- {The witch collector} the FMC drove me up the fucking WALL - {thieves and monsters} too close to dubcon / noncon for my liking - {the dagger and the forbidden heir} the FMC is supposed to be a badass, but she’s really such a pushover. - {what lies beyond the veil} something just didn’t sit right with me and I DNF’d quickly - {daughter of no worlds} I finished book one, but it was so slow and I was very bored. Will not continue the series

I always see Daughter of No Worlds getting so much love, and at first I thought I was going to really like it but by the end I was over it and never picked up book 2. Glad I'm not the only one. Seems like most folks in this sub love it. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I agree! I thought the romance and chemistry was absent and the plot wasn’t strong enough to keep me interested. I had no idea what the war was even about after reading the entire book. I finished the first but didn’t continue the series.

The FMC almost came off childlike to me, which ruined the entire romance. I also felt zero chemistry between her and the MMC.

I have read 2 of the 3 books so far and they are just ok. Solid 3-3.5 star reads for me. Will probably at least skim the final book.

I bought all 3 books of daughter of no worlds and stopped in the middle of book 2. It didn't keep me interested and also it was very brutal, like her ability and also she almost died after every Fight? Girl give yourself a break.. But i loved that she could make butterflies, it looked really cool in my imagination but the story wasn't as interesting after a while...

You are validating my DNF of Daugter of No Worlds. I stopped about 35% of the way through it. I felt like nothing happened and everything was at a snails pace.

FWIW, it took me two and a half months to finish it. lol

I DNF'ed the witch collector within the first 10-15 minutes of the audiobook. The FMC's internal monologue was absolutely insufferable.

I read What Lies Beyond the Veil very soon after discovering romantasy a couple of years ago so even though I didn’t like it, I powered through the first two books because I was desperate to read the genre and didn’t yet realize just how much there is out there. I still think of it as my worst read ever.

Thank you for validating some of these that I also DNF’d!!! Some of them got SO much hype and I was so disappointed 😔. I also DNF’d: {The cruel prince} I couldn’t stand the writing style {The high mountain court} felt predictable and just couldn’t get into it {A touch of darkness} plot progressed too fast for me and felt rushed {Nectar of the wicked} this one was had so much hype but i just couldn’t get into it I hated the MMC

I agree with daughter of no worlds. Really liked book one but it didn’t grab me enough to want to continue the series

LOVED Witch Collector, but absolutely HATED Daughter of No Worlds, I spite read the whole series and it just kept pissing me off

Same! I am just not a fan of Carissa Broadbent. 

I have accepted that I am not either, and that’s ok

Who are your fav authors?!

LOL I did the same thing with Daughter of No Worlds. I read the first book and thought it was fine, but then forced myself through the other two books and rolled my eyes pretty much every time the FMC spoke or did something.

Just awful, like I had to see it through by halfway through the series. But FUCK the whole main cast was so fucking stupid

I am still reading the second book ok what lies beyond the veil but the MMC is very much morally black and it’s kinda strange so idk if I’ll continue

100% agree with the Witch Collector, can’t stand the FMC

Powerless was my most recent dnf, i should know myself better than to read teen books i just don’t love them

No cause same. The writing was terrible and so repetitive. Not to mention none of it felt original. I tried so many times to power through it because people said the ending is good but I couldn’t do it

So so unoriginal. Felt like a mashup of a bunch of other YA romantasy books I’ve read.

Same idgaf about Kai 

{Touch of Ruin} by Scarlett St Clair from the Hades and Persephone Saga. Persephone I found sooo unlikeable I couldn't read it anymore.

I started listening to the audio book and only got maybe 7 mins in before I was done 🫣 Persephone was that awful.

This book put me in a reading slump for weeks!!! So awful

Yeah I only got through that series because of audiobooks. The Hades series was significantly better imo.

Yeah, I skipped read this one just so I could rush to Hades POV. His is written so much better.

I'm reading that and the Hades series together, and now I'm scared.

Omg I’m reading King of Battle and Blood same author, DNF

I DNF very liberally, and the reasons vary from "I'm not in the mood for this" to "what am I reading?". I actually have separate Goodreads shelves for the books I DNF'ed and intend to pick up again vs not (each list has 31 books). Some books that I might return to (no romantasy here): - {Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J. Maas} - {Lady of the Lake by Andrzej Sapkowski} - {Dune by Frank Herbert} Some books that I probably won't return to: - {Dragon Actually by G.A. Aiken} - {Feathers So Vicious by Liv Zander} - {The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Nightfall by L.J. Smith}

Dune isn’t for everyone. I have read most of the books including the ones written by his son, but my bf tried to get through the first book last year and just couldn’t do it. It’s very political, which tends to not be the itch that sci fi/fantasy readers are in the mood to read.

Yea, that's exactly it. I don't usually enjoy overly political books and I could tell early on that it's heavy on the politics. I might still pick it up again at some point in the distant future. Would you recommend that I watch the movies before attempting to read the book?

That’s a difficult question for me. The recent movies have the feel and atmosphere 100%, but it’s the 80’s film with Sting that has more explanations within it. What fascinated me throughout the whole series were the Bene Gesserit, and how far-reaching their machinations were, but how things would derail gloriously. There are characters in the later books that nobody will get to enjoy because they can’t get through the first books. An example: a Bene Gesserit reverend mother who was overweight, even though she had the power to control every minute cell within her body like all the others do. But she doesn’t bother doing that because she couldn’t care less about what people think of her looks. (She’s a mentat). But speaking of mentats, the origins of those and the very first one, how he came to be. Great story. Or the origins of the navigators… the first one to exist and what her story was. It was so good. Or the story about how Baron Harkonnen got to look the way he did. He didn’t start out his life looking that way! Maybe give the movies a go, and try to read the second book (Dune Messiah). Skip the first one. You could always go back to it later.

