We’re all losing our minds here. This is a literal battlefield. Please say something about the next book or we all will soon end up killing each other.
Sincerely, a worried reader.
I heard she was one of the best selling fantasy authors today and checked out House of Earth and Blood. The premise about angels seemed interesting and went in open minded. Immediately the dialogue sets off red flags. "I have a bone to pick with you. Took you long enough. Its not that dumbass, though again; fuck you." This is supposed to be a fantasy world and the dialogue reminds me of modern teenagers who learned how to swear for the first time. From the first page, details and names and worlds and gods are just vomited—no careful construction. No beauty. Just a barrage of words and people and fractions and names that mean nothing.
This is like if someone took the bad writing of YA and Wattpad and added sex scenes and swearing. IDK how she is such a best selling author.
I just noticed that she is no longer friends with any of her former ya writer friends. At least I think she isn't. They're not following each other on instagram, some pics with Susan Dennard are deleted from her instagram, and they don't mention each other in their books! I know I'm late to the game, but I "did research" yesterday when I noticed all of this and found some interesting accusations of Maas being mean to her friends and fans, and honestly, it seems like utter bs. I also noticed that they stopped talking after the American elections in 2016, when Susan sent a newsletter where she said this: “I was brainwashed into believing that one had to be thin to be beautiful (but not too thin!) as well as blonde-haired and blue-eyed.” You can read more about the newsletter here: https://yadramallama.wordpress.com/. It seems like such a weird thing to say lol Does anybody else have some wild theories on it? Tbh, I'm not a big fan of Susan Dennard, she seems super annoying, and it looks as if she accused Sarah of writing a certain type of character, and not talking about politics on her social media at the time. Which is perfectly ok, if someone doesn't want to get political, they don't have to lol It's not her job to raise anyone else's children, and it's not like she didn't have some good ideas and themes in her books so.
Just stumbled on this crazy good deal and had to share! This was one of my favorite reads in 2021.
Amazon link here.
I am about halfway through A Court of Silver Flames and not emotionally ready to finish the series.. at all haha
Anything with a similar fantasy vibe would be appreciated, personally I loved Feyre’s character development so anything like that too.
I’ve not read Throne of Glass also by SJM so I don’t know how it compares or how similar it is. Any recommendations, short or long, would be fantastic :)
Let's try to keep this constructive and thoughtful for this discussion. I'm genuinely curious with your thoughts.
Sometimes it confuses me how much people seem to hate her. I understand that she had a shaky start with diversity in the books but she apparently started writing throne of glass when she was in high-school and I think after receiving feedback she’s made efforts to have more diverse characters in acotar and crescent city. It could be better but people straight up call her racist and say she only has bad representation in the books.
Another thing they say is that she’s a Zionist. As far as I can tell they’re basing that on the fact that she once mentioned travelling to Israel with her husbands family YEARS ago. And they’ve spread a rumour that she called Leigh Bardugo a “fat cripple” because Leigh said another writer once called her that and people have assumed it’s Sarah and go around telling people it was as if it’s a fact. People are posting about how they can no longer support her or how they think her fans are problematic and I don’t really understand the level of hate.
I’m just wondering what other people think.
Hey everyone, my girlfriend has really re-discovered a passion for reading through Maas' book series "A Court of Thorns and Roses." I know very little about it (I have not had the chance to read it yet), but I was looking for suggestions of similar books/series that she could binge and enjoy. My girlfriend seems to enjoy the ease of consumption that is typical in YA novels.
If you know of anything similar, I would love to hear about it. Thank you!
Personally, I think it's one of the better series I've read aside from SJM and I've read quite a few. I'm 3/4s through Kingdom of the Cursed and I'm really worried KM is going to pull one of those "she's actually THIS" and turn Emilia into a goddess and make her all powerful or whatever. I just want a MC that is just what she is in the beginning of the book and learns her true, but not ridiculous potential. Thats one big reason why I just couldn't care about reading the rest of the FBAA series by Jennifer Armentrout. I felt like I wasn't even reading the same series with all the twists and turns that happened. I really hope these books stay true!
Edit: Finished it last night and I'm pleasantly surprised. A bit predictable but only because they hinted at it all along. I'm excited for the next book!
I'm trying to figure out the best way to keep up to date on the next book in the ACOTAR series, as well as the Hulu show. Anyone have any ideas?
I’ve seen a lot of good ratings and reviews for Throne of Glass on Goodreads, Instagram and TikTok so I decided to give it a try. I did not finish at around 15% and now I am wondering why it’s so highly rated. In my opinion, Celaena is a poorly written protagonist whose main personality trait is that she’s an assassin because she never fails to remind the reader that she’s the most notorious assassin. She also seems unrealistically emotional for someone who was learning to kill as a child.
