reading YOUR best books of 2023
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- čas přidán 15. 06. 2024
- past years vids like this: • reading YOUR
00:00 Intro
00:26 The Ballad of Never After
07:45 Next of Kin
12:54 Everyone in my Family Has Killed Someone
18:12 Hell Bent
21:51 The Seven Year Slip
26:15 Divine Rivals
35:42 Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries
41:04 Binding 13
47:35 Manacled
54:45 One Dark Window
59:00 Final Thoughts
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BUS INQ: chandler.ainsley@thestation.io
FAQS
◈ Where do you put your dust jackets?! - they're in a storage container in my closet
◈ Where are your bookshelves from? - ikea billy bookcases with trim pieces added to the front
◈ What's your skincare routine? - current faves are linked in my amazon shop
◈ What do you use to film on? - canon r8 or sony zv1 mark 2
◈ Where do you get your audiobooks - library, libro.fm, audible plus
◈ Where is your necklace/bracelet/ring from?- Ferkos Fine Jewelry usually - Krátké a kreslené filmy
"I don't understand her character motivation, besides not being killed for her magic" Girl... that sounds like a pretty solid motivation to me😂
Eyes went WIDE when I saw Manacled in the thumbnail
Same!!!!
My thoughts about Divine Rivals having never read it: the marriage makes sense in the context of wartime. My grandparents got married in no time at all because of the war.
Having read it... yeah pretty much.
there are also different "benefits" for getting married during war if your so is a soldier, you are basically the first person to be contacted and can get access to see your spouse if they are injured etc. and many people just seize the moment as well because it's pretty much "it's now or never"
BooksandLala was definitely one of the people recommending Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone
Alternative title: Chandler DESTROYS my favorite books of 2023 😂
Seven Year Slip is REALLY shaping up to perhaps being my favorite book that I’ve EVER read!
I love Emily Wilde. The way I read it was definitely with the overarching theme of Emily learning to accept love and support. She's so spiky, and she realizes that that might be hurting her more than protecting her. But she doesn't change so much that she seems like a different person. There is a quote in the second book about how nice it is to be close to someone who doesn't want or expect from you anything more than you are. She doesn't need to soften her edges for Wendell. And his likes and motives are supposed to be a little woowoo with his heritage and all. So, I just went with it.
Me too, I think she is one of my favorite characters of all time. While she is not the most sunshine likeable character she is very self aware and more hurt by her spikyness than she tries to convince herself. I didnt find her annoying at all but I think people either really love or hate this book. I also really loved hers and Wendells relationship and think that they complement each other so well because she is so into Faerie and is able to understand Faeries in a way humans usually dont and he doesn’t care about her personality being unpleasant because Faeris are so different from humans. Also their dynamic is hilarious
chandler i'm standing with you as a someone who did not enjoy Divine Rivals 🤝
Same! I didn't enjoy it at all. I trudged through it.
oh GOD i cannot tell you how relieved i am that someone finally put into words how i felt about divine rivals!! i agree with every single word you said omg
I'm glad that I'm not the only person who didn't love Divine Rivals
I shreiked when I saw Manacled. I am not even a fan of Harry Potter OR fanfic and this still was my top read of 2023. Cannot wait for it to be traditionally published
Emily Wilde is insufferable in the most charming way! As an academic she's very relatable. Not all academics are like her...cue Ali Hazlewood's heroines. Also footnotes A++
Justice for Emily Wilde
@@vanessafreeman9466 100% Emily Wilde is delightful
I started reading manacled in 2022 and I put it down and I finally decided to finish the whole thing last year and I’m glad I finished it because I saw what the hype was about and I really loved it, I’m glad you enjoy as well
"as I become withered and old" 🤣 girl, same
I feel the same about Divine Rivals. Where was the chemistry!?
I do love the way chandler talks about looks so doesn’t like , honestly I still want to read the book she hates anyway haha xx
I am sooo happy the Seven Year Slip ended up as your favorite out of this list. It was outstanding. Also, I completely agree with everything you said about Binding 13. I don't get why I should invest such a length of time with so little romantic payoff. The mundane bits were making me slumpish and I was constantly waiting for something to happen to make me feel the 800 pages were worth it. Don't get me wrong, I love a good slowburn, but this was an insufferable length with almost 0 payoff 🤷🏻♀️
I really liked Divine Rivals but agree with your take ****SPOILERS****** on the quick marriage (though it makes sense to me with the war context and how they nearly died multiple times) AND I agree with the prologue feeling it had... but I still liked it.
