Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.
About this time last year (May, actually) I ran through all the books I owned - at least, all the ones I could actually find and/or remember, which, now that I think about it, were mostly the ones on Goodreads - and separated them into groups like 'Finished Series' 'Dropped Series' 'Series I'm Caught Up On' and so on. I've been wanting to kind of update those list, but that's a whole lot of work.
Instead, I decided to take this freebie week and make up a list of ten series that I won't finish. Well...that I probably won't finish. Though, if you sell it enough, I might be convinced to change my mind. So, get to convincing me. ;) Also, none of these books were on the 'Dropped Series' list or the 'Series I Might Finish' list at the time. (And I know some of my friends will be like 'Amy, you have to finish ___!' So, yeah.)
The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare
I've only actually read the first book, but I didn't much care for it. At all. I mean, I had a suspicion, but I wanted to read it anyway because I did like The Infernal Devices and thought this might be a fun, frivolous story too. The truth is, I hate Clary. And, as I said before, Simon's kind of a jackass. But the real problem here is Clary. I would read more of Clare if she'd write more alt history, but urban fantasy is just not my thing, either. So that's, to use a term I never have before, three strikes and I'm out.
Memoir by Lady Trent series by Marie Brennan
I had so many hopes for this series because it sounds just awesome! I mean, seriously, taking a world that is a lot like Victorian England and inserting dragons? Yes! But I was so disappointed in this series. And really, that disappointment can be best summed up as: not enough dragons. So little of this book was actually about them and that was soo not what I signed up for.
An Unfortunate Fairy Tale by Chanda Hahn
Oh, Brody Carmichael, how I loathe thee. This is the typical 'loser girl is madly in love with the super-popular boy and he hardly knows she exists until something strange happens then he is all over her' with the dubious added fun of 'stalker creep that can't take 'no' for an answer as the love interest'. Yay!
The Grisha series by Leigh Bardugo
I am totally shallow enough to admit that I will quit reading a series when the main love interest is a worthless slug. SLUG, I tell you! He just oozes around, contaminating everything with his slugginess. So, my experience with this series goes something like this: really, really liked the first book. Alina was surprisingly awesome. Except when she was around the aforementioned worthless slug. Me being me, after I finished this book I said to myself 'if she winds up dating/marrying this worthless slug, I won't read any more'. I went and did my research and, oh, look at that, Mrs. Worthless Slug. Thank you, tough, strong woman for choosing the worthless slug. Goodbye.
The Dragon King Chronicles series by Ellen Oh
After all that ranting, let's move on to a series that I actually cannot remember what I thought of it. I rated this book 3 stars - so I didn't loathe it, but 3 stars is also kind of my 'I don't know what else to rate this book; leave me alone' rating.
The Queen's Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner
Unreliable narrator warning! Seriously, this should be a warning that people tell me when I'm interested in a book because I hate unreliable narrators. The few that have not ruined the book almost singlehandedly are the ones that might be a little crazy. (Or totally are cray-cray.) So, yeah, *pokes book* unreliable narrator makes Amy a very, very unhappy girl.
Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead
Now, don't get me wrong, I thought the first book was all kinds of awesome! Though the second book languished just enough that I actually read about books 3-5 and...I think I would just dislike them progressively more and more until I was left hating them. Okay, no, I would hate it by book 5 at the latest. But we won't go into that. I liked the first book in the series and would prefer to think of it fondly. (Much like I try to do - with mixed results - with Throne of Glass.)
Brook Street series by Ava March
This is a really wierd example because I read the 1st book then the 3rd book because the 3rd book had that 'friends suddenly discover they're in love' that I adore and the 2nd book really didn't interest me. But I was disgusted by how manipulative this book felt. It was like: you don't want me but I'm going to make sure that I'm the only guy around so when you get horny you can't resist having sex with me. And then I'll gloat and wonder why you don't trust me. Blerg. I think the author is a no-go for me, too.
Magic Ex Libris series by Jim C. Hines
I feel totally guilty about putting this book on this list because I think Hines is an awesome guy. And this is an urban fantasy series with sexual and racial diversity and there's so many things I can see urban fantasy fans liking and I would totally recommend this to anyone that likes urban fantasy. But, this book has confirmed the long-held suspicion of mine that, no matter how wonderful objectively, urban fantasy is just not a genre for me.
