Thank you for sharing your thoughts on how Casey McQuiston has handled race within their works. I enjoyed both books when they came out. Your remarks opened my eyes to many problematic aspects I missed. I appreciate that you’ve better equipped me to read critically if I ever do a re-read (or come across similar issues in other books), and will reevaluate if these are books/an author I can truly recommend.
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
I appreciate that! We all miss things in media, but I think it's important to be able to hear and process criticism, you know? Thank you ❤
@Applebliss99
Жыл бұрын
Red Queen was a book that made me want to rip my hair out. None of it worked for me the way the author so clearly wanted it to. Mare's wishy-washy character, the love interest's pretentious sad boy attitude, their romance having absolutely no tangible reason for being there. "I love him so much," WHY, Mare?? WHY? This book was the definition of why you should show instead of tell and unfortunately all it did was the later.
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
The brother romance was wild. I questioned every moment and every bit of it and believed not a second of it.
@Applebliss99
Жыл бұрын
@@mynameismarines 100%. It was wild that the brother with a tinge more development and understanding of Mare turned out to be the BBEG because ya know TWIST and also how else can you make the douchey love interest less of a bad choice? LOL
@smilee2566
Жыл бұрын
I love your delivery, how eloquent and thought-out every criticism is, as well as every compliment. Every single take you make, esp the spicy ones, are such a breath of fresh air in the current media conversations about books right now. All of your videos inspire me to look at things from different angles and read more to hone my perception. Please never stop😊
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
These are such kind words, thank you! I'm so glad my content resonates because I love making it ❤
@LocDBooktician
Жыл бұрын
The brevity and thought out content is always my favorite things about your content.
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
I appreciate you!
@nelvalostinpages5846
Жыл бұрын
The way I knew you would end up rereading the ones you and already read 😂 love your commitment. This was such and interesting category compared to rest
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
That commitment to the bit was strong
@literallyjane
Жыл бұрын
Your laugh is so contagious. You're my go-to reviewer, honestly. ♥This is such an interesting category though. Would you ever do a video about an author's debut compared to their latest release?
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
Thank you so much! And that is a great idea! I'll screen shot this so I can give you credit if I do it. ❤️
@WildeBookGarden
Жыл бұрын
I h a t e the 'guy hates women but then he finds The One Woman Who Is Worthy Of Changing His Mind'. Probably my least favorite flavor of ~not like other girls oh YIKES I don't think I've ever heard anyone talk about the SA aspect of the war games in Red Rising?? that's disgusting. Why are so many speculative fiction writers like 'I can give you another world, planet, etc. but I cannot imagine a society that doesn't abuse women in these very specific ways - too outlandish!!!'
@darbysnacks
Жыл бұрын
I definitely would have enjoyed Red, White, and Royal Blue when I was in my lib fem era but it hits so badly in 2023
@LiaCooper
Жыл бұрын
why does it feel like youre the only other person ive heard even WHISPER homophobia in relation to Red Rising let along the misogyny, specifically highlighting the fact that it doesn't feel like it was PURPOSEFULLY done as a piece of the world rather its...an echo of authorial bias. i remember reading this about 2-3 yrs after it came out and it was still wildly popular on booktube and everyone just kept gushing over it =/
@justjay6388
Жыл бұрын
this! i’m genuinely so surprised and disappointed that nobody who has raved about this book even recently hasn’t said a peep about the misogyny and homophobia 😟
@moustik31
Жыл бұрын
Same. I read it and didnt get the hype. It was such a lonely time. Thank God, I diversified the Booktubers I follow, since then.
@jaginaiaelectrizs6341
Жыл бұрын
@@justjay6388 I've heard it mentioned before, even by someone who enjoyed it, but I've heard so many different people talk about the book at this point (even when I wasn't watching dedicated reviews) that I honestly can't remember who it was that mentioned it anymore.
@angelamccollister
Жыл бұрын
I had gotten away from reading scifi so never paid attention to the Red Rising series at the bookstore. Then I discovered booktube 3.5 years ago, Red Rising was so hyped and still is. The excitement for the upcoming sixth book is huge with many of the booktubers I follow. I have thought about maybe trying it from the library but then heard about how bad and misogynistic the first book is. You're the first I've seen to mention the homophobia. Even more reason for me to pass on this. I have plenty of other books to read. Lol
@nessV739
Жыл бұрын
I read Red Rising in 2015 at a time when I was reading pretty much any hunger games-esque dystopian series (divergent, maze runner, fifth wave etc) so at first I was won over by just the prose being a cut better than some of the other series, but ultimately I had the exact same reaction to it. Gratuitous sexual violence and misogyny, homophobia and that edge lord philosophy that felt like watered down Aldous Huxley but everyone else was raving about it.
@justjay6388
Жыл бұрын
i distinctly remember you talking about how people were reading red rising bc they thought the author was hot 💀 that’s actually wild that i’ve never heard anybody talk about the misogyny and homophobia in that book though, which is kinda disappointing coming from some booktubers i trust to call out those types of problematic elements :/
@yapdog
Жыл бұрын
You're still as entertaining and informative as ever, Mari, and getting better and better with time. Thanx for the upload ❤
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching!
