lightlark is awful

[@ReadswithRachel]

ATTENTION! PLEASE READ!: I briefly mention the use of a stereotype being used in this book that features the “spicy/sexy Latina” and the word “sav*ge” being used. Mari from My Name Is Marines goes into more detail in her video review of Lightlark and I’d like to point you in her direction to hear more about that, as well as just shout her out in general since her reviews are phenomenal. She has incredibly detailed reviews on several books and Lightlark is but one. She is Latina and can speak on this issue of the stereotype being used from a personal perspective, whereas I cannot. However she just excels in media literacy more than I do in general and I urge you to look to her for smart takes, where as I mostly make dick jokes over here and try to form coherent sentences. I should have shouted out this video within the video. I apologize for not thinking of it sooner. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nKeykniDd6yjjJY

[@sleepy.timaeus.arts.]

nice, thanks for the link

[@malloryslife2972]

Don't put yourself down, I enjoyed your video and your perspective! You can talk about whatever you want.

[@tacosdegatosgaming9299]

All of us villians is literally accomish8ng what lightlark couldent pls pls read it its so cool epik awsoem

[@KeanuReevolution]

Thank you! Love your stuff but especially for things like this ❤

[@anacecilia1387]

16:07 she named her character GRIMDARK. In a published book. That people payed actual american dollars for. Ebony Dark'ness walked so Grimdark could run.

[@abbadonne8342]

I read your comment as GRIDMARK, which made me think of SKID MARK, which is what I thought you were trying to reference, and laughed

[@emmas.m]

Maybe grimdark will be "Immortalized" in the same way ad Ebony.

[@literally_a_crow]

His name is actually grimshaw, but like might as well be grimdark

[@xxgaarasloverxx]

And America Singer, the american singer, is crying by the side of the road because she fell.

[@almosthuman2398]

@FUuUndUe Stup flmaning Gimrak 1!1!1111!!!!!!11 If u flam it menz ur a prep or a pozerr xx111!!11!!!1 Anyway thx Ravwn 4 helpin me with da chaptah U ROK MCR 11!!!!1111!!!!111!666

[@warriorcatskid003]

If someone asked me what “lightlark” was before I watched this I’d say “probably a warrior cats character”

[@ReadswithRachel]

Hahahahahahah

[@Shiloh_has_a_bird]

Saving this to name my next warriors oc

[@beatrizdossantos8660]

To be fair, Lightlark is a better name than the ones we're getting recently. "Flipclaw" was the last straw for me, followed closely by "Fidgetflake".

[@charliera1larklight]

No because Larklight was my warrior cat OC name when I was in middle school and I've been very confused with this drama lol

[@TuesdaysArt]

@@beatrizdossantos8660 There's a Curlfeather and a Crowfeather. Idk how y'all keep track of these names but I commend y'all for it

[@Maritinylibrary]

In my defense, no pitch that starts with "A Court of Thorns and Roses meets..." has led to a good book.

[@nootnewt9323]

As someone who did not like ACOTAR, anything that’s compared to the title immediately makes me think I won’t like it.

[@abigase135]

@@nootnewt9323 same, also anything 'perfect for six of crows fans'...basically any author trying to dip in to the fame of another, it just shows a complete lack of creativity

[@naobwv3633]

@@abigase135 to be fair I doubt any author comes up with these, it’s mostly publishers for marketing purposes

[@rondorondo557]

@@naobwv3633 you’re correct. This strategy is used to pull in fans from an already established book to another, assuming that “if you like X, you should enjoy Y” since they share some tropes and stuff.

[@blissclair9743]

@@nootnewt9323 Every time a book is compared to ACOTAR, that's my red flag to stay away too!

[@Aro_dynamic46]

As I soon as I heard the whole “sHe’S dIfFeReNt CaUsE sHe DoEsN’t HaVe PoWeRs” I _dreaded_ the “surprise” magic reveal moment

[@tamalyth5018]

Lol 😂 yeahhhhh that does set it up to be pretty predictable in the book~

[@Ghostorii]

she can never be as iconic as Mirabel Madrigal

[@b3akine]

@@Ghostorii mirabel walked so isla could run HAHA

[@ComradeLuka]

If a powerful woman lead has powers, she gets them removed. If the powerful woman lead doesn’t have powers, she turns out to be super special. There’s a theme here, but I’m not smart enough to figure it out

[@ms.moronic9165]

Just once, I'd like the non-powered MC to actually not have powers.

[@bruhjime2675]

i knew this was gonna be a mess the moment i heard “hunger games” and “royals” in the same sentence. tell me you missed the point without telling me you missed the point, truly.

[@katiebirdie7868]

also, saying that it is “a true battle royals!” instead was right there

[@Miramiyami]

@@chiefpurrfect8389 ive said it before and ill say it again... DIVERGENT AND HUNGER GAMES ARE ALMOST NOWHERE NEAR EACH OTHER ON A SLIDING SCALE lol it make sme so mad so many shallow pointless books banked on the success of the hunger games without realising its deeply rooted core themes and instead was like "government bad: love yourself: individuality"

[@beeaggro2593]

@@Miramiyami Well yeah but the cafeteria lunch table houses helped sell those two like nuts

[@kelly7925-w7z]

that actually doesn’t sound too bad of a plot: we just need different reason for why people are going into an arena and slaughtering each other

[@caitlingill]

Funny because the selection book series is lowkey hunger games with royal elements lol

[@oliviaocasain9980]

The deciding factor for me not reading this was that she called her royal MC who spends the book on an island Isla Crown. If that's the level of effort she puts into naming her lead I'm not expecting much in terms of plot.

