It’s not good | The Serpent & The Wings of Night

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[@ReadswithRachel]

Check out Rocket Money for free: RocketMoney.com/readswithrachel #rocketmoney #personalfinance

[@ritualflowers]

my frustration is always why does the FMC need to be human? give me a vampire FMC

[@ReadswithRachel]

This is part of why underworld is my fave

[@peggyluwhoreads]

@@ReadswithRachel Fuck yea

[@palamedes4740]

That and actually make the MC drink some blood from a body (willing or not) instead of the cutsy drink from a wine glass.

[@steverainbow2.0]

Yessssssss pleaseeeeee

[@juliemarie612]

For real! It's always "sweet innocent totally normal human girl" meets "ripped and powerful bad boy that's banged every woman they meet and definitely isn't the king of an enemy nation". I'd like to read a book where he's the normal one and she's powerful. Especially if she realizes they're mates or whatever first

[@cgmeyo]

"I can't turn you into a vampire because 2/3 of turnings end up in death and I can't risk losing you. Instead, go, as a human, face dozens of bloodthirsty immortal vampires in a deadly battle royale" Ah, yes, flawless logic.

[@ashleypreim9014]

I nearly lost it with this scene where he says 2 out of 3 turnings end in death. But join this death march tournament where you have a 1 in 50 chance of winning if you don’t withdraw or otherwise die. Like those are worse odds!

[@Kittie9]

i dont trust any booktok books with the word “wing” in the title anymore 😭😭

[@hakirby]

so you aren't going to read my next book, "Wing, Wing" a history of the Great Chicken War of 1818 that concentrates on the Battle of the Kentucky Fone Exchange between the forces of General Sanders and Gregor MacTurkey?

[@izisi6800]

@@hakirbyadd me when you release it, I’ll be 2 copies

[@charliescraftingcorner]

​@@hakirbyI hate that I would unironically read that 😭😭

[@anaiswinter9893]

lol

[@sava-smth]

​@@charliescraftingcornerwell yeah bc that sound actually interesting

[@roguechemist2529]

xxl man but never plus size, god forbid

[@asteridshydrangea-jt2hf]

One day I'll write a romance book with the hero inspired by Roadhog from Overwatch and you'll all regret your words which could be vaguely sideways gratuitously interpreted as encouragement.

[@devonmmi]

​@@asteridshydrangea-jt2hfI'd read it

[@roguechemist2529]

@@asteridshydrangea-jt2hf bro i fkn love overwatch id read the shit out of that

[@C.T.T535]

​@@asteridshydrangea-jt2hfPlease do! I need more sexy plus-sized husbands! PS: Roadhog was my plus-sized simp awakening. 💦

[@rizzobeloved]

⁠@@asteridshydrangea-jt2hf as a roadhog lover, WRITE THE BOOK!!

[@Eddrian32]

"I don't understand how [religion] affects your day-to-day life" tbh neither do a lot of fantasy authors

[@rainydayjules]

That’s exactly it!!! Religion is such an important part of worldbuilding and if it’s done well it’s easy for ANYONE to understand

[@fortunatecookie]

What innovation! The title eschews the traditional “the noun of noun and noun” trend and instead uses a brand new “the noun and noun of noun” format!! Truly, this author is ushering in a new era of romance 😊

[@vedgelord]

Talk to your doctor about Niaxia

[@ReadswithRachel]

Bahahahahaha

[@kbird6208]

Advertised by two retirees in separate bathtubs

[@janewaysmom]

Lololololol

[@ColinsComments]

I imagine "blinding darkness" as a dark so deep you start seeing stars, your brain starts imagining things in your vision because it can't handle seeing nothing.

[@Jadeeee2323]

Right! Like u just see popping stars and ur eye floaters lol

[@weirdandproudofit1]

Same! Glad it wasn't just me!

[@anaiswinter9893]

good description...if reaching and being generous to the author, that maybe she had that in mind. But I guess you didn´t mean that and just looked for a viable description. That was double the meaning in a rambled sentence.

