i read the most hyped tiktok books to tell you if they are worth it đ
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- Äas pĹidĂĄn 13. 05. 2024
- start using Notion with my Book Template: ntn.so/leoniebookhub
another episode of me testing books that are popular on tiktok! this time i read and review Powerless by Lauren Roberts, Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett and Bride by Ali Hazelwood. This one truuuly a ride.
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00:00 cozy fae fantasy
11:00 the new hunger games?
31:13 weird werewolf fanfic
đź s o c i a l m e d i a
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đş a b o u t m e
Hi! My name is Leonie and I am a 25 year old girl from the Netherlands who loves talking about books! From YA to non-fiction to classics, I read it all (although fantasy will always be my fave).
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"I don't want my fae to be hot and sexy. I want them to be evil and inhuman, and then *I* find that hot and sexy" is an absolute mood!
my goal is to live a life as aesthetically pleasing as leonie's
For real though! Itâs beautiful.
Hahaha exactly
This spoke to me
same
I think this every time I watch a video.
"Oh it started to rain... Oh cozy, I love that" literally every reader ever (they sprint to get a book so they can read with the sound of rain on the windows, it's a universal experience lol)
i put on rain and thunderstorm ambience vids when it doesn't lol
@@Meliertessa NO SAME HAHA got my stereo on all day in the summer lol
â@@Meliertessa help i thought I was the only one who did thatđ
I loved Emily Wilde's because I feel like very rarely do female characters get to be the grouchy/socially awkward/callous ones in their romance. Emily is a character who very obviously isn't great at socializing with others but not in a "cutesy" or shy way, she's just really awkward and sometimes says rude things without realizing. More female romantic leads like this please! I love her
Agreed, I loved that Emily seems to be kinda autistic-coded, and that Wendell is basically the polar opposite of your typical "huge, hulking, broody, hypermasculine" male love interest.
If you like that for a female lead, you will love Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine (it's not fantasy though, but she is exactly whay you described hahah)
@@GeerieBeerie Maybe I'll check it out!
TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOUđŻđĽł
If you love that kind of characters, you will probably adore the Passe Miroir's serie ! I read it in French, but I think the first book has been translated as "The winter promise" ? Not sure of the title though. It's a fantasy romance (but more like 19th century) with Ghibli vibes (island in the skies and a flying castle), and the main leads are both grumpy and really socially awkward, not in a cute way lol, but very endearing
"Oh, a little spider. Hello! Aww, I just saw you drop down. That was very elegant of you." THAT WAS THE MOST ADORABLE REACTION IVE EVER SEEN
ikr i completely died đđđ
Ik I'm scared of spiders and I was like dang if only I felt that way
Omg I COMPLETELY agreed with everything you said about Powerless. All I've heard is such praise for it but I'm just like.. guys it's actually not that good at all?? It completely feels like a book that had all these trope check boxes but with no meat and potatoes to go along with them.
Tbh I always have to sus out where the praise is coming from cause most ppl I trust didnât like it and I figured leonie wouldnât either đ
@@TheCloudRazorable i think people who love this book are usually people who love terrible romances, like By A Thread or The Fine Print.
i couldnât even read more than 30 pages of Powerless before i realized itâs just one big cliche written for booktok girlies.
Thank god I have people agreeing with me
itâs so bad đ
@@drsgt2018youâre so right exactly those books
'He just really likes taking off his shirt.' Sounds a lot like Gray from Fairy Tail if you ask me. Also BRAWNY??? That could easily be the name of one of the seven dwarfs in Snow White.
100% Gray from Fairy Tail
The King of paper towels
Brawny makes me think of some Mark Wahlberg character with a wicked Boston accent. Like in a Game of Thrones role, talking to Bran Stark. BRAWNY
You saying the romance isnât as prominent as ppl made it out to be makes me all the more excited for it honestly đ
same! everyone calling it a romantasy made me apprehensive to read it
The Emily Wilde series is one of my favourite series of the past couple years. I really appreciate the 'romance' in it! The slow burn barely-there pining but he-knows-my-soul-better-than-i-do is so much better than over the top 'erotica masquerading as a fantasy book' that almost every romance book is turning into
I'm glad to hear romance is not too in your face in "Emily Wilde"! Makes me want to read it more as I'm much more into fantasy than into romance.
It is not. It was abrupt and would have been better without it
@@litol.spring a very hard disagree from me. I love it for what it is
It's almost too little in your face tho đ I wish there was a little more in it! Like a TV show Bones slow burn or a historical drama yearning at least!
