the best and worst books of 2024 | mid year check in :)

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the og tag creators | ‪@IsThatChami‬ & ‪@EarlGreyBooks‬
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📚books
anyone's ghost by august thompson
brat by gabriel smith
cradle series by will wight
mother of learning by nobody103
fitz and the fool trilogy by robin hobb
martyr by kaveh akbar
a study in drowning by ave reid
jade city by fonda lee
sword of kaigen by ml wang
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[@sarawithoutanH]

i was supposed to do a jade city readalong with my patrons and everyone hated it so much that we cancelled the readalong 😭

[@sarawithoutanH]

also yes more thrillers

[@nourin_siddique]

Oh no whyyyyy 😭😭😭😭

[@ellias]

omg i remember seeing this hahahaa

[@BooksandLala]

I haven't even read Jade City but I'm devastated by it not being a huge win for you lol

[@nourin_siddique]

Please try it kayla...I really think you will love the entire series. 😭😭😭

[@ellias]

girl im so sad about it too 😔 i don't think i'll be continuing either

[@ryan-bp1um]

sir are you holding a chopstick microphone

[@ellias]

yep! my stable microphone

[@JayGTheAwkwardBookworm]

I love how grumpy your cat looks 😩🥹

[@ellias]

he angy 24/7

[@norangutan1318]

omg, you got me into robin hobb, can't thank you enough!!! and you're hyping this trilogy up so much, I also can't wait to get to the end of it, it's my goal for the year🥺

[@ellias]

no wayyy omg!! i love getting comments like these because it means my influence worked haha

[@luigi0654]

If you didn't like the characters or story in Jade City, I don't see you liking the rest of the series. Skip it or return to it in a few years My ranking of the series: Jade War, Jade City and last Jade Legacy.

[@ellias]

dang it so disappointed :/

[@meritreads90]

Honestly, I thought Jade City was kinda mid as well, and it took me about a year and a half to pick up Jade War. But, I’m so glad I did. Books 2 and 3 were so GOOD!!! You should definitely continue the series.

[@joycanread3826]

+1

[@ellias]

a year and a half?!

[@meritreads90]

@@ellias yeah😅 procrastinating series and a small 🤏🏾 reading slump was to blame

[@PamNg]

For Jade City, I think if there are no characters you’re excited to catch up with you likely won’t want to continue. That being said, the second book expands beyond Kekon into the diaspora which I really enjoyed

[@ellias]

yeah i most likely won't continue. brb looking up spoilers haha

[@anna--emilia]

kind of sad jade city isn't for everyone because I absolutely loved it 😂 but books 2&3 dragged a bit too much for my taste, even though the ending was incredible 😅

[@ellias]

that's what ive been hearing too! sadly i probably won't be continuing

[@StayCalmxd]

I've seen people love jade city but hate the second book and I've seen people hate the first book and love the other two. I loved all 3 lol

[@ellias]

yeah it just wasn't for me sadly

[@pavlinaivanova4574]

Robin Hobb changed me as a person, forever. She is simply the goat. ❤

[@ellias]

literal god of an author for me

[@banrions]

I found myself disappointed by Jade City too, and I pushed and ready the 2 and 3rd books, and it didn’t change my mind tbh. I didn’t end up caring about the characters enough either, and while I found the world building really interesting, it just never was beyond ‘okay’ for me.

[@Sleepypawpaw]

I am glad someone also didn’t like Jade city, it had a great beginning but it just got boring so quickly, I thought there would be a lot of political intrigue plots but all I got was everything to be solved by violence between the clans, you hit me and I will hit you back

[@notokay3223]

Oh how I've missed the chopstick mic!! ❤

[@ellias]

here to always stayyy

[@tareegibson9351]

Thank you for giving Robin Hobb's 16 books with the reverence they deserve ❤

[@bookum]

Glad to see you back and having a great book reading year. Thank you for taking care of yourself!

[@ellias]

thank you!! 💗

[@oldmanyaoi800]

the chopstick mic 😭😭😭 so glad ur back!

[@ellias]

[@ChanelChapters]

I DNFd Jade city so I wouldn’t bother

[@ellias]

:/

[@booksaftercollege6714]

For lit fic/translated fiction I recommend Human Acts by Han Kang that book like rewired my brain chemistry

[@luckyluna62]

That book got me hooked by the collar for all Han Kang books, very sad, based on a true story

[@ellias]

ohh i liked that book! so heartbreaking :/

[@fabiasanchez9460]

So good to see you back 🎉

[@ellias]

good to be back!

[@CasperOng]

ELIAS I need the name of the marinated crab restaurant in Busan PLEASE 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@ellias]

maps.app.goo.gl/mm2dhMmcMfg9DtRx7 here it is :)) (also my roommate and bestie, Joy, is also Singaporean too)

[@miared]

yay a new video! Glad you're back :)

[@CrescentDreamsTarot]

Yo, I have to be honest and say Jade City was the best in the trilogy 🤭 like the 2nd book was okay, but the last book dragged ON. So long. People also recommended it to me left and right, but if you think the first was just okay I wouldn't suggest the rest personally, but that's just me.

[@joya841]

Welcome back! 🙏🏽

[@ellias]

thank youu

[@user-qu8zs7vs1x]

Martyr sounds intriguing! Also i have a very off topic question, i apologize in advance 😂 but Ellias do you know if Noelle is ok and/or if she will ever come back to Booktube? I found you via her content and i really really miss her videos. Wondering if she decided to stop filming for good😢

[@sparklezks4557]

Cant wait to add more books to my (already wont finish this by the end of the year) TBR!!

[@ellias]

always!!

