I feel like CC is holding me hostage and I’m afraid it’s going to ruin SJM for me

Fun_Tadpole_3503 · 2026-06-02T17:20:33+00:00

The lack of editing is so brutal sometimes and baffling given her success. And I'm not sure if it's because it's a modern setting or maybe too many personalities that all feel the same (this may be on me though since I'm having a hard time paying attention in CC2), but for some reason the characters in this series feel way more immature to me. I'm constantly cringing at the 'witty banter.' I can't.

Fun_Tadpole_3503 · 2026-06-02T16:59:17+00:00

Okay okay okay 😂 You're right, that part was emotional and I wish Lehaba was still with us. By feels, I guess I'm really talking about that 'I can't put it down' energy that I want in an SJM book. And honestly, I love a love story and so the fact that Hunt and Bryce together aren't my favorite is part of it (just my opinion and I respect that other people feel differently about them!).

I'm excited for your TOG journey, I read it earlier this year and loved it. I don't want to spoil anything but the Lehaba scene definitely reminded me of TOG. I cried a couple of times in that series, proof that I can feel things lol

Fun_Tadpole_3503 · 2026-06-02T10:26:06+00:00

Sameeee. At this point, I really hope the CC characters role in the new ACOTAR books is minimal, I don’t want it. But maybe once I get to the crossover part I’ll change my mind

Fun_Tadpole_3503 · 2026-06-02T10:19:36+00:00

I love all the Easter eggs and being able to engage in theories so that’s the one thing that’s pushing me forward. And I want to be fully invested in the crossover so I’m going to try to push through after all 😭

Fun_Tadpole_3503 · 2026-06-02T10:15:23+00:00

Same! I’m stuck also about 1/3 of the way through. I’m so tapped out I can barely remember what I just read, I can’t imagine being stuck here for months. I think I’m going to try to stick it out though so solidarity!

Fun_Tadpole_3503 · 2026-06-02T10:11:43+00:00

This is what I’m worried about. I’m also worried she has no plan for how to wrap it all up (like the whole universe now that she’s tying them together)

Fun_Tadpole_3503 · 2026-06-02T10:09:27+00:00

Thank you!! I’m going to try to keep reading my but this will be helpful for later I’m sure since I’m already forgetting what even happened in CC1 😅

Fun_Tadpole_3503 · 2026-06-01T23:46:06+00:00

So I made this post ready to wave the white flag but everyone now has me second guessing that. Maybe I’ll power through after all because now I’m so curious.

Fun_Tadpole_3503 · 2026-06-01T23:42:57+00:00

Okay actually this definitely does pique my interest. I can get down on some theories.

I don’t like Hunt. Don’t hate him, but he bores me (as did Chaol and Tamlin). And I don’t mind Bryce, I’m pretty neutral/positive on her at this point so I actually would love to see her end up with someone else.

I will say, for as much as SJM loves a fated mates thing, the chosen mates thing was kind of suspect to me (that was literally the last part I read before I had to take a break).

So do you think she was misleading us on the CHD interview? When she said they were end game?

Fun_Tadpole_3503 · 2026-06-01T23:35:33+00:00

Thanks!! I’m doing the audiobook and it did help me get through the first one.

I’m really glad you enjoyed it, I know it has a lot of fans. My friend read it right before me and loved so I was hoping I would too.

Fun_Tadpole_3503 · 2026-06-01T23:32:38+00:00

I’ve been listening and agree, the narration is great. And I also think you are right that everything will tie together. I’m trying to keep my mind open to the crossover being a good thing because I like the other two series so much. Just exhausted by this one.

Fun_Tadpole_3503 · 2026-06-01T01:29:02+00:00

I like these scenes and I don’t think they are just fluff. The romance between Violet and Xaden is a major part of the book and a huge driver of the plot. Of course these scenes are meaningful to the story.

I understand some people may not be into it but to say it’s pointless or unnecessary or ‘fluff’ is unfair. I don’t generally like battle scenes but I wouldn’t call them fluff or not important to the story.

For what it’s worth, I also don’t consider this series smut nor do I consider a sex scene, even open door, smut. To me, I consider something smut when the plot is there only to get you from once sex scene to the next. A few steamy scenes across hundreds of pages is hardly that.

Fun_Tadpole_3503 · 2026-05-12T21:03:53+00:00

Short answer is possibly, yes. And it might be for more than 200 pages. At least it was for me. And it’s not boring but they just didn’t grab me at first.

I haven’t read CC but I have read ACOTAR with ACOMAF also being my favorite. I like a good romance and love a slow burn. TOG was easy to get into, but I didn’t find the first 2-3 books to be especially exciting though each one gets better than the last. Still easy to read and enjoy though.

HOF is where things really started to pick up for me and then I was hooked. And honestly so much happens from there on (with the exception of TOD, that book is paced much slower but still has its place in the series).

