1. House of Beating Wings by Olivia Wildenstein (7%)
I heard the love interest doesn't appear until halfway through the story. Fallon is already annoying me so I can't imagine having to wait to get to the actual romance.
2. Daughter of the Drowned Empire by Frankie Diane Mallis (41%)
Maybe this is the next best thing to slice bread, but I don't care enough about these characters to continue. Lyr annoyed me to no end with her perpetual woe-is-me attitude and whiny privilege. I'm assuming her character arc will address her attitude and privilege so it perhaps gets better down the line. I also had no interest in her relationship with Tristan. I was hoping the love triangle would be wrapped up quickly, but it was still going strong halfway through the story.
Maybe this is the next best thing to slice bread, but I don't care enough about these characters to continue. Lyr annoyed me to no end with her perpetual woe-is-me attitude and whiny privilege. I'm assuming her character arc will address her attitude and privilege so it perhaps gets better down the line. I also had no interest in her relationship with Tristan. I was hoping the love triangle would be wrapped up quickly, but it was still going strong halfway through the story.
3. A Dawn of Onyx by Kate Golden (37%)
Didn't like the main character, felt like the whole premise was recycled, blah blah blah. It could also just be a reading slump issue.4. Bewitched by Laura Thalassa (68%)
While this had an interesting premise, I found the characters to be annoying. Selene's decision making made me want to scream. Considering her magic directly effects her memories, wouldn't she be more cautious and discerning before taking an action? I stopped counting the number of times she would say it's a bad idea to do something, proceed to do it, and then remember little to nothing about it later. Lather, rinse, and repeat over and over again in the story. Memnon the Cursed was a cardboard box with little personality and an unhealthy obsession with Selene. None of the side characters were all that memorable, nor was the setting. I remember having similar feelings to Laura Thalassa's other series when I attempted to read those books. I think me and this author just don't mesh.5. Flawless by Elsie Silver (30%)
There was a time and place where petulant men were not as annoying to me, but tis no more friends. I find Rhett to be such a man child. He's a seasoned athlete (as Summer says), and yet he is a dumbass for not taking better care of his injuries. Summer has attempted to be kind and understanding despite his childish and rude behavior toward her, and yet he continues to treat her like the enemy. I like Summer too much to want her to end up with this guy.
6. Taken by Fate by Shannon Mayer (37%)
Could I finish this? Yes. Do I really want to? Nah. It's an easy read, but I fail to be charmed by Dom and Sienna. I just feel like I've read this type of story over and over again in the fantasy romance genre.7. Tokio Ever After by Emiko Jean (60%)
While the Japanese setting and culture is fascinating, I have yet to feel connected to the characters or the romance. I struggled to even get to the 60% mark so I've decided to finally let this rest in the DNF pile.8. Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan (55%)
The setting and story are interesting, but I detest the love triangle. Apparently the triangle continue until the end of the second book so I'm out.9. XOXO by Axie Oh (51%)
Cute story, but I didn't feel the romance connection between the leads.
10. Icebreaker by Hannah Grace (10%)
First DNF of the year. I'm not against MCs that sleep with others before they get together, but it is off putting when the first two chapters are dedicated to their other trysts. I also was not a fan of either of the MC's personalities.ABOUT TOP TEN TUESDAY
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
The cover for the first two caught my eye but yeah...if you get 40% in and STILL don't like the mc, that would be hard to continue!
ReplyDeleteMy TTT: https://www.mollysbooknook.com/9-audiobooks-i-couldnt-finish/
Most of these covers look gorgeous! I only collect books on my Kindle, but those that collect physical books have some great photo ops even if they don't like the content of the book.
DeleteI was super surprised that I didn't finish Gideon the Ninth because it had been recommended to me like a million times. I've seen Icebreaker literally everywhere lately, but I've been seeing some reviews from readers who felt the same as you!
ReplyDeleteI've been holding off on Gideon the Ninth. I feel like I have to be in the right mood to be able to actually read it. Of course, what exactly does the right mood feel like? No idea! Sometimes I just wake up feeling an urge to read something different from my usual fare, and I'll probably give it a try then.
DeleteI'm sad about Flawless. I love that series. I DNF'd Icebreaker for the exact reason you listed here.
ReplyDeleteI can see the appeal of Flawless, and probably would have loved it several years ago. It's interesting how our reading tastes change. About ten years ago I only wanted to read Young Adult, and now I rarely pick them up.
DeleteShame these didn't work out for you.
ReplyDeleteMy TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2023/07/25/top-ten-tuesday-430/
I've not read any of these, but I do recognize some titles from seeing them on blogs or Booktube. Sorry they didn't work for you. Happy reading! My TTT https://readwithstefani.com/10-books-i-recently-marked-as-did-not-finish/
ReplyDelete