Every month I'm going to list the books I did not finish (or DNFed) from the last month. I'm trying to do better about giving up on books I'm not enjoying, so I have been DNFing books a lot more.
Laila has been pledged to serve the jackal god, Anubis, since she was a child. She wants nothing more than to follow in the footsteps of her father and brother and become a member of the Keepers of Divine Order. When her initiation into the Keepers leads her to Miami and pits her against the wereleopard Sekhmet, Laila is cast into a sea of clan intrigue and bitter rivalries. The stakes grow even higher once the rival pack of werehyenas, led by the beautiful and bloodthirsty Samara, decides to lay claim to the wereleopard’s territory. With the arrival of Kess, the true wereleopard clan leader, and her retinue of werewolves, violence threatens to erupt. Will Laila’s training and skills be enough to save the young werejackal and everything she’s worked for? The scales are ready and Anubis awaits...
How far did I get? 10%
DNF Review
So, I read book one around six years ago. This book follows a different protagonist, so I didn't have difficulty understanding the book, but my reading tastes have changed the last six years. I don't gravitate towards paranormal romance anymore, and I'm definitely no longer interested in werewolf books. I also struggled to connect with the MC mostly because all the 10% of the book showed us was that this girl can kickbutt because she is a werejackal and not like other girls. She also can't wait to get out of high school so she could stop "pretending". Both these things were built on cliches. I rolled my eyes when I read the line "she wasn't one of those pretty brainless girls with nothing worrying her head but the next trip to the mall to buy the latest must-have purse or pair of shoes". We get that you're not like other girls, you're a werejackal, that makes you different, but do you have to demean a whole gender just to tell us that? In the same paragraph, she also says how she hates high school because it feels like she is under a microscope, so she has to pretend to be under the radar and normal. This means getting boyfriends. But, that's not what high school is like? Most people probably couldn't care less about what you are doing, and it's not a given that you have to date in high school.
Anyway, I just was not feeling the book. I think it could've turned out to be an okay read for me, not bad but not good. I figured that I could spend my time reading books that are more than an okay read.
This was just another case where the book just wasn't for me. It's also another case where if I actually read the book back when I added it to my TBR, I would have enjoyed it a lot more. Right now it's just really hard to get me to like a paranormal book because it's not my jam anymore. You have to do something really unique. I think this book has really unique ideas. The world introduced, the creatures, and the magic, are not seen often in YA. The general plotline, though, wasn't all that new. And I struggled to really understand what the plot was and where the book was going. I think this book would have gotten a solid 3 stars, or 2.5 stars (an "it was okay" rating), if I did finish it, but I felt like I was just trying to push to the end so I could mark it as "read" and that's not a good reason to finish a book.
So, I read book one around six years ago. This book follows a different protagonist, so I didn't have difficulty understanding the book, but my reading tastes have changed the last six years. I don't gravitate towards paranormal romance anymore, and I'm definitely no longer interested in werewolf books. I also struggled to connect with the MC mostly because all the 10% of the book showed us was that this girl can kickbutt because she is a werejackal and not like other girls. She also can't wait to get out of high school so she could stop "pretending". Both these things were built on cliches. I rolled my eyes when I read the line "she wasn't one of those pretty brainless girls with nothing worrying her head but the next trip to the mall to buy the latest must-have purse or pair of shoes". We get that you're not like other girls, you're a werejackal, that makes you different, but do you have to demean a whole gender just to tell us that? In the same paragraph, she also says how she hates high school because it feels like she is under a microscope, so she has to pretend to be under the radar and normal. This means getting boyfriends. But, that's not what high school is like? Most people probably couldn't care less about what you are doing, and it's not a given that you have to date in high school.
Anyway, I just was not feeling the book. I think it could've turned out to be an okay read for me, not bad but not good. I figured that I could spend my time reading books that are more than an okay read.
“I’m a ticking time bomb. And one day soon everything is going to explode.”
