fuck up if the whole “I was so many ppl throughout history” was explored in any meaningful way. This person does not seem to have much cultural awareness or sensitivity outside out the narrow scope of white Americans.

[@Dizzintegration]

BRAZIL MENTIONED!!! 🎉

[@Charlie-mx3gj]

The fact that the subtitles say "funny land" instead of "fundie land" is so unintentionally funny.

[@working.k9.clover]

@@Charlie-mx3gj the fact i fr just though all this time it was “funny land” (i grew up conservative christian but not fundamentally ig?)

[@ATKOtter]

You know what could have been a cool twist? If Astarte had been involved with the publisher for the Pantheon series as part of her plan to get new worshipers. Like I'm just picturing a reveal that Astarte was like... her editor, or whoever she signs a contract with for a book about the Canaanites. So the whole "don't make deals" or give her real name in the fertility clinic would have been moot because Astarte had known her the entire time, so she would have no real protections. And Astarte could have had a presence throughout the entire story you wouldn't notice until the very end.

[@kathrynolsen1256]

33:10 LOL. This reminds me of my critique of the Les Miserables movie where fantine loses her footing on a staircase and suddenly finds herself surrounded by the ladies of the night of Paris. “She tripped and became a sex worker. I don’t remember that part of the book.”

[@ReadswithRachel]

Oh my GOD I forgot about that hahahahaha

[@Eremon17]

Okay, so I don't like kids, like at all. HOWEVER, that doesn't mean I have to treat them like shit, I try to be as polite and friendly and interested as possible, I mean, they are humans like you and me, and everyone was a kid once. Why should I treat them badly? But sadly, most people who don't like kids see that as an excuse to treat them badly 😭

[@ShaleNinja]

9000% agree. I don't like kids a single bit, with a couple of the reasons being my own hideous childhood, how much of a nightmare it is to raise small humans into good adults in this rotten world, how much responsibility they are, and how fricken loud they are. But like. If I encounter children, I make an effort to be kind to them because I'll be damned if they go through their childhoods like I did mine being treated subhuman. It's not their fault they're not grown yet.

[@Eeeli_Jah]

Marlow talking about how she sets up her dating profile reads like a monologue you'd hear in American Psycho or Gone Girl (i have not seen either of those movies)

[@mochibunnyan6556]

Ngl one thing that I found a little funny is Fauna calling out Silas and saying Christianity’s claim on Marlow shouldn’t count because Marlow was a baby and couldn’t have consented, AKA Marlow had no choice in the matter, while Fauna herself was saying that the Nordic fae had a claim over her because of her blood, which is ALSO not something Marlow had a choice in.

[@joanareads]

i can't stop laughing cause i was so confused why pick kirby as the fancast for her friend and their name actually being kirby took me so off guard

[@claiternaiter446]

I had the opposite reaction. I knew someone growing up named Kirby, and they were born before the first Kirby game came out. Kirby the character was probably named after a real person…or at least given a name the creator had heard before. I want to say Kirby is a surname as well.

[@claiternaiter446]

Forgot to mention that I thought it was weird that it seems like the author hadn’t heard it in real life before and specifically mentioned the video game character

[@cresoma]

⁠​⁠@@claiternaiter446 Correct! Kirby was named after John Kirby, an American lawyer who worked with Nintendo before the character came to be : )

[@melon_float]

Why do authors keep thinking that main characters without any social connections/ emotional investments in friends or family are compelling?

[@tsifirakiehl4250]

I have no idea! There have been stories I’ve given up on because none of the characters cared about each other. No one cared about anyone, so I had a hard time caring about any of them.

[@annerematt4379]

Not to be that person, but the "make gods relevant again by having converts / drumming up interest" feels like we're ripping off Neil Gaiman's American Gods

[@FOBROCK13]

The description itself reminded me of Mayfair witches, but yeah American Gods comes to mind too

[@muntu1221]

It's a concept he popularized, but it's used in a lot of media. It comes from history, at least in so far as Christianity presumes "pagan" gods require sacrifices and active worship for power, while the Christian god is self-sustaining.

