UNWRAPPING BOOKS DECIDES WHAT I READ! 🎁this book was uhhhhh, something lol - wrapped up reading vlog

Good evening. Good evening. Okay so hi! Welcome back to another episode of Wrapped Up where I have wrapped up some of my books and I'm gonna be unwrapping them in this and I read whatever I unwrap. So here's the thing. The past five, I don't even know what month we're in, however many episodes of this I have been like I'm in a reading slump. I need a short break because I've been busy with uni. I've been a busy gal. I'm no longer a busy gal. I've finished uni. I finished yesterday. Don't ask me how I am. It hasn't really sunk in yet but that means literally I've got like two days until this video goes up. I have nothing to do. Well of course I have things to do but I'm gonna like chill. So like I could read anything in two, like two and a half days. I can read anything. Well let's not, let's not be cocky but I can read almost anything. Sure Jan. So I am no longer scared of the bigger books on here. I'm not saying I'm gonna choose it but I'm no longer scared. Now I'm not asking for like a classic which we could unwrap. I'm not asking for that. That's, I'm not quite at that level but I'm no longer scared of the longer books and I just want to get into bed and relax and read a book. I still feel stressed. What has got into me? Why am I crying? I have nothing to feel stressed about but do you ever get this? I got this when I finished GCSEs. I got this when I finished A levels. Whenever you're done with like this big stressful thing that you've been working on my body's like we're supposed to be stressed so let's be stressed and I always get sick. I always get sick after like finishing some kind of academic thing so we're trying to nip that in the bud and just have some good time and read a good book. So the past couple months I have been letting myself unwrap two. I think this book here is The Devil in the Dark Water by Stuart Turton which is like a mystery which I'm kind of in the mood for but I also don't want to pick it because I think I know what it is. I could be wrong. It could not be what it is and also I think I want to read The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle before I read that. This one? No I don't fancy this one. No not you. Okay I'm gonna unwrap this first. Oh I don't know about this. I, I feel like I've made a poor decision here. If I don't want to read this we'll just unwrap what I think is The Devil in the Dark Water. So this is Pages and Code Tilly and the Lost Fairy Tales which is the sequel to Tilly and the Book Wanderers. This is a middle grade series where these like Tilly's grandparents own a bookshop and these literary figures come out of the books that she's reading and she can like travel between books. Now I'm kind of in the mood for this because it's a middle grade it's easy whatever but um I'm currently reading another middle grade so I was I wasn't I wasn't fancying a middle grade and because there's only one video like this is a uh what am I even you can tell my brain is a bit fried. Okay listen give me some time. I think you can tell by my face that I'm extremely tired today. Because this is only a one book reading vlog I kind of don't want to read like a sequel because people who like haven't read the first book will have no idea what I'm talking about or whatever. Like it's I'm fine reading sequels when I'm reading a couple books in a vlog but I feel like when it's just the one people won't be interested. So let's unwrap one more. I'm really I am kind of in the mood for it if that's what it is. It could be that, it could be that, it could be that, it could be any of these but I feel like it's the biggest one. Is that cheating though? No listen I've just finished my degree. I think we're gonna do it. If it's not it I will just you know have to bite the bullet. But I feel like this is probably it. Oh my god this is a big book whatever I'm picking to read. But I think this is The Devil in Dark Water. Okay. Oh my god is it? Oh my god yeah it is. I was right. That's just the way God works. I think I am gonna read this. You know what I think I'm in the mood. I think I'm in the mood for a bit of historical mystery. Gorgeous. I mean look it is gorgeous. Now this isn't cheating because it could have not been that. It is a big book so I feel like this is the opportune moment to tackle a big book on here before I start doing more videos and like being stressed about reading again. Like I know I can tackle this in the next couple days so let's go start it. I'm gonna read this. I'm gonna read this before I read The Seven Deaths of Evan Hardcastle. Who am I? Yesterday I read the first like 180 pages of The Devil in Dark Water. I'm really enjoying this. Rightfully so. Here's the thing. I have not read this year a lot of long books. I don't want to know what my average page count is. I mean I read House of Knees and I read Six of Crows into the Kingdom. I'm looking over there. I think that's like the only longish. Six of Crows and the Kingdom aren't even that long. Yeah there's only like longish books I've read. So now that I'm gearing up to start doing that again. I've realized something I've missed is like the complexity that you're able to have by having a longer page count and there is just so many layers to this story. I'm actually loving it. Like I'm actually a bit obsessed. Like she she slaps. Maybe she snapped. So this is kind of like an historical mystery thriller but it's a very like slow like gentle