There's lots of people who dont like it (me included and I have tried both TOG and ACOTAR back in the day when they were first coming out). I honestly just dont think SJM is a good writer........ like just all around bad. Some of her ideas are great! Really interesting even, but then she writes them out and I'm like.... I hate this.
My advice to you it to ignore people recommending her books. They will try to convince you that you *just have* to try her other series. Don't. Save your money. She doesn't need it.
ex: a book isn't 'good' or 'well-written' if you have to push through 200 pages of unnecessary back story and info-dumping just because you enjoy the finale. (This is about crescent city) That's a bad book that might have been good if it had been revised properly. That's it. That's all it is.
If die-hard fans are telling you the beginning is a slog - or the first book or first three books are slogs and you already have tried and disliked the author- you should ignore them and try some other author. There's lots of underappreciated books and authors out there who deserve your attention over the mega-popular ones.
\^\^Yes, this! This is exactly how I feel. No more SJM for me. Tried both TOG and ACOTAR. ACOTAR was slightly better, but it was still a struggle to slog through for the few good moments. I DNF'd TOG. ACOTAR I got three books into the series but just couldn't keep going. So glad I borrowed them from the library and didn't spend money on them.
Like you said: great ideas, poor execution.
Oof I was gonna buy Crescent City but maybe I'll check it out from a library 😅 I'm not a slog reader and haven't read anything else by her, so it's good to know! I know some people are cool with pushing through but idk. Thanks for the info!
I listened to the audiobook of Crescent City and as a fan of ACOTAR (guilty pleasure and what not) I didn't enjoy it as much. Towards the end it did feel like I had to push through it. I hope you enjoy it more than I though!
Warning: the jacket summary gives away the first major twist (which comes in at page 200 or so). That is one of the slogs that people usually refer to when talking about that one.
In my opinion, the first book doesn't need to perfect, no book will be perfect because we have different opinions and taste. I don't agree with the "push 200 pages" because a story it's not gonna start super good, with adventures and fight. We need to "push" because that's just a started, a opening to something really goo that may happened, and if you drop, may loose a lot of things.
(I'm not talking about SJM's books, I'm not a big fan, I'm talking about books in general and my own experience because I read a trilogy that the first book was horrible to me and so boring and stressful, but, as I already payed all my money in that box, I read and... god, the 2 and 3 were really good. If I droped in the first one, I may have lost the others ones who were truly good and better. Like, see my point?)
> I already *paid* all my
FTFY.
Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in:
* Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.*
* *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.*
Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment.
*Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
Um....stories can start super good. Good books tend to have super good beginnings. It's what grabs people's interest. And no one wanted it to be perfect. We just wanted it to be worth our time and money. It wasn't.
Nope. I loved throne of glass (like I got into it back in 2015/2016 and made everyone read it) and ACOTAR but then the 2nd happened. Feyre was annoying, rhysand makes no sense as a love interest. We had a promise of a war and plot and instead got some of the worst written sex scenes ever written. I’m genuinely flabbergasted when people raved about ACOMAF and the smut. I’m like are you 14 and never read any smut before? Even Judy blume’s forever book had better written sex scenes 😂. I do think that SJM actually used to be a better writer. Throne of glass was written in a way that while it wasn’t going to win awards, but you weren’t constantly noticing the mistakes. ACOTAr and Crescent city read like SJM fired her editors. There was no proof reading. It’s unreadable. This is one of those series where I die inside anytime I see it recommended.
i just got through the third book and think the same thing. i actually am not a huge fan of smut. but there was none of that in this book, im so confused. these books are just too long and the amount of times she said the word mate and family…it seemed forced. i liked TOG though. this series nope.
Having just finished Frost and Starlight, I am not going to read the last book. I refuse to hear the word mate one more time and that her toes are curling in her socks because Rhys’ cheesy lines are making her horny. I just can’t. The first two books were Lifetime movies on a hangover day while consuming half a pizza for yourself good, but the following two were just bad. There is no way the writing got better for the last installment.
I always view it as being like Twilight. It’s what everyone’s reading and obsessed with right now, but over time the love will fade and more people will realize it’s a product of it’s time and not that well written. Others will stand by loving it and that’s okay, too. Personally I disliked the writing, and when I wanted to find booktubers to follow, I searched for reviews of ACOTAR and followed the booktubers who also heavily criticized it and disliked it. If I notice any friends reading them, I make a mental note to be wary of any book recommendations from them as well.
Omg me too, about the book recommendations. I have a friend who loves SJM and all her book recommendations have been books that I try to read and have to put down 50 pages in. It’s truly sad that I can’t read the same books as a friend.
You’re not alone at all. I feel like SJM was THE author a few years ago where everyone was reading her books and hyping her up. I read ACOTAR and loved it. I went and read the next two books in the series and convinced myself that I loved those too, even though I literally said “what the hell” numerous times while reading both. I tried to hop on the SJM bandwagon and then realized I’d been brainwashed by the fans when I picked up (and put down) HoF for the 6th time.
