“From Blood and Ash” makes me wish women didn’t have choices (I got Sarah J Maas flashbacks)

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FROM BLOOD AND ASH
📕 Read it here: amzn.to/43FMRla
TIMESTAMPS
⌛ 0:00 - Intro
⌛ 03:00 - Atlas Coffee Club [ad]
⌛ 04:09 - Poppy, the maiden & secret baddie, meets Hawke
⌛ 13:05 - The token black girl and the concept of choices
⌛ 19:18 - Girlboss queen slay! Hawke gives her choices!
⌛ 29:48 - More repetitive dialogue
⌛ 40:26 - Poppy & the guards go on a road trip and have deep convos
⌛ 49:05 - Poppy attains full feminist liberation via getting the D and Hawke eats honeydew
⌛ 56:50 - A betrayal we totally didn't see coming
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#roastwithcindy

[@hatchet1013]

Mother is here with trash dinner and I am a raccoon

[@withcindy]

feast urself my lil racoons!!!

[@xRaiofSunshine]

😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

[@rayewb6507]

🚮🦝

[@letmedream111]

Beautiful phrase

[@jaelmoray]

This has to be the best comment I have ever read. 🤣

[@GrandArchPriestOfTheAlgorithm]

You don’t understand, the writer could show instead of telling all the time, but she chose not to. And we need to respect that because it was her choice. Feminism!

[@withcindy]

Wowwww so brave !!!

[@Waspinmymind]

Because showing killed my grandma ok (meme)

[@Akio-ih5tl]

rt if u cried

[@mayarahman9995]

We respect women’s right and wrongs! 😂

[@Evelyn_Okay]

Free abortions for everyone!

[@beebs2000]

every time i-as a woman-make a choice in life, i put my hands together and thank rhysand 🙏🏻

[@withcindy]

He said HERstory not HIStory

[@adrianomaly1760]

Nouuuu

[@SparklesFantastic]

I’m choking on my own saliva I’m laughing so hard!

[@SouslecoeurdeFenrir]

🤣

[@SouslecoeurdeFenrir]

@@withcindy just a quick reminder (because that word of Herstory makes me cringe) : "History" comes from the latin word "Historia", a "female gendered" word ; there are three genders in Latin vocabulary : female, male and neuter. "Historia" is female. (sorry I don't know how explain better, English is not my mother language).😇

[@michellexbeauty9832]

This book pissed me off and it’s when I realized one of my biggest character pet peeves is when an author writes a female character to be strong and independent until the big sexy man touches her in any capacity and then she “can’t control herself” like girl stand up 😭😭

[@heathern8043]

ikr I don’t like to be mean about books but this one was so bad like I finished it but before I even finished I knew I hated it because it was so frustrating w her character and just badly written

[@meraki4054]

this is 99% of all fantasy romances

[@user-wm2hw5bu5q]

Almost like this is what women fantasize about in romance and it being the whole point of these books even existing 🤷‍♀️ I know I sure af aint turning to these kinds of books to read about strong female protags winning at life 😂 the giroies are here for the D and thats okay

[@thynottea]

there's such a weird thing rn in media where the female lead will constantly talk about how strong and independent she is, but the moment she gets a scrap of attention from a man, she's weak and delicate and soooooo shackled by her womanly desires she can't help it like bOOOOOOOOOOOO STOP IT

[@QueenoftheHorizon]

@@thynottea I call it the p**sy l*b*tomy trope because usually after the first time the heroine does the horizontal tango it's like it stabbed them in the brain and totally alters their ambitions/personality/reasoning.

[@francescakyanda9182]

Girlie if you taste like honeydew, you honey do have an infection

[@withcindy]

and ur bf has yellow eyes, he also has some kinda infection

[@superdelusional3624]

You honeydew have an infection

[@liviasantiago1686]

​@@withcindy Liver failure And diabetes pee going the wrong way

[@ambriaashley3383]

😂😂😂😂

[@Mecharnie_Dobbs]

They have a high PH, so, could one taste like dry white wine, or plums, or pickled herring?

[@abbywolffe4114]

Ah yes, another book where the main characters are a rebellious redhead with a serious disposition, a immortal weirdo who has dark hair and very tan skin but is somehow still white, and the black sidekick/third wheel

[@jinphany.]

this is so fantastically and accurately put that i am able to name multiple book series that have all of these 😭

[@BooksRebound]

THANK YOU. It's crazy how insanely common it is for these shitty YA/NA romantasy books to make white people into poc lmao. The book will be like "his luscious skin was dark, a deep black like the sweetest liquorice, and I knew it would taste sugary on my tongue, but don't worry guys, he's definitely white!" and I'm just like "gurl cmon, be for fucking real!"

[@ct4533]

Tell me some so I know what to avoid

[@planethalima]

@@ct4533Fourth Wing, minus the redhead part.

[@BooksRebound]

@@planethalima ACOTAR and actually all SJM books, Cassandra Claire, Cruel Prince, anything with Fae/Fairy in the title, etc lol

[@emackenzie]

SJM has an entire generation of romance authors thinking a man saying he's giving you a choice is the sexiest thing in the world as if it's not less than the bare minimum

[@emackenzie]

It's like "He washes his ass 😍😍😍"

[@mau6068]

@@emackenziethis made me literally chuckle 💀💀

[@withcindy]

Don't hate on a woman who makes HERstory instead of HIStory

[@californiapoppyseed6960]

im not ashamed to say this was one book i opened, read three pages and even i, as a dumpster diver reader, realized this was not trash i could compact

[@PistachioGold]

Ahhh over an hour long roast ❤❤❤❤ I'm sorry if this is a lot of work to edit, but I do love them so ❤❤

[@sara_charvat]

as a community, we should express our sincere thanks to the ultimate mother sarah j maas for creating a new generation of authors writing about women leaving behind the shackles of patriarchy thanks to enlightenment provided by a hot man. that's true feminism.