[@Makowh]

That sounds like she didn't bother changing her working notes and temporary draft names before publication. Can we talk about the Skyling Azul (meaning "Blue"), the sun king Oro (meaning "gold"), and Celeste (meaning "Sky")? And Grimdark the black darkness? Really?

[@Viteaification]

@@Makowh its so juvenile its insulting

[@hannabieder3486]

I'm getting America Singer flashbacks

[@dlm4708]

I have read Chuck Tingle excerpts more fleshed out, tbh.

[@Topdoggie7]

@@dlm4708 Say what you will, but at least Chuck Tingle brings in more diversity and representation then anything in this book.

[@dantesgarbagefire4844]

When Grimdark was like “Call me Grim” I immediately pictured him as Grim from The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy and I cannot get that image out of my head.

[@elliefield7407]

holy shit! that's the guy i was picturing the whole time! thank you for reminding me of the show lmao

[@ps1hagridoufofcharacter]

i just thought of the sims 4 grim reaper, ipad and all

[@purrgundy]

THE GRIM! 🔮

[@fourthmatchflame]

i just thought of dark choco cookie.

[@MsKatze]

🤣

[@everlastingdragon4520]

If Twilight is a study in how not to write characters, then this book is a study in how not to worldbuild.

[@ReadswithRachel]

This!!!

[@gabz49242]

The names of the kingdoms (?) are just so lazy. Like, I know elemental things are hard to avoid in magic, but there are so many fantasy books out there that don't even bother trying to flesh out a good world.

[@everlastingdragon4520]

@@gabz49242 My attempts to rename off the top of my head: Nightshade (this is the only original name that I think is fine) Wilder/Wildblood Skyborn Moonheart Sunriser Starsoul These are probably cr*p, but they don't sound nearly as childish, I think.

[@eseverud18]

@@everlastingdragon4520 Ooh, I like the “Wildblood” name.

[@mcne334]

I gotta disagree with you, the twilight characters are not nearly as badly written (in the book. They're badly adapted to screen) as people argue them to be

[@dimsunstuff]

this sounds like the first HP book when the gang was hyperfixated on Snape being the Big Bad because he was mean to Harry, but at least there it made sense because they were like eleven

[@lucidkyla]

that framing always makes me giggle it’s pretty brilliant

[@Tareltonlives]

And Snape did turn out to be evil...he just wasn't the villain

[@GRA5S]

Snape was cruel to Harry though so I understand why they villainized him. The plot would've made more sense if the author made Snape a strict teacher but not necessarily mean to students especially to the main trio. He wasn't a villain and I don't see him as evil but he is not a nice person the last HP book made him out to be.

[@beeaggro2593]

@@GRA5S Yeah if he was more like the uhh science teacher in Ned's Declassified it probably would have gone a lot better. Villanized for being strict but does in fact care about his students and wants them to succeed. He's just super strict and disciplined

[@katgreer6113]

@@GRA5S some things don't make sense but it's fine

[@alessandrarusso5547]

Damn, when "who's the third member of the love triangle" is the biggest plot twist/most unexpected thing in your fantasy book, you've got to admit you fucked up 😅

[@vvitch-mist20]

I wrote a book where there is a third introduce into a part of two, but you hear about both characters pretty much immediately. Like it's no secret.

[@sillyvappy]

and it isnt even a love triangle, its a love V

[@BassicallyKiyash]

Backed into a corner ​@@sillyvappy

[@AngelaMihai]

Loool... I called Celeste as a villan the moment you said they were 'besties'... Like, no way she would write a real female friendship, not with the MC being not like other girls vibe 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@ariannay766]

Same ;-;

[@sad-xh3cd]

Y'know, suddenly after watching this, all the insecurities about my own book being too much, or not making sense are MAGICALLY out the window

[@alyssum130]

😂

[@friendlystoryphantom2043]

Same!

[@thethmooteresa]

Same here

[@jackwassik9352]

Right!

[@lilianaohara]

Sameee

[@richard2174]

Can we please take a moment and appreciate how she waved around her “star stick” through the rest of the video after introducing it?

[@ReadswithRachel]

It’s my weapon of choice for slaying bad books

[@JavaBum]

@@ReadswithRachel A good idea would be for it to be turned against its creator, Disney.

[@CatCheshire]

She did, because Isla did not use hers - she had a key to fix some of her problems and she conveniently chooses to forget about it

[@optiquemusic6204]

When Star Butterfly is the better Princess with a Star Stick, something is very wrong.

[@anacecilia1387]

14:19 hearing there's ONE realm that doesn't end with "ling" for no reason should not have been so enraging, and yet...

