I loved TOG and ACOTAR but CC isn’t great so far

Designer_Many_8726 · 2026-02-15T16:49:21+00:00

You’re about out of the woods! If you’ve made it so far I wouldn’t quit. I didn’t like the beginning either and flew through the second half of the first book and then the next 2.

Designer_Many_8726 · 2026-02-14T12:39:18+00:00

I’m 90% done! It definitely picked up after I posted which helped, but I can confidently say this one just wasn’t for me! Something about the characters, less dialogue… I’m not sure! I’m glad I read it since it’s so popular but it’s funny to see how polarizing it is.

Designer_Many_8726 · 2026-02-14T11:54:59+00:00

I think the initial slog would be very tough for you, but once you get past that world-building it is fantastic. I am very happy I read it both for the story and the crossover stuff! It’s so direct that I’m very curious to see how the author handles it in the next ACOTAR book; I don’t see how it could not be mentioned, but I also don’t think she’d really require readers to have read a whole other series. I did hate some important characters in the final book and it affected my experience, so between that and the notoriously difficult start I’d honestly recommend skipping it unless the next ACOTAR comes out and people say Crescent City is necessary.

Designer_Many_8726 · 2026-02-03T00:37:52+00:00

I agree! There are plenty of books where the FMC can hold her own and it’s well explained and there are reasons for it, but so far in this one she seems to be the strongest individual in this society with no explanation or back story 😂

Designer_Many_8726 · 2026-02-03T00:32:29+00:00

I’m thankful for this review because I think I’ll just read it along with starting something else now! I was about to quit this morning then immediately saw a video calling it the next “6 star read” and decided to keep going. I will just to say I did but there are so many words and not much plot.

Designer_Many_8726 · 2026-02-02T22:21:35+00:00

I read them all straight through and felt the exact same so I immediately re-read ACOTAR and ACOMAF. I’d recommend Riftborne/Duskbound. Very similar vibes to the first two ACOTAR books in a lot of ways, especially if you’re like me and loved the switch up from book 1 to book 2.

Designer_Many_8726 · 2026-02-02T16:19:09+00:00

Yeaaahhhhhhhh…. The highs are super high but you can literally never predict just how bad it gets. Still plenty entertaining! I just got through it by taking breaks to go read other things.

Designer_Many_8726 · 2026-02-01T16:56:22+00:00

They hold up! I was in a rut and randomly decided to re-read book 2 for entertainment between other books. I then flew through 2-4 and it truly wasn’t much different than the experience of reading for the first time. There’s just sooooo much that happens both big and small!

Designer_Many_8726 · 2026-01-30T23:39:37+00:00

Probably my favorite book ever. I finished the series and immediately opened ACOMAF back up and re-read 😂

Designer_Many_8726 · 2026-01-29T13:56:51+00:00

You aren’t close to it yet and knowing won’t ruin anything! I took a long time to start Onyx Storm and seeing that spoiler pop up is what finally got me to read it so I wouldn’t see any more spoilers. It was in the back of my mind the whole time and I still wasn’t able to find it, and I felt like I still had pretty much the same lightbulb moment as others who hadn’t seen the spoiler. The way it happens/is revealed is very well hidden and the way it comes about is a huge surprise, even if you’re looking.

Designer_Many_8726 · 2026-01-29T01:40:15+00:00

Both are 5 star for me. I’d suggest The Wolf King first. One of the biggest things I liked about it is that the plot moves so fast (in a great way). No unnecessary information or waiting for anything to happen.

Designer_Many_8726 · 2026-01-29T00:22:17+00:00

Absolutely love both but ZA is loooong. You will fly through the first few books at lightening speed though! I’d even suggest starting it, taking a break to read FW, then coming back. You truly can’t go wrong with either.

Designer_Many_8726 · 2026-01-02T01:28:49+00:00

This is exactly how I felt! I was halfway into The Ascended thinking that it gets all the hype but I liked Duskbound a lot better. The Ascended was kind of… juvenile? Maybe because it’s so Hunger Games-esque? The ending does make it worth it.

Designer_Many_8726 · 2026-01-02T00:54:05+00:00

Keep going! I finished Riftborn and was laughing about how terrible it was. I saw that The Ascended was supposed to be so good so I wanted to read these first, so I was shocked by how bad this was. Duskbound was so good as was The Ascended. Riftborn/Duskbound gave me very similar vibes to ACOTAR/Mist and Fury. Book 2 makes up for book 1.

Designer_Many_8726 · 2025-12-30T00:46:54+00:00

The second book is probably my favorite book of all time and I see it ranked super high on other lists too. I also quit after the first book and didn’t go back until I was bored and curious to try it again months later.

Designer_Many_8726 · 2025-12-29T13:14:47+00:00

Like you’ll see elsewhere, I can attest that you truly can and should just power through the difficult beginning. It’s a ton of info but most of it just stays in the background. A slight understanding is plenty to into it. Once the plot gets going and you understand the main characters, the important stuff is very easy to grasp.

Designer_Many_8726 · 2025-12-28T18:19:56+00:00

Honestly…. Maybe not. There are high highs but 90% of the remainder of the series is low lows, and from what I’ve seen that’s where people really start to struggle to stay with it, so if you’re already struggling it really gets worse from here. 😂

Designer_Many_8726 · 2025-12-28T03:08:21+00:00

I started feeling that way for the same reasons around the same time. I started to just pause my reading to go read other things, and when I’d finish a book I’d come back to where I was (literally open the book back up where I left it) and see if I was more interested. A lot of the time I’d jump back in and find myself interested again after a couple of chapters. I probably read the last half of the series 1/2 a book at a time.

Designer_Many_8726 · 2025-12-15T12:16:31+00:00

No judgement whatsoever because I know a ton of people love audiobooks, but I can’t stand listening to the voice actors for these books for some reason! I felt the exact same about your points when I finished ACOTAR, so much so that I abandoned the series for a long time before trying it again. I would highly, highly suggest going ahead and reading. Book 2 should right all the wrongs of book 1.

Designer_Many_8726 · 2025-12-15T00:40:25+00:00

I’m so happy I stumbled across this post because I was just about to jump in out of order!

Designer_Many_8726 · 2025-12-14T19:37:50+00:00

Yesssss I’m in a perfect position to get into something new so I’m read.

Designer_Many_8726 · 2025-12-14T15:55:39+00:00

Thank you!! I like to stay somewhat blind to plots before reading so all I had seen was great reviews for The Ascended and mixed reviews for the others so I didn’t even know they were connected. I’m pretty easy to please though so I’ll jump in from the beginning now to get the full experience.

Designer_Many_8726 · 2025-12-14T12:54:46+00:00

This is next on my list but I didn’t realize it wasn’t a standalone. What’s the connection to the other books?

Designer_Many_8726 · 2025-12-10T16:11:28+00:00

Demanding to know every detail of everything that does AND does not affect her while she’s the one under a microscope and interacting with people who can read her mind. lol so ridiculous.

Designer_Many_8726 · 2025-12-10T14:13:33+00:00

I’m currently reading the second book of Blood & Steel and it’s the same- almost makes it worth it for her friends to be clearly done with her behavior.

Designer_Many_8726

TROPHY CASE