[@withcindy]

she is mother

[@tinymxnticore]

@@withcindyMother of monsters…

[@frenchgirl5878]

I mean, when you put it like that…👀

[@cedricmeisser1208]

No, that's Lady Gaga​@@tinymxnticore

[@-_-0.0-_-]

I couldn't get through the awful opening scene and how she was supposedly SOOO sheltered but still at a bar. Schrodinger's innocence

[@naturalgirl99]

Schrödinger innocence help💀💀💀💀

[@radrose4864]

Same though 🤢

[@AT-vp8qw]

I mean I'm a Virgin but I still go out to bars and party all the time. It was also her first time in one of those places. Still the whole obsession with her purity throughout the book felt pretty insufferable

[@j.g.3293]

Same for the love interest. You’re trying to tell me he’s a rugged manly man but hasn’t suffered a single appearance altering injury? Gimme a missing tooth, a burn mark, anything!

[@ria1821]

SCHRÖDINGER'S INNOCENCE 💀

[@DrPie0licious]

Damn, I hate that trope of the side-character taking the moral fall for the protagonist to stay pure. Like, Tawny saying "sucks that guard died, but at least the new one is hot!" is clearly actually what the protagonist thinks, but the author can't have her say it because it would make her "impure", so instead she gets to agree and feel bad and get to tell her friend that that was an impure thing to say. It's just "The superhero can't kill the villain but also the villain has to die, so a calamity or 3rd person has to kill the villain so the superhero gets to keep their hands clean", but for like a nun-princess.

[@sophie427]

so true ! especially for the single poc character that’s named TAWNY ffs. like come on 😭

[@withcindy]

Why tawny gotta take the heat

[@icahopilm898]

I didn't realize this was one of my biggest pet peeves until you voiced it. It's such a cop-out, there's no characterization besides the cutesy-pure stereotype 😭

[@alyssaj8779]

Let 👏🏽 protagonist women 👏🏽 be 👏🏽 the worst!

[@mathsisdeadtomenow]

@@withcindy Because Poppy doesnt have the melanin to handle it😭

[@frankundercoverdragon6288]

JLA has the feminism of SJM, the naming conventions of JKR, and the plagiarism allegations of Cassie Clare. Truly a multitalented queen! 😍

[@withcindy]

Wait plagiarism??

[@ria1821]

Her first series was basically Roswell, straight up, then she let an author with a similar name wear the plagiarism scandal

[@frankundercoverdragon6288]

@@withcindy what the other commenter said and also she had another series that was suspiciously close to vampire academy

[@MsAnubisia]

@@ria1821 wait am I insane or is this the author who piggybacked off the popularity of romance/erotica writer Jenny Trout???

[@ria1821]

@@MsAnubisia surely is!!

[@zingerburgerbox8806]

“Masadonia” is the name of their country?? Might as well write a story set in Inglennd.

[@heathern8043]

😂

[@mime514]

Lmao 😭😭😭

[@UntilTheStarsBurnOut]

Right 😂

[@piecrust9659]

Hearing that the only black girl's name was "tawny" and she was basically a servant made me saw "ew" out loud, wtf is that 😭

[@withcindy]

Just wait til u see what the name Kieran means

[@piecrust9659]

​@@withcindy I GOT TO THAT PART AND GENUINELY COULDN'T BELIEVE IT, I had to pause and text my friends about it I was so shocked

[@Rinniantoinette]

Ironically I’m more interested in Tawny than Poppy. Like I feel Tawny could have an awesome storyline but she’s in the background

[@jazwhoaskedforthis]

@@withcindygoogled it and yelled

[@unchartedraider7547]

@@withcindy *use google to know* *sounds of clutter metal meeting my plate in utter disgust*

[@kaemincha]

"he allowed her to have a choice" if that aint the summary of these girlboss fantasy romance books, idk what is

[@isas.-ruiz169]

So reallll

[@lunocavo4905]

PERIOD

[@kiliemorton2849]

One fr. Like how is the main character so incompetent and somehow when Their man shows up they can somehow fight again but the main character still needs saving 💀💀

[@randompromises1038]

Shit like this is fueling my YA fantasy romance parody book

[@JeevesAnthrozaurUS]

Poppy: I shouldn't have to be repressed by this patriarchal society we live in. Hawke: You shouldn't have to be repressed. Poppy:😱🥵💦

[@withcindy]

Poppy: omg so true.... Ur a genius !!?

[@shakirashipslied9721]

Daddy

[@SafavidAfsharid3197]

Just dont protest against criminalisation of male rape like femenist in my country dis back in 2013.

[@roelin360]

​​​@@SafavidAfsharid3197You don't actually care about that, do you? You people only bring this stuff up whenever people are talking about women's issues to distract from them and derail the topic, Otherwise, I bet you think men who complain about being sexually assaulted are weak and should have enjoyed it.

[@roelin360]

​@@SafavidAfsharid3197​​​You would have never talked about this or brought this up if you weren't trying to distract from women's issues. People only mention stuff like this to derail talks about female subjugation and never otherwise, never criticse how the patriarchy contributes to it, never criticise other men for being dismissive. You don't care about male victims at all.

[@TheFlowerbeast]

I hate how the majority of the books, especially fantasy, make virginity a bad thing. They always use sex as a powerful tool and as someone who isn’t that much into intercourse, I always feel excluded

[@katgreer6113]

i hate this too. Like I get wanting to liberate yourself through whatever, but making out virginity to be something "holding you back" is dumb and does the opposite of what actual feminism is supposed to be about. CHOICE.

[@joyc.e.7511]

​@@katgreer6113facts. People jump to these extreme binaries for things, denouncing the opposite, like stubborn children who can't comprehend nuance. Except we're adults. Women are called prudes, sluts, etc. I feel like we should stop labeling and just start being. That

[@dilarabankoley1109]

i get that sentiment but women have been punished for engaging in sexual activity for pleasure for thousands of years.