[@isynielsen2716]

I like (read: hate) how in all of these books she's "oddly drawn to him in a way she can't explain and hasn't experienced before" and then it's just lust. Like can we get some depth, some layers, something new? Nope, he's just that hot? okay. :I

[@kbird6208]

It would make sense if the guy was completely average and perhaps somewhat off-putting yet she's oddly drawn to him.

[@LithoCat]

I'd love a book where a main character feels this way about the potential love interest, but then just goes and rubs one out and realizes they were just horny. Soooo many of these books need some post-nut clarity

[@hannahk8te]

i feel like a lot of the problems in this universe would be solved if these immortal vampires just stopped having kids

[@ReadswithRachel]

This is one of my questions is why do they have kids at all?

[@dustrose8101]

@@ReadswithRachel Why do they even have sex is another question.

[@ReadswithRachel]

How else would we be able to hear about the folds?!

[@calamondin8918]

​@ReadswithRachel please dont im in physical pain fucking FOLDS FOLDS REALLY FOLDS

[@xHoneyHime]

I am sooo tired of the big manly man and teeny tiny doll trope 😭 It's great on occasion and I do enjoy it for the same reasons others do, but can we have a tall girly and a short king who are both badass?? Or a same-height couple that can actually talk to each other comfortably where no one is "craning their neck"?? There are so many flavors to explore that can make a couple/ship fun and interesting yet everyone ALWAYS chooses the same-

[@Avner1008]

Literally lmao, I'm a short man and it feels like there's nothing like this the popular romance books

[@tayloropolka9142]

Have you read sorcery of thorns? It’s a YA romantasy with an actual plot and the FMC is taller than the MMC, and they are both capable, I loved it and I normally hate romantasy type things :)

[@CountessvonHuck]

@@tayloropolka9142 I never heard of it but will have to check it out now.

[@exomake_mehorololo]

Taking booktok by storm is a warning sign..... I picked up "An intrigue of Witches" randomly in my library and hoping it won't suck 🤨but we're not far in and our "sharp witted" female protagonist is already telling secrets to a complete stranger because he's cute 😒that doesn't bode well...

[@AlexandraStellaB]

Urgh like in that Pride & Premeditation book

[@Azathothtrolls]

tbh if the FMC chose her father and her ambitions over love, it might have saved the book. I noped tf out when she started mooning over the dude who killed her father. Imagine having a badass vampire father who WANTS you to be his heir and you give that up for a crusty-dusty guy.

[@anushkadesh]

that was my major complaint with this series too tbh i wanted vincent to prevail lol i thought he was the most compelling character in the series because atleast he had some layers

[@stardoogalaxie9314]

The premise of an adopted human to a vampire dad sounds kinda cool it makes me wonder why its a romantasy and not like, a father-daughter family drama. Like it can be a whole thing where we follow the FMC, but in the end the "dangerous love" that exists is the love a father holds for his daughter. Like a dad that fights to keep his kid from competing in the Vampire Hunger Games.

[@katethegreat1996]

Check out “Down Among the Sticks and Bones” by Seanan McGuire, it has something like that. It’s the second in a series, but you don’t have to read the first one before this one.

[@LithoCat]

I literally didn't read the sequel because they killed off dad, the most interesting character and most dynamic relationship in the book, at the end of book 1

[@anushkadesh]

i so agree! i wish the story didn’t kill him off at the end i thought he was the most interesting part of the book

[@LightningEnvy]

Ibrahim and Oraya should have been the main couple. Think about it! A crippled man, everyone looks down on and the human everyone hates. Its perfect! And we almost never get main characters, specially love interest who are handicapped

[@zkkitty2436]

I don't think this author is capable of writing a disabled character without ableism influencing their characterization, so

[@DestinysPookie]

"wet folds" never thought id hate a word/phrase to describe arousal more than "moist" but there it is.

[@mikankitsune0440]

Yep, same. 😐

[@Frooti.loopz23]

Eugh, gives me the heebie jeebies

[@Sparkinthedarkness]

“Folds,” is one of the words I hate in smut. Another one is “bundle of nerves,” and “bud.”