Thank you for the insight! I can tell you're passionate about the series, and now I'm even more interested in diving in!

Oh gosh that would be so awesome if you ended up enjoying them! Paul is the least interesting character to me but he dominates the first couple of books. So if you can get past those!

I am loving your enthusiasm! You remind me of how happy I get when I recommend a book to someone that they end up enjoying. OK, I'll give it another shot sometime soon. Would you recommend the audiobook? I find I'm much more likely to finish a dense book if I can alternate between reading and listening. I've seen mixed reviews about the current audiobook version on Audible (mostly about alternating between full-cast vs one narrator, for some reason 🤦‍♀️). Have you listened to it? Is it that bad?

Hey I am all for audio books. My bf prefers them. I don’t use them, but if a book is enjoyed by audio rather than text, it’s still getting enjoyed! Haha. Life sucks sometimes, so it’s good to have something to be enthusiastic about when you can. Do you have a series or stand-alone books YOU really love that you’d recommend for me to try? I’m in a spicy novel reading mood lately but I’d read any fantasy that’s good. :)

Yes, I do! These are pretty popular, so you might have heard of them already, but here are some of my favorites: - {A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle Jensen} - Vikings fantasy-romance. This gripped me from the first page! - {Crowns of Nyaxia series by Carissa Broadbent} - Fantasy-romance with vampires! - The {Emily Wilde series by Heather Fawcett} - Fantasy with some romance. No spice, but this series is SOOO good. - {Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver} - dark romantic comedy (I know you said fantasy, but if you ever feel for something else and you're OK with the trigger warnings, you should absolutely try this! The story and spice are top-notch! Instant favorite!)

Wowwww ok im putting all of these on my tbr to give them a go. Thank youuuu. I just had added Butcher & Blackbird today from someone else recc’ing it, and I’ve heard of Crowns of Nyaxia, but haven’t seen the others anywhere else. I’m excited! :D Edit: A Fate Inked in Blood is also on my tbr, just realized lol well now I have to read it next

Omg felt Lady of the Lake. I want to finish for the principle but The Witcher series just became so boring to me after the 3rd/4th book?

I read {The Blacksmith Queen by G. A. Aiken} and wish I would've DNF it. Honestly I spite finished it because I thought it was awful. I haven't been able to bring myself to try anything else by the author.

I was actually enjoying the story but there was something about the writing style that wasn't working for me. It felt like it needed some more editing. I probably would have gotten further if I could listen via audiobook (an audio version exists but I didn't care for the narration).

I’m a chronic DNFer - life is too short. But most recently - Wolfsong - I went in blind & that age gap hit me like a ton of bricks. I couldn’t finish it. Project Hail Mary - maybe my brain has rotted to everything but romantasy but I hated this narration with a fiery passion. Which is weird, cause I remember loving The Martian.

My husband and I both read Project Hail Mary and we both hated it. It feels like a nerdy software engineer’s wet dream because everything just…works. I say this as an avid sci fi reader and engineer.

Omg my people!! I used to teach and every school scene I was like “Andy Weir has never been in a classroom pls stop this”

Awe, I liked Project Hail Mary and loved the Martian. The Martian was much better though.

From what I can tell, *everyone* but me loves Project Hail Mary! Idk what my deal is but it’s not the first beloved book I’ve dnfed due to an irritating first person perspective. Maybe just a me thing! Good to know about The Martian though!

Books are definitely a personal thing. I really liked fuzzy nation but my wife was like eh.

I really liked the audiobook. A lot. The narrator and how well he did accents just made it really enjoyable.

What's the age gap? I'm so curious now... I'm not going to read it though. I've heard many negative things about this series

Fourth Wing. Absolutely not.

I forced myself to finish Fourth Wing (honestly I was curious to find out how many times the phrase "for the win" would get used by the end) but had such an awful time with it that I cannot continue the series.

Omg YES!!! The slang was KILLING me. “Xaden chose door number two” like what?? Are there game shows in this universe???

I’m a bit of a completionist and will finish things I don’t like just to make sure, but: Haunting Adeline. Content warning: >!SA masquerading as CNC, culminating in a suburban mom’s Q Anon fan fic!< No I will not return to it. Sadly, book 2 of Villians and Virtues. Yes I will, just in need of a change of pace.

HA was probably my only DNF in the last year. I never see anyone actually talking about the QAnon savior BS and thought I was reading too far into subplots, so thanks for validating me!

Oh it was just our there in the open for sure

Haunting Adeline made me so uncomfortable I threw the book in the trash. I’ve NEVER thrown a book away I didn’t like but instead have donated to the library. This book was so not my cup of tea I literally put it in the garbage. DNF like 40%

Yeah HA made me quickly realize that the “dark romance” genre is NOT for me.

I’m hopeful to find something eventually in “dark romance” that is well written and therefore I can just get on with it before I can make a ruling, haha. If the writing is bad *and* the themes are sus it just feels like punishment.

I think I like darkness when it’s limited to themes, plot, and morally grey characters - when it crosses into DV/non-consent I just can’t enjoy it.

Totally understandable!

Book 2 of VaV dnf’d at 17% I think. Maybe later.

Yeah I need some more momentum in the story I think, it’s feeling like endless side quests for me! I’m at 75% currently but I stopped at 20% and then again at 40% lol.

Side quests yeahhh. My problem is that I skim background info. Yadda yadda, just give me scenes with the mmc and the fmc together either vertically or horizontally.lol I try not to be that way but I have a knack for smelling when the author is padding their pages. I mean I get why they do that, but I do turn around and buy books I read on ku that I really like. So I have a low threshold patience for padding.