It came out of nowhere, especially because he slept with other woman in the cabin where both were staying, like? That was a dick move. Everything he did was annoying and arrogant. â@@litol.spring
I really loved the romance aspect and how it was incorporated. If you are more interested into the study of fae aspect and to get into this (to be honest) fantastic setting and amazing writing style, then i recommend it.
I loved Bride so much because of how funny it was. I was laughing my way through the smut scenes and every single time Lowe was like âI was to do this creepy sex thing bc Iâm a werewolf and thatâs just how we do itâ. And the several subtle Twilight references had me screaming. My goodreads review was literally âthe cringiest book Iâve ever had the pleasure of lovingâ
Exactly, I had a fun time reading it. It got me out of a reading slump.
that part where you were dancing with your cat really made feel so at peace with myself for being a woman. I know it might not make sense, but it touched something in me
I replayed that part multiple times cus I did the same w my cat đĽ°
Ikr
i miss the person i was before learning about knotting
Curiosity got the better of međ
I have a feeling I know something about it but if I donât look up the definition I can stay a little more innocent in the world by the sound of it.
I heard people say Bride was entertaining, I got curious I read it... I am scarred now.
Research it, do it, you won't. Let the curiosity consume you.
â@@sineadboehme2273it's soo sus when people are very positive about Bride without mentioning the weird smut... I just very much disagree with thatđĽ˛
Youâre like a big sister and we all gather on the floor of your room when you have tea to spill abt booktok
Comparing Emily's Wide with Stardew Valley was the most PRECISE suggestion I've ever seen!
Self aware werewolf romance is my favorite genre of werewolf romance. Iâve read many and most are subpar but when theyâre self aware itâs amazing. One of my favorite Vampire x werewolf book is a manhwa called Blood Link itâs quite good, also very melodramatic.
Blood Link made me want a husband like ML and convinced me to have a family like that. đ¤§đ delusion
@@Numbllone of the healthiest romances in BL manhwa Iâve ever read while still being high melodrama
I thought I was tripping for a second there, but yeah it was solid, I only read the first season tho
@@mirimarianaI didnât read much after it got pass on to the the main characterâs son. I do reread it up to that point a lot though
-Self aware-wolf-
I loved Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries and will be reading the sequel soon. The third book in the series has been announced.
I can't wait for the third! I own the first two books and love them so much.
I hate that I finished listening to both already⌠have to wait to get the third now for almost a year.
Personally, as a person who LOVES The hunger games books so much for the messages they had and how they were portrayed, the reason why I loved Powerless was the complete opposite, I loved Powerless mainly for the romance aspect and the two main characters tension and banter, however if we want to look at the uniqueness, world building, politics and messages, it is DEFINITELY not rich on that in any way.
So yeah the reason why so many people compare it to the Hunger games I believe is because of the trials and how they try to kill each other, otherwise there isnât really a comparison.
i gobbled up encyclopedia of faeries SO FAST and am eagerly awaiting my hold for the next one to drop. INSTANT five stars for me. the coziness is sooooo good and the subtly of the romance plot is >>>>>>
im so glad i bought it! enjoying it so far!
i loved powerless mostly because my expectations werent high and i never read the hunger games. i can also easily overlook flaws if the reading experience itself is amazing (i flew througb it as well). Save to say that it is not the best book but i think if you are not expecting it to be THE best fantasy but need something quick and fun you can actually enjoy it
sometimes you need something silly ig
Encyclopedia of Faeries is my JAM. I'm addicted to the series. I'm so happy you love it :D
I've just started reading Emily Wilde and I was sucked in from the first chapter! It's so vibey and atmospheric. Plus Emily is so relatable and her relationship with Wendell is hilarious. I also prefer when the romance doesn't take away from the story. I'm only halfway through but I feel like this is gonna be a 5 star read for me.
Emily Wilde was a 5 star read for me, SO GOOD. I hope you read the 2nd book, it was also great!
I thought I'm alone with my thoughts about powerless! Everyone on tiktok loves this book so much and after I have read it, I literally thought I read the wrong book?!