Fire and Thorns series by Rae Carson
I'm not really sure this series should be on this list, because I read the first book recently enough that I've not fully decided if I want to finish the series or not, thanks to my rather indifferent feelings towards the first book. I mean, there was nothing I loved, a few things I hated and a huge chunk of time that I was bored. Also, I borrowed this book from my library (mostly because I wasn't sure I'd like it) and they don't have the third book in the series. So, that one I'd have to buy.
Any of these series you want to convince me to continue? I'd seriously love your thoughts on if the series' improve or not and if you liked other books in these series more.
About this time last year (May, actually) I ran through all the books I owned - at least, all the ones I could actually find and/or remember, which, now that I think about it, were mostly the ones on Goodreads - and separated them into groups like 'Finished Series' 'Dropped Series' 'Series I'm Caught Up On' and so on. I've been wanting to kind of update those list, but that's a whole lot of work.
Instead, I decided to take this freebie week and make up a list of ten series that I won't finish. Well...that I probably won't finish. Though, if you sell it enough, I might be convinced to change my mind. So, get to convincing me. ;) Also, none of these books were on the 'Dropped Series' list or the 'Series I Might Finish' list at the time. (And I know some of my friends will be like 'Amy, you have to finish ___!' So, yeah.)
The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra ClareI've only actually read the first book, but I didn't much care for it. At all. I mean, I had a suspicion, but I wanted to read it anyway because I did like The Infernal Devices and thought this might be a fun, frivolous story too. The truth is, I hate Clary. And, as I said before, Simon's kind of a jackass. But the real problem here is Clary. I would read more of Clare if she'd write more alt history, but urban fantasy is just not my thing, either. So that's, to use a term I never have before, three strikes and I'm out.
I had so many hopes for this series because it sounds just awesome! I mean, seriously, taking a world that is a lot like Victorian England and inserting dragons? Yes! But I was so disappointed in this series. And really, that disappointment can be best summed up as: not enough dragons. So little of this book was actually about them and that was soo not what I signed up for.
Oh, Brody Carmichael, how I loathe thee. This is the typical 'loser girl is madly in love with the super-popular boy and he hardly knows she exists until something strange happens then he is all over her' with the dubious added fun of 'stalker creep that can't take 'no' for an answer as the love interest'. Yay!
I am totally shallow enough to admit that I will quit reading a series when the main love interest is a worthless slug. SLUG, I tell you! He just oozes around, contaminating everything with his slugginess. So, my experience with this series goes something like this: really, really liked the first book. Alina was surprisingly awesome. Except when she was around the aforementioned worthless slug. Me being me, after I finished this book I said to myself 'if she winds up dating/marrying this worthless slug, I won't read any more'. I went and did my research and, oh, look at that, Mrs. Worthless Slug. Thank you, tough, strong woman for choosing the worthless slug. Goodbye.
After all that ranting, let's move on to a series that I actually cannot remember what I thought of it. I rated this book 3 stars - so I didn't loathe it, but 3 stars is also kind of my 'I don't know what else to rate this book; leave me alone' rating.
Unreliable narrator warning! Seriously, this should be a warning that people tell me when I'm interested in a book because I hate unreliable narrators. The few that have not ruined the book almost singlehandedly are the ones that might be a little crazy. (Or totally are cray-cray.) So, yeah, *pokes book* unreliable narrator makes Amy a very, very unhappy girl.
Now, don't get me wrong, I thought the first book was all kinds of awesome! Though the second book languished just enough that I actually read about books 3-5 and...I think I would just dislike them progressively more and more until I was left hating them. Okay, no, I would hate it by book 5 at the latest. But we won't go into that. I liked the first book in the series and would prefer to think of it fondly. (Much like I try to do - with mixed results - with Throne of Glass.)
This is a really wierd example because I read the 1st book then the 3rd book because the 3rd book had that 'friends suddenly discover they're in love' that I adore and the 2nd book really didn't interest me. But I was disgusted by how manipulative this book felt. It was like: you don't want me but I'm going to make sure that I'm the only guy around so when you get horny you can't resist having sex with me. And then I'll gloat and wonder why you don't trust me. Blerg. I think the author is a no-go for me, too.