[@lycianempire]

It does pop up in Sir Terry Pratchett's Discworld books as well. Aka Gaiman's longtime friend and collaborator.

[@ironicallynice]

​@@lycianempire yes Small gods.

[@byMemo0]

I was that person too

[@yeenbean3318]

Whyyyy did they make Marlowe a fake ally to enbies? I don't think they necessarily meant to, but they did. Moral grandstanding about Harry Potter but saying someone's name "isn't their real name" is something a fake ally would do. It's so condescending. I'm not enby, but I'm just saying if I were, I'd rather someone say "They came up with it themself. You should ask them about it sometime." Also I don't think it's a really big deal if someone enjoys Harry Potter. People are allowed to like things even if the author went crazy. Chances are, they were probably a big fan since way before all that happened.

[@chloesantos8637]

41:55 "The real story of Christmas" LMFAO

[@ReadswithRachel]

My embarrassment is endless

[@marysnyder9405]

The "no other god before me" tangent just ripped up some religious trauma I had forgotten. When I was six, I first heard the sermons on idols, right? And they were explained to me that they were things that you loved more than God, or things that you turned to for comfort instead of God. And how that was wrong and you needed to repent. I was 6, and my favorite thing in the world was my favorite stuffed animal, whom I carried everywhere and considered my best friend. Because I felt more love to this piece of fabric than for God (because I was 6, and what 6 year old actually has a close and personal relationship with Jesus?) I was convinced I was a horrible evil idolater. I ended up sobbing in church, begging for forgiveness because I considered my toy my best friend. God, they really do such damage to children.

[@chxilya]

I have a little brother and when he was just born he was my whole world, I felt so guilty and dirty and wrong because I loved him more than god lol, made worse by the fact both my parents and the priest I confessed it to didn't reassure me and gave me empty words about prioritizing god over anyone and about after death we'd all be siblings married to god adoring him for eternity, they really fuck up people

[@JP-tr9bg]

Instutionalized religion is a horrifying thing. I'm still a Christian but I choose to ignore a lot of organized religious authorities because of what you just described. I hope you found peace after going through something like that

[@quint_avi]

A 2.5h long Rachel video featuring Brazilian memes is all I could've asked for

[@liliumvivendel]

I know absolutely nothing about Piper CJ, except for what I've learnt from you, but something about this book and the character of Marlow reads self-insert. Which gets kind of cringe at times, but also really works in the moments with the mom that you brought up; those sentences felt really genuine and heartfelt, like something Piper CJ herself has lived through. And I agree that the general idea about an author who "brings new life" to old religions through books is interesting (I had the same idea when I was like 12-13 years old and now I'm a little bit mad I didn't do anything with it lol). Like in general the whole concept about spiritual warfare, different old and new religions being real, religious trauma, reincarnated lovers, etc is interesting, too bad the executing of it didn't hold up.

[@saraluciaforerogarcia]

Haven't really watched it, but just the COLUMBIAN flag is making me mad, do these people not have editors, or do the editors also think that the USA is the only country on earth

[@emackenzie]

I tried a book I stumbled upon on Instagram where the author seemingly couldn't decide if the ML was addressed as Prince or Lord. Like, switching within two paragraphs of each other. I'm happy self-publishing is more accessible, but there's very clearly been an overall decrease in editing and prooffeading

[@cerinlynx6119]

Man. Kirby didn't deserve to be dragged into this (the character OR the pink puffball)

[@GothVampiress]

the 'real story of christmas' slipup is so real. i have the same reaction whenever i catch myself leaning back into protestant work ethic

[@xoda32]

oh I am FEASTING thank you for all you do for us queen 🙏

[@BekahBrownie]

This is not ALL I got from the review, but I just had to comment on it…. MAN the thieves oil! I’m from Utah (and a family of former Mormons who all left in adulthood) - aka the essential oils capital of the world -and my older sister also has a thing for essential oils. Not in the instead of medicine way, but in the I think they smell good and peppermint oil saved her from preggo vomiting way. Thieves is her favorite. It will forever remind me of her. Her fave handsoap is YoungLiving because they have a thieves scented one!