I loved Powerless and am OBSESSED with the novella after it (Powerful), Im fully aware it's not a literary masterpiece, its definitely a fun entertaining read for me! it probably helped that Powerless is the first fantasy book I've ever read since i only recently started reading since high school mandatory reading lol
Same!! I get that it has a lot of tropes and can be repetitive but I really enjoyed the writing style and characters and it doesn't have to be a masterpiece to be good đ still so obsessed
Thank you!!! That is what I am saying. It doesnât need to be a literally masterpiece to be an amazing book. The characters are amazing and have their own unique angst they just set off the book. And personally, I think the world building was fine, like I like the selection series so I donât really think itâs bad. And sides. It is her debut novel, so I am sure it will get better in future books
Yeah! But tbh,all the booktubers I watch and trust haven't liked it so that's pretty upsettingđ ik the word choices are a bit weird and stuff,but I just like the writing style and I'm obsessed with the charecters. But I totally respect her opinion though,not everyone has the same reaeing tasteđ¤ˇđťââď¸
You hit EVERY SINGLE POINT I had issue with in Powerless. I am so glad someone else thought âBrawnyâ was too similar to âBrony.â I actually couldnât stand the book. I had to DNF. I didnât go in with suuuper high expectations, but I expected something way better than what we got. I felt like I was reading a really bad fanfiction the entire time. My biggest issues were how stale/scripted everything felt. Nothing flowed naturally, it just felt very⌠planned out, but also nothing was planned out. The plot had points that she was trying to check, but everything else was so under researched. Lauren put so much effort into âcultivatingâ this ârelationshipâ between the two main characters-which didnât feel remotely ETL btw-and not enough time building anything else in the world. Like she kept telling us things and not showing us things, which was another problem I had, the book was too much tell and not enough show. I know she didnât have an editor because she self published, but youâre telling me out of all the friends this girl has, not one of them beta read for her and was like, âheyyy sooo we need to talk because none of this makes sense.â ??? I know she was eighteen when she started writing it, but maybe we should have gone for a version two or version three at least. Like if I had time to go through and list everything I found issue with, editing and all, I would, but let me remind myself this isnât good reads lol.
First and last time buying a book recommended by tik tok without checking in with my favorite booktubers about it, now powerless is just sitting on my shelf and I'm not sure if I'm even gonna read it.
read it. you'll never know if u don't try!
Well I wish I hadn't read it...
Read it, maybe you'll enjoy it
Itâs so horrible, donât
your review of powerless was so refreshing!! generally I love to see people enjoying what they like and not everything has to be that serious but I'm also like guys. can we ask for better? just because it has these tropes you love in it doesn't mean it's good when there's nothing beneath the surface. like you said, everything feels forced
I love when Leonie whips out the whiteboard, you know things are serious when it happens đ
That little free library - somehow every single one of them always has a Stieg Larsson book in it. Just like the music playing in Crowley's car always gravitating to being Queen, books in LFLs always gravitation to having one Stieg Larsson, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Dutch edition in it symbolizing all the books no one ever wants đ¤Ł
I wasn't expecting this to be more of a life vlog than just a book review but honestly the vibes are immaculate â¨
Iâm so glad Iâm not the only one who felt this way about Powerless
Iâve had such a terrible week and watching your videos is literally like my one big âthingâ that makes me feel better â¤ď¸
Emily Wilde is my favourite book I've read in the last like 6 months! I'm working on the sequel currently and it's just as good imo.
Yes, the sequel is so good!!
iâve watched some of your tier list videos before but this is the first one iâm watching where youâre vlogging your experience as you read and itâs so fun! listening to you talk about books while you tied flowers or did your makeup felt like a facetime with a friend :) am definitely putting emily wilde on my tbr and will be watching more!
Incredible vibes in this video as always, Leonie ⤠between you and newlynova, itâs refreshing to see some booktubers who didnât love powerless. I heard LR wanted to write a book that included all her favorite tropes, and while I applaud her for it, it does just read like an bunch of scenes structured around tropes - at least it did to me! I wish I loved this as much as others did
oooooh I am so excited about this notion template!!! I have been wanting to start using notion for a while because I see you and other creators use it and it looks like such a fun and creative way to get organized and excited about reading. I have been holding back because I was kind of intimidated about building a system from scratch, so it is so nice to have your template! the cozy animations are everything 𼰠thank you!!
20:53 that's because Lauren Roberts is a very young writer (19-20 she started to write this books) so the writing may come off a bit inexperienced or lacking and she's a fan of booktok books , she may have gotten inspiration from ( hence the hunger games+the red queen comparison)
i started using your notion template and i am crying..... this is everything i have always wanted in a book documentation software, thank you so much for your patronage!!!
my heart literally singsssss when you upload a new video
I love the way we get to see more than just the reading, also the flower-drying and book shopping, idk why but it just makes me so happyâ¤
I really liked Bride! I had so much fun and I will 100% go back and reread it in the future haha very comfort read vibes
Jumping off all the other comments here, hearing that Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia isn't as romance heavy as I thought when reading the blurb is really interesting and now I'll be sure to pick it up next time I'm at the book store!
your hair looks so pretty !! im obsessedddd
i was already using notion to track my reading but my template was messy and convoluted so i wasnât enjoying filling it in so iâm so thankful that you shared yours it looks way easier to use ! you also made me want to read emily wilde even more now đ great video as always
I loooooved your notion template!!! thank u so much for sharing it with us
I love all the reviews and the beautiful b-roll, so satisfying đ¤
wow i'm actually so excited for the notion template, thank you!!