[@kbird6208]

That phrase smells like wet laundry left in the washing machine for 48 hours

[@witchyjazzy]

Wet folds makes me think of curtains in an abandoned house mouldy with rainwater that got in via a broken window

[@arkkon2740]

Im on 1:21:48 rn And if I hear ONE MORE DESCRIPTION OF "S/he tastes like [thing that has no taste or a literal concept]" "S/he smells like [insert thing that can smell like literally anything]" I will claw my eardrums out I swear to god

[@kbird6208]

He smells like condescension and tastes like justified text

[@wordswarsandsymphonies]

@@kbird6208 LMAO

[@BelleChanson0717]

I need these authors who write "big guy/small girl" pairings to actually meet a couple with a height difference in real life, because I promise you it's not that dramatic. I'm 4'10", my husband is 6'2", and while yes, he is obviously MUCH taller than I am, I don't constantly spend my day thinking about it unless I need something off the top shelf. Like we are just a normal couple!!

[@rebeccakoch1890]

Ibrahim feels icky is an ableism way, like "wow these people suck, it sure could be worse for our Protagonist" The way he is talked about seems dehumanizing, like he exists to make protag look better

[@ashleypreim9014]

I was way more interested in knowing more about Ibrahim than Raihn. Even when he was revealing his past the first time I didn’t give a shit.

[@clarkispotamia]

a (good) sapphic underworld inspired novel would truly restore my will to live

[@calamondin8918]

im on it will get back to you in about 8 months

[@Saphia_]

Need

[@tylernixon652]

@@calamondin8918 i believe in you

[@calamondin8918]

@@tylernixon652 🫡🫡🫡

[@calamondin8918]

@@tylernixon652 will update in the reply sections 😭😭

[@linah1998]

as someone whose favorite video game is "Bloodborne", I got extra confused hearing "bloodborn" 😂 thank you for another unhinged booktok breakdown

[@amara560]

Idk if you've seen Ceave's video on Bloodborne yet, but it is excellent

[@stormeyedselkie]

I've never played Bloodborne but I've seen videos that make me want a book inspired by the atmosphere and setting!

[@Artbyhurricanyounot]

You truly awoke something buried deep in my soul with that Evanescence reference 🤌🏻🔥

[@CelticGuardian7]

Since that was the first song on a CD of Evanescence that I had, I kept expecting the rest of the tracks to follow, lmho.

[@wordswarsandsymphonies]

FIFTY THOUSAND TEARS I'VE CRIED

[@abs-urdity]

1:36:49 for me (as someone who also gave this book 2 stars), the frustrating thing about Ibrahim was that he has such potential to add interest and things of actual thematic importance if he was at all relevant for most of the book. He and Oraya could have been really interesting foils, as Ibrahim was maimed by his parents to keep him under control, while Oraya's father only wants her to be stronger so long as she is an extension of him. I think (especially if they had been allies) they could have been an interesting study of how some parents will envy their children for their youth/power (as Ibrahim could have been an example of) and how other parents only view their children as an extension of themselves (like Vincent views Oraya). Instead, we got...whatever this is.

[@Goblin_book_nook]

When you said Raihn was spelled with an h I was expecting a spelling like "R H E I N E" not "R A I H N".

[@BandFairy]

Why did I imagine the same spelling, though?

[@BelleChanson0717]

I was expecting Rhayne and frankly was disappointed 😂

[@Silvychan13]

I saw the spelling and thought “Ryan” which I think is pretty funny 😅

[@mentallyunw3ll]

Just hearing “House of Night” is triggering 😂😂

[@Enbionic_Titan]

You are NOT alone!

[@stormeyedselkie]

I can't believe I used to love that series 😭

[@staceywillis156]

Someone in my Drama class in high school actually did a credited monologue from one of the books 😭

[@kristencouch598]

I am imagining Raven’s powers form Teen Titans for the “blinding black light”

[@mst3kharris]

I feel like her curiosity about her human blood would have more of an impact if she were raised as a defective vampire, not a human with extras. As a human raised by vampires, neither side of her heritage is really alien to her. It also doesn’t sound like the author does a very good job of playing up what differences there are and having her be freaked out by them. For example, I would think getting your first period in a court full of vampires would be _terrifying._ I would be wishing desperately for a human to tell me if it was normal. Edited to add: is the book titled after her and the hero? Since she’s the serpent, is he the wings of night?