[@katgreer6113]

@dilarabankoley1109 Yes, but that doesn't mean books and society should now shame women for NOT doing that 😩 or try and convince them that they are being "held back" or "prudes" who need to have experience before "___" age. Of course women are still shamed for being sexual, but there's now a rise in people making fun of virgins or people who don't have sex much? That's ridiculous. It completely removes asexual people from the equation as well and makes them out to be "up tight." We don't want to start shaming women for making their own choices...AGAIN.

[@sherrihodges849]

until recently virginity was everything. I appreciate SJM culture for changing that norm

[@haniyaa5117]

Most of us purity culture trauma girlies are not leading secret baddie lives unlike what the main girl lmao. We're out here scared of intimacy and really touch starved at the same time lol

[@jinphany.]

literally the way i feel 😂

[@xRaiofSunshine]

😭🤝

[@frostdancers2517]

Nailed it

[@nanita8699]

pain 💀😭

[@avocato8156]

Girls with attachment issues RISE UP‼️🗣️

[@Chicken-lv7or]

a poc character named tawny? 😭 i refuse to believe this book is real

[@withcindy]

wait til u see what kieran means

[@ClunkerBunker]

poc characters being named after colours and food should be addressed more often

[@sophiemichel8045]

@@withcindy I choked on my bread while googling

[@ASHLEY.397]

Yup even Hannah talked about this when she read this book

[@OcarinaSapphr-]

It's giving vibes of Shaunee from 'House of Night' described by every colour of chocolate & coffee imaginable...

[@bububububububububu127]

I'm sorry I can't get over the size difference????? Her head didn't reach his chin when she sat on his lap???? How huge is he 😭😭😭

[@werehimbo]

I can respect a height difference, but the vast majority of people do not write it well at all. How is this supposedly 5' tall woman able to wear this 8'??? man's clothes, or even look in the idiots eyes, tf

[@dianacantread1463]

like that one statue of mary holding jesus and her legs are just massive

[@adrianomaly1760]

Yeah that was bizarre to me

[@MT-lk7qt]

If this were a tv show he’d get 0.5% larger in every scene till the season finale rolls around and his chest blocks out half the screen

[@anacarla6888]

It sound like a fetish thing and it honestly made me uncomfortable

[@roamoray]

5:32 see this is what bothers me about the ACOTAR successor books . the love interest isn't just your average dark haired mysterious guy anymore , instead he's got to be the embodiment of masculinity and be the manliest man to ever man , and then these books forget to give him an actual personality . can masculinity throw it back? can masculinity make it clap? no, and we deserve better

[@theblitzerrr]

"Can masculinity throw it back? Can masculinity make it clap?" I'm evaporated, you ate that, this might be the funniest thing I ever read 😭

[@icahopilm898]

"Can masculinity throw it back? Can masculinity make it clap?" You are a genius and I am being graced, thank you

[@Dojafish]

Gurlll you gave a better explanation of masculinity han I have ever read in my entire life ! Definitely following this moto with my life .

[@huachengssilvervambrace8815]

We’ve gotta switch it up and make the love interest a pathetic feminine twink. Like Howl

[@Zaftique]

I finally binge-watched Bridgerton, and after all the emotionally constipated "hot men" with major roles on the show, my favorite is Albion Finch, the ginger nerd who fukkin' _loves_ cheese, and found himself a woman who does too. Give me your weirdos, your fanboys, your fawningly in love at first sight dorks who are just sunshine personified. #TeamCheeseboy (And _then_ show them to be blisteringly competent in some niche fighting style that saves the heroine at just the right moment so she's like, "wait, what? my hero?" and he just responds, "You're the hero, my love; I'm just your backup. Shall we go interfere with this evil prince's day some more?" BECAUSE COMPETENT DUDES HAVE NOTHING TO PROVE TO ANYONE AND THAT'S PURE UNCUT *PRISTINE* MASCULINITY, PEOPLE sorry I may have _THOUGHTS_ about this ignore me)

[@vakii2]

Not the "releasing of the breath she didn't know she was holding"... again?? I thought we went over this in sjm therapy

[@withcindy]

this is the least of the book's problems

[@radrose4864]

I get so triggered whenever I read that line anywhere now

[@grmgt]

I don't read those types of books so i legit thought this was an exaggeration from Cindy... Only it wasn't and that's crazy lol

[@camisafespace]

Literally makes me wanna rip the book apart.

[@ClaudiaM-om4em]

I read those books as teenager and loved them, now at 21 I tried this book as a sort of "do the things you liked when you were young" and I could not help but to cringe horribly at it. Like, did an adult write this? Now my real life is so much more interesting than horny books, thank god. No more time wasting on this crap.

[@mxchiicity2014]

7:40 I love how as soon as you said "consent" the police sirens started to blare 😭😭

[@withcindy]

they knew

[@Zack-xv2yc]

@@withcindy They felt a disturbance in the Force, and very dubious "moaning" sounds.

[@sapphirejones4765]

same shdbdb it’s 4am tho so i should be concerned

[@andreagolden8341]

Rhysand sprinted so this dude could have a leisurely stroll... I am so intrigued

[@withcindy]

Rhysand would be proud of this one

[@EspiritoDeDafne]

At least Rhysand was memorable enough for us to talk about him in a video thats not about his book. I just know that, as soon as I finish watching this, I'll completly forget whatever-his-name-was.

[@wyndle9228]

I think you mean that Rhysand soared through the skies with his leathery bat wings so he could stroll 🕊🕊

[@maryyaismail2923]

Good to know homicide doesn't exclude you from ascending, but a picnic at the Grove can flip your fate. "Behold, here is our divine offering- she dismembered a man once, but we assure you, she has never partook in charcuterie in all her virginal years with us"

[@withcindy]

u beheaded someone? Ok cool. U SLEPT WITH SOMEONE??? NOOOOOOOOOOOO

[@zoeb3573]

"she has never partook in charcuterie in all her virginal years" this is the best sentence I've ever read

[@IL-nl9jn]

I would have rated this book 5 stars if the audiobook had been narrated by Cindy with the occasional “girl STAND UP” in between dialogue

[@gavisbarbie]

Poppy's revelations about herself is giving me blowing up the tiniest details of my life for my uni application essays

[@withcindy]

Me trying to hit my word count on my personal statement

[@rizzobeloved]

"She died in 1947. 1947 is when she died" type vibes

[@BlueGangsta1958]

Just once I want a book where the sheltered girl realises her perfect guy is actually trash and dumps him

[@tinymxnticore]

That’s actually a huge part of Poor Things

[@lunocavo4905]

Tamlin aka Tampon has entered the chat, tbh he had to literally (SPOILERS for ACOTAR) trap her in a House for her to notice like...duh

[@kl3321]

​@@lunocavo4905 not tampon

[@TheVioletMagic29]

My life experience

[@dustrose8101]

@@lunocavo4905 And then Feyre ends up jumping to a worse man anyway so she stayed losing.