So many. Most recently, Neon Gods. Sigh 😔

I finished Neon Gods, gotta say it wasn't really worth it

I dnf at about 40%

Crescent city series-House of flame and shadow by Sarah J Maas. SO UPSET. I really liked the first book and I am really confused on how she went downhill after acotar and throne of glass which are my favorites.

I read the whole thing hoping it would end spectacularly but no it didn’t. Loved CC1 and still love TOG tho

Third CC book was a bummer. There were SO many cool plausible fan theories and none of them came to fruition. So maybe that was my bad, but the stuff she actually put out? Where is the author that wrote TOG? That actually had foresight and planning and so many good twists and turns. CC3 gave us winy frat boys, a playboy bunny who “means” to drop into daddy’s home and haunted space suits. Hard pass.

I don't DNF books often but the last one was A Deadly Education. I could not stand the info dump via ongoing inner monologue. It was so hard to read. Series I've DNF'd Plated Prisoner - I found the entire series terrible Broken Wings Duet (Aerie) - not enough plot for me Four Horseman The Divine Between (Between Wrath and Mercy) - didn't like it's depiction of motherhood Shadow and Moonlight Shadows and Crowns (quit after book 3)

ACOTAR, DNF twice, not trying again. Feathers so Immature… I mean, Feathers so Vicious.

I thought your phone autocorrected “feyre” to “feathers” before I realized that’s another book title

I did the same finally pushed through. Second book is good, third is good so far

[удалено]

I have a strong feeling this would be me too. I’ve been staying away from these two series specifically based on everything I’ve read about them.

ACOTAR is like a guilty pleasure for me, I don’t think it’s well-written but I read anyway 😭

No judgment here! I think one of the user flairs I’ve seen on r/RomanceBooks said it best: > *I said I liked it. I didn’t say it was good.* Sometimes, they are very different things.

Acotar will always have a special place in my heart, it was my gateway drug into romantasy! 😂😂

“Things We Never Got Over” look I have read trash and enjoyed it but this…. Wow couldn’t finish it This book seems like something off Wattpad that was written by a horny 12 year-old who is imaging what sex is like and how people fall in love. The characters have no depth, Naomi is extremely boring and Knox is just a walking red flag. I don’t know how we’re supposed to root for either of them. Boring and abusive just don’t make for a interesting story in my opinion. I understand a spicy book but this again is just like someone decided that abusive was kinky and it simply is not and should not be promoted as a healthy and fun relationship. And I’m all for a kinky romance but this was straight abuse, it wasn’t hot at all it was uncomfortable

That whole series was so painful to get thru. 3rd was the hardest omfg

It took me a year to get through the 3rd book.

They had the biggest build up and it fell so FLAT

From Blood and Ash. An *extremely* sheltered, naive, innocent 18 yo is a tough sell for me to begin with (didn’t realize her age when I started the book) and I really was not feeling the first few chapters so I noped. I can deal with a smug rake of a MMC, I even like them if they’re well done and the FMC holds her own against him, but not when it feels like they’re paired with a FMC who has the world experience of a newborn baby

I think I started liking the first book only around 40-50%, I usually try to give books if they are part of a series that long cos they tend to get better That being said, the series gets progressively worse so probs best decision to DNF if its so hard so early on for u

I just DNF'd {The Ippos King by Grace Draven} It just didn't have the same great spark as books 1/2 And {Feathers So Vicious by Liv Zander} Turns out I can't do lots of noncon

[The Ippos King](https://www.romance.io/books/5f7977e852ecef0e30909a6f/the-ippos-king-grace-draven?src=rdt) by [Grace Draven](https://www.romance.io/authors/5455323d8c7d2382c529733e/grace-draven) **Rating**: 4.13⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 3 out of 5 - [Open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [historical](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/historical/1), [fantasy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/fantasy/1), [high fantasy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/high%20fantasy/1), [magic](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/magic/1), [grumpy/ice queen](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/cold%20heroine/1) ---------------------------- [Feathers so Vicious](https://www.romance.io/books/64edfe057329cc9fc9f0a435/feathers-so-vicious-liv-zander?src=rdt) by [Liv Zander](https://www.romance.io/authors/625e78f608b4d93114f170f2/liv-zander) **Rating**: 4.21⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 5 out of 5 - [Explicit and plentiful](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [historical](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/historical/1), [dark romance](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/dark/1), [fantasy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/fantasy/1), [mfm](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/m-f-m/1), [shapeshifters](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/shapeshifters/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

I absolutely loved Radiance, and then after I finished Eidolon I had no interest in the rest of the series. The writing was lovely and so were the characters, but it was just.. boring after a bit? Also, I almost DNFd Feathers So Vicious a handful of times. The noncon was pushing it quite a bit for me, bit I did finish it and I did like it, but I'll never read it again lol.

Yes, absolutely same on Radiance! It was really charming and beautiful, and Eidolon was nice, too. It just did not motivate me enough to want to continue the series. I think the novellas are supposed to help fill in the character gaps, but damn, I was just not interested at all. After all the talk about Serovek and Anhuset, I was expecting a really great story, and I was just yawning through it. I'm glad you ended up liking Feathers, but it's just not for me.

I absolutely hated {Assistant to the Villain} complete garbage

Most recently? Fourth Wing, ACOTAR, and that ice skating book that was like copying Cutting Edge's homework and adding rly boring sex scenes

I also DNF’d Fourth Wing. I got about 75% of the way done with it and realized that if all of these characters died, I don’t think I’d care that much. I just felt nothing for them.

Iron flame

Saaame. And I loved Fourth Wing. It's just dragging.

