Hey guys! Normally I write book reviews, but sometimes I’ll have such strong feelings about a book that the review ends up being all CAP LOCKS and lols and 🙂 🙃 😱 😬 🙄🤔😍 🤓😄 😂 🤣; in cases like that (which is what happened with my review of Shadow’s Edge ((Night Angel #2)) by Brent Weeks), it’s just easier to talk about it instead of translate my feelings to typeface. I would love to know what you think- about the video, about the book, about how messy my book shelves look, anything! 😀 I hope you enjoy!
Shadow’s Edge (Night Angel #2) by Brent Weeks ~ Video Review & Discussion
Posted: May 14, 2017 in Book Review, BooktubeTags: Adult Fiction, audiobook, Book Review, Booktube, Fantasy, Feminism, High Fantasy, Recommended Fantasy
Comments
Christy Luis Reviews: (Mostly) Speculative Fiction 
Weeeelll, first off, I have to ask: Are you going to be doing videos a lot? ie, become a Booktuber? Or was this a one off?
I enjoyed this trilogy the first time around. I was shocked at the bloody mindedness of it and the profanity got to me.
This second time around I’m a bit more jaded, so the violence almost doesn’t even catch my attention. I’m not real comfortable with what that means about me. Profanity still gets me because it is 21st century and just doesn’t fit in.
As for the people who say it is derivative and deride it for that, I don’t see those same people saying the same thing about either:
A: young adult [I’ll say no more or I’ll ramp straight up into Hulk Smash mode]
B: literati of today. Reading a whole book about how someone destroys their own life and the lives of everyone around them due to a personal weakness once or twice might be ok. But to have that be the bloody formula, that’s derivative.
Recommendations.
Weeks’ Black Prism series
Raymond Feist’s Riftwar Saga [Magician, Silverthorn, Darkness at Sethanon]
Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen
I can’t think of anything that really has the same tone or style as Weeks. I think he’s pretty unique.
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THAT is great question, and the answer isssss….I don’t know? lol. I enjoy making videos, but they take a lot of time and I don’t have great equipment. And anyway, all of my reading friends are on WordPress, not Booktube! It’ll be a useful tool for times when I end up getting a lot of physical books to review, but I’m definitely more of a “blogger” than a “vlogger.”
The profanity totally got to me, too XD I considered mentioning that, but the vid was already straining the confines of concision, at over six minutes long. But yeah, esp when I’m listening to the series, I find myself randomly swearing which is not normally something I do!? lol
Thank you for the recommendations!! I really need to get to Malazan (is it just me or is everybody reading that series?!) and the Black Prism series is DEFINITELY going to happen as soon as I finish up Night Angel. And WOW I’m super impressed by the Riftwar overall rating! Niki recently recommended that, too, so that makes two of you and I’m convinced 😀 Thanks so much!
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I asked bout the video because I’m very much a blogger and trying to respond to a video with a text response is hard 🙂
As for Riftwar, read the first ones, then pick and choose. I never really liked any of the other subseries after the books I mentioned.
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Totally understandable (and thank you for your honesty!). I’ll probably stick to text for book reviews, for the most part; and since that’s 80% of what I post on this blog, videos will usually be few and far between. I do have one planned for a book haul next week, but I don’t buy tons of books, so that won’t be super common…
I will definitely keep that in mind 😀 Thanks!
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You’re a total natural at booktubing! I have to say though, I’m glad you’re sticking to more blogging than vlogging – I used to have a lot more time to listen to podcasts, watch videos, etc. but these days I’m afraid I’m more on a read-on-the-go schedule, which makes reading blogs easier. I’d hate to miss your reviews simply because of my lack of time!
