I really don't like to DNF. I can't stand the idea of starting a book and not finishing it. That being said, in the case of books I am not enjoying, this can definitely be to my detriment. Here are ten books that made me come way too close to breaking my anti-DNF rule!
1) 'A Red Tale' by Nicola Mar.
The cover of this looked pretty cool when I requested it, and I was particularly attracted by the unusual interpretation of dragons and the idea of global cooling. I was very quickly disappointed by the author's unedited, confusing style that felt more like a stream of consciousness than anything. I didn't get the story or the characters, and really...I have no idea what happened in that book...
2) 'Fractured Dream' by K.M. Randall.
Honestly, this whole book was a mess for me. I was drawn to the idea of fairy tales merged and retold, and navigating a land full of recognisable characters. While I liked some of the diversity inclusion, the characters were badly written and frustrating, the dialogue stilted and the plot pretty much non-existent. The cover's cute though?
3) 'Midnight Crossroad' by Charlaine Harris.
I really hoped that I would enjoy this book because it's written by a pretty esteemed author. I didn't want to get into the 'Sookie Stackhouse' series until I was sure I'd enjoy her books however and I'm glad I started here because I really didn't like it. Her MC was a sexist, creepy fraud who's attitude towards women particularly bugged me. Also, Harris had a really strange fixation on overly-describing physical appearances too which vexed me.
4) 'How To Fly With Broken Wings' by Jane Elson.
This book was just a bit too simple for me. Considering the themes that it is supposed to touch upon, I would have liked to see more. I found that everything felt a little off and two-dimensional - particularly the characters. I hated the dialogue in this book too, as it mostly consisted of CAPITAL LETTERS which is my pet peeve.
5) 'A Whole New World' by Liz Braswell.
I wanted to adore this book, as I haven't read too many retellings and I liked the idea of a re-imagining of Disney's version of Aladdin. Instead, I found myself rolling my eyes through most of this book, as it read like fan fiction. And not good fan fiction either! It pasted most of the film, word for word with just the tiniest dialogue changes in the first half, then went completely off it's rocker in part two. What?
6) 'A Song For Ella Grey' by David Almond.
I couldn't stop laughing through most of this book - and not in a good way. It seriously made no sense! I've seen so many reviews hailing this as a wonderful read but for me, it's overly flowery prose and nonsensical story-line (if it can be called a plot) threw me off completely. I hated the narrator so much and I was so disappointed because the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice is one of my favourite greek myths of all time.
7) 'Going Bovine' by Libba Bray.
I tried reading this during my teenage years but quickly gave up on it. I then tried again while I was on holiday, and while I got through it I still found it completely bonkers. Mixed in with the bizarre plot and annoying characters is some symbolism that I'm sure means something. I can't for the life of me work out what though, and honestly I thought I was high while reading this.
8) 'Hunter' by Mercedes Lackey.
The MC for this book ruined the whole thing because she was every YA trope out there! AKA she was Mary Sue, the chosen one. I adored the cover for this book and wanted to love it so much, especially as Mercedes Lackey is a really popular author. But I felt that it had nothing all that good going for it and I have zero interest in continuing the series, even if the covers are cool!
9) 'Passenger' by Alexandra Bracken.
I was so on board for this book because I've yet to read a really good time travel book and I think this had some potential. I'd also been waiting a long time to read some Alexandra Bracken! I was disappointed therefore that this book did not do it for me. It's pacing was awful and it was filled to the brim with info-dumping.
10) 'Stealing Snow' by Danielle Paige.
This one was my biggest disappointment. We all know how much I love fairy tales and re-imaginings usually are my favourite genre to read. But this book killed that dead by giving me an awful heroine that fell in love with every character that she met (I'm not kidding), a vague 'fantasy' land and a forgettable plot. Ugh.
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