Felicia and Neil have arrived in Level 3 and are supposed to prepare for their divine vocations.
But during Felicia and Neil's training period, a series of explosions rips through Level 3. Tension is high, and casualties are mounting. A rift forms between the pair, one that grows wider when Felicia receives memories from the Morati. The memories cast doubt on the people she loves the most, but Felicia can't stop her curiosity. She has to know the truth about her life – even if it means putting at risk everything she’s worked for in her death.
How far did I get? 137 Pages
DNF Review
I didn’t dislike this book, but as I was reading I realized that I just didn’t care. There were characters dying, and all I could think about was how many pages I had left. I was curious about learning more about the afterlife, but the focus was mainly on Felicia’s relationship with Neil (and Neil was as interesting as cardboard), and the attacks from the Morati. I admit, that I didn’t remember much from book one, but after reading my “review” from book one, it sounds like I had similar feelings there. I liked the afterlife, but the ending (and the Morati) was rushed. Since I felt like I was forcing myself to finish this book, I’m just going to stop reading. There’s not really anything keeping me invested, and there are lots of other books to read.As 16 year old Grace recovers from tragedy, her science class is chosen by Agent Sweeney at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to help with research on the new "Red Wolf Reintroduction Program".
While she’s excited about helping with the conservation of the endangered wolves, Grace knows this means being outdoors in the worst winter on record, in a place she no longer feels comfortable. It also means working closely with Wyn (her ex) and his annoying girlfriend (Skyler), a girl whose idea of getting close to nature is killing silk plants and watering a cactus.
After a couple of wolves show up dead, Grace almost quits. However, when a fellow project team member goes missing, Grace continues the assignment under a renewed suspicion that someone might be sabotaging the conservation program. She quietly begins to hunt for clues.
Little does she know, she is being hunted too.
How far did I get? 51%
DNF Review
So, I really liked the first book in this series, but I read that book six years ago. I can't remember anything about that book now, and now I'm also more critical when it comes to books. I made it halfway through this book, which is a lot, but if it weren't for the fact that I had nothing else to read at the time, I would have given up after the first chapter.
The first chapter is confusing. We start with a chase scene, with the MC in a precarious situation, then we cut to an entirely new environment in the next chapter, with nothing said about the previous chapter. I think it was supposed to be a time jump, showing the reader what to expect later in the book, but there was no indication of that. No "6 weeks earlier" tag, or anything similar. Honestly, I hate prologues that jump ahead in the book because they're usually confusing, and usually mean that the author has no interesting place to start the actual story.
The writing was also really clunky and Grace's character didn't make sense. Her emotions never matched the dialogue and she was such a hypocrite. She also claims that she's great with the outdoors, but she kept making dumb decisions. She was honestly a bit full of herself. I really hated that the only other main teenage girl character is portrayed as a terrible person (There is I think one other teen girl character, but Grace only has one conversation with her before I gave up. She is also a stereotyped character, but she's a studious stereotype). And by terrible, I mean that she is a girly girl, which is of course bad in Grace's book. I'm honestly tired of books featuring girls who hate girls just because they're girly girls. Granted, the other girl, Skylar, is not nice to Grace, but that's because her father died in book one after Grace discovered that Skylar's father was involved in nefarious things. Skylar blames Grace for her father's death. But here's the thing, Grace hates Skylar not because of this history, but because Skylar is the annoying girl who complains about the cold on a winter hike and has the audacity to go out with Grace's EX-boyfriend. I'm not saying that I liked Skylar (I didn't), I'm saying that I also didn't like Grace and that books should stop pitting girls against each other.
The plot was really slow and once I went home (to other books), I didn't really want to pick this book up again because I honestly didn't care. This book wasn't terrible, but I don't want to waste my time on a book that I am not enjoying.
So, I really liked the first book in this series, but I read that book six years ago. I can't remember anything about that book now, and now I'm also more critical when it comes to books. I made it halfway through this book, which is a lot, but if it weren't for the fact that I had nothing else to read at the time, I would have given up after the first chapter.
