You read this so I didn’t have to. Thank you for your service.

the anger at the Pegasus vs. Alicorn issue made me feel very seen

I keep running into this weird gray space with Alex Aster where I think she does have potential to be a writer, not a great one, but maybe a kind of girl-edge niche author. The problem is that she keeps churning out first drafts and nothing else.
What really raises my hackles is that she continues to insist on having these super beautiful LOOKING books. Full art covers, sprayed edges, special edition dust jackets, all as though she wants you to judge the book by its cover.
She just strikes me as someone who loves aesthetics, not really storytelling. I wish she would break out of that mindset, but here we are.

The modelland of the barbie universe

I love the artwork on the book, I wonder if the artist has prints available or something so I could support them without buying the book

Alex Aster wrote a Barbie novel? Oh dear... Poor Krimson Rogue

The intro perfectly describes how I felt. I was over the moon excited when I heard that there was gonna be a Barbie Fantasy book… and then I found out who wrote it and my excitement plummeted

The repetitive prose, lifeless dialogue, zero personality, and "tell, don't show" writing... girl, this is giving ChatGPT with a Barbie cover slapped on it 😭

Please make sure to wear your pants suit when watching this video

So Lord Edgelord is just... the whiny princess from Barbie and the Secret Door

Ok, I'm back the next day to finish watching the video. I have many thoughts.

As someone who has written middle grade Barbie movie fanfiction, there are a lot of things about this that could be improved, but mostly it boils down to Aster not knowing how to write a transformative work.

Alex Aster did not make up this character. Barbie is a pre-established fictional character, with movies, web series, and books that the audience will be familiar with. You referenced some yourself, so I know I'm preaching to the choir here.

Barbie has complete and utter belief in her abilities and her own awesomeness. She doesn't feel self conscious, she doesn't have intrusive thoughts. She does not think about her own death as a possibility. She is asexual. This is all established canon for her character. I haven't seen evidence of any of those qualities in the character that Alex is trying to convince us is Barbie.

Writing a transformative work is difficult, and it is a very specific skill that must be honed. Alex wrote Barbie Out Of Character, which is a no-no, because it breaks the reader's suspension of disbelief. Once that suspension of disbelief is gone, the reader isn't along for the ride, they're a critic. They can see how the sausage is being made, and it isn't fun anymore.

Anyway that's my literary analysis of this book based on this video ✌🏾

I totally forgot this was supposed to release. I already had a suspicion that it would be a dud, I tried to read lightlark and it was really bad on a technical level. Thank you for reviewing this!

Living for all the divergent references omg #duantless

12:35 hahah imagine you doing dishes and Nurse Barbie appearing outside your window before you get hurt and you being like “Well shit!! Here it comes!”

If I had the job to write a Barbie YA novel, I would've binge-watched the SHIT of the old Barbie movie and Life in the Dreamhouse.
I'm SUPER disappointed of the lack of references to the old Barbie movies 😭 😭 😭

1:23 city of ember!

18:06 weeping professionally is also a job irl too lol. people can get hired to be funeral criers. its more common in west africa though

To me this isn’t giving the Barbie movie, or Disney, but those darker fairytales that were straight to vhs. I can’t describe it, but I was thinking about those Good Times, DIC and Golden Films while you were recounting it. Wow, I sound so old.

im obsessed with the background music you add 😭💗 the animal crossing + video game music is giving everything

4:42 OMG I love your Snow White Barbie! I have her too!!!