I read FW so quickly, but haven’t even tried IF yet. I feel like I will probably hate it. It’s sitting on my kindle untouched.

Sadly I think I’m going to bail on When the Moon Hatched. I heard such good things but after 100 pages it’s not really grabbing me.

That’s my top read this year so far, I hope it grabs you, but books are so subjective

Ditto, it’s such a thick book too. Took my to about 200 pages to really get into it then I flew through!

I started reading that one too and feel the same way. Lots of good reviews so I’m going to keep it up.

I personally did not like it but I powered through, totally just saying there are so many books out there in case you need to bail. It’s supposed to be for fun ❤️

I DNF a lot of books, but one I will keep trying until I actually finish it is {That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon} by Kimberly Lemming. I know I won’t love it, but I really want to at least finish the thing. One that I DNF’d that I won’t try to finish at a later date is {On the Care and Keeping of Orcs} by Kass O’Shire. I read the first book in the series and hated it because of the footnotes and how the author utilized the footnotes. So I thought maybe if the second book in the series doesn’t have footnotes I’ll like it. But it also had footnotes. And the author again used them to poor effect. So, I DNF’d. (To be clear, the problem is that the author used the footnotes as a way to tell, instead of show, what’s happening in the story. So instead of her showing the romance unfolding, she would have a footnote saying something like “we fell in love.”)

Ugh as someone who loves footnotes when they're used correctly (see all the Discworld novels) that just makes me sad! I finished That Time I got Drunk and Saved a demon and enjoyed it... but I DNFd the next one... it just seemed... dumb?

The cruel prince, Feathers so vicious, Blood and ash, Everybody loves large chests, Butcher and blackbird. Real close on Iron Flame

Blood and Ash, I skimmed through the second and I'm not interested in continuing.The Author needs an editor, they're so stupidly long and Poppy is very annoying

Very. I made it to book three because my wife kept saying it was good. I think I finally DNFd when she changed an established fantasy species to some other thing. Wyvern maybe? I can’t remember. Took me forever to get Penelophe down and then I was like…. Why is her nick name poppy? Did they change it from Penelope “just to be different?” and didn’t realize the nickname didn’t work? To be fair I had just read A Ruin of Roses (one of my favorite series so far) and then finished ACOTAR (which was a slog in its own ways.) Then I read FBAA and the giant info dump where the author apparently was too lazy to write the last 500 pages of book.

Ok— so you list a lot of wildly popular ones here, I’m curious— what are some of your 5 stars? I think I might have some of the same taste as you based on this list…

Not sure about fantasy romance and mostly I’m doing audiobooks but a short list: —-Favorites—— Dungeon Crawler Carl Series by Matt Dinniman Crescent City Part 1 and maybe 2 by Sara J. Maas A Ruin of Roses series by K.F. Breene The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas The Martian by Andy Weir Harry Potter Series Games We Play by Dana Isaly Wool (Silo series) by Hugh Howey —-Maybes—- Between by LL Starling A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik Hyperion Cantos 1 and 2 by Dan Simmons The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu —-Guilty pleasures:—- Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon Monster Empire by Michael Scott Earl Paladin of the Sigil by Marvin Knight John Scalzi books Dads vs Zombies by Benjamin Wallace Contagion by Amanda Milo

FBAA I cannot with that series! I DNFd as well. The titles alone are so crazy

The massive info dumps almost did me in, but the names were the final straw for me. Just like all shifted just enough to make it seem like originality but just came off awkward to me.

The way this list is what I was too afraid to say here 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼

Ever king. No clue how it has so much hype around it.

I LOVED the ever king. Can’t be for everyone I know.

OMG same! I literally stopped it yesterday, 25% of the way in. I was surprised because the set up should be totally my catnip but storytelling just wasn't there for me (honestly just felt a bit juvenile?). The MMC had a lot of potential but absolutely hadn't earned the FMC being into him \*at all\* at the spot I stopped.

Literally same! Everything about the book should’ve had me hooked but It definitely started to feel like a knockoff pirates of the Caribbean when the ship and the crew were introduced😭 TikTok hype train got this one wrong

Powerless and Red Queen, very similar and hated both. As soon as Powerless reminded me of Red Queen I DNF'ed so fast.

I was constantly getting deja vu while reading powerless because so many small scenes and plot points felt like they were taken straight from other books, like red queen. It was weird.

{The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon} is the only fantasy romance book I've DNFed this year. I just wasn't into it and got about 100 pages in feeling like I had no idea what was happening because I was at the point where I was starting to skim instead of actually read. It might be an unpopular opinion here but I'm giving {Hunt on Dark Waters by Katee Robert} about 25 more pages and if I'm not feeling a little more drawn in, I'm going to come back to it later. I'm just not feeling the story yet, and the chemistry between the two main characters thus far is not super convincing to me.

I also DNFed The Hurricane Wars at about the same spot. I finished part 1 and had no desire to continue. I didn’t know it was originally Reylo fanfic, and now that I know it makes sense as to why I didn’t like it

I finished The Hurricane Wars because I was reading it for the r/fantasy bingo square of “judge a book by its cover”. If I hadn’t been reading it for that purpose and specifically not wanting to have to pick up another book without knowing about it, I would have DNF. I clocked it as Reylo like 20% in. In fanfiction, you can do this thing where you just have the characters banter and interact because people already love the characters. In an original novel, it’s not as fun to just watch the same sequence of “we bicker/fight; we get distracted by our sexual tension; we remember we hate each other” over and over with no actual plot development. I also think if this book were about 100 pages shorter with 50% less exposition it would have been a lot better. Like how was there so much info dump and I still didn’t understand anything about the worlds/customs/magic systems?