[@JuliaREllen]

She probably planned to call it Darkling initially but Leigh Bardugo stole her thunder

[@emackenzie]

@@JuliaREllen could've gone with shadelings or something, or broken the pattern with other names 😭

[@tomatosoup1304]

@@emackenzie Shadeling sounds cool af too ngl

[@danaslitlist1]

The lazy naming of the people and places is sooooooo infuriating to me. Like that tells me how much effort she put into the book right off the bat. It also does a disservice to YA and middle grade readers to give them lazy books or books that are written as if kids are idiots. There are so many well written books for younger audiences and don’t make it lazy.

[@MsMvsc]

It makes me think of the star rod from Kirby

[@Marie45610]

Naming things is one of the things I struggle with the most in my writing, so I get it a little. But she could have taken more time to figure that out.

[@ps1hagridoufofcharacter]

@@Marie45610 or asked her editors for input. thats probably allowed. or, like, used a random fantasy name generator lol

[@oddeyes9413]

Name generators can be a good jump off helper, but it shouldn't be fully used like I suspect this author did.

[@DarwinRoger893]

​@@Marie45610she had literary agents and editors. The last thing she could have done was ask them for critique and some pointers.

[@ellys106]

I imagine a starstick as one of those plastic tube toys with glitter water inside. :Anyone have one of those as a kid and it was totally pointless but seemed a little cool.

[@darrynm608]

Personally i thought of it as that plastic invisible umbrella thing that went around as a meme for awhile😂

[@Truffle85]

LOL, my family had three, one for each kid. I loved them too.

[@Lauren-yw3fe]

Exactly what I pictured lol

[@emmanarotzky6565]

I remember those. I think they were meant to distract grumpy kids so they would stare at the pretty colors instead of yelling lmao

[@simplesimply3753]

@@owowowowowiwo 👀😏

[@adriannaa545]

I imagine the starstick as the wand from Star vs The Forges of Evil. Especially the whole portal aspect, so much like Star's powers.

[@JayEllisAlexander]

This is so encouraging. If she can write a mediocre book that reads as middle grade smothered in controversy, weak romance and lies, I can!

[@hyasinsu]

Knowing that books like this are published and read, tells me that there’s a public for everything and actually encourages me to keep writing! X)

[@corinneroper]

As an aspiring writer this is literally what I was thinking. It’s also kind of discouraging though because I know lots of really deserving authors who totally should have their books adapted and didn’t. Even though I know I could write something better than Lightlark I might not be as successful because Aster is rich and from an influential family. Considering that her book was so sus, that bothers me.

[@corinneroper]

@@Lookintobookz I’m so sorry….hopefully eventually we can get to a place where we value good literature over a family name and social media following.

[@edwinbetancourt7301]

And crazy enough she got a movie deal.

[@prokoba1337]

do you have parents worth $100m ?

[@nameredacted9119]

I think that the comparison to hunger games comes from the fact that Lightlark is meant to be about a fight to the death, and a love triangle …which tells me that she did not get the point of the hunger games.

[@CadillacBandit]

In my mind the star stick is that sparkling wand/stick all our faves from the Disney channel would use to draw Mickey ears (please tell me someone knows what I’m referencing) 😂

[@ReadswithRachel]

IM ISLA CROWN AND YOURE WATCHING DISNEY CHANNEL

[@ReadswithRachel]

(I can’t actually take credit for that joke, one of my lovely patrons left it in the comments on my patreon and I’ve been cackling over it ever since)

[@CadillacBandit]

I’m deceased 🤣

[@ashleyreynolds1991]

I DO!!! I AM OLD LOL ... BORN IN 91.

[@Amorfis]

This is EXACTLY what I pictured too 😭

[@mayhemchicken5342]

the premise and "worldbuilding" of lightlark feels so much like something me and my childhood best friend would have come up with as a fantasy game...the heavyhanded plot beats and out of nowhere twists also sound like something we'd have come up with over the course of said game. almost made me nostalgic honestly. the only difference is the romance because we were 9 year olds and not really interested in that sort of thing. though it sounds like lightlark would have made a much better children's make believe game than a book.

[@amberdawn868]

You know, a better writer would have really developed a father-daughter type bond betwee Oro and Isla and made that kind of platonic/familial love have its own kind of power. Real missed potential there.

[@Bluestar4535]

What do you mean? There is totally chemistry between Oro and Isla. Grim just erased it all…

[@skullmeerkat]

I swear I read that Aster pronounces Isla as “Eyes-la” but that’s not a standard pronunciation in Spanish either, so most people would never pronounce it that way (unless they’ve never seen the name before). I want to say I’m surprised her editor never said anything but her editor was also allegedly fighting with people on Reddit and didn’t even know what type of arcs there were, so I’m not. Also for the starsticks, I’m picturing those light sticks the KPop stans love so much.

[@ReadswithRachel]

Yeah so here’s the excerpt that I read that made me think it’s pronounced with the S and I was like WHYYYYY “It wasn’t that he knew her name, no. That was expected. It wasn’t even that he pronounced it perfectly, like a snake’s hiss, with all the letters sounded out.”

[@plebproblems4315]

My mums name is Isla and the idea of someone saying is-la makes me cringe.