[@ReadswithRachel]

Peppermint oil also super helped me while pregnant and I still use it for helping with nausea

[@dr_not_sam]

2.5 hours is an absolutely perfect length of time to spend with you

[@courtnsession_]

Idk what I expected coming from Marlow "I can never think two minutes past right now" Thorsson, but for someone who spent the literal first quarter and a bit of the book terrified that others saw her as crazy for "seeing things that aren't there in reality" to then immediately forgetting that when faced with a big bad goddess and just pointing out the random woman *in the corner of the room who never introduced herself or was introduced by the doctor* is a jump i hadn't thought we could make. and this book jumped so much that my knees are sore 😮‍💨

[@fgjhham89]

1:08:14 - the word I like is misopedy. I don't know if it's exactly what you're critizing from the book, but there's a lot of interesting writing on the topic of how our society dehumanizes children! I certainly don't want to be a parent and I don't particularly enjoy being around little children, but reading about this subject has really helped me empathize more with children.

[@drowningindeepblue]

I think it says something that even the title of the book is a reference to Fauna and Caliban, not Marlow. For a main character who's supposed to cause the start of Revelations, this story really felt like it just happened around her. That aside, it is encouraging to see an author who's actually growing in their craft. I've got some issues with Piper C.J. as a person, but I am glad to see that her work is developing for the better.

[@emackenzie]

I feel like the main character being a Catalyst and not a Player can be incredibly compelling if done right, but this just didn't do it for me

[@angryotter9129]

That “you can’t study something while you look down your nose at it” is ripped from the movie Practical Magic. You cannot change my mind.

[@marsarson3620]

seeing a song you love from a not super known artist/somewhat niche artist on a character playlist for a book like *this* is the feeling of true fear (CORPSE, my beloved)

[@DesertKitsune]

Well, Piper is a tiktoker, and Corpse found a larger audience in tiktok, so it's not surprising she came across him. Nor is it surprising that she's exploiting his music to give niche cred to her book.

[@ps1hagridoufofcharacter]

i dont think corpse is that niche, wasnt he like on dreamsmp? i do like some of his stuff btw (egirls are ruining my life played in the car once when i was driving somewhere with my dad lmao) edit: i just noticed ur dsmp avatar haha

[@briefisbest]

Thank you for the oils infodump! Frankincense & Myrrh are also funerary scents. Frankincense as an oil has a sharp, bright kind of scent. Myrrh is deeper, sweeter, and could definitely be described as perfumey. Frankincense when used in perfumery is usually called olibanum.

[@jordansteeleismyname]

The constant “we believe” or “my circle.” 😭 Girl, I see you. I do this all the time post-deconstruction while trying to explain my upbringing. My reaction is always the same as yours. I 👏see👏you👏. It’s the worst self-cringe feeling lol

[@justokayemilay6029]

This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti was the book I immediately thought of when Marlo says the "battle over our towns our houses and our houses as if they were territories. " Immediately This Present Darkness.

[@cardboardtubeknight]

It’s funny, when she talked about spiritual warfare that book immediately came to mind

[@kaialexander6806]

This book has a lot of really interesting ideas and I feel like more time needed to be spent in the planning and drafting phase to really lay out a good story that isn't filled with loose threads and plot conveniences. For example, you could tie off the "why didn't Caliban ever tell Marlo he was the Prince of Hell?" thread by straight up just having him tell her because A) that opens up another avenue for exploration in regards to her childhood and her relationship with her Mom, and B) she could just have gotten to a point where she doesn't believe him since she didn't believe he was real by the opening of the book. She could even have repressed that memory because I cannot imagine that revelation would be anything but traumatic with how she was raised. Also as a fellow bachelor's degree in psychology holder, I concur with Jules on pretty much all of it and especially so on the Macdonald Triad. It has little evidentiary backing and is a wholly unhelpful way of looking at violent crime. In general, I'm instinctively wary of anything relating to criminal profiling. I do not have a high opinion on any of it.

[@vcutler4735]

I think instead of the author putting a rant about certain trigger warnings not being for them instead doing an AO3 style tag list would be better. Let people decide what themes work for them or not. And not just put triggers in there but all kinds of themes and topics. It works both for people looking to NOT read stuff but also for folks who do want to read specific topics. Also that rant and then Marlow's character... I think I agree with folks who think Marlow is a bit of an author self insert.