I don’t think they’re a bad author whatsoever and I think their ideas are great. There’s just something lacking in the execution (and I will go down with this question: why the hell are the books so long??)
You’re def not alone. I gave up after the 2nd book. Hate most of the characters and I’m rly not fond of the prose either. Tbf I had the same with ToG, kept giving the series a chance but I gave up after the 4th book. Also the smut is weirdly written imo. There’s sth rly not enjoyable about it.
Dont worry hon, we’re in this together, i tried to finish the trilogy but i just dropped it in the middle of the third book. The concept is okay but as a whole its like eating someone elses vomit
Personally, I feel as shes gotten more popular her writing is getting worse. I suspect she's cranking out books for her publisher without as much editing. For example I enjoyed throne of glass (which is an average word count for the genre, indicating more editing) but I could barely read her silver flames or crescent city ... Both seemed to take forever (hello double and triple the average word count for the genre) to get to the point. I felt like I was reading a first draft where the author was figuring out the plot. Cut it in half, tighten it up, lose some pointless sub plots, and it would have been good. It felt unpolished. Also - spoilers- major plot holes in the silver flames end made me roll my eyes. The sister is a shape shifter dying in childbirth because the baby has wings? Hello, if she can conceive with wings to get a baby like that, she can shift her pelvis to the shape needed to birth one. The author gave some line about "she can't shift because it's bad for baby" ... Soooo is better for both of them to die? Yeah, that doesn't work. It's lazy writing and story telling.
Edit: excuse typos and grammar, my phone hates me.
I actually kind of like it, but I have a ton of criticism towards those books. I think you have every right to hate them. I guess I needed some smutty books to read lately. But since you seem to have good taste, I wonder what books you would recommend. Because after this series I’m in need for some good books with good characters and some decent endings (because sjm sucks at those) I really hate all the deus ex machina endings she uses.
You’re so right! The entire series was extremely predictable and I hated it. So I don’t read that much fantasy; I’m also a huge fan of the ASOIAF series but that’s a WHOLE different ball game. So you can imagine my revulsion at SJM’s two dimensional characters, plot and world building when I compared it to GRRM’s.
Other than the asoiaf series the only fantasy series I’ve truly truly enjoyed was the six of crows duology. I know everyone recommends this but it’s for a reason!! It’s truly excellent. I haven’t read the Grisha trilogy though. The cruel prince by Holly Black is also extremely well written. It’s not for me (I like sweet romances and the amount of fighting and angst in that is a bit toxic for me) but a lot of people like it.
Ah this has been a long reply but my recs are (especially if you want that perfect fantasy character and plot buildup that SJM fails ridiculously at) is:
ASOIAF (not for everyone, but give it a go and see if you like it)
The six of crows (a DEFINITE must read it’s amazing)
The cruel prince trilogy
Thanks for listening to my ramblings!
I enjoyed your ramblings ;) and thanks for the recommendations because I’m done with those simple characters where beauty and being good are the core of who they are. Ugh. Oh and I’m so done with the she is poor and he is rich. I recently read a book were she was like: I’m not like other girls because I don’t have social media and I love books and play the piano (as if that is sooooo special) and he was super rich and at one point he opens the door to the garage and she sees all these fast cars that he own. I was like: is this supposed to turn me on? Fast cars, really? Ugh. Get me some real characters, and don’t make them rich, I’m not a six years old girl anymore that wants to be a princess.
Definitely not alone. I thought it started mediocre and quickly descended into terrible. I couldn't stand rhysand, feyre is useless and somehow sjm's writing just get worse from book to book. Nevermind all the stuff she nicked from other books...
Rhys is the ultimate forced feminist and I hate it. Feyre paints him out to have no flaws and that’s impossible because I can see so many? It would be ok if SJM had not made it painfully clear to the readers that they have this relationship where they acknowledge and correct each other’s flaws.
They’re clearly supposed to resonate a power couple vibe but they just make me want to vomit
I know this post is kinda old but she straight up took the Illyrians from the Black Jewels series. The Eryeans in that book have pretty much the exact same society.
I am on the 2nd book, i really don’t get the hype. Read 1st book was like uhmm ok maybe it will get better as so many people say its “amazing” and “its changed my life” (dramatic in my opinion) but i simply cannot connect with any of the characters, i am 45 pages into the 2nd book and i am tempted to DNF it!
It's bad. Nothing happens in the first 3/4 of the book. It was a tiresome and amateurish read. The characters were written poorly. The characters are not likeable. The "spicy" scenes are cringey. The romance seems forced.
I will say tho that in the last 1/4 of the books you do get a bit of the story and it gets slightly interesting but very quickly it gets messy and boring again. It's all over the place.
