WORST to BEST: every book i read in 2023 ranked!

[@dobetterwithchristian4472]

"She's an assassin, but the only thing she killed was the vibe." 😂😂😂

[@paulinaesco]

def the best review I've heard of that book 😂

[@peaches41575]

​@paulinaesco which book I feel like I missed it 😅

[@dobetterwithchristian4472]

​@@peaches41575the bridge kingdom

[@pendragon2012]

"The book equivalent of a catfish". My favorite new hot take.

[@GAdmThrawn]

I'll be sure to use that in future book reviews if that ever happens to me...again.

[@Oosij]

i read this comment before i got to that part in the video, and idk why but i was truly like "damn yeah catfish (the actual fish) are weird" JFJWKJDKS

[@bonsaidaddy9970]

@@Oosij SAME LMAOOO

[@aferlog]

" is it a romance or a thriller" is a whole mood, a whole categorie should definitly exist

[@imfromneverland3692]

2:05 “this book just made me realise that I should’ve been taken to a monastery, because compared to this book I was a nun” 😂

[@bonsaidaddy9970]

books mentioned: worst: 1) misfit by elle kennedy 2) assistant to the villain by hannah nicole maehrer 3) immortal longings by chloe gong 4) the bridge kingdom by danielle jensen 5) legends and lattes by travis baldree 6) manipulate by marine andersen 7) heroes and villains by angela carter just fine: 8) demon in the wood by leigh bardugo 9) the house in the cerulean sea 10) bitterthorn kat dunn 11) belladona by adalyn grace 12) the left hand of darkness ursula k. le guin just good that gradually becomes REALLY good 13) letters to a young poet by rainer maria rilke 14) art matters by neil gaiman (audiobook) 15) the bell jar by sylvia plath 16) a room of one's own by virginia woolf 17) period power maisie hill 18) the adventures of amina al-sirafi by shannon chakraborty 19) nettle and bone by t.kingfisher 20) the queen of nothing by holly black 21) love theoretically by ali hazelwood 22) a study in drowning by ava reid 23) the foxhole court by nora sakavic 24) hellbent by leigh bardugo 25) the stolen heir by holly black 26) the very secret society of irregular witches by sangu mandanna 27) the serpent and the wings of night by carissa broadbent 28) juniper and thorn by ava reid 29) cultish by amanda montell the best: 30) serious concerns by wendy cope (poetry) 31) the last tale of the flower bride by roshini chokshi 32) slewfoot by brom the winner: 33) stories of your life and others by ted chiang (short story collections)

[@corkaczarownicy]

Slewfoot was my number one. I read it in April and I still think about it sometimes, missing the time when I was reading it.

[@figthegiant4065]

“The only thing she managed to kill was the vibe” thats my favourite quote ever.

[@sheridanlefanu.]

She put Foxhole Court way above the Bell Jar. I’ve never admired anyone more.

[@cantspellrestaraunt]

Embarrassing

[@miles78017]

honestly, yes

[@sugasnaps]

queen shit tbh

[@bonsaidaddy9970]

REAL

[@loonatic7610]

@@cantspellrestarauntsomeone clearly hasn’t experienced the epic highs and lows of collegiate exy

[@woundworship]

leonie, you should read inkheart by cornelia funke! its a fantasy trilogy, but you can read just the first one and leave it at that. its about a girl whose dad has the ability to read characters and objects out of books, but the catch is that someone goes into the book instead. the pace is a bit slow, i feel like cornelia funke decided to make a book about how much she loves books, writing, reading and language and sprinkled in some plot as a treat. still, the pace does pick up and the writing is beautiful, so i dont think you'll mind too much. the author came out with a new book in the series this year, actually, even though the series was finished a long time ago, because she just loves the characters and the world too much. i havent read it yet and only reread the first one this year, but i still love it just ad much if not more than the first time i read it. anyway, it made me think of you and i hope you enjoy!!

[@readingjoelle2735]

Yes please! It is an absolut classic, I‘d strongly recommend reading the whole triology, though. I have recently reread them, and I was in awe how well it held up from my childhood memories. The characters, the writing, it is just perfection (at least in the original german, haven‘t read the english translated version).

