If You Like This... YA and Adult

[@merphynapier42]

My mistake! It’s been a while since I read The Starless Sea and for some reason I remembered Zachary as a teen, but I just googled it and it’s an adult novel. Sorry about that!

[@marocat4749]

The mermaid is cute :3 And pencil and water colours ar a different style. Shadow of the wind is an older book but wonderful magical realism, and its pretty meta about loving books. The book also has 2 sequels which, the later is actually good , the former is. les conected and not that magical. Also . its an adventure wher you have the style of a kid coming of age while researching an authors lif story thats mysterious and not only exploring a bit spain fasschism by a fun weird loively refugee that joins the family bookstore, Its magical pain realism coming o age with a parallel story that. Its good coming of age magical madrid adventore, about love of books.

[@Elisabeht-Swan]

The wayward children sounds like it have somewhat been inspirated by Narnia 🤔

[@JulianGreystoke]

I would love a "if you liked this super popular book, here's a little known book you might also enjoy"

[@litlbucky]

Looks like you have not lost any of your artistic talents- what a masterpiece!!!

[@rodneylopez5073]

I think a good idea would be to take really popular books of a given genre and say "If you like these" and then recommend really obscure works in the same genre. Then make a video per genre/publication bracket you'd like to cover.

[@MLLatUtube]

I like the idea of a video pairing favorite fantasies with books from other genres. This one was very interesting - I need to read Piranesi and The Bone Shard Daughter so I was interested in what you said about them.

[@shailejanarain]

I died when you called Katniss Tris. It really is confusing when all these books and characters are so similar haha!

[@jaginaiaelectrizs6341]

😅😅😅

[@matthewhaynes509]

You have a lovely singing voice, Merphy

[@MCracknell]

Piranesi is honestly one of the strangest, but most beautifully written books that I've ever read and it's absolutely wonderful!

[@anyadendulk]

I would love to see a video about books in other genres based on adult fantasy books you love!

[@Lynn-CA]

Was your painting a case of, "let's just chuck on as much as glitter as possible to make it better?" 😉

[@merphynapier42]

I like to call it, "Lost Cause, Glitter Can't Make It Worse"

[@PhantomGreyfire]

Just spotted The Rage of Dragons in my local bookstore and bought it. Will be looking out for The Sword of Kaigen next.

[@AleksandarIvanov69]

I read The Stormlight Archive and Mistborn recently, and I am currently reading Elantris. I gotta say, I like Elantris a lot more than Mistborn and close to how much I like The Stormlight Archive. I suspect it has a lot to do with how much YA Mistborn is and how much not-YA the other two are.

[@AleksandarIvanov69]

Now I am 1/3 into Warbreaker and I like it even more than Elantris! I don't get the dissatisfaction with Brandon's older works, they are really really good :)😀

[@korgaupisc129]

I went to the bookstore yesterday, for the first time since the beginning of 2020 and it was a damn blast. But what I wanna say is that I bought a bunch of books, so I can't buy all these books recommended in this video right now. But I will some day. Especially Rage of Dragons interests me massively

[@Luna-po5ui]

So many comments on this video are so snobby and rude about YA and it's really kind of upsetting. All the YA category means is that the target audience is *young adults*, and maybe if you find it ~insert judgemental adjective here~ it's probably because you are *NOT THE TARGET AUDIENCE*. It's not meant for you! YA is not a genre. YA means it's published by a YA specific imprint at a publishing house with the target demographic being young adults. Within that broad category, there is a wide range of themes (from light to dark!) and genres (from realistic fiction to romance to fantasy!) and writing styles (from straightforward to flowery to literary to commercial!) and yes, skill levels. JUST LIKE ADULT FICTION. Which also has fluffy romance and PNR and dystopian and epic fantasy and romance fantasy and etc etc etc etc. Please stop denigrating an entire contingent of the publishing world just because the three popular YA fantasies you tried weren't to your taste. THEY WEREN'T MEANT TO BE. Sorry for coming across so snippy, but I get really upset as an eclectic reader who genuinely loves everything from adult epic fantasy (hence why i love this channel!) to adult romance to adult mystery to YA fantasy. Different strokes for different folks, and some folks like a lot of strokes.