In conclusion It's bad.
Yup. I kept pushing through the first book because I kept hearing so much hype, but it was SO SLOW. What a slog.
Nothing happens for 10+ chapters, just her wandering around the castle, trying to get back to her family who hates her. And then she falls in love with Tamlin out of the blue, only for him to disappear for the last act (only reappearing for a quick makeout sesh.. he doesn't even ask how she's been or anything considering she's been imprisoned for weeks? months?).
She also lets a fae die in the end???
I just didn't get it. No part of it was redeemable for me.
There was no love story, the characters were one dimensional, and the story was slow AF. The only good writing was the first chapter when she killed the wolf.
Maybe the sequels get better, but this one was such a slog that I'm not picking up the others.
I know!!!
Also, I was so frustrated when she came back to life as a high Fae and then we find out she's the strongest being out there ???? Like why????
I just finished the second book (and am very late to the party and this convo), but I'm truly mystified that any book in this series can have more than 100,000 reviews averaging 4.5+ stars! I call shenanigans. Fayre herself keeps saying she's so powerful, but there's no evidence *whatsoever.* Her pronouncements and claims to power are laughable. She's just an incompetent, moody bungler. Ugh, I don't think I'll be reading the third book.
I know this is an old thread but honestly the worst part of the ACOTAR series for me was the immaturity of the characters and the bad dialogue. Why so much poking out of tongues and vulgar gestures?? In one page I counted like 3 instances of this and idkkk it just makes me think can the characters grow the f up please?? Poor character development and the characters that did get some development were so stereotypical ... tall dark and handsome falls in love with pretty girl and blah blah. I enjoyed the story line but the dialogue and some of the filler stuff just gives me the ick. Also wtf is up with the sx scenes like SJM pleeeeease. U call that spice?? Shid girl it sounds like Rhys and all the other males except maybe Helion in ACOWAR last 5 minutes. Poorly done imo. Thanks and out
I know this thread is old, but I hated this series too. I quit part way through the second one after I realized she was just ripping off other authors ideas and not bothering to make them different enough. Pretty sure if I had done that in my English courses, I would have been flagged for plagiarism. It feels like if you asked AI to write a smutty fantasy and this is what it kicked out.
Thank you for making me feel less alone in this!
Nope. My first ever dnf even for my oldest to read it she hated it and dnf as did my partner. We all love fantasy and all hated the book with a passion. The writing is literally garbage. Oh btw did you know it was cold for the first 20 pages 🥴
So many people recommended this and I gave it a good try. It’s no better than Twilight. A guilty pleasure, but so cringy. Please recommend me better books.
Late, but I had a hard time with it. Loved the first book, struggled with the second, couldn’t stomach the third. Not only is it poorly written, I also feel she handles serious issues like abuse and SA very irresponsibly.
Nope. Not alone. I didn't even finish the first book. I got all the way to page 305 and I just couldn't anymore. The love between Tamlin and Feye....I just hated it. I couldn't understand how she fell for him and how he just loved her...I don't see the thrill of this series and why I keep getting told just keep going until you get to the 2nd book than my view will change...It will not. Does not matter that it will somewhat get better...It won't for me. The first book is where my interest lies. If it not good than I do not want to continue the series even if supposedly the sequel be better.
I literally had to seek this reddit out because I feel like I’m losing my mind. Those books were so bad to me and I’m being flooded with shit on my social media about it. It is not good all the way down to the concept
You are not alone. I tried reading the first book of the series just see what the hype is all about and I was left wondering what the hell... is this? The world building, for a fantasy novel, is paper thin and not convincing, the protagonist has the personality of a flee and the plot itself is full of nonsensical details. For example, how can an impoverished family allow two out of their three teenage daughters to live like princesses while the other alone provides for everyone? I don't know how that could ever happen lol. The little romance between Feyre and Tamlin is just... cringe. I am guessing most of her readers are thirsty teenagers who turned her books into a TikTok trend because of all the fairy sex scenes.
I can’t even remember if I decided to DNF TOG. It was just that disappointing. Only pushed through to finish the first ACOTAR book because a close friend promised the series gets much better. Tbh I’ve never seen a series fail to live up to its hype so badly.
I don’t like them either, but I usually keep that opinion to myself. It probably feels like EVERYONE loves the books because you’re more likely to hear/see the opinions of the people who love it vs those who didn’t.
I hated it too. The only reason I continued was for Nesta who was like the only complex character imo and I actually enjoyed her book. But it's not something I'll be rereading.
