It may not have been the book, could've just been me. But from the start I was bored and that feeling never went away. I know the story is inDNF @ 56%
It may not have been the book, could've just been me. But from the start I was bored and that feeling never went away. I know the story is interesting and I wanted to finish it, but I can't right now, maybe at some point in the future....more
After the Aunties series I was determined to read all of Jesse Q. Sutanto's books, and I still am, but this one didn't work for me.
It's darkeDNF @ 48%
After the Aunties series I was determined to read all of Jesse Q. Sutanto's books, and I still am, but this one didn't work for me.
It's darker than that series, but that wasn't why I didn't enjoy it. The first chapter was really good and I was excited to get into the book, except the pacing was so slow and I didn't find Jane's PoV particularly interesting.
It kept dragging on an on, I was bored and decided to dnf because I really wasn't enjoying it. The only thing I really enjoyed was the childhood chapters which were few and far between.
I'm sure the ending is probably better than the rest of the book, and that's where the twists come in, but I don't have the patience to wait so long when I'm not having fun with the rest....more
Mark Lawrence is one of those authors that I've been meaning to get into for around 10 years now, but never did because I felt like I'd love DNF @ 46%
Mark Lawrence is one of those authors that I've been meaning to get into for around 10 years now, but never did because I felt like I'd love his books and should own all of them before I start reading them and so on and on it dragged.
I'm not really the type of person who can just start anywhere with authors who have a lot of books, I need to start at the beginning, but new books just keep on coming out...
But anyway, all I knew about this book was that it wasn't connected to any others so it would be a decent place to start, and I put a hold in for the audiobook, not entirely sure about wanting to read it.
My turn to borrow the audio came and it was pretty clear from the start that this book and I would not mesh well. I was so bored, right from the beginning. Now that's a whole record.
The issue might be me though, because so far no books that were set in libraries have worked for me. Not The Midnight Library, not Piranesi and now not The Book That Wouldn't Burn. I really don't know why I have this issue with fictional libraries, when I love them in real life, but something about them in books just isn't the same.
The audio is 22h long and I decided to dnf because nothing was happening, the pace was so slow, I didn't care about the characters and honestly wasn't interested in what would happen next. I should've dnfed earlier but good on me for lasting this long!!
I'm still looking forward to checking out his other books which appeal to me a lot more than this one ever did. I'm certain they'll be better than this. ...more
I'm giving up, I really don't care to see how this will end. There's nothing happening and I don't like the characters, there's no chemistry,DNF @ 65%
I'm giving up, I really don't care to see how this will end. There's nothing happening and I don't like the characters, there's no chemistry, I'm just bored. Also second chance YET AGAIN, wasn't planning on attempting two of these back to back but the library decided for me so here we are.
I do want to read the author's other book at some point, I think that one should work better for me....more
I am so, SO fucking tired of trying to listen to true crime books, only to find out that the author put anti-Serbian propaganda into the bookDNF @ 20%
I am so, SO fucking tired of trying to listen to true crime books, only to find out that the author put anti-Serbian propaganda into the book. If I had known who the author was, then I never would've started this. But since I did start it, and I heard what I did, I'm choosing to dnf.
And to think that I was anticipating a good read, one that even made me cry early on. But listen, I can't bring myself to read a book where it's clear the author doesn't care about my people, no matter how interesting the subject is.
She even mentioned that she thought about writing a book, about the Balkans. I am so glad she didn't, you have no idea.
As for the subject of We Carry Their Bones, it's indeed horrifying what happened there. I can't even imagine what those poor kids went through, and their stories deserve to be heard. So I'm sorry that I can't continue this, but I'll do my best to look the stories up myself and do some research.
I read a few reviews that say this is more a biography of the author than true crime, and since I didn't finish it I can't say for sure, but I can agree that so much of her background wasn't needed when all we really want to know is what happened to the kids.