[@LorewithouttheE]

1:46:07 all i can think of is the Suzy Eddie Izzard bit about beekeepers trying to flirt 😆 "i like my coffee like i like my women: *covered in beeees!*"

[@kitcorin]

RACHEL OS MEMES BRASILEIROS AHAHAH eu estou morrendooo😭 I honestly adore how much you're interested in my country, it makes me soft 🥺 Obrigade pelo video, I'm only half an hour in but needed to share how much your meme usage delighted me lmao

[@ThatFlamingFroggo]

*laughs in shared religious trauma* So, while not raised fundie, laying of hands, speaking in tongues, all this I've experienced. Most of the trauma comes from seeing how anyone with mental health differences, or nuerodifferences, like a family member of mine, was literally demonized. As a kid, I have done the whole "speaking of tongues" but really, it was a means of bonding with folks, not although at times, I may have believed it to be more. But, now I know that I just like making noises, and vocal stims sooooo....that also probably had something to do with how it came easy to me.

[@P4Stalot]

My dad made us all go out on the porch for some reason, every night, and pray in tongues. And I was only 4 years old, so technically I shouldn't have been able to do that because I hadn't had the baptism of the holy spirit yet. I don't know what that was about, honestly.

[@VictoreFloris]

A 2-and-a-half-hour video is exactly what I needed after today. It was my last day of senior year and I just got home from a very emotionally charged and mentally taxing dinner with my extended family, so to say I needed something to help keep me a step away from a total autistic shutdown is an understatement

[@cherry-cj9iq]

BRAZIL MENTION!!!!!!!!! that's what matters we can stop the book right there- VAI COMEÇAR A PUTARIA AEEEEEEEEEE I'm sorry that cracked me up so so much

[@paperbackreader]

Every single time Rachel says that the main character isn’t asking the most basic question, my brain says “what do we eat.”

[@steverainbow2.0]

The cover is sooo beautiful but where's the deer and the dragon ? Like if fauna is the deer why she's not the main character 😕⁉️😵🤔😦

[@CoolKitCat123]

Not me quite literally eating sushi while watching this having mixed my wasabi and soy sauce...

[@ReadswithRachel]

Absolutely diabolical of you

[@iFlutterbye]

The “real” story of Christmas… Rachel Nooo. 😭

[@ReadswithRachel]

The way I said it 😩 I sounded like my mother

[@iFlutterbye]

@@ReadswithRachel no, stuff comes out like that all the time with me too… it’s the worst. 😂

[@rightsarentpolitical]

@@ReadswithRachel lol the indoctrination trauma is real. I both gasped and laughed at the same time because I completely understood where that came from.

[@ReadswithRachel]

I want to break free 🎶

[@uncensoredeyes]

Honestly, the fact that Marlow plays Super Smash Bros in this book and mentions playing Star Fox makes me think I'm right in my assumption that book 2(the fox and the falcon) is a secret Star Fox and Falco fanfic.

[@mentallyunw3ll]

This is a special interest niche of mine that I never knew needed scratched

[@CelticGuardian7]

As someone who used to browse Super Smash Bros. fanfics back in the day, this wouldn't surprise me in the slightest.

[@cardboardtubeknight]

Final destination, 3 stock, no items, Fox and Falco only.

[@LucielAngelican]

personally i don't like children, i just don't want a kid, i dont really like being around kids, i'm not good with kids and im extremely awkward plus noise is just a big sensitivity thing for me. but i obviously wouldn't be like her.. that was a very interesting choice for the author... i dont really see the point of it. overall I think the book sounds really plothole ridden and definitely not my style the whole mom and fundie thing was the only good part

[@Jess_talks_book]

I'm so glad I glanced at the screen when Kirby was introduced 🤣

[@einsame_Maria]