[@bekka586]

yes :)) i‘m so excited about the 4th book that came out recently. inkheart introduced me to fantasy and i couldn‘t let this story go - like ever.

[@viridis7076]

Have you read Thief lord by her? It's my favourite child book and also movie 😄

[@woundworship]

@@readingjoelle2735 yes!! ive only reread the first this year, but i plan on getting to the rest soon, as well as the 4th book and the short stories!

[@woundworship]

@@bekka586 it wasnt my first fantasy, but its something i read as a tween that stuck with me since then and that i hope i can share with my kids someday tbh

[@zofiabochenska1240]

"Move over coffe shops, we are having a party at the graveyard"

[@Lifeonbooks]

I was going to do a best and worst video, but I've become really good at DNFing books I don't like, so ultimately I really like all of the books I read. That Virginia Woolf book definitely piques my interest.

[@jmsl_910]

read VW--you won't be disappointed. she's so sharply observant and no flexes

[@luciaflores4693]

oh it's amazing! it has been my favorite book for 3 years

[@GAdmThrawn]

Despite living over a century ago, VW's writings are definitely considered a classic and much of her characters, themes, and words can be applied generations later. It's incredible.

[@TheGemaskerde]

"No! You've also failed your math class" had me snorting my drink out of my nose 😅

[@froileinchaos4648]

I just found your channel and I love it. Your opinions are based. I watched a girl totally loud and obsessed with dark romance ( which I can appreciate), but read nothing else. Wasn't for me. And another girl just reading (in her opinion) high literature and putting everyone down, who might enjoy something else here and there, like fantasy romance. So thank you, you are my perfect middle ground and I love your description of the books you read.

[@AzelReyesandtheWavelengths]

I love seeing people rant, geniunely!

[@MeandmyTea]

The perfect Cozy video for this FREEZING COLD Day!!!! ❄☕☺📚❄

[@michellebrad6091]

Hi from Groningen! I am currently reading "Moss Witch and Other Stories" by Sara Maitland and I think you would love it! It's a short story collection where the author, who's an academic herself, talked to all these different scientists about their research and based her stories on it. There's even an afterword by the scientist themselves. It's SO cool. I know you studied biology, like I did, and for someone in that field it's such an interesting read. I didn't click with all the stories, but the other ones were so worth it, Sara Maitland is a genius and deserves so much more recognition!

[@Thegirlwiththebooks-]

I think you’d love Gilded by Marissa Meyer. It’s a rampelstilskin retelling with whimsical forests and a dark demon king and magical creatures and a LOT of cool folklore in a German-like setting… just throwing that out there :)

[@Nandika_Sharma]

I was having somewhat of a bad day but your video cheered me up so well...love you Leonie and I wish that this year brings a lot of new and exciting books for you to read ❤😊 Thank you for your videos💞🌈

[@JenniferTijssen]

26:16 You gave me a really good chuckle with that one, haha. Thanks for your fun videos!

[@quillheart877]

Another thing I thought The Left Hand of Darkness was atmosphere. I physically felt cold while reading about this wintery planet, and I thought it captured the feeling of a truly alien planet well

[@bonsaidaddy9970]

woah that makes me want to read the book now

[@WonderKitty24]

Oh gosh, I’m so glad that you reviewed Cultish! I don’t hear anyone talk about it and it was so impactful!

[@bonsaidaddy9970]

she talks more abt it in one of her other videos

[@emmacampbell420]

Hi Leonie I love your videos but I just wanted to point out that the goal of the fmc in the bridge kingdom isn't to assassinate the king but to gather intel on how to defeat the kingdom and send it back home, which she does actually spend a lot of time succeeding at through the book. But yeah that would be the reason why she doesn't spend much time actually trying to kill him

[@loucar155]

The assistant to the villain was one of my least favorite 😅 Edit: omgs i forgot to mention misfit 😂

[@Garzafamily7]

You had me laughing out loud when you were describing Ali Hazelwood’s writing 🤣🤣

[@limegreenelevator]

I had not read Hazelwood before my sister mentioned "Check & Mate" to me at Christmas (I play chess), so I gave it a look and my god is it awful. Worst chess I've ever seen in a book, and the rivals-to-livers romance is so poorly executed... they're never rivals, and tall, muscular, tall, "bad boy" (we never see it, just are told about it), tall, secretly sensitive, tall Nolan spends all his scenes tall-ly simping over Mallory.