I loved divine rivals & ruthless vows!
exactly what i needed to get through my work day, thank you 😌🙌
Totally agree with you on The Ballad of Never After and Divine Rivals! The chaos in Ballad really takes the stakes away from the book because there are no rules and so anything goes which takes a lot of the tension away from the plot and the character development. The rivals to lovers in Divine rivals is barely there and from there, there wasn't really a foundation for why they liked each other. So you're not alone!
YESSSS I’m so excited for this!!!!
100% agree on your thoughts about Binding 13. I've only heard gushing from everywhere else, so it's nice to hear your experience. The sequel is better than B13 because the pace picks up. But I actually love books 3 and 4, where the friends to lovers romance between Joey and Aoife is IMO a better written romance progression.
I love your opinions ❤❤ Ive seen some people not liking divine rivals so you're definitely not alone
I was already excited for the concept, and that was before i noticed manacled in the bottom right
Love your videos Chandler! It's interesting cause I'm also a big romance reader but I feel like we have kinda inverse tastes in romance. I love the KU sports romances (though some are genuinely trashy) and tend to prefer medium-fast paced development in romantic relationships. That being said, I love hearing your takes because it makes me appreciate more slow burn stories that I don't always gravitate to by myself! I'm pretty sure we have some romance book faves in common though. I just can't remember at the top of my head right now lol
i don't understand the hype for divine rivals either, it was also a firm 3 star for me. totally agree with a lot of what you said about it, especially the 0 to 95 thing. didn't feel the chemistry either
First of all thank you for your reviews. I was about to order next of kin bc I was intrigued by the story even thought its flawed but as soon as you said punching drywall that was it. I deleted it from my cart. I don’t know if it’s a trigger for me buts a definite nope. Why even write that in. This is why I watch these reviews saves me money and also I found some gems thank you.
Objectively speaking, I do understand your criticisms of divine rivals, but my favorite genres are romance, fantasy, and historical fiction, so I really enjoyed it! I do wish it wasn’t YA, and do roll my eyes at this author’s insistence on every one of her couples getting married before they have sex though.
yeah it definitely seemed like that was the reason for them marrying rather than an actual war time need lmao
@@chandlerainsleythis is only my second duology from this author, but it was the same in the other one, the marriage part just feels so contrived. But I do really enjoy her world building and how unique it feels.
the author who wrote manacled has another dramoine fanfic which is also an omega verse lol!! n it really took me by surprise! it's smutty but charming n angsty n just fun overall if you want more dramoine fanfic.
I loved All You Want! It was my first dip into the omegaverse, and it was everything I thought it would be, but somehow didn't hate it 😅.
The Divine Rivals 20% mark reveal also made me laugh like crazy! Was not executed the way the author intended if it was laughable to multiple people. I also saw lots of people saying this book was deeply romantic, and I just didn't feel that at all.
I'm also so glad that you liked Manacled! It was the first book I read in 2024 and started my dramione fanfiction obsession that is still going 11 fics later.
I'd also love to see you read Powerless and get your thoughts on it. It's a popular fantasy YA right now and it seems like people either love it or hate it.
I have yet to read the last book in the once upon a broken heart series but i agree the plot is pretty fumbly but i think to enjoy it you should enjoy that kind of fairytale gone a bit wrong atmosphere. Basically if u just let yourself get taken by the vibes, you get a bit more from it. At least for me it was 😅
100%
Okay I also didn’t love divine rivals and felt in the minority bc I didn’t understand why everyone loved it so much! Great video as always ❤️
I’ll take the Once Upon a Broken Heart books please! ❤ great video
I think your favorite book of this book will be “The Seven Year Slip” by Ashley Poston❤
I didn't like Divine Rivals either. There's a lot of telling us things are romantic but not a lot of showing us. I didn't feel the connection between the main characters.
I fully agree with Divine Rivals. It was just okay to me. BUT I thought Ruthless Vows was SO good!
Kayla from Books and Lala is definitely the pusher of Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone lol 😘
i haven't been watching much booktube lately!