@RaisingSelf
Жыл бұрын
I liked Red Rising. I need to figure out why. Maybe because I listened to the book everytime. The voice actor was giving.
@eitsnotforyoua8073
3 ай бұрын
Same i listened to the audiobooks and loved it
@elizabethnutley8841
Жыл бұрын
in re Red Rising: I hate "of its time" (and its sibling "ahead of its time"). Every book is of its time, by default. There are books written 200 years ago where women aren't fridged, dang it! "Of its time" is an excuse to give crappy tropes an easy pass, and we know who are the major culprits there. It isn't that hard to dive even slightly below the surface of any given year's bestsellers to find books with more interesting topics and points of view... well, this is the GR awards. We are definitely not going a millimeter below the surface here. :D
@Anna2187_
Жыл бұрын
Red rising to me felt like a frat bro’s attempt at the hunger games except without the nuance, social commentary, and intrigue. Like you said, the competition made no sense
@TheFran2555
10 ай бұрын
Omg yes
@asteridshydrangea-jt2hf
8 ай бұрын
I looked at it and went ‘ah, someone read both The Hunger Games and Ender’s Game and only understood the surface level elements’
@MatheusSantos-em4ok
Жыл бұрын
Red, White and Royal Blue has a lot of good of amazing queer moments, but the sort of brainless political aspect of the story makes it hard to suspend the disbelief about most of the situations. Also the supporting characters kind of suck.
@MaedBetweenthePages
Жыл бұрын
Major respect for rising to the occasion and finishing all those books in the end 😂 I would have given up I think hahah
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
lol I thought about DNFing some books, not gonna lie…
@aliz997
Жыл бұрын
RED RISING SPOILERS BELOW ----- omg LOLL me nodding along to every single one of your criticisms of red rising bc you are very very right and a lot of the plot details r super messed up.. as someone who did like some of the first book, i think what made the latter portions of the book enjoyable to me and perhaps others was reading it in the midst of the post-hunger games dystopian YA boom of the early 2010s; i really loved the setup and payoff of initially introducing their olympus and then kinda going beyond the scope of what the plot of the games set out to be (vis a vis actually killing one their "gods"). I hadn't expected they would go to that extent in the first book, especially given other, similar books in the same genre. i also agree the MC is a boring tough-guy yadda yadda whatever, but i found what we do see of some side characters worth further exploring (ex: the jackal and his first on-page appearance made a big impression). of course just my personal experience, and doesn't take away from the very real misogny and homophobia on page. thanks for the review!
@LocDBooktician
Жыл бұрын
Red Rising… misogyny even if I like the author is the quickes way for me to head out. I never wanted to read that book so thank you for this!
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
People keep telling me it gets better but like... I'm good...
@LocDBooktician
Жыл бұрын
@@mynameismarines nahhh that get better ish is for the birds.
@TheFran2555
Жыл бұрын
I read twice and never see this but never connected either
@mashawinchell1554
Жыл бұрын
@@mynameismarinesI also heard that it gets better and, there is less sexual assault in the later books, but imo they are still infuriating to read
@nenegrey2282
Жыл бұрын
Aveyard's fall from grace is a really interesting phenomenon. From the 800k ratings of Red Queen, which sold for a major deal (aka about $500k) to the mere 5k ratings of her latest book Blade Breaker in about 7 years... No wonder she has affiliated links on her Instagram to sell stuff to her teenage audience and tags her posts as #ad and #influencer... that's her job now. She girlbossed too close to the sun... If anything she's proof that connections might get you sales and hype for the first couple of years, but then you've got to put in the work to actually improve your writing instead of patting yourself on the back at every chance and flexing on social media (which is what she does). The ratings of her books got worse and worse with each new one. Usually, less reviews means a higher overall rating, because the people that stick around are hardcore fans, but in her case nope, people got tired of the series real fast. Of course it all starts making sense when you realize she got published thanks to her connections (she didn't even have to query an agent 🥴 and she didn't even have a manuscript when she met her connection and they offered to help her 🤕🤢) and her writing is simply not good enough to live up to all that hype. Lately she's also been criticizing publishers (which she would NEVER do back when she was their darling) for leaving authors to their own devices when it comes to publicity and advertisement. And she's still one of the few lucky ones that gets some support. She's now starting to experience what 99% of authors without connections go through and she's not liking it one bit, it seems. The fact that she keeps comparing herself to Tolkien and says that her new series is a mix of Lord of The Rings + Guardians of the Galaxy doesn't help for sure, it's no wonder that readers are left disappointed once their read her novels. From her sm she comes off as very delusional about her own writing and status, bragging about her skills with little to back it up reviews wise, and about being the breadwinner (despite her husband being a literal doctor...). It's like she needs to lie to people and make stuff up to keep up her image. It's quite sad to witness ngl because it wasn't like that in the beginning. She's still living in the past but reality is catching up fast. When/if the tv show comes out (it was announced years ago, so who knows) and gives her a boost she's going to be even more out of touch 🥴 My opinion started changing when during the worst of Covid she kept travelling around while telling people to stay home 🙃 she's changed a lot and comes off as much more entitled and privileged now (I saw someone say she gives off "it's one banana, what could it cost, $10?" vibes and I can't unsee it 😂). It sucks that it's always the same few (white, privileged, unoriginal) authors getting chance after chance with movie deals, tv shows, new book deals etc. when better authors are out there and struggle to make ends meet. All my life I wanted to become a translator but the more I learn about publishing, the less I want to be involved in any way 🙁 As for Red Rising, I remember the hype and a few of my most "frat-boys" friends loving it, but it thankfully died down (same for Aveyard). Idk if a transposition was announced, but I hope it wasn't 😂 I only read Red Rising and it was enough, I dropped the series. I don't remember much of it tbh. Red Queen was a lot more generic (a mix of The Selection, X-Men, Hunger Games) I believe, so I feel more comfortable talking about that despite being forgettable 😂 I definitely felt like I was reading something I already knew.
