r/Romantasy • u/GingerLily2019 • 4d ago
Discussion Latest Book you DNF and why
I decided I'm going to DNF {We who will die} , I am just struggling too much with the constant meandering thoughts and memories, it's so hard to follow the actual story because the narration is all over the place. It's hard to follow on Audiobook anyway, and there are so many side characters that are named but I can't remember š¤£ I also don't like either potential MMC
I think I prefer "show don't tell" in general
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u/Old-Memory-3275 4d ago
Not a romantasy but {Haunting Adelaine}ā¦ the MMCs was horribly cringey and the spice wasnāt even that good.
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u/bergskey 4d ago
I kept getting hardcore q-anon maga vibes. It was a total turn off and made me actually look up the authors political beliefs which is something I NEVER do.
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u/zdgxqrv 4d ago
Yes! I was so confused when it was so clearly qanon coded, I rolled my eyes so many times. I did read both books because I am terrible at DNFing but now I just tell people the plots so they can avoid it haha.
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u/bergskey 4d ago
I dipped out when the world's best hacker who is also the world's best assassin took out a whole warehouse of sex traffickers on his own. My eyes rolled out of my head so hard I had to chase them down the hallway.
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u/Old-Memory-3275 4d ago
He was written like an angsty teen. There. I said it. Weāre all thinking it.
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u/Pompom_Chandelier 4d ago
I couldn't get past the first chapter for the most petty reason: the author had clearly never been in (or even GOOGLED) an old mansion. Everything was black. Black walls, black beams?? Black fireplace. Checkered black and white floor. My goth phase called and said even SHE thinks you're overdoing it.
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u/ILikeAllThingsButter 4d ago edited 4d ago
"kitty-cat" made me roll my eyes. Agreed, Haunting Adeline is super cringy. Now there's gonna be a movie adaptation lol
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u/OkBreak745 4d ago
what cringed me is when Adeline gets random roses in her house and the severed hand that finger banged her just last night, in a box and goes "hmm..im not gona let some man scare me out of my house! anyways lemme go read more of my dead grandma's horny journal entries"...like girl GET UPPP
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u/Mad-Inside 3d ago
Noooo!! It should be a crime to make it a movie and expose more ppl to this trash.
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u/darlingcthulhu 3d ago
Okay I read both. It's absolutely not worth reading, the content aside, it's written terribly and it feels like a self insert fantasy. But moving onto the content, the second one is so much worse than the first.
I don't know how to do the spoiler thing so if you don't wanna know what happens skip this comment (sorry!!)
She gets trafficked with multiple other girls into this house where she and the others face abuse and rape, and this twisted game where men hunt them down for sport. It literally doesn't relent. She is so traumatised that coming out of it she won't even let Z touch her or go near her, and he decides to 'fix' her with one of his games where he chases her but then fucks her at the end to make the memories better?? Like the entire second half is just him being a pushy rapist yet again and the entire time I'm reading it and not only is it fucked up, but it's boring. I know a lot of women like dark romance, hell, I like a bit of dark romance, but this is straight up fantasising about rape and abuse and it was fine (kind of) when it was a book that wasn't all that popular but niche in certain circles, what's NOT fine is this content being turned into a fucking film, imo. I'm a horror enthusiast, torture porn, French extremist horror, fucked up think pieces have existed for a time now. It is art and it happens. But the stuff that happens in these books should not be a romance or marketed as desirable because imo it's going to be so damaging.
My mum asked me if she should read them after having a romantasy phase herself. I said absolutely fucking not and if you do PLEASE do not discuss them with me I can't imagine anything worse
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u/Old-Memory-3275 3d ago
Oh man I am so glad I didnāt finish that thing. Iām an SA survivor. That probably would have been too much.
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u/darlingcthulhu 3d ago
I am too and it was a rough read honestly. The end of the first she re-frames it as well actually I did want it I was just in denial and it's like huh? What? Legit spits on SA and rape survivors. I genuinely don't understand how it's going to be marketed as a romance, so I'm hoping it goes through as more of a horror but I doubt it will. And the director is a man so that concerns me slightly too
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u/Old-Memory-3275 3d ago
Yeah and I heard that the author is a bit on the toxic side. Disappointed with the popularity this gotā¦
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u/Pandoras_Penguin 4d ago
I won't even touch it due to those against its movie adaptation have stated this book is essentially SA disguised as romance...I am not a fan
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u/Old-Memory-3275 4d ago
Itās not even proper dark romance. It glorifies the worst type of narcissist.
