My September 2024 Wrap-Up! (A 5 Star Book and a Rant on Rings of Power)

[@nathancooper22]

I can’t believe people post negative comments for you reviewing a book. Your review for the Devils had me super hyped for it. I mean it’s Abercrombie so I was already hyped for this book but early reviews absolutely help the author and build anticipation for readers prior to release date

[@PetrikLeo]

Thank you, Nathan! Unfortunately, negative comments on reviewing a book is something we have to live with as a reviewer! xD

[@neondemon5137]

Empire of Grass Tiny font made for ants Ants live in the grass Bravo, Tad Williams, now this is Cinema.

[@PetrikLeo]

@@neondemon5137 Martin Scorcese is proud of you. 😂

[@williamrelihan9295]

I think ‘Empire of Grass’ is top tier. Tad Williams is a legend.

[@PetrikLeo]

@@williamrelihan9295 definitley a great book!

[@MoeWanders]

I absolutely would love to hear more about other hobbies like shows, games, etc. I enjoy hearing your thoughts on the other forms of media just as much as books! :)

[@PetrikLeo]

Awesome. Thank you! I'll try to talk about them more in my wrap up video! 😄

[@OooItsBlue]

That was me with Malice. The beginning was so tough for me with like 80 names in the first 10 chapters and the slot, but the latter half was so good I debated giving it a 5 stars despite the first half. I gave it a 4 though just simply because of how good it is.

[@PetrikLeo]

Exactly! I feel it's totally believable to do that. 😄

[@calumlott]

I watched the first 20minutes of season two and stopped 😂 I loved your fake clap at Galadriel saying the light can defeat the darkness hahahaha

[@PetrikLeo]

@@calumlott The dialogues in the finale were so bad 😂

[@safinan8008]

Great wrap up video!!! I like Tad Williams books!! Happy reading to you!! 🎉

[@PetrikLeo]

Thank you so much, Safina!

[@esmayrosalyne]

Congrats again on finding that new epic fantasy fave, it brings me endless amounts of joy to see you having so much fun with a book again!! And love to hear that The Liar's Knot ended up being such a pleasant surprise for you in the end. I personally loved the finale, but I can see why it is slightly divisive. Just be along for the ride hahah ;) And yes please, give us more of those TV/movie talks!!

[@PetrikLeo]

Thank you so much, my friend! I will be talking about the TV/movie I watch more in my wrap-up then! :)

[@cynthiafialka]

The Devils looks really intriguing! My favorite read recently is The Will of the Many.

[@PetrikLeo]

The Will of the Many is a masterpiece! LOVED that book so much!

[@cynthiafialka]

@@PetrikLeo looking forward to seeing where Islington takes the story!

[@SimplementInefable]

I'm so so excited for The Devils! Couldn't watch your review as I want to know nothing about it, but loved to see that you posted it and enjoyed the book!

[@hybridhermit007]

Same, the amount of discipline it took not to watch it was mad.

[@PetrikLeo]

@@SimplementInefable hahaha that's totally understandable!! 😄😄

[@bookmarcreads]

The shield would block more light, so maybe she meant the sword. Lol! There’s no saving this show.🌞🛡️🌒

[@PetrikLeo]

That's just ONE out of many issues in the season finale. 😂

[@ZOMGfantasy]

Awesome wrap up, Petrik! You've fully earned the right to awesome ARCS, but I am still so jealous you got to read The Devils early!! So exciting that you loved it, only hypes me up that much more haha

[@PetrikLeo]

Thank you so much, Zammar! You will love The Devils for sure. It will be worth the wait! :)

[@shadowoflugia]

I read 7 books in September, including three Robin Hobb books. My favorite was Fool’s Fate.