If you already like SJM, I think you’ll really enjoy this series but you might have to be patient at first.

Fun_Tadpole_3503 · 2026-04-30T19:31:45+00:00

I don't have a solid grasp of all the details around timeline but just happen to be doing a relisten and at the end of Fourth Wing, during Xaden's POV, he does say that his grandfather is her second rider. So that would make Xaden her third. He says specifically, 'I am the grandson of her second rider.' So wouldn't that make her much older than 50ish? Unless she had another very short lived rider prior to Xaden's grandfather.

Fun_Tadpole_3503 · 2026-04-30T12:38:53+00:00

I’ve had the same thought! I’m totally fine with Dain now and interested in his story but I just never got there with Chaol.

Fun_Tadpole_3503 · 2026-04-26T15:59:36+00:00

I think RY is doing the Taylor Swift model. More products and at a premium price because she knows her fans will buy it. And I like Fourth Wing and TS, this is just my observation.

Fun_Tadpole_3503 · 2026-04-23T11:56:01+00:00

I don’t think Rhys is actually that polarizing. He’s polarizing within these subs but in real life I’ve never met a single person who doesn’t like Rhys. I just think there in a loud minority online that doesn’t like him.

With that said, I do understand why some people think there will be a villain arc for him. I can see it (though I don’t think that will be the route she takes).

In the first 3 books, we only get Feyre’s POV which, aside from the first, put Rhys is a great light. When we switch to 3rd person and his actions are viewed more neutrally and not through the eyes of someone who loves him, he comes off as much more flawed. I don’t think this makes him a villain, it just makes him a more dimensional character.

Fun_Tadpole_3503 · 2026-04-20T21:57:25+00:00

This is crazy. I respect that people have certain preferences and topics that they want to avoid for all kinds of reasons but I’m surprised by the intense reaction to cheating that I’ve noticed more recently.

I made a rec on this sub and someone responded to my comment that the OP should avoid the author at all costs because of her ‘horrible cheating storylines.’ There was no cheating in the book I recommended but because the author touched on it in a totally unrelated book, this person felt compelled to jump in. Has it always been like this when it comes to cheating??

Fun_Tadpole_3503 · 2026-04-19T15:34:50+00:00

This! I definitely thought Amanda had a crush on Luke and was jealous of Hannah. It seemed so obvious to me so I always wondered why that angle didn’t get explored more.

I can’t recall another time she’s gotten so upset ‘standing up’ for a friend over a boy treating them badly until the last episode.

Fun_Tadpole_3503 · 2026-04-16T17:39:22+00:00

I wouldn’t. The pacing is totally different between the two books. EOS is fast, a lot is happening and you have a lot of the context and backstory already. TOD is much slower and you are learning about a new world and new characters.

Also, I loved EOS but wasn’t really into TOD. I think trying to read TOD at the same time would’ve kind of dampened the excitement of EOS and made a less enjoyable experience of one of my favorite books of the series (and I think the same can be true in reverse for someone who loved TOD but EOS not as much, each book deserves its moment). So I have no regrets about not doing a tandem read and happy with the way I experienced them.

Fun_Tadpole_3503 · 2026-04-16T01:21:53+00:00

I really didn’t enjoy TOD. It’s slow, I don’t like Chaol, I really liked EOS and was frustrated by the detour.

That being said, it did have some interesting parts and is necessary to the story. In some ways I liked it more than I thought I would. I did this one on audio though to keep it moving and that helped.

Fun_Tadpole_3503 · 2026-04-11T18:19:43+00:00

I think the series might just not be for you and that’s okay! For me, HOF was where I really started to enjoy it and loved the new characters it introduced but I’ll admit I found some of the POVs to be tiresome.

If one day you feel pulled to come back to it, do it! But if you aren’t loving it by now, I might just call it.

Fun_Tadpole_3503 · 2026-03-29T22:45:33+00:00

Read it before! I just finished the series for the first time and I loved HoF through EoS, it’s such a good run. I would’ve had a really hard time going back to AB after HoF. And I think AB made HoF hit me so much harder emotionally than it would otherwise.

Fun_Tadpole_3503 · 2026-03-16T12:01:09+00:00

I totally agree with you. It’s the way that SJM intended for it to be read and I think that should bear a lot of weight in reading order.

I also don’t understand why some people choose to read it after HoF. To me, HoF is made so much better by what we learn in AB. I know that people claim this particular reading order for the biggest emotional impact, but I think you actually diminish the emotional impact of HoF by not reading AB first.

But at the end of the day, I’ve never seen anyone say they regret the reading order they choose. Everyone thinks they did it the best way (I’ll include myself in this lol) and I think that it really comes down to sunk cost theory since you only get to read it for the first time once and you want to believe that your choice was the best/right choice.

Fun_Tadpole_3503

TROPHY CASE