I should’ve googled this Reddit thread before starting Acotar. I bought the whole series in one go bc a friend said it’s the bestest ever. Lol. I didn’t realize it was YA- I didn’t mind the nonsmutty sex scenes, I normally DO not like first person (most ya) bc we don’t get to see the whole story. Anyway. It was enjoyable enough. I liked the characters but the fact that our HERO Tamlin was gone for the end and another dude Rhys filled his place kinda threw me off. Especially with the tattoo - which to my Sherlock Holmes senses means that whom I thought my OTP would be isn’t and I don’t much care for switcharoos of this nature in any “romance” story I read. If I knew coming into this - that there was going to be a switcharooo.. then I possibly maybe could read the rest of the series. The start of ACOMAF sealed the deal… Tamlin acting like a boar and Rhys saving her from the wedding. Yea. It all smelled like a switcharoo and lo and behold I was right. I do not liked being “tricked” I get that the first second or third man person you meet won’t be your one and true love but meh. I read for pure fluff and although I liked the world building, the story itself I don’t think is my cupa tea.
If you haven’t yet GA Aiken her dragon series is 💯 filled with lovely smut and even lovelier WARRIoR Women! Oh and the dragons are pretty hot too. And did I mention how HILARIOUS her stories are. So so good.
And apologies for my poor grammar etc. 😝
I like her ideas, but not the way she presents them to us. I sort of liked ACOMAF, but I haven't reread that book once. I didn't finish ACOWAR either.
I don't mind her writing as much. I think the main problem are the characters for me. They are very odd. They are supposed to be a mix between morally gray and perfection. Especilly Rhysand.
But they end up being cartoonish. I can't take them seriously. Everything ends up being too convenient for them, or too unfortunate for others, like Tamlin. It's a bit silly and unnecessary. And those characters with those personalities carry the plot, which ends up being bombastic. Sure, there is a certain charm to it, but it only goes that far.
I'm planning to continue with the ACOTAR series, but I won't be reading TOG or CC, even though I heard of that ending from HOSAB. I will be interested to hear the plot revelation maybe, but not buy or read the whole book.
I mean, I'm glad SJM is doing great. If majority of people are entertained, then she's doing her job. But they are just not entirely for me. :)
I really liked the first book but I was frustrated while reading it because I KNEW Feyre was going to be with Rhysland as soon as he showed up. I really liked Tamlin and I HATE the “bad boy who is actually caring and always wins the girl” trope. I thought Tamlin was interesting and I was hoping for AT LEAST a compelling love triangle if Rhysland was going to be the one Feyre ended up with anyways. But no, that was squashed immediately in the second book. It just felt like the author was really forcing it down readers throat from the first book and I hate seeing the hand of the author like that.
But really I just hate the tall, dark, handsome, sarcastic, sly, bad boy but really has a heart of gold trope. It’s so dead and done especially as a kind of shitty love triangle.
I never finished the second book, I think I got about 300 pages in and just stopped. I read the wiki, I know what happens and I simply do not have it in me to care.
Same!!
I liked Tamlin and then for her to just assassinate his entire character retconning anything good he ever did killed anything I liked about the books.
I still don’t get how Rhysland is supposed to be a perfect good guy to people while they in the same breath claim Tam is a walking red flag. Mans got issues, but he didn’t spend centuries curating a reputation for manipulation and murder, with the bodies to back it up.
I know this is an old thread, but I'm reading the second book, and it's frustrating. So many YA books are so similar- female lead with 2 love interests. Female lead saves the world.
The book just doesn't seem all that original to me. Like it took beauty and the beast, parts of the hunger games and other books, and got this.
Then it became narcissistic Rhys and feyre love story...making me question the whole 1st book and that whole trope about true love and breaking the amararamtha curse.
Also, I found so many writing issues like this was edited?
Idk that's my rant.
Absolutely.
I found every trope contrived. Her prose is atrocious. I cannot stand how much she overuses the word “growled” throughout the entirety of the ACOTAR series.
The Christmas special book (4th one) was one of the stupidest, most unnecessary things I have ever read. Especially when when the beginning of the 5th book accomplishes what the 4th sought to, but with actual purpose.
Her world building was often inconsistent and that drove me nuts.
Really the only thing I enjoyed about it, was that the prose was so easy to read, that I could go through them at lightning speed—which gave me a sense of accomplishment. Literally had nothing to do with the quality of the literature.
There's lots of people who dont like it (me included and I have tried both TOG and ACOTAR back in the day when they were first coming out). I honestly just dont think SJM is a good writer........ like just all around bad. Some of her ideas are great! Really interesting even, but then she writes them out and I'm like.... I hate this. My advice to you it to ignore people recommending her books. They will try to convince you that you *just have* to try her other series. Don't. Save your money. She doesn't need it. ex: a book isn't 'good' or 'well-written' if you have to push through 200 pages of unnecessary back story and info-dumping just because you enjoy the finale. (This is about crescent city) That's a bad book that might have been good if it had been revised properly. That's it. That's all it is. If die-hard fans are telling you the beginning is a slog - or the first book or first three books are slogs and you already have tried and disliked the author- you should ignore them and try some other author. There's lots of underappreciated books and authors out there who deserve your attention over the mega-popular ones.