1:42:19 I grew up orthodox christian and I think I vaguely remember my mom explaining that it's not because the devil is doing the bidding of god but because of how jealous he is of humans (who are SOOOOO loved by god) that he likes torturing them and it's not that God is punishing them but they just got tricked (oh the trauma is swelling up in my throat) by the Devil into not being good christians so woops they can't be let into heaven sorry🤪 (They have an argument for everything and if they don't it's usually god is good god is great if you can't see it it's your fault)

[@katyj6058]

Does anyone else feel like Piper could be a really good writer if someone had the balls to check her ego and tell her to kill her darlings? Not to knock the moments she got it in this one, but like. They are moments. Idk. I feel like I know of so many authors who could benefit from an ego check, but hey! If they’re having fun and those books are still selling I guess it works….. SJM and Colleen Hoover anyone?

[@palamedes4740]

All the Brazilian memes had me on the floor 😂😂

[@ReadswithRachel]

Perfeita meu trabalhe aqui esta…fim? Ah fuck nao sei como dizer “finished” lmao

[@lauratoschi5104]

@@ReadswithRachelyou can say “meu trabalho está feito” (my work is done) or “meu trabalho está terminado” (my work is finished). and hey, i wanna take this moment to say that as someone studying to teach english and portuguese as additional languages, this video was honestly really inspiring to me. appreciate you, rachel 🫶🏻

[@precisamesmo]

Terminado (finished) or feito (done) 🤙✨

[@dandelionpuff]

I could fill books with my favorite one liners you say lmfao. Page 1 line 1 is "this scene could have been an email" 💀💀💀💀💀

[@Amaiguri]

I'm only 15 minutes in and I checked the comments to see if anyone else commented this so this might be redundant BUT: CJ Piper is an ex-sex worker who got a lot of money being a fantasy author. So. Just like... some added context about all this 😅 Edit: And also, her family disowned her

[@P4Stalot]

My favorite part was where she said Marlo wrote about what she knew because she didn't want to be accused of regurgitating already existing ideas.... COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY referring to Piper being told she was regurgitating The Witcher. like, lol there are so many references to her, here, and it was almost like you're saying "well, yeah, so I just wrote about myself, because everybody told me I was rewriting something else."

[@mikaylaharcourt1042]

I wonder, with the Devil being referred to as a dragon, would that make Caliban the dragon in the title since he's the prince of Hell and son of the Devil?

[@ReadswithRachel]

Yeah I suppose but in my sect of fundieland we weren’t told the devil has kids so I wouldn’t make that connection immediately

[@kay12]

I'm going to have to rewatch the first forty-five minutes because Rachel's eye makeup is that ENTRANCING!!!!!!

[@Kat-ge7nn]

I would genuinely love this book to become a movie and have some script writers fix up the pacing. Like genuinely this coulda been a 5 star book (and I still really enjoyed it) but damnnnn the pacing missed

[@steverainbow2.0]

I really hope piper cj don't use brazilian "lore" in her next book just please no , first what is Brazilian lore , and second the most brazilian "mythology"/ "lore" , """""religion""""" is from indigenous people i don't think piper is the best person to use it , and third brazil have alot of religions so shes going to mix everything? because brazil is not a monolith thing brazil is big and diverse not a simple thing

[@steverainbow2.0]

Of course in Brazil we have a lot of other religions since We are a people who are mixed with many cultures

[@CommanderDarcy]

Mds q medo dela fazer alguma coisa com o Brasil

[@steverainbow2.0]

@@CommanderDarcy sim 😵

[@MeganTHEEcatlady]