[@uneasyA]

although it's not a life changing book, i really loved Bitterthorn, I agree it was kinda slow and all vibes no plot (at least it's how it feels until the plot unfolds) but i loved the main character and her curiosity and fire, but also loneliness that tainted her life. plus i'm always down for a mysterious castle.

[@merelk.9530]

Yesss Ted Chiang LOVE THIS BOOK, was lucky enough to read it for an assignment in my science fiction & philosophy class

[@InJeffable]

I haven't read them yet, but I bought The Last Tale of the Flower Bride and Slewfoot based on your recommendations. Really looking forward to those once I finish a couple of other books.

[@jmsl_910]

intense non-fiction...

[@littlefroggyguy]

I loved The Last Tale of the Flower Bride. Definitely my favorite read from the entire year!

[@catthedoodlecatcher628]

I also read The Left Hand of Darkness last year and it was one of my favourite reads! I totally get the plot problem (it not really having an interesting one lmao) but I LOVED Estraven and also all the ideas the book explored. I listened to it as an audiobook so wonder if maybe the more podcast-y/daydreamy vibe I got from it helped with the overall enjoyment. Loved this video

[@katnisseverdeen5466]

Me too, I was kinda surprised to hear Leonie say she found the characters boring as I think Estraven was one of my favourite characters this year! I think my friends and family got sick of hearing me rant about this book when I read it haha. Love Leonie's recommendations though!

[@BookLoversPizza]

I loved the Folk of the Air series! The Queen of Nothing was such a good read, would definitely recommend that too!

[@bookthoughtswitheilish]

I hope you know how funny you are Leonie! 😂 loved the shorter “read this if/don’t read this if” type of reviews of the books! It was super enjoyable ☺️

[@girlkaramazov]

the fact that aftg is so high on this list made my day because i am reading it rn because i got hyperfixated by your video....... yes its bad but also its just so good

[@gracelee5536]

Leonie describes the All For The Game series like I would describe Scum Villain’s Self Saving System 😭😭

[@lilacfields]

i’ve had scum villain on my tbr and idk if this should make me bump it up or down 😭😭

[@gracelee5536]

@@lilacfields I genuinely couldn’t tell you 💀🫶 have you read Heaven officials blessing yet? That one is def my favorite from the author

[@lilacfields]

@@gracelee5536 no not yet it kinda intimidates me 😭

[@gracelee5536]

@@lilacfields bc it’s 8 volumes long haha?

[@lilacfields]

@@gracelee5536 yes 😭

[@kdovee]

you talking about how you remember all of the vivid descriptions in hell bent is SO REAL - because same! i remember darlington's house like i paid him a visit for the afternoon tea yesterday.

[@hahaloopsy0526]

i love book reviews but YOURS i’m most looking forward too

[@m.u.9581]

Agree

[@banaa9463]

LOL your snark in this video is on point. Commentary on the worst books you've read had me laughing so much🤣🤣🤣

[@SinnamonSquared]

If you’ve never read Rainbow Rowell I suggest reading Fangirl by them or The Simon snow trilogy. I especially love the Simon snow books it’s like Harry Potter but better

[@fatshiba333]

ever since you did the foxhole court book video, i read all the series in a week and i STILL THINK ABOUT IT i love it so much i hate it

[@bookbrain1557]

My wallet is going to be crying. You describe books in such a way I can't see how I wouldn't like it!

[@joebloe4734]

I am a good and kind person! Not my fault my brain is broken! Loved the Bell Jar when I read it in 2016!

[@rileydauber5699]

i started reading “cultish” a few days ago because i kept seeing you mention it and i’m loving it so far!