@pucksandpaperbacks
Жыл бұрын
That's exactly how I felt as well, a lot of these picks are "easy reads" at least that's the impression I got with the YA category. Since it's easy to read, people immediately deem them as "good" when that's not always the case!
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
Seems like it's a common theme across categories is just simplicity and readability.
@aliciaguzman
Жыл бұрын
Debut books are some of my favorite to read. I’m about to make some coffee, grab a snack and get comfortable to watch this.
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
I also really enjoy debuts! While this group wasn't great, it reminded me to be better about keeping my eye out for more debuts this year.
@BellsBarbosa
Жыл бұрын
You literally knocked 7 books (Red Rising saga and both Casey McQuiston books) off of my tbr and 3 others (the rebel of sands series) are pending (I didn't know she was yt!!!!) because I would be enraged if I read those books, they have things I absolutely despise in them. Thank you for being informative and funny as always!
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
I never tell someone not to read something but if I can save anyone time and money, I love that. People do say the Red Rising Saga gets better, but it's a high price to pay with that first book, and I can't say I actually trust that it would get that much better.
@JJ-rx8ym
Жыл бұрын
We just finished Lessons in Chemistry for my book club. I’m glad you liked it. I enjoyed it very much. We all agreed that we liked her life going on after Calvin dying. She kept being a person.
@ReadswithRachel
Жыл бұрын
I’m so ready
@asdfghjklasdfghjkl321
Жыл бұрын
Me too bestie
@safaiaryu12
Жыл бұрын
Children of Blood and Bone had me hooked the first time I read it (very uncritically), but when I went back to it for a book club, I was unimpressed? Thank you for articulating what bothered me about it. I read the second book and I literally remember so little about it, it just did nothing for me. I think it's meant to be a trilogy (I literally don't even remember if the second book wrapped things up or not!) and I don't think I'll be picking up the third book. Thanks for your review of Red, White, and Royal Blue as well. I have it on my TBR but now I'm a little scared of it. I think I take politics way too seriously to enjoy a book that... doesn't. If the topic of healthcare comes up and has a very American perspective like you said, I think I would lose my mind. As a person with a number of severe chronic illnesses, fuck the American healthcare system. Oof. I may need to add Such A Fun Age and Lessons in Chemistry to my TBR!
@queenMABda
Жыл бұрын
I DNFed Red Rising a few years ago. My time is precious, so my hard and fast DNF rule is if I'm bored 50 pages in then it's not worth my time.
@missanthroporeads8658
Жыл бұрын
😭😭the way i literally dnf’d red rising the first time i tried to read it in like 2015 and i was almost considering giving it another shot bc so many people i’m mutuals with love it…only to hear this?? needless to say i definitely will not be returning to it😭😭😭
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
2015 you was RIGHT. I cannot say one good thing about this book.
@kellyy8735
Жыл бұрын
Literally same! I started it a long time ago and got maybe 50 pages in and never touched it again. It has a lot of hype and good reviews so I wanted to be able to enjoy this book, but i’m glad other people feel the same.
@bookslikewhoa
Жыл бұрын
This has to be one of my favs from all the videos - the stress I vicariously felt the closer the deadline got! 😹 This is just another example of why you are one of my favorite reviewers on the platform... I always think about books I've read differently after hearing your thoughts. Thank you for suffering for the sake of the cause!!
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
Thank you so much!! I was stressed too and I slept like 10 hours immediately after lol. But I did it!!! And only a little late!!
@lonesomedovecall822
Жыл бұрын
Happy to hear you gave "Such a Fun Age" a 5/5 rating -- I just came across a copy of it in a Little Free Library the other day and brought it home. I thought it sounded pretty good but now I'm really excited to read it!
@hannahk8620
Жыл бұрын
Listening to you read red rising to filth made my whole day, thank you 😂❤
@neatodude3339
Жыл бұрын
Do you work in publishing? I feel like your input would really help get some better books published.