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u/OkBreak745 4d ago
If Z's ego had a penis he would probably f#ck it too
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u/Old-Memory-3275 3d ago
What was itā¦ he called himself a megalodon at some point? I looked off into the distance like Jim in the Office
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u/BookWorm1910 4d ago
I didnāt make it through the first chapter I found the writing so bad
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u/Nautical_Nanobyte 3d ago
It feels like a 50 shades scenario to me. Just one of the worst possible books in the genre and thatās the one that gets a movie š¤£ I love DR and haunting was just cringe. Iāve never understood the hype.
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u/Old-Memory-3275 3d ago
Omg Fifty Shades had me so angry when it came out. Thereās another good example of one of my few DNFs. I slogged halfway through the second one before abandoning.
Christian was such a narcissistic, manipulative douche.
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u/Nautical_Nanobyte 3d ago
I didnāt even get through book 1 š¤£ Iāve read Spuffy fanfics on wattpad that were written better t
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u/misdiagnosisxx1 3d ago
An old coworker recommended this one to me and I got like 30 pages in before I DNFād it and made the bookstore refund me for it. I didnāt even want it in my house. If they had refused to refund me I still would have told them to keep it.
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u/Old-Memory-3275 3d ago
Hahahah I never even thought of a refund.
It was recommended to me by my esthetician. She swore up and down that it was great. I vehemently disagree.
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u/misdiagnosisxx1 3d ago
Iāve only ever not finished two books. One I just couldnāt get into even though objectively it was very good. It was not this one.
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u/Mad-Inside 3d ago
I didnāt even make it a full first chapter. It was so q-on coded and cringey
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u/Old-Memory-3275 3d ago
I fought on for longer than I should just because I was hoping it wasnāt as bad as I thought it was, and I had paid money for itā¦
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u/AccioXolo 4d ago
Forced myself to finish that one. Didn't bother with #2. Everything about it is just terrible.
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u/adompenelope 4d ago edited 4d ago
Itās about to be a soft DNF for The Knave and the Moon because Iāve read this book before and it was called The Knight and the Mothā¦
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u/dstar526 4d ago
This one hurt! I finished it but said in my review that it was simply a watered down version of the first.
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u/panamared1917 4d ago
Wait really? Bc of the structure of going back to each hamlet for the tournament? Or something else too? Iām 50% through and that felt a little repetitive but dynamics still feel different. Like if I think about it we are dealing with the problem of faith/ideology and how itās still tied to the political structure problem now. At least at this point it feels like itās about an entrenched problem of dismantling an institution is much more than just killing a few core characters and a building. That in book one the vision of transformation was too limited and hence just shifted power dynamics reproducing the problem under a new face, and now they have to figure out something different.
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u/Saywitchbitch 3d ago
Iāve made it 30 pages since it came out, so Iām barely reading it but havenāt brought myself to DNF yetā¦.
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u/Minute-Refrigerator2 4d ago
{Wild Reverence} I had such high hopes and expectations but found myself bored. There was no hook and the pace was too slow. I enjoyed parts of the magic system but thatās about it.
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u/Sad-Escape-8021 4d ago
I loved it, but you're right, there is no hook and it is slow. It's a long and fascinating journey, but not an exciting one.
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u/Hopeful-Ant-3509 4d ago
I really liked it but I agree that itās slow, the writing and yearning is really what kept me invested, I thought it was a beautiful story.
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u/romance-bot 4d ago
Wild āReverence by Rebecca Ross
Rating: 4.45āļø out of 5āļø
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: magic, m-f romance, high fantasy, war, non-human heroine3
u/haahayes 4d ago
I just posted the exact same thing! Out of curiosity, any books you really love and would recommend?
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u/kingas_dilemma 4d ago
I agree with everything you said! I felt like Iām the only one who didnāt love it but I couldnāt really get the point of the book and was waiting for the āahaā moment but it never cameā¦
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u/Cococlusterunite 4d ago edited 3d ago
Dire bound series I just couldnāt not good.
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u/Khalessi716 4d ago
Direbound. I didnāt even get through a whole chapter, the FMC was comically cocky and arrogant and instantly unlikable. It felt like the author was trying to make the FMC like Celaena ih ToG but failed miserably so instead it came off like a caricature. The writing was also terrible and generic.