[@heyimsasa]

1:21:34 "he smelled like the sky" "he tasted like falling" rachel: oh god, what is this? stephanie garber? 😂😂

[@awkwardhandmovements]

Good luck with From Blood and Ash. It’s… something 😬

[@Artbyhurricanyounot]

There’s a very good reason people sometimes call it From Blood and Ass

[@Christa_Clover]

I swear I tried to read it almost 3 or 4 times but I DNF it every time

[@simpleton3781]

It’s …. A book. That’s for sure

[@TheReadingRambler]

A friend and I hate read ir 😅

[@user-vw9lj1yn1b]

withcindy has a hilarious roast vid if yall havent seen it yet

[@JulianGreystoke]

That is one ugly, busy cover

[@teslashark]

One step closer to random AI

[@BandFairy]

I understand Thranduil is probably the more accurate depiction of Vincent, but every time you mentioned him the only person I can picture was Vincent Valentine.

[@TheReadingRambler]

As a teeny woman I always feel attacked at the tiny woman big man trope tbh

[@seraphonica]

my guess is Ibrahim was present to gesture toward the whole "how some vampires treat their kiddos" thing. as a clumsy foreshadow toward Vincent. which is... a choice, I guess? but it seems like as there's a field full of characters who need to die, it would be more interesting narratively for her to see MANY such vampires. and maybe try to piece together how their parents messed them up. Plus, was I the only person who was thinking during this plot point... who are these vampires who are choosing to have children knowing they'll basically torture them for eternity? Weird how this is so darn common and accepted.

[@mirimariana]

I was wondering like what is the point of having kids if your going to feel threatened by them? And since theyre immortal theirs like no point? I guess for insurance, but why not just have one child, and put them under a curse or a geas that they can't betray their parents?

[@eulacuteuwu738]

oh hell yes, a 2 hour long video??? bless you, you're the best

[@ReadswithRachel]

Hope you enjoyed it!

[@marymac3572]

If you do end up covering any Jennifer L. Armentrout books, PLEASE talk about Jennifer Armintrout and her having to completely rebrand and eventually legally changing her name after Jennifer L. Armentrout took off.

[@katgreer6113]

What?? Why did she do that?

[@marymac3572]

@@katgreer6113 Jenny Trout blogged about it on her site, but it was causing her issues within the writing community and at events. She'd introduce herself as Jennifer Armintrout and get side-eyed or treated like she was the "wrong" Jennifer.

[@therync8207]

@@EleiyaUmei It was professionally and emotionally devastating to the extent that a legal name change was part of the path to recovery

[@afckingegg7585]

What did she change her name to?

[@SheWhoWalksSilently]

I just googled that and that is so vexing to have the SAME NAME (albeit off by two letters) as an author that writes in the same genre as you. I’d change my name too. Jenny Trout (new name)/Jennifer Lynne Armintrout (old name) vs. Jennifer Lynn Armentrout. That’s so confusing. Not to mention they were born the same year 🫠

[@somberhoney]

idk why but my brain wants to pronounce Raihn as Ryan

[@grandpa_the_kid]

Or like rihn like rind without the d

[@katarzynamarzec2291]

My brain maybe from it 'rain' and it lead me to Snow so again... Hunger Games

[@Viteaification]

because of the h? weird place to put it

[@chrishedlund5751]

These wheel spin books names of random nouns trend have to CEASE.

[@kbird6208]

Wait. I'm not through the video yet but Vincent wouldn't turn her because she'd have a 2/3 chance of dying, but it's ok to put her in a tournament with at least a 49/50 chance of dying? No comprendo.

[@ashannaredwolf8485]

Not me literally jumping into this video straight from a video on how unhinged the book tok community can be.

[@kir-is-here]

who made the unhinged booktok video? asking for a friend

[@ashannaredwolf8485]

@@kir-is-here it was Kasia Baba!