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
I don't! I'd love to if I could afford to live while working in publishing lol
@SarahAtHeart
Жыл бұрын
This was incredibly entertaining, thank you for putting yourself through this for us! So glad you got to read a few good books (and yea for liking Lessons in Chemistry! I was hoping you would).
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
I know, I'm glad I decided to reread because if not, I would've only had 1 good book! And yes, I definitely get why Lessons in Chemistry wouldn't be for everyone, but it hit for me.
@crystalsbookishlife
Жыл бұрын
I literally could listen to you talk about books all day. I've never read Red Rising but the misogyny included specifically with the women who were made to be so superior, oof. Yes that exactly.
@heathersmith8549
Жыл бұрын
It’s funny. I’ve watched a couple of the videos from this watch list. And NO ONE is enjoying the books that won. What does that say about the Good Reads awards? lol
@moustik31
Жыл бұрын
I made the same remark. I follow several participants and all the thumbnails were them making sad/long faces. I knew, it didnt bode well and I was right. Now, that I'm almost at the end of the series, I have decided to stop paying attention to the award. Their record is abysmal.
@ravenesperanza
Жыл бұрын
I have not, and will not, read, Red, White and etc., lauded as so brave for being the first bisexual romance on the market. That alone made me furious since there have been bisexual, m/m romances out in the world for decades at this point. Ick.
@AlexA-jm3qj
Жыл бұрын
This is the first video of yours that I stumbled upon, and I'm so glad I did!! I think the fact that in 2022 a SJM book won over Babel speaks volumes about the limits of the goodreads choice awards, and I thought your video really excellently highlighted the variation in quality of the winners in this one category. I agree also on Red, White, and Blue, its liberalism is honestly pretty painful and prevented my full immersion. It wants to have its cake and eat it too by creating an AU where Trump wasn't elected but also including lines about apologizing to Netanyahu, which is absolutely horrible (and no different from real life either).
@moustik31
Жыл бұрын
Look at you powering through! I also cant do anything not last minute. You are so funny and relatable. Have a good rest, you deserve it. 😊
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
Thank you! I definitely slept a bunch after this.
@bookwormdoodles2207
Жыл бұрын
Been loving seeing videos for this project! Will need to add Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid to my TBR
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
I can't wait until work is over so I can watch them all! 🤪
@joebloe4734
Жыл бұрын
I'm a recent subscriber, but I'm so glad I did. Your takes are great and expressed super eloquently. I'm trying to move on from being like, 'I didn't like this because bleh', so it's nice to listen to someone who has clear ideas in a row. Also, what a wonderful laugh you have! Carry on. :)
@dgdavis33
Жыл бұрын
This is my first time viewing your content and I immediately subscribed to your channel. Your thoughts, opinions and comments are so eloquent and well formed that I was engaged throughout you video. Also your laugh is contagious 😂😂
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
Thank you so much! Happy have you here ♥️
@sasha7628
Жыл бұрын
very interesting project to check all goodreads winners; debut category is such a good choice, a good mix of different genres and age ranges But also red rising was there🙃 a cursed category😅 I tried reading it once and couldn’t get past the fridged wife, I’m glad I didn’t push through. Great video! I’m going to watch the rest of the vids for this project
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
Yes, I read some terrible books and yet I still think this was a great category for this project! Also, it indeed got WORSE after the fridged wife.
@PumpkinMozie
Жыл бұрын
What always annoys me about the GR choice awards is that there’s no way that the average reader has read all the books in each category, so how could it be even remotely fair or accurate?? People are obviously going to be biased towards the books they have read on the list, so even if they’ve only read one and all the other are way better, they’re still most likely to vote for that one. Maybe I’m just looking at it too seriously; it’s not like it’s considered some super prestigious award or anything. But it absolutely is a popularity contest, or better yet, a “which one had the best marketing and money backing it” contest.
@notyourboi4076
Жыл бұрын
Found you through readswithrachel and I'm definitely glad I did. Excellent video!
@tess42
Жыл бұрын
this was so interesting … i’d never heard of tangled, but maybe it got swept up in the post-50 shades of grey boom?? idk but thank you for your videos as always :)
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
Oooh, I hadn't even thought of that! That feels like it could be true because otherwise... WHY IS IT HERE??
@TheWitchofEndor-1
Жыл бұрын
I also hated red rising and I dnfed it right as soon as he finished his genetic modification cuz I just knew I wouldn’t enjoy the school arc.
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
It was in fact worse than the beginning.
@Lackaday.
Жыл бұрын
The thing about Tangled is that it is 100% a fet novel, so if it doesn't hit your marks then its almost certainly gonna fall flat at best and be repulsive at worst
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
I don’t know that’s quite it for me. I found the actual characterization of the MMC terrible and thought the entire book lacked romance or chemistry.
@Lackaday.