[@starsandbeyond8947]

YES TOTALLY RIGHT! As a teen I truly enjoy this genre .I don't think it's the matter of adult or ya .A well written book is a well written one no matter what.

[@jaginaiaelectrizs6341]

@@starsandbeyond8947 Unfortunately, I think many people look for more than just whether something is well-written, they look for books that either adhere to or avoid certain conventions that either may or may not be done the same for every age demographic and/or genre. ((Which doesn't actually make one or the other any better or worse than the other, but will definitely each appeal differently to different reading tastes/preferences.))

[@magnoknight1242]

Merphy just keeps proving time and time again that she's an artist 😔

[@sarahcatherine242]

This! So many of my favorite books are YA, but I’ve been wanting to read more adult books. Definitely adding some of these books to my TBR.

[@percybhere]

the booktube version of the age old debate - shonen vs seinen

[@neondemon5137]

Yes

[@gabrielleduplessis7388]

Looking at my hardcover copy of kiss of deception while Merphy is summarizing it. I have yet to read it, but am so excited to read it. Thank you for your wonderful recommendations.

[@hartsbane]

that scat at the end was fantastic...

[@1234lukerr]

To the question at the end that sounds amazing I have been trying to break out of my wheel house of fantasy and non fiction so I hope you do make that video

[@TalibHOB]

I'm glad that I didn't skip the ending😂❣️

[@JayGTheAwkwardBookworm]

I don’t know why I laughed so hard at the dead bird

[@phoenixbro9223]

i swear, every time merph does a video, i have to add to my tbr! i knew i would have to read sword of kaigen, that just sounds too good, and of course bone shard daughter because princess, but now this wayward children series sounds amazing too! and rage of dragons being compared to thg is just the way to get me to read it lol

[@phoenixbro9223]

Awww merph's old drawings are so cute! and so good!

[@thesheelf231]

I felt the same way about The Starless Sea. It's on and off for me but The Key Collector is my favourite story. Thanks for the recs. They all seem very cool.

[@SalvaLP22]

Watching your recommendations videos are dangerous for my wallet and my already tall TBR pile! Thanks tho!

[@adilrehman7346]

thank you so much.. You are my favourite BOOKTUBER...

[@kiddocter13]

The idea you floated at the end sounds fun! Would be nice to branch out from fantasy with some solid recommendations!

[@quastor749]

Not gonna lie Merphy should totally read Ascendance of a bookworm (also I haven't read a single book on this list other than the hunger games and now my TBR is even bigger)

[@TheIbberman]

This might be what makes me pick up Sword of Kaigen 😉

[@fernandoavila3929]

I guess instructions for dancing is just cute. Also, your cat was fighting with the microphone at the end of the video.

[@timderuijter]

Thanks for the tips, Merph

[@MrHey24]

I like the idea you mentioned in the end :)

[@naecocificap4588]

As someone whose favorite book is the Starless Sea, I can completely back up the recommendation of Piranesi. It completely falls into that 'whimsical, the author doesn't explain' type of book!

[@The_Sweet_Life_99999]

I’m in love with your shirt

[@jasonsearcy7388]

Just added The Rage of Dragons, The Bone Shard Daughter & Piranesi to my wish list on Amazon. I always enjoy these types of videos so more of them are welcomed from me!

[@Misadventures_85]

Piranesi is a good one. Enjoy! 😄

[@alvatriestoread8405]

For sure do that recommendation video! Sounds great.

[@gabrielleduplessis7388]

Hope to see the cute penguin pictures in a child book of yours one day.

[@badfaith4u]

I love your recommendation videos 📚🥳😀🎉

[@TheBookishMom]

I really need to read Piranessi... I loved the Starless Sea so much and multiple people keep saying I will like Piranessi as well.

[@arksine]

Is that Princess Shirohoshi that you were trying to draw?

