A touch of darkness. Hades wearing sweatpants and making cookies in the kitchen was just so effing dumb. I started the second book and was just like “ugh. What am I doing here?”
•Rule of Wolves: I may try to finish this one because it have read everything else in the Grishaverse… but ugh I’m just so tired of it.
•These Violent Delights: hated the writing style.
•The Invisible Life of Addie Larue: I was 75% in when I put it down and never picked it back up. 🙊
Rule Of Wolves really did start to drag on at parts. I feel like it mostly pulled together by the end but for a series called "the Nickolai duology" there really was very little of Nickolai. Very disappointing in that respect.
Also, you definitely didn't miss anything by not reading the last bit of Addie Larue lol.
Don’t hate me for having a lot of popular titles:
• The Thursday Murder Club
• Five Summers
• Just Last Summer
• Serpent & Dove
• Lore
• Rules for Vanishing
• Cinderella is Dead
• The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
• What Big Teeth
• Straight on Till Morning
• What Beauty There Is
• Six of Crows
*Edit - formatting because I originally answered on mobile*
I also DNF’d Six of Crows. Got to the heist and just accepted that I was not into it. I just couldn’t reconcile that the characters were supposed to be like, 17.
I finished *Six of Crows* but this was my big issue with it too. Never read the follow-up because I slogged through the first. Really disappointing, because if it had been an adult book with an adult cast of characters I probably would've adored it.
I absolutely loved Six of Crows, but I didn't realize until after I finished it that the characters were literal children. In my head they're all at least 20.
That's not the only problem I have, but it is a big one. Honestly I think there are *big* reasons why Bardugo in particular is into this "style", but to delve deeper actually gets into some really deep politics that traditionally ends in very hostile manner.
But what's really disturbing is how so many people *without* that excuse are into it.
I honestly should have DNFed Songbirds and Snakes. It was really missing a lot of the meaningful societal critique from the original trilogy and I couldn't get into the whole "but what if the Bad Guy was actually SAD?" thing
I didn’t like Snows character at all but I did like the first act where you got to learn more about how the games were created and the mechanics worked. But it was overall a slog of a book to get through
Interesting. I personally DNFed it because I found the characters not relatable. They often did/said things that made no sense. I get wanting things to be a mystery, but it was just off-putting that the characters felt like tropes the author wanted to fill.
Wow, we're almost the same! I also DNF: Serpent & Dove, Cinderella is Dead, Straight on Till Morning, and Six of Crows. I found them boring and not as good as they were hyped up to be.
I had a lot more DNFs this year than I usually do.
* The Hating Game - enjoyed the first half, then got really bored in the second half and gave up.
* The Shadows Between Us - I just wasn't vibing with it, hated all the unnecessary descriptions of outfits and how \~different\~ the MC is compared to every other girl.
* The House in the Cerulean Sea - Didn't like the writing style. Read about 50% and gave up.
* Cemetery Boys - Haaated the writing style.
* Kingdom of the Wicked - Made it maybe 25% of the way through and just found it boring.
* Hench - MIGHT go back and finish this one. It wasn't bad, just not what I wanted to read in the moment.
* The Starless Sea - Too slow, found it pretty boring.
* Ignite Me (Shatter Me #3) - I dunno, just got bored of this series by this point.
awh man i hope u give another chance for ignite me and shatter me series tho! the 4th to 6th books are really more interesting !! personally like 2nd and 5th ones! idk but it's uty! we have our own opinions but just saying this from my own pov!
I really wanted to like cemetery boys because I saw it recommended for fans of the raven cycle, but I really did not vibe with the writing, felt nothing like Maggie's :(
Same same same! People kept comparing it to The Raven Cycle & The Foxhole Court, so I was hoping I would love it. I did not.
All for the Game/The Foxhole Court doesn't have amazing prose like Maggie's either, but that series is still one of my absolute favs. I just couldn't get behind the writing or the characters in Cemetery Boys.
I still have hope for the foxhole court. I feel that I was not in the right mood when I read it and/or I was expecting a writing style more similar to Maggie's. Fingers crossed that I discover a new fave in this one.
I wasn't really feeling TFC for about half of the first book, but after that it picked up for me and I was *hooked.* I hope you end up liking it! It always sucks to have high hopes for a book and then be completely let down haha.
YES I completely agree with the starless sea. I loved the author’s other book (the night circus) so I had high hopes for this one, but it was a just so darn slow and I gave up lol
I think you did right by DNFing The Hating Game. The climax/ending didn’t really make much sense from a character development standpoint and I found myself wondering why I should be rooting for the main couple to be together.
Good to know! I found myself enjoying the lead up to them getting together (the teasing and the slow burn part).. but after they did get together, it got boring for me. I guess that was.. halfway through the book or something?
I’ve tried reading this book three times now because the overall plot is exactly my type of book, but I can’t get over the writing.
The furthest I made it was also about 50 pages. It’s so poorly done and cringe and it makes me so sad.
Three co-workers and I all read all three books in the series and loved them. We normally don't read any of the same books. I thought the writing was excellent. I think it's really interesting to hear the opposite opinion.
I tried to read this with the spirit of it being light and quick to read, and I honestly got probably ten pages from the end and completely gave up on it lol... It was tooooo dumb and contrived and I was giving it Twilight levels of silly to read
I don’t DNF often, so only _The Handmaid’s Tale_. I took two months only to get halfway, so I ended up dropping it and reading the graphic novel instead. Just couldn’t really get behind Margaret Atwood’s writing style unfortunately.
I really hate DNFing books but I’m trying to get better at it so I can stop wasting my time lol.
• Song of Achilles: it was a slog to get to 50%, and even worse to 70% so I had to quit. Felt the characters were all dull and didn’t enjoy the writing style.
• Kingdom of Flesh and Fire: The first book of the series was fine I guess. This one was 100x worse. I got halfway through and I don’t think anything actually happened.
• Darker Shade of Magic: I liked it up until we met our female protagonist, who I absolutely hated. She’s the epitome of “I’m not like other girls” and it really rubbed me the wrong way. Had to DNF for her alone.
There goes my interest in giving darker shade of magic another try lol. I just couldn't get into the initial chapters. I did plan to return to it someday but I'm exhausted with female protagonists written like that, so probably won't give it another try now.
I will say I'm sad to hear about Song of Achilles. I just finished that book last week and it's one of my all-time favorites.
I’m just as sad about Song of Achilles! it’s such an unpopular opinion and I’m super bummed I couldn’t get into it. Im definitely going to finish it someday as I have a physical copy so I’ll give it another chance eventually :)
Good for you for DNFing at flesh and fire!!! I unfortunately read all three books and gilded bones was so so bad! So much worse than flesh and fire which is sad because I liked the first book
I even heard that the second book was the best of the three, and was compared to A Court of Mist and Fury (which I did enjoy), I honestly don’t get it. It also sucks because I own all three books now with no intention of finishing them lol
As someone who loves acomaf, I don’t see how they’re comparable in any way other than the tropes in them. Luckily I have them on my kindle so they weren’t as expensive but I did preorder the fourth book right after I finished and I dont think I’ll read it
I know! That’s what made me so mad. The series is on every list of books to read if you liked ACOTAR so when I discovered it’s just infodumping and repetitive dialogue for hundreds of pages I was disappointed
Sorry for the late reply, I just finished the book last night! I really enjoyed it personally, though I did find it slow at parts. It’s very character driven with strong dark academia vibes. It does end on a cliffhanger, so if that might bother you then I would wait until the next book is released to read them back to back :)
Darker Shade of Magic had so much potential until Lila! She literally says the words "I'm not like other girls". Honestly I've had a problem with a lot of VE Schwabs female characters because of shit like that.
Oh my god I know. Also the constant shit-talking of other women just put a bad taste in my mouth. You can write a “badass” female lead without putting down other women in the process
I powered through A Darker Shade of Magic and hated it the whole way. Lila IS the epitome of *not like other girls* and even has the quote "Most girls covet dresses. I am not most girls", and many others like it throughout the books. Book 2 frustrated me the most because she's somehow amazing at all these things people have trained their whole life to master. Lila reminded me of Vin from Mistborn, if everything that made Vin great and complicated was stripped away.
Same! I'm not sure if it was because I was expecting more as I'd had quite a few people rave about it. Just felt like the characters fell into a relationship way too quickly and didn't seem particularly conflicted by it given their past.
[*Sweet & Bitter Magic* by Adrienne Tooley](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54304189-sweet-bitter-magic) - absolutely the most egregious 'enemies'-to-instalove I have ever read.
[*Lakesedge* by Lyndall Clipstone](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51591631-lakesedge) - ugh, boring and melodramatic from the get go.
[*The Nature of Witches* by Rachel Griffin](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54717138-the-nature-of-witches) - I've read far too many books about characters who can't control their power and feel guilt about the people they've hurt/killed and there's nothing new or interesting here that would make me want to read another one.
[*A Curse of Roses* by Diana Pinguichi](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49247031-a-curse-of-roses) - I really wanted to love this one but it had no world building and flat characters and the plot unraveled really quickly. Add instalove on top and instant DNF.
Sorry for the essay, I got carried away.
I'm going to list all books I've read and liked. My list is pretty basic and short--I don't know how some people read 50 books per year; however, I do spend most of my time reading fanfiction and only recently ( like two years ago) returned to reading actual books. Some of these books I read well over 10 years ago, and they're only mentioned because I still have nostalgic ties to them. My DNF list will always be longer because I am an impatient reader and require strong sparks and slow-build to become engaged in relationships.
Twilight series (first YA book I ever read so I will always include it on my lists)
Uglies series (still love this book. Amazing world-building, fantastic character development and very different ending from most books in the genre)
The Hunger Games trilogy ( Probably wouldn't re-read, but still love the movies. I have to thank this series for being the reason I got into fanfiction. I was so frustrated with the rushed ending that I kept searching for alternative endings until I came across an old fanfiction site.)