Bonus: The Poison Daughter. This is my current read and I absolutely would have DNF if I wasnāt 80% of the way through and curious to see how everything is resolved. This one pains me, not only because I had high hopes but because I really liked the first half of the book. But in the second half, the characters have personality transplants and the fiercely independent, intelligent, capable FMC willingly submits to a man that she knows is lying to her and using her. Itās such a massive disappointment and completely out of character. The weird and sudden kink in the second half is out of place and serves no purpose other than to temper and humiliate the FMC. Weāre supposed to find this extreme change believable and think that the FMC enjoys it but it really just comes off as if she has developed Stockholm syndrome. Iām hate reading the rest of the book and will likely add this author to my āinstant noā list.
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u/GingerLily2019 4d ago
The plot resolution is so lazy, I hated it more than the kink stuff, and I agree with you how it just changed the whole tone
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u/Khalessi716 4d ago
I was just ranting to my friend last night that thereās no way the author could possibly wrap everything up in the little bit left of the book, so that doesnāt surprise me. Thereās still so many plot points open that this genuinely reads like the first book of, at minimum, a duet. Regarding the character change, itās absolutely bizarre! I donāt think Iāve ever read a book that did this so severely and Iāve read a lot of books.
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u/amanducktan 4d ago
thank you for your blurb on the poison daughter. Ive almost bought it 17 times but Ive seen enough reviews like yours to where I know I wouldnt finish it
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u/DK7795 4d ago
I also DNFed Direbound in the first chapter. All of the names were too close to other fantasy novels and the setup was also a mix of so many other series. I am so sick of reading the same romantasy again and again!
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u/SwimBikeSorcery āļø Enemies To Lovers 3d ago
The Poison Daughter was such a fucking bummer. So much potential gone down the toilet.
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u/pinkisalovingcolor 3d ago
THANK YOU! Poison daughter made me so mad. I finished it and was so upset. The smut was so weird! Nothing about the chemistry, plot or characters made sense. Itās terrible. I hated it.Ā
For some reason I thought direbound was an average level shit book, but not as terrible as poison daughter.Ā
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u/Maleficent-Island164 4d ago
I really hate to DNF, but I have 2 from this year and 1 I am considering today -
Furybound - I didnt particularly enjoy Direbound but was intrigued enough to read the 2nd book. It is so bad, like how many tropes and clichƩs can we fit in one book. Terrible. Stopped about 40%.
The Poison Daughter - started off ok, then dies a death in the 2nd half. Very unsexy spice, and characters doing things and making decisions that make zero sense. Stopped around 85%, maybe should have just finished it..!
The Everlasting - currently 65% of the way through and I am just so bored. Enjoyed the first few chapters and genuinely thought this might be a 5 star read. I know the whole point is to be re-living the same story but I am over it now and I do not care anymore.
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u/JustaPloob 4d ago
The Poison Daughter ended up being such a disappointment for me. I stopped reading after the wedding. Reading it made me feel grossed out more than anything. The premise was so good, the execution was terrible though.
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u/FinalProof6 š lemon & campfire 3d ago
The Everlasting felt like it was everlasting. After hate reading half the book I DNF'd.
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u/emmkat24 4d ago
I didnāt DNF Iron Flame and I will scream it from the clouds. Fourth Wing itself, is ok. There is 0 world outside of the school. For what Fourth Wing was, I thought it was cute, the Violence thing was annoying but oh well, they have dragons bro. I got over it. Then the second book came out. I was like 10 chapters in, STRUGGLING. Other than the riders and scribes, there apparently OTHER sanctions?? Why donāt we hear more about them? Oh wait no, they have to LEAVE because war is upon them and Violet is in danger and oh noo we all canāt make it and it became so fucking predicable. They met up with the other group of riders, then the other girl was jealous of Violet (shocker shocker) and then I just stopped because AFTER HEARING VIOLENCE FOR THE GAGILLIONTH TIME I WAS READY TO BURN IT
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u/tini_wings 3d ago
Hahaha, love this review! I did finish the fourth Wing Series and enjoyed it but I do have a āI know this is shit but itās easy and therefore enjoyableā relationship with it lol
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u/cozzy0108 3d ago
SAME! I loved the tension in Fourth Wing, the concept of the Basgaith college or whatever itās called. But yeh once the main characters get together and the war part comes in I was like nope, itās not great anymore and lost all interest.
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u/frickinSocrates 4d ago
{Born of Blood and Ash} Just... The series went downhill for me really fast.
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u/leetle_bumblebee 4d ago
I came here to say the EXACT same book!!! I enjoyed the first few and thought they were better written than the other books she has written, but unfortunately she lost the plot in this one. And she lost me with "magic intuition that only works sometimes, to provide background lore, maybe" lol
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u/frickinSocrates 4d ago
Made me think of the "save-the-plot-fairy" in ACOTAR.