[@nshortfield]

The Magicians has a similar library than in The Starless Sea at the heart of the plot but with more interesting characters and a great reflection in the trilogy about reader's evolving relationship to magic in fiction.

[@HABYKOSHYMATHEW]

I find this marketing trend of classifying adult vs young adult very jarring. The kind of snobe i am i avoided ya when i was a young adult thinking its cringe. Later i have realised my snobbery and started appreciate ya for what it is. Yet i think, this market dictated division is creating a particular kind of pressure on writers of this genre. When it works its wonderful. Sometimes it reduces the impact of the story. Piranesi is wonderful and love it. Piranesi audiobook narratef by chiewtel elijafohr is also very good. Wayward children, i loved the series but i felt letdown by the author. Reducing the nuances and characters are very one dimensional

[@Luna-po5ui]

I love that you appreciate YA for what it is, thank you for being so non-judgmental. When I was a YA I was also a YA snob. I do have to say that it's not really a marketing trend so much as a publishing category meant to help the consumer, so that young adults know which books were specifically written with them in mind. Not that they HAVE to pick up YA, of course, but it's just a publishing age range and nothing more.

[@HABYKOSHYMATHEW]

@@Luna-po5ui when i think about it I agree with you. I missed out on a lot of YA, which i regret now, because i was thinking of it in a snobbish way. I do include a lot YA in my reading these days, earning to experience all types of stories.

[@fab006]

Really nice way to do the ad, actually!

[@dylangimenezfritman5855]

Yes to the video idea

[@mollygraham1249]

If you enjoy hidden door fantasy, you should check out The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow.

[@moonstonepearl21]

LOL. That ending.

[@keshavjindal7395]

For the romance ones, I feel the map of tiny little things is also similar to the books you recommended.

[@raouluddin7941]

I wanted to recommend a webnovel called “Mother of Learning”. It’s the best rated story on RoyalRoad being a high fantasy time loop story.

[@VictoriaBouchard]

I really love if you like this then try that videos!

[@HanaMar3i]

The Starless Sea being adult aside, 😂 I found your own perspective of similarities between it and Piranesi super interesting, because I wouldn’t have made that specific form of connection myself. The Starless Sea has become a fave of mine, and while I was really looking forward to Piranesi, I didn’t enjoy it much? But I’m looking at it differently now that you’ve mentioned these similarities. But I also found the main character a little too bit of an.. umm.. idiot? Sorry that’s not very nice but it’s the only word coming to mind 😂 And while I wasn’t attached to Zachary too much either, I still preferred reading about him? If I were to recommend a book like The Starless Sea I’d say maybeeee Strange the Dreamer for the elements of a lost world, the magical elements, certain cozy atmospheres revolving around books, etc. It’s just so interesting seeing your own perspective of connections being so different to my own! ✨✨

[@WhtSnwRvn]

I found Piranesi (the titular character) naive and child-like. His perception of the world (and of other people, initially) is romanticized and pure. And I personally loved it for it.

[@HanaMar3i]

@@WhtSnwRvn YES! Naive! That’s a better word for it (and absolutely nicer)! 😂 I think that may have been my own problem; I didn’t love the naivety? Not sure what that says about me (will likely discuss that in my next therapy session lool) but I so badly wanted to like that book and I only found it ok? Likely a me problem though considering how many people loved it

[@litlbucky]

Best ending ever!!!!!

[@saadsalam4068]

idk why, the idea of books 1 and 2 spoiling each other is so funny to me 🤣

[@Merlijn1994]

Yes that's a great idea for a video!

[@moonstonepearl21]

Maybe do one where you talk about if you liked a popular fantasy book, you may like this little known one.

[@FirstCelestialEmperor]

Came for one piece, stayed for the awesome content

[@brendantasker]

Great video merph! Added some of these to my list of books to read. Side question: are you gonna review the other seasons of dragon prince?

[@rivwilson9330]

Yes Piranesi!

[@rohitbabar8715]

What a ending!! 😂

[@abenezerwondimu8152]

The hunger games is the first serious book I read and am excited for rage of Dragons thanks

[@Haleybug12314]

Nothing to do with the video, but I MUST know where you got your adorable sweater!!