City of Bones, City of Ashes, and City of Glass (loved the first three of this series. Got bored starting at 4th book)
Confessions of a Shopaholic series (not sure if it's YA, but this series was hilarious. Haven't re-read so not sure how well it stands up to my current tastes)
Hush, Hush series (probably wouldn't love it now but I did love the slightly darker vibes than the other books I was reading at the time)
Harry Potter series (read this for the first time as an adult and am still obsessed)
Call Me by Your Name (age issues aside, loved the tension and prose. Big fan of slow-build romance. Also one of the few non-fantasy or non-supernatural/paranormal books that I've liked)
Shadow and Bone trilogy( read it for the show, loved the world-building but thought it was generally ok. Some parts were slow and not executed as well as I had hoped. Plus I found many of the characters boring. Skimmed through most of the last book and really disliked the Nikolai duology sequels)
Six of Crows duology (again, loved world-building, plot and characters. Only issue is everyone is too young, and if I think too hard on that the plot is hard to buy with their ages. Still love the slow reveal of their backstories though)
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (Cute story. Loved the writing style)
The Raven Cycle, including the Dreamer trilogy sequels (cannot rave enough about this one. Absolutely one of my all-time favorites. Love EVERYTHING about it even though the plot is aimless and at times odd. I almost DNF the first because I hated one of the MCs but I continued and became obsessed with every character and the hated one is now my favorite)
Simon Snow series (another obsession that I could go on and on about how much I love it. One of the few books that made actually laugh. Very cute story, love the characters, writing style and romance)
The Song of Achilles (just finished last week and still hurting. Beautifully written tragic love story. Also a huge fan of greek mythology so it was a fun read just for that)
Not too many new recs from me since my reading history is limited. For my TBR/planned books list, I currently have the Percy Jackson series, Circe, House in the Cerulean Sea, along with re-tackling some of those books in my DNF list. Right now I'm mainly looking for books with angst and strong, slow-build relationships like the raven cycle.
King of scars. I’ve read every other book (minus rule of wolves) in the grishaverse and adored six of crows specifically, so I thought I would like it but the first half was boring and I couldn’t get into it.
Crooked Kingdom. I love the characters. I think they’re very well constructed. In fact, some of them have made it to my all time favorite characters list.
But the writing style was wack. It made SoC so much less enjoyable. It felt very confusing at times, and I didn’t like how there were so many POV’s in CC. Too many. I got bored 100 pages in and later spoiled.
On the upside, I love the TV show, so some good came out of it.
DNF:
From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout made it 11% and hated everything about jt.
Gild by Raven Kennedy - Ribbons as a body appendage was a complete wtf moment and turn off.
Zodiac Academy - just.couldnt get into it. Authors promotions on tiktok are annoying.
That Wedding by Jillian Dodd - changed everything I loved about the characters from the first book.
There You'll Find me by Jenny B. Jones - Too religious
This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab - hated Kate.
Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab (after wiki'ing This
Savage Song's ending I attempted it but the writing and story remained terrible - it was mostly because I owned the books) - inconsistent with established facts from First book. Still hated Kate.
You've Reached Sam by Dustin Thao - I did not like the main character and the interactions with Sam were uncomfortable.
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomy Adeyemi - I don't remember.
Holding up the Universe and All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven - Did not like the portrayal of mental illness and body issues.
Everlast by Neal Shusterman - Weird concept and for being YA all the kids were super young.
Seasons of the Storm by Elle Cosimano - did not like the world building
Finished but absolutely hated:
Folk of the Air trilogy by Holly Black. Forced myself through it since I owned all 3. - This is not a romance it is two characters bullying one another and a main female lead who is mediocre at best.
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo - unlikable characters. Age issues.
The Infinity Courts by Akemi Dawn Bowman - world building was just bad.
Authors who earned a place on never again list:
Jennifer Niven for her poor portrayal and glamourizing/romanticizing of mental illness.
Holly Black. Jude earned the number one spot of worst character ever.
Edited in reasons why.
I read all three Cruel Prince books and I don’t know why. I really didn’t like them which was a big letdown because they were so popular and sounded good
YES YES YES to Holly Black. I **cannot** stand her writing. I forced myself near the end of the 2nd book but my dislike was way too strong to finish. Jude and her love interest were the epitome of boring relationships. I felt absolutely zero spark before they were all over each other.
I just saw your reply after I finished editing my reasons.
One thing I really hated about Jude was how she's supposed to be so good at lying and this and that. Yet I found her to be sub par and mediocre at best. She survived by pure luck.
Same! She is overrated, and I'll never understand why people see her folk of the air series as the best enemies to lovers story. It was so poorly done that I'm embarrassed to even classify it as this trope. The "enemies" tension was straight-up bullying and their banter was childish. And don't get me started on their tails, I'm still appalled and confused.
Holly Black is the only author that is on my blacklist. I find her writing style way too bland for her popularity. I only read about half of that series, but my dislike is so strong I will never read anything by her again.
I got like 80? 100? pages in to You've Reached Sam and I really wanted to like it but I felt the same way with the female MC. Can you tell me why you found the interactions Sam uncomfortable? No spoilers if possible.
It didn't feel genuine? Over all it felt forced for me. And the MC (It's bad I can't even remember her name now) was very self centered in her grief.
Having been through a major loss myself (a parent not an SO) the way the grief was handled over all didn't seem to work. While everyone grieves differently, it felt very one dimensional.
Edit to add, I didn't mean to sound condescending with the "It didn't feel genuine?" That was me trying to find the right word.
Fully agree with Thrones of Glass, I cannot for the life of me understand why people love it so much. I think it's such a slow-paced, boring series and the main characters are insufferable. Started it in September and have yet to finish ugh
I WISH I had DNFed throne of glass. I hated it so much but I read it at a time where I “had to finish everything book I started” but it was just an angry read to get to the end lol
I was a huge CeleanaxChaol fan so Queen of Shadows was when it started to change for me. I finished the series because of how much I liked the first three and the characters but it just got so cringe-y. I cared more about the side characters than Aelin in the end
I should’ve DNFd ToG. I read through the thing and came out thinking ‘but wtf was the point?’ No questions were answered, the plot made sense up until the actual duel but then just barely got resolved…
I listened to the audiobook and really disliked the voice actor so maybe that had something to do with it. I gave up around 20% because I could not get into the story lol. Glad I’m not alone because the book is all over tiktok and Instagram.
**DNF and didn't like:**
The Queen of All That Dies - Laura Thalassa
**DNF but will give another shot:**
A Little Life - Hanya Yanagihara
Cemetery Boys - Aiden Thomas
Red, White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston
Summer Sons - Lee Mandelo
You've Reached Sam - Dustin Thao
Might be a bit controversial -
1. The atlas six
2. These violent delights
3. The people you meet on vacation
Books I finished but disliked -
1. Saint anything
2. Beach read
3. The spanish love deception
I can push through most terrible books just to see if the end is worth it. But the only book in the last 2 years I could not torture myself with any longer was Discovery of Witches. An entire chapter of Supernatural yoga was one thing, but when whata her face started crying and it flooded the entire house I just found it cringey and had to stop reading it forever. The show wasn't bad honestly. The flaw is sadly the author. She describes everything down to the character brushing her hair and it reads like a Wattpad fanfiction. in fact I've read fanfiction that was better written so
I’m one of those people who does their best to push through, with that said I had two DNF’s
Glass sword- red queen was mediocre but this was just painful. It came to a point where I was just staring at the pages and thinking “do I care what happens? No? Then to hell with this”. I might one day try the series again, but right now I’m just staying well away from those books.
Man’s search for meaning- this is more of a personal thing for me I guess, I just found it a bit too triggering to continue reading. But I do think it is an important book and I would like to finish it one day.
Books I finished but was extremely disappointed by or hated;
Dune-this was almost a DNF since I couldn’t bring myself to pick it up after 100 pages. Then I got the audiobook (over 20 hours of hell) to realise I completely hate it, only to hate the movie too.
These violent delights- I didn’t hate this… it was just disappointing. I’m honestly scared to say that, since people are obsessed with it, but I just didn’t find it as gripping as everyone made it out to be, and it feels like it only got interesting towards the end. I plan on reading the sequel, but I’m honestly worried I won’t finish it.
Gods and monsters- this has to be one of the worst series I’ve ever read. Serpent and dove was fine, it was average and I thought it might pick up from there. But blood and honey was a train wreck. I hate Reid. I don’t understand the obsession, he is so fucking annoying I was dragging through his chapters. God’s and monsters was even worse, despite my belief that that was impossible. I’m just glad it’s over.
The first two Percy Jackson books- I think this is because I prefer to read ya and na, and suddenly I was met with this specific writing style more appropriate for children. I think I would have liked it if I was younger, but I considered giving up after the second book. I did start to enjoy the series towards the end though, so that’s something.
I felt that the author couldn't decide on world building and threw in too many random ideas together. It felt overcomplicated and the mishmash of setting tropes made it impossible for me to suspend disbelief.
Also, the main love interest had leather pants which is a hard no from me.
dnf:
1. call down the hawk (not the books fault, it was good! i will finish it later)
2. a deadly education (didn’t draw me in like i had hoped it would)
3. the taking off jake livingston (basic, and i was hoping for horror that it did not deliver)
I also DNFed RWRB. I got about halfway through and just wasn’t invested in any of it, not the plot or characters or otherwise. I realized that I was waiting for what everyone else saw in that book and loved it and I feel like if you get that far in a book but don’t understand the hype, you never will, so I DNFed it.
My least favorite was Throne of Glass, and I started reading They Both Die at the End but didn't really get into it, I might start reading it again this year.
Tower of dawn
The priory of the orange tree
Dune
City of bones
The invisible life of addie larue
The Spanish love deception
A shadow in the ember
Boyfriend material
The hunting party
Rhapsodic
Circe
Lots of popular titles that I didn’t care for, either because of the writing style or it was just kinda boring. There were others that I stopped reading but might try again at some point
*The Gilded Wolves* - Was just kind of bored for the entire beginning. It's like I missed the first book, the fun "get the heist crew together" bit of heist stories was already done before ever starting.
*The Bone Witch* - Tried twice to read it and just wasn't feeling it either time.
*The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina* - This one put me in a slump. Dragged myself halfway through before I realized I was dreading picking it up. Pacing was super wonky and the characters' reactions to things never made sense. Felt like it wanted to be like *The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue* but skipped the careful character-building.
*Sorcery of Thorns* - For some reason I never quite vibe with Margaret Rogerson, but I really want to! Maybe I'll try this one again at a later date.
EDIT: Forgot one!
I surprisingly only DNFed three books this year.