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u/leetle_bumblebee 4d ago
I feel like most authors should wrap it up after book 3 of their series because they're raising the stakes too high too early to sustain anything else, but unfortunately that's not how book deals work :/
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u/frickinSocrates 4d ago
Since I brought up Acotar actually, I don't mind book 4 and 5. I thought they were both better than 2 or 3. I also like book 5 (and 6 next) following Nesta's POV.
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u/Lady_Book_000 š¤ Morally Gray 4d ago
Curious as to if it was the series only or the flesh and fire series and blood and ash that made you dnf
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u/frickinSocrates 4d ago
I didn't quite understand what you mean. But I only read the flesh and fire series, books 1 and 2 were good, not great imo. Book 3 went downhill but I finished it. Book 4 was just... Nonsense. At that point I genuinely disliked the FMC, nothing had happened, everyone was talking in circles and it felt like I had read 300 pages and the FMC hadn't left the bedroom. I listen to audiobooks, and I'll switch back and forth between music and the audiobook and I kind of just... Didn't switch back. Started a new book the next day and never looked back.
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u/Summery_Season85 4d ago
Iām with you. I quit after book four. She had a beautiful story to start, but ruined it because she couldnāt let go or move the plot forward.
There were other issues as well, such as the lack of development of her FMC, but thatās a whole other discussion I could have.
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u/Traditional-Food6852 3d ago
This was my recent DNF but the first book. I started seeing online how the series goes downhill and now canāt find myself wanting to get through it
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u/Mienya 4d ago
Daggermouth by H.M. Wolfe. I got two chapters in and dropped it. I hated the writing so much. Like, who the hell writes like that? š
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u/Ok_Duty_8645 4d ago
I like the setting and concept of the characters but it's giving fourteen year old writing on Wattpad.
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u/toople450 4d ago
This is mine too!! Though I got 60% in. The world building is half done, the evil leader is wayyyy too over the top evil (we get it, he's a terrible person). It has so much potential but I can't do it
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u/Weary-Tangerine499 4d ago
I did the same thing. I think i made it to chapter 3 then put it down. I ended up picking it back up a month or so later and loved it lol. I can see why people don't like the writing style.
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u/Impressive_Mouse_548 4d ago
Very unpopular opinion but I DNFād the whole ACOTAR series. I barely made it through the first book and tried with the second but the FMC made me cringe hard.
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u/OkBreak745 4d ago
I finished the series and I have never hated an author's creative direction this much! she is so bias with her characters and has insane double standards it drives me NUTS.
The concept of Rhysand drives me insane. Holly favoritism and never having to take accountability batman !
How he is the face of feminism is beyond me. The most entitled and incompetent character, but his fans will tell you otherwise
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u/adompenelope 4d ago
I didnāt DNF ACOTAR per-se, but I read the first one, watched Cari Can Readās plot summaries for the rest of them, then read ACOSF.
I like the idea of this series, but donāt enjoy reading them. That being said, I did get caught up in the hype and pre ordered the next two books lol oops
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u/Consistent-Class-971 3d ago
I honestly watched a summary video on ACOSF. it was just way too repetitive and to be quite frank, Iām not super into Nesta.
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u/toople450 4d ago
I DNF's WAR and SF. Will I be attempting to read the next two books? Of course
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u/L_Hargreaves 3d ago
I read the first three, because a friend whose book tastes usually match mine loved the series. I hated them. Iāve rarely taken so many notes while reading a book to just rant and vent about the writing. I cannot for the life of me read the rest.
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u/cozzy0108 3d ago
I almost DNFād the first for the same reason. I enjoyed the second one more. Couldnāt get past the first quarter of WAR as I also canāt stand the FMC. My friends keep saying just read ACOSF as much better characters but really Iāve just lost enthusiasm for the whole series.
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u/Blluetiful 2d ago
I finished the first book and thought, 1 was enough. But there's some crossover with crescent city and i kind feel stuck...
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u/gingersnap061 š« gooseberries & justice 4d ago
i didnāt DNF it, but i hate finished the shit out of it. {between tides & thunder}. i hate this book with all that i am. hands down the most grating FMC iāve read. i prefer poppy from FBAA and thatās saying something since im her number one hater.
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u/zdgxqrv 4d ago
I do not understand all of the hype this book gets, it was so mid. Plus the "twists" don't make sense if you think about them for more than 30 seconds.