[@beautynbrainzxo]

I didn’t like Jade City either and I own the second, will no be continuing!

[@gremelyn]

Loving the necklace :)

[@ellias]

ilyy

[@samantharose1001]

0:22 we DO wanna know 😭 Ellias

[@pauieeepau]

I usually just don't recommend reading a second book after reading and disliking the first book. I've seen comments/reviews about Jade City where they disliked it but liked the next books. But I've never had an experience where a second book redeemed a first book for me. I liked Jade City (I just imagined it as an anime the whole time, so it was up my alley), and it was my fave of the series, so I'm not the best reference.

[@ZS-dr7bi]

Jade City is more of a set up, introducing characters book. It makes sense for not to continue if you didn't like characters. For me, it's a masterpiece, unique fantasy series. Also Tawny Man and further books are painful TM😭

[@sassysarahreads]

My fave book this year is a translated speculative post-apocalyptic novel called I Who Have Never Known Men. Highly recommend if you have yet to pick it up!

[@nathansnook]

omg is king entering his litfic era?? 👀👀 i'm here for it! also, new Murakami is coming out later this november, The City and Its Uncertain Walls! p/s: love the striped shirt on you! the color is my cup of tea!

[@ellias]

ah thanks nathan! maybe i'll do a video about murakami including his new release hmmm

[@-Bente-]

I read Jade City at the end of last year and I thought it was Completely fine but it honestly didn't spark enough interest in me to continue the series ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@ellias]

same....i think i probably skip the rest of the books

[@yanie3000]

Can I ask where you got the silver phone case in the thumbnail from? It looks so cool!

[@ellias]

it's from amazon:))

[@luisai858]

I LOVE UR TOP!!!! WHERED U GET IT FROM??? PLEAASEEE IM BEGGING

[@ellias]

i thrifted it!!

[@serenity8910]

Jade City was very mid. Unfortunately, I bought the whole series already so I'll continue on while hoping it gets better. Personally, I found the bad guys soooo much more interesting compared to the family we are following. Also the magic is kinda boring. I didn't feel like it did much to the story.

[@chocolateoreo6489]

I’m sending you love❤

[@ellias]

💖

[@chocolateoreo6489]

@@ellias 🫶🫶🫶

[@ziggy1742]

i got like 1 chapter into jade city and dnfed it lol how do people like it

[@barnaby4232]

You probably read porn/ romance books

[@luckyluna62]

Have you read Grace of kings?

[@agob187]

I’m still on Tawny man but we’re getting there! .. the only book I’ve ever DNF’d was Jade City. 😅

[@whynterstorme9592]

I read the Realm of the Elderlings back in 2019. I’m not lying when I say I think about them every day. Every single day. I don’t know man, these books changed books for me forever.

[@ellias]

EXACTLY!!! i will upload the video about the rain wild chronicles soon:)

[@kulturforboern]

My recommendation of translated litterary fiction is Memorial, 29 june by the danish author Tine Høeg and translated by Misha Hoekstra.

[@ellias]

thanks for the rec!

[@Lumors]

45 books is my goal for the whole year, and right now I'm not even halfway through.

[@Showtunediva]

I can’t wait to read The Lost Story.❤

[@simronparida5144]

Jade City was one of favourites last year🙂‍↕️🥲

[@ellias]

rip haha

[@IAmWillJR]

Awesome!

[@abcd-gz2nt]

Random q but where is the striped polo from????

[@ellias]

i thrifted it :)

[@mdtrtwlt]

watching this I had so much anxiety that the chopstick was going to go up your nose

[@ellias]

lol i have done that before

[@attnana]

wait where's the link for the raw marinated crab place TT

[@ellias]

oop here it is! maps.app.goo.gl/mm2dhMmcMfg9DtRx7

[@Nancy-ff5tr]

Man I really really like the look of those earrings but they're too expensive for me😭

[@ellias]

they're from ana luisa!

[@Nancy-ff5tr]

@@ellias Thank you!!

[@koz9772]

each green bone saga gets progressively worse (and I enjoyed jade war). jade legacy is all showing no telling no real connection to the new characters. absolute pass

[@saylars8938]

WHAT DO YOU MEANNNNit took you 3 years to finish the realm of the elderliness series I still remember when you read assassin's apprentice and that can't have been more than a year ago omg time flies

[@ellias]

real ones know when i first made that dedicated video to the first trilogy!!!! 😭

[@k-van]

I never agree with your opinions, why 😭

[@ellias]

hahaha ty for watching tho!

[@k-van]

@@ellias of course, always!!

[@wrustria]

I HATE robin hobb because no other author even comes close to her. Shes ruined all other books for me

[@ellias]

i saw the first four words and was about to delete your comment lmao

[@loudfunstrawberry4127]

Bruh glad the comment and thumbnail spoiled you didn't like jade city. I don't need to sit through the whole video now 😂

[@louisity]

So happy to see the chopsticks microphone again! 🎤🥢 I am excited to film my Mid-Year Freakout Book Tag.

[@joycanread3826]

i think everyone's least favorite book of jade city trilogy is the first one 😂 i agree with u, i initially rated book one 3 stars just because i'm generous. Jade War is sooo good tho!!! still try it! much better than the first one 😅 i have been reading a lot of thrillers, Ellias! i'm positive you'll like Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth 🫡

[@michellemwangi1749]

clicked on this real fast because i thought not liking Jade City was just baiting only to find people actually not liking the trilogy in the comments! 🥲🥲 it's okay to not like it. i liked the first book. i just remember thinking how i liked Lan dies and it's just a domino effect and only the reader knows. But i also prefer fantasy with little magic or where the magic is really constrained.