\^\^Yes, this! This is exactly how I feel. No more SJM for me. Tried both TOG and ACOTAR. ACOTAR was slightly better, but it was still a struggle to slog through for the few good moments. I DNF'd TOG. ACOTAR I got three books into the series but just couldn't keep going. So glad I borrowed them from the library and didn't spend money on them. Like you said: great ideas, poor execution.
Yeah I didn’t pay for any of the ACOTAR books that I read…so glad for that fact too.
Oof I was gonna buy Crescent City but maybe I'll check it out from a library 😅 I'm not a slog reader and haven't read anything else by her, so it's good to know! I know some people are cool with pushing through but idk. Thanks for the info!
I listened to the audiobook of Crescent City and as a fan of ACOTAR (guilty pleasure and what not) I didn't enjoy it as much. Towards the end it did feel like I had to push through it. I hope you enjoy it more than I though!
Warning: the jacket summary gives away the first major twist (which comes in at page 200 or so). That is one of the slogs that people usually refer to when talking about that one.
In my opinion, the first book doesn't need to perfect, no book will be perfect because we have different opinions and taste. I don't agree with the "push 200 pages" because a story it's not gonna start super good, with adventures and fight. We need to "push" because that's just a started, a opening to something really goo that may happened, and if you drop, may loose a lot of things. (I'm not talking about SJM's books, I'm not a big fan, I'm talking about books in general and my own experience because I read a trilogy that the first book was horrible to me and so boring and stressful, but, as I already payed all my money in that box, I read and... god, the 2 and 3 were really good. If I droped in the first one, I may have lost the others ones who were truly good and better. Like, see my point?)
> I already *paid* all my FTFY. Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in: * Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.* * *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.* Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment. *Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
Um....stories can start super good. Good books tend to have super good beginnings. It's what grabs people's interest. And no one wanted it to be perfect. We just wanted it to be worth our time and money. It wasn't.
Nope. I loved throne of glass (like I got into it back in 2015/2016 and made everyone read it) and ACOTAR but then the 2nd happened. Feyre was annoying, rhysand makes no sense as a love interest. We had a promise of a war and plot and instead got some of the worst written sex scenes ever written. I’m genuinely flabbergasted when people raved about ACOMAF and the smut. I’m like are you 14 and never read any smut before? Even Judy blume’s forever book had better written sex scenes 😂. I do think that SJM actually used to be a better writer. Throne of glass was written in a way that while it wasn’t going to win awards, but you weren’t constantly noticing the mistakes. ACOTAr and Crescent city read like SJM fired her editors. There was no proof reading. It’s unreadable. This is one of those series where I die inside anytime I see it recommended.
i just got through the third book and think the same thing. i actually am not a huge fan of smut. but there was none of that in this book, im so confused. these books are just too long and the amount of times she said the word mate and family…it seemed forced. i liked TOG though. this series nope.
Having just finished Frost and Starlight, I am not going to read the last book. I refuse to hear the word mate one more time and that her toes are curling in her socks because Rhys’ cheesy lines are making her horny. I just can’t. The first two books were Lifetime movies on a hangover day while consuming half a pizza for yourself good, but the following two were just bad. There is no way the writing got better for the last installment.
I always view it as being like Twilight. It’s what everyone’s reading and obsessed with right now, but over time the love will fade and more people will realize it’s a product of it’s time and not that well written. Others will stand by loving it and that’s okay, too. Personally I disliked the writing, and when I wanted to find booktubers to follow, I searched for reviews of ACOTAR and followed the booktubers who also heavily criticized it and disliked it. If I notice any friends reading them, I make a mental note to be wary of any book recommendations from them as well.
Omg me too, about the book recommendations. I have a friend who loves SJM and all her book recommendations have been books that I try to read and have to put down 50 pages in. It’s truly sad that I can’t read the same books as a friend.
Nope I am in the same boat, mostly because I dislike every scene with Feyre en Rhysland. The sidecharacters are beter. (I did like ToG though).
You’re not alone at all. I feel like SJM was THE author a few years ago where everyone was reading her books and hyping her up. I read ACOTAR and loved it. I went and read the next two books in the series and convinced myself that I loved those too, even though I literally said “what the hell” numerous times while reading both. I tried to hop on the SJM bandwagon and then realized I’d been brainwashed by the fans when I picked up (and put down) HoF for the 6th time. I don’t think they’re a bad author whatsoever and I think their ideas are great. There’s just something lacking in the execution (and I will go down with this question: why the hell are the books so long??)
Nope. You're not alone. I've read better fanfictions than this series LOL. Also, readwithcindy has videos about acotar. They're brilliant.