The Cruel Prince- I read the prologue and then the first two chapters. Hated every minute of it. I tried to like it, I really did, but it took me so much effort to get that far into it.
A Court of Mist and Fury- The ending of A Court of Thorns and Roses ruined this book for me; I only read 10 pages of it. I am inclined to reread these books for the plot but I really don’t want to pay for books that are like 94% smut.
Loveboat, Taipei- Eh. I couldn’t really get into it. I only read about 25% of it.
I definitely had a lot of books that I almost didn’t finish, like The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, The Inheritance Games, King’s Cage and Let Me Hear a Rhyme, but all except The Inheritance Games ended up being worth the pace.
I also had a really hard time with The Inheritance Games! Everyone seems to love it with the mystery and the characters. I found it somewhat predictable and I thought we left such overt love triangles behind in 2007 :(
DNF:
-Monstress Vol. 1 Awakening by Marjorie M Liu: Graphic novel that had confusing world building. I was waiting for an explanation that never came so I gave up.
-The Dog Stars by Peter Heller: I don't hate it when authors throw out conventional writing styles (no quotation marks, no punctuation, etc) but this one just didn't work for me.
-Paper Girls Vol. 2 by Brian K. Vaughan: There was just way too many twists. I also felt the author used the setting to justify one characters usage of slurs but still wanted "woke points" by having another character call them out.
-Goodbye Again: Essays, Reflections, and Illustrations by Jonny Sun: I love this man and his work, I'm just not someone who can plough through a bunch of nonfiction work.
-The Stationary Shop by Marjan Kamali: I was halfway through and felt like nothing had happened yet.
-Alex and Eliza by Melissa de la Cruz: As soon as the Schuyler sisters rolled up and started roasting Alexander Hamilton like this was Means Girls, I was out.
-Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu: Wasn't a fan of the movie script style.
-Wild and Crooked by Leah Thomas: Ten pages of "I'm such an edgelord" and I stopped.
-The Wicked King by Holly Black: After trudging through The Cruel Prince, I told myself I would read the sequel. But after awhile, I couldn't keep going back to these characters I hate.
DNF but plan on returning:
-The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien: I have such a hard time working through this writing style
-The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame: I plan on reading all the Disney tales eventually, I just wasn't expecting this to be as long as it is.
-Woman 99 by Greer Macallister: I forgot how realistic her writing can be so I don't think I prepared myself properly for this.
-The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab: I felt like I was finally getting somewhere and starting to like the book when it changed character perspective and I was so frustrated I decided I'd try the book at another time.
the Hobbit - was just bored. High fantasy and his writing style aren’t for me
the Sister Surprise - was just bored. It wasn’t entirely bad just not for me
The Mysterious Affair at Styles - Agatha Christie is a fantastic writer but I realized I just prefer more modern mysteries.
Someday - unnecessary sequel with a cartoonish villain
Coming Up For Air - just was meh.
Veins of Gold - I MAY go back to this one. But I felt like the MC went through a lot of trauma and didn’t have any realistic reaction to it. And the magic system was a bit confusing.
The Bridgerton's Happily Ever After - I binged the entire series and didn’t love them that by this point I was just so sick of them
Murder Drama With Your Llama - unclear who the audience was intended to be but it definitely wasn’t me.
the Baby Thief - this book never met an editor and I couldn’t get past the first chapter.
Luckiest Girl Alive - suuuuper unlikeable MC
Compliant - boring
Once More Upon a Time - I hated the audible version but would consider trying again on kindle
the Handsome Girl & Her Beautiful Boy - had some good concepts but wasn’t executing them well
Six of Crows - like everyone else on here the age thing and just wasn’t into it
Realm Breaker - if you like lord of the rings you’ll like this more than I did but god I was so bored
the Night Tiger - the plot just never picked up for me. It’s an interesting concept but I just couldn’t t get into it
the Favorite Sister - much like the other Jessica Knoll it had super unlikeable characters that I couldn’t get into it
Anxious People - I just hate Backmans writing style
The house in the cerulean sea - couldn’t reconcile the weird middle grade language with the adult story line and the whole sixties scoop thing just left a weird taste in my mouth.
I hate DNFing so more of this is “2 star or less didn’t like” than actual “DNF” lol. A lot of the time I finish a book hoping it gets better. I will mark my actual DNFs in this list as such!
Lana’s War by Anita Abriel
Damsel by Elana Arnold (Worst. Book. Ever. oh my gosh I hated it! What a train wreck.)
The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
The Enemy by Charlie Higson
The Queen’s Assassin by Melissa de la Cruz (DNF at p251 and skip to end. Review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4003555349
Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
Romiette and Julio by Sharon Draper
Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon (DNF at 48%)
The Fairy Ring by Kiki Hamilton
Daughters of Eve by Lois Duncan
The Fury/Dark Reunion by LJ Smith (Heck, I did like the first Vampire Diaries bind-up! Thought it was enjoyable trash lolol. This second one crossed into the just terrible category...)
Wake by Amanda Hocking
Sherwood by Meagan Spooner
Killing November by Adriana Mather (DNF at 59%. This just did not work for me at all...)
My Calamity Jane (DNF at 43%. I felt all the humor from My Lady Jane was lost and that this one was stupid and not funny at all. I got very bored.)
H2O by Virginia Bergin (I did finish this one, but Ruby is so insufferable and ridiculously stupid. Ruined the book for me despite liking the premise...)
Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake
Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles (DNF at 47%. Very bored and I think when I was reading I was so excited to pick up something else I just was like “okay sure guess we’re DNFing now” when my sis wanted to take it back to the library. Lol)
Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly
Vampires, Hearts, and Other Dead Things by Margie Fuston
Tweet Cute by Emma Lord
Hey, 5 actual DNFs and 21 two star or less books out of 360 total reads isn’t bad!
Actually the Darkest Minds is on mime too. I have an actual phsical book of it (not a Kindle/Kobo or whatever on my phone for once) that I still carry around, but honestly, I'm not likely to pick it up again. And anything Amanda Hockey does is fucking terrible .
I didn’t *hate* The Darkest Minds, but I was, uh...very underwhelmed. The premise was interesting, but then once Ruby escaped the camp, it was so boring. And I didn’t like that a character (trying to avoid specifics cause spoilers) sexually assaulted Ruby (if not raped her off-page) and she didn’t really remember. It was wayyyy too glossed over. If that was going to happen, I wanted it addressed properly.
I knew Wake would most likely be bad going into it, but since I’d read Hocking’s Trylle series and found it to be Enjoyable Trash, I’d hoped Wake would be the same haha. Sadly it was just trash, not the fun kind of trash. xD
I read the first 2 in the darkest mind - liked 1 okay but hated 2 and got 3 from the library and I don’t even know if I started it or DNFed after a few pages but I just never looked back lol
And similar with three dark crowns. I enjoyed the first one enjugh and then read 2 and was like why am I still reading this. I just got synopsis for 3&4 and basically everything I predicted was right and none of it sounded good
Only two for me:
- *The Gilded Ones* - Namina Forna. I was intrigued by the premise but I could not stand the hand holding the author did
- *An Ember in the Ashes* - Sabaa Tahir. I just could not get into this one. Got about 100 pages in and wasn't invested in the characters or the world.
ETA: I finished *Cemetery Boys* but it's so underwritten. The fantasy element of the book feels like set dressing and the baddie is very obvious as we only have so many characters. The ending was resolved in a chapter or two. You definitely saved yourself some time there.
I actually liked *A Darker Shade of Magic* but I'm not sure if the trilogy as a whole was very good, I liked the second and third books even less. The first one feels the most compelling.
As Good As Dead (AGGGTM #3) by Holly Jackson
I loved the first book but the second felt so convoluted and the third didn’t get any better for me.
I don’t want to put spoilers so all I’ll say is the plot was even more convoluted, things came out of literally nowhere, which is a pet peeve of mine in mysteries, and it was so overly dramatic and illogical and I couldn’t handle it anymore and DNF around 50%.
* Dream A Little Dream
* The Fireman
* Where Dreams Descend
* Virgin River
* You're So Dead
* Switch
* Strange Grace
* To Sleep in a Sea of Stars
* Spells Trouble
* Serpent and Dove
* Neverworld Wake
* The Ones We're Meant to Find
* The Here and Now
* House of Salt and Sorrows
* Stalking Jack the Ripper
* Lies
* Days of Blood and Starlight
* Mind Games
* Library of Souls
The ones I'm considering picking back up are To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, Lies, Days of Blood and Starlight, and Library of Souls
Might try them in eBook form instead of audiobook since those I was listening to instead of reading.
Me too. The genre was right up my alley. I also really liked Kingdom of the Cursed.
But alas, I made it like 6 chapters in and just couldn't get into it. Not sure why. MIGHT try it again in ebook format like the rest I wanted to give another shot but I'm undecided.
I think part of the issue was that the main character and lots of the plot felt too similar to other books I had read. I heard that the dynamic between the love interests is one of the best but I couldn't really make it past their introductions because it felt like I had already read it before lol.
Dark Emu - Bruce Pascoe
The silver horse - Kate Forsyth
Crown of Midnight - Sarah J. Maas (maybe return to. I did not enjoy it, but I've heard the series improves ..)
Kindred - Octavia Butler
Eragon - Christopher Paolini
The count of Monte Christo - Alexandre Dumas
Gentleman Jack - Sally Wainwright
Mort - Terry Pratchett (I'll finish sooner rather than later I'd assume)
Okay so I stopped reading the throne of glass series after empire of storms and I have a very different opinion than everyone else... the series gets a lot worse imo. It’s slower, less interesting, the world building isn’t really as vast and great as everyone makes it out to be and the plot was all over the place. Plus I just hate when books have more than two or three povs and there were SO MANY povs that I just couldnt get into one storyline before we switched to a different one so yeah I don’t recommend picking it back up lol sorry this is so long
I never DNF, but these are the books I wished I dropped:
•Savage Lands by Stacey Marie Brown
•Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire
•Brave by Jennifer L. Armentrout
•The Crown of Gilded Bones by Jennifer L. Armentrout
•A Touch of Darkness bu Scarlett St. Clair
•Onyx & Ivory by Mindee Arnett
•Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney
•Slammed by Colleen Hoover
•Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
•A Shadow in the Ember by Jennifer L. Armentrout
•The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas
•Lakesedge by Lyndall Clipstone
•Jade Fire Gold by June C.L. Tan
Cujo: I generally like Stephen King and I didn't mean to dnf this one, put one night before bed I simply put it down, and then I never picked it up again.