[@sapphicvampire8504]

How does someone mess up pronouncing isla that badly, no one says it like that bro😭. We also use isla (island in english) in tagalog but this pronounciation sounds so off putting

[@beeaggro2593]

Like at least Is-Lah is the white people way to say it. Girl's Colombian. Like cmon

[@tangosparks1111]

the audio book has it pronounced as eyes-la so you’re right

[@MoonisHavn]

I know its toxic to watch reviewers tear apart a book. I know it must be rough for her. But I keep watching. Entertained by the negativity. What is wrong with me.

[@nobodyshome777]

you just described all mankind haha

[@nenegrey2282]

Nothing's wrong with you. Readers are just fed up with the industry hyping up mediocre books for money 😅 YA has become the fast food of literature, terrible books by terrible authors (Maas, Clare, Aveyard, Schwab) being praised and the authors getting 6+ figures per contract... while better authors (especially authors of color and queer) are left fighting for scraps. Aster is half latina but her parents are millionaires, loaned her and her sister $30k each to start their various businesses, she's still incredibly privileged. She's young and easily marketable on social media, so of course the industry turned her into their new darling. I'm not even an author and I find the situation unbearable. I can't imagine what mistreated, talented authors actually feel like.

[@meghannpalmer7417]

Why authors shouldn’t be in reviewers spaces.

[@MoonisHavn]

@@meghannpalmer7417 Maybe so. But its not like we are completely separate. I was a reader before I was an Author. We are just two sides of the same coin.

[@ivylilybasket]

@@nenegrey2282 Yeah exactly, she got 6-figures for the book and 7-figures for a movie option. She can wipe her tears with all the free $$$.

[@Notfallkaramell]

Lightlark is awful, but the cover looks great. For Wattpad standards.

[@loureadingthings]

i think you missed the opportunity to let everyone know isla crown is literally doing the disney channel draw thingy when she uses a starstick

[@VickiWeavil]

Writing this for 10 Years? Then she started it when she was 17? Which is fine, but the whole progression doesn't make sense -- because in between she went to college, started a singing career, wrote two middle grade books which were published by a decent trad. publisher and even received some awards/acclaim. So I don't think her mind was on THIS book for the entirety of the supposed 10 years.

[@rosereddened]

Regrettably I clocked that Oro was a love interest early on so I will disagree. I agree there's no chemistry between them, but the writing made it pretty clear - their first interaction is him saving her life and then he gets a physical description about how handsome he is and then he's cold to her in a way that makes it clear she's interpreting him as disdainful when he's not. It was Edward Cullen Lite. I actually wonder if they're supposed to be an ot3 situation rather than a Tamlin versus Rhysand book. I am not sure I am strong enough to read a sequel though.

[@ReadswithRachel]

I would honestly kill for a poly love triangle, that would be way more bearable than a Jacob V Edward repeat

[@ps1hagridoufofcharacter]

@@ReadswithRachel same here, im so over love triangles. give me all the love triads. so far i've only encountered a real one in a single book that i know you, Rachel, have already read, because i've seen it in your background before, and its frustrating that the only throuple content i get is in fanfic that makes it just sexual and not straight up love edit: to clarify, i didnt wanna say the name of the book because id spoil it

[@S_P03]

@@ps1hagridoufofcharacter Oooh which book is it?

[@ps1hagridoufofcharacter]

@@S_P03 let me see if i can do a 'click show more for the spoilery bit' . . . . . . . . . . Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

[@S_P03]

@@ps1hagridoufofcharacter Thank you!!!

[@theedexterspeckman6512]

the fact that the author wrote the book when she was 17 when the hunger games and shadow and bone (which was a decade ago), and tried and tried to get it published for over a decade, even though she was told multiple times that it wasn’t going to happen for her, explains so much- its just terrible fanfiction.

[@MissGreenTeaLady]

I mean, it tracks. Some of my writing looked like this when I was 17.

[@moffie-moff5044]

Grimm and Azul were the names of two of my Pokémon from when I was literally 10, so if that doesn’t say something about the naming conventions in this book idk what does

[@tsifirakiehl4250]

It’s occurred to me that my main team in Pokémon Violet has a pretty good set of names for a set of main characters: Frank, Cordelia, Pepper, Ali, Mia, and AAJKxbaa):.

[@Pandachu123]

As someone who has a Pawmot named Southpaw, a Dusk Lycanroc named Roxas, and a Skeledirge named Muertos, I think you're fine. I love seeing what people name their Pokémon. It's so cute!

[@TheAbigailDee]

I was not on board all along here. But his name being Grimdark has me laughing so hard. Holy Sheesh. GRIM. DARK. Reminds me of the saucy bad boy I'm writing about. Sexy McBadass.

[@WolfRaven119]

Does Sexy McBadass have a romantic rival, Abs O'Washboard?

[@lexinicole98]

😂😂

[@cam4636]

I can't wait until the trope of magical fae royalty is abandoned by the YA genre as a whole

[@nootnewt9323]

I’m surprised that after all of this time it still hasn’t gone away. I’ve seen trends come and go and for some reason ACOTAR still has a chokehold on this category, long after SJM left the category for adult fiction.