thriller. I know I'm not gentle but like it's not your typical psychological thriller or whatever. In this we're dealing with the colonizers honey. We're dealing with the colonizers. It's set in 1634. Thrillers. This is a common theme. Thrillers are always about rich people because we don't mind seeing them die. Like we don't mind seeing their lives **** up. So I find like thrillers are almost always about rich people. Genuinely. So like the rich people in 1634 are the colonizers. So they're. I think I looked it up. They're traveling from their home which is now Indonesia and what is it called? Is this real? The uh what's it called? Like the something trading company. You know what I mean. That thing that went out and colonized in the name of countries whatever. So we've got the like governor general on this ship and like his family and they're traveling to Amsterdam and it's supposedly gonna take eight months on this ship. We also have. When I tell you when I looked there's like a character list in the start and I looked at it and I thought sis. Too much drama for me. I'm not gonna know who these people are but by now I've gotten into it. Like I've gotten into the vibe of everyone and I understand what we're going for. Um so we have them. We have like the nobility traveling on this ship. Um but the kind of main perspective that we're following is Aunt Hayes who is the bodyguard of this detective called Samuel Pipps. And Samuel Pipps is kind of like Sherlock Holmes. This is kind of a Sherlock and Watson dynamic here. Uh Samuel Pipps is a very renowned detective. Um Aunt has written about their like travels together. People have read about it and all the cases that they've covered. He's just like really good at like remembering things and picking people apart. He has a super memory. Very very very Sherlock Holmes. Uh but he's now imprisoned. The governor general has imprisoned him. Wants to like execute him. Wants to put him on trial but no one knows for what. No one knows what he's actually on trial for. He's just like in the ship locked up. So it's up to Aunt to kind of figure out what's going on. And our mystery. I told you it was so many layers of this right. I haven't even got into everyone yet. But the mystery is that when they're all about to board the boat there's this guy standing on a crate and he tells them all that they are cursed. The boat is cursed. You're gonna die. Because he had his tongue cut out. He shouldn't have been able to speak. And so Samuel is like to Aunt like there's gonna. This is real. This is some real ---- going on. There's a plot. You need to figure it out whilst I'm locked up. And Aunt's like. Sis we've tried this. I'm not good at doing what you do. It's really interesting. There's also. This is so much going on right. They're also. The governor general's wife is very. Is trying to figure it out too with his mistress. They're bezzy mates. Okay. It's almost time. She's bezzy mates with her husband's mistress and they're trying to figure out too. And they're kind of like trying to team up with Aunt a little bit to figure it out. That's how you say his name is it? Aunt? Arent? It may be Arent. I can't say I know. It's pathetic. You are pathetic. And there's a little bit between him and the wife. Like they fancy each other. This is what I like about romances set in the past. Is that it's all very like. Just looks like. They can't say anything. She's married to the governor general who's in charge of this operation. But they're like. You know? That's the vibe here. But I'm guessing the mystery's gonna progress and more things are gonna happen that we need to figure out. Sarah the wife just saw something at her window which shouldn't have possibly been able to be there. I won't say what. But that was like how the **** has it happened. So now we're trying to figure out how that's happened. The governor general's a very interesting villain. Because obviously he's a coloniser. We hate him. Death to the rich. He's very interesting because of how. I won't spoil anything. But like his relationships to everyone else on the ship. We also have like kind of his staff and the captain. His characters are very interesting. There's all these characters that are very well fleshed out I think. Like I really know who their characters are. In a way that I sometimes struggle when you have such a large cast of characters. But it's done so well. I love the detective element. I love how Samuel is like still managing to like figure out some parts of the story and figure out some parts of the mystery whilst like in captivity for most of the time. There is some problematic element. But I don't know if I should call it problematic. But like I remember people had issues. I haven't read it yet. But with the seven deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle which is this author's first book. With like kind of the fat phobia in that. And in this book there is. Is it the first lieutenant? Or like basically the captain's first in command. He's what the book calls him a dwarf. Which I know is a term that is still very much used today. But I know a lot of people take offence to it. And he's very much like subjected to abuse because of his height. But he's also like in a position of great authority within the ship. And I'm uncomfortable when he is made fun of because of his height in the book. And the way that he's referred to and spoken to. But because this is set in 1634 I think sometimes with historical fiction it's difficult to know when to