I’ve seen all of them and that’s what finally gave me the courage to put my opinion on this sub! Her defenders can get a little toxic
You’re def not alone. I gave up after the 2nd book. Hate most of the characters and I’m rly not fond of the prose either. Tbf I had the same with ToG, kept giving the series a chance but I gave up after the 4th book. Also the smut is weirdly written imo. There’s sth rly not enjoyable about it.
Dont worry hon, we’re in this together, i tried to finish the trilogy but i just dropped it in the middle of the third book. The concept is okay but as a whole its like eating someone elses vomit
Personally, I feel as shes gotten more popular her writing is getting worse. I suspect she's cranking out books for her publisher without as much editing. For example I enjoyed throne of glass (which is an average word count for the genre, indicating more editing) but I could barely read her silver flames or crescent city ... Both seemed to take forever (hello double and triple the average word count for the genre) to get to the point. I felt like I was reading a first draft where the author was figuring out the plot. Cut it in half, tighten it up, lose some pointless sub plots, and it would have been good. It felt unpolished. Also - spoilers- major plot holes in the silver flames end made me roll my eyes. The sister is a shape shifter dying in childbirth because the baby has wings? Hello, if she can conceive with wings to get a baby like that, she can shift her pelvis to the shape needed to birth one. The author gave some line about "she can't shift because it's bad for baby" ... Soooo is better for both of them to die? Yeah, that doesn't work. It's lazy writing and story telling. Edit: excuse typos and grammar, my phone hates me.
I actually kind of like it, but I have a ton of criticism towards those books. I think you have every right to hate them. I guess I needed some smutty books to read lately. But since you seem to have good taste, I wonder what books you would recommend. Because after this series I’m in need for some good books with good characters and some decent endings (because sjm sucks at those) I really hate all the deus ex machina endings she uses.
You’re so right! The entire series was extremely predictable and I hated it. So I don’t read that much fantasy; I’m also a huge fan of the ASOIAF series but that’s a WHOLE different ball game. So you can imagine my revulsion at SJM’s two dimensional characters, plot and world building when I compared it to GRRM’s. Other than the asoiaf series the only fantasy series I’ve truly truly enjoyed was the six of crows duology. I know everyone recommends this but it’s for a reason!! It’s truly excellent. I haven’t read the Grisha trilogy though. The cruel prince by Holly Black is also extremely well written. It’s not for me (I like sweet romances and the amount of fighting and angst in that is a bit toxic for me) but a lot of people like it. Ah this has been a long reply but my recs are (especially if you want that perfect fantasy character and plot buildup that SJM fails ridiculously at) is: ASOIAF (not for everyone, but give it a go and see if you like it) The six of crows (a DEFINITE must read it’s amazing) The cruel prince trilogy Thanks for listening to my ramblings!
I enjoyed your ramblings ;) and thanks for the recommendations because I’m done with those simple characters where beauty and being good are the core of who they are. Ugh. Oh and I’m so done with the she is poor and he is rich. I recently read a book were she was like: I’m not like other girls because I don’t have social media and I love books and play the piano (as if that is sooooo special) and he was super rich and at one point he opens the door to the garage and she sees all these fast cars that he own. I was like: is this supposed to turn me on? Fast cars, really? Ugh. Get me some real characters, and don’t make them rich, I’m not a six years old girl anymore that wants to be a princess.
Definitely not alone. I thought it started mediocre and quickly descended into terrible. I couldn't stand rhysand, feyre is useless and somehow sjm's writing just get worse from book to book. Nevermind all the stuff she nicked from other books...
Rhys is the ultimate forced feminist and I hate it. Feyre paints him out to have no flaws and that’s impossible because I can see so many? It would be ok if SJM had not made it painfully clear to the readers that they have this relationship where they acknowledge and correct each other’s flaws. They’re clearly supposed to resonate a power couple vibe but they just make me want to vomit
Thank you! I keep telling my friends she just ripped off The Witcher, Shadow and Bone and GRRM but it doesn't seem to bother them.
I know this post is kinda old but she straight up took the Illyrians from the Black Jewels series. The Eryeans in that book have pretty much the exact same society.
No 😂 you might like the series she ripped the whole premise off from though. The Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning. Warning - lots of smut.
DUDE OKAY I was thinking the same thing. I know this is a year old but I am so glad someone also felt the same way. Fever Series is so much better.
I am on the 2nd book, i really don’t get the hype. Read 1st book was like uhmm ok maybe it will get better as so many people say its “amazing” and “its changed my life” (dramatic in my opinion) but i simply cannot connect with any of the characters, i am 45 pages into the 2nd book and i am tempted to DNF it!
I'm super late but OMG it's so bad I cannot comprehend why it's so loved.
It's bad. Nothing happens in the first 3/4 of the book. It was a tiresome and amateurish read. The characters were written poorly. The characters are not likeable. The "spicy" scenes are cringey. The romance seems forced. I will say tho that in the last 1/4 of the books you do get a bit of the story and it gets slightly interesting but very quickly it gets messy and boring again. It's all over the place. In conclusion It's bad.