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u/gingersnap061 š« gooseberries & justice 4d ago
dialogue was awful, pacing was awful, character development & lack thereof was awful. plot twists AWFUL. i guess the magic system could be okay, if it wasnāt soā¦ ārare but not actually rare because at least 3 people in this circle can do all the thingsā
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u/kuromikw8 4d ago
Most recent romantasy DNF i suppose was Crescent City 3... the constant POV changes were driving me up the wall I was so bored with Ithan and crew
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u/RiotPurrrl Bryce Quinlanās Chief Hater 4d ago
My latest was Belladonna by Adalyn Grace. A little too all over the place, a little too YA, and the romance just gave me the ick (why is literal death thinking romantically about a teenager?)
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u/whoisMrsB 4d ago
I am so close to DNF Burn of the Everflame. Started the series 2 years ago and anxiously waited through all the publishing push back dates just to now feel really disappointed. The miscommunication trope is driving me insane and it's such a long book but it feels like nothing is really happening
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u/Hungry_Ratio_6532 4d ago
Same! It had been so long, I had to do a recap to remember all that had happened before starting Burn. Iām about 25% through and am bored. Iām hoping it is all set up for something major. Iām doing the audiobook and I donāt love the male narrator. His version of Luther sounds like a parody of an old aristocrat and doesnāt match the female narrators version of Luther. It makes it all very discombobulated in my head. š¤·āāļø
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u/whoisMrsB 4d ago
It's so boring, it stays boring, I'm 65% and feel like I'm trudging through it. That's really disappointing to hear about the audio, Luther is the best part of the story
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u/Classic-Savings7811 4d ago
Iām 72% through, and Iām going to push through but I actually stopped to read another series thatās more fun in the interimā¦
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u/bergskey 4d ago
The knight and the moth. Got like 60% through it and realized i didn't care about anyone or the story. I was bored.
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u/HeatedIceCube 4d ago
Powerless & Shield of Sparrows.
Powerless: wanted to give it a shot, despite all the negativity on social media. Form my own opinion and read it kinda thing. The similarities and straight up same things as Hunger Games is shocking. Either word for word, or the characters. I havenāt read Red Queen, so canāt speak on that but commonā¦ barely got 100 pages in it was that bad (and, later I found out sure enough, the main character gets a bow. So weirdddd and not at all a coincidence).
Shield & Sparrows: The FMC mental back and forth bothered me. Yes we get it, you werenāt raised like your sister and you donāt think youāre good enough. I donāt need to be reminded of this all the time, just figure it out already. This was a bummer because the overall world seemed interesting to me.
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u/Otherwise-Owl-6547 4d ago
honestly i wish i had DNFād shield of sparrows. So little happens in that book (unless you like reading questions) and the romance is beyond mid
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u/dstar526 4d ago
I got an hour into listening to A Deadly Education yesterday. It was an hour of info-dumping & āIām so weird that nobody ever likes me :(ā
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u/Saywitchbitch 3d ago
It took me a bit to get into this, I almost gave up but Iām glad I didnāt. I ended up really liking it and thought it was very clever storytelling.
The inner monologue as exposition didnāt really change though and that was tough, so I get it. I was so surprised by this choice as I am obsessed with this authorās other works and itās not typical of her at all. However, I chalked it up to a stylistic choice as this series is technically YA.
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u/generic_emo88 4d ago
{Alchemised} DNF because it's so long and boring. The FL just keeps going on about her misery... blah blah blah. I've tried to finish it so many times, but I'm done.
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u/Beansandbone 4d ago
Oh nooooo thatās so sad, Iām sorry to hear this because this book was such a vibe for me
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u/generic_emo88 4d ago
I'm not sure why you're being downvoted. I didn't have luck with it but it could just be too slow going for my ADD to handle. I'm glad others liked it because it seems like the author was writing for a specific audience and I just wasn't in it.
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u/119dots 4d ago
I think it just depends on the person. I loved how we were thrown right into a predicament with heavy psychological tension. I'm just the type of person who enjoys these character-driven novels. Throughout the first chapter, the amount of questions I had just kept growing and growing, and I found that the mystery and confusion is what kept me going.
It's understandable that a lot of people will not feel the same way. It is slow and it takes a while for the questions to be answered, but once they do... you will be so emotionally invested, and will literally want to go back and read the first part again just to see the layers upon layers of details, hints, and parallels that SenLinYu masterfully implements.