I’m 46 minutes in, but I had an intrusive thought. If you’re “Daddy” (referencing the last video), does this make your husband our…mommy? Is this what they mean by “boy mom”? … Shouldn’t’ve let the intrusive thoughts win, huh? Ajddkldmkdlmkls I’m so sorry 😭🤧 This is a weird thing to say, but the amount of **dangling modifiers** in this book sucks me out of any sort of immersion (beyond other things). I’ve noticed how “trendy” it is to use dangling modifiers and perverse them, essentially doubling down on a concept that’s been established or doesn’t need explanation. II don’t know. I enjoy monologuing to get the intimate, nitty-gritty of a character and their direct perception on life. But all the dangling modifiers that go too hard on clarifying what every single action means? It makes me more feel like I can’t be trusted as the reader to understand the character. It makes everything too..."easy", kinda? I like when some things are demonstrated, some things are indirectly explained, and some things are directly explained. These days, seems more authors just lay all the cards on the table and use dangling modifiers out the wazoo. Not to mention, it makes sentences quite long and run-on-y 😅 Okay, sorry for interrupting Dad, back to the video **** EDIT: I am a diagnosed schizophrenic with other comorbidities, and my head did a whip back about this with the FMC's mother. Now. Schizophrenia in other cultures has been more…worshipped? Kinda? It was seen as a spiritual or religious blessing. But, clearly, this is not what's happening here. I have a full-time job; I have hobbies; I have friends. And it's so depressing that schizophrenia is used to demonized, villainize, and/or dehumanize people, fictional or not. Does it suck having this? Sure. I was treated like a stain in my first and second (and hopefully last) stay at a psych unit just for existing. I felt like being diagnosed was a death sentence. It's not. But the stigma against it? It feels like a societal death sentence. But, yeah, schizophrenia, and other disorders, being repped in fiction… I'm just both weary and wary, is all I'll say. Thank you to Jules for her thoughts (sorry for any misspellings)!

[@krixkhaos]

Pausing the video now (5:45) to make a couple of media recommendations: Firstly, I don't know whether you've read the Winternight trilogy by Katherine Arden, but I thought she did a good job of depicting and critiquing christo-fascism and christian colonisation. I also just really enjoyed the story and prose. Please do read it if you have the time and inclination. Secondly, I highly HIGHLY recommend Genetically Modified Skeptic here on KZbin for further deconstruction of christian beliefs. He's an ex-fundie and does an incredible job of factually and methodically breaking down various aspects of christianity. Your comment about spiritual warfare reminded me of one of his most recent videos discussing exactly this issue and why he believes it's the most insidious element of christian beliefs.

[@ReadswithRachel]

I LOVED the bear and the nightingale! That was the first video I ever did on my channel was reviewing that book, actually! The video is so awkward so I def deleted it but I would love to reread and discuss it again. I need to finish the series. I’ll have to check out generically modified skeptic!

[@krixkhaos]

​@ReadswithRachel I definitely recommend you finish the trilogy! Also, I didn't think about the fact that the first book has the same naming convention as the book being discussed in this video 😂

[@HRNNNGH]

First: that lip color is GORGEOUS. Second: yay for 2.5hrs to keep me company while I do chores

[@bex7681]

the thing is the hebrew bible was never written by or for christians. the g-d of the hebrew bible is simply the g-d of the jewish people: the commandment is for jews not to start worshipping other people's gods. not only does the torah not deny that other people's gods exist (e.g. when moses fights pharoah's magicians, their gods give them real power too, it's just that the g-d of moses is stronger) it doesn't even expect that THEY become monotheists, as long as they don't actively disparage the jewish g-d, and recognise general standards of human decency (something non-jewish groups are recognised as capable of without the jewish g-d). later interpretations deemphasised this for sure, but in my experience this point isn't controversial in jewish communities so I was surprised to see it presented as this bombshell, lol. I feel like a lot of ex-christians trying to criticise their own upbringing (as they have every right to) kind of forget jews exist and default right to a secular version of the supersessionist "cruel irrational old testament g-d" ideas they grew up with.

[@terendril]

As an exvangelical, other ways of approaching the g-d of the Bible were not really even mentioned. It took me a while to realize there were a whole bunch of other ways people have interacted with those texts, and that the history is very very different from what I was taught it was. I hate how misinformed I was

[@erensalias]

From one Jew to another, I couldn’t have said this better myself! You hit every nail on the head, this is exactly what I explain to people when they ask how I can be in an interfaith partnership.

[@deepmaxlore]

if you haven't read it yet, American Gods by Neil Gaiman is a book that has this exact idea of gods changing, fading, or thriving, based on people's current beliefs.

[@Milovatsi]

I love that book ❤

[@scheherazade2291]

Rachel, you should look into reading “What Monstrous Gods.” It has more of an emphasis on religious deconstruction than on romance which I think most people assumed there would be but I think it was good for what it was. I think you may find it interesting.