[@alulea__]

Leoni - if you’re feeling adventurous and want to try something new, I recommend Tales from the Inner City by Shaun Tan. It’s essentially a collection of illustrated short stories ruminating on human nature and our relationship with animals. These stories are pretty unique though in that they feature what I think is magical realism? It’s just very different basically and to me manage to capture these emotions and ideas that I didn’t know I had or didn’t know how to express. Shaun Tan is an Australian author known for his picture books - but these aren’t children’s picture books and are more just works of art with stories attached to them. He has two main ‘illustrated short story’ collections, of which Tales from the Inner City is one. The other one is Tales from Outer Suburbia but I think Tales from the Inner City is probably more accessible to international readers because I think Tales from Outer Suburbia requires a contextual understanding of Australia. Or you could also get Tales of Light and Dark, which I’m pretty sure is both these collections together. Anyway just thought I’d stick this recommendation in here since I’m on my Shaun Tan reread run lol

[@jamesduggan7200]

Realizing that one book an influencer adores is the target for vicious attack from another has added to my BT experience. Generally, where there is a difference of opinion on the merits of someone else's novel I prefer the review that is specific in what is lacking and what is contained therein. What if there is nothing there? Well, if you've spent your time reading nothing, and nothing is published and popular then perhaps you're a bit stubborn, no? On the other hand, an educated person should be able to admit that it was fun reading a silly love story or a wild fantasy, even though afterward the feeling was having consumed empty calories. Great job, Leonie! A fair and balanced presentation not requiring prior knowledge, thx!

[@lilypotter5553]

A fantasy series i can really recommend is "the mirror visitor" by christelle dabos. It came out not too long ago and i personally really enjoyed it! It takes place in this magic world (its not like "oh there's a second world?" It's just the only world that exists) where, instead of being a round world, like ours, it has something similar to countries and every "country" is kind of just floating in the air and not in contact with the other ones. Also every tribe (there are "countries" with just one tribe and "countries" with a few more that often don't like each other) has a different kind of power. We follow our main character, a girl/woman (idk her age) who has to get married to a guy from another "country". In the beginning, she doesn't really understand anything that is going on, such as why she suddenly has to marry him or what is expected from her and he doesn't really answer her questions. But, as time goes by, she slowly starts to realise that she is part of a way bigger plan that not even her fiancé knew about. (I don't want to spoiler too much but it is a mix of mystery and saving the world) There is, of course, also a romance between her and her fiancé but it's not the main part of the series and it's also not like the plot only exists for the romance, instead certain things happen because they are getting closer and because they start to care about each other and i think that this was done very beautifully. Also both characters go through a lot of character development without completely losing their flaws. Now the books are pretty long (about 600 pages each) and there are four books in total so idk if you feel motivated enough to start it but there is always the option to not finish a series if you dont want to continue reading it. Also i know that many people didnt like the last book that much because it is pretty confusing with everything going on and all the things you find out but for me personally it wasn't really a problem. So yeah anyway this was my little rant about it and i hope it also sounds good to you!

[@samanthamoreno7942]

This is the first time i heard of someone else that has read this series, is so good!

[@lilypotter5553]

@@samanthamoreno7942 I know right I feel like it's so underrated bc I haven't really seen people talk about it

[@kiandrarodgers3436]

This video was so funny 😂 I greatly appreciate the acknowledgment of Marlinchen’s (and I quote) “big dumb dumb behaviour” cause yeah, I’ll be honest, when I was reading juniper and thorn I was so frustrated with her but it would have been OUTRAGEOUS if I hadn’t been cause girlfriends never been outside, she’s known like 5 people her whole life, she’s so inexperienced and the writing shows that

[@MaiaIsisMotara]

big fan- anyone like if they thought the ballad of songbirds and snakes was the best book this year- can't stop sining Lucy Gray's songs in my head

[@jmsl_910]

i loved the movie i read the book when it first came out and wasn't a fan then i re-read it after the movie & liked it!

[@katnisseverdeen5466]

i read it literally the week it came out and was obsessed with it for ages, so the film and the songs that came from it this year were super exciting!