Жыл бұрын
@@mynameismarines Same, honestly. I tried to read it a while back but bounced off really quickly because the POV character was upsetting and unlikable. What makes me feel like it's a fetish novel (which I have nothing against, this one just wasn't for me) was that it was designed to appeal to one kinky characteristic (misogynist guy falls for one woman) to the point where not enjoying that aspect of the story means not enjoying any of the story. This was a weird first comment for me to leave on a person's channel lol, I'm sorry about that! On an unrelated note, I really enjoyed your commentary on all of the books and found it very interesting to see how the type of story that won in this category changed over time (and how it didn't). Some of these book I recognize from seeing getting hyped at the time of release, but never got around to reading, so it's cool to hear what they were about!
@sarahteter6310
Жыл бұрын
I found your video first and I'm so glad I did! As an avid reader I am in awe of your dedication to this project and completing all of these! Thank you for your reviews and I'm so happy to have stumbled onto your content through this video so that I can now subscribe for more!
@asherscott3151
Жыл бұрын
Red rising wasn't the worst book written from a technical perspective, but it was such a copy-paste YA ripoff. These awards are clearly going to best selling books rather than based on actual merit
@natesmith6871
9 ай бұрын
I thought Children of Blood and Bone was an okay lunch break read. Didn't care for its sequel, though.
@jaimeerindy4573
Жыл бұрын
I couldn't believe Such A Fun Age was a debut, it was so good!!
@dunnejos8423
Жыл бұрын
I tend to be avoidant of gay romance between men written by women. I often find it slightly fetishistic, very soft, the men are often thin and ephemeral looking and conventionally attractive, often sexless or it's made to be palatable for a non gay audience. This isn't always the case, there are obvious exceptions but on the whole it tends to go that way. Anyway, we need more gay characters that are less white, less thin, less broadly appealing to every person.
@LinnieCat
Жыл бұрын
Omg yes same! And I usually get really criticized when I mention this. It’s like an extension of women wanting to have a “gay best friend”, which I always found to be a bit fetishized, honestly. These women would always refer to my best friend as my “gay best friend” instead of realizing he is my friend who also just happens to be gay
@theaudiobookaficionado
Жыл бұрын
the timeline of this was so stressful to follow along with omgg
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
For you and me both
@theLore2000
Жыл бұрын
I read an Emma Chase novel once and it genuinely stayed with me as one of the worst romance novels I've ever read. It was called royally endowed though so I'm not sure what I was expecting, my bad
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
please, I'm crying, not royally endowed
@moustik31
Жыл бұрын
Good erotica? I know, I would have totally read this on Kindle Unlimited, expecting something sexy and outlandish.
@shelliingle571
Жыл бұрын
I am glad you don't like Red Rising. That book made me felt uncomfortable.
@KittyAndTheBooks
Жыл бұрын
I don't understand how people like books like Tangled. As someone who has been targeted by a male colleague with some kind of romancey feelings, it's so gross. You just can't get away and have to live with all the comments and insinuations... I think it's interesting how this category was dominated by YA (fantasy) for a while and now it seems to change. Probably says something about the characteristics of people using GR.
@LifeasMonae
Жыл бұрын
I am re-reading Red Rising right now and STILL cant understand the hype. all of what you said was so true. ironically, i feel like it is so popular because of mysogny! because he was a average looking white man who wrote a scifi steeped in roman domininization/colonialization.
@LifeasMonae
Жыл бұрын
great video with objectifiable critics!
@BookChats
Жыл бұрын
Booktube* was weirdly into Brown as like a "hot author" back in the day! *Select Booktubers
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
Yes, exactly this. His pretty privilege really helped him fail up.
@SarahEsmaeWolfe
Жыл бұрын
I started this one back in the day and dnfed it pretty quick... never understood the hype
@WildeBookGarden
Жыл бұрын
finishing the playlist today!! yeah, RW&RB is one I've never been interested in, partly bc I actually find that kind of AU political fantasy depressing??? also it very much gave me those vibes you discussed of 'big issues + a joke or reference = commentary, right?'
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
That is EXACTLY the vibe. "I mentioned the thing, let's all laugh and forget bye now!"
@lindiemoon
Жыл бұрын
Only halfway through but very impressed you pushed through 3 terrible books in a row. The commitment! I did enjoy Red Rising back when I read it (2014ish?) but wow… a lot clearly went over my head. Haha
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
It was a struggle...!
@ingridboring2426
Жыл бұрын
So pleased YT reccomended this video in my sidebar. So EXCELLENT! Loved seeing how excited you were when you finally got to read (or re-read) a decent book!
@ChemicalPenguinn
Жыл бұрын
This project has made me discover your channel! I'm only 10 minutes in so far, but I'm really enjoying your reviews!!
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
Thank you and thanks for being here! 🥰
@sophiasthoughts
Жыл бұрын
I have never heard of 'disaster girls' novels before but I have both Such a Fun Age and Lessons in Chemistry on my TBR so I guess I need to look that up!
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
That’s what I call them lol! It’s character driven stories about a young woman making terrible choices. There are a lot of them!
@trasslaren
Жыл бұрын
That was an impressive feat! It's interesting to hear your thougts on all there books and why they were so popular. It seems like a little bit of a window into the year they won!