[@SarahAsYouWish]

I wouldn’t describe Instructions for Dancing as really cute and leave it at that. I’d warn people they might want to look at content warnings if they need them, and I’d qualify it as an emotional romance.

[@moonstonepearl21]

My neurotic mind is very unlikely to skip the first of anything and go to the second.

[@Secondhelix]

Have you read The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August? It's a fantastic story with that same fantasy-elements-in-a-real-world trope, and I adore it.

[@ew275x]

1:28 yo is that Kokoro from One Piece

[@bookaholicgameaholicvlogah4191]

I think as far as red rising is like hunger games is only true for the first book of red rising if you just take in the battle Royale part but on that note they are still similar because of the uprise taking down the government and red rising is the more darker tone

[@thefairylibrarian3282]

Even in a video where you intentionally don't talk about the Lies of Locke Lamora, you still find a way to mention it in the outro.

[@tiantuatara]

I loved the world building in Starless Sea but the romance was meh, so I have to try Piranesi. I loved Sword of Kaigen so may check out The Remnant Chronicles and also Rage of Dragons.

[@leviackerman1799]

You should make a video recommending books for Harry Potter fans..because you know..some of them still haven't broken the reread cycle..I mean it's not a bad thing but they don't read any other books and read HP over and over..

[@starsandbeyond8947]

Yesssss plzzz

[@leomansell9581]

Please read Ascendance of a bookworm by Miya Kazuki. everything you like about the books you have recommended are present in this series.

[@o_o-lj1ym]

Hey! could you make a video of books with your favorite prose, in your opinion

[@larissabarreto8879]

from what you described of hunger games i feel like the pop wars would also be a good book. the mc is a really flawed, selfish girl who's jaded and hurt by the world

[@paperstars9078]

Skulduggery Pleasant is my favourite book, but Merphy hasn't read it yet, so I am looking for recommendations in that directions. (Please only recommend if you are also obsessed with the series and read all of the books)

[@sidrakauser4498]

I love revenge books!

[@mackenzies.g.9862]

I need more recommendations videos please. I want different books to explore but it's hard for me to find what I might like on my own

[@pm02]

Have you read The Atlas Six?

[@fayem4091]

I read a lot of sci-fi and i have such a trouble finding recommendations. Because i buy my books (no library in sight and the one we do have has only greek ancient writers in it (i leave in Greece) , thus it's important for me to pick books that are recommended to me, thus lowering the chances of a dnf Please do the video of any other genera it be great! And maybe do one for sci-fi if you please.

[@rivendellstarlight]

OMG I just borrowed Instructions for Dancing from the library, even though it's totally not my style, because I dance Ballroom so I gotta read this :P Isn't The Bone Shard Daughter YA?

[@hardcoverhaven]

The Bone Shard Daughter is definitively categorized as "Adult" by both marketers/the publisher as well as by by booksellers

[@stupafly06]

I just started reading harry potter a couple weeks ago, almost a quarter of the way through the 4th book now. After I'm done the series I want to go to Lord of the Rings, should I go for the hobbit first?

[@ElijahStormblessed]

I don't think it matters either way

[@kristimarks2040]

So, it depends.... The Hobbit is a lot faster paced than Fellowship. But there's a lot more world building that happens in the main series. The tones are also different. The hobbit is a lot lighter, and in my opinion the stakes are lower. The hobbit is a quick read. Whereas the main series has some sometimes painful info dumps. pick your poison.

[@freddy902]

Man the first two books you recommend sound very similar to an idea I have. My idea is; a person is lost in a really-really old house known as the house of a thousand stairs. Ever so often the house changes slightly enough that you don't realize until you begin to see patterns\flaws. Is the house enchanted or is someone behind the scenes playing God or both. Okay now that I have written down my elevator pitch maybe my story is unique?