[@asgoodasgolden]

I agree about Assistant to the Villain, it would've been my least fave if I could have forced myself to finish it! You should try Throne in the dark by A.K. Caggiano for an actually good villain romance!!

[@miyayume_eclectic_dream]

Finally finally FINALLY 🙏 one booktuber who is not speapt of her feet by Bridge Kingdom. Not only FMC does not kill him but she is spying all the time succsessfully and enemies tention is no there...they don't talk, they don't do anything...till ch.25-26 were all is resolved so we can get to the spicy part and set the cliffhanger 😮‍💨🤦‍♀️ Sorry 🙈 for the rant here. Thank you!!!🤗

[@haleydarko2989]

I liked the bridge kingdom but everything you said was correct! When I read it I needed a silly goofy time and it did the job.

[@kimhugi2452]

LOVE the “howls moving castle” earrings😉🥰

[@SemSuzanne]

Of you loved Juniper and Thorn, you should read The Once and Future Witches! It’s less gritty but has a lot of the same themes and also it’s AMAZING

[@reddest-x]

You should read The Traitor Baru Cormorant, I think. It's a hero corruption arc story of a young savant doing the accounting for a rebellion against the empire that just took over her home... And more. And it's gay! ✨ And the cultures are so cool and diverse, I think you'd enjoy that aspect.

[@arwa9198]

you should read fairest by marissa meyer, its the backstory of the villian from the lunar chronicles, which is also quite lovely. i know you’ve read the first 2 books (i think) but give it another try, its the most amazing thing i’ve ever read.

[@blueowl07]

Okay this was a sign because I was deciding between books and decided against Immortal Longings for now and this confirmed my decision hahaha

[@Styxte3th]

Ted Chiang's book includes the short story which inspired, Arrival!

[@witchology]

16:24 the shallow pun hit me like a semi truck i literally did a double take

[@haerhawk]

I just bought a whole bunch of books to fill my tbr so I'm pumped to watch some booktube

[@arielalbuquerque1177]

Leonie, have you heard of this new show called The Artful Dodger? It's a 'spin-off' of sorts of Charles Dickens' character Jack Dawkins, from his Oliver Twist novel. Jack was part of a group of thieves as a child, but grows up to become a doctor in the 1850s with some troubles with the law. It's a mini-series, only 8 episodes, but it's so much fun! It has a bit of that Six of Crows feelings where a group of misfits come together sometimes to do crime lol also some academic rivalry between him and the female lead - they're really not fond of each other at first but there's some forced proximity cause he's the only one willing to teach her how to become a surgeon (no I'm not trying to include as many of your favorite tropes in this description as I can to maybe convince you to watch it, what makes you think that?). I just finished it yesterday and it's the only thing on my brain right now XDIt's not the best thing you'll ever see, but I find the characters are so charismatic! If you ever get around to watch it, I'd loooove to know your thoughts on it.

[@maxjunimo]

Ohhh thank you for reminding me how much I want to watch this!!

[@arielalbuquerque1177]

@@maxjunimo aah, I hope you like it!!

[@thatgirlnextfloor]

"the only thing she managed to kill was the vibe." LMAAOOOO

[@kageyukiaru]

if you want that good villain romance that will blow you away (assuming since we have very very similar opinions) i can't recommend Thousand Autumns by Meng Xi Shi enough!! it's a danmei novel but i really hope you consider giving at least the first volume a read someday!

[@Rollypollyrory]

Demon in the woods is good to listen to the audio while flipping through because the audio adds effects that aren't in the book and has multiple narrators 🙌✨

[@katevenhorst1723]

“Shadow Daddy” gives me Luc from Invisible Life of Addie LaRue vibes lol

[@bettychoibooks]

'he was towering over me like a towering tower' 😂😂😂

[@anemelo-tsourekaki]

My favorite reads of 2023 were: Diary of a void, There's no such thing as an easy job, Down the drain, A psalm for the wild-built, My roommate is a vampire, and Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine. It was a great reading year, I had a lot of fun 🖤😸

[@baileycavender4478]

I loved A Psalm for the Wild-Built!