[@kir-is-here]

@@ashannaredwolf8485 thank you!!

[@alastair876]

man the trope of little woman small man is so, wild sometimes. We need more small man big woman

[@scylloid]

you get it. you understand. i'd vote for you for president.

[@alastair876]

@@scylloid As president I'd make it manditory to have more of this in romance

[@jamieb2289]

Seriously tho!!!

[@bananas999]

The Evanescence clip really woke me up inside

[@notyourboi4076]

the evanescence inserts made me laugh more than they probably should have. Also, very much agree on the need to abandon some of the smut words, 'slit' chief among them.

[@ameliamads]

I thought this book took heavy inspiration from other books but then I read Powerless which is literally just the Hunger Games, the Selection, and Red Queen combined. Some scenes are the exact carbon copies.

[@ReadswithRachel]

One of my friends is reading it right now and said the same thing

[@belovedwinter]

Any character calling another one a "little" anything is a literary red flag. Unless it's their parent, which is allowed but is on thin ice.

[@circling-girl]

The book cover looks AI generated.

[@shannonlopez2295]

I was thinking the same thing.

[@RespektTheBovril]

It looks like that one Ai depiction of what it feels like to have a stroke

[@peppapotato]

It is not ❤ There is no AI used.

[@nalcarya]

Found the artists instagram and it's not AI. She does photobashing and draws parts herself. Still it's not a good cover as nothing makes sense, but some of her work is pretty nice.

[@SirensAfterMidnight]

I'm so glad you compared this to Underworld because the dad vampire was basically Viktor and then his name also started with a V, oh my godddd. HE WAS JUST MORE HOT, LESS DECREPIT MANIPULATIVE VAMPIRE DAD.

[@SadWitchBree]

Drink every time Rachel says "I'm confused." Only if you did, you would be passed out halfway in. This is a reflection on the book.... that is all

[@Cakelynn6]

I know full well this book has issues. But give me a polytheistic religion, a death tournament, and vampires and I’m gonna have a good time 😂 great video!

[@drowningindeepblue]

The Queen of the Damned reference Y E S, I absolutely love that cheesy, cheesy movie, thank you for this

[@mcjordie]

Do I know anything about this book? No. But when Rachel releases a feature length film of a video, I click on it immediately lol

[@CelticGuardian7]

What the flipping heck does sky smell like? Why is this used multiple times when it doesn't even make sense once?!

[@TheTrickster969]

Instinctively I thought of rain or that ozone thunderstorm smell, but then you could literally just say that 💀

[@CelticGuardian7]

@@TheTrickster969 Indeed, I considered some things like that, but it doesn't make sense to call that "sky."

[@loadingrat6057]

"a blinding black" but- black- is the absence of light- ??????

[@HirilCelebrian]

The MCs magic powers make me think of Sookie Stackhouse's fairy magic, it is also a blasting blinding light

[@bunnyellabell]

SOOKIE STACKHOUSE MENTION 🔥🚨

[@ragingdevi]

Going Under is still in my karaoke rotation lol (The karaoke is in my room but... it's in there)

[@lauram_books]

My dyslexic mind thought the title was "the serpent the wings and night" when I first saw it in the store 😅

[@Itsbaberuthless_]

Bought this book, read this bullshit “Day to day, I wore only black, plain clothing that attracted little attention and allowed free range of movement. I didn’t ever wear anything bright (as it would draw unwanted eyes), flowing (as it would allow someone to grab me), or restrictive (as it would impede my ability to fight, or flee).” And got up to return it to Target. I was not allowing this to collect dust in my shelf. No way.