[@oliviastrom4197]

I find it hard to believe it was so easy for her to not have any issues with intimacy after being raised into the most extreme and restrictive lifestyle based on being the epitome of virginity. I was barely religious as a kid and the basic “you can’t have sex until married” made me have a meltdown as an adult when I did try to be intimate the first few times

[@withcindy]

Very true!

[@Joyride37]

It would have been way more interesting for her to feel repulsion and self loathing as well as being turned on but ashamed of it and making messy choices as a result, because she was never given proper education or how to deal with such things. And then frustration at feeling that way when she wants to feel the opposite, but it feels like her body is against her. It could be very relatable to people who survived purity culture upbringing. Once you get past the barrier of “sex is wrong” mentally, you can still end up with feelings of guilt and revulsion when you try to engage in sexual activity, even though you WANT to, and anger at feeling a lack of control over your own body’s responses, or feeling like you’re “broken”. Which then keeps you anxious and overthinking in intimate settings and unable to enjoy the moment or have a mind-body connection. It’s a nasty self feeding loop and can make sex entirely unenjoyable. And THEN of course, she navigates her way out of that and finds a healthy relationship with sex and her sexuality and how she expresses it

[@Hayles92]

The continuing 'Rhysand invented feminism' joke is my favourite thing.

[@sophie427]

wdym joke ??? i can’t believe you’re disrespecting the FOUNDER of feminism like that

[@Hayles92]

@@sophie427 TRULY MY MISTAKE, I should respect our Feminist King Rhysand and give him his due credit!

[@laraharvey5780]

rhysand actually invented women. he even let the first woman choose which of his ribs she wanted to be made of bc he has ALWAYS given women a choice

[@NatalieZii]

Cindy gives us SO MANY memeable one liners. "Damn, you're telling me this guy thinks abuse is wrong and he's literate?" ;-; "She's been dickmatized." "She's never going to be able to outsmart or evade him, considering the fact that he had to explain the concept of agency to her throughout the entire book." ☠ Honestly Cindy would make the perfect author for sassy characters. Let it happen.

[@syntheticat-3]

my friend and I still quote "the caucasity" from all those years ago. Cindy the absolute wordsmith 😤

[@kay12]

Reading through these comments really makes me feel like im holding hands with hundreds of people as we suffer through this book together

[@kaltespopcorn4087]

It is our choice to go through this and we are going through it together… by choice…

[@sophie427]

stronger together 🤝

[@werehimbo]

🤝🤝🤝

[@jamillydasilvalima9444]

😅😅😅 🤝

[@hippie1325]

“I mean, he sounds more like a fortune cookie,” is EVERY STRAIGHT MAN that lives in LA who thinks they don’t need therapy ☠️

[@mjaych]

STOP when i read this book awhile ago I was like I cannot WAIT for cindy to review this💀 prayers answered

[@withcindy]

prayers answered indeed, happy easter

[@ems2417]

literally same girl

[@kgal1298]

I had it on my TBR then heard some one sentence takes and went you know what nah...then I ended up reading Omegaverse smut anyway which is still bad, but somehow more enjoyable.

[@anotherdayanotherdissapoin4403]

​@@ems2417😂😅😊

[@perrinehdn103]

I’ve been waiting 2 years for since moment !

[@SkylineStanza]

"Wow, he loves my boobies? TIME FOR MY FEMINISM TO LEAVE MY BODY" the way i audibly laughed in the car.

[@michaelrios8369]

We have a honeydew melon in the fridge and now i can't even look at it with a straight face

[@jesutomisinipinmoye2958]

"the testosterone must be off the charts when you're a literal boulder" 10/10, no notes

[@Cexxiii]

i forgot about this book so quick and then you mentioned the honeydew and i physically recoiled

[@withcindy]

ill never see that fruit the same way again

[@kseni_vely]

Sometimes the fan art girlies depict some melon wedges and I don't know what to do with myself 😂

[@agnesbratzgirl11]

suddenly the skin is clear, my crops are flourishing, the sun is shining, cindy released a video roasting a bad book

[@strangeaelurus]

"my crops are flourishing" 😭😭😭 are you a farmer

[@withcindy]

HAPPY EASTER

[@mxngos7493]

@@withcindy she has risen

[@sillygo0oser]

I love the imagery, this is so creative for no reason😂🩵

[@Dojafish]

​@@mxngos7493is she Asian?

[@felixsfriendthatgavehimthe2108]

I always find it funny when media tries to do a feminism by making a woman have to outright say how strong she is but not prove it. Why can’t she just do a badass thing and the man shut his mouth immediately? I’ve always found that more effective and entertaining.

[@Sha_Kay]

That's the difference between this book and SJM books. They were badass not because the author describes them as that but because of the times they put their hearts aside and did what needed to be done. Feyre, Aelin, and Byrce all did jaw-dropping things, that showed they are selfless and complex characters. It was never about finding a man or sexual freedom for them, but they were devoted to their roles and duties so y'all need to stop comparing them to this character. Btw I read this book about 4 months ago and totally hate it, I don't even care to know her name, that's how uninterested I am in the story.