[@anemelo-tsourekaki]

@@baileycavender4478 Heheh cool! I don't see it mentioned literally anywhere, it's good to see someone enjoyed it as well ^ ^ I think we need more hopeful fantasy like that!

[@jojuna99]

Honestly agreed with the mystery aspect of Belladonna. I could’ve done without it, (though I didn’t hate it) BUT I am a massive fan of shadow daddy romance and Belladonna is hands down one of my favourites (yes I’m a hades x persephone trope fan, what gave it away?😂)

[@ReadingNymph]

Im going to be reading The Stolen Heir in February 😊 this was great seeing all the books you have read 😊

[@iorek9503]

Was not prepared for someone to reference Letters to a Young Poet on a KZbin vid. Oddly enough I learned about that book from the movie Sister Act 2.

[@illgiveyouthebooks]

The House in the Cerulean Sea is top of my tbr!!

[@SuperCherry3000]

So happy to see Ted Chiang on here! That book got me out of a multi-year reading slump. I highly, highly recommended.

[@livyf.6516]

I read the gilded wolves a while ago because of you and I just finished the last tale of the flower bride because I knew I liked the author and because you recommended it and I loved it so much, it’s probably one of my favourite books now!!

[@casjopaia_via]

i really LOVED your description of the Ali Hazelwood book, made me laugh out loud. I share your opinion!

[@badfaith4u]

I enjoyed The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches and Love Theoretically. The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is on my TBR list.

[@seaeana]

i love your videos because whenever i read a book and love it you also love it and when i hate it you also hate it... this validation keeps me going

[@jaelmoray]

Since you read Cultish, you might find Robert Jay Lifton's book on Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism really fascinating. He did a really interesting and horrifying study in China after WW2 that is still so applicable to today. And while the study involved interviewees that were both Chinese and foreign nationals who had been arrested in China during the Cultural Revolution, it shows what any group can do with an ounce of power over someone else and the use of psychology as a weapon. Utterly fascinating if you find cults an interesting topic. This shows a deep dive on how the mind can be changed in the most extreme cases. I left a cult myself, so I love reading on this topic. I just finished Nettle & Bone and I totally agree with your description. And honestly, I now just want more books with little old ladies who are sassy, badass and yet still have some cozy vibes becoming friends. Yes please. :D

[@JustJuly]

I felt betrayed when you mentioned The Bridge Kingdom being one of the worst books you read this year 😭😭😭 Because it was one of the best I read… I fell in love with Danielle L. Jensen’s books. And I instantly thought that you would LOVE IT. And then this video came out….. yeah, well

[@dianaisme]

I love The House In The Cerulean Sea :D

[@anaiswriting]

Léonie, is it howl's earrings ? I love them

[@Edidin]

I've had a pretty decent reading year. The worst book I've already forgotten. The best was a complete surprise for me, cause it's a genre I rarely read - steampunk mystery 😀 "Nerves of Steel" by Anna von Steenbergen. It's sad how very few people seem to even know about it. Such a good read.

[@jmsl_910]

i'm on it!!! can't wait

[@shannadawng4309]

Most of the books I got from the holidays and my birthday has been your top recommendations, so I know my reading this year is gonna be top tier ✨🖤

[@morgannerose7856]

the bell jar was really good for me to read AFTER i had recovered from a deep depressive period. lol

[@joebloe4734]

The best villain romance is the videoclip for Genghis Khan, by Miike Snow.

[@magicalgirlmelanie]

Have you read Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir? Its his third book after The Martian and Project Artemis (not a series, just ones you may know.) By far his best book, I think about it all the time. You do not need to be a regular sci fi reader for it (I certainly am not). If you can get the audio book its the best audio book I've ever heard, but it is an audible exclusive so I get that it isnt accessible to everyone. Don't let anyone spoil this book for you!