I had just started reading Rebecca Ross’s first duology (river smith?) when a coworker gifted me her extra copy of Divine Rivals…but I got maybe 3 chapters into river and could not keep going lol I was SO BORED which is shocking since I normally like atmospheric writing. So Divine Rivals dropped significantly in priority after that and hearing your thoughts I may just donate it or just read up to the 20% mark to see what made you laugh instead of cry lol
My thing with Emily Wild 's is when I am listening to a book at work I can't have any that need full attention. Do I love reading something like "Ninth House" outside of work? Yes. But when it is head down and force out I need that calm not over dramatic story. There is plenty of drama with systems at work I don't need my book adding to it.
Finger smudge marks on books from Amazon are a real thing.. it happens so often and is super frustrating!
LITERALLY dying at the 'paralysis demon man' i cant
I totally agree with your thoughts on Divine Rivals!! I thought it was just boring and just don't understand the hype.
Unrelated to books-- what is the nail color you are wearing when reviewing Divine Rivals?? I love it!!!
A lot of my favorites are on here 😂
Sooo I felt the same way about Divine Rivals, everyone I knew loved it and I just couldn’t see why? I mean it was an okay book but not a 4 or 5⭐️ read for me.
Also I’m curious about Manacled, I’ve never heard of it but am a big HP fan. How did you read it??
my friend who is really into fanfic sent me a copy to my kindle. but you can download from AO3 and send to your kindle/smart phone etc
it didn't really throw me that iris & roman got married so early in divine rivals bc i figured ok wartime historical sure context. but then i read rebecca ross' other unrelated fantasy (a river enchanted, which is meant to be adult i think?) and the couple in That got immediately married as well !! and then it was like OH she doesn't approve of premarital sex right i see !! :/
Well, I now know we have literally opposite tastes in books. I LOVED Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Fairies (got me back to reading again) and it was 5* for me 😂 Although I also loved The 7 year slip. Interesting 🤔
Thank you for your share of thoughts on "The ballad of never after" because I was hesitating of tryiung it after not liking Caraval (and the book 2 that comes after it) because it's too much YA for me. So now I know I will probably not like this other series and skip it :)
I have the same opinions as you on all of these (but I dnfd manacled, on page sa wasn’t my jam)
Clicked so fast when I saw manacled lol
You should do a video where you read our favorite fanfics LOL
lol the divine rival spoiler is way too funny! I had the same exact thought! What was the purpose???
Divine Rivals Spoiler!
The wedding in Divine Rivals reminds me of getting married in Harvest Moon. You just wake up one morning and walk out your door and get spirited away to getting married. Then you go home and all of a the sudden your husband is moved in and there is a bigger bed lol
I didn’t like divine rivals at all I completely agree with you !
Chandler could roast me and my fav reads and I would say thank u
this is my superbowl
You are definitely not alone in not loving divine rivals. I also shared your wtf reaction to the marriage and if I squinted and thought about the war I guess I could see the reasoning for it, but it still just didn’t feel right or needed.
I feel like the people that don’t love divine rivals still think it was fine, so when other people are shouting about how much they loved it there’s no urge to counter it bc they just don’t care that much about it lol.
I’m with you, I hate the name clementine, sorry to anyone named that. It was either a book or show (can’t even remember which even though I know there’s a big difference lol) and the main girl was named clementine but she went by clem and it just always reminded me of phlegm and I couldn’t get that out of my head.
I was soooo here for these reviews till she got to my girl Emily!!! She just has autism leave her alone plus she grows and the found family aspect and the witty conversation between the two. Maybe you were just burnt out from reading bad books or something but it was soooo good. A billion times better then Divine Rivals
I’m sending you love (:
I don't think my comment went through when I initially sent it, but anyway: I'm surprised you were recommended The Ballad of Never After! I'm definitely not the age demographic for this book, but I absolutely ADORED this series. I think it's because it kind of reignited the "hopeless romantic teenager" I used to be while reading it. But just based on your reading tastes, I wouldn't think it'd be a series you'd vibe with. But I am absolutely willing to take that series off your hands as I read library copies and don't own them. 😂 @letshideaway
I guessed 7 year slip lol
Thank you!! Thank you!! No you are not alone I did not like Divine Rivals! Romance where? Magic where? It felt like I was reading a WAR novel while it’s advertised as enemies to lovers fantasy. They are barley enemies or lovers. I got so bored reading about them hiding in trenches from bombs like I didn’t feel any intrigue at all.