[@jasminv8653]

I wish we could go back to when fae teen novels meant Spiderwick and Tiffany Aching, not whatever the hell this adult romance packaged as high school drama is

[@angelofthe2000s]

I think it’s fun when the fae get to actually… be fae. It’s why I think Holly Blacks interpretations of them work while SJMs don’t

[@BooksToAshes]

I agree but I also think if it’s well done, and not copy and paste, it can be done well. I’m writing a NA/Adult poly fantasy romance and originally I didn’t want a fae love interest because it’s so overused. I eventually decided to since one of my kingdoms is run by an elf and fae. The fae Prince uses a wheelchair sometimes. My brother has chiari malformation which causes daily pain and limited mobility in regards to walking or daily activity alongside other issues, so he uses it on rare occasions. I wanted to incorporate something less known in a fae character that is usually depicted as godly and “perfect” and showing a fae can still be strong and powerful while also using a wheelchair. So if people want to write this trope they should try not copying and pasting because they’re always the same! Tall, dark hair, muscular, moody and boring. We need variety. (Sorry for rambling. It’s just so boring to see the same thing 😂 ah!)

[@elizabethratcliffe3859]

currently working on a small project: most of the characters are based on fae - a lot inspired by various mythologies,(especially british and greek), none of them are royalty. One of the 2 mc's is disabled and in a wheelchair, and their arc is not just 'oh look at me im perfect and sanctimonious' in fact they are a bit of an ahole, frankly, I want to see more fae that are interesting, and new, and idk fae-like not just 'sexy hot boy with elf ears'

[@tarynbookconfessions2]

Isla is just spanish for island. Her names are so literal for everything!

[@beeaggro2593]

Oro making Gold.

[@tawnywren1147]

i noticed when reading the book in pdf form that this Grim guy was described as "mocking" a lot, used word search and found that the word "mocking" had been used eight times throughout the book, seven of which are all attributed to him. Rough

[@Irrlichtwinter]

... I... actually like the description of the sun as a 'yolky thing'. It is very charming. It would fit perfectly for a likable-ditzy-airhead PoV character. If it was a conscious stylistic choice, I would applaud it. ... If.

[@ReadswithRachel]

No shade whatsoever, I dont think less of anyone for having a different opinion on descriptions in books! I agree, it wouldve def been better if it were a conscious thing very distinct to the character

[@NapaCat]

For a nature ruler, it would make more sense, but the Wildlings are more plant associated.

[@twilightown]

I knew Oro was supposed to be a love interest going into this book and it still did not help at all. That man despised Isla at the start and I still have no idea where it was in the book that he fell for her because she was nothing but rude to him the whole time. Like clearly to Isla he's just a consolation prize cause Grim messed up. I was honestly hoping the love triangle wasn't a thing and Oro was gonna be revealed to be her dad.

[@amazingmoonlightaj2936]

When reading the first mentiontings, even descriptions of Oro, I legit never picked up he was a viable love interest. I imagined a rlly old stuffy King who's kinda stout with a frizzy beard, that hates everyone, idk where I missed out he looked young but I found out soon enough 💀

[@LilyEvans1996]

Yeah, I did notice he was a consolation prize because she wanted a life with Grim.

[@Tareltonlives]

It's an inevitability in badly written romances

[@deen7530]

@@amazingmoonlightaj2936 I wish Oro was old. I looked up the official artwork of all the rulers and Oro looks like a preppy college valedictorian.

[@amazingmoonlightaj2936]

@@deen7530 Fr! To be honest it's been a while since I've read it, but I really can't remember how aging physically works for the five hundred year olds (sidenote, it kind of creeped me out how the love interests were the only ones who were literally half millennium old). I mean obviously it's a YA Fantasy, but damn, you're spot on w the Oro comparison lmao (he's a golden boy, literally)

[@mcjordie]

I think I'm gonna be thinking about the idea that the ocean is described as soup for a long time. Idk why but that's what is really sticking with me lol

[@ReadswithRachel]

It just opens the door for so many further questions. What soup? Zuppa Toscana from Olive Garden? Traditional chicken noodle? Tortilla? A gazpacho?

[@Miramiyami]

@@ReadswithRachel maybe more like a chowder, because of the seafood? gumbo?

[@alisaurus4224]

@@ReadswithRachel bouillabaisse

[@ghoulchan7525]

Like is it a thick soup? Or like a broth

[@nootnewt9323]

The naming feels so middle grade. Azul, oro, grimdark? Actually I think that’s a disrespect to middle grade. This is just lazy. As in “I spent 2 seconds on the naming conventions.” Or “these were placeholders I never changed.”

[@dreamingpichu2334]

The moment you said "star stick" all I could picture was the star rod from Kirby

[@JesseRowanShawe]

SAAAME

[@JessCsBooks]

A viral TikTok about a concept does not a quality book make.

[@Lolz4249]

You waving the Mickey Mouse wand in frustration is the best thing ever. This reveiw was so entertaining for my Monday morning- many thanks Rachel!

[@ariannay766]

As soon as I saw Celeste, I was like "yeah, she's either going to betray Isla or die" 0-0 and it just felt so gross? like... "this is a romance novel, the friendships are not allowed to actually be real or valuable and if they seem that way then itll be retconned out of existence til they were less than nothing in the first place" it was really tropey and obvious too

[@tsifirakiehl4250]

This is why I like the Bright Falls series by Ashley Herring Blake. It’s contemporary romance, but friendships and family are also major themes, and the main characters’ other loved ones don’t disappear when they meet their romantic interests. The leading ladies and their best friends don’t always agree on everything, but they always care about each other and never get into catfights or try to steal each other’s love interests.