[@felixsfriendthatgavehimthe2108]

@@Sha_Kay so you’d say this book is even more shallow than a sjm book? Interesting. Then it’s a 100% no read for me

[@sillygo0oser]

The shows Arcane and Blue Eyed Samurai both have bad ass female characters that 100% show not tell. I recc those if you need something to watch. Otherwise I’ve just started reading this year and am still looking for badass women in books. Although the closest I think I can consider of the 14 books I’ve read so far is Emily Wilde. As she uses her knowledge to solve her problems and is fully confident in her abilities (maybe even a big arrogant but I love it for her) If you have any good reccs for this topic please rec to me!

[@AB-ip2ct]

​@@sillygo0oserYou've probably read it but Pride & prejudice & little women are great ones for a badass female lead. Gone girl, sharp objects, girl with the dragon tattoo trilogy, the hunger games trilogy, the mistborn trilogy, Kim Jiyoung born 1982, colour purple, I know why the caged Bird sings. These are just some random books from the top of my head and aren't restricted to any particular genre so it's a haphazard list lol But you can check them out if you feel like it.

[@Rinniantoinette]

I read a book where the girl says multiple times “I am so strong” and as she gets kidnapped she basically becomes a doormat. Like girl where is your strength? Fight him

[@ameliebutler9104]

"That's a pretty big theme throughout the book, women having a choice" when I tell you I out loud said "not again!!!!" the feminism really left me to enter the male love interests (and Rhysand)

[@withcindy]

ah shit here we go again

[@spillersoda]

You know what would be a good subversion of this trope? The mc getting her ass handed to her in a sword fight with the opponent saying, "You know what the worst part of being a female fighter is? You spend decades trying to prove to everyone how strong women can be, and the first thing you learn is that you're the last person to become a female fighter" A display of how the trope is nothing new and it's not as revolutionary as it once was. Taking a page out of Mob Psycho 100's message. "There is no such thing as being special. You are not special. Fuck you. Now go achieve your dreams"

[@kindateia]

I like how this intro has no cindy joke in it because existence of quote itself becomes one😭

[@withcindy]

the book speaks for itself

[@firstnamelastname7640]

I never understood why a scar on the face would be considered “disfigurement”, coz whoever the person in question still got all the same facial features, a scar is just a new addition.

[@Waspinmymind]

Tbh western beauty standards are so bad. Like a little bit of discoloration pisses people off so much.

[@Mai2727]

@@Waspinmymind why western? I find some eastern cultures way worse when it comes to beauty standards than the western world

[@withcindy]

The book made her scars seem like a big deal and mentioned it was half of her face so I assumed it was a pretty big change to her original facial features? I could be wrong tho cuz based on the fanart she just has a few scratches and is still conventionally "hot" lol

[@1AM1AM]

its a historic thing when in the past, blemishes were unattractive and scars were considered worse because it either meant that you were a witch or had been cursed in some way

[@Kaldylicious]

As someone from a west-african culture that engaged in scarification, facial scars were considered the epitome of beauty.

[@kriscuit]

it's okay if you don't continue this series, because that's your choice ❤

[@withcindy]

Thank you for giving me that choice 🥰

[@SoundOfMuzek]

"most of the time i read a thick book I realize i could have been cut in half and been just fine." Thank you so much for saying this. this trend of unnecessarily large books is pointless, detrimental to the quality of your story and frankly disrespectful as f*ck to the reader. it feels to me like the author doesn't value my time nor my money and it's been dissuading me from giving a lot of books a chance because I know at some point I'm going to read 100 pages in a row and read nothing of value. I understand if you actually have 600 pages of story to tell but most authors do not.

[@withcindy]

Brevity is a hard skill to master

[@ems2417]

the first time I read this book, i didn't understand the hype. I kept thinking in the back of my head "the day Cindy reviews this is the day I ascend" LMFAOOOO. its sooooo repetitive, even more so than sjm, and has this loop that doesn't end for basically the whole series (I read the first 3 books, why, I don't know). its basically: 1. they fuck. 2. they get attacked by some new big bad. 3. they settle down and have a long conversation about what just happened in which we get an info dump that lasts 20 pages. then the process starts all over again.... they go upstairs after the info dump session, fuck again, get attacked again, etc... and this continues over the span of THREE BOOKS.

[@withcindy]

maybe thats what ascension is actually about

[@Sousaphonishh]

I also read the first three books because I thought it was a trilogy. When I found out there were more, I stopped. These were truly the worst popular books I have ever read. Having to hear the bad dialogue and then Poppy's inner thoughts recapping the dialogue was insufferable.

[@jacklemm1518]

@@Sousaphonishhas someone who went through a manic episode and read every book in the series plus the three prequel books… the dialogue gets way worse.

[@HarleyCringe]

"He sounds more like a fortune cookie" BYYYYEEEE

[@withcindy]

So wise ❤️

[@Queen_Cnidarian]

If the story leaned into the idea of Poppy being heavily sheltered and never having real relationships, and that leading to her being manipulated because she just didn’t know any better would have made for a great twist, and a mid-book genre change from romance to thriller. But the author didn’t, because she’s an independent woman and that’s her choice.

[@nicoletaelor279]

I don't know if it would be worse that Jennifer L Armentrout didn't think she needed an editor because she was just that good, or if an editor read that and went "Yeah you don't need to cut anything out it's perfect". Or the scary third option that this was her edited-down version.

[@emiliavachon]

i swore that you’d reviewed this in my mind but i think all the romantasy that’s basically gender roles 101 is starting to mush together in my brain

[@withcindy]

u arent wrong

[@shakirashipslied9721]

They're essentially the same books gurl dw about it

[@ruoye7]

My biggest ick with this series is the wattpad ass size difference, I pushed forward until the third book because I was genuinely interested in why she was sooo special but I couldn’t do it anymore cuz if I had to hear how big this man was I wouldve had an aneurysm

[@naturalgirl99]

Kinda respect Cindy’s ability to violate her sanity on a cellular level to bring us the content fresh from booktok hell. Truly the bravest soldier from the idgaf wars. we appreciate it ❤️❤️

[@withcindy]

not only that i come with receipts with the book quotes

[@intotheunknown6736]

"Now that we've established the most important relationship in this first scene of the entire series, which is hooking up with a random man. We can finally introduce the less important thing, which is her female relationships." I FELT THAT TOO MY CORE. I enjoyed this recap more than the ENTIRE book.