So, I’m wondering if there’s something I’m missing or if I just had too-high expectations. If you read it and liked it, what did you like most about it? I’d be willing to give it another try depending on the answers.
She has basically published almost 2 books a year for the past seven years, not to mention that her books are usually EXTREMELY long. Although her writing is pretty juvenile and seems a bit fanfictiony (to me, at least) this is incredible dedication.
I also found out she’s a pantser (doesn’t outline that much, likes to write scene to scene) which isn’t too shocking because she doesn’t foreshadow too well (like Cassandra Clare for example) and some of her plot lines seem to go nowhere and some others seem to go everywhere.
Her books have really set the bar for every fantasy/YA book, and I feel like none come close to her quality of writing. Especially after reading House of Earth and Blood and the depth of the plot and sheer character evolution in 1000 pages. So. Many. Emotions. F**k! Hahah
I have loved the work of SJM for years now and as she has lots of books (thankfully) I have been kept busy reading mainly her work. Now I find myself running out of books but hungry for more “high fantasy” books/worlds/stories similar to that of ToG, ACoTaR, and Crescent City.
Please, could someone recommend me a writer who has similarly complicated story lines where you never know what’s going to happen next, a great selection of characters that you love and/or hate, and a world that is beautifully constructed…?
Also I am 25, so I would prefer either Adult fantasy or YA that is not written for 13 year olds (as I am sure I would have loved them back I the day, but now I find them a little disappointing to read)
Thanks in advance!
Mods delete this if it isn’t allowed. But I wanted to discuss cover designs because I’ve recently gained an appreciation for gorgeous books on my recent bookshelf-display endeavours. My personal favourite design I’ve seen is the Throne of Glass series—I love the material the covers are made of (soft, a bit rubbery) and the tactile letters. I love the way they all have a unique cover yet fit together so well, and the depictions of the main character are just gorgeous. Not gonna lie, I’m not overly in love with the series itself, but I gotta admit the cover designs are just incredible. Some serious kudos to series/cover designer Regina Flath.
I’d love to hear your favourite designs and why.
I’m sort of new to the fantasy genre. I’ve been reading for my whole life and a couple fantasy/sci-fi books here and there but i’ve been on a binge for quite awhile now. Cassandra Clare is what started it for me but the more I read reviews and browse sub reddit’s and other online forums I see people who really dislike her/her books. Same with SJM. I was wondering why that is? I totally understand people with different tastes but people really lay into them and I sort of think they’re brilliant. Oh same with Holly Black but that’s a little more understandable as her books are kind of weird (I love them).
Not looking to defend or argue just genuinely curious!
I’m new to young adult literature, or at least the new wave of it. I stopped reading young adult books in 2014, and I haven’t touched any book of the genre until this past month. Back then I didn’t know English and had no access to Leigh Bardugo’s books and Sarah J. Maas wasn’t translated yet.
Now having came back, I’m seeing these two writers’ names everywhere. Everyone seems to love them, and one way or another, every young adult reader seems to read their books. I just started reading Shadow and Bone along with A Court of Thorns and Roses, and I can’t say I’m impressed as of yet. But I’m still in the earlier chapters of each book, so I wonder what makes people addicted to these books.
What do you think it is that makes Sarah J. Maas’ and Leigh Bardugo’s books captivating? What fo you like about these books, and what do you don’t like about them? Is it characterization? World building? Plot development?
I’m looking forward to hearing you guys’ thoughts!
Do not read this unless you have read ACOTAR and TOG.
>!I've been an avid reader of anything Sarah J. Maas has published since I was in middle school, and I love most aspects of her works. Except the fact that she manages to make so many of her main characters mothers and force motherhood onto many of her characters.!<
>!For example, in ACOMAF, Feyre clearly stated that she wanted to wait for a while before having children with Rhys. When I read this, I was so happy and so satisfied. Then, Feyre and Rhys decided to have children. I mean, of course anyone can have a child if they are able to emotionally and financially care for it, but this just extremely frustrated me, because Feyre was so young and she had stated her aspirations of exploring the world before having children.!<
>!In ACOSF, Nesta ends up changing her anatomy to an illyrian anatomy so she could better carry Cassian's children??? I found this so, so, so, unnecessary, and I literally threw my book at the wall after reading this part. It feels like SJM is just forcing motherhood on some of her characters; even those who normally wouldn't want to have children. I always thought Nesta wouldn't want to have children, and would end up being somewhat of a "wine aunt". Of course, she doesn't need to be whatever we perceive her to be, but it made me so mad and frustrated that out of all of the things she could have chosen to give Nesta the power to do, she decided to give Nesta an illyrian vagina so she could give birth to Cassian's children.!<
>!And lastly, the TOG community, especially on Tumblr and AO3, tends to make a lot of posts and fanfics about Aelin and Rowan having children in 10 years, being parents, etc. etc. Of course, anyone can write whatever they want to write, but it pains me to see that so many of these writers and posters say things like "In ten years, Aelin and Rowan will finally be happy. They will have a few children of their own, and Terrassen will be thriving." (Or something along those lines.) To me, it seems like motherhood is always forced on so many of the female characters written by SJM, even if they have stated they want to wait before having children, or don't want to have them in the first place. It pisses me off how some fanfic authors think that Aelin and other females need to have children to be happy; they simply do not. Also, I honestly see Aelin and Rowan being shitty parents (not to say they're shitty people. i just think they would
... keep reading on reddit ➡I was going to post this on r/bookreviewers but it's a smaller subreddit and I figured I had a better chance of discussing opinions on here!