[@The_Open_Book]

I also have a hard time not "over-noticing" repeated words/phrases. Ofc there are things I'm sure people say a lot in their real life that just worms into their writing and the author won't notice, but it shows a lack of editing because other people surely should have.

[@equinoxcrow]

When I read the six nations all I could think was 'What!? The Nightshades don't get a '-ling'?!'

[@ellys106]

Nightling was right there

[@-_-0.0-_-]

as soon as you said you hated caraval it was an instant sub from me. I LOATHED the book - so many contrivances, so much forced whimsy with this island while the main character's sister is kidnapped, so many dumb wild goose chase puzzles that were "so smart," etc. The whole plot felt like a dream in that it didn't matter and had no stakes that made me care (no way would they do something impactful)

[@ReadswithRachel]

You. Me. Same. Absolutely hated it.

[@gabriellelue]

When I was reading this I was literally thinking that one Cardi B meme “what was the reason?!” because everything was pointless lol also, such a good point about how Grimm kept flirting despite taking Isla’s memory. Like why take the memory if you’re gonna be all over her…

[@Jack-so5bp]

Literally so glad this video exists so I don't have to actually read this book

[@ReadswithRachel]

Just doing my civic duty!

[@naveerarizwan5329]

@@ReadswithRachel Was going to read it but i'm glad I didn't waste my time

[@annacolesworthy4315]

When you described the star stick I immediately imagined one of those tubes that when you turn it upside down it makes a "moooo" sound....

[@wendyd.7523]

i wholeheartedly imagined the star stick as a kpop lightstick😭

[@TheEmmychka]

I'm just really grateful for people like you who will take one for the team

[@deaddragonskull]

After having to hear "Starling" and "Nightling" and "Wildling" for nearly 50 minutes, I no longer feel bad about naming my original species "Star Children" cuz at least it doesnt end in LING

[@Chaoticchaos732]

The thing that makes me mad is, I was following this book since before it came out and she was posting quotes, aesthetics and stuff and I was SO EXCITED because the plot seemed AMAZING. I checked every couple months to see if it was out. But now that it's out, and scenes are being cut (which as a writer is understandable, scenes have to be cut for plot stuff, but cutting it out after Alex sold it out that the book would have that is just...no) And personally, I'm just really mad cause I wanted it to be good but now I don't even know if it's worth reading

[@ghoulchan7525]

I saw Krimsonrouge's 7 hour review he did. Oh boy, that book is a mess.

[@cosmicfae7]

Caraval felt like I was reading a “Alice in wonderland” like it felt like I was reading a dream. Like the focus was on the setting and world building but the personal relationships of the characters

[@ReadswithRachel]

The personal relationships read extremely shallow to me in Caraval.

[@missilluminati3389]

Yeah same, and that's why I loved it. However, I read it years ago, so maybe now I wouldn't like it all that much.

[@NicolasSequeira]

Finding books via TikTok is like finding hamburgers via Taco Bell

[@filipbartakovic]

Well, it would be hilarious imo if two characters stood on a beach and one of them just casually asked "Have you ever thought about ocean being one giant soup? I mean it has fish, salty water and some green stuff inside." But nah, let's just put it there as a description which doesn't really makes sense

[@ReadswithRachel]

I would’ve loved that especially as a “person who doesn’t know how to have conversation attempts to have conversation and says the ocean is soup” kinda deal. Would’ve been funny.

[@GrimReader]

I'd disagree on the point and there is a conversation with the reader. She's pretty clearly from the whole start of this scam saying: "You're an idiot, you bought this carbon copy, lowest common denominator, derivative bulllshit. This was marketed to hit all the things that algorithmically are needed to do well in YA and fantasy and you bought it." I'm actually impressed and admire her a little bit for the scorn she has for her audience, full grift.

[@ReadswithRachel]

You… are absolutely right lmao honestly you are correct

[@artemisvoltaire4743]

I feel like the starstick and puddle of stars ideas could have been really fun for a poem or a kids' book especially with full illustrations. But that was the only fun idea touched on which is a bummer. LARKLIGHT by Reeve, on the otherhand, was a really fun middleschool book that I hope doesn't accidentally get bad press cuz of this. This was fun, off to listen to your sequel!

[@hereforthecats9218]

Sooooo.. I’m the only one who thought that Starstick sounded like a female pleasure toy 😂🤣 Also, I love indie authors that do everything properly & end up putting out great quality books. What I’m highly disliking is these other authors that get all this social media attention, don’t do the bare minimum of getting a decent editor, HONEST beta readers, & clearly aren’t going through re-reads or re-writes putting out SHIT BOOKS. Are books subjective? Sure I agree. What I disagree with is people spouting nonsense that books like these are the greatest thing since sliced bread, when they don’t deserve the hype! I feel like we shouldn’t be subjective on books that don’t deserve it. Bad writing is lazy writing and there are authors out there that get overshadowed by the hype of bad books. We need to do better.