2 stars because I didn't finish it, and for the attempt to tell this story. ...more
Eh, I've seen Kristen Rossum's story on Deadly Women and it wasn't that interesting even then, but I thought maybe it could be if I read (or listened Eh, I've seen Kristen Rossum's story on Deadly Women and it wasn't that interesting even then, but I thought maybe it could be if I read (or listened to, in this case) it as a book. Sadly that was not the case and I choose to dnf somewhere in the 70s (percent). But as always, I appreciate the amount of detail in the book....more
Oh boy. To start off, I was watching Desperate Housewives today and the female narrator sounded very similar to Renee/Vanessa Williams (I knoDNF @ 31%
Oh boy. To start off, I was watching Desperate Housewives today and the female narrator sounded very similar to Renee/Vanessa Williams (I know she's not, but their voices are so alike) which kept me amused when all else failed. But even with the Renee sound-a-like I just couldn't finish this.
I'm not a big fan of the student teacher trope, I don't hate it, and if it works - it works, but I won't seek it out myself. However, I had confidence in this author, even though I never read her books before, that she could make this good.
And maybe it is good, but it's not for me.
It started with the strange asexual comment (included in my reading updates under the review) and kinda went downhill from there. Not much was happening, and I'm sure it eventually picks up, but I really don't feel like sticking around to see if it does.
But I will not be giving up on Alexandria House that easily, there are still a couple of her series that I want to read and hopefully they'll work for me....more
You know, I really thought I'd finish this, but unfortunately I'm not motivated enough to. The prequel gave me a feeling that this might not DNF @ 65%
You know, I really thought I'd finish this, but unfortunately I'm not motivated enough to. The prequel gave me a feeling that this might not work for me, but I didn't want to judge it based on barely 30 pages so I decided to give it a try, since I already had the audiobook.
The audio itself is perfectly fine, I have no complaints. The narrator is good and has a nice voice.
But the writing...it's not bad, but something about it is not quite my taste. I can't put my finger on it, I just dislike it.
The story feels very The Name of the Wind at the start which I suspect contributed to my negative feelings. But hey, if you like that then you might love this.
The characters? I wanted to like Tal, but the way he was described made that impossible (subtle The Name of the Wind influences there too). At least it was clear he was the main character. Everyone else was forgettable.
Honestly, I chose this because I know the narrator is good, but I wasn't in the right headspace for this story so I ended up dnfing. Might come back tHonestly, I chose this because I know the narrator is good, but I wasn't in the right headspace for this story so I ended up dnfing. Might come back to it at some point....more
I wanted to love this but the writing weighed me down. Even with the audiobook it was hard to focus which is a shame because I really enjoyed the authI wanted to love this but the writing weighed me down. Even with the audiobook it was hard to focus which is a shame because I really enjoyed the author's knowledge about different tribes. And the story has the potential to be interesting, but I can't do it. I'm dnfing 52% in....more
Okay so, I love conspiracies and I have nothing against the theories in this book, I was just bored while reading. Or rather listening.
The introductioOkay so, I love conspiracies and I have nothing against the theories in this book, I was just bored while reading. Or rather listening.
The introduction made this seem like it was going to be great, shocking, super duper interesting etc etc, and it was at the start. But as it went on I began to lose interest and right now I don't feel like continuing it. Maybe at some point in the future I'll give it another chance....more
The only reason why I picked this up is because I have an arc of the second book. They can be read as standalones, but I wanted to check out DNF @ 38%
The only reason why I picked this up is because I have an arc of the second book. They can be read as standalones, but I wanted to check out what happened before just in case and I wish I hadn't.
This is just so surface level that I can't handle any more of it. The pace is relatively fast, where we see how they first met, and how suddenly they're forced to be engaged to each other even though they're enemies.
I say enemies loosely, because I didn't feel that at all. And despite the pace the book was dull, I kept wanting it to end. Hopefully I'll have more luck with the second one, because this was not it at all. ...more
Whoever said Terms and Conditions was better than The Fine Print lied, because this was worse.