[@coffeechemicals]

i remember finding your videos because of misfit by elle kennedy… hadn’t got around to reading it and never did because i only read the scenes of the mentioned threeway with his teachers and promptly got rid of it :D

[@jemcarstairstoe]

I AM SO GLAD SOMEONE FINALLY AGREES WITH ME ABOUT BRIDGE KINGDOM. Oh my god. EVERYONE loves that book and I felt absolutely insane for a YEAR, because I read this last February and it gave me NOTHING. Water has more flavor. It was so boring and-honestly, calling this a “fantasy” was insulting to me, too. The only “fantasy” aspect of it was the fact that it was set in a made up world. There’s no magic or magical creatures whatsoever. I don’t understand what everyone loved so much about it 😭😭

[@leea2825]

I get the critique on Assistant to the Villain but I still very much liked the book and will definetely purchase the second book when it comes out

[@misuko1792]

Leonie, you are my favorite youtuber ever! Your videos are my happy moment

[@insilencea4599]

I feel your frustration at the Chloe Gong book. I'm about to read The Prison Healer, which also has a deadly tournament or trial type of plot, very reminiscent of the Hunger Games, and I'm so hoping it's good.

[@AngelaCatsaros]

I absolutely love the vibes of your videos!

[@FreeLatveria]

I thought I had the Legends and Lates hot take for thinking it was ust okay, but you definitely got me beat.

[@roselover411]

I loved Belladonna XDD I also loved its sequel and I'm SO excited for the third (and last?) book coming out later this year I believe. (Also totally agree, Neil Gaiman is such a good writer and a stellar narrator) I also really enjoyed Queen of Nothing! I definitely think all three books have equally good parts to them, but they're all *different* parts. None of them have exactly the same thing that makes them good. And no I cannot elaborate. Ooh, Last Flower Bride! I've got that in my TBR pile. I have been looking forward to reading that one, though I have a lot of others vying for my attention to be read first.

[@Styxte3th]

honestly i loved the twists and turns of The Serpent and the WIngs of Night. Actual enemies to lovers haha

[@jjk4754]

I feel like you would really love Emily Wildes encyclopaedia of faeries!! I’m not sure if it’s on your radar but after watching this whole video I’d love to see your opinion on that book!! It has the best cosy fantasy vibes and academic rivals etc

[@simonepreussner]

My worst book of the year was Hazelwood's Check & Mate. I love chess so much (play it myself and follow professional chess the same way other people follow football/soccer) and I was so so disappointed with it. Not only is the male love interest simply a better Magnus Carlsen (current best player in the world, maybe the GOAT of chess) with dark hair and abs, but the whole chess thing was so weird. It was not authentic to what I know about professional chess at all and the author even mentions in her author's note that she changed stuff ans I am like.... why tale professional chess as a setting for a YA romance if you dont want to portray it at least somewhat faithfully? And that are simply my gripes with the setting....I disliked nearly every character (mainly the main character though) and I only finished it to write an 8 page review about it that now sits in my google drive folder.....

[@citlalialvarado666]

Literally just bought it! At this point I'm just setting myself up because the more I read Ali's books the less I like them. I wanted to think that since this is YA, something might change, but I guess we'll see

[@simonepreussner]

@@citlalialvarado666 I think it is somewhat different from her adult stuff. Which I liked more than Check & Mate. Buuuuuut... well xD

[@aurorka777]

My toxic trait is I assume I would immensly enjoy the worst books of your list. I just love a trashy romance

[@cyndroom]

I've got quite a few of your recommendations last year and so far liked them all. So thank you for that!

[@emilyking9129]

Her description of caffeine is my experience with alcohol lol 😂😅

[@anamoralsb]

you: "shadow tentacles" me: >removes from tbr

[@sabrinachang6287]

one day someone will actually write a good villain romance. yeah, that's the dream too.

[@sp3ctrez231]

i had the complete opposite opinion on belladonna- liked the mystery, hated the romance i agree with a lot of the other reviews you made though!

[@AriFoxWrites]

I love how you explain things, keep going!

[@arguingwriter]

I feel like you knew what you were getting into with “Assistant to the Villain” if you watched the TikTok series first. I loved it, but I was an early TikTok fan.

[@thelitnerd]

I dont usually gravitate towards short stories but I'm tempted by this Ted Chiang collection