[@Gagging4Lit]

For some reason, it's Cindy saying 'dot dot dot' that always gets me 🤣🤣🤣

[@katherineeaster5799]

It always makes me think of that scene from Mamma Mia.

[@moonlight.corpse]

casteel is rhysand but in another universe if he was a horny vampire like creature

[@withcindy]

VERY TRUE

[@Crisjola]

Ah, yes, the one thing I never remotely needed in my life: the mental image of “actual Castiel” as a horny vampire like creature. I was having a good day forgetting the SPN fandom. We were all having a good day.

[@moonlight.corpse]

@@Crisjola bye, are you referring to that guy from supernatural? 😭

[@Crisjola]

@@moonlight.corpse yes. Sadly.

[@moonlight.corpse]

@@Crisjola im so sorry, that wasn't the image i wanted to picture 😔

[@idontknow409]

Watching parasocial acquaintances completely eviscerate overhyped books has got to be some very niche form of masochism

[@withcindy]

We are only acquaintances? 🥺

[@idontknow409]

@withcindy Not anymore were not! Listen I didn't want to presume, since we hadn't been properly parasocially introduced. Now that that's taken care of, can't wait to hear your thoughts on a Reverse Harem book bestie!

[@portobeIIa]

In the beginning of the video it felt like the book had every opportunity to be the cutest shit ever. "Shes a maiden at day but at night she sneaks out and is happy!!!" Could be her like drinking tea for the first time or feeding stray cats, learning a new recipe, you know, something people with religious trauma actually resonate with... when she saw Hawke for the first time it couldve been so whimsical, like "i never saw someone with a face like this, the nose the eyes, wow im like rapunzel everything is so new and exciting look how im SHOWING and not telling" But i guess with this genre of books this woudlve turned into "born sexy yesterday" really fast so i guess i rather have SJM no. 429

[@CharlesRoger893]

Sjm has done irreparable damage to the adult fantasy genre

[@paperman3539]

SJM flashbacks are never a good sign 😭

[@withcindy]

my ptsd will never be resolved

[@Aurelian369_]

@@withcindy Damn, looks like you beat Feyre in 1 category

[@nourkamal7458]

It feels horrible to see that a non-muslim author (I'm Muslim)describes veil as suffocating and uses it to make the main character "more exotic".

[@wordsofalegend8228]

muslim girlie here too, like yeah it's very strange to see how Westerners will see a piece of fabric as something to like entice yk, when it's whole purpose is to protect and preserve modesty, like what more do i have to do lol

[@namotori]

I know right!!! I was low key offended like girl I have been wearing the hijab since I was 12 oppression who

[@Nachtmusiks]

The funny thing is the West would both sexualize as something exotic and demonize it as oppressing. Like man, pick a battle...nowadays it's not just the West but East Asia as well. The amount of webtoon I saw that did this..

[@wwanca3771]

@@wordsofalegend8228yeah ,,preserve” modesty 💀 also most if not all cultures have veils(or head coverings) not all of them serve the same purpose as hijabis do,many are part of cultures and don’t exist to represent abstrast concepts as ,,modesty”

[@nadakamal1138]

Muslim here as well, honestly when I read the synopsis and realized the theme is gonna be "sexual liberation" as the only/main form of independence a woman's gonna have, I immediately said sike. Especially knowing that Poppy probably dressed modestly and we don't need to be bashing that in any degree

[@VieDeBle]

You can't write a character rebelling against the oppressive society they live in IN THE FIRST SCENE and then have them be completely mistified when another character points out their circumstances are oppressive??? Like wow thanks for spelling that out good and proper I had no idea !

[@withcindy]

Exactlyyyyy

[@yllejord]

You can. People do it all the time, not all of them have the words to formulate a manifesto about their oppression. I don't want to give so much credit to this author, though, I don't think this was a deliberate choice based on an actual observation of the human condition.

[@gracejung4070]

the number of times the author repeats the word intriguing is giving 'i just recently learnt this word and now i'm gonna just insert it anywhere'

[@runaway3212]

And she goes around town but no ones recognized her, by her body or moves ??? No one question where she is when she’s training ?

[@withcindy]

she wears a cloak and that's enough i guess

[@brightvcupid5301]

I read this book once, blacked out in rage on how much I hated it that I forgot about it and read the first 2 chapters AGAIN months later until it dawned on me like ptsd flashbacks

[@yana33612]

this is me with 99% of tiktok famous books pls

[@BooksRebound]

​@@yana33612 Gurl you're in a hostage situation. You gotta get outta there! I stg booktok is for horny girls and teenagers. If you want good recommendations stick to booktube where people have better taste, aren't so poisoned by hype, and actually have time to go in depth about why a book theyre discussing is so good.

[@sun-storms]

6:25 i was trying to drink when cindy said "that is not a bodyguard, that is an abercrombie model with a medical condition" i genuinely almost died. what a way to go honestly.

[@Simi_Tutu]

The problem I have with Poppy is her inner monologues and the author's inability to decide whether to write her as an innocent maiden or make her boy crazy. I swear this girl has no brain cells. She gets even more annoying in Book 2. Kieran is my favorite character.

[@vaishnavisingh9244]

So I have stalked the good reads of this series and boy oh boy do I have news for you from book 4

[@Simi_Tutu]

@@vaishnavisingh9244 tea please ? lol

[@vaishnavisingh9244]

@@Simi_Tutu are you fine with spoilers?