The first chapter is confusing. We start with a chase scene, with the MC in a precarious situation, then we cut to an entirely new environment in the next chapter, with nothing said about the previous chapter. I think it was supposed to be a time jump, showing the reader what to expect later in the book, but there was no indication of that. No "6 weeks earlier" tag, or anything similar. Honestly, I hate prologues that jump ahead in the book because they're usually confusing, and usually mean that the author has no interesting place to start the actual story.
The writing was also really clunky and Grace's character didn't make sense. Her emotions never matched the dialogue and she was such a hypocrite. She also claims that she's great with the outdoors, but she kept making dumb decisions. She was honestly a bit full of herself. I really hated that the only other main teenage girl character is portrayed as a terrible person (There is I think one other teen girl character, but Grace only has one conversation with her before I gave up. She is also a stereotyped character, but she's a studious stereotype). And by terrible, I mean that she is a girly girl, which is of course bad in Grace's book. I'm honestly tired of books featuring girls who hate girls just because they're girly girls. Granted, the other girl, Skylar, is not nice to Grace, but that's because her father died in book one after Grace discovered that Skylar's father was involved in nefarious things. Skylar blames Grace for her father's death. But here's the thing, Grace hates Skylar not because of this history, but because Skylar is the annoying girl who complains about the cold on a winter hike and has the audacity to go out with Grace's EX-boyfriend. I'm not saying that I liked Skylar (I didn't), I'm saying that I also didn't like Grace and that books should stop pitting girls against each other.
The plot was really slow and once I went home (to other books), I didn't really want to pick this book up again because I honestly didn't care. This book wasn't terrible, but I don't want to waste my time on a book that I am not enjoying.
When a plane crashes in the woods near Jess’s home, the boy of her dreams falls out of
the sky—literally.
But David’s not here to find a girlfriend. He’s from another planet, and if Jess can’t help him get back to his ship, he’ll be stuck on Earth with nothing to look forward to but the pointy end of a dissection scalpel. But her father runs their house like an army barracks. and with an alien on the loose, Major Dad isn’t too keen on the idea of Jess going anywhere.
Ever.
So how the heck is she supposed to help the sweetest, strangest, and cutest guy she’s ever met? Hiding him in her room probably isn’t the best idea. Especially since her Dad is in charge of the squadron searching for David.
That doesn’t mean she won’t do it.
It just means she can't get caught. Helping David get home while protecting her heart—that’s gonna be the hard part.
After all, she can't really fall for a guy whose not exactly from here. As they race through the woods with Major Dad and most of the U.S. military one breath behind them, Jess and David grow closer than either of them anticipated. But all is not what it seems. David has a genocide-sized secret, and one betrayal later, they are both in handcuffs as alien warships are positioning themselves around the globe. Time is ticking down to Armageddon, and Jess must think fast if she's to save the boy she cares about without sacrificing Earth—and everyone on it.
How far did I get? 11%
DNF Review
So, this is yet another book that I would have enjoyed more when I was a teen (when I first added this book to my TBR). I used to love to read books with aliens, but now I’m meh about that topic. Now I’ll only read alien books if it does something new, and this didn’t feel new. It was the typical girl meets alien hot boy and they must hide and go on the run (I’m only assuming the running part. I didn’t get that far). They barely met, and all our MC could think about was his “perfectly cut jaw” and beautiful eyes. It was just ridiculous. The MC (who unfortunately shares the same name as me) also makes dumb decisions. A plane is shot down, there’s a freaky fire, people are scared, her father tells our MC to stay inside, and what does our MC do? Go outside to take photos. I understand that photography is her passion, but there is no need to risk your life that way. The next day she even leaves to pick up her prints, and she’s just so chill about it. Girl, you thought the apocalypse was happening yesterday! Stay home!
I was curious about some elements, but it doesn’t feel like a new twist on aliens. And I could tell that both the romance and the MC were going to frustrate me. So, I’m just going to stop reading.