And ha, you don’t know messy shelves until you’ve seen mine 😛
As for the book, I read the Night Angel trilogy a while ago, so I can’t recall any specifics, but I know I enjoyed it. Back then, Weeks’ writing still had that rawness to it which made reading the trilogy kinda rough, but story-wise, I prefer it to his newer series. I stopped after book three of the Black Prism and haven’t really felt the urge to catch up with the latest…we’ll see what happens after the series is finished, but it’s just not gripping me like ASSASSINS, you know? 🙂
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Daaaw, thanks Mogs 😋 Your feedback really helps!! I think I’ll post my “script” on the blog if I ever do videos again because 7 minutes of my face might not fit well into everyone’s day LOL
Agreed, assassins = pretty darn gripping! I’ve heard a ton of good stuff about the Black Prism, so of course I had to go read your review of it on GR and investigate! I’m dismayed to hear that the narration still leaps around like a rabbit-junkie; that’s definitely one thing I had hoped Weeks would grow out of, as a writer. I think it’s a problem voice-driven writers often face because they’ll sacrifice narrative continuity to connect w/everyone and throw in a joke, here and there. Thanks for the heads up 😀
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Scripts are good. I can read SO much faster than you can talk =) I rarely watch vbloggers.
I read the first Night Angel book. I didn’t fall in love but I snagged the whole trilogy from a used book store so maybe someday I will learn what made you so happy you burst into vblog!
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That is soo helpful to know, thank you for your feedback!! I wondered if it would be too much, but I thought I’d give it a shot anyway. Brent Weeks’ voice is incredibly strong; it’s either hit or miss for a lot of readers, but I think he’s hilarious! The story is a little rough in execution, but enormously entertaining imo. I would definitely recommend it to you 😀
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Ah, what a nice change of pace! Like Bookstooge I do prefer *reading* my reviews rather than listening, but once in a while it’s fun to try something new 🙂
Since I have not read Brent Weeks – yet – I’ve tried to avoid the spoiler, but your review reminded me I need to move his place up in my reading list. Or many I will let all the authors there at the top fight among themselves and see who remains standing at the end… LOL
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You are soo sweet, Maddalena! Thank you so much for giving it a shot!! Common consensus seems to suggest including scripts for my videos, in the future, no matter how peppered with emojis, LOLs & CAPS LOCKs XD This I can do 💪
Brent Weeks is so much fun!! His voice cracks me up. Some people think it’s a little juvenile, but I love it lol. The story execution is a little rough, but if you end up enjoying his voice, you’ll probably fly through it. I hope he manages to fight his way to the top of your TBR authors LOL!
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I need to tackle Sanderson first… 🙂
Now if I just stopped letting myself be distracted by other titles, I might finally get there! Well, at least I have “The Way of Kings” on my e-reader: it’s a step in the right direction, I guess…
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YES, SANDERSON FIRST DEFINITELY!!! Lol. Woooohoooo! I can’t wait to see what you think of him! WoK is amazing! *Hoping* you enjoy it! 😀
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I follow both blogs and booktube, though due to the nature of having pruned my subs and being able to listen while doing work I follow more on youtube then in the blogverse. However, your enthusiasm has me wanting to read this book all the more quickly!
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Still listening to your vid as I comment, because why comment all at once?? I found the same issues with the audiobook in the first book, there would never be any sort of pause between line breaks so the switching perspectives was always a bit of a ‘what just happened?’ moment.
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I’m that same about the voice in character driven novels. If I like the character and the story I can forgive a lot of things that I wouldn’t if I wasn’t as interested in the novel.
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HA CATCHER IN THE RYE.Same opinion.
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Finally a book recommendation. The Inda series by Sherwood Smith. I think you’ll love it.
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LOL Wow, Nevergreen, you are awesome! I love booktube, too!! It and the blogosphere are constantly warring for my attention. I’m so excited to get started on Inda now because it seems like we have super similar tastes, as evidence by our shared ❤ for Tamora Pierce and other books. Thanks so much for watching and commenting!! I hope you do get the chance to read this at some point and I'm SO HAPPY my enthusiasm made it more likely that you will 😀 😀
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I have a review on the series if you are curious, but very few people have read it (like fewer then those that have read TP which I find a small number) and it’s such a shame to me since it’s a series I love so much! However, I can see why it’s not for everyone. One of the reviews I read talks about how it’s hard to get into because it’s a complicated world with lots of people and things to remember, but that how I like it! (and there is a guide thing at the back of the book)
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