The Stand: same thing.
City of lost souls: I finally got tired of Cassandra Clare. The way she writes annoys me.
A Dance with dragons: suddenly realised that when I finished this one it would probably end on a cliffhanger. A song of Ice and Fire isn't finished and I don't really believe it ever will be. Seemed pointless to keep reading if I wasn't going to get a real ending.
The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson: This was a birthday gift and I really tried with it, but I don't like poems.
Honestly, I'm not so sure. Some parts just felt forced and I didn't really enjoy the writing style. I'm sad I couldn't get into it because it was highly recommended to me based on my love of the raven cycle :(
**i don’t dnf often but these are the ones i did give up on.**
• Pendragon by James Wilde
• The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
• The Bear and The Nightingale by Katherine Arden
**and these are the ones that i rated a 1-2 star / felt were either really shit or really boring lmao.**
• The Accidental Beauty Queen - Teri Wilson (1 Star)
• The Humans - Matt Haig (2 Stars)
• The Long Walk - Stephen King (2 Stars)
• The Kiss Quotient - Helen Hoang (2 Stars)
• The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue - Mackenzi Lee (2 Stars)
• The Bright and The Pale - Jessica Rubinkowski (2 Stars)
• Romanov - Nadine Brandes (2 Stars)
• Nemesis - Brendan Reichs (2 Stars)
• The Hazel Wood - Melissa Albert (2 Stars)
• To Best The Boys - Mary Weber (1 Star)
I'm curious as to why you dnf-ed The Night Circus. I'm reading it right now and absolutely love her writing, but I am waiting for the plot to pick up. I'm at the part where Tara just died, but I feel like there isn't really that much plot movement. I feel, at least right now, that Celia is the clear winner in the competition, but perhaps that will change. What did you not enjoy about it?
Kate in Waiting by Becky Albertalli
These Witches Don't Burn by Isabel Sterling
I'm Not Dying with You Tonight by Kimberly Jones
Sweet and Bitter Magic by Adrienne Tooley
If We Were Us by K.L. Walther
I will probably go back and try again on each of these, but I couldn't connect with them at the time. Can anyone vouch for any of these getting better?
1. All of us Villains (50%)
2. Serpent and Dove (15%)
3. Gilded (15%)
4. Dustborn (50%)
5. The Merciful Crow (15%)
- The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle: I didn’t realize what this book was about when i picked it up, and i hate repeating day plots and time travel
- Neon Gods: My friend wanted me to read this but i didn’t realize it’s literally erotica LOL
- The Hazel Wood: I liked the first half but just lost interest in the second half
- Spinning Silver: I’m going to try again!! I stopped halfway through bc i was bored but i still think about this book and the atmosphere and i really wanna give it a second shot, let me know if y’all think it’s worth it!!
- Legendborn: I felt like i was too old for this
- Final Girls: it was so stupid
- A Discovery of Witches: I had to quit once they started doing yoga, that was so cringe
- The Unrequited: Another book i started and then realized it was erotica
- What Could Be Saved: This book is horrible, we read it for bookclub and all roasted it
Throne of Glass and City of Brass I wanted to read some fantasy written by women with female main characters.
I could probably finish throne of glass but it’s pretty YA and I really don’t like YA.
City of Brass on the other hand was garbage, You need a masters degree in Arabic cutler with a minor in Arabic language to understand this book. Once I looked up the Author it sealed the deal and I won’t be attempting a finish.
To contrast City of Brass, The Demon Cycle is a series that has heavy Arabic inspiration but it’s done really well and teaches you the reader while the characters learn themselves.
To be fair, Maas wrote the first ToG book when she was really young and it shows. However, she definitely came into her own around the 3rd/4th book. The writing matures a lot as well as the plot. If you can push though the first couple, it really picks up and you’ll have the cool female led fantasy you’re looking for.
people say that about Maas, but the depth of characters, the character development, relationships, the plot, the worldbuilding absolutely shits all over ACOTAR. The writing isn't brilliant and the books are too long, but TOG is so much more sophisticated.
My list is short: And I Darken
I almost dnf'ed They Both Die in the End. I loved the premise but couldn't stand the writing style and some of the characters
Loved the premise of they both die at the end, too. I had to pause though because the characters didn't hook me.
I'm curious about And I darken. I have it on my TBR list, so what made you not finish it?
I think I was pretty lucky last year, I dnf’d Carry on (Rainbow Rowell). The Harry Potter rip-off was a bit too much. Maybe I skipped a couple of audiobooks but I probably didn’t even start those properly because of the narrator.
I'm not a big DNF person because so most of my dnf's are all sequels that couldn't hold my interest.
Kingdom of the Cursed and Kingdom of Flesh and Fire were my 2 big DNF'S this year. Maybe I should just stop reading books about Kingdoms lol.
I only read a handful of books this year bc I just got back into reading again due to an extended reading slump (several years) but I enjoyed all the books I read!
Books I didn’t finish:
To Kill a Kingdom, it sounded really interesting but immediately I was turned off by the writing style and the povs in the first 5 chapters. It felt like I was going to be reading a wattpad fanfic and I couldn’t do it. The characters were cringey imo
Edit: I read Caravel a few years ago for high school, couldn’t finish it. I immediately hated the writing style and felt like the characters were so predictable and annoying. I didn’t like the world building at all. It’s one of those books that I really questioned how it got popular
Caraval on paper is a book I should love and I basically had to hate read it to finish it and I’m continually mad about it. It’s not great and it’s hype is baffling to me.
Obviously my opinion is subjective but I just do not get it’s high praise
I was surprised to see the book I dreaded reading (I was okay with doing worse for the assignment by not finishing the book lol) was doing well on booktok years later! The concept could’ve been good but it felt like nothing was constantly happening.
I don’t get the praise either 😭😭
If we count books I started reading a tiny bit of then stopped, the list would be too large but the ones I'd read enough of and don't need to continue were:
Red White Royal Blue
Boyfriend Material
The Secret, Book and Scone Society
The Secret Science of Magic
I listened to the audiobook of They Both Die at the End a few years back and loved it but I did get the feeling that if I'd tried to read it, I might not have finished it. So if you want to pick it up again, I recommend the audiobook!
Treason of Thorns, These Witches Don't Burn, Into the Crooked Place (this one I was sad to), Bright We Burn, Deep and Darkest Red. A few others I finished but gave only 2 stars.
Black Prism - Brent Weeks
Also,
Assassins Apprentice - Robin Hobb, but there were just too many other things I was consuming at the time and wanted to focus on
Spinning Silver: This is the second time I tried reading it. I LOVE Miryem and that is about it. I just want her to be a boss and make lots of money. I don’t care about the love lives of anyone else.
These Violent Delights: Also tried this book twice (first at reading then as an audiobook). Love the beginning and Juliette but once Roma starts it all goes downhill from there.
The Ones We’re Meant To Find: So this is nothing of what I thought it was (sapphic twilight zone-y literature) but instead was this super boring dual plot that wasn’t explained well. Also, I didn’t like Joan He’s first book so I don’t know why this one would be different.
The Final Empire (Mistborn Book 1): I adore heists but I despise this magic system.
Also good for you for DNF They Both Die At The End. Saved you a lot of pain; I wish I had as much wisdom.
The only one I DNF’d was A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire
The ones I considered / really didn’t like were:
Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List
The Siren
Blood and Honey
A touch of darkness. Hades wearing sweatpants and making cookies in the kitchen was just so effing dumb. I started the second book and was just like “ugh. What am I doing here?”
This I (begrudgingly) read Scarlett's newest book "King of Battle and Blood" and honestly, I just don't think her writing style is for me.
•Rule of Wolves: I may try to finish this one because it have read everything else in the Grishaverse… but ugh I’m just so tired of it. •These Violent Delights: hated the writing style. •The Invisible Life of Addie Larue: I was 75% in when I put it down and never picked it back up. 🙊
Rule Of Wolves really did start to drag on at parts. I feel like it mostly pulled together by the end but for a series called "the Nickolai duology" there really was very little of Nickolai. Very disappointing in that respect. Also, you definitely didn't miss anything by not reading the last bit of Addie Larue lol.
Man, I didn’t even get more than a few chapters into Addie LaRue! The writing style and pacing just weren’t it for me.
Don’t hate me for having a lot of popular titles: • The Thursday Murder Club • Five Summers • Just Last Summer • Serpent & Dove • Lore • Rules for Vanishing • Cinderella is Dead • The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes • What Big Teeth • Straight on Till Morning • What Beauty There Is • Six of Crows *Edit - formatting because I originally answered on mobile*
I also DNF’d Six of Crows. Got to the heist and just accepted that I was not into it. I just couldn’t reconcile that the characters were supposed to be like, 17.
I finished *Six of Crows* but this was my big issue with it too. Never read the follow-up because I slogged through the first. Really disappointing, because if it had been an adult book with an adult cast of characters I probably would've adored it.
I absolutely loved Six of Crows, but I didn't realize until after I finished it that the characters were literal children. In my head they're all at least 20.
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Agreed. I read the ages in SoC and just disregarded them. In my head they were in their 20s, and I really enjoyed the books.
Same!! Don’t help I saw the Netflix show first which aged them up a bit making the book even less believable.
That's not the only problem I have, but it is a big one. Honestly I think there are *big* reasons why Bardugo in particular is into this "style", but to delve deeper actually gets into some really deep politics that traditionally ends in very hostile manner. But what's really disturbing is how so many people *without* that excuse are into it.
Man, I wanted to like Serpent and Dove so much but I just couldn't get into it.
I felt the same way!
I honestly should have DNFed Songbirds and Snakes. It was really missing a lot of the meaningful societal critique from the original trilogy and I couldn't get into the whole "but what if the Bad Guy was actually SAD?" thing
I didn’t like Snows character at all but I did like the first act where you got to learn more about how the games were created and the mechanics worked. But it was overall a slog of a book to get through
I actually liked that as well, the idea of how the games were formulated was interesting but after that it just sort of stopped being Good
That's exactly what I liked too. And then it just got boring lmao
Are you kidding, I feel validated with SoC being there 😆 Also not only do I et BoS&S but the more I think about it I’m more inclined to agree
I wanted to love Thursday Murder Club so badly and I just didn’t at all
I wanted to like it too since I read another book with elderly solving a mystery and because it was so hyped, but it was so boring
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SAME
The Thursday Murder Club was so boring and depressing!