[@celty_6835]

​@@vaishnavisingh9244 ik you didn't ask me but i'm curious about this dumpster fire too lol

[@vaishnavisingh9244]

@@celty_6835 So, spoilers ahead.... But basically somehow the plot keeps making this Maiden main character more AND MORE Overpowered, and now we are basically gods. But they had to do this s_x thing with two people (idk what it's called) and so they have a 3 some with Kieran. Almost all the reviews are divided, because either they hate it or love it. And slowly all three (The Maiden, The Hawk and Kieran) are sleeping in same bed. Also, the plot just drags on and on, and there is basically very little coherent plot. Not that anyone cared there lol.

[@yvachiskl]

This might be a weird complaint but I feel like if you're gonna write romance w erotica where religious themed sexual repression is a huge theme, the main character should actually... Struggle with the repression? Like this doesn't feel like a girl who was raised to be the Purest of all Pure, it feels like a bland 'rebellious' teenager. As a person who like, grew up with repression as a Thing (being LGBT and growing up baptist will do that to ya) I wanted to see more of her questioning herself. The only self reflection she seems to do is just. Affirm what she already thought. There is no strong 'what's wrong with me?' that is common among young ppl with religious trauma. No 'stepping backward' or push and pull between LIFELONG INSTILLED BELIEFS and actual genuine feelings. You know, the things that would make a genuinely interesting character arc. She already starts the story sneaking out to a brothel and kissing a stranger!

[@withcindy]

That's a really good point! I think that would have helped show more character development rather than just telling it to us

[@Politoed89]

when hawke is going on about how your response to fear is what makes you a warrior or a coward, and poppy says "you sound so many years older than what you appear", i cracked up because taylor swift literally said "being fearless means that you have a lot of fears, but jump anyway" about her second album that was deliberately made to be from the perspective of a teenage girl, when she was 18 years old. LMAO

[@ria1821]

Not her wanting to paint him as soon as she sees him - Feyre says hi

[@withcindy]

Omg another parallel

[@Su-wx2ru]

I’m ten minutes in and I’ve already gotten two bingos on my trashy ya bingo card. ‘Speshal’ main character who is simultaneously pure and sexually experienced? Check. Cardboard love interest with dark hair to match his dark past and dehydrated physique? Check. Dubious consent written as Girl Power? Check. Bloated and nonsensical narration? Check. Themes so shallow I couldn’t drown in them if I tried? Check. Oh and there’s the racism, I was wondering how long it would take.

[@ghostlyamy]

you made a brilliant point about these stories seeing liberation as purely (heterosexual) sexual liberation. like, congrats you're free from your patriarchal virginal societal role, your reward is a husband who tells you want to think!! it's very "i wear feminine makeup & shave my body for myself and no one else, but also if i leave the house without makeup i feel gross & icky & ugly." these women have some serious critical thinking to do

[@chloeeastwood6696]

Four months later, she starts to show and suddenly Hawke finds a new job and she gets thrown out of the temple. This isn't empowerment because she's not making INFORMED choices.

[@elvingearmasterirma7241]

Medieval people did bathe. Not as frequently as we do, but they werent stinking. Medieval bathhouses were a thing and very popular!

[@MT-lk7qt]

Miss Armentrout was taking NO chances we could POSSIBLY misinterpret her groundbreaking literary achievement

[@magnusbanesglitter]

thankyou for giving me a reason to ignore my responsibilities for an hour

[@withcindy]

it's what i'm here for

[@junnakashima4552]

‘Super mega nun’ is the best description of a sheltered good girl character I’ve ever heard, I love it

[@Jay-kc6sg]

Popping in just to say that I frequently listen/re-listen to your angry bad book rants while grinding levels in MMO’s bc its always entertaining to listen to and now whenever I go to certain in-game areas I automatically have a bad sex line pop into my head. Treasured memories LOL

[@withcindy]

omg that is hilarious

[@Bee-es1ys]

me grinding for that castle in the sky achievement in ffxiv while listening to some of the worst smut i've ever heard like ☺️

[@yieeeeeeeeeeeeee]

almost every romantasy female protagonist embodies "go gurl give us nothing" vibes.

[@AuroraM-sf9li]

your gf is a real one for providing us with a steady stream of rant review content.

[@dandeliaa]

Also, as a Muslim woman who wears the hijab, the "take off the veil it's your decision" kinda felt like people telling me to take off my hijab so that I can be "free"😩I might be reaching but when I read that scene it felt very icky and just reminded me of how I am perceived by a large group of people to be oppressed, when I am not. The whole book was a mess 😭

[@the_sapphirerose]

Yeah I'm not muslim and even I was going wtf at that entire section for the same reasons (and was worried I was reaching too) so you're not alone in this line of thought

[@shortinsomniac76]

Na i was also sideeying that part

[@vidyasreeram2587]

To be fair, the fact that you don't face consequences for making different choices comes from a place of privilege. Not defending the book(it's quite stupid), but a lot of women who were raised muslim and lose their faith face severe repercussions(and even violence) if they choose to take their veil off.

[@dandeliaa]

@@vidyasreeram2587 I talked about how I am perceived by non-muslims, namely the exact same way you seem to view women wearing the hijab and what happens when they take it off. This isn't a religious discussion and I am not open to explain why your statement is not wrong, but also enforcing a hurtful stereotype which *strengthens* the view Muslim women wearing hijab are perceived. To claim that I am privileged because it's my choice, makes it seem like that's the exception. Please inform yourself of your own bias and preconceived notions. One can always learn.

[@applecat3]

i cant tell if this book was intended to take place in the real world or if the author just stole the name Macedonia and changed the spelling and hoped no one would notice LMAO

[@silverdrag0n_]

any books similar to ACOTAR has me questioning if this is some straight culture i'm simply too aroace to understand or if the fanfics on ao3 are just that good

[@lenavick8302]

LMAO YES

[@shakirashipslied9721]

I think it's the former bestie

[@silverdrag0n_]

@@shakirashipslied9721 if that's the case, i think i'll stick to reading my gay little fanfics instead. at least they make me feel something towards the characters.

[@patrickwheeler5701]

if they make 'blood and ash' audiobook, patrick warburton [who voiced kronk] should read the book

[@CharlesRoger893]

"by all means, it doesn't make sense."