[@PetrikLeo]

@@shadowoflugia Fool's Fate is great! 😄

[@Chance.Dillon]

Everytime I hear you talk about the sequel tad series-it gets me amped up and itching to start it after MST was one of my favorites of all time. Also Amazon just reallllly doesn’t know how to ace fantasy show finales. It was nice to hear you talk about that too

[@PetrikLeo]

Woohoo! I'm hoping the conclusion of The Last King of Osten Ard will be even bettet than Memory Sorrow and Thorn. Tall order. We'll see how it goes! 😁

[@Chance.Dillon]

@@PetrikLeo yes-that green angel tower conclusion was a ride and a half plus another ride plus another half a ride

[@BrianBell7]

the Rings of Power talk in this video was exactly what I needed today: S A L T Y P E T R I K

[@PetrikLeo]

The season finale was so damn trash. 😂

[@PsyKotyK]

Thats a huge fantastic book shelf you got there

[@PetrikLeo]

Thank you so much!!

[@MacScarfield]

So excited to get back to Osten Ard next year! 😄 In September I read three Rosemary Sutcliffe novels: 2 YA Historical Fiction Novels, «The Silver Branch» & «The Lantern Bearers» (set in Ancient Britain during the Late Roman and the Roman Withdrawal & Saxon Invasions, respectively) and an Arthurian Historical Fiction novel, «Sword at Sunset», all loosely connectied to each other following a family over generations, with the POV character of «The Lantern Bearers» as a mentor figure and his son one of Arthur’s companions in «Sword at Sunset». I also finished «Sword in the Storm» («Rigante» series #1) by David Gemmell (S&S/Heroic Fantasy, inspired by Celtic Britain and the Roman Invasions) and «The Eternal Champion» by Michael Moorcock (Multiverse S&S/(Anti-?)Heroic Fantasy). Also finished «Lustrum» (US: «Conspirata», «Cicero»-Trilogy #2) by Robert Harris (Historical Fiction about the Roman Statesman), that one or «Sword in the Storm» might be my Book of the Month! Cheers Petrik!

[@thebrothersgwynne]

Soooo buzzing for The Devils! My copy arrived last week 🎉 Ed

[@PetrikLeo]

@@thebrothersgwynne it's so fun! Not as dark and mindblowing as First Law, but truly a great and compelling read, IMO. 😄

[@Olphas]

And I still haven't read any Abercrombie 😅He is of course on my list, but there are so many books! Maybe The Devils will be my first. The only real standout for me this month was Nemesis Games (Expanse 5). That was really good, especially after Cibola Burn being not as high up there for me. I also liked The Dollmakers and my re-read of Salem's Lot. I still have the last episode of Rings of Power before me. Could not bring myself to watch it yet. Everything around Sauron is actually pretty good this season, but most everything else ...

[@PetrikLeo]

Don't worry. I still have many popular classic fantasy titles I haven't read or finished, too! And hey, I love Nemesis Games. One of the best books in the Expanse series! Good luck with the last episode... :)

[@mariareadsssf]

Some people have no clue how Advanced Reader Copies work. Ignore them, you do an excellent job. I found a new favorite in September, "The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands" by Sarah Brooks and is the best debut of this year for me. A honorable mention, because we both love Murder Mystery in a Fantasy setting, "Murder at Spindle Manor" by Morgan Stang was such a page turner and great fun. I read it in two sitings.

[@PetrikLeo]

Thank you, Maria! No worries. It didn't get to me. Just confused by the reaction of an ARC. I need to try Murder at Spindle Manor when I'm in the right reading mood! :)

[@ronaldwatson3862]

I have failed to get into The Blade Itself each time I've tried reading it - would you recommend starting Abercrombie with Devils? Or is it unconnected to his other Book Series? My September 2024 Wrap-Up: - Midnight Tides by Steven Erikson, Book 5 in the main Malazan series. Solid read, so much better than House of Chains. 3.5/5 stars. - Yellowface by R.F. Kuang. I enjoyed the themes attempted, concerning plagiarism, social media, and appropriation in marketing. It was good, 2.5/5 stars. - Fahrenheit 451by Ray Bradbury. Classic for a reason, excellent themes, short story about censorship of knowledge, and worth a read. 4/5 stars.