@Marie45610
Жыл бұрын
I DNF'd Red Rising shortly after the wife died. I wasn't aware of the 'Fridging' trope at the time, I was just bored. I read Red Queen around the time it came out, and I remember liking it more than most people did, but I never had any motivation to continue the series.
@maddiedoesntkno
Жыл бұрын
God marines, you saying “really, in my place of work?” About _love deception_ slammed the “in front of my salad??” Meme into my brain harder than a head on collision😂😂
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
Same energy tbh
@srose1088
Жыл бұрын
It's so funny how no one likes Spanish Love Deception, but for some reason it keeps floating around in recs. I think it's cuz people thought the Hero was super hot and thats all they remember now.
@andrewf7732
Жыл бұрын
I don't understand why Red Rising is so highly rated. Besides what you mentioned, the plot is a mess. It wanted to be Hunger Games in the future and I was bored by the second half. I think it's a very approachable sci-fi, which is maybe why so many love it. The next two books are a lot better plot wise and the flaws are less noticeable than Red Rising and the final book in the first trilogy has an amazing ending. However, I also don't think you're missing anything by not reading them either. They are high-action and bloody plots, not great literature or even representative of the best that the genre has to offer.
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
I'm like 90% certain I won't read them, but all of the fans promising me they get better makes me want to see that for myself. Just a little though. Probably won't read it lol.
@Bellatrixstrange09
Жыл бұрын
So, I’ve a few of the books on this list and here is like my general remembrance of how I felt them. 1. I couldn’t not get through Red Rising to save my life. I hated every single character and felt like everything about the characters was flat. 2. Still actively avoiding reading Red, White and Royal Blue because I always feel weird when white women write gay characters. Will never fail to give me weirdo tumblr girl vibes. 3. I loved THUG when I first read it. Im happy to hear it still holds up now. The family dynamics were the best part about the book. 4. Such a Fun Age having the lowest rating doesn’t surprise me at all. It was the best book on the list and I loved how much each character felt complex and knowable. 5. I absolutely hated a Children of Blood and Bone when I first read it (with an intense feeling of guilt because it was written by a black woman), and I couldn’t put my finger on why I didn’t like it. You hit the nail right on the head when you said it felt soulless.
@BeautifullyBookishBethany
Жыл бұрын
Wow Mari, re-reading I'm so impressed! If I had the bandwidth that might have been interesting. Great discussions of everything. I thought Such a Fun Age was really great when I read it.
@BrokenDarkFire
Жыл бұрын
This is such a cool video idea! I never realized just how few debuts I actually read… I just don’t trust hype, but it sounds like based on your experience that might be a good thing! One of the few books I’ve read on this list is Red, White, and Royal Blue. I loved it to pieces and rated it 5 stars at the time; I read it in 2022 and found I still loved parts of it - as a queer Latine person in Texas who lives in a semi-liberal city, Texas going blue would be my dream come true. But also, parts of it just didn’t hold up, and I’d gotten a lot more comfortable both in my own Hispanic identity and could read much more critically. Alex felt kinda performative in a way that stuck out to me on a reread, and while things he said felt right on paper, in practice it just felt like an inauthentic and somewhat shallow handling of his Mexican-American identity. Which makes sense because other characters of color were definitely a bit shallow as well. It would still probably be a high 3 stars for me for the prose and story structure alone, but I have a lot more critique of the characters than I did initially. I think part of the initial hype is when we all read it the year it came out, we all got blindsided by our emotions. I know I did.
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
I definitely see why it would've been super influenced by the moment that it came out! The politics of it all just didn't let me enjoy it as much as others may have. I couldn't get swept away in the romance! I was distracted.
@BrokenDarkFire
Жыл бұрын
@@mynameismarines that makes sense! Probably reading it for the first time in any year other than 2019-2020 is gonna make it hit differently!
@Laf631
Жыл бұрын
Found you after Fourth Wing and watched this to see if you hated Red Rising too. We are on the same page! I don't like books that can't hold up to even two seconds of thoughtful scrutiny about the world, and I don't understand why Red Rising continues to be such a popular, major recommendation on r/books and BookTok.
@courtneyheidenreich2818
Жыл бұрын
Such a Fun Age was one of the first books I read when I got back into reading. Absolutely loved it! The audiobook is fantastic; narrator Nicole Lewis is a genius. After I read it I saw a goodreads review that criticized it for the use of AAVE, calling it stereotypical or something along those lines (to be clear: the reviewer was a black woman and I am white). Obviously I'm not an expert on the subject, but the prose via Lewis' performance felt very naturalistic when I read it. I've thought a lot since then about the benefits of engaging with a book via audio when it prominently features a language/dialect I'm not familiar with.
@shounenprotagonist4209
Жыл бұрын
the premise of red queen sounds like the trolls from homestuck?
@genevievelefebvre3981
Жыл бұрын
100% agree with your feelings on mcquiston, i've read all three of their published books and i've not liked any of them.