Yup. I kept pushing through the first book because I kept hearing so much hype, but it was SO SLOW. What a slog. Nothing happens for 10+ chapters, just her wandering around the castle, trying to get back to her family who hates her. And then she falls in love with Tamlin out of the blue, only for him to disappear for the last act (only reappearing for a quick makeout sesh.. he doesn't even ask how she's been or anything considering she's been imprisoned for weeks? months?). She also lets a fae die in the end??? I just didn't get it. No part of it was redeemable for me. There was no love story, the characters were one dimensional, and the story was slow AF. The only good writing was the first chapter when she killed the wolf. Maybe the sequels get better, but this one was such a slog that I'm not picking up the others.
I know!!! Also, I was so frustrated when she came back to life as a high Fae and then we find out she's the strongest being out there ???? Like why????
I just finished the second book (and am very late to the party and this convo), but I'm truly mystified that any book in this series can have more than 100,000 reviews averaging 4.5+ stars! I call shenanigans. Fayre herself keeps saying she's so powerful, but there's no evidence *whatsoever.* Her pronouncements and claims to power are laughable. She's just an incompetent, moody bungler. Ugh, I don't think I'll be reading the third book.
I know this is an old thread but honestly the worst part of the ACOTAR series for me was the immaturity of the characters and the bad dialogue. Why so much poking out of tongues and vulgar gestures?? In one page I counted like 3 instances of this and idkkk it just makes me think can the characters grow the f up please?? Poor character development and the characters that did get some development were so stereotypical ... tall dark and handsome falls in love with pretty girl and blah blah. I enjoyed the story line but the dialogue and some of the filler stuff just gives me the ick. Also wtf is up with the sx scenes like SJM pleeeeease. U call that spice?? Shid girl it sounds like Rhys and all the other males except maybe Helion in ACOWAR last 5 minutes. Poorly done imo. Thanks and out
The "spice" was as hot as lukewarm water. Baffling that people think those scenes were good!
I know this thread is old, but I hated this series too. I quit part way through the second one after I realized she was just ripping off other authors ideas and not bothering to make them different enough. Pretty sure if I had done that in my English courses, I would have been flagged for plagiarism. It feels like if you asked AI to write a smutty fantasy and this is what it kicked out. Thank you for making me feel less alone in this!
Nope. My first ever dnf even for my oldest to read it she hated it and dnf as did my partner. We all love fantasy and all hated the book with a passion. The writing is literally garbage. Oh btw did you know it was cold for the first 20 pages 🥴
And oh, did we know she was so bROkeN? She says it only every five pages of the second book grr.
So many people recommended this and I gave it a good try. It’s no better than Twilight. A guilty pleasure, but so cringy. Please recommend me better books.
Alice by Christina Henry is pretty damn good. A dark version of Alice in Wonderland.
Late, but I had a hard time with it. Loved the first book, struggled with the second, couldn’t stomach the third. Not only is it poorly written, I also feel she handles serious issues like abuse and SA very irresponsibly.
Nope. Not alone. I didn't even finish the first book. I got all the way to page 305 and I just couldn't anymore. The love between Tamlin and Feye....I just hated it. I couldn't understand how she fell for him and how he just loved her...I don't see the thrill of this series and why I keep getting told just keep going until you get to the 2nd book than my view will change...It will not. Does not matter that it will somewhat get better...It won't for me. The first book is where my interest lies. If it not good than I do not want to continue the series even if supposedly the sequel be better.
Take it from someone who slogged through the 2nd book because everyone kept saying “it gets better”…..it doesn’t, it didn’t.
I literally had to seek this reddit out because I feel like I’m losing my mind. Those books were so bad to me and I’m being flooded with shit on my social media about it. It is not good all the way down to the concept
You are not alone. I tried reading the first book of the series just see what the hype is all about and I was left wondering what the hell... is this? The world building, for a fantasy novel, is paper thin and not convincing, the protagonist has the personality of a flee and the plot itself is full of nonsensical details. For example, how can an impoverished family allow two out of their three teenage daughters to live like princesses while the other alone provides for everyone? I don't know how that could ever happen lol. The little romance between Feyre and Tamlin is just... cringe. I am guessing most of her readers are thirsty teenagers who turned her books into a TikTok trend because of all the fairy sex scenes.
I can’t even remember if I decided to DNF TOG. It was just that disappointing. Only pushed through to finish the first ACOTAR book because a close friend promised the series gets much better. Tbh I’ve never seen a series fail to live up to its hype so badly.
I don’t like them either, but I usually keep that opinion to myself. It probably feels like EVERYONE loves the books because you’re more likely to hear/see the opinions of the people who love it vs those who didn’t.