There will be spoilers for all the books in the series (that much should be obvious enough) but I just wanted to warn you as I won't be putting individual warnings throughout the post :)
A lot of people discredit this series because of Maas and her somewhat questionable/problematic opinions, and I am in no way trying to hide those in this review; I would rather treat the books as their own thing (separate the work from the worker sort of thing)
I personally really enjoyed this series as I read it (Book 1 actually got me out of a month long reading slump) because it was everything I look for in a book series. There was fantasy, spice and romance, which I felt went together really well and was well co-ordinated. This series was my first book written by Maas, and I was not disappointed.
I found that most of the characters were likeable and fairly well written. They weren't the best characters ever and some of them could do with a little more fleshing-out to make them more interesting *cough* Elain *cough*, but a lot of them I found I liked. There were also disappointing character changes, like the lack of Lucien's charm and sarcasm from Book 1 in the rest of the series. For me that was one of the things that made me really fall in love with him during Book 1, and it was one of the few things that really let me down during my read.
As for the world building, I don't think we credit Maas for her descriptions of Velaris, especially in ACOMAF when Rhysand first takes Feyre there. It was vivid and I could build an image in my head from words alone, and the way it was described to differ from the Court of Nightmares was incredibly well-done, in my opinion.
I feel like I should note that I don't agree with Rhysand's actions in Book 1, and although he made justification and apologised in Book 2, I don't think that it was completely justified, and it should be acknowledged in reviews.
The plot of this story, and the series in general isn't the best but in my opinion it's very good and I really enjoyed reading it.
TL;DR - I think the series is discredited sometimes because of Maas and her actions, and I think a lot of the characters were fairly well-written and likeable, the world-building was very good and the plot is good for the most part.
As always feel free to comment and discuss, I'd love t
... keep reading on reddit ➡
ONLY WARNING: This post contains major spoilers about the second book in the ACOTAR series: A Court of Mist and Fury so you've been warned.
I just finished A Court of Mist and Fury and it has finally delivered for me the feelings that I know people who read romance long for, it finally gave me the gushy heart flutters I've been wanting.
I will get to the book but first some context and lead-in (like those seven paragraphs you gotta read before getting to the damn recipe).
So I've been hanging around this subreddit for a bit, building up a TBR list based around my own particular wants, and I have to admit that I often feel, and still feel that the vast majority of romance novels out there... are not for me. That hasn't made me give up however, as with such a wide huge genre with many subgenres (that I've yet to fully learn the names of) there's bound to be something worth checking out.
I've tried several books at this point, from contemporary to high fantasy, castaway stories to paranormal harems, and while I found the characters likeable in most of these books (except one) I never had that deep heartstring thrumming sensation of utter Squee! that I know good romance is supposed to give you.
All this comes down to my personal tastes, I am a 35 year old straight male who is most well read in the fantasy genre, and I generally abhor alpha male characters, not because alpha males are bad, but they are often written bad. I find it so hard to find likeable, relatable, interesting male characters who have anything more to offer than muscles, dominance, and security, and I'm the sort of person that believe true love is not a feeling, it's actions writ large, it's the every day things you do that make it work, not just the obsessive spirit of sacrificial want.
So most of the books I've read so far, were just... fine. Just fine. Then I read A Court of Thorns and Roses, or more specifically I listened to the audiobook. The romance in it was... also just fine. I felt it was believable enough, and I really loved the main protagonist of Feyre who despite being a bit cold in her temperament, had justifiable reasons for why she acted the way she does, and is a character utterly broken in a multitude of ways. I was even rolling my eyes at the end of the book at the tease of what would surely be a love triangle in the second book. Though I've not experienced many love triangle stories myself, I've heard enough contempt for them to realize they are seldo
... keep reading on reddit ➡I've just bought tog and com and they seem very likeable books. I really don't hate went people hate her, especially in BookTok.
please tell me good sarah j maas books apart from throne of glass and acotar i want to know what to spend my money on next.