Also, to be completely fair, I felt the exact same way about Divine Rivals, in particular the bizarre ass wedding situation 😂
Next of kin sounds like it would be good.. that sucks it wasn’t the best for you
I think Rebecca Ross is a fan of the movie You’ve Got Mail. I don’t know why no one mentions the similar romantic plot. Also my sister Dnf’d this book at 50%. She said it was boring. So you aren’t a complete hater. 😁
"Stranger things have definitely happened, I guess like time traveling 7 years for some good d" 😂
Wait, wait, wait-is Manacled, like, a Harry Potter meets Handmaid's Tale fanfic??! 👀🤔
((***Chandler also mentioned Handmaid's Tale too, so, maybe? I dunno, I'm mildly intrigued, I should look this up-seems like a bit of a wild choice to combine those two things together, and yet I don't know why I was surprised that someone would, I'm not new to what fanfiction does. 😅Loll))
Irish star rugby player named Johnny? sounds like a Johnny Sexton fanfic hahaa I don't think I could get through that book
Without reading the Caraval trilogy the Once Upon A Broken Heart trilogy there are gonna be plot holes. So if you only read the first Caraval book and not the last two some of the stuff isn’t gonna make sense.
Everyone in my family has killed someone was so mediocre. The title made me pick it up but I wanted to dnf so many times. I didn't because I kept thinking there must be something by the end that I haven't gotten to yet for it to be recommended often. There wasn't.
commenting to say you’re justified in your dislike of divine rivals because i hated it too! every point you made had me nodding vigorously along i found it so bland and was and still am baffled that people enjoyed it 😅
I went into Divine Rivals with the best of intentions despite the crazy BookTok praise but I hated everything about it. Do not recommend 0/10.
I adore ya fantasy romance but I also didn’t enjoy jack’s and Evangeline’s story 😅
totally agree with your characterization of "bookish" people n books. I hate such books as well. sooo joyless imo and takes itself soo seriously.
Dnfed once upon a broken heart booktube really overhyped the shit out of it
Regarding Divine Rivals you are not alone because I found I disliked everything you mentioned. I rated it three stars as well
I also didn't like divine rivals. So you are not the only hater 😂.
Yeah I don’t get the Ballad hype, dnf when I realised I just didn’t care at all about the characters.
I would love the Once Upon A Broken Heart series also! Nkirk714 ❤
Totally Agree about Stephanie Garber!! Really wanted to like the Ballad of Never After series, but I was just annoyed by the characters and the wrap up.
I did not like divine rivals either so if you are a hater than so am I
As a Shannon, I haven’t met a ton of Shannons in my 32 years. Not sure it’s super ‘generic’. But that’s just me 🤷♀️
I need to know if you’re now interested in other fan faction? ❤😊
sort of? my friend who originally got me interested in Manacled does a lot of good Dramione fic recs. so maybe i'd read more in the future. but i don't have a ton of time to read fanfic with my job (this channel lol)
Man it is disappointing that you don’t like any of these books. I appreciate these videos but I want to see you read things you actually like for once❤️❤️
if you watched, i did like some :)
@@chandlerainsley i did watch, and I did see that! I love and appreciate what you do on this channel! I know it’s frustrating reading a bunch of mid books, I’m not blaming you at all! Just want you to read things you enjoy :)❤️
Stephanie Garber books are so mid. Sorry not sorry
I don't understand how or why u could talk so fast omg 😭 I had to check my playback speed I thought I had it set to 1.25x or something. Girl breathe omggg
THRILLED that you enjoyed Manacled. Like you, I was meh about Harry Potter pre-Manacled but now I can’t read anything else. 🥲
@irenemoneymendez girl, I'll take those books!!
@nikki_bookbinges for the giveaway! 💗 will graciously take the series off your hands even with the greasy fingerprints 🤣🤣
I've been wanting to read the Once Upon a Broken Heart trilogy for awhile now! Hopefully I like them more than you did😅
@nailsbythebook
@stephrobrob ❤❤❤❤
chamomile._teaa, new subscriber and i’ve been binging your videos!!
@__annie_w for the giveaway!!! i absolutely LOVEE your videos 💗
@laurenrathjens for the giveaway
omg it took liking this comment for me to remember my username is now @allthelovelauren i am a failure
@primaryessentials
I would love these. Just finished the caraval series and want to read this next. @mrs.jjfowler ♥️♥️
Ps love you and your videos so much!
@katharinekannerbitetti for the giveaway!
wait actually would love to get the trilogy!
@goldenjkim
Please @natalie.fraioli, I’ll pay for shipping! I loved the Caraval Trilogy and just haven’t gotten around to reading Once Upon a Broken Heart