It's so great when Leonie posts a video in the evening, bc it means I can decide to keep it for breakfast and go to sleep happy đ
Bride was my first Ali Hazelwood book and definitely the last. It felt like reading a cartoon.
I miss the person I was before reading Bride. Maybe I should just..stop reading romance and stick to fantasy.
Same here Amanda. My first and last Ali Hazelwood.
I'm so glad you finally read Emily Wilde!! I knew you would love it!
the asthetics of all your videos are perfect for no matter what im doing i luv your videos
HOLY LORD!!! thanks for the template đđ
ahhh i am sooo excited for this video! đ¤
powerless has been on my tbr for a few months and i'm curious what you're going to say about it!
hiiii leonie! i took a year or so hiatus from reading in 2022, but still loved watching booktube... in september 2023 you posted a video reviewing the 'all for the game' trilogy and i was so intrigued that you were going to review a series that has a special place in my heart (my favorite found family so far, god i love them sfmđĽş)
the king's men was the last book i read before not reading for a bit and i chose to reread the series after seeing your video. (she has a new book come out recently, in jean monroe's perspective:,)
anywayyy, long story short, thank you for helping me get back into the lovely world of reading!! i have been watching your videos for a few years now and absolutely adore your content! i'm so proud of all that you've accomplished over the years and that you try new things (like the writing class). thank you for being entertaining, kind and inspiring!!
omgggg im waiting for that book to come out in physical form, this was a sweet comment lmao(:
Honestly, I get what you said about Powerless, but the thing is that i loved it despite that! Its fun and I really loved it!
Lovely vlogđ¸ i like the way youâre eyeliner btw
super lovely and cozy vlog â¤â¤ thank you for all the cute insights of life â¤
great video as always, but like, damn, house aesthetics off the chart, love it so much
I love the way you edit your videos. So cute.
Oooo i soo love the intro and how the whole video is filmed and edited
I read Bride because I needed a dumb, ridiculous romance book to distract me from life and a friend recommended it to me (this was my first Ali Hazelwood book).
I agree that it is self aware and that makes it so much more digestible than a book that is this ridiculous and dumb but that tries to take itself seriously. But some plot points were SO BADLY PLANNED... It made no sense. Some parts of it (especially around 80-90%) were infuriatingly stupid lol. For that reason I gave it 2 stars instead of 3, but surprisingly I would still recommend it to people who - as I did - want to read a ridiculous and dumb romance book
I love your critiques omg
the cozy vibes in this video were just the best and it even inspired me to go out last weekend and buy myself some flowers! 10/10 decision would definitely do it again!
Brawny is the name of a paper towel brand in the US. That's all i could think of when you said that. I love Emily Wilde. I have the sequel but still need to read it.
Same! It makes a bad name sooo much worse.
Im currently reading the second book of Emily Wilde and I love it more than the first one - the first started a bit too slow for me - so highly recommending checking the second! Its fun and cosy, a bit more romance too
Bride is going to be my next read and i'm really looking forward to it now. It sounds like so much fun đ
I am just so happy you feel this way about Powerless. The writing style and just the writing itself was do juveline I felt like I was reading kids creative writing homework
I highly recommend the Young Elites by Marie Lu if you want something similar to Powerless, but better. The young elites is also a disease caused magic system and those with powers are persecuted. It is kind of edgy but itâs so addictive, thereâs a corruption arc, and it actually has pretty entertaining political plot. However it is pretty YA so thatâs my word of warning.
iâve read the first one and it was actually a good time! not the best thing iâve read but certainly entertaining. the second one however⌠could not get through the first half even
I love when you mix the reading vlogs with bits of your life c:
Love to actually follow how you use Notion, Iâve been wanting to switch to that for books and my job but I find it so intimidating
I loved Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia. I'm reading the sequel next month and I'm so excited.
Can I say that I just love every sweater you wear in this video (especially the gray one that appears in the last scene)! Any chance we can get a video of you showing us your wardrobe or at least your favorite pieces of clothing? I just love your style!!