[@szafot_]

Even the title of the book sounds like a rejected first draft for the hunger games prequel’s title

[@thea4676]

The reason why I compared this to ACOTAR (and I dnfed 23% in) is because it was just ACOTAR with vampires. You have the human MC who is human and weak, but also fiesty and snarky! You have the tall, brooding dark shadow daddy love interest (I mean he doesn't wield shadows, but that's the vibe), like you said Mische is basically Mor. It's just doing ACOTAR but even worse

[@stanloona000]

It says a lot about the absolute trash you've read before that I thought "this one isn't that bad, sounds kinda fun"

[@orionsbelt25]

I think thematically, Ibrahim would've been a good love interest

[@RyldsGirl]

Underworld was my pansexual awakening 😂

[@linksystothepast]

Honestly, same. Amy Lee from evanescence was my first "am I gay?" And then underworld was my "holy fuck im hot for all of them." And I discovered I was pan. 😂

[@The_Distractinator]

I actually didn’t mind this book. The world building leaves a lot to be desired, but I liked how she handled the trauma daddy/lover arc. Carissa is also an indie author, and I feel like her writing has improved from the daughter of no worlds trilogy, so I’m interested in how far she’ll progress in the future (albeit I dnf’d the second book in the serpent and the wings of night series (I finished the novella though))

[@ReadswithRachel]

Yeah at some point I mention I think the daddy issues thing is done well but I feel like the world building and character building is poor. But certainly it’s not as bad as fourth wing, so that was nice to see

[@Thatdumbgremlin]

We need to abolish the phrase “House of Night.” PC and Kristin Cast have done enough damage, thank you.

[@krobusart]

oh, i was thinking of Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way

[@vanessacool5355]

The cover looks like those photos that are supposed to simulate what you see when you’re having a stroke

[@opiateutopia]

The Hunger Games title does fut a vampire novel perfectly. When it came out in my country, the cover was just a generic teenage couple kissing in the rain and after all the Twilight craze I legit thought it was another vampire romance.

[@katekursive1370]

We like to read about vampires because they are other, but somehow these books always twist them into the most mundane thing. How come True Blood did a better job at creating complex vampire systems? 🤣

[@Womynxx]

Right?! And the author always tries to make you feel like the love interest is so dangerous by having the MC constantly thinking about how he could kill her right then and there but we know he’s not going to kill her/hurt her. 🤦🏾‍♀️

[@emilyatoz]

Not TVD broody vampire brother as the bad ex boyfriend 😂😂 Also over the “him so big. Her so smol.” 😮 I misheard Raihn’s name in the beginning and now it’s forever Rain Ashcrotch in my head

[@Womynxx]

I thought I heard assvaj at one point. 😂😂😂

[@nerdypenguin9164]

I cant stop imagining this all takjng place at a vampire prep school simply because the author named one of the factions thehouse of night.

[@Kasterwill]

Nooooo not another character trying to be Celine from Underworld and failing. Stop trying to imitate perfection my gay heart can't take it anymore

[@emackenzie]

22:30 did she... did she write a disabled character just so her mc can continuously say "thank god I'm not ~hobbled~" _?????_

[@sakurablossoms94]

I thought I was the only one that hated this book

[@exomake_mehorololo]

You're never alone in hating bad fantasy nomance

[@sakurablossoms94]

@@exomake_mehorololo I'm trying to find a good fantasy romance, but haven't found a single one.

[@jessica_inprogress]

@@sakurablossoms94 how much romance do you want in yout fantacy romance? becasue I always recomend Gracling by Krisen Cashoer. It's been a few years since I read it but I remember if fondly. Romance is also the side plot, not the main plot iirc.

[@jasminv8653]

Why would she even want to become a vampire when she's constantly witnessing the horrors of that society and has explicitly decided to go against vampire eating habits? Do I just not understand what vampires are in this universe? Does her daddy not drink humans, would she not have to?

[@theedexterspeckman6512]

babe wake tf up reads with rachel just posted

[@platinumbubbles6152]

I enjoyed this book as some trashy fun but I really wish Oraya got through A SINGLE CHALLENGE not on the edge of death. I get that she’s weaker and the underdog but like, please, it got so exhausting by the end there

[@kay12]

I replayed multiple sections MULTIPLE TIMES because i thought I was stupid and not understanding. Thank you for reassuring me I am not, in fact, a nincompoop. ( Also, I absolutely LIVE for your videos

[@ninteldazelda]

THIS WAS THE FIRST BOOK I READ ON MY KINDLE. I wanted to make sure everything was functioning correctly so I downloaded the very first kindleunlimited book it recommended me and boy was I in for a storm of BAD.

