Tag: the abyss surrounds us

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Top 5 Tuesday: Top 5 Books I Didn’t Like That Others Loved

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Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the fantastic Bionic Bookworm. This week’s topic:

APRIL 10TH – Top 5 Books I Didn’t Like That Others Loved

I kind of love getting salty about popular books that I didn’t like, so let’s get to it!

the wrath & the sawnThe Wrath & The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh (GR Rating: 4.18)

This is probably more a case of unmatched expectations than anything. I should have expected that a retelling of Scheherazade would be heavy on the romance. That’s my bad. But I also found it annoying that the protagonist was ~super special~ and everyone felt the need to mention this every other page. Characters were pretty bland, to the point where there were some I couldn’t tell apart. This is one of those situations where I wouldn’t have given this book a second thought only it’s somehow become one of the most popular YA fantasy books out there for some reason.

★

roarRoar by Cora Carmack (GR Rating: 3.98)

WHY does this book have such a high rating?? This is a book that I actively disliked, not only because it wasted a great premise for a terrible romance, but because said romance was so, so, so gross. I mean, I don’t know, maybe I just have a really low tolerance for the Inexplicable Heterosexual Romance, but the whole relationship in this book came off as super creepy and misogynistic, with the male love interest literally saying that the female MC “belongs” to him and that he has to protect her and getting turned on when she resists his advances. I could not get past that, and the rest of the book – that is, the threadbare plot – is boring and terrible.

★

abyss surrounds usThe Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie (GR Rating: 4.01)

I didn’t hate this book, but I didn’t like it either. No one was more disappointed about that than me, trust me. This book is so hyped as a fantastic f/f romance, but…I did not like that romance. I didn’t think the leads had any chemistry and I kind of hated one of them. Which is a shame, because there were a ton of other things about this book that were super cool. The concept is great and there’s a ruthless lady pirate and the main character is super badass. But the romance just dragged it down for me.

★

darkest mindsThe Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken (GR Rating: 4.24)

I gave this book a 3 rating because I was being nice, but if I think back to it it was probably closer to a 2 or a 1.5. I really do not understand the hype about this book? It’s super boring and the worldbuilding makes literally no sense whatsoever. And the disappointing thing is it’s such a fascinating premise if only it had been handled in a more logical fashion, but alas. At this point I don’t think I even remember the characters’ names because it was just that forgettable.

★

children of blood and boneChildren of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (GR Rating: 4.38)

I’ve talked about this before, but the reaction to this book is just inexplicable to me. Like, it wasn’t a terrible book, I get that, but I also don’t think it needs to be treated like the second coming of Jesus? The way everyone is talking about it I literally feel like I read a different book. Personally, I thought the writing was juvenile, the plot generic and insanely tropey, the romance awful, and the dialogue stilted. The worldbuilding was fresh, but that was literally it. Other than that there isn’t anything in this that’s new. It’s actually the most formulaic YA fantasy I’ve ever read, just cliched trope after cliched trope. Every time I read another glowing, out-of-this-world fantastic review I feel like I’m losing my mind.

Do any of y’all share my dislike for these books? Let me know in the comments!

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Wrap-Up: December

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  • The Dark Days Pact by Alison Goodman (★★★★★)
  • The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie (★★★☆☆)
  • The Bloodprint by Ausma Zehanat Khan (★☆☆☆☆)
  • Court of Fives by Kate Elliott (★★★☆☆)
  • Jade City by Fonda Lee (★★★☆☆)
  • Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen (★★☆☆☆)

MONTHLY TOTAL: 6
YEARLY SO FAR: 75

Okay, so first of all, hats off to me for finishing off a whopping six books this month! I know for a lot of folks here in the book blogging sphere that doesn’t seem like much, but I haven’t accomplished this in a long time! I definitely tried to dedicate more time to reading than I usually do this month, and because I read so many books I didn’t love, I was in a hurry to finish them and get on to something better.  Funny how that works.

So let’s talk about that, huh? This was…not a great month! It started off amazing with The Dark Days Pact, but it very steadily went downhill from there. I finally finished off The Bloodprint, which was as terrible as the first chapter promised; I’m actually surprised and proud I managed not to DNF it.  Then I wanted to try some Kate Elliot, and though Court of Fives wasn’t as terrible as some reviewers make it out to be, I didn’t love it.  The Abyss Surrounds us, a f/f sci-fi that everyone purports is the greatest thing ever, was only just okay.  Jade City, a highly anticipated fantasy, was not for me. And finally, my classic read of the month, Northanger Abbey, was dreadful.

I’m really hoping I start off the new year with better books! Currently I’m reading Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. I’m only one chapter in, so I don’t have too much of an opinion yet, but it seems entertaining.  And…that’s it! It’s been so long since I was only reading one book at a time. I’m sure that won’t last long, though.  I’m meant to be starting a buddy read of The Lymond Chronicles, beginning with The Game of Kings.  I’m also thinking to read Jane Eyre, but I’m not 100% on that yet; I think I might need a break from classics for a bit! Other than that, I don’t think I have any specific plans!

We’ve come to the end of the year, however, so stay tuned for a) a best books of the year post and b) a more reflective end of the year post including some bookish resolutions.