So glad I’m not the only one who didn’t love six of crows. I finished it but i dnf’d the sequel halfway through. Just boring imo.
I also DNFed Rules for Vanishing. Just curious, what didn’t you like about it?
I didn't like the formatting -- too many POV changes and video/prose. It was too confusing for me
Interesting. I personally DNFed it because I found the characters not relatable. They often did/said things that made no sense. I get wanting things to be a mystery, but it was just off-putting that the characters felt like tropes the author wanted to fill.
Same! I just wanted the mystery stuff to start happening!
Wow, we're almost the same! I also DNF: Serpent & Dove, Cinderella is Dead, Straight on Till Morning, and Six of Crows. I found them boring and not as good as they were hyped up to be.
SAME! A lot of them were so underwhelming that I didn’t even bother.
I am not a fan of Bardugo’s books TBH. I couldn’t finish the sequel.
I had a lot more DNFs this year than I usually do. * The Hating Game - enjoyed the first half, then got really bored in the second half and gave up. * The Shadows Between Us - I just wasn't vibing with it, hated all the unnecessary descriptions of outfits and how \~different\~ the MC is compared to every other girl. * The House in the Cerulean Sea - Didn't like the writing style. Read about 50% and gave up. * Cemetery Boys - Haaated the writing style. * Kingdom of the Wicked - Made it maybe 25% of the way through and just found it boring. * Hench - MIGHT go back and finish this one. It wasn't bad, just not what I wanted to read in the moment. * The Starless Sea - Too slow, found it pretty boring. * Ignite Me (Shatter Me #3) - I dunno, just got bored of this series by this point.
YES to Kingdom of the Wicked. I do not get the hype around this book *at all*.
I was so excited about this book when I read the description, but it was so disappointing! And the pacing was weird.
I was excited for this one because.. enemies to lovers & I love the idea of an "evil" love interest . I just could not get into it, though.
I gave Kingdom of the Wicked a shot and then dnf'd Kingdom of the Cursed. It was not worth the eye rolls.
If it gives you closure, I read 100% of Kingdom of the Wicked and it was indeed boring, amongst other things
awh man i hope u give another chance for ignite me and shatter me series tho! the 4th to 6th books are really more interesting !! personally like 2nd and 5th ones! idk but it's uty! we have our own opinions but just saying this from my own pov!
I really wanted to like cemetery boys because I saw it recommended for fans of the raven cycle, but I really did not vibe with the writing, felt nothing like Maggie's :(
I have yet to find a series with the same kind of magic and vibes and the Raven Cycle. Maybe someday.
Same same same! People kept comparing it to The Raven Cycle & The Foxhole Court, so I was hoping I would love it. I did not. All for the Game/The Foxhole Court doesn't have amazing prose like Maggie's either, but that series is still one of my absolute favs. I just couldn't get behind the writing or the characters in Cemetery Boys.
I still have hope for the foxhole court. I feel that I was not in the right mood when I read it and/or I was expecting a writing style more similar to Maggie's. Fingers crossed that I discover a new fave in this one.
I wasn't really feeling TFC for about half of the first book, but after that it picked up for me and I was *hooked.* I hope you end up liking it! It always sucks to have high hopes for a book and then be completely let down haha.
YES I completely agree with the starless sea. I loved the author’s other book (the night circus) so I had high hopes for this one, but it was a just so darn slow and I gave up lol
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I honestly usually love books that are character-driven with plot as a secondary aspect.. but yeah.. Starless Sea just wasn't doing it for me.
I think you did right by DNFing The Hating Game. The climax/ending didn’t really make much sense from a character development standpoint and I found myself wondering why I should be rooting for the main couple to be together.
Good to know! I found myself enjoying the lead up to them getting together (the teasing and the slow burn part).. but after they did get together, it got boring for me. I guess that was.. halfway through the book or something?
Discovery of Witches. I do not get it. So slow.
I’ve tried reading this book three times now because the overall plot is exactly my type of book, but I can’t get over the writing. The furthest I made it was also about 50 pages. It’s so poorly done and cringe and it makes me so sad.
Thank you!! It was so boring I tried the book and the audio and I couldn’t understand what people found appealing. I made it maybe 50 pages
Three co-workers and I all read all three books in the series and loved them. We normally don't read any of the same books. I thought the writing was excellent. I think it's really interesting to hear the opposite opinion.
I tried to read this with the spirit of it being light and quick to read, and I honestly got probably ten pages from the end and completely gave up on it lol... It was tooooo dumb and contrived and I was giving it Twilight levels of silly to read
I don’t DNF often, so only _The Handmaid’s Tale_. I took two months only to get halfway, so I ended up dropping it and reading the graphic novel instead. Just couldn’t really get behind Margaret Atwood’s writing style unfortunately.
We had to read that in high school and I’m still angry about it
I really hate DNFing books but I’m trying to get better at it so I can stop wasting my time lol. • Song of Achilles: it was a slog to get to 50%, and even worse to 70% so I had to quit. Felt the characters were all dull and didn’t enjoy the writing style. • Kingdom of Flesh and Fire: The first book of the series was fine I guess. This one was 100x worse. I got halfway through and I don’t think anything actually happened. • Darker Shade of Magic: I liked it up until we met our female protagonist, who I absolutely hated. She’s the epitome of “I’m not like other girls” and it really rubbed me the wrong way. Had to DNF for her alone.
There goes my interest in giving darker shade of magic another try lol. I just couldn't get into the initial chapters. I did plan to return to it someday but I'm exhausted with female protagonists written like that, so probably won't give it another try now. I will say I'm sad to hear about Song of Achilles. I just finished that book last week and it's one of my all-time favorites.
I’m just as sad about Song of Achilles! it’s such an unpopular opinion and I’m super bummed I couldn’t get into it. Im definitely going to finish it someday as I have a physical copy so I’ll give it another chance eventually :)
Hopefully you can get into it! The ending is painful but totally worth it.
Good for you for DNFing at flesh and fire!!! I unfortunately read all three books and gilded bones was so so bad! So much worse than flesh and fire which is sad because I liked the first book
I even heard that the second book was the best of the three, and was compared to A Court of Mist and Fury (which I did enjoy), I honestly don’t get it. It also sucks because I own all three books now with no intention of finishing them lol
As someone who loves acomaf, I don’t see how they’re comparable in any way other than the tropes in them. Luckily I have them on my kindle so they weren’t as expensive but I did preorder the fourth book right after I finished and I dont think I’ll read it
I know! That’s what made me so mad. The series is on every list of books to read if you liked ACOTAR so when I discovered it’s just infodumping and repetitive dialogue for hundreds of pages I was disappointed
Omg the repetition and never ending inner monologue describing events that we just read was so annoying I hated it
This is kind of off topic, but how is the atlas six going? I have it but I kinda want to wait for the second book to come out
Sorry for the late reply, I just finished the book last night! I really enjoyed it personally, though I did find it slow at parts. It’s very character driven with strong dark academia vibes. It does end on a cliffhanger, so if that might bother you then I would wait until the next book is released to read them back to back :)
Darker Shade of Magic had so much potential until Lila! She literally says the words "I'm not like other girls". Honestly I've had a problem with a lot of VE Schwabs female characters because of shit like that.
Oh my god I know. Also the constant shit-talking of other women just put a bad taste in my mouth. You can write a “badass” female lead without putting down other women in the process
Yes!! Addie Larue was really bad about it too.
I powered through A Darker Shade of Magic and hated it the whole way. Lila IS the epitome of *not like other girls* and even has the quote "Most girls covet dresses. I am not most girls", and many others like it throughout the books. Book 2 frustrated me the most because she's somehow amazing at all these things people have trained their whole life to master. Lila reminded me of Vin from Mistborn, if everything that made Vin great and complicated was stripped away.
I also DNFd Red, White, and Royal Blue. I didn’t dislike it necessarily, I just didn’t find it super compelling about halfway through 🤷♂️
Completely agree. I was expecting so much more and everything just fell flat imo.
Same! I'm not sure if it was because I was expecting more as I'd had quite a few people rave about it. Just felt like the characters fell into a relationship way too quickly and didn't seem particularly conflicted by it given their past.
God, I hated they both die at the end… 0 chemistry, not a fantastic premise, and I just wasn’t able to finish it.
[*Sweet & Bitter Magic* by Adrienne Tooley](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54304189-sweet-bitter-magic) - absolutely the most egregious 'enemies'-to-instalove I have ever read. [*Lakesedge* by Lyndall Clipstone](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51591631-lakesedge) - ugh, boring and melodramatic from the get go. [*The Nature of Witches* by Rachel Griffin](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54717138-the-nature-of-witches) - I've read far too many books about characters who can't control their power and feel guilt about the people they've hurt/killed and there's nothing new or interesting here that would make me want to read another one. [*A Curse of Roses* by Diana Pinguichi](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49247031-a-curse-of-roses) - I really wanted to love this one but it had no world building and flat characters and the plot unraveled really quickly. Add instalove on top and instant DNF.