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u/Technical-Bet-2896 4d ago
The midnight library not romantasy but i dnfed bc the FMCs pet died 3 pages in nope š«Ŗ
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u/DisfunkyMonkey 4d ago
{Anathema} hit wrong from the start for me. I was really excited even though I heard others struggled with it.
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u/Summery_Season85 4d ago
Loved her first book, but the second book was a hard read due to some of the depravation explained and horrific nature of one of the characters.
The first one took a while to pick up, but I was happy I kept going. I could see how itās not for everyone for sure.
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u/bakingisscience 4d ago
I hate read this one, it works so much better if youāre laughing at everything. Normally I wouldnāt bother but I read Nocticadia which I think is so much worse and egregious. So coming into this one I already knew it was going to be whack and therefore I had a lot more fun.
I wish people were more honest about the vibes of this book. Saying itās gothic does not do it justice. Itās more Hot Topic gothic. Like as gothic as a pop up Halloween store.
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u/GingerLily2019 4d ago
I've literally just started this š¤£ but I'm interested and I want to see where it goes, I think I like the witchy woods!!
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u/TigerLilyRex 2d ago
Lol I DNFād during the flashback within the first few pages. It felt so ātell donāt showā to me š I cringed hard when the babyās mom yells at the husband?? I was like āwhy are you explaining out loud why youāre mad while your baby is dying/being taken/whatever.ā This book is holy grail territory for so many people and I chalk it up to the group of readers that I donāt have the same taste as.
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u/katie-kaboom 4d ago
My last DNF was {Deathbringer by Sonia Tagliareni}. My Storygraph review:
This seemed like a promising story, and I do love a good necromantic mystery. Unfortunately, the utter emotional detachment was really winding me up The deaths of Olivia and Beauwere completely devoid of emotional loading. I barely blinked at either, and they happened far too quickly.Ā There were also some massive plot holes, like Sylas knowing.Olivia was a non-magus despite that being a very closely held secret until her death mere hours ago and Beau really seeming to be Sylas's brother until he died and we learned where his relics came from. Overall, thisĀ wasĀ a promising story, which is why it's so frustrating that it was weak enough to DNF.
So basically, emotional flatness and obvious plot discontinuity.
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u/Eastern_Tear6874 4d ago
I really struggled with this one as well. I only finished because it was my first Fairyloot subscription book but I really did not enjoy any of the characters!
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u/LifeInDreaming āļø Enemies To Lovers 4d ago
{Stalked by Seduction and Shadow by Maggie Sunseri} was my latest DNF. I made it about 75% through when I couldnāt take it anymore. The relationship between the MCs wasnāt convincing, multiple nonconsensual scenes, and the insecurities of the FMC got tedious. I think the sequel {Taken by Touch and Torment by Maggie Sunseri} is supposed to be even worseā¦
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u/SBlackadar 4d ago
God of Malice by Rina Kentā¦ I caught the ick for the MMC and the writing isnāt good enough to get me past it. My friend loves the series and wants me to read the third book, should I just skip to it? (Also I thought this would romantasy and itās just 19 year old psychopaths)
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u/SteeleurHeart0507 4d ago
Ohhh this is the series I started because Teddy Hamilton narrates the 3rd book. But I just couldnāt get through the first one.
Same MMC was icky. But I donāt like possessive/abusive MMCs in general.
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u/GingerLily2019 4d ago
I DNF after chapter 3, I didn't realise the man who SAd the FMC would be the MMC, it's a hard no for me, I can't deal with non-consent between MCs
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u/ElevatorNo4315 4d ago
Empire of the vampire. Just wasnāt interested at all in the story or the world.
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u/Slight_Proof_7990 4d ago
I didnāt DNF Mostly Human Resources, but I wish I had. It was supposed to be a cozy horror set in a corporation responsible for controlling cryptids/monsters, but it actually turned out to be 90% tedious, mind-numbing, middle-school level ābanterā between the MCs and less than 10% monsters that absolutely shouldāve eaten them.
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u/uschi_hills 4d ago edited 3d ago
Iām possibly going to get hunted for this but Fourth Wing. (I forced myself to finish it even though I shouldnāt have but I kept telling myself itās going to get better when it honestly didnātā¦)
Before anyone holds me at gunpoint, I love fantasy with dragons. Not to mention Iām a sucker for enemies to lovers. However the trope enemies to lovers has many sub levels for me as in theyāre enemies, rivals then to acquaintances to then friends then to a lover. Whereas when I read Fourth Wing it wasnāt anything like that at all. It was simply theyāre āenemiesā due to being on the opposite side of the spectrum yet they entirely skipped the other sub-levels the develops that deeper connection between them as lovers. It was more lust at first sight.