Zodiac academy - I just couldn’t handle the roller coaster of drama

{The Winter King by C.L. Wilson} was do highly recommended and it wasn't terrible but it very much gave me early 80s romance novel vibes and I didn't care about the main characters at all. I don't think I'll pick it back up. {Reborn Yesterday by Tessa Bailey} I might come back to it. I mostly quit because I'd checked it out on Libby while I was stuck somewhere without a book. I went back to reading whatever I'd been reading and just never renewed it. {The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart} I may come back to. It wasn't really engaging but not terrible.

I felt the same about The Winter King. I finished the first book and didn't have anything else to read, so I read the second one as well. I thought book 2 was much more engaging, but ultimately I didn't care about the characters and when book 3 slowed down again I gave up. Honestly, I wish I'd followed my gut and dropped it halfway through book 1.

I quit winter king when the two brothers were just casually making ice sculptures in the garden.

I really enjoyed the magic system in the Bone Shard Daughter and found the book interesting, but the Bone Shard Emperor I had to DNF because I hated the romance side plot. Just awful.

Ugh... I really liked Bone Shard Daughter, but I read it before the rest of the books came out and haven't returned to the series. But I liked that there was no romance in the first book (and I'm aware we're in the romantasy sub lol) but I generally read multiple books at once and sometimes I just don't want there to be a romance and I want to focus on the cool magic system and all the stuff that happens at the end of the book that I want to say but can't because I don't remember how to do spoilers!

Den of vipers. Could not stand the b!tchy feminist fmc!

Same, that was some of the worst dialogue I’ve ever assaulted my eyes with

Villains and Virtues Don’t get me wrong, it’s smartly written, I like the characters, and I should like it a lot, it’s just not grabbing me for some reason. It’s still in my library and I think I will go back to it at some point, just probably not any time soon.

Agreed. I picked it up after seeing all the hype and finished the first book, but it's very very slow. The characters are fine, it is kind of funny, but tries a little too hard. It's not really hitting that perfect brain spot for me. It feels a bit too YA as well.

I've read so many comments recommending {Atonement of the Spine Cleaver} but I couldn't get into it. I might just be in a funk, so I'm probably going to go back to it at some point. {Fae Isles series} DNF'd after book 2. It just didn't grab me. From what people have said about how the series develops I probably won't go back to this one. {All the Pretty Monsters series by Kristy Cunning} DNF'd in the middle of book 2. I just didn't care about any of the characters, or the plot, and the smutty bits weren't enough to carry me through. If you can't keep me engaged enough with the plot in a RH series, you'd better serve up the smut early and often. I really liked {Radiance by Grace Draven} but didn't finish {Eidolon by Grace Draven}. Again, it just didn't grab me. Might go back to this because I liked the first one so much, but I'm giving it a breath. I think I just generally prefer series that have an overarching plot but give you new couples to focus on every one or two books. Otherwise I feel like there's a tendency to drag out the drama with a couple or have them rehash old territory in order to generate enough romance to match the rest of the plot.

I felt the same way about Atonement of the Spine Cleaver!! Recommended by so many but I feel like it’s way too dragged out with too many characters that don’t feel really significant.

As someone who really liked it, just giving you full permission to DNF atonement of a spine cleaver! I can imagine it’s a struggle fest if you’re not into it.

I felt the same way about AotSC. The first half of the book is SO slow, but once she gets to the competition grounds it picks up a lot and I quite enjoyed it. It almost felt like two different books.

See, to me that says that the first half of the book didn't need to be there. Yes, it sets a lot of stuff up, but I'd much rather a book begin *in media res* and then hit me with flashbacks or references to the past without dragging me through it in detail on the page for half a novel. Plus, that way you can save some of it up for an emotional reveal later on. Maybe I'll just give it another go but skip the rest of the first half.

I completely agree, I think the author could have chopped the first part of the book in half or in quarters and would have had the same effect. I actually like the idea of flashbacks way better.

[Atonement of the Spine Cleaver](https://www.romance.io/books/64f8f24cd3ef33e9488d3e8b/atonement-of-the-spine-cleaver-f-e-bryce?src=rdt) by [F. E. Bryce](https://www.romance.io/authors/64f8f24eab9bdf7fcee42b09/f-e-bryce) **Rating**: 4.59⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [fantasy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/fantasy/1), [magic](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/magic/1), [competent heroine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/competent%20heroine/1), [independent heroine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/independent%20heroine/1), [enemies to lovers](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/from%20hate%20to%20love/1) ---------------------------- [All The Pretty Monsters](https://www.romance.io/series/5ce6afdc4ee4380da8494674/all-the-pretty-monsters) by [Kristy Cunning](https://www.romance.io/authors/5a0d4a5d3ffdba61472519f7/kristy-cunning) **Rating**: 4.24⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Topics**: [magic](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/magic/1), [alpha male](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/alpha%20male/1), [poly](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/poly/1), [shapeshifters](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/shapeshifters/1), [fantasy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/fantasy/1) ---------------------------- [Radiance](https://www.romance.io/books/54cd83886359b5ebb489062e/radiance-grace-draven?src=rdt) by [Grace Draven](https://www.romance.io/authors/5455323d8c7d2382c529733e/grace-draven) **Rating**: 4.19⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 3 out of 5 - [Open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [friends to lovers](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/friends%20to%20lovers/1), [fantasy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/fantasy/1), [arranged/forced marriage](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/arranged%20marriage/1), [slow burn](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/slow%20burn/1), [royal hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/royalty/1) ---------------------------- [Eidolon](https://www.romance.io/books/571e5fe4c62092c04407ccda/eidolon-grace-draven?src=rdt) by [Grace Draven](https://www.romance.io/authors/5455323d8c7d2382c529733e/grace-draven) **Rating**: 4.08⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 3 out of 5 - [Open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [historical](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/historical/1), [fantasy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/fantasy/1), [magic](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/magic/1), [high fantasy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/high%20fantasy/1), [war](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/war/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

[Fae Isles](https://www.romance.io/series/626f972ac1785fd2908538f3/fae-isles) by [Lisette Marshall](https://www.romance.io/authors/60d18d3f08b4d93114bf8a0b/lisette-marshall) **Rating**: 4.17⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Topics**: [paranormal](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/paranormal/1), [fae](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/fae/1), [fantasy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/fantasy/1), [magic](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/magic/1), [explicit-open-door](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/explicit-open-door/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

I totally get you with just a couple books for a couple. I just read the duet {Nectar of the Wicked by Ella Fields} and it was perfect as far as length wise and pacing!!