[@jaginaiaelectrizs6341]

The way you would write it will be unique to you, and that's the most important part! Don't get too hung up on whether there are other books that are similar in premise to it or not - if you have an idea you want write, then you should go ahead and give it a try. 🙂

[@ammaratia2360]

yor shirt looks like a book cover

[@user-gf9ef2wv1u]

Does anyone have any good recs (ya or adult) for books like The Giver- incredible dystopian with very little romance. I’ve already read Unwind

[@starsandbeyond8947]

Legend by Marie lu

[@roshnichoudhary6314]

I- 🙂 I did not like he remnant chronicles much... On the other hand, i really really really loved the sword of kaigen I wouldnt make the parallel which merphy did btw these two books- But myb I'll try to see it from her pov...

[@darrengaroutte7744]

I'd say if you like Harry Potter then you might enjoy the Nightside series by Simon R. Green

[@benniek1050]

Ok who throws the Q-tip in the paint? I'm actually triggered rn😂😂😂

[@merphynapier42]

Didn’t have pain brushes 😂

[@817chaparra]

For Hispanic Heritage Month, Can you Recommend some Latinx writers? 🙌🏽💋🇲🇽

[@HolasoyMai]

*Latino

[@louis1111111111111]

for the narnia like story i recommand ewilan from pierre bottero =)

[@mjdesign12]

I’ve long thought that Harry Potter fans should read Discworld.

[@imanesmaelnejad9624]

. Why won't you start the witcher It's really good

[@JakeTheTerryJones]

Yes but are the books different from each other?

[@gabriellapazpg]

I just bought The sword of Kaigen and am very excited to read it

[@lonebazif1982]

Hello Readers, Could you give some audiobook suggestions on Non Fiction and Fantasy.

[@1234lukerr]

absolutely for fantasy lightbringer by Brent Weeks good series but long Sanderson (war breaker) a good start point Rothfus (name of the wind) might no be finished powder mage Brian McClellan (lies of locke lamora) Scott Lynch might not be finished if you want a lighter series (Andrew Rowe )Sufficiently advanced magic a lit rpg i would say he how fights monsters ( Shirtaloon) my non fic is mostly science related so these might no be your taste proof( Adam Rogers) surely your joking mister Feynman (Feynman) the disappearing spoon (Sam Keen) I have listened to all of these on audio book and they all have good narrator hope that helps

[@lonebazif1982]

@@1234lukerr Thanks

[@rararamatic]

Non fiction, Lights Out by Ted Koppel

[@i.m.solomon2280]

New age? The not young adult, but not fully adult period of a character's development and book series. I believe it was called New Age Adult, usually raging from 18 to early twenties, when the protagonist has left home and new to the adult life.

[@pachucasunrise1]

Close, it's New Adult! :)

[@i.m.solomon2280]

@@pachucasunrise1 that makes sense lol I was thinking music

[@airistkd]

Please review Artemis by Andy Wier.

[@vaibhav6826]

Starless Sea is YA????

[@HanaMar3i]

It isn’t 🙆🏽‍♀️

[@WhtSnwRvn]

Sorry to nitpick, but "The Starless Sea" is not classified as a YA novel.

[@HanaMar3i]

I was just thinking that like wait The Starless Sea is adult 😂

[@emmal7510]

Was just coming here to say this. Iirc, the MC isn't just in college, he's working on an advanced degree.

[@Drakshl]

As someone who mostly skipped YA (as I suspect is the case for many of the people here) and has gone back to read some after, there are some genuinely fun and or high quality YA books. The typical sorts of hallmarks of writing in YA stories do annoy me, I think that's pretty normal, but if you look past this and understand that it's mostly to improve accessibility and get people into the genre then it is manageable. At the end of the day a good book is a good book regardless of target market

[@AleksandarIvanov69]

Hey Merphy, I notice you really like stories involving children in some significant way. I think you are going to enjoy the mind-blowing manga "The Promised Neverland". 😁

[@EpicLink22]

OH NO

[@neevtodi2943]

You should definitely READ it

[@AhmadKiam]

Zac, Max and Alex are way too common in YA's, find better names damn it.

[@dovelyy]

tris?? lmao :))