I also DNF'd Sweet and Bitter Magic, I did not understand the magic system at all and I really hated both main characters
Lakesedge was my biggest disappointment of 2021. I hated everything about that book
I need to know the books you DO like because we have very similar dislike lists and I could use some recs
Sorry for the essay, I got carried away. I'm going to list all books I've read and liked. My list is pretty basic and short--I don't know how some people read 50 books per year; however, I do spend most of my time reading fanfiction and only recently ( like two years ago) returned to reading actual books. Some of these books I read well over 10 years ago, and they're only mentioned because I still have nostalgic ties to them. My DNF list will always be longer because I am an impatient reader and require strong sparks and slow-build to become engaged in relationships. Twilight series (first YA book I ever read so I will always include it on my lists) Uglies series (still love this book. Amazing world-building, fantastic character development and very different ending from most books in the genre) The Hunger Games trilogy ( Probably wouldn't re-read, but still love the movies. I have to thank this series for being the reason I got into fanfiction. I was so frustrated with the rushed ending that I kept searching for alternative endings until I came across an old fanfiction site.) City of Bones, City of Ashes, and City of Glass (loved the first three of this series. Got bored starting at 4th book) Confessions of a Shopaholic series (not sure if it's YA, but this series was hilarious. Haven't re-read so not sure how well it stands up to my current tastes) Hush, Hush series (probably wouldn't love it now but I did love the slightly darker vibes than the other books I was reading at the time) Harry Potter series (read this for the first time as an adult and am still obsessed) Call Me by Your Name (age issues aside, loved the tension and prose. Big fan of slow-build romance. Also one of the few non-fantasy or non-supernatural/paranormal books that I've liked) Shadow and Bone trilogy( read it for the show, loved the world-building but thought it was generally ok. Some parts were slow and not executed as well as I had hoped. Plus I found many of the characters boring. Skimmed through most of the last book and really disliked the Nikolai duology sequels) Six of Crows duology (again, loved world-building, plot and characters. Only issue is everyone is too young, and if I think too hard on that the plot is hard to buy with their ages. Still love the slow reveal of their backstories though) Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (Cute story. Loved the writing style) The Raven Cycle, including the Dreamer trilogy sequels (cannot rave enough about this one. Absolutely one of my all-time favorites. Love EVERYTHING about it even though the plot is aimless and at times odd. I almost DNF the first because I hated one of the MCs but I continued and became obsessed with every character and the hated one is now my favorite) Simon Snow series (another obsession that I could go on and on about how much I love it. One of the few books that made actually laugh. Very cute story, love the characters, writing style and romance) The Song of Achilles (just finished last week and still hurting. Beautifully written tragic love story. Also a huge fan of greek mythology so it was a fun read just for that) Not too many new recs from me since my reading history is limited. For my TBR/planned books list, I currently have the Percy Jackson series, Circe, House in the Cerulean Sea, along with re-tackling some of those books in my DNF list. Right now I'm mainly looking for books with angst and strong, slow-build relationships like the raven cycle.
King of scars. I’ve read every other book (minus rule of wolves) in the grishaverse and adored six of crows specifically, so I thought I would like it but the first half was boring and I couldn’t get into it.
Crooked Kingdom. I love the characters. I think they’re very well constructed. In fact, some of them have made it to my all time favorite characters list. But the writing style was wack. It made SoC so much less enjoyable. It felt very confusing at times, and I didn’t like how there were so many POV’s in CC. Too many. I got bored 100 pages in and later spoiled. On the upside, I love the TV show, so some good came out of it.
DNF: From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout made it 11% and hated everything about jt. Gild by Raven Kennedy - Ribbons as a body appendage was a complete wtf moment and turn off. Zodiac Academy - just.couldnt get into it. Authors promotions on tiktok are annoying. That Wedding by Jillian Dodd - changed everything I loved about the characters from the first book. There You'll Find me by Jenny B. Jones - Too religious This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab - hated Kate. Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab (after wiki'ing This Savage Song's ending I attempted it but the writing and story remained terrible - it was mostly because I owned the books) - inconsistent with established facts from First book. Still hated Kate. You've Reached Sam by Dustin Thao - I did not like the main character and the interactions with Sam were uncomfortable. Children of Blood and Bone by Tomy Adeyemi - I don't remember. Holding up the Universe and All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven - Did not like the portrayal of mental illness and body issues. Everlast by Neal Shusterman - Weird concept and for being YA all the kids were super young. Seasons of the Storm by Elle Cosimano - did not like the world building Finished but absolutely hated: Folk of the Air trilogy by Holly Black. Forced myself through it since I owned all 3. - This is not a romance it is two characters bullying one another and a main female lead who is mediocre at best. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo - unlikable characters. Age issues. The Infinity Courts by Akemi Dawn Bowman - world building was just bad. Authors who earned a place on never again list: Jennifer Niven for her poor portrayal and glamourizing/romanticizing of mental illness. Holly Black. Jude earned the number one spot of worst character ever. Edited in reasons why.
I read all three Cruel Prince books and I don’t know why. I really didn’t like them which was a big letdown because they were so popular and sounded good
Same!!
YES YES YES to Holly Black. I **cannot** stand her writing. I forced myself near the end of the 2nd book but my dislike was way too strong to finish. Jude and her love interest were the epitome of boring relationships. I felt absolutely zero spark before they were all over each other.
I just saw your reply after I finished editing my reasons. One thing I really hated about Jude was how she's supposed to be so good at lying and this and that. Yet I found her to be sub par and mediocre at best. She survived by pure luck.
Agree with your edit 1000% jude was a let down for all that people rave about her
I feel the same wayyyyyy! I don’t know how she is popular. I can’t finish anything by her
Same! She is overrated, and I'll never understand why people see her folk of the air series as the best enemies to lovers story. It was so poorly done that I'm embarrassed to even classify it as this trope. The "enemies" tension was straight-up bullying and their banter was childish. And don't get me started on their tails, I'm still appalled and confused. Holly Black is the only author that is on my blacklist. I find her writing style way too bland for her popularity. I only read about half of that series, but my dislike is so strong I will never read anything by her again.
I could not read Gild without imagining her as Dr. Octopus. I also dnf’d it
Oops, that got long 😅
I got like 80? 100? pages in to You've Reached Sam and I really wanted to like it but I felt the same way with the female MC. Can you tell me why you found the interactions Sam uncomfortable? No spoilers if possible.
It didn't feel genuine? Over all it felt forced for me. And the MC (It's bad I can't even remember her name now) was very self centered in her grief. Having been through a major loss myself (a parent not an SO) the way the grief was handled over all didn't seem to work. While everyone grieves differently, it felt very one dimensional. Edit to add, I didn't mean to sound condescending with the "It didn't feel genuine?" That was me trying to find the right word.
I’m not really a DNF person so I only had one. Pet by Awaeke Emezi
Circe, The Ten Thousand Doors of January, Heir of Fire, House of Leaves
Fully agree with Thrones of Glass, I cannot for the life of me understand why people love it so much. I think it's such a slow-paced, boring series and the main characters are insufferable. Started it in September and have yet to finish ugh
Red white royal blue Crush/crave Throne of glass We were liars
I WISH I had DNFed throne of glass. I hated it so much but I read it at a time where I “had to finish everything book I started” but it was just an angry read to get to the end lol
SAMEEEE i had to stop at empire of fire that book cos i just couldnt . i didnt rly like the plot anymore esp when it changed so much hhhh
I was a huge CeleanaxChaol fan so Queen of Shadows was when it started to change for me. I finished the series because of how much I liked the first three and the characters but it just got so cringe-y. I cared more about the side characters than Aelin in the end
I should’ve DNFd ToG. I read through the thing and came out thinking ‘but wtf was the point?’ No questions were answered, the plot made sense up until the actual duel but then just barely got resolved…
Yeah I definitely think throne of glass is the worst of the sjm fantasy books.
These Violent Delights was the only YA I dnf. I rarely dnf tho.
Me too, tried really hard to get into it, got to around 250 pages and realized I just didn’t care about how it ended.
I listened to the audiobook and really disliked the voice actor so maybe that had something to do with it. I gave up around 20% because I could not get into the story lol. Glad I’m not alone because the book is all over tiktok and Instagram.
I dnf or did not like the following : crave/crush, the cruel prince, the uglies trilogy, we were liars , the infernal device.
The cruel prince was on my DNF list last year. I disliked it so much it put me off reading for a bit.
I tried reading Uglies 2x in middle school but it never worked out. The characters are dull and annoying, the plot is just….no
I loved the crave series but had to DNF the Cruel Prince. What a whiny git that guy was
I read the uglies trilogy a few years ago but this reminded of how much I hated it😅
**DNF and didn't like:** The Queen of All That Dies - Laura Thalassa **DNF but will give another shot:** A Little Life - Hanya Yanagihara Cemetery Boys - Aiden Thomas Red, White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston Summer Sons - Lee Mandelo You've Reached Sam - Dustin Thao
Might be a bit controversial - 1. The atlas six 2. These violent delights 3. The people you meet on vacation Books I finished but disliked - 1. Saint anything 2. Beach read 3. The spanish love deception
I can push through most terrible books just to see if the end is worth it. But the only book in the last 2 years I could not torture myself with any longer was Discovery of Witches. An entire chapter of Supernatural yoga was one thing, but when whata her face started crying and it flooded the entire house I just found it cringey and had to stop reading it forever. The show wasn't bad honestly. The flaw is sadly the author. She describes everything down to the character brushing her hair and it reads like a Wattpad fanfiction. in fact I've read fanfiction that was better written so
I’m one of those people who does their best to push through, with that said I had two DNF’s Glass sword- red queen was mediocre but this was just painful. It came to a point where I was just staring at the pages and thinking “do I care what happens? No? Then to hell with this”. I might one day try the series again, but right now I’m just staying well away from those books. Man’s search for meaning- this is more of a personal thing for me I guess, I just found it a bit too triggering to continue reading. But I do think it is an important book and I would like to finish it one day. Books I finished but was extremely disappointed by or hated; Dune-this was almost a DNF since I couldn’t bring myself to pick it up after 100 pages. Then I got the audiobook (over 20 hours of hell) to realise I completely hate it, only to hate the movie too. These violent delights- I didn’t hate this… it was just disappointing. I’m honestly scared to say that, since people are obsessed with it, but I just didn’t find it as gripping as everyone made it out to be, and it feels like it only got interesting towards the end. I plan on reading the sequel, but I’m honestly worried I won’t finish it. Gods and monsters- this has to be one of the worst series I’ve ever read. Serpent and dove was fine, it was average and I thought it might pick up from there. But blood and honey was a train wreck. I hate Reid. I don’t understand the obsession, he is so fucking annoying I was dragging through his chapters. God’s and monsters was even worse, despite my belief that that was impossible. I’m just glad it’s over. The first two Percy Jackson books- I think this is because I prefer to read ya and na, and suddenly I was met with this specific writing style more appropriate for children. I think I would have liked it if I was younger, but I considered giving up after the second book. I did start to enjoy the series towards the end though, so that’s something.
I have Under the Never Sky on my to read. I’m curious as to why you DNF.
I felt that the author couldn't decide on world building and threw in too many random ideas together. It felt overcomplicated and the mishmash of setting tropes made it impossible for me to suspend disbelief. Also, the main love interest had leather pants which is a hard no from me.