[@patrickwheeler5701]

@@CharlesRoger893 so there's a youtuber who's boyfriend reads spicy books in the styles of : kronk, kermit....voices that shouldn't work ......but it's funny

[@flop_starz]

what do some of these fantasy writers have against consent why is he biting her clothes. is he a toddler?

[@withcindy]

this comment made me lol

[@yo.johnson]

Jennifer Armentrout inspired me to become a writer. Because if she could do it, anyone could do it. WRITE THE DAMN BOOK YALL! With that said, I have read her other stuff. And IDK I still enjoy her plots. But if she makes Black people werewolves again, I AM GOING TO SNaP!

[@starmoonay1454]

Thanks, now I will go and write a book 😂

[@kikibyde]

The motivation words I have been looking for

[@SlpyGrdn]

6:44 new SJM book title just dropped can't wait to read "Broad of Shoulder and Chest"

[@catlinejade3672]

This video was quite intriguing. But I kept asking, why? Why is this video so intriguing? And most of all-- why did I choose to watch it? It didn't feel rational. Yet, it was my choice. Not anyone else's. I chose to watch the video. Yes. It was my choice to watch this video. To find out its contents. No one forced me to watch the video like they force me to be a pure untainted girl who has never done any wrong except for secretely go to brothels. But this video? This? This was my choice.

[@withcindy]

This comment made me laugh on the train

[@catlinejade3672]

@@withcindy i'm honored i could provide entertainment

[@Ayesha-ps5ze]

never even read the book so thank you for your sacrifice Cindy

[@withcindy]

Thank you! I even brought in quotes for you

[@dontbother2knock]

i feel like the author watched tangled and thought “wait … what if this was a shitty booktok smut 🥴”

[@Sethi_CookingandGrowingLife]

The amount times I said 'girl stand up!!!' Cindy powering through this book... Thank you for your sacrifice

[@withcindy]

You and me both!

[@Sethi_CookingandGrowingLife]

@@withcindy 😂😂😂😭😭😭

[@Su-wx2ru]

Everything from the writing to the characters to the themes are so painfully shallow to the point where I don’t want to believe an adult wrote this

[@Uneclipsed]

You're doing the Lord's work, reviewing these books. The dialogue is like nails on a chalkboard. No way I would have made it through. You're stronger than a marine.

[@eastercastle6979]

i love whenever you say “dot dot dot” out loud, idk it’s just so funny to me

[@annabelleslator6441]

I got war flashbacks as soon as you said honeydew 😮‍💨🚬

[@withcindy]

you: honeydew... havent heard that name in years 😮‍💨🚬

[@annabelleslator6441]

@@withcindy I haven't known peace in the fruit aisle since 😮‍💨🚬

[@flyingspagbowl6629]

I cant with the writing a “strong” female character until she has to fight the male love interest and forgets how to throw a punch. Like… at least try to make it an evenly matched fight. My sanity can’t take this

[@krow5099]

Ikr 😫😫😫😫

[@AryaWinnenson]

Am i the only one shocked at having the characters themselves roast smutty writing as a way to build romantic tension? Is the author more self-aware than we thought and intentionally trying to girlboss herself that sweet SJM $? Can we blame her in this economy?

[@withcindy]

I'll always praise anyone to get their bag!!

[@primrose3982]

As someone who grew up in a religious cult, it never fails to irritate me when authors seem to write about people in religious cults merely for the tension and the aesthetic, rather than actually exploring how real people in cults would feel and behave. Growing up in ignorance and restriction creates some very specific, difficult to shed mindsets, which often aren't portrayed well. Instead characters act as if they had been raised to value free thought and free choice even when they were not... especially if they're "not like other girls"

[@isas.-ruiz169]

Unrealistic dialogue is such a pet peeve of mine, authors don’t realize ppl don’t talk like authors and fully explaining themselves in every sentence. This abt the real life conversation u have every day, most ppl are breif, we use as much words needed to answer or question

[@elyurias3910]

Most authors don't explain themselves every sentence, either, if it helps.

[@jellybiscuit1665]

babe, don't do this to me babe, i was just going to go to sleep, it's 3 in the morning-

[@withcindy]

rip ur sleep schedule

[@Cia_M1986]

But did you CHOOSE to stay up and ready it

[@winxclubssuperfan1]

Not the guy being called Hawke, hearing it spelled like that brings me back to Dragon Age 2 as the protagonist in that game is referred to as that. This is suddenly way more uncomfortable to listen to than what I thought it would be.

[@EVELYN-eu9iw]

Nooo I'll never be able to play DA2 again without thinking of this waste of paper

[@moth1560]

my first thought as well 😭

[@Maradrafts]

Thank you for this comment, glad to know I'm not alone in thinking about Dragon Age 2 as soon as the name pops in- fortunately I'm too dumb and too much of a DA fan to be uncomfy about this book; as soon as I hear "Hawke" my brain just switches off and I find myself remembering the campaign and different romantic chemistries in it instead. >,>; It's actually a conscious effort to stay focused and listen to Cindy tear down the book, I'm kind of ashamed. (also, sidebar, but as someone who bought the Sebastian Vael DLC and got really into the Sebastian romance because the contrast and potential relationship dynamics between a seemingly-more-assertive-but-actually-less-driven, more sexually liberated Hawke and Sebastian were kinda fascinating to me, to the point of writing pages of -fortunately never published- fanfic for the purpose of character exploration, having a main man named "Hawke" in a book that makes such a big hoopla about virginity and purity is just very ironic. I mean, what were the chances? Oo)

[@xoPotatoTreexo]

That was my first thought too and I just 😭 hasn't Hawke been through enough

[@corcorcore]

Not one of the characters being called Kieran either, Morrigan's quantum son in Inquisition 😭

[@anastasiagraham2418]

i immediately knew where this was going when you read "very male body"

[@Valenthia_Panic]

Intriguing is basically the English equivalent as "Interesting" in mawha

[@mirimariana]

Especially in those transmigrated villainess novels. Heavy on the Cold Northern Duke 😭