[@-0-000]

This comment is absolute gold 💕

[@DemxnTheyThem]

Honestly, I'm getting Divergent vibes more than anything. Which was a worse version of the Hunger Games at the end of the day. Also, the prose reminds me of Uglies. I will never forget Scott Westerfeld's openong line where he compares the colour of an early sunset to cat vomit...

[@CyanHope]

From how you described it. Isla seems her self insert(like you said) and Cleo is the insert of her high school bully or ex friend, that she wants everyone to villify with her

[@alilolfox]

The fact universal is making a movie out of *this* is SO disappointing…

[@stephspoilsstuff]

They might not actually be making a movie, they could have just bought the rights cos it was popular and they just wanted to snatch it up first so they could say they had it...fingers crossed!

[@batsburning]

deadass thought the exact same thing like "oh the twist about their relationship at the end is hes gonna be her father" cause i also was picutring him as like this older guy and im like HUH

[@ellys106]

Convinced the writers who blurbed this who weren't Alex's friends...convinced the rest blurbed it ironically

[@angelsqueaks128]

what gets me is that a lot of these plot points feel like they could be interesting separately. A love interest coming back in your life after forcing you to lose your memories of them? cool! there's definitely a way to make his interest in her still make sense if you see him, like, conflicted in it, or if he talks later about how much he deeply regrets the memory spell, etc. Having a character single mindedly focus on one goal that clearly won't work out? well, she's been locked in a room for most of her life, it makes sense she'd be naive, but naive and "girlboss" don't really work well. having to use someone elses fingerprints to open a door? a staple of spy novels! but having it just be solved with touching a mirror is so... boring. alex aster clearly knows what excites people, which i'm sure is why it took off on tiktok, it's just she's taken every wrong turn possible when she tried to combine it all into an actual book

[@livyloveswords]

I tried to read the free preview on my kindle but even that was confusing. The lack of world building and plot holes made me stop real quick. Thank you for saving us all from reading it ourselves 😅

[@whitneylivingston5706]

You have made my day with the “Who’s Line Is It Anyway?” reference. Best comment on this book I’ve heard!!

[@natalhab]

I think this should be an inspiration for writers everywhere, you can be shitty and get published Let's go people!!!! You can do it!!! I believe in all of you

[@writermichelletoro]

Welcome to What is This Book Anyway where everything's made up and the plot doesn't matter

[@ReadswithRachel]

I love this comment so much oh my gosh 10000/10 thank you for this

[@Pandachu123]

Best comment ever. 🤣🤣🤣

[@isynielsen2716]

THANK YOU!!!! I'm so glad I wasn't the only one completely blindsided by Isla's "and then i realized i had his powers because i love him" thing at the end because wtf was that Also, Isla is soooooo f*cking dumb. She just keeps doing the same things that don't work over and over, and I could NOT stand the constant flip-flopping she was doing over Grim the whole time. I didn't guess Celeste's betrayal right out the gate like I normally do though because I was too busy being confused over literally everything else in this book

[@5PctJuice]

You say "starstick," I see Star's wand from Star vs the Forces of Evil in my head.

[@Topdoggie7]

You mentioning you grew up fundie being why you did get to see Sailor Moon really slays me, I remember in my fundie days not being allowed to watch The Proud Family, Eddie Murphy, or basically anything with any main character who wasn't white. So things like Jackie Chan adventures, that was banned. Xaolin Showdown, that was band.

[@ReadswithRachel]

I WASNT ALLOWED TO WATCH PROUD FAMILY EITHER!!!!! Omg

[@Topdoggie7]

@@ReadswithRachel Was it because it was predominantly African American? Because that's why it was banned for me.

[@ReadswithRachel]

If I were to guess? Yes. But my moms reasoning was they were “too loud”

[@Topdoggie7]

@@ReadswithRachel Omg. I suppose Penny talking back to her family and having independence was simply too much of a bad influence on your fundie soul.

[@ReadswithRachel]

Apparently so!

[@oddeyes9413]

As an author and writer of 12+ years myself, this book feels like a first draft. It hits to many tropes, is actively trying to copy something and failing, and carries a plethora of flat and/or static characters. I really wouldn't recommend it to people.

[@AA-ph5dj]

Listening to your description of Isla Crown reminds me of the Cartman fight in the South Park game "The Fractured But Whole." You fight him and when he starts losing he randomly gifts himself new powers or puts debuffs on you. "ok now you're bleeding. now i have super strength."

[@cyrlizardboots878]

As a novice writer, your videos are kind of comforting just in the realization of how low the bar is for getting published lmao

[@doomeddaphnia1060]

I recently read this book with a friend of mine after some tik tok he sent me. I liked it in a beautiful trainwreck sort of way. I think with an editor, it could have been an ok generic YA fantasy romance novel. Around the second half of the story, it really felt like so much of the writing was just padding, but that was on top of how everything the characters did in the rest of it felt like a bunch of sidequests. Also the author had a habit of throwing "twists" in at the end that ultimately ended up not changing the plot in any way (ex: Wildlings also helping create lightlark in the beginning). The love triangle had to be the worst part though. The friend I read with said that Isla choosing Oro at the end had real "last guy at the bar" energy to it and I think that's the best way you could put it. I imagined the starstick as one of those plastic wands with the water and glitter inside them that my first grade teacher had when I was a kid.