[@onesantalks8105]

is it bad that when I heard Daddy, I thought that's the love interest 😅😂

[@FatherIimaginedyoutaller]

Ok, I know you're being sarcastic and snarky, and i love that, but all you said about this book made it sound awesome (except for the iffy parts. I might have to skip the rape stuff). So i think I'm gonna order myself a copy of this. Cause it honestly sounds lowkey cool. If it helps, you made me make an informed purchase. Which i believe is the whole point of this.

[@ReadswithRachel]

I’m honestly happy to hear this! Means I did my job!

[@lizpris8783]

I just read a Carissa Broadbent for the first time this year, the book was called "daughter of no worlds" and it wasn't bad but I honestly can't remember anything that happened. 🤷

[@marshall7002]

Is it just me or does this sound really familiar to the House of Night series? Maybe it’s just because it’s YA…

[@ReadswithRachel]

I haven’t read it!

[@Biancaleigh693]

Nope I have been watching a KZbinr react to it and it sounds like this whole book is just copying a lot of books and mashing it together. Hunger games. House of night. ACOTAR. Twilight. And likely one more that I haven't read. It's too similar to not be potentially fanfiction merging

[@asteridshydrangea-jt2hf]

@@ReadswithRachel Alizee Yeezy did videos on a number of the books iirc

[@marshall7002]

@@Biancaleigh693 I agree that it’s just fanfic mashing. My original comment was made before I watched the whole video and it was just based off the summary which reminded me a lot of House of Night.

[@Biancaleigh693]

@@asteridshydrangea-jt2hf that's the exact video I have been watching and knew it was too similar

[@SuperEkkorn]

Oh no, and just as I was arguing with ppl on the internet, guess I have to take a break.

[@peppapotato]

Just to clarify: I am the cover designer and this cover is not using any AI, and I encourage anyone to think carefully using those terms as it has a big impact on how we cover designers and artists get hired for future work - It was made and published before AI, and in my own terms I stated I never use AI. A quick peek into the publishing date shows this too, and even if woven or complicated the forms have no signs of AI that everyone should learn to look for in art. AI is trained on work like mine, so it does resemble it in ways because AI steals. Totally okay not to like the cover, and I can think again before clicking my own covers with reviews I just didn’t expect it and wanted to clarify in case anyone suspects I may use AI. Thanks ❤

[@AshChiCupcak]

I just wanna say, I don't think the cover is bad per say, just maybe doesn't match the feel of the book. When I see that cover, I'm picturing a different story tied to it other than this one. I have no idea what goes into cover design and I imagine it's a lengthy process and of course they won't all be amazing. I wish you luck on any future projects you may have.

[@peppapotato]

@@AshChiCupcakthat’s totally okay to not like it for any reason, I just didn’t want any of my own ethics or use of on AI to be in question bc I saw comments questioning it a lot❤

[@mariavalie8434]

Can I ask . . . what is the cover supposed to be? I do like the cover as an overall art piece, divorced from the book. It's like a dark, whimsical sculpture. It reminds me of manhwa's that have elaborate decorative motifs as layout divisions. But in regards to the book, I'm having an issue see what is meant to be on the cover. Is this done with photobashing?

[@Evelyn_Okay]

I'm a professional graphic designer and I knew it wasn't AI just looking at. With AI art, you have to give it a prompt. Like "a large blue snake hiding in a blue rose bush" to get an objective image. The cover is just layering and fading images into an abstract collage

[@StephanyMarieShop]

Honestly I really like the cover and the book but I guess I’m in the minority here 🤷🏻‍♀️ I think you did a good job

[@76kilosofshade81]

We're 12 minutes in and I'm already lost 😭 so thank you for being our Champion and reading this whole thing!

[@cadburyyork5052]

I haven't read this book so I'm going off this review. I keep thinking he calls her serpent because she spit at him. But... llamas spit too. Maybe she should have been called Llama.