[@PetrikLeo]

No need. You can read Devils without reading The Blade Itself. I do like Blade Itself more, though. :p Midnight Tides was amazing for me. I absolutely loved that book! :)

[@EmirKATIRCI]

Can you make a video about how you go through all these books? Because I'm having hard time reading enough to finish series I like. Thanks in advance.

[@PetrikLeo]

I've made a video on how I read more. Maybe that's what you're looking for! 😄

[@EmirKATIRCI]

@@PetrikLeo Yeah I watched that video. But that video has red flags all over it for me. First thing you said is that you read at least 150 pages. Which means 4.2 hours everyday. Doesn't matter how you disguise it no normal person with normal job and a family have that much time available in a day for reading or paid to read unless you for a publisher which you have yet to say if you do or not. You say you're doing this channel as a hobby yet here we are an impasse were you're doing this full-time with the donations of your followers or you're working normal job and you do this on the side? Which is it? Second thing is in that video you said "DNF" dont finish the book and you said 100 to 200 pages in you should know if you like the book or not. Following that you said it might turn into a better story after that but you shouldn't force it. Which seems to me you just skim the peoples reviews of the internet and read a little to make it look like you read the books you talk about. How can we be sure that you really read the books to the end you talk about or just browsed 200 pages and come to a conclusion? And lastly you never said you do speed reading so for you to finish this many books in a month is unlikely for a normal person. Rest of that video is all about useless advises about how to know when to stop and drink coffe/tea (where said to myself really?). In my opinion you still haven't addressed the question I'm asking so please explain in detail how you go trough this many books.

[@noname3609]

I finished Jjk, Empire of the damned and Wheel of time 12 😊

[@PetrikLeo]

@@noname3609 i finished JJK too! Forgot to talk about it here. And wow you're almost done with WoT!! 😆

[@teddited9682]

I watched a detailed review of the last episode in Rings of Power and…OMG!…the writing is horrible! I tried watching a few times, and found the writing and storyline too painful! So much of what Galadriel did and a lot of the plot line made absolutely no sense at all! BTW, you were very polite in what you said about Rings of Power… not exactly a “rant”…but would be interested in further thoughts on TV shows. Don’t enjoy manga except some of the tv “cartoon” shows which one of my boys corrected me very firmly, was not manga. I apologize of my lack of knowledge in this area, but I love your reviews and descriptions of epic fantasy books. I still remember your reply to a comment…if you want spice you can read Dune😆

[@PetrikLeo]

No need to force it if you find them too painful. Season 2 is overall better than season 1, IMO. BUT it's still very mixed with a lot of negatives. :D

[@itscatoclock]

Background looks awesome Petrik. Also, that font size is actually ridiculous. That would be hard to read for a lot of people.

[@PetrikLeo]

@@itscatoclock thank you so much! Yeahhh I know! I don't think the books need to have that small font size. 😂

[@Paromita_M]

I agree with your assessment of the political intrigue in Last King of Osten Ard vs ASOIAF though I prefer Tad Williams' writing. If GRRM completes ASOIAF, I think it will be a true competition but as of now, the way Williams concluded the Osten Ard saga means he wins out for me hehe. ASOIAF has all the potential to be as good or greater but it needs that next installment in my opinion. It would be nice to hear about the movies/TV shows you watched in the wrap-up, maybe we can get some recommendations too. I sat out RoP S2 because Tolkien's writing (specially LOTR) is very close to my heart and S1 really disappointed me. I have followed what all has happened in S2 and dear me, missed opportunities huh? I remember a advice (ironically) Patrick Rothfuss gave once on a stream - if you are a debut writer doing multi-POV, do not do more than 3 POVs, you are not GRRM. And I must say, after reading many series, his statement has proved true more often than not and it applies to TV Series too. This show would be so much better with two plotlines for example Sauron vs Celebrimbor and Eregion. The Harfoots with is-this-Gandalf are just pointless and Numenor is botched - it doesn't work imo! Why not focus on the forging of the Rings of Power nicely in S1 and S2 (and Eregion) in a show titled RoP? Numenor could have come later. This way, it seems none of it is done justice and I'm sorry but the writing doesn't make any sense for Galadriel. If they had even made it her daughter, it would be better imo since we don't know that much about her, even a romance or triangle or whatever they're doing with Elrond and Sauron could be okay. But Galadriel - it doesn't make sense! She's a mage, not a warrior! I also think Arondir plotline is a complete waste. Anyway, I'm sad to see this much invested in a show but it fall apart due to basic structural and timeline errors. Hopefully showrunners adapting the next IP learn from these missteps, sadly I think everyone is too self-satisfied to introspect. Time will tell. Happy reading!