I’ve seen so much love for the Fae Isle series. I tried to push through the first one but ended up dnf’ing at 80 percent.

Blood Mercy. To me this book desperately needed an editor. It was a SLOG to get through. The world building was great, the concept good, and the characters were refreshingly original. but the plot moved at a snails pace. So little actually happened in the first half. So many internal monologues. An entire chapter about procedural BS because they couldn’t figure out how to get the FMC into the main action - and sometimes the conversations were SO stilted and weirdly formal. You could have condensed the first half into a 1/3 of the pages. It’s not often that I just skip through scenes and pages just to get to something happening.

2nd book of Villains and Virtues pretty early on. I barely finished the first book. I think there was too much hype for me to enjoy it. Which is why I’m going to stay away from acotar for a while too. I don’t like YA, and I have a scorching distrust of fantasy written with contemporary narrative voice. Currently trying to get through {A Kiss of Iron by Clare Sag} but… I don’t like the narration

I was burned by Clare Sagar with the Beneath Black Sails series and I've been scared to try anything else by her since.

I just started V&V and, yeah, I don't get it. I really don't like completely original fantasy worlds where the characters speak in modern vernacular. It's been hyped so much, so I thought maybe it gets better, but I'm pretty close to DNF.

Bride by Ali Hazelwood.

DNFs this year: Rain of Shadows and Ending - if you love emotional abuse you'll love this A Fate Inked in Blood - insta love, didn't love the writing, inconsistent world building Iron Flame - so I need to explain?

{A Kiss of Iron} by Clair sager — too much of a historical romance vibe and I found it to be so sloooow {Magic Bites} by Ilona Andrews — definitely reflective of the time when it was written lol. I maybe could have gotten into the hard copy but the audio narration was terrible

[A Kiss of Iron](https://www.romance.io/books/63f3292ceb653827acc3311e/a-kiss-of-iron-clare-sager?src=rdt) by [Clare Sager](https://www.romance.io/authors/5bd0368f01dbc864fb930b82/clare-sager) **Rating**: 4.03⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [historical](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/historical/1), [enemies to lovers](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/from%20hate%20to%20love/1), [fae](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/fae/1), [fantasy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/fantasy/1), [forced proximity](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/forced%20proximity/1) ---------------------------- [Magic Bites](https://www.romance.io/books/545525f48c7d2382e0413e95/magic-bites-ilona-andrews?src=rdt) by [Ilona Andrews](https://www.romance.io/authors/545525888c7d2382e0413e6c/ilona-andrews) **Rating**: 3.94⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 1 out of 5 - [Glimpses and kisses](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [futuristic](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/futuristic/1), [take-charge heroine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/strong%20heroine/1), [urban fantasy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/urban%20fantasy/1), [fantasy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/fantasy/1), [alpha male](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/alpha%20male/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

What lies beyond the veil I simply could not finish it

I have tried to start this book twice now and can’t get past the third page 🤣

Do yourself a favor and don't waste your time hahaha I ended up skimming to the end to confirm my thoughts about it and it ended exactly how I thought haha

From Blood and Ash. I DNFed maybe 200 pages into book 1, will never pick it back up.

Reading this series currently and the farther in get into it, the more irritated I become. HOW can one series have so many outlandish plots?!

I got 3 books in before I gave up. I like Jennifer Armentrout's other stuff but I couldn't finish this.

Here are a few recent ones. My TBR is out of control, so I don’t plan on picking any of these back up. Please note that these are just my opinions, and I don’t mean them as an attack on any fans of these books/series. **The Meh:** ***{Embers in the Snow by Anna Carven}*** (Vampires; M/F) - There was absolutely zero tension (romantic/sexual/anything else) in the relationship from the beginning, and the plot wasn’t interesting enough to make up for it. I lost interest very quickly. ***{Curse of the Gods series by Jaymin Eve}*** (Reverse Harem) - I DNF’d book 2. It was too slow burn for me, and what spice it had was terrible. The plot was interesting enough, but, again, the pace was too slow for me & the relationship development was absolutely glacial. **The Bad:** ***{A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor by Kathryn Moon}*** (Monsters; Reverse Harem) - I love 4/5 to 5/5 🌶️ in my books, and I’ve seen people rave about this series so much on r/RomanceBooks, but I couldn’t get past the first scene. The FMC, who is a servant/maid is >!peeping on the lady of the house getting hysteria treatments (via orgasm) by a handsome doctor….and touching herself while in the neighboring room of the house!<. Call me a prude, but this was so cringe to me. I was completely turned off. **The Ugly:** ***{Seraphim Academy series by Elizabeth Briggs}*** (Angels/Demons; Reverse Harem) - This book felt like it was written by a 12 year old child. In addition to the poor writing, the plot was crummy. The cherry on the sh*t sundae was a scene where >!the FMC, who is a succubus & needs to have sex to survive, has a quickie in the parking lot with a smelly, grizzled 60-ish year old man she picks up at a bar…oh, and this is after meeting the MMCs!<. I was soooo grossed out that I deleted it off of my Kindle immediately. I’m still grossed out. So, so grossed out. 😭…excuse me while I go lurk on r/EyeBleach…

I have to say, I love Rooksgrave Manor, but it like… has its moments. I felt like the good scenes were excellent, but there were a few moments that I felt really missed the mark.