So, this is yet another book that I would have enjoyed more when I was a teen (when I first added this book to my TBR). I used to love to read books with aliens, but now I’m meh about that topic. Now I’ll only read alien books if it does something new, and this didn’t feel new. It was the typical girl meets alien hot boy and they must hide and go on the run (I’m only assuming the running part. I didn’t get that far). They barely met, and all our MC could think about was his “perfectly cut jaw” and beautiful eyes. It was just ridiculous. The MC (who unfortunately shares the same name as me) also makes dumb decisions. A plane is shot down, there’s a freaky fire, people are scared, her father tells our MC to stay inside, and what does our MC do? Go outside to take photos. I understand that photography is her passion, but there is no need to risk your life that way. The next day she even leaves to pick up her prints, and she’s just so chill about it. Girl, you thought the apocalypse was happening yesterday! Stay home!
I was curious about some elements, but it doesn’t feel like a new twist on aliens. And I could tell that both the romance and the MC were going to frustrate me. So, I’m just going to stop reading.
Some things are permanent.Indelible.And they cannot be changed back.Joy Malone learns this the night she sees a stranger with all-black eyes across a crowded room—right before the mystery boy tries to cut out her eye. Instead, the wound accidentally marks her as property of Indelible Ink, and this dangerous mistake thrusts Joy into an incomprehensible world—a world of monsters at the window, glowing girls on the doorstep, and a life that will never be the same.Now, Joy must pretend to be Ink’s chosen one—his helper, his love, his something for the foreseeable future...and failure to be convincing means a painful death for them both. Swept into a world of monsters, illusion, immortal honor and revenge, Joy discovers that sometimes, there are no mistakes.Somewhere between reality and myth lies…THE TWIXT
How far did I get? 124 Pages
DNF Review
It's going to take a lot more than fame to save the Immortal City in its darkest
hour...
With Maddy torn between two loves, Guardian Jackson and heroic pilot Tom, and Angels and humans on the brink of an epic war, the Immortal City is more vulnerable than ever. And when demons descend upon Angel City with the intent to destroy, the humans don't stand a fighting chance without the Angels on their side.
Will Jacks find the strength and forgiveness to enter the fray and fight the demons as a stronger-than-ever Battle Angel? Or has the damage been so great that the Guardians will set off for the next place, abandoning Angel City in its darkest hour?
It all comes down to love-wrecked half-Angel Maddy and the strength of her bond with Jackson in this game-changing, thrice-as-sultry series finale that blends beautiful themes of redemption and renewal with heart-pounding action scenes and jaw-dropping twists.
How far did I get? 13
DNF Review
I remember being so excited to read this one too, after the huge cliffhanger at the end of Natural Born Angel, but this book was never made available at my library. By the time I got my hands on a copy (which was 4 years later), I didn't remember the cliffhanger, so I just kept it on my shelf. Now here we are, 7 years after I read that cliffhanger, and I realized that I no longer care. This book begins with our MC choosing between two guys and since I don't remember who these guys are, it's hard to get emotionally invested. Add in the fact that this seems more dystopian than the other books, and that I just don't like dystopian books as much anymore, I just wasn't that interested in continuing.
Maybe I just need to refresh my memory, but I get the feeling that this is just not my kind of book anymore.
I remember being so excited to read this one too, after the huge cliffhanger at the end of Natural Born Angel, but this book was never made available at my library. By the time I got my hands on a copy (which was 4 years later), I didn't remember the cliffhanger, so I just kept it on my shelf. Now here we are, 7 years after I read that cliffhanger, and I realized that I no longer care. This book begins with our MC choosing between two guys and since I don't remember who these guys are, it's hard to get emotionally invested. Add in the fact that this seems more dystopian than the other books, and that I just don't like dystopian books as much anymore, I just wasn't that interested in continuing.
Maybe I just need to refresh my memory, but I get the feeling that this is just not my kind of book anymore.
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