Thanks for sharing your Notion app! Definitely a lot easier than the one I created. Also thank you for the overviews on the books. đ
I love leonies posts
I was waiting for a video like this đ
I honestly LOVED Bride and I'm not a fan of Ali Hazelwood's books. The spice is a little odd but I really liked the world building and the relationships within the book plus the political/mystery aspect. Plus there's a lot of comedy that pokes fun at the werewolves and vampires themselves so it makes it more enjoyable that the book doesn't take itself too seriously. I finished it super fast and honestly want more paranormal romance from AH đ
Iâm in the same boat but Iâm struggling to articulate why exactly I loved it so much. I finished it a few weeks ago and I think about it every day still.
The white jumper fit??? YES. (also killer video like always)
Bride was so much fun! I laughed so much during the book and I actually loved the romance. I'm so glad you were safe at home when you got to the knotting scene đ¤Łđ¤Łđ¤Ł I just put Encylopedia of Faeries on my TBR. Loved this video!
Oh my god I love that Kanban Board idea for Reading!!!
Such a cute vlog, love everything â¤
watching you while playing genshin impact really makes me feel like i'm living the best cozy life
I honestly live for your vids that are 30 minutes ++
can't wait till you touch your hands on Half's Soul you'd love it! it could be TOO cozy but it's still so cute
omg i hope you read the Wayhaven Chronicles!! I'm genuinely curious how you'd perceive the story and plot with all the characters
your hair is so cute!!
omg !! I was making friendship bracelets for the Paris eras tour (I live in Paris) and looked up right in time to see TTPD I love that
I was binge-watching her videos and then a new one came out! Wishes do come true folks đ
I loved Bride. It was so funny! Misery's dry sense of humor is amazing. And I just adore werewolves and vampires!
I still need to read Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries.
So funny to me that, as a US resident, I went out of my way to order a UK cover of Emily Wildes from Blackwell's cause I dont like the US covers but people who have access to the UK covers want the US covers đ
Hate to be negative but I could rant for days about how bad Powerless is. I continue to be flabbergasted as to how many people rate it 5 stars! I wish all the best for the author in her future, but the fact this book was also traditionally published blows my mind! She was so terribly let down by this publisher, the amount of horrendous editing was laughable. When she took a second to explain to us that the stadium was called 'The Bowl' because it looks like... a bowl... đ
LOVE Emily Wilde though, loved the second just as much if not more than the first!
Oh, just saw your comment on the sticky buns! I've never seen the word sticky be used so much in a book, I started to send a picture to my sister every time I came across it since it was so common đ
I finally found people that have similar opinions about Powerless as me. Iâm just getting flooded with people that rated it 5 stars on instagram and it started feeling like I was the only one that disliked it, lol. My friend recommended it to me after giving at a resounding 5 stars and calling it the best book she read last year. Needless to say I was extremely disappointed when I read itđ It was just a trope checklist with absolutely no substance. Everyone seems to love the longing, but imo it dragged out soooo much and just gor repetitive and incredibly boringđ The characters were so flat and I didnât feel much connection between any of them. Iâm not even gonna talk about the world building and magic system⌠Iâm glad for the people that liked it, but it really wasnât for me and Iâd never call it a good bookđ đ
â@@megscabinetofcurios Theres a real difference between something being objectively good and subjectively good and a lot of people do not know the difference đ
i needd leonie to talk about the corrupt series
Such a good articulation around 25 mins about the trend of starting off romantasy as characters being âopposedâ but actually the romance is so present and obvious from the start, and so thereâs no satisfying build up or payoff! I DNFâd A Fate Inked in Blood because of this.
Re: Bride. Shamelessly loved this one. Had such a fun time reading it. 5 stars. But itâs definitely a âto each her ownâ situation! Iâve recommended it to friends with major caveats đ
omg yay I want to procrastinate some work I need to do this video came at a perfect time. Bride is one I have on my tbr so I'm interested to hear your thoughts.
I was stuck with my homework it's 1 am THANK YOU SO MUCH you're going to be the voice at the back
Oooh, I spied Prayer for the Wild Built on your list! Can't wait to hear your thoughts on it â¤
One of my favourites ever!
Ive been reading a study in drowning and because of how shes described with her outfits and the setting my brain keeps trying to imagine you đ im really enjoying the book so far tho!
Similarly to Powerless and One Dark Window, if you like the idea of a plague giving people powers, you should read The Young Elites by Marie Lu! It's more of a young adult version of this idea, but the characters and world are extremely interesting!
Did CoVid times create all the books about people gaining power from plagues!?
I want you to custom draw my whiteboard-based book covers
Love your reviewsss bcuz I feel the same about a lot of things happening in these books haha
So pleased you enjoyed Emily Wildes Encyclopaedia of Faries! It's such a good book đ