[@PetrikLeo]

OOHHH high praise for Osten Ard Saga! That makes me so pumped to read the remaining books in the series. And yeah... Rings of Power. The Harfoots story is so awful, boring, and uninteresting. Sauron, Celebrimbor, and Eregion is a great one! Durin was alright too. The rest has been a mixed bag. 😅

[@gigglingchicken8444]

Haha, 2 to 3 books is usually my average. I was surprised when I counted 8 books for September. I started Crossroads of Twilight at the end of September. I dont know why I did that to myself as October is one of my favorite reading months. I am feeling myself fall into a reading slump as I have not touched a book in days and dont have the urge to continue at the moment or pick up something else. Lol, I was warned, so I can only blame myself.

[@noname3609]

@@gigglingchicken8444 Wot 11 and 12 are way better,just sayin☺️

[@PetrikLeo]

Oh my god. I'm in the same boat as you. I'm reading Crossroads of Twilight, too. I genuinely think this is one of the worst books of all time. I've been reading it for months and still no way close to finishing it. The boredom is out of my mind. Best of luck to both of us.

[@HowellingRoots]

You are no swine Petrik, enjoy as you so see fit fellow reader. Keep your excitement, going. 🖤🤘🙏 #PetrikLeo #MikesBookReviews #BrianLeeDurfee #TheGwynnBrothers -JRoot

[@PetrikLeo]

Thank you so much! You mentioned great channels too! I'm honored. 😄

[@Pacman-on5cg]

It would be great if you can interview Tad on your channel.

[@PetrikLeo]

@@Pacman-on5cg i certainly will do that! Maybe after I read Brothers of the Wind. 😄

[@angelaholmes8888]

I read 14 books in September my favorite The wild truth by carine mccandless memoir she's the sister of Christopher mccandless there's a book and movie based on his life called into the wild if you're curious about carine life and learn more about Chris

[@itscatoclock]

Amazing how you can read so much!

[@angelaholmes8888]

@@itscatoclock I read multiple books at a time 4 precisely

[@PetrikLeo]

14 books in a month is wild. Well done!

[@avery_moore_reads]

Three books in a month is actually pretty good. I mean, it's a book every ten days. Can't complain about that. ☺

[@PetrikLeo]

@@avery_moore_reads yeah true!! I have to think of it that way. Preferably I like to read 5 to 6 books though at least. 😂

[@Henry-jp3mc]

Hollywood today is the reason i started reading more. So thats a positive 😅

[@PetrikLeo]

Hahaha blessing in disguise!

[@HowellingRoots]

Same, I gave The Rings of Power season 1 and 2 a 2.7 / 10..... They disrespected Proffesor John Tolkien. Thanks for the review. ✌️ -JRoot

[@PetrikLeo]

Thank you so much! I think season 2 was overall better than season 1. But the season finale was a big disappointment.

[@radudumanovschi3387]

3. EoD was the best,

[@PetrikLeo]

@@radudumanovschi3387 I decided to read that book next year instead. This yeae is too full. 😅

[@Popsiclestand86]

Imo rings of power is better than the wheel of time series.

[@PetrikLeo]

Both are almost equally bad IMO.

[@JY-vh3be]

I watch movies and tv shows made before 2015 now.