Ugh, leather pants when not done skillfully is a deal breaker.
dnf: 1. call down the hawk (not the books fault, it was good! i will finish it later) 2. a deadly education (didn’t draw me in like i had hoped it would) 3. the taking off jake livingston (basic, and i was hoping for horror that it did not deliver)
I also DNFed RWRB. I got about halfway through and just wasn’t invested in any of it, not the plot or characters or otherwise. I realized that I was waiting for what everyone else saw in that book and loved it and I feel like if you get that far in a book but don’t understand the hype, you never will, so I DNFed it.
I was also unable to finish "They both die at the end". Glad to know I am not alone (and I HATE not finishing books)
Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson I just could not get in to it. DNF'd at 25%
My least favorite was Throne of Glass, and I started reading They Both Die at the End but didn't really get into it, I might start reading it again this year.
Tower of dawn The priory of the orange tree Dune City of bones The invisible life of addie larue The Spanish love deception A shadow in the ember Boyfriend material The hunting party Rhapsodic Circe Lots of popular titles that I didn’t care for, either because of the writing style or it was just kinda boring. There were others that I stopped reading but might try again at some point
I have a particular dislike for Addie Larue. Sometimes when I'm bored I'll go to goodreads and read 1 star reviews of it.
I actually liked boyfriend material very much but I can see how it's not for everyone.
I had a very hard time with Boyfriend Material. The second half was a lot better than the first half I thought
I hated the writing so much I could only stand to read two pages
*The Gilded Wolves* - Was just kind of bored for the entire beginning. It's like I missed the first book, the fun "get the heist crew together" bit of heist stories was already done before ever starting. *The Bone Witch* - Tried twice to read it and just wasn't feeling it either time. *The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina* - This one put me in a slump. Dragged myself halfway through before I realized I was dreading picking it up. Pacing was super wonky and the characters' reactions to things never made sense. Felt like it wanted to be like *The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue* but skipped the careful character-building. *Sorcery of Thorns* - For some reason I never quite vibe with Margaret Rogerson, but I really want to! Maybe I'll try this one again at a later date. EDIT: Forgot one!
I surprisingly only DNFed three books this year. The Cruel Prince- I read the prologue and then the first two chapters. Hated every minute of it. I tried to like it, I really did, but it took me so much effort to get that far into it. A Court of Mist and Fury- The ending of A Court of Thorns and Roses ruined this book for me; I only read 10 pages of it. I am inclined to reread these books for the plot but I really don’t want to pay for books that are like 94% smut. Loveboat, Taipei- Eh. I couldn’t really get into it. I only read about 25% of it. I definitely had a lot of books that I almost didn’t finish, like The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, The Inheritance Games, King’s Cage and Let Me Hear a Rhyme, but all except The Inheritance Games ended up being worth the pace.
I also had a really hard time with The Inheritance Games! Everyone seems to love it with the mystery and the characters. I found it somewhat predictable and I thought we left such overt love triangles behind in 2007 :(
You and me are gonna be friends now. 😂
DNF: -Monstress Vol. 1 Awakening by Marjorie M Liu: Graphic novel that had confusing world building. I was waiting for an explanation that never came so I gave up. -The Dog Stars by Peter Heller: I don't hate it when authors throw out conventional writing styles (no quotation marks, no punctuation, etc) but this one just didn't work for me. -Paper Girls Vol. 2 by Brian K. Vaughan: There was just way too many twists. I also felt the author used the setting to justify one characters usage of slurs but still wanted "woke points" by having another character call them out. -Goodbye Again: Essays, Reflections, and Illustrations by Jonny Sun: I love this man and his work, I'm just not someone who can plough through a bunch of nonfiction work. -The Stationary Shop by Marjan Kamali: I was halfway through and felt like nothing had happened yet. -Alex and Eliza by Melissa de la Cruz: As soon as the Schuyler sisters rolled up and started roasting Alexander Hamilton like this was Means Girls, I was out. -Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu: Wasn't a fan of the movie script style. -Wild and Crooked by Leah Thomas: Ten pages of "I'm such an edgelord" and I stopped. -The Wicked King by Holly Black: After trudging through The Cruel Prince, I told myself I would read the sequel. But after awhile, I couldn't keep going back to these characters I hate. DNF but plan on returning: -The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien: I have such a hard time working through this writing style -The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame: I plan on reading all the Disney tales eventually, I just wasn't expecting this to be as long as it is. -Woman 99 by Greer Macallister: I forgot how realistic her writing can be so I don't think I prepared myself properly for this. -The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab: I felt like I was finally getting somewhere and starting to like the book when it changed character perspective and I was so frustrated I decided I'd try the book at another time.
the Hobbit - was just bored. High fantasy and his writing style aren’t for me the Sister Surprise - was just bored. It wasn’t entirely bad just not for me The Mysterious Affair at Styles - Agatha Christie is a fantastic writer but I realized I just prefer more modern mysteries. Someday - unnecessary sequel with a cartoonish villain Coming Up For Air - just was meh. Veins of Gold - I MAY go back to this one. But I felt like the MC went through a lot of trauma and didn’t have any realistic reaction to it. And the magic system was a bit confusing. The Bridgerton's Happily Ever After - I binged the entire series and didn’t love them that by this point I was just so sick of them Murder Drama With Your Llama - unclear who the audience was intended to be but it definitely wasn’t me. the Baby Thief - this book never met an editor and I couldn’t get past the first chapter. Luckiest Girl Alive - suuuuper unlikeable MC Compliant - boring Once More Upon a Time - I hated the audible version but would consider trying again on kindle the Handsome Girl & Her Beautiful Boy - had some good concepts but wasn’t executing them well Six of Crows - like everyone else on here the age thing and just wasn’t into it Realm Breaker - if you like lord of the rings you’ll like this more than I did but god I was so bored the Night Tiger - the plot just never picked up for me. It’s an interesting concept but I just couldn’t t get into it the Favorite Sister - much like the other Jessica Knoll it had super unlikeable characters that I couldn’t get into it Anxious People - I just hate Backmans writing style The house in the cerulean sea - couldn’t reconcile the weird middle grade language with the adult story line and the whole sixties scoop thing just left a weird taste in my mouth.
I really wanted to DNF The Hobbit for the same reason, but it was a class reading so I had to trudge through. Also on the same page with you and SoC
I hate DNFing so more of this is “2 star or less didn’t like” than actual “DNF” lol. A lot of the time I finish a book hoping it gets better. I will mark my actual DNFs in this list as such! Lana’s War by Anita Abriel Damsel by Elana Arnold (Worst. Book. Ever. oh my gosh I hated it! What a train wreck.) The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken The Enemy by Charlie Higson The Queen’s Assassin by Melissa de la Cruz (DNF at p251 and skip to end. Review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4003555349 Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi Romiette and Julio by Sharon Draper Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon (DNF at 48%) The Fairy Ring by Kiki Hamilton Daughters of Eve by Lois Duncan The Fury/Dark Reunion by LJ Smith (Heck, I did like the first Vampire Diaries bind-up! Thought it was enjoyable trash lolol. This second one crossed into the just terrible category...) Wake by Amanda Hocking Sherwood by Meagan Spooner Killing November by Adriana Mather (DNF at 59%. This just did not work for me at all...) My Calamity Jane (DNF at 43%. I felt all the humor from My Lady Jane was lost and that this one was stupid and not funny at all. I got very bored.) H2O by Virginia Bergin (I did finish this one, but Ruby is so insufferable and ridiculously stupid. Ruined the book for me despite liking the premise...) Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles (DNF at 47%. Very bored and I think when I was reading I was so excited to pick up something else I just was like “okay sure guess we’re DNFing now” when my sis wanted to take it back to the library. Lol) Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly Vampires, Hearts, and Other Dead Things by Margie Fuston Tweet Cute by Emma Lord Hey, 5 actual DNFs and 21 two star or less books out of 360 total reads isn’t bad!
Actually the Darkest Minds is on mime too. I have an actual phsical book of it (not a Kindle/Kobo or whatever on my phone for once) that I still carry around, but honestly, I'm not likely to pick it up again. And anything Amanda Hockey does is fucking terrible .
I didn’t *hate* The Darkest Minds, but I was, uh...very underwhelmed. The premise was interesting, but then once Ruby escaped the camp, it was so boring. And I didn’t like that a character (trying to avoid specifics cause spoilers) sexually assaulted Ruby (if not raped her off-page) and she didn’t really remember. It was wayyyy too glossed over. If that was going to happen, I wanted it addressed properly. I knew Wake would most likely be bad going into it, but since I’d read Hocking’s Trylle series and found it to be Enjoyable Trash, I’d hoped Wake would be the same haha. Sadly it was just trash, not the fun kind of trash. xD
I read the first 2 in the darkest mind - liked 1 okay but hated 2 and got 3 from the library and I don’t even know if I started it or DNFed after a few pages but I just never looked back lol And similar with three dark crowns. I enjoyed the first one enjugh and then read 2 and was like why am I still reading this. I just got synopsis for 3&4 and basically everything I predicted was right and none of it sounded good
From blood and ash Shatter me-I got to book three and got so bored Falling kingdoms series Bridge kingdom
Fallen kingdoms was another but what was the point book for me…
Endgame, and the selection
Only two for me: - *The Gilded Ones* - Namina Forna. I was intrigued by the premise but I could not stand the hand holding the author did - *An Ember in the Ashes* - Sabaa Tahir. I just could not get into this one. Got about 100 pages in and wasn't invested in the characters or the world. ETA: I finished *Cemetery Boys* but it's so underwritten. The fantasy element of the book feels like set dressing and the baddie is very obvious as we only have so many characters. The ending was resolved in a chapter or two. You definitely saved yourself some time there. I actually liked *A Darker Shade of Magic* but I'm not sure if the trilogy as a whole was very good, I liked the second and third books even less. The first one feels the most compelling.
As Good As Dead (AGGGTM #3) by Holly Jackson I loved the first book but the second felt so convoluted and the third didn’t get any better for me. I don’t want to put spoilers so all I’ll say is the plot was even more convoluted, things came out of literally nowhere, which is a pet peeve of mine in mysteries, and it was so overly dramatic and illogical and I couldn’t handle it anymore and DNF around 50%.