[@trucevideos]

28:26 is the character who turns stuff into gold named "oro"? the spanish word for gold? ......... real creative

[@elainagilbert7663]

I plan my stories meticulously. Sometimes, they're all I can think about. I write down whenever I have an idea and then sift through it to find the best ones that make the most coherent plot. I talk to people about my stories and take their questions and comments into consideration when writing. And yet, for all that work and effort, I can't get published, but this author can.

[@lizpris8783]

I pictured the starstick as those wands the fairy odd parents use! Also i would love you to do the caravel series. I have a bunch of friends who want me to read it but I really don't want to

[@Mario_Angel_Medina]

I imagine the star stick as a "clip-art" magic wand... you know, the literal stick with the literal yellow pentagram star in one end, like the one fairies use in _The Fairy Odd Parents_

[@brockmays3409]

I zoned out for a minute and came back to gloves made of human skin and was like wait what

[@mondinsel4235]

Not me reading the comment the moment the gloves are mentioned. 💀

[@nonameless2]

THANK YOU! I'm so glad someone else hates Caraval as much as me. I heard so many good things and then I tried to read it and it was the most boring basic book I tried to read in awhile. I got nowhere.

[@t.a.summers]

I said that this book had more twists than a pretzel and I stand by that. 😆 Now that you mention Caraval, you're right. I didn't think of it while reading but thinking about it, it makes sense. I was lukewarm with that book, and so Lightlark ended up being a similar experience. Would love to see updated reviews for Caraval if you're willing to do it.

[@razzmatazz1978]

CACKLED when you said this is like Whose Line Is It Anyway. exactly true, the entire time you were summarizing I was just thinking, "why? but WHY? Why any of this?"... everything is made up and the points don't matter!

[@amandap7733]

Well of course the ocean in soup, it has all the necessities: broth/water, seasoning/salt, and meat/fish.

[@ReadswithRachel]

Hahahahahaha

[@nymstryx4414]

When I heard of the star stick the first thing I thought of was the star rod from Kirby

[@ReadswithRachel]

Fair!

[@devilofparadiss]

That starstick thing deadass reminded me of the brush from barbie rapunzel like with drawing puddles/portals??

[@Makowh]

This needs to be officially named the "Starstick Saga"

[@laurendimke967]

UGH DONT GET ME STARTED ON CARAVAL. i was forced to read it in exchange for my friend to read six of crows duology. NOT an equal exchange at all. I refuse to read anything like Caraval ever again so thank you for the comparison.

[@ReadswithRachel]

Just doing my civic duty!

[@JackedThor-so]

Lord, the naming conventions in this book are SO awful. This is giving me "11 year old's Deviantart" vibes. Like, the Netflix She-Ra had the same problem where a decent story was made kind of laughable by the first-draft names they had to use from the 80s show. It strikes me that this book is an amalgamation of things the author liked - but didn't stop to think WHY she liked them, nor how to make her own work distinct. It feels like idea soup rather than a well made product.

[@notthemusewere]

So...a new version of the Steve Limit; no naming characters after scenery that appears frequently in the story. To the author's defense, David Weber once started a story with (and I am quoting from memory here) "Climbs Quickly crept carefully down the branch..." and I had to stare at it for five minutes before I could parse it properly.

[@nutmegandpumpkin]

Your take on Caraval & Lightlark is so interesting. I liked Caraval but hated Lightlark… I wonder why? Anyways love your videos!

[@bibliophile2012]

Hello Rachel! Just wanted you to know that this was the video that introduced me to you and I have since watched almost all of your catalog. I’ve been recently going through a tough time and I have found that the only thing that makes my brain stop spiraling is your videos ranting about books and authors. So, thank you.

[@shanon4768]

8:59 obviously they were describing a moldy lemon that had been burnt which they then ate

[@mild5989]

the way i can feel that no research beyond maybe googling a few things (and never going past the first page or clicking a link) went into this book makes me feel insane

[@Pink_Artist]

Just hearing this plot, it kinda sounds like a more "intense" version of a Barbie fairytopia movie I watched as a kid...

[@lesleykruijt8580]

My dog just heard your kids, and now she's searching with a ball in her mouth to show them

[@ReadswithRachel]

I love this 😭

[@WolfRaven119]

Best comment

[@MaedBetweenthePages]

I can’t bring myself to care about this book/controversy even a little bit (but it’s you so hi), but a character named Grimdark? 😂 No fantasy reader will be able to read that with a straight face.

[@isynielsen2716]

I already commented but I just remembered one of my biggest problems with this book was that I genuinely could not tell why in the world these men were obsessed with her. I mean the girl has no personality. None of her choices make any sense because she doesn't have anything that drives her to make those choices, she's dumb as f*ck, she can fight well enough to beat the two 500+ year old war generals but then gets beat by random cannibals for no reason, etc etc etc. Like there's just nothing about her that actually stands out or would explain why these two men with the world at their feet would even notice her. They don't bond over anything meaningful, she doesn't even know anything about either of them. I do NOT understand the "romance" at all.