I have a habit these days – whether it’s good or bad, I’m not sure – of being very quick to pull the plug on a book I’m not much enjoying. It’s a good thing because then I can move on to a book I know I’ll like, but I have also been known to wind up liking a book that I thought about DNFing. These days I usually almost regret not moving on before finishing the book – and I think that’s probably because I now have a much better grasp on what I like and what I don’t like in books. Now, on to the list of books I nearly quit before finishing!
Toads and Diamonds by Heather Tomlinson
Honestly, I had very high hopes for this book, but it just turned out to be so incredibly boring. I love the fairytale it retold, and it was brilliant getting to finally find a retelling with strong diversity and absolutely spectacular girls, but it was just boring. Super boring.
World of Warcraft: Shaman by Paul Benjamin
If this hadn’t been a manga (and therefore super quick to read) I would have dropped it so quick. Basically, what the whole story is telling you is that change is bad, evil and all that good stuff. Which just doesn’t work for me. At all.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
This, as I’m sure nearly everyone knows, is one of those well-loved, popular books that is best known for being funny. However, the humor is not my humor – and because this book offers little besides humor, I found myself not enjoying it much. If I hadn’t been determined to read it for a challenge, I probably would have dropped it.
Say Yes to the Marquess by Tessa Dare
This book was such a disappointment after how much I loved Castles Ever After. Considering this was only the second Dare book I’ve read (and because 50/50 isn’t such a good ratio) I was kind of turned off her books because of this one. Not to mention the fact that I was super glad I borrowed it from the library instead of buying it.
Ravenous by MarcyKate Connolly
All I could think while reading this book was that it was no Monstrous. But, really, this book was boring and it just never clicked with me.
Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor
I actually forced my way through this book because I thought I was going to finish the series. Yeah, I finished this book back in June of last year and still haven’t read the sequel – and, if I’m being perfectly honest, probably never will. (And, let me tell you, reading my lovely little rant on Goodreads about this book has me curious because I’m realizing that I remember nearly nothing about this book.)
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
I don’t know what to say about this book because I honestly don’t even know what I feel towards it anymore. I decided to read it because it’s so super popular and I did enjoy the prequel. However, this book was kind of a slog to read – and I haven’t learnt because I still kind of want to read the next book in the series. (I blame the show – that I own the entirety of season one of and still haven’t gotten around to watching!)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
If this hadn’t been the series finale, I would have quit reading it. Just pulled the plug on it and the series as a whole. But, as I’d already invested time that I can never get back in previous books, (especially the fifth one) and this was the culmination of the story, I forced my way through it. Probably one of the few books I’ve finished in recent years that I actually hate.
Truthwitch by Susan Dennard
And this was the other book I was thinking of that I finished even though I hated it. I finished it simply so I could write a rather lovely rant-tastic review. Because most books have at least something I can enjoy and this one had nothing. (And, truthfully, I should have went ahead and DNF’d it.)
And there we have my list. (Shh, I know it’s only nine, but that layout looks the best so I most likely will be doing a top nine list and calling it a top ten.) I’d love to know what you thought on these books, if you’re the sort with a hair trigger DNF and what twist you put on the topic this week!
A Thousand Worlds 
The cover of Toads and Diamonds is gorgeous, what a shame it was a disappointment.
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Yeah, the cover is absolutely lovely. (At least it looks nice? I’ll go with that.)
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Totally understand your feelinsg about City of Bones! I loved it when I read it, but it did drag a bit and I think if I would read it again today I’d struggle a lot! Had some issues with Truthwitch as well, but I’m still kind of interested in reading the sequel. 🙂
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There was probably a time I would have loved City of Bones. Now, though, I just found it frustrating. I do hope Truthwitch’s sequel turns out well for you.
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I just read Daughter of Smoke and Bone and have both of the sequels, it’s a shame to hear you weren’t a fan of Days of Blood and Starlight. I liked Deathly Hallows, but the camping was definitely a chore to get through! Truthwitch is on my TBR, it’s a shame to hear you didn’t enjoy it.
My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2017/09/05/top-ten-tuesday-123/
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Don’t worry, I am in the minority with Days of Blood and Starlight – so you might still like it. With Truthwitch, it seems most people either love it or hate it. I’ve only come across a few that are in between. And don’t even get me started on the camping trip of doom in Deathly Hallows. (Though, really, I don’t think I’ve ever read about an exciting camping trip…)
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I hope so! Yes I have seen mixed reviews for Truthwitch but it sounds good to me, so I still want to try it and hope I’m one of the lucky ones! OMG I know right, it was awful (though you do make a good point there!)
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I heard so many mixed things about The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy that I’m honestly not very interested in it at this point. Sad it didn’t work for you, though. 😦 I read the Something Strange and Deadly trilogy by Susan Dennard and while I fairly like it, it wasn’t truly special? Reading some negative reviews, including yours, I decided Truthwitch wasn’t for me either.
I enjoyed Say Yes to the Marquess, but it’s one of my least favorite books by the author. Out of the Castles Ever After books the third and fourth are easily the best, and her other series, god, I can’t recall the title right now, but the one that the 4th Castles Ever After book is part of, was A LOT better than this series, tbh. There was one book that was meh, but the rest were great. There was a lot of “girls supporting girls” and working together in that, so I’d def recommend you checking it out.
Anyhow, great post! I’m sorry these books let you down.
Veronika @ The Regal Critiques
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With The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, it has a very specific sense of humor. It’s what I call nonsense humor where funny things happen just to happen. There’s no real reason and the humor IS the story. For me, I like funny books, but the humor didn’t work. I’m biased, but I’d definitely say you dodged a bullet with Truthwitch. My biggest problem was it just wasn’t what it was marketed as.
I do like the sound of ‘girls supporting girls’ in historical romance, so I might check that series of Dare’s out. Say Yes to the Marquess didn’t turn out well for me and that combined with the plot for the third in the series (because just reading the synopsis rubbed me the wrong way) made me bow out. Thanks, Vera!
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I’ve had City of Bones sitting on my shelf for over a year. I like the concept and even liked the movie (yes I know I’m among the few that did). I just can’t make myself get around to reading it.
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You sound like me with the book because I feel like I had it for AGES before I read it. The concept behind it is awesome though, I love it and it’s one of the main reasons I’m still considering reading more of the series. I have to admit, I haven’t seen the movie yet. It is something I’d like to get to – mostly because I have a terrible tendency to like a movie more than the book.
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