Books I Didn’t Finish: Fall 2016

Posted by Jessi (Geo) on November 11, 2016 | 6 Comments


Review: Stealing Snow by Danielle PaigeStealing Snow by Danielle Paige 
Series: Stealing Snow #1
Genre: Urban FantasyYoung Adult
Published by Bloomsbury USA Children’s (9.20.2016)
eARC, 375 pages
Source: NetGalley

DNF Stars

Seventeen-year-old Snow has spent her life locked in Whittaker Psychiatric—but she isn’t crazy. And that’s not the worst of it. Her very first kiss proves anything but innocent…when Bale, her only love, turns violent.

Despite Snow knowing that Bale would never truly hurt her, he is taken away—dashing her last hope for any sort of future in the mental ward she calls home. With nowhere else to turn, Snow finds herself drawn to a strange new orderly who whispers secrets in the night about a mysterious past and a kingdom that’s hers for the taking—if only she can find her way past the iron gates to the Tree that has been haunting her dreams.

Beyond the Tree lies Algid, a land far away from the real world, frozen by a ruthless king. And there too await the River Witch, a village boy named Kai, the charming thief Jagger, and a prophecy that Snow will save them all.

I made it about 60 pages into this one before I had to give up. It wasn’t necessarily bad, but I could not get into it at all. I was pretty bored, and not even remotely interested in the story or the characters. I didn’t care much for the writing style, either, which was kinda depressing because I loved Danielle’s short story in Slasher Girls and Monster Boys. I had pretty high hopes for this one but sadly it did not deliver. I was going to try to make it to 100 pages, but I didn’t like the feel of the book enough to take a chance and I didn’t feel as if it would improve much. This was solidified by the fact that one of my book twins, Cait, didn’t like it and I trust her opinion! It’s a shame, that cover is SO pretty :(

 

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Review: Six of Crows by Leigh BardugoSix of Crows by Leigh Bardugo 
Series: Six of Crows #1
Genre: High FantasyYoung Adult
Published by Henry Holt & Co (9.29.2015)
Hardcover, 465 pages
Source: Library

DNF Stars

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone…

A convict with a thirst for revenge.

A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager.

A runaway with a privileged past.

A spy known as the Wraith.

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.

Kaz’s crew are the only ones who might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.

I did not like the Grisha books. I didn’t care much for the first book and liked the second even less. I wasn’t sure about this one, but I had been hearing from a lot of people that it was better than the Grisha, so I decided to give it a try.

It seriously KILLS me that I couldn’t get into this one. I had very high hopes, because I absolutely adore that gorgeous cover (and the pages are BLACK! Love!!) and Leigh is such a wonderful person. Sadly, it went exactly the same way for me as the Grisha books did. In my opinion, it read EXACTLY like the Grisha. It felt just the same, and I was bored. I did have someone tell me that it starts slow and gets better, but honestly if I’m not enjoying a book by 70 pages I’m probably never going to. And the fact that it felt the same as the Grisha was enough for me to move on. Life is too short to force yourself through books you don’t like!

It does really, really break my heart though. I love the idea of the universe even though I didn’t love the books, and there’s so much cool stuff that goes with this series! (THOSE DICE. I WANT THEM.) And now everyone is raving about Crooked Kingdom and I just… *wistful sigh*

Jessi (Geo)

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6 responses to “Books I Didn’t Finish: Fall 2016

  1. I actually DNFed Six of Crows the first time I read it last spring, so I know how you feel! I recently gave it another try and end up really enjoying it, though– no idea why it worked for me this time around, but I loved it. I’ve definitely heard negative things about Stealing Snow, too.

  2. Damn about Stealing Snow, it sounded so promising!

    I truly disliked the Grisha Trilogy. That was a very boring read for me. But I did enjoy Six of Crows even if it took me a while to get into. I’m just about to start Crooked Kingdom to see what all the fuss is about…

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