[@ReadswithRachel]

I would because I was super interested in the premise but I won’t read from Rosamund Hodge after her anti-choice tweets

[@scheherazade2291]

@@ReadswithRachel oh no!! I wasn’t aware. That’s so disappointing.

[@ReadswithRachel]

It just happened not that long ago so I don’t think many people know. It broke my heart 😩

[@weirdandproudofit1]

You would LOVE Terry Pratchett. Small gods especially imo Oh I also think Charlie N Holmberg's Numina trilogy deals a bit with deconstruction in a high fantasy setting but it's not quite what you mean

[@P4Stalot]

HEAR, HEAR

[@Ceruleansquid-lo3iv]

I love Small Gods!! my favorite discworld books are the ones about the guards, but small gods is a great recommendation.

[@GarnetHeartIllustrations]

A great way to use the “don’t use your real name” thing when she uses her pen name at the clinic would have been to make her pen name also count bc she uses that name for herself regularly, in a similar way to her friend Kirby, where Kirby isn’t the friend’s birth name, but it is the friend’s name. So have it be a plot twist that Marlow, despite being careful, unintentionally gives the goddess power over her with her pen name, and the others just didn’t know about that technicality bc it rarely comes up

[@roselover411]

Oh goodness, I did not expect speaking in tongues to make an appearance in this wow. I was raised Catholic, my nana said that in order to speak in tongues, the Holy Spirit has to be requested to bestow it upon you by others in the faith, kind of like a coven inducting a new witch to be perfectly honest. Apparently my nana gifted the ability to my mother as well, who I have never once heard use it in my life. My nana said I have the capability to speak in tongues if I want it. I did not want it. (You may note I said raised Catholic. Not am.) I have never heard that anyone possesses the ability to perceive tongues though. I've always been told it was impossible to understand the angels' language. We could be gifted the ability to speak it but not to understand what we said.

[@P4Stalot]

What I was told (and I think it is clear there are many flavors of fundie, so this might differ from what others were taught) is that you weren't understanding it, but you are interpreting it, like you felt what the person what was meaning to say. Like, you understood it emotionally, but not literally.

[@roselover411]

@@P4Stalot Ohh sure that would make more sense!

[@yeehawvilletown7614]

Cannot recommend Silvia Federici enough!!! Caliban and the Witch is great, I also read Witches, Witch-hunting and Women by her in one of my classes and it was fantastic!

[@notyourboi4076]

we have to take 'bandage tight dress' away from this author, I think. Great review, and on a side note your makeup is incredible!

[@BlackReshiram]

well, glad to hear that this author actually does have some talent after all! i was worried this would suck as well, but this has some really cool ideas. interested to see where this authors career will go eventually!

[@raapture]

"the real stor-*gags*-the "real story of Christm-!? Rachael!!....I have to leave it in for accountability." 😂😂😂😂😂😂 My favorite part so far 🎉

[@hereticglory]

it's interesting that this book is so much better than the night and its moon. almost like having original ideas is always better than ripping off something else

[@AkanaPhenix]

IM SEATED!! But knowing the backstory to how her and her fans treated you, I truly hope you’re okay. ❤ You deserve the world. We appreciate your commitment to book reviews!!

[@SakiaLumei]

As someone who has spent years researching Norse mythology for their novel, the fact that fae + heaven/hell come in the same sentence as "Norse pantheon" makes me ill. Also, I still need to watch the rest of the video, but I hope there's at least an attempt at discussing the Christianity-washing of Norse myth because all we know about Norse myth was written by a Christian sage.

[@mbs.writes]

1:17:18 Some of the religious aspects within this book that you’ve mentioned honestly sounds a little similar to Mormonism, for example : Elders are a thing in that religion, and Babies weren’t baptized but they had a blessing ceremony in front of the whole church and the men of the family pray over the baby. “Laying of hands” in the Mormon church is also called a blessing if I remember correctly - I had one done for me when I was 6 before getting a surgery to get tonsils removed. I haven’t been a member of that religion since like 2006, and haven’t been religious at all since like 2010 so I don’t remember everything and could be wrong but this is what it reminded me of.