draw the line between that is historically accurate and that is just not needed. Like does it add anything to the story? I'm not sure like the abuse towards him does. We could have just had him in this position of really high authority within the ship. He's not a major character so it doesn't happen a lot. But yeah I just thought I'd mention that. But on the whole this is a really well written. Like there's moments where I'm like this is good. Like I'm reading it and I'm like holy ----. Evidenced by the fact that I've been speaking for like 10 minutes. I never speak for 10 minutes on my first check-in. Like who the **** is she? I just have so much to say. It's really well written. I'm reading it and I'm like wow this is how I'd want to write. Like just certain passages of it. Also I don't typically like books set on the sea. Actually the last episode of this was Fable which was also set at the sea. For some reason I'm just picking all the sea books. And I just don't like it. Like books set on ships I find them boring. But because this has a mystery thriller element. You know I love isolated mysteries. And so these people are trapped on the ship together for eight months. Like if there's some dark demon devil ---- going on. You're trapped on there for eight months. So you're fucked. So I'm really enjoying that element of it. And I'm actually. Because I felt like in Fable like you had a crew of like five people. Right? And I'm like this is not realistic. It's just not realistic. It's not realistic. It's just not realistic. Whereas in this one there's 3,000 people on this ship. So it just feels a lot more realistic I think. And like how it would actually be. So I'm really enjoying it. I'm going to go carry on. I'm actually going to go make some lunch. And then I will carry on. And I will check in with you a little bit later. Because it's really good. I'm really really enjoying it. I hope I continue to enjoy it as much as I am now. Good afternoon. I am now just under two thirds of the way through. I'm on page 358. And I'm still really enjoying it. And there's elements of this that has only just happened that is in the synopsis. And it always like shocks me when books do that. Like stuff that was happening at the halfway point of a long book was in the synopsis. Hang on if I turn the mic on. Yes I have. And that just really surprised me. But it means I can tell you about it at the very least. So basically the devil who we believe is afoot the boat. That's quite dramatic. He's now whispering to everyone on the ship. Telling them they'll get their greatest desires if they do something for him. Basically it's like a trade off. So they're like the devil's like what do you want? What do you desire the most? And then it's like I'll give you that bitch if you kill this person or whatever. And so people are getting tempted. And the kind of tale that has been told is that people are going to start turning towards the devil. So I think this is paranormal. At first I was like okay are we actually dealing with a devil here? Or is this going to be some bullshit and it's going to be like a person behind it all? But I think it is paranormal. Because like the way everyone speaks about it. It's just accepted that the devil is legit. And like it was talking to everyone in the exact same way. So I don't know. I feel like the devil is legit in this. And it's going to possess someone. But I was thinking I would actually. I mean I haven't finished it. But as of right now I would really recommend this to anyone who enjoys The Diviners by Libba Bray. Which is a really popular booktube classic. Because it's you know historical fiction. Obviously it's set a lot earlier than The Diviners. But it has that historical fiction element. You have a mystery. You have that paranormal element. You have a group of characters who are trying to figure out together. I mean the lines of the group are much less clearly divided I would say than in The Diviners. In The Diviners you've got that scooby gang vibe because it's YA. Whereas you know this is adult. So it's a bit more complex. But if you like The Diviners and wanted to read like an adult equivalent. Or you're wanting to get into adult for the first time. It is quite complex. But I feel like if you want those vibes with maybe a more adult storyline. I would really recommend this. I'm loving how trapped they are. I am just a sucker for like characters being trapped in a shitty situation. I just love it. I'm like let's put them through their paces. Like there's nowhere to escape. That bitch is so ******* evil. Why would she say that? I want to know. Like the more I think about the bitch. The more I think that she must be straight up evil. There's nowhere to escape other than the which means death. So like I love how trapped and isolated they are in this problem. I think I think that works best with a lot of mysteries. Like you have nothing but your own devices to rely on and to depend on. I really enjoy Sarah the Governor General's wife and how she's like conspiring against him. Because that is an odious man. That is an odious, odious man. I really like his mistress. I really like his daughter. Like we just have some good characters here and the mystery is really building for me. Really high stakes. The kind of pressures of the devil are increasing. And I'm vibing. I'm really really enjoying it. Like this could be a five star. I don't know. It depends on the ending. Like all of this depends on how good the payoff at the end is. Because it