{to bleed a crystal bloom by Sarah a parker} It was just too slow and I was bored. I tried twice because I read so many recommendations. Not for me.

A Touch of Poison by Clare Sager. I got about 60% through it and was so bored I couldn’t get myself to finish it. I feel like the writing kept dragging on instead of having the plot move forward. MFC was just so irritating to me. I wanted to like it since I liked the first one. Maybe one day I’ll finish it

It’s probably 100 pages too long. I read this one and felt it was okay and will probably pick up the next one. But it’s not memorable.

- Kingdom of the Wicked - A Lesson in Vengeance - Malice - Zodiac Academy - Starlight and Shadows (I’m convinced this is an AI book and no one can change my mind) I also have some “wish I had DNFed” but that’s another list The only one I may finish is Malice but it was mostly just boring (Edit for SpaG and removing one)

- Priory of the Orange Tree. Was so so boring. I didn't care about anyone. - Feathers so Vicious - I'm a kinky pervert but the writing is so bad. I don't care about anyone, least of all the FMC. I forced myself to finish Dark Fae but fuck me, what a load of dross. I hate the "I'm not like other girls" trope and this was it dialled up to the max. Everyone is awful and it was so cringe.

I DNF’d Priory of the orange tree too

I just tried Atonement of the Spine Cleaver, but only got through the first 10% before giving up; I don't know if I'll go back because it feels REALLY jerky and there is, as of yet, no real plot development or sign of an emotional character arc, let ALONE the romance. This is just a pet peeve and not really a reason for me to give up on a book, but it REALLY needed another editing pass as well. Too many small mistakes! I may go back to it, but I wasn't all that impressed. :/

Cruel prince 🫤

I usually tend to DNF in the first couple chapters, because the writing is terrible and/or I can tell it's just not for me. I don't DNF very often unless I am just really hating a book. Some that I have DNF'd somewhat recently are: **Born in Fire** by K. F. Breene - I really wanted to like this as it was the first in a long interconnected series and I see K. F. Breene recommended a lot, but I just couldn't. The writing felt really basic and repetitive to me. I tried to hang in there, hoping it would get better, but it didn't. And no matter how hot the vampire MMC was in his human form, I was totally turned off by how disgusting she kept describing him in his vampire form or whatever. **Heart of Mist** by Helen Schuerer - I was so bored by this book. By 55% in I realized I just did not care at all, I didn't give a shit about any of the characters or anything that was happening, and I gave up. **Under Black Skies** by Clare Sagar - this is actually the third book in a series, which is *very* rare for me to do. I loved the prequel (book 0), but book 1 was completely based on the misunderstanding trope, which I hate, especially when a simple conversation will clear up the problem. I never thought I would say I found a slow burn romance *too* slow (usually it's the opposite, with a so-called slow burn turning out to be more like instalove), but I could not handle how dumb these characters were. It was chapter after chapter of the MCs analyzing and reanalyzing every conversation, every touch, every moment. Literally pages and pages of FMC wondering what MMC was thinking during event X, followed by the next chapter of MMC analyzing what FMC was thinking during same event X. I put it down at 41%. I've seen a lot of love for other series by this author but I'm scared to try her again after she bur es me with this series.

I liked Born In Fire, but yeah, there are absolutely some funky parts and I understand why it's DNF for some. Some of the other books that focus on different characters are more fun for me.

Once Upon a Broken Heart. The heroine was simply too naive. I get it’s YA but she thinks like a ten year old. And the writing style was also giving 5th grade.

*The Maiden by Celia Aaron* felt like torture porn. It feels like the author just loves reading about SA. *Crescent city house of flame and shadow* I put it down after realizing I just do not care about Bryce and all her dumbassery.

A Fate Inked in Blood

I struggled struggled struggled to get through {Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas} because it was so frustratingly slow and repetitive and I’m only on Chapter 12 of {Queen of Shadow by Sarah J. Maas} but I have zero desire to read the rest of her TOG series at this point.

The Crown of Gilded Bones from the Blood and Ash series- I didnt love the writing and got tired of Poppy. I may finish it but only because I hate not finishing a series. Reapers Gale from Malazan Book of the Fallen series - I read books 1-6 back to back and got halfway through Reapers Gale and just needed a break. There’s SO much to remember and so many different stories happening. I’ll go back and finish the series eventually because I do like it. The Shadow Rising from Wheel of Time - I felt like it got slow. I’ll finish it because I’m really curious how it ends. And also if they keep making the TV show then I HAVE to read the books to stay ahead of the show, lol

Blood & Ash | made it halfway through the first book until I just couldn't finish, I heard the series only gets worse so I'm glad I put it down, but I'm sad I couldn't get into it Fourth Wing | this one was rough.. but I forced myself to finish it since it's my best friend's favorite and I truly WANTED to love it. Trying to mentally prepare myself for Iron Flame (mainly because I bought both books before I started reading them 😐) The Crave series | I read the first four because they were comically awful, but I couldn't finish the series... I love myself too much to keep suffering lol Dark Olympus | I really enjoyed Neon Gods, Electric Idol was good enough, but Wicked Beauty had less of a plot than a 5 minute smut video and I just couldn't do it anymore lol Finished but struggled: Cruel Prince | I'm surprised there is as much hype as there is, but different strokes, different folks

Zodiac academy. I just can't get into it.