And okay different tastes, so for someone it waDNF @ 30%
Whoever said Terms and Conditions was better than The Fine Print lied, because this was worse.
And okay different tastes, so for someone it was better and they didn't technically lie, but FOR ME they did lie. Glad we cleared that up, moving on.
For all its faults, The Fine Print at least had an idea of what it wanted to be, and some originality. Terms and Conditions had none of that.
It was so dull. The first book was long, but this one felt longer and I only made it 30% in. If I was younger I'd probably push myself to finish this, but now I don't feel like wasting my time on something that isn't even the least bit interesting.
Iris could've been an alright character in her own right, but the fact that she liked Declan, whom she had 0 chemistry with, from the get go, didn't help her case.
Also, please note that while I shelved this book as "steamy", I haven't seen any steam by the point I stopped at. I just assumed, based on the first book, that it's probably just as steamy as that one. Wouldn't make sense if it wasn't.
Reading this book was a mistake and I don't think I'll be reading book three. I'm not fully convinced to abandon this author quite yet however, so I will give the Dirty Air series a chance, but if it's similar to this...
P. S. I usually give 1 stars to books I'd throw off a cliff. This book wasn't that bad, it just didn't give anything, so I'll spare it the special shelf.
P. P. S. I am BEGGING contemporary romance authors to learn the meaning of slow-burn from historical romance novels. It's not that hard....more
I couldn't even make it a third of way through. Contemporary romcoms are either a hit or miss for me, and this one falls into the latter cateDNF @ 25%
I couldn't even make it a third of way through. Contemporary romcoms are either a hit or miss for me, and this one falls into the latter category.
I was expecting something fun, but that never came, I was bored and I decided it was best to end it early. That's all there is to it.
Some of the characters made me a bit uncomfortable in their behaviours, and while I can't speak on the rep, as I'm not Indian, I'd encourage you to read this review if you want to learn more about why it was problematic:
This could've been good, it ended up being just okay.
The main problem was that the prologue started off strong, drama on high, and then it goes back This could've been good, it ended up being just okay.
The main problem was that the prologue started off strong, drama on high, and then it goes back in time to three years ago. At that point I really didn't care about what happened before because we already know he's a jerk and who he cheated with, I wanted to see the after.
And unfortunately, that before didn't interest me enough to keep going to see the after so I quit halfway through.
But the writing is good, I just wish the story either started from the cheating moment onwards, or showed the cheating moment at the end to keep the readers in suspense as to what could've happened and to keep them guessing who would betray Koi.
This is a book I should've dnf-ed at the very beginning, because the writing was boring me to no end. But I thought it would get better when DNF @ 59%
This is a book I should've dnf-ed at the very beginning, because the writing was boring me to no end. But I thought it would get better when the story got going...and it didn't.
There's a lot of repetition, the characters are just there and I really didn't like anything about this. Actually no, the premise was interesting and I liked that until I got to the execution.
Also, this is an UPDATED edition? If that's so, then I don't even want to know what the original version was like....more
WELL. This was an absolute mess, I don't even know where to begin.
Sometime in late October/early November I found out Through My Window was DNF @ 40%
WELL. This was an absolute mess, I don't even know where to begin.
Sometime in late October/early November I found out Through My Window was going to be a movie and I thought I'd go and check it out on Wattpad since it wasn't out in book form yet.
I soon regretted that decision, because it was so terrible that I couldn't even get through the first chapter. I figured maybe the official published version would be better so I waited until it was out. My friends, I was wrong.
Sure, there's no huge translation errors, and I did manage to get further into it this time because it's been polished, but...the story? That's just as bad as it was originally (even worse actually, now that I properly met the characters).
One of the comps for this book is After which is one of the bigger reasons why I got curious about it in the first place.
I genuinely likeAfter (feel free to judge me on that front, I don't mind) and all of its trashiness. But Through My Window could never be After. It can try, but it won't succeed.