[@mbs.writes]

But the laying of hands for Mormons isn’t as dramatic as the explanation video you shared lol 😂 they just stand around you in a circle, put their hands on your head/shoulders/back and pray over you, if you’re struggling mentally, going through hard times, having a surgery or anything etc.

[@laurel3420]

absolutely wild that Marlowe named her love interest after Caliban from The Tempest, a character who is canonically an unrepentant sexual predator

[@ReadswithRachel]

OH. I def did not know that

[@antheathetiefling8581]

"You can't study some while looking down your nose at it" Is from Pratical Magic

[@kandibug5303]

Reads with Rachel praise of The Deer And The Dragon: "It was a below average book riddled with plotholes, starring a child-hating @s$hole protagonist, and a romance with the spice of a boiled carrot. 2/5 would recommend over Gothikana and Assistant to the Villain."

[@ReadswithRachel]

The bar is in hell lmao

[@cherry_tonic]

2 1/2 hours, i’m so seated, i’ve been told to leave but i am just too seated

[@tsifirakiehl4250]

Okay, I have a lot of experience with Shakespeare, and I’ve done “The Tempest” twice, once as an actor and once as a stage manager, and clearly, the people romanticizing the character of Caliban missed the point. Caliban’s mother, the witch Sycorax, colonized the island before he was born, imprisoned the local spirit Ariel, and died when Caliban was a baby. Sycorax and Caliban were not natives of the island, which seems to be a common misconception. The sorcerer Prospero and his baby daughter Miranda were marooned on the island after Prospero’s evil brother Antonio cast them out of their home. They were not trying to colonize the island, which also seems to be a common misconception. Prospero found Caliban living as a feral child-not even knowing how to speak because, you know, his mother had died before she had the chance to teach him-and took him in, teaching him to speak and raising him alongside his own child. However, when they were older, Caliban tried to sexually assault Miranda, so Prospero, not wanting to kill one of the children he’d raised even if he did turn out to be evil, punished him by forcing him to live as a servant rather than a full member of the household, and that’s where we are when the play begins. As the story progresses, Caliban plots to murder Prospero and, rather than assault Miranda himself, force her into marriage with a drunken idiot who’s heavily implied to be planning to assault her. Caliban’s backstory may be sad, but he is unquestionably a terrible person who brought most of his greatest misfortunes on himself through his own evil actions.

[@sagathestoryteller7920]

Rachel, I appreciate all the work you put into your content. Especially reading books like this so I don't have to 😂. Much love to you and your family

[@JulianGreystoke]

As an author listening to that section about the characters' author experience made my insides try to devour themselves. Not only is she insufferable, but she feels like the world's most obvious author insert and I hope he knows how good she has it!

[@jo_helaci]

Uuh, that main character really likes herself, doesn't she.

[@ReadswithRachel]

She says she’s self loathing on page and I’m like nahhh girly pop I’m not buying it

[@jo_helaci]

@@ReadswithRachel self obsessed, I would have put it.

[@tsifirakiehl4250]

It’s giving “look, here’s a list of everything that’s awesome about me, and I’m super humble too,” except that the part about being humble isn’t sarcasm used to point out what a braggart she just sounded like; she actually does believe she’s humble even as she insists on rubbing in how gosh-darn great she thinks she is.

[@noraeable]

As someone who has known since college that I never want to give birth, I'm annoyed at just how much Marlowe was written to despise kids.

[@minimatica7514]

I JUST GOT JUMPSCARED BY THE BRAZILLIAN FUNK LMAO, i was so out caught out of guard. Love that

[@smolexfundie6458]

1:16:55 😂😂 at this part, I was curious, so I asked my 4 year old if she could say “how did you get in here, are you somebody’s pet?” and she firstly looked at me funny and asked “why?” and then she was able to say “How did you get in here?” easily, but cut off half the rest and just said “somebody’s pet?” 😂 I feel like a kid that age definitely could say some like that, if just doesn’t read like something they would naturally say. My kiddo would definitely naturally say something like “Huh? is that a fox?” and then try to pet it.