[@ReadswithRachel]

Exactly!

[@jamieb2289]

Not the 'Spirit Halloween Store' priest as The Minister 😂😂😂

[@ReadswithRachel]

Hahaha I HAD to

[@pauieeepau]

It's fine you can't understand what a blinding black light is, Rachel. Black is a hue, and it's the absence of light. It cannot blind coz it is not a light😂

[@annahapunkt1970]

Not the Count!!! 🤣🤣🤣

[@bj71000]

Hearing “House of Night” took me for a loop, and the fact they’re both about vampires made it hilarious.

[@quitabanana3684]

I’m so saaaad. I loved this book :( now I’m questioning everything. But thank you for calling out the cover because wtf is that?

[@quitabanana3684]

Oh wait. I’m watching now and I completely agree about the houses and how confusing that was. I thought it was just me being dumb so I forgave it…uh oh. Am I about to learn that all the things that confused me were because of the book and not me? Shit.

[@AshChiCupcak]

It's ok, you don't have to feel pressured to not like a book if you enjoy it just because others don't. Though it does help getting outside perspective, especially if you thought it was yr fault the story got confusing. I just assumed there are other books in this series and maybe the others kind of fill in those holes. I hope so cuz the concepts are interesting, they just aren't really delved into a lot of the time.

[@ReadswithRachel]

Love what you love! Every once in a while I love a book that has terrible world building.

[@cutecheerfreak1]

Omg I love the picture of Akasha for the vampire goddess mother woman. RIP Aaliyah 💖

[@Kokechii]

Oooooh, I am grabbing my popcorn and so sitting down for this! I read both books last year and found them VERY average and this one was jumping out at me left and right on all platforms being lauded as the best thing ever.

[@peggyluwhoreads]

Not the ungodly amount of Evanescence. GASP!

[@ReadswithRachel]

I AM WHO I AM PEGGY!

[@peggyluwhoreads]

@@ReadswithRachel And I like you just the way you are.

[@InkyCakes]

This review prompted me to listen to Going Under for an hour straight, thanks Rachel lol

[@Slywyn]

"house of night" and I instantly had flashbacks to that really, really, really horrible series from like a decade ago or whenever it was. "BELIEVE IN NYX ~uwetsiageya~"

[@jasminv8653]

aliizee yeezys readalong of that whole series is absolutely insane, cant recommend enough

[@Slywyn]

@@jasminv8653 If that's who I'm thinking of I've already seen it lol.

[@stormeyedselkie]

Ah yes, the Cherokee word for daughter. I was obsessed with this series when I was like 16 😭

[@lagggoat7170]

House of Night? A god named Nyx(ia)? HMMMMMMMM

[@lagggoat7170]

(Not that House of Night is a good series either, I just find it funny that I cant tell if those names are because those associations are low hanging fruit or because one rips off the other)

[@lagggoat7170]

20:45 Honestly, this feels Drow-coded. Drow in (old? my source are the Drizzt novels so dunno if there were recent lore overhauls) D&D Lore serve an evil godess and the city of Menzoberranzan has multiple big families that vy for power, but also have major internal conflicts/assassinations, with an empathized rivalry between siblings (first novel has a sister murdering a brother the only reason the MC doesnt get killed right after birth). Im not saying this was an inspiration, D&D lore doesnt have the monopoly on edgyness, I just find it funny how much edgy aspects get ticked off. Now we just need a character calling others "preps" and its almost as if Ebony Darkness Dementia Raven Way could walk into the room any second.

[@auramint]

Vampires?

[@tendertende]

Rachel your transitions to ads are getting so seamless I am always impressed

[@_mermaidguts]

This was such a clusterfuck lmao, just here to support you. Thank you for taking the time to edit a two hour video (long videos are my favorite). 😂

[@kaylamae5193]

This book was literally Underworld with some changes. Selene was originally a human and Viktor (the leader of the vampires) killed everyone in her family except her then raises her as his daughter and she’s told a different story about how she came to be with him. Sound familiar? 🤔

[@marysnyder9405]

Two hour long Rachel video!! We feast tonight!