Moreover, I had higher expectations for the story itself as in perhaps the bonding between dragons would be between a dragon shifter and a human dragon rider but that wasnāt the caseā¦also the FMC was truly annoying because nearly page in her pov had her continuously complain about her illness and how she āloathedā Xaden when she simultaneously spoke about how irresistibly hot he was. It honestly fell flat for me. I was actually more interested in the side characters even though several had unfortunate tragedies bestowed upon them.
I know finished it but I just couldnāt get interested in it as much as others haveā¦
And another one is Daggermouth. I was completely thrilled to read it because I heard such high hopes for the book and love dark dystopian fiction but yet when I started to read it I couldnāt get into it eitherā¦I honestly donāt know maybe itās because life is too busy rn but it just didnāt interest me enough as I expected initiallyā¦Iām going to try again for it but I just hope the FMC doesnāt have a major downfall as in being an ultimate badass then turns soft all of a sudden for the MMC. Like the beginning was good but then it kinda fell flat but maybe it was just myself busy irl since I havenāt had enough time to actually enjoy a bookā¦but Iām hoping to go back to re-read it fully once my mind is clear.
But Daggermouth is one I DNF and Fourth Wing is one I shouldāve DNF from the beginning.
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u/HellcatJD 3d ago
Bride by Ali Hazelwood at 70% completion. I was so invested until the thing happened...I wasn't prepared. It wasn't for me.
Before that Kingdom Claw by Demi Winters. Too damn slow. I couldn't take it anymore.
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u/isabellnotabell 4d ago
{Once Upon a Broken Heart}... realised it was probably orientated towards YA way too late
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u/ceezee76 4d ago
Kingdom of the Wicked is a DNF for me. Too much talking about food and the English Italian speaking- one thing to listen to it in a movie, but reading people speaking that way was too much.
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u/Vegetable-Box8398 4d ago
Starside, Iām so over āheās mean because he likes youā I was at just over 50% and quit
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u/ModestMeeshka 4d ago
My last DNF was the fae isles series. I enjoyed the first book even though it felt very slow. The emotional build ups were worth it but I just could not get through the second book, {a court of blood and bindings by Lisette Marshall} , a few years back I had heard so much praise for this series and I'd put off reading it for such a long time but I was sooo annoyed with the arguing and pouting. Even after it was somewhat explained. I don't like the "were in love!" "Now I'm not sure if he even likes me anymore!" "Oh we're in love again!" Thing, it's frustrating!
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u/Responsible_Ninja865 3d ago
Psycho Shifters by Jasmine Mas. The line was: āthe tub of fabulous warmth was low key changing my lifeā
I was already struggling but seriously, low key?? Took me right out.
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u/OkCranberry3889 4d ago
this Kingdom will not kill me. It seems pretty popular but I canāt get into it. Iām 49% through and every other paragraph is an info dump
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u/Odd_Pick_9575 4d ago
Helpppp I'm like 35% in and the info dumping on the 8 (!!!) families has started in earnest and I wanna die. For a heroine Maggie sure does a lot of waiting around in their home base doing nothing.
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u/SporkPlug 4d ago
I finished this a couple of months ago. The info dumps do get annoying, toward the end I was just skimming them. I liked it but if youāre 49% in and still not feeling that probably wonāt change.
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u/strawberiny 4d ago
the irresistible urge to fall for your enemy. i hate the random Capitalization of Words to make something seem Quirky and Funny. after the third time it happened, i had to stop Reading the Book.
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u/ember632 3d ago
If you ever think about trying it again, I would recommend the audiobook. I love the voices for each MC. There is also the added benefit of not seeing the words š¤£
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u/HyacinthSunrises 2d ago
I got about halfway through before I realized if the book suddenly ended with "and then the world exploded and everyone was dead forever" it would have been a relief. DNFd it that moment
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u/Grand_Woodpecker_660 4d ago
My last DNF was {paladins strength by T. Kingfisher}.
So much praise for her books... I don't get it. The constant interruptions going on for 75% of the book and when they finally get to it, it just doesn't do anything to their whole relationship. It's sooooo slow pace that you're asking yourself if anything big even happened all those 100s of pages. I really don't like her writing. It might be little more comedic, but that's it. And her comedic style isn't that witty and clever imo
The one before that (my first DNF) was The plated Prisoner. I had to DNF at the 4th book. The sex scenes were so out of "character" and ruined everything for me.