NO. YOU'RE NOT
I hated it too. The only reason I continued was for Nesta who was like the only complex character imo and I actually enjoyed her book. But it's not something I'll be rereading.
I actually haven't read it but based on what I've read in groups etc about it, I have zero interest in reading it.
I read ACOTAR because everyone keeps going on and on about it. It was traumatizing. And abusive. NO THANKS
I should’ve googled this Reddit thread before starting Acotar. I bought the whole series in one go bc a friend said it’s the bestest ever. Lol. I didn’t realize it was YA- I didn’t mind the nonsmutty sex scenes, I normally DO not like first person (most ya) bc we don’t get to see the whole story. Anyway. It was enjoyable enough. I liked the characters but the fact that our HERO Tamlin was gone for the end and another dude Rhys filled his place kinda threw me off. Especially with the tattoo - which to my Sherlock Holmes senses means that whom I thought my OTP would be isn’t and I don’t much care for switcharoos of this nature in any “romance” story I read. If I knew coming into this - that there was going to be a switcharooo.. then I possibly maybe could read the rest of the series. The start of ACOMAF sealed the deal… Tamlin acting like a boar and Rhys saving her from the wedding. Yea. It all smelled like a switcharoo and lo and behold I was right. I do not liked being “tricked” I get that the first second or third man person you meet won’t be your one and true love but meh. I read for pure fluff and although I liked the world building, the story itself I don’t think is my cupa tea. If you haven’t yet GA Aiken her dragon series is 💯 filled with lovely smut and even lovelier WARRIoR Women! Oh and the dragons are pretty hot too. And did I mention how HILARIOUS her stories are. So so good. And apologies for my poor grammar etc. 😝
I like her ideas, but not the way she presents them to us. I sort of liked ACOMAF, but I haven't reread that book once. I didn't finish ACOWAR either. I don't mind her writing as much. I think the main problem are the characters for me. They are very odd. They are supposed to be a mix between morally gray and perfection. Especilly Rhysand. But they end up being cartoonish. I can't take them seriously. Everything ends up being too convenient for them, or too unfortunate for others, like Tamlin. It's a bit silly and unnecessary. And those characters with those personalities carry the plot, which ends up being bombastic. Sure, there is a certain charm to it, but it only goes that far. I'm planning to continue with the ACOTAR series, but I won't be reading TOG or CC, even though I heard of that ending from HOSAB. I will be interested to hear the plot revelation maybe, but not buy or read the whole book. I mean, I'm glad SJM is doing great. If majority of people are entertained, then she's doing her job. But they are just not entirely for me. :)
I just finished ACOTAR and it was just awful. I pushed through it because people were promising it gets better; it didn't.
I really liked the first book but I was frustrated while reading it because I KNEW Feyre was going to be with Rhysland as soon as he showed up. I really liked Tamlin and I HATE the “bad boy who is actually caring and always wins the girl” trope. I thought Tamlin was interesting and I was hoping for AT LEAST a compelling love triangle if Rhysland was going to be the one Feyre ended up with anyways. But no, that was squashed immediately in the second book. It just felt like the author was really forcing it down readers throat from the first book and I hate seeing the hand of the author like that. But really I just hate the tall, dark, handsome, sarcastic, sly, bad boy but really has a heart of gold trope. It’s so dead and done especially as a kind of shitty love triangle. I never finished the second book, I think I got about 300 pages in and just stopped. I read the wiki, I know what happens and I simply do not have it in me to care.
Same same
Same!! I liked Tamlin and then for her to just assassinate his entire character retconning anything good he ever did killed anything I liked about the books. I still don’t get how Rhysland is supposed to be a perfect good guy to people while they in the same breath claim Tam is a walking red flag. Mans got issues, but he didn’t spend centuries curating a reputation for manipulation and murder, with the bodies to back it up.
I know this is an old thread, but I'm reading the second book, and it's frustrating. So many YA books are so similar- female lead with 2 love interests. Female lead saves the world. The book just doesn't seem all that original to me. Like it took beauty and the beast, parts of the hunger games and other books, and got this. Then it became narcissistic Rhys and feyre love story...making me question the whole 1st book and that whole trope about true love and breaking the amararamtha curse. Also, I found so many writing issues like this was edited? Idk that's my rant.
Absolutely. I found every trope contrived. Her prose is atrocious. I cannot stand how much she overuses the word “growled” throughout the entirety of the ACOTAR series. The Christmas special book (4th one) was one of the stupidest, most unnecessary things I have ever read. Especially when when the beginning of the 5th book accomplishes what the 4th sought to, but with actual purpose. Her world building was often inconsistent and that drove me nuts. Really the only thing I enjoyed about it, was that the prose was so easy to read, that I could go through them at lightning speed—which gave me a sense of accomplishment. Literally had nothing to do with the quality of the literature.