The only similarities between them are that the love interest is a jerk with a lip ring and some tattoos. That's it.
So what's this book about you ask?
It's about a girl who's been stalking her neighbour ever since they were kids and has never exchanged a single word with him despite living next door for years.
The first time they do speak, it turns out he's been stealing her WiFi by hacking into her computer. And this begins their incredibly annoying will-they-won't-they "love story".
What really bugged me about this (other than the stalking, which was only ever joked about), is that the two main characters can't have a normal conversation that doesn't involve kissing or doing something sexual (literally the fifth or so time they talk, they're having full-blown sex, and before that...let's not get into it, just trust me).
Racquel says time and time again that she has self respect, she's seen her mother suffer because of her father's infidelity, she won't let herself fall for a guy who only wants sex. Good for you Racquel! If only you stuck to your principles.
Ares told her upfront that he wasn't a relationship person, but Racquel never listened and every time something sexual happens between them Ares is extremely cold (and he treats her horribly in general), and Racquel feels used. She leaves, she feels like shit, then Ares does a random act of kindness and it's all sunshine and rainbows again.
This escalates further and further and at this point you're thinking okay, this isn't a classic love story, it's a toxic one. But can it be a good toxic story? Unfortunately it can't.
There's no depth to the characters, no point to any of their actions. Everything is so shallow that I'm wondering how I even made it that far.
But guess what, Ares isn't the only boy orbiting around Racquel, oh no. There's two more boys who are very desperate for her attention, one being her best guy friend, and the other a boy she saved from bullies once.
I'd say the second is a bit less desperate and makes a big show of his affections, but the first is just sad because you know he doesn't stand a chance next to the Greek God (Racquel's nickname for Ares...I wish I was joking).
So yeah, I hated this. Maybe I could've pushed through the whole thing, but why would I? I doubt my opinion would change, if anything I'd probably be even more annoyed if I had to suffer through any more of this book.
The only good thing about this was Apolo. He's the youngest brother and a sweetheart. If he'd been the love interest maybe this would've been a good book.
Also, the title. Racquel's mother is a nurse and as a result she's never home so her daughter does what she wants and Ares uses a ladder to climb into her room. If you were curious about that, now you know.
Maybe the movie will be better? I don't have high hopes....more
This book was recommended to me by a twitter friend through that "12 months, 12 books recommended by 12 friendYou know what? I'm dnfing, I don't care.
This book was recommended to me by a twitter friend through that "12 months, 12 books recommended by 12 friends" thing and I'm sorry, but I gotta dnf.
It's not just because of the rape scene OF A CHILD at the start, but mainly because of that. It happens literally as soon as you open the book, and it doesn't give you any time to recover from it.
Aside from that, I kept trying to like it or to care about what's happening with the characters, but I just couldn't. So I'm saving my sanity....more
I don't think this series, or this author is for me. There's zero improvement from the first book, the characters are still unlikeable, the pDNF @ 21%
I don't think this series, or this author is for me. There's zero improvement from the first book, the characters are still unlikeable, the plot still boring and I can't even bring myself to skim the rest of it. I'm done....more
Some books try and succeed, others try and fail. This one isn't a total fail.
The world building was the best part. I love the idea of a smalDNF @ 51%
Some books try and succeed, others try and fail. This one isn't a total fail.
The world building was the best part. I love the idea of a small community of nosy supernaturals living right under everyone's nose.
And it started great too, but as soon as she arrived at her home, people jumped on her to get into the family business despite her not being equipped to handle it, and it went downhill from there.
But at least we got Ronin. He's funny, and he said a Seamus Finnigan inspired line, which makes him even better.
As for the other characters...hmm. I liked the aunts. Tessa and Marcus on the other hand...no. Marcus tries too hard to be broody, and Tessa is mean for no reason.
But hey, it's free with Amazon Prime so feel free to check it out and make your own judgement....more