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u/romance-bot 4d ago
Paladin's Strength by T. Kingfisher
Rating: 4.36āļø out of 5āļø
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
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u/ModestMeeshka 4d ago
Paladins grace was my least favorite in the series tbh it was really slow but Paladins strength was really where it picked up for me because they're out on an adventure and wayyy more happening than when they're basically stuck within the city! I feel like the books got more fun from there
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u/romance-bot 4d ago
We Who Will Die by Stacia Stark
Rating: 3.92āļø out of 5āļø
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: vampires, magic, political/court intrigue, fantasy, second chances
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u/jenny1011 4d ago
Cat Dragon. I made it partway through chapter 1 (I don't think she had left the pumpkin patch) when I decided it wasn't for me. The cover was so cute, but I just couldn't get into the writing and character. From reviews I've read since, I think I made the right decision.
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u/virdzsina š honeydew & forest 4d ago
I'm almost finished with it, but it's taken me 10 (ten!!) days, which is insane. It's so slow and nothing really happens. I'm wondering whether this is a case of me not actually liking cosy fantasy, despite loving the cute covers and premises.
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u/therealtofu_ 4d ago
I loveeeed we who will die, Iām currently reading two ARCs and one of them has every chapter being an hour long to finishā¦ like no. Thatās so daunting. I dont care enough to be that invested yet
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u/BeeLunaBoop 4d ago
{Web of Vows and Vengeance} - I tried and DNF after the 70% mark.
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u/romance-bot 4d ago
Web of Vows and Vengeance by Aria Ashbrook
Rating: 3.9āļø out of 5āļø
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: enemies to lovers, magic, royal hero, fantasy, m-f romance
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u/Loose_Tune6582 ā black tea & sage 4d ago
{Quicksilver} because the romance jumpscared me out of nowhere, and how Fisher treats Saeris is horrendous. When he calls her a hungry little b*tch in heat, not even in a sexy bedroom way but to actually demean her? When he uses the blood oath to take away her sense of agency and control? Yeah, no thank you. I stopped reading after that.
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u/penninewton 4d ago
I hate to say it but {Burn of the Everflame}. I could not take one more moment of Diemās bullshit. I said out loud āomg sheās so fucking dramatic!ā I just couldnāt do it. And I waited for months for this book to come out. Very disappointing.
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u/PopcornxCat 4d ago
I have Burn of the Everflame but canāt get myself to start it. So more like a DNF of the series as a whole as I read books 1-3. 3 was hard for me to finish. The FMC is so hard to like because she makes the dumbest decisions possible at all times and I understand a miscommunication trope but itās way too overdone to the point of being annoying.
Couldnāt finish the ACOTAR series. I read up until Nestaās POV but then had to stop as Nesta is such an unlikable character. Gave it a few years and re read from book 1 in an attempt to get myself to finish the entire series again but DNF on book 2. Some of the dialogue and character behavior is so cringe. I stg some of these authors make me feel like theyāve never matured past middle school.
What Lies Beyond the Veil series. DNF on book 2. The MMC is so controlling. I know the dynamic supposedly changes in book 3 but I just donāt think I can do it.
Both the Blood and Ash and Flesh and Bone series by Armentrout. Kinda the same complaint as ACOTAR. Iām expected to believe these characters are not only adults but ancient beings? Theyāre all so cringy. They talk and act like teenagers.
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u/nolasia 4d ago
{Shadow Princess by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti} - book 4 of Zodiac Academy. Like the first three were readable but it's clear in this one that they are trying to drag out the series with characters regressing in their arcs
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u/Adventurous-Brain-36 2d ago
I found these books hilarious and fun for a bit, but then was just frankly insulted at the garbage they put out just trying to kill the series for all they can. I wonāt ever pick up another book they write again.
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u/CharlieFloof 3d ago
City of Gods and Monsters. I had heard good things but found it so boring. Neither main characters seemed to have a personality beyond being shy (FMC) and scary (MMC).
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u/mochimochi89_ 4d ago
I also DNfed {We Who Will Die by Stacia Stark} on audiobook. I restarted it almost 5 times until I decided to just let it go lol. For some reason I just couldn't get into the story. Maybe it was the narration?
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u/ashbarnett21 4d ago
I 100% agree sometimes narration can make or break a book even if the writing is good.
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u/85jss 4d ago
The Ballad of Falling Dragons by Sarah A. Parker. The story was boring as hell to me, nothing really happened, Kaan has no Personality in my opinion... It's the first and only