@katemchale5753
Жыл бұрын
i just picked up such a fun age at the library and I'm so glad you had a good time reading it! made me more excited to pick it up
@missnewvillage
Жыл бұрын
I struggled with reading Red, White, and Royal Blue and so many people loved it. It took me a week to read it because I was so bored. I thought maybe this category would be easy, but it seems like you struggled with a lot of these books. I have Such a Fun Age on my TBR. Your review makes me want to push it up. I appreciate how thoughtful your reviews are.
@volna9704
Жыл бұрын
thank you for this video! im so glad you did debut novels bc i guess with debuts there is the highest chance of one winning that is actually good (instead of... yk, stephen king or sjm AGAIN) and your reviewing is so honest and always spot on! overall this doesnt seem to have been very enjoyable for you so thank you for going through all that lmao, i could listen to you for hours and hours
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
Thank you so much for the kind words!! This was such a long video, I'm glad it was enjoyable. And honestly, I think I lucked out with Debuts!
@volna9704
Жыл бұрын
@@mynameismarines it absolutely was!!! also i was wondering, how do you decide when to dnf a book?
@SarahAsYouWish
Жыл бұрын
The only three I’ve read from this video are the ones you rated your top three. It looks like I chose well because none of the others sound appealing.
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
I cannot recommend any below my 1-2-3
@WildeBookGarden
Жыл бұрын
I read Rebel of the Sands years ago and even then thought it was aggressively mediocre; I was baffled when I saw it on this list!! And I think I’d pick up SO much more on the race stuff now too 😬
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
I remembered it by the cover and also found it weird that I knew it had a moment but couldn't tell you one thing about it!
@bloob7671
Жыл бұрын
i haven't watched through the whole video yet, but i must say i'm in awe of your beauty and you seem like such a positive and elegant person!! i wish for nothing but good things for you :)
@TheGoofy1932
Жыл бұрын
😂 What?! Women are people? 2010 ish: What nonsense is this? 😂 Well, I've watched several videos from this project, and I can say that Goodreads consistently makes bad choices. So... yay! 🎉 Let's hear it for doing the least to win a popularity contest because that Always ends well. 😏🤣
@lisakate853
Жыл бұрын
Totally agree on your words on the Hate U Give & Children of Blood and Bone. CoB&B gripped me so much out the gate - it lost me once the romantic side of the story started it was just out of the blue and made no sense and it made me suddenly not be able to take the book seriously at all. The Red Rising slander hurt my soul, it's one of my favorite series. I may take Spanish Love Deception off my TBR based on what you said.
@MatthewSciarappa
Жыл бұрын
This was fantastic, and I cannot wait to watch everyone's videos for the other categories, too! ❤
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
Thank you, friend! ❤
@sofiaf2928
Жыл бұрын
I read Red Rising in 2018 and I’m still mad about it. I can’t believe there’s so many fans of this series. It was so boring and the misogyny was just so gross
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
Truly, truly do not comprehend the love.
@HeathersHeroesAndHeroines
Жыл бұрын
I was shocked by the review of red rising. Why has no one ever mentioned all the problematic material?
@ohladysamantha
Жыл бұрын
i love this project. I'm so glad to hear that you think that Such a Fun Age and The Hate U Give hold up.
@blumeshullman8002
Жыл бұрын
I tried reading "the hate you give" recently and dnf'd it very early on. The neigbourhood is presented as one in which being in the middle of black poeple killing each other is normal, the stepfather has killed several people and that is never presented as much of an issue (even if he's not a positive character no one seems to think he should do time for these murders!) all the characters seem to talk about is sneakers and rap music so I guess the author couldn't imagine black teens having more varied interests, and there is some pretty obvious mysoginy expressed by the male characters... at some point I was like: is this book really supposed to be anti-racism? Granted, I didn't read the rest of it but the beginning was pretty bad in my opinion. It felt like a chore, so I gave up.
@anix670
Жыл бұрын
Am rewatching, you're vids are always so entertaining. ☺️
@suzannewdowik
Жыл бұрын
I've heard nothing but rave reviews for Red Rising up until now, so I am SHOCKED to hear all of that about the book! I'll have to readjust my expectations before reading it 🤔
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
I'm thinking of coming back and doing a standalone review because this book gets so much hype and I'm still CONFUSED as to why...
