Tag: DNF

April 2021 Wrap Up

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A very mixed bag this month. I gave my first 1 star book of the year, some more 5 stars and another DNF. Plus some ARCs, some manga and a whole range of other things. I also have come to the conclusion that I will not be continuing the ONTD Reading Challenge as I have a whole load of books I want to prioritise more! More on that decision later next month.

  • I read 7 books this month.
  • I DNFed 1 book.
  • I didn’t complete my ONTD reading challenge this month.
  • Genre: 5 fantasy, 1 murder mystery and 1 romance.
  • Gender of authors: 4 women and 3 men.
  • Race of authors: 5 white, 1 black and 1 asian.
  • Age range: 5 adult, 1 YA and 1 middle grade.
  • Format: 3 paperback, 2 hardcover and 2 ebooks.

Shadow and Bone – Leigh Bardugo (2 stars)

This book was a major miss for me and I had read it in preparation for the Netflix show. I had heard mixed things about this trilogy before going in but I wanted to make opinions for myself and sadly I wasn’t a fan. I think it came down to execution for me, I loved the idea but I didn’t enjoy the writing. I have heard the show is great though.

The Plague Letters – V.L. Valentine (1 star)

My first one star of the year. I don’t normally give out one stars as I tend to just DNF the books I really don’t like but I had got so far and I did want some questions answered but it ended up being that I just skimmed it until the end. I felt that the characters were really under-developed, it took ages for the mystery to actually get going and so many other things that I just can’t list here. Read my review to find out more.

Ariadne – Jennifer Saint (4 stars)

This is when things started looking up. I love a greek mythology re-telling so I was super excited to get the chance to read this. I thought the writing was beautiful and Ariadne was a great character. But it did start to lose momentum in the last quarter of the book, I will be honest.

Orange: The Complete Collection Vol. 1 – Ichigo Takano (5 stars)

So, this was a pleasant surprise. I really liked the premise of this manga series and when it was on sale I decided to give it a go and I’m glad I did. It follows a young girl called Naho who receives a letter from her future self telling her to be-friend the new boy in school as he’s going through a tough time.

The friendships in this book are just so incredibly beautiful. The characters in this book couldn’t be any more different from one another but they stick by and support each other no matter what. The plot was super fun and I thought the art was beautiful. The author managed a great balance of funny moments with the more somber moments as well.

Beasts Made of Night – Tochi Onyebuchi (DNF)

Sadly, this book didn’t work out for me. This was another case of great idea, not the best execution. I wasn’t a massive fan of the writing style and the plot structure confused me a bit.

The Battle of the Labyrinth – Rick Riordan (5 stars)

This book still maintains the title of best book in the series for me. I enjoyed the blossoming relationship between Annabeth and Percy getting stronger, I loved how you can start to feel these characters get older as the end of the series arrives, Percy was, as per, a great protagonist and the ominous elements of the novel with the Big Bad trying to gain power was done really well.

What was super satisfying to me was re-reading this after so many years and still loving it just as much!

Breach of Peace – Daniel B. Greene (2 stars)

This was disappointing sadly. I am a massive fan of the author so I really wanted to like this book. I just felt that the novella, as a whole, was really under-developed. I needed more detail about the characters, the world and the plot.

March 2021 Wrap Up

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Started off the month a bit rocky as I DNFed my first book of the year. But I ended up ending on a good note. I also didn’t complete on of my challenges, this was the first time since I have started my blog. I always try to prioritise my challenges but I too many other books lined up that I wanted to read more of.

  • I read 5 books this month.
  • I DNFED my first book of the year this month.
  • I didn’t complete my ONTD challenge for the month.
  • Genre: I read 2 thrillers, 2 fantasy and 1 steampunk.
  • Gender of authors: 3 men and 2 women
  • Race of authors: 4 asian and 1 white.
  • Age range: I read 3 adult, 1 middle grade and 1 I was not sure of the age range.
  • Format: I read 3 paperbacks, 1 ebooks and 1 webcomic.

Bullet Train – Kotaro Isaka (DNF)

So, this was an ARC given to me by _ and personally it just didn’t capture me. If felt a little bit like a chore to pick up the book each time. Not much to say about this book.

City of Secrets – Victoria Ying (3 stars)

I am trying to venture more into graphic novels and such and I picked up this fun middle grade GN. I loved the art style and the characters in this book. I felt the setting and the friendships were really good as well. It did feel slightly rushed but it wasn’t a major factor in my enjoyment of the book.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask and A Link to the Past Manga – Akira Himekawa (4 stars)

I preferred this book over the Ocarina of Time one I read in Feb. I felt that the first game (Majora’s Mask) was adapted super well but I wish that it was longer. I felt that the story itself was over too quickly. The ALttP game was my favourite, maybe it’s because I never played it so it was a fresh new story for me to read but I felt that the characters were great, there was some brilliant world building and as per the art was beautiful.

PIGPEN – Carnby Kim (4 stars)

So, I started this webcomic back in January and only got round to finishing it in March but it was sooooo good. It went to places I didn’t expect, the art was super creepy and I loved the colour pallet. I highly recommend it.

Red Seas Under Red Skies – Scott Lynch (4 stars)

This took me such a long time to finish but I really enjoyed it. I loved the world-building, the friendship between Locke and Jean, the female characters in it were so much better than the last book and I just enjoyed getting lost into the world and the story.

DNFs

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So, I am a huge DNFer. I believe in DNFing any book that bores you, you feel average about or for other more serious reasons. I personally refuse to continue reading a book that I lose interest in. But what I have noticed is I go about reviewing, logging and rating my DNFs quite differently to what other people do.

In the Crypt with a Candlestick Review

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Sir Ecgbert Tode of Tode Hall has survived to a grand old age – much to the despair of his younger wife, Emma. But at ninety-three he has, at last, shuffled off the mortal coil. Emma, Lady Tode, thoroughly fed up with being a dutiful Lady of the Manor, wants to leave the country to spend her remaining years in Capri. Unfortunately her three tiresome children are either unwilling or unable (too mad, too lefty or too happy in Australia) to take on management of their large and important home, so the mantle passes to a distant relative and his glamorous wife. Not long after the new owners take over, Lady Tode is found dead in the mausoleum. Accident? Or is there more going on behind the scenes of Tode Hall than an outsider would ever guess….?

Sadly, this did not work for me at all! Click the title to read why I DNFed this book.