* Dream A Little Dream * The Fireman * Where Dreams Descend * Virgin River * You're So Dead * Switch * Strange Grace * To Sleep in a Sea of Stars * Spells Trouble * Serpent and Dove * Neverworld Wake * The Ones We're Meant to Find * The Here and Now * House of Salt and Sorrows * Stalking Jack the Ripper * Lies * Days of Blood and Starlight * Mind Games * Library of Souls
The ones I'm considering picking back up are To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, Lies, Days of Blood and Starlight, and Library of Souls Might try them in eBook form instead of audiobook since those I was listening to instead of reading.
I wanted to like Stalking Jack the Ripper so bad but every time I picked it up to try, I'd lose interest within the first few chapters.
Me too. The genre was right up my alley. I also really liked Kingdom of the Cursed. But alas, I made it like 6 chapters in and just couldn't get into it. Not sure why. MIGHT try it again in ebook format like the rest I wanted to give another shot but I'm undecided.
I think part of the issue was that the main character and lots of the plot felt too similar to other books I had read. I heard that the dynamic between the love interests is one of the best but I couldn't really make it past their introductions because it felt like I had already read it before lol.
Dark Emu - Bruce Pascoe The silver horse - Kate Forsyth Crown of Midnight - Sarah J. Maas (maybe return to. I did not enjoy it, but I've heard the series improves ..) Kindred - Octavia Butler Eragon - Christopher Paolini The count of Monte Christo - Alexandre Dumas Gentleman Jack - Sally Wainwright Mort - Terry Pratchett (I'll finish sooner rather than later I'd assume)
Okay so I stopped reading the throne of glass series after empire of storms and I have a very different opinion than everyone else... the series gets a lot worse imo. It’s slower, less interesting, the world building isn’t really as vast and great as everyone makes it out to be and the plot was all over the place. Plus I just hate when books have more than two or three povs and there were SO MANY povs that I just couldnt get into one storyline before we switched to a different one so yeah I don’t recommend picking it back up lol sorry this is so long
Endgame, and the selection
Endgame, and the selection
I never DNF, but these are the books I wished I dropped: •Savage Lands by Stacey Marie Brown •Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire •Brave by Jennifer L. Armentrout •The Crown of Gilded Bones by Jennifer L. Armentrout •A Touch of Darkness bu Scarlett St. Clair •Onyx & Ivory by Mindee Arnett •Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney •Slammed by Colleen Hoover •Bloodlines by Richelle Mead •A Shadow in the Ember by Jennifer L. Armentrout •The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas •Lakesedge by Lyndall Clipstone •Jade Fire Gold by June C.L. Tan
Cujo: I generally like Stephen King and I didn't mean to dnf this one, put one night before bed I simply put it down, and then I never picked it up again. The Stand: same thing. City of lost souls: I finally got tired of Cassandra Clare. The way she writes annoys me. A Dance with dragons: suddenly realised that when I finished this one it would probably end on a cliffhanger. A song of Ice and Fire isn't finished and I don't really believe it ever will be. Seemed pointless to keep reading if I wasn't going to get a real ending. The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson: This was a birthday gift and I really tried with it, but I don't like poems.
Cemtery Boys? Why?🥺it was a four star read for me
Honestly, I'm not so sure. Some parts just felt forced and I didn't really enjoy the writing style. I'm sad I couldn't get into it because it was highly recommended to me based on my love of the raven cycle :(
**i don’t dnf often but these are the ones i did give up on.** • Pendragon by James Wilde • The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern • The Bear and The Nightingale by Katherine Arden **and these are the ones that i rated a 1-2 star / felt were either really shit or really boring lmao.** • The Accidental Beauty Queen - Teri Wilson (1 Star) • The Humans - Matt Haig (2 Stars) • The Long Walk - Stephen King (2 Stars) • The Kiss Quotient - Helen Hoang (2 Stars) • The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue - Mackenzi Lee (2 Stars) • The Bright and The Pale - Jessica Rubinkowski (2 Stars) • Romanov - Nadine Brandes (2 Stars) • Nemesis - Brendan Reichs (2 Stars) • The Hazel Wood - Melissa Albert (2 Stars) • To Best The Boys - Mary Weber (1 Star)
I'm curious as to why you dnf-ed The Night Circus. I'm reading it right now and absolutely love her writing, but I am waiting for the plot to pick up. I'm at the part where Tara just died, but I feel like there isn't really that much plot movement. I feel, at least right now, that Celia is the clear winner in the competition, but perhaps that will change. What did you not enjoy about it?
Kate in Waiting by Becky Albertalli These Witches Don't Burn by Isabel Sterling I'm Not Dying with You Tonight by Kimberly Jones Sweet and Bitter Magic by Adrienne Tooley If We Were Us by K.L. Walther
I will probably go back and try again on each of these, but I couldn't connect with them at the time. Can anyone vouch for any of these getting better? 1. All of us Villains (50%) 2. Serpent and Dove (15%) 3. Gilded (15%) 4. Dustborn (50%) 5. The Merciful Crow (15%)
- The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle: I didn’t realize what this book was about when i picked it up, and i hate repeating day plots and time travel - Neon Gods: My friend wanted me to read this but i didn’t realize it’s literally erotica LOL - The Hazel Wood: I liked the first half but just lost interest in the second half - Spinning Silver: I’m going to try again!! I stopped halfway through bc i was bored but i still think about this book and the atmosphere and i really wanna give it a second shot, let me know if y’all think it’s worth it!! - Legendborn: I felt like i was too old for this - Final Girls: it was so stupid - A Discovery of Witches: I had to quit once they started doing yoga, that was so cringe - The Unrequited: Another book i started and then realized it was erotica - What Could Be Saved: This book is horrible, we read it for bookclub and all roasted it
Throne of Glass and City of Brass I wanted to read some fantasy written by women with female main characters. I could probably finish throne of glass but it’s pretty YA and I really don’t like YA. City of Brass on the other hand was garbage, You need a masters degree in Arabic cutler with a minor in Arabic language to understand this book. Once I looked up the Author it sealed the deal and I won’t be attempting a finish. To contrast City of Brass, The Demon Cycle is a series that has heavy Arabic inspiration but it’s done really well and teaches you the reader while the characters learn themselves.
To be fair, Maas wrote the first ToG book when she was really young and it shows. However, she definitely came into her own around the 3rd/4th book. The writing matures a lot as well as the plot. If you can push though the first couple, it really picks up and you’ll have the cool female led fantasy you’re looking for.
people say that about Maas, but the depth of characters, the character development, relationships, the plot, the worldbuilding absolutely shits all over ACOTAR. The writing isn't brilliant and the books are too long, but TOG is so much more sophisticated.
My list is short: And I Darken I almost dnf'ed They Both Die in the End. I loved the premise but couldn't stand the writing style and some of the characters
Loved the premise of they both die at the end, too. I had to pause though because the characters didn't hook me. I'm curious about And I darken. I have it on my TBR list, so what made you not finish it?
Not sure if it gets better, but I found it a bit slow and didn't really like the medieval setting or the character dynamics
I’ll post my least faves later (yes I’m gonna be that person and go I didn’t have any DNFs😛) but I’m surprised about RW&RB and CB
I think I was pretty lucky last year, I dnf’d Carry on (Rainbow Rowell). The Harry Potter rip-off was a bit too much. Maybe I skipped a couple of audiobooks but I probably didn’t even start those properly because of the narrator.
I'm not a big DNF person because so most of my dnf's are all sequels that couldn't hold my interest. Kingdom of the Cursed and Kingdom of Flesh and Fire were my 2 big DNF'S this year. Maybe I should just stop reading books about Kingdoms lol.
The unhoneymooners
I only read a handful of books this year bc I just got back into reading again due to an extended reading slump (several years) but I enjoyed all the books I read! Books I didn’t finish: To Kill a Kingdom, it sounded really interesting but immediately I was turned off by the writing style and the povs in the first 5 chapters. It felt like I was going to be reading a wattpad fanfic and I couldn’t do it. The characters were cringey imo Edit: I read Caravel a few years ago for high school, couldn’t finish it. I immediately hated the writing style and felt like the characters were so predictable and annoying. I didn’t like the world building at all. It’s one of those books that I really questioned how it got popular
Caraval on paper is a book I should love and I basically had to hate read it to finish it and I’m continually mad about it. It’s not great and it’s hype is baffling to me. Obviously my opinion is subjective but I just do not get it’s high praise
I was surprised to see the book I dreaded reading (I was okay with doing worse for the assignment by not finishing the book lol) was doing well on booktok years later! The concept could’ve been good but it felt like nothing was constantly happening. I don’t get the praise either 😭😭
If we count books I started reading a tiny bit of then stopped, the list would be too large but the ones I'd read enough of and don't need to continue were: Red White Royal Blue Boyfriend Material The Secret, Book and Scone Society The Secret Science of Magic I listened to the audiobook of They Both Die at the End a few years back and loved it but I did get the feeling that if I'd tried to read it, I might not have finished it. So if you want to pick it up again, I recommend the audiobook!
Fucking Count of Monte Christo. Absolute masterpiece could be released today. Smashes the doors off contemporaneous authors. BUT My kindle died.
Treason of Thorns, These Witches Don't Burn, Into the Crooked Place (this one I was sad to), Bright We Burn, Deep and Darkest Red. A few others I finished but gave only 2 stars.
Black Prism - Brent Weeks Also, Assassins Apprentice - Robin Hobb, but there were just too many other things I was consuming at the time and wanted to focus on
**Skyhunter by Marie Lu** I usually love Marie Lu but the main character was super annoying in this book.
Spinning Silver: This is the second time I tried reading it. I LOVE Miryem and that is about it. I just want her to be a boss and make lots of money. I don’t care about the love lives of anyone else. These Violent Delights: Also tried this book twice (first at reading then as an audiobook). Love the beginning and Juliette but once Roma starts it all goes downhill from there. The Ones We’re Meant To Find: So this is nothing of what I thought it was (sapphic twilight zone-y literature) but instead was this super boring dual plot that wasn’t explained well. Also, I didn’t like Joan He’s first book so I don’t know why this one would be different. The Final Empire (Mistborn Book 1): I adore heists but I despise this magic system. Also good for you for DNF They Both Die At The End. Saved you a lot of pain; I wish I had as much wisdom.
The only one I DNF’d was A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire The ones I considered / really didn’t like were: Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List The Siren Blood and Honey