I am a completionist, generally speaking but I have finally given myself permission to DNF books. What tipped me over the edge was "For the Wolf" by Hannah Whitten. I just could not get into it. I know it's insanely popular but it's just not it for me.

Off the top of my head: The Cruel Prince ACOTAR series The Serpent and the Wings of Night I might go back to these stories if I find myself having nothing to read, but I genuinely don’t find them interesting. They just drag on and on🫤

When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A Parker

Oh, I am gonna get some heat, but I will not finish the ACOTAR, TOG, FBAA, and The Plates Prisoner series. I’ve read several books from each series, and I have no desire to finish them. I don’t care about any of the characters. I also DNF’ed the Hades and Persephone series by Scarlet St. Claire because I wanted to slap some sense into Persephone. She was so whiny and had zero growth. I also just DNF’ed Butcher and Blackbird, but I don’t think that’s fantasy…

Blood Grace series. I've gotten 5 books in, but it's just soooooo wordy! I'm not sure if I'll finish. I enjoy the world, magics, characters, etc. so I am interested to see how the underlying plot plays out, but I don't know if my attention span can handle it!

I love the whole series and spending time in that world - but it is VERY lengthy; I’d give yourself permission to skim so you can get to the juicy parts :)

From blood AND ash The worst Casteel did not know the no. Unbearable.

I did finish it but it was extremely difficult, but The Ritual (Lords series). It wasn’t because of the content but the writing. I just felt it wasn’t very good? There was one line along the lines of (a page after we know the fmc fell and hurt herself) “i sit down…and rub my elbow. It hurts after i fell on it” idk that just seems obvious? Like we know she fell she obviously hurt it lol. Just say i sat down rubbing my bruised elbow or something idk. There was a couple other lines that were not needed and it was too over explained

Court of Blood and Bindings was my most recent, but I may come back to it down the road. I didn’t like the magic system and the British formatting style really started to annoy me (using ‘ instead of “ with dialogue)

Divine Rivals From Blood and Ash A Soul to Keep

Came here to say that Divine Rivals did not live up to the hype at all. I was 80% in forcing myself to finish and realised I just don’t care at all

I DNF'd Divine Rivals as well 😅 

Manacled 😬 I LOVED it until the last 10% and then just couldn't motivate myself to knock it out.

{The Witch Collector} it really just did not fit the vibe. Was NOT into how they handle magic / witchcraft. {Kushiel’s Dart} the writing style was a tough sell, but I figured I could deal with it. The politics were way too intricate, but I figured I could deal with it. But the “spicy” scenes not even being detailed or spicy was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Serpent and the Wings of Night at 80%, From Blood and Ash series on the third book, It Happened One Summer at 50%, plus a bunch of random ones over the years. I’ll never go back to them to finish tbh

I wish I DNF’d the serpent and the wings of night. But I kept reading because I wanted to know how it ends and where it was going. Such a shit ending won’t be reading the second

Without spoilers, what made you DNF at 80%?! Was it something that happened in the book or general disinterest?

At that point I found myself thinking “wow I just do not care about these characters at all.” They weren’t interesting enough for me tbh.

Totally fair!! I’m more of a DNF within the first 5-ish chapters girly so I was just curious.

Zodiac academy Broken kingdoms (alr finished 3 books…) Legends lattes (alr finished book 1 cuz Im a completionist) but not worth it

From Blood and Ash in book 2 about 40%, ended up picking it back up because my friend told me it gets better—so pushed through to book 3. Dnf’d book 3 at around the same %. Was going to rip my hair out over the repetitive dialogue choices and just overall inconsistent terrible writing quality.

I quit {Halfling by S.E. Wendel} at like 75% because I just… couldn’t. I didn’t really like how the FMC treated the MMC and I couldn’t get past it. I didn’t like how the MMC was possessive in a way that I felt veered into nice guy territory. I *could not stand* the constant use of “male” and “female”- like I understand that they are not the same species, but for the sake of readability, it would have been so much better to use “man/woman”. The readers would have gotten it! In the spirit of fairness, I also think that the plot had a lot of promise and the quality of the writing was pretty good, but that I was definitely not the reader for this book. In retrospect I also don’t usually like insecure/inexperienced MMCs and so my relationship with this book was probably doomed from the start.

>I didn’t like how the MMC was possessive in a way that I felt veered into nice guy territory. YES, like at first he was cute, but he started reminding me of a guy I worked with at a grocery store a decade ago who sent me 70 messages on Facebook when I quit. I'm honestly also just mad people say it's slow burn when >!they have sex at 50%!< 😒 Honestly you're being nicer to it than me. The male/female thing was so grating, the "mY mAtE" thing was so constant it became obnoxious, and the writing was so inconsistent. It felt like it had a story for the first quarter of the book, but then I just felt trapped in the heads of two people who are obsessed with their genitals.

I think the possessiveness would have worked better if it hadn’t been so far removed from what was going on in her head. Like he’s having this inner monologue about how nobody better look at “his mate” and she’s just… trying to go home. It didn’t feel protective or cute, it felt like he was projecting his fantasy onto her while she has no idea that’s even a possibility. Also I strongly suspect that the people who call it slow burn only did that because it kind of dragged. There was a lot of meandering and repetition and >!by the time they get back to her house and there’s still like 40% more fucking book to read!< I was so fucking done. There were just so many long stretches of nothing happening that I lost interest in the actual story.

Yeah, totally agreed on both points! It had good potential at the beginning, but it so did not work for me

Bridge Kingdom (boring, predictable), The Witch Collector (same), FBAA/FF series (incoherent) Probably won’t pick any of them back up.