I tried and HATED this "underrated" fantasy book
Joey George Reads
7,562 views
The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray by Chris Wooding has world-building I genuinely loved and an ending that undid all of it. I have thoughts.
There are thousands of fantasy books out there, but what about the lesser-known ones? I asked Reddit, got 151 recommendations, shoved them in a wheel spinner, and let the wheel decide. It landed on The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray, so I read it in 25% chunks and checked in at every quarter with completely unfiltered thoughts, then rated it at the end.
Expect full spoilers throughout.
Expect me to get genuinely worked up about how this book writes women. This is a gothic horror fantasy set in an alternate Victorian London, where wych-kin roam a walled-off outer quarter, Thaniel Fox hunts monsters in his father's shadow, and Alaizabel Cray turns up with amnesia. Cradlejacks, Stitch-face, a cult called the Fraternity, a problem not like other girls, I could not let go, and a final act reveal about where the monsters come from that ruined the whole thing for me.
Have you read The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray? Am I being harsh? Tell me below, because I want to be argued with.
đź‘‹ About Me: Hi, I'm Joey George. I try to read a lot, have far too many opinions on the books I read, and I'm not afraid to share the unpopular ones. Expect book vlogs, honest reviews, recommendations, and the occasional rant about a book. I love digging into the deeper meanings of what I read and how books make me feel.
đź”— Social Links:
Instagram: Instagram: joeygeorgereads
TikTok: TikTok: joeygeorgereads
Goodreads: Goodreads: joey-george
đź’Ľ Business Inquiries: joey@joeygeorgereads.com
⏱️ Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:34 25% Check In
14:33 50% Check In
27:59 75% Check In
35:25 100% Check In
Happy reading and toodaloo đź“–
#TheHauntingOfAlaizabelCray #ChrisWooding #GothicHorror #BookTube #FantasyBooks #BookReview #LesserKnownFantasy #VictorianGothic #FantasyBookReview #ReadingVlog #BookRecommendations #YAFantasy #BookTuber #HorrorBooks #BookCommunity
Same beats as the Winter's Promise one: hook line, wheel paragraph, spoiler line on its own, then the expect line rolling into premise, engagement question, footer.
5 Comments
I tried and HATED this "underrated" fantasy book
Joey George Reads
7,562 views
The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray by Chris Wooding has world-building I genuinely loved and an ending that undid all of it. I have thoughts.
There are thousands of fantasy books out there, but what about the lesser-known ones? I asked Reddit, got 151 recommendations, shoved them in a wheel spinner, and let the wheel decide. It landed on The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray, so I read it in 25% chunks and checked in at every quarter with completely unfiltered thoughts, then rated it at the end.
Expect full spoilers throughout.
Expect me to get genuinely worked up about how this book writes women. This is a gothic horror fantasy set in an alternate Victorian London, where wych-kin roam a walled-off outer quarter, Thaniel Fox hunts monsters in his father's shadow, and Alaizabel Cray turns up with amnesia. Cradlejacks, Stitch-face, a cult called the Fraternity, a problem not like other girls, I could not let go, and a final act reveal about where the monsters come from that ruined the whole thing for me.
Have you read The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray? Am I being harsh? Tell me below, because I want to be argued with.
đź‘‹ About Me: Hi, I'm Joey George. I try to read a lot, have far too many opinions on the books I read, and I'm not afraid to share the unpopular ones. Expect book vlogs, honest reviews, recommendations, and the occasional rant about a book. I love digging into the deeper meanings of what I read and how books make me feel.
đź”— Social Links:
Instagram: Instagram: joeygeorgereads
TikTok: TikTok: joeygeorgereads
Goodreads: Goodreads: joey-george
đź’Ľ Business Inquiries: joey@joeygeorgereads.com
⏱️ Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:34 25% Check In
14:33 50% Check In
27:59 75% Check In
35:25 100% Check In
Happy reading and toodaloo đź“–
#TheHauntingOfAlaizabelCray #ChrisWooding #GothicHorror #BookTube #FantasyBooks #BookReview #LesserKnownFantasy #VictorianGothic #FantasyBookReview #ReadingVlog #BookRecommendations #YAFantasy #BookTuber #HorrorBooks #BookCommunity
Same beats as the Winter's Promise one: hook line, wheel paragraph, spoiler line on its own, then the expect line rolling into premise, engagement question, footer.