I feel totally guilty about putting this book on this list because I think Hines is an awesome guy. And this is an urban fantasy series with sexual and racial diversity and there's so many things I can see urban fantasy fans liking and I would totally recommend this to anyone that likes urban fantasy. But, this book has confirmed the long-held suspicion of mine that, no matter how wonderful objectively, urban fantasy is just not a genre for me.
I'm not really sure this series should be on this list, because I read the first book recently enough that I've not fully decided if I want to finish the series or not, thanks to my rather indifferent feelings towards the first book. I mean, there was nothing I loved, a few things I hated and a huge chunk of time that I was bored. Also, I borrowed this book from my library (mostly because I wasn't sure I'd like it) and they don't have the third book in the series. So, that one I'd have to buy.
Any of these series you want to convince me to continue? I'd seriously love your thoughts on if the series' improve or not and if you liked other books in these series more.
1. Yeah, I'd skip TMI. BUT that being said I'd recommend her Bane Chronicles - the shirt stories centering around Magnus Bane (he's clearly the best character anyway). And if you like audiobooks take a gander at the narrators for the stories - it's an AWESOME cast!
ReplyDelete2. Yeah, Mal was my least favourite part of the series. I liked the series overall otherwise, but I think you'd be just fine skipping it. (Speaking of ENRAGING pairings I don't suppose you read Maria V Snyder's Glass series or Shatter Me? I'm so glad I looked up the ending to the Shatter Me series before finishing it - I would have been livid)
3. As much as I love Ellen Oh's work for the We Need Diverse Books campaign, the writing for this wasn't my thing. Also I definitely don't think you'll like the rest of the Thief books, and while the Vampire Academy series is super addicting and fun, I tended to only really like two or three books out of either series haha.
So basically...good decisions, go pick up The Bane Chronicles!
1. I've actually already read The Bane Chronicles. Like, before I knew who most of the people were - I think sometime between books 2 & 3 of TID. I'll keep that in mind for the audiobooks because I do NEED some books to listen to this fall when I plan to start exercising. (I'm hoping - possibly forlornly - that listening to books will actually make me want to exercise.)
Delete2. For me, Alina was definitely my favorite thing in the book, the rest I was just indifferent to. (Besides Mal, who, yes, I did hate.) So it's good to know there's nothing earth moving that I'd miss. (Nope. The only Snyder book I've read was Poison Study - and heard, repeatedly, that it was the best of the Study books and I merely liked it so... I felt no need to read more. I think I'd just heard something about the pairing from the Glass series - something about the woman falling in love with her rapist and torturer? I might be getting it mixed up with something else, but I'm pretty sure that's what it was about and if so, that right there means I'll never read any more of her books. (It might have been from you on Goodreads that I heard that... Maybe.) I am a little interested in Shatter Me, but I've never been curious enough to give it a shot.)
3. Yes, for me the best thing about Prophecy was it being diverse. I really wish I could find a diverse fantasy book - specifically asian influenced - that worked for me because so far, I've not found any.
I'm so dumb when it comes to TMI - I read the first three books when I was like, 12... and I keep picking up all the Shadowhunters novels despite how much I hate them. I even read Lady Midnight because the reviews were SO POSITIVE. *facepalm* I think I'm just nostalgic of my younger self who wanted to be a shadowhunter. lol
ReplyDeleteI'm one of those strange people who - despite all the hype - have never been interested in the Grisha trilogy. IDK why, but it doesn't seem like my kind of book. I'm planning on reading Six of Crows - I know, same world, but it looks better?? I'm strange like that! - and if I loove that, then I perhaps will pick up Grisha.
I'm heartbroken, Amy. Absolutely heartbroken. I NEED YOU TO TELL ALL THE DETAILS ON WHY YOU QUIT VA. Not because I want to MAKE you read it, despite you clearly not wanting it - I HATE when people do that to me.
Great list!
Veronika @ The Regal Critiques
What do you mean your younger self; I still want to be a Shadowhunter! (Though I'd be always poking and prodding and wondering why we can't all get along.) I actually liked TID series, which is pretty much the only reason I tried City of Bones. I was a little interested in Lady Midnight but I got one look at the size of it and was scared off.
DeleteYeah, I'm definitely interested in Six of Crows - even if I don't ever finish the Grisha series. I did like the first book and the main girl is someone that I totally loved.
Will do. Eventually. :) My thoughts are so scattered right now that I need to get them together before I try explaining it. Because I do totally have reasons.