[@PetrikLeo]

Can't blame you to be honest. 😅

[@Rendref]

So you're saying I will definitely like the first half of Empire of Grass?.... :-)

[@PetrikLeo]

@@Rendref You? Not even the whole book. 😂

[@SlowpokeReads]

So sad I have to wait til next year for The Devils

[@PetrikLeo]

It will be worth the wait! I have to wait longer for the sequel now. 😂

[@SlowpokeReads]

@@PetrikLeo i requested the arc on netgalley but I am not hopeful with only 1000 followers on TT and 65% feedback ratio LMAO

[@dieusonmalcomson7335]

If you think the empire of grass cliffhanger was bad wait until you read into the narrow dark😭😭

[@PetrikLeo]

@@dieusonmalcomson7335 ohhhh noooo. 😂😂

[@dieusonmalcomson7335]

@@PetrikLeo hoping the 2 year wait pays off

[@shadowoflugia]

How do you even know how many words a book has?!

[@PetrikLeo]

You can check them on Kobo. They're very accurate. 😄

[@OnlyTheBestFantasyNovels]

Bah, ignore them, if they'd gotten their hands on an ARC of The Devils no way they could read it and shut up about it until next year . . I certainly couldn't 😂

[@PetrikLeo]

Hahahah I know! I did not let it get to me. Just interesting to see the reactions. 😂

[@zenthepoet.]

Peeeetrik

[@PetrikLeo]

@@zenthepoet. zeeennnn!!

[@mastersal4644]

Hmmm - hate comments on a review? People have obviously forgotten to take their chill pills. Glad you had a great reading month

[@PetrikLeo]

Thank you so much! Hahaha it has happened many times. 😂

[@kartelUSM]

But a crying Sauron, that is something that needs to be burned and forgotten about.

[@PetrikLeo]

😂😂

[@zombiehead9163]

That’s why I read books. Anything Hollywood touches is trash these days.

[@PetrikLeo]

@@zombiehead9163 There are still some good shows to be fair. But they're harder to find now. 😅

[@kiute.c]

I thought the whole point of sending out ARCs is that the authors/publishers want the recipients to review the books early??? If people are gonna complain, they should take it up with them, not you lol

[@PetrikLeo]

I know right? Completely baffles me. 😂😂

[@mikesbookreviews]

Rings of Power so trash.

[@PetrikLeo]

Put it in recycle bin. I gave 2 seasons a try. Definitely giving up on it now.

[@houseofthegoldenflower3534]

Rings of Power is a perfect example of why you don’t let activists write tv shows.

[@PetrikLeo]

@@houseofthegoldenflower3534 I don't even know who's writing the show. 😂 But my god there are TONS of issues in the show, especially season finale.

[@TheBrickThrower]

Like the writer on the Harry Potter series who hasn’t even read the books! Who is in charge??? Get them outta here

[@potionseller2083]

The show sucking has nothing to do with that. You just have 0 media literacy.

[@crimebrulee]

Lol, no.

[@EatWithBadlands]

The show being bad doesn’t have anything to do with activism lol. It’s just almost impossible to replicate a series as good as the original LOTR movies. I don’t mind there being Black elves or anything like that. The writing and acting just wasn’t as good. Most of this is because the LOTR movies had much clearer source material and took many lines and scenes directly from the books. The ROP are just basing everything off of brief descriptions in the Silmarilian.

[@dinocollins720]

Rings of Power looks beautiful and I liked the music, but the writing smh 🤦‍♂... Galadriel is terrible!!!

[@PetrikLeo]

Oh visually it is gorgeous. That's undeniable. 😄

[@GentleGiantJason]

RoP was disappointing again this season. It still looks pretty good but the writing is so bad. Some really boring plot lines. So many pointless scenes and many characters that I just don’t identify with or feel anything for. Just a waste of the IP

[@PetrikLeo]

@@GentleGiantJason i have, this time, definitely give up on the show. Nothing can save it anymore. 😅