@NeithHecateAddams
Жыл бұрын
@@mynameismarines PLEASE do a standalone review because your criticisms are right and you should keep saying it 🙌
@Kay-kg6ny
Жыл бұрын
Also I'm not a Goodreads user and this video makes me want to keep it that way lol
@zn2514
Жыл бұрын
gonna copy and paste my review of the rebel of the sands from goodreads: amani: my blue eyes make me stand out amongst these brown eyed misogynistic desert folk. i need to leave before i get an arranged marriage! too bad my blue eyes make me stand out :( thats a decent summary of the book.. this was written by a white author and the perception of middle eastern/Islamic influences felt heavily orientalist.. the emphasis of amani's blue eyes (like a 100x over) was weird considering there are many middle eastern people with colored eyes lol this reads like the author only believes middle eastern people have one uniform look and blue eyes automatically make you foreign.. i dont mind reading about misogyny in middle eastern inspired lore (almost every single society has been and oppresses women) but this reads as if it was pure hatred of the culture and religion.. someone else said amani's personality was like if you plucked a 21st century punk tumblr feminist and threw her into an ancient setting and i completely agree.. i liked the friendship between jin and amani but the romance was heavily forced and shouldve been more slowly developed. there were new characters introduced towards the last third of the book and there was a forced "found family" trope and it was a bit awkward since they literally got there towards the end like im not gonna care about them. also the magic/fantasy elements were introduced pretty late, it started feeling like a brand new book at the ~70% mark. it all shouldve been introduced towards the beginning. i highly doubt this was beta read/edited by a muslim middle easterner who feels connected to their culture and religion because they would tell the author they'd written the book so insensitively and orientalist, i'm dumbfounded this got published. a half a star because i actually liked the last few pages (tied it up all nicely while also a reasonable cliffhanger so people who are invested in the series would want to continue) and there's potential in the writing style. i bet the author would write a more empowering book if it was completely european influenced, something they're more comfortable with!
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
You nailed it! This was exactly my experience with it as well. The fact that the author made her special colored eyes BLUE... like... we see you from a mile away lady.
@Wndrlnd9
Жыл бұрын
Wow, I really enjoy how you explain books! Your reviews were so well formulated and the video (despite covering a lot of ground) didn’t feel like a slog at all. I feel like I found my go to for book reviews because I trust you’ll look for the same things I value, and more I didn’t even know
@CheyeW13
Жыл бұрын
thank you for reading these so i don't have to! sorry you had to read such flops tho ://
@sheisoceanblue
Жыл бұрын
I'm gonna be honest about what you said about Red White and Royal Blue, particularly the fact that sometimes the characters talked/acted like 30 yos and sometimes like teens: as a 23 yo, I feel like this is the best description of our twenties there is. It's been becoming more evident that we don't grow up equally in all aspects, so like I feel is really realistic to the usual experience.
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
It may be realistic but as a reading experience I didn’t find it enjoyable or like it contributed to consistent characterization.
@LastGleaming8
Жыл бұрын
Something I find kinda hilarious about Alwyn Hamilton is that she revealed the cover for her next book and it has yet to come out, this was like 5 years ago now
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
That's wild! I hope she's okay and also, it's probably for the best...
@adambrigue5977
Жыл бұрын
I hear by so many booktubers that the red rising debut isn't great, but the sequels get darker and better. Also hey Marines!! Love your videos :D
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
Hi! 👋🏽 I’ve heard the same but I have 0 reason to keep reading- no curiosity, no attachment to the characters, no interest in the world. Maybe spite, tbh, to see if it really gets better or not…
@marygrace3665
6 ай бұрын
the worst book-related crime anyone has committed against me was this: i entered my favorite small local bookstore, where i have been shopping since it opened back in 2015, and said, “hey, i just read this is how you lose the time war. do you have any recommendations for something similar? i’ve never read anything like it before and i’m completely obsessed.” and the employee said, “huh, i don’t know that one. you said it’s sci-fi? well, my coworker is a big sci-fi fan, and they say that red rising is a MUST READ for anyone into sci-fi. here’s a copy!” i read three pages and put it back. glad to see i’m not the only one who can’t stand it.
@TheGoofy1932
Жыл бұрын
Hey, if Superman taught us anything it's that all you really need are glasses 👓 if you want a great disguise. 😉
@julibaro575
Жыл бұрын
Tangled was huge when it came out, at least among romance readers, but I think for SURE there were better debut books published that year 😂
@allisonreilly1952
Жыл бұрын
I wasn’t really aware of it until a few years ago but it was so popular I decided to give it a try… I did not make it far lol!!!
@rukbat3
Жыл бұрын
Yes, it would have been interesting to see what the other semifinalists in the category were for each year to see if there was something else that wee think should have won. (Not that the video wasn't long enough already, and edited right down to the wire, lol!)
@julibaro575
Жыл бұрын
@@rukbat3 I checked, and there's a lot of romance books on that list that I haven't heard of. But the closest runner up was The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker, a fantasy book that sounds great
@rukbat3
Жыл бұрын
@@julibaro575 Oh, yeah, that one's on my TBR too!
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
Good to know it was at least popular because I was looking at it like "what is this honey?"
@hoykfnvnnesnxnnensncjforkx1616
Ай бұрын
When it comes to red white and royal blue. Im sick of seeing gay men stories by non gay men. Im sick of seeing lesbian books by non lesbians. Its annoying. I now always look up the authors. So many lgbt books now are gross when not done by the people it is talking about
@EllyTerzlaff1L
Жыл бұрын
Looking back the first red rising book is such a mess. I even contemplated not continuing the series after the first. Thankfully it got better, I think the author grew as a writer through out the series.
@mynameismarines
Жыл бұрын
I've heard that but at this point I have absolutely no reason to keep reading at all. I'm good with it getting better with out me 😂
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