could just fail and be ----. Like that's the thing with mysteries. Like you have to Well I don't know. I struggle to know whether to judge a mystery solely by its ending. Because if you do then an ending can really let it down. But another part of me thinks if you've enjoyed a book right. If you've read this book and spent hours reading it and enjoyed the vast majority of your reading experience. Then like a shitty ending can sometimes be okay. Because that's like a small part of it. Whereas the vast majority you've enjoyed. So a shitty ending doesn't have to be for nothing if you've enjoyed the rest. So I'm in two minds about that. We'll see. This makes me really really excited to read The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. This is a five star prediction for me. I've put it in my most recent five star prediction video. If you want to check that out. And this makes me like all the more certain I'm going to love this. Because I really enjoy the writing. I really enjoy the way the mystery is set up. I don't think this is going to be a murder mystery in the way that this is. We haven't had a murder yet. Maybe we will. But I feel like it's mystery itself. Even if there is a murder. The murder will be part of the wider mystery. Rather than being the mystery. If that makes sense. It's felt like such a page turner. I've been so engrossed. Which is difficult with big books. Like to keep me motivated. Especially when I've been in a bit of a reading slump. But I really feel like I'm getting out of that now. So I'm going to go make dinner. And then after that I'll get into bed. And get all cozy. And try and finish this. So good morning. I finished it last night. I still don't know what to rate it. I'm hoping speaking to you will help me to figure it out. Because I am so stumped. Like I genuinely don't know what to rate this. The ending. If I speak I am in big trouble. In big trouble. The ending was bonkers. Like the ending was ******* crazy. Like I don't want to spoil anything. But if the ending was a noise. It would be like. But the ending was the weakest part. It took a turn. I would say 80 pages. 70, 80 pages from the end. It took like a. It just went in a direction I wasn't expecting. And then at the end we found. You know. Everything out. And it was bonkers. But it wasn't a fizzle out. It wasn't a pathetic ending. It was. It aimed high. So it wasn't completely successful. In my opinion. Well actually maybe it was. See this is the thing. I can't make up my mind about the ending. Did I love it? Like I kind of love it. I kind of admire it. For what it was trying to do. And like what it aimed to do. And how I love it. I really don't know how I feel about it. I just want to sit here on my own for a minute. Gather my thoughts. It was just so unexpected. Like so unexpected. Like I could never have predicted it. The ending probably wasn't a five star. It wasn't perfect. But does that prevent the rest of the book from being a five star? In this case I don't think it does. I actually don't think it does. I think I'm going to give it five stars. I've been toying with like a 4.5. But I think I'm going to go ahead and give it a five star. I really really enjoyed it. I loved how complex and clever. And just completely unpredictable it was. And yeah everything did kind of fit into place by the end. I just really loved the characters. There were so many interesting dynamics from this huge cast of characters. I really enjoyed reading a bit of a longer book again. It just had so many layers to it. And I really enjoyed it. One thing I would say. I did read the author's note at the end. And I know I've been referring to it as historical fiction. But it's like kind of not quite historical fiction. The author's note at the end says. The history that snuck into my book often happened differently much later or not at all. The technology is far more advanced than it should be as are some of the attitudes and the speech. Definitely the speech. This is all intentional. I did my research then I threw away the bits that hindered my story. See what I mean? This is historical fiction where the history is the fiction. So if you're going to come into this wanting like a completely accurate account of like the 1630s. You're not going to get it. It is like a modern historical fiction if that makes sense. But yeah. Everything says. Everything I said about the rest of it still stands. The characters. The plot. I don't know why I'm slapping my phone on my leg. The complexity. I loved it all. But the ending was like. I actually couldn't believe what I was reading. Like I actually. I closed the book and I was like what was that? Like what was that? But I think I have to admire it for trying. Like for going there. Like I love brave books. I love books that like try and push it a little bit. And this was really imaginative and really really interesting. Totally unpredictable. So I'm gonna give it five stars. I would really recommend this actually. I really enjoyed it. I think had a lot of great elements to it. And it makes me all the more excited to read the author's other books. So that is it. That is the end of this video. I hope you enjoyed it. I've really liked this video. I've really enjoyed this vlog. I feel like I'm getting myself back now that uni is over. Oh my god it's over. I'm so happy. So I've got so many exciting videos coming. If you've gotten to the end of this video comment a wave emoji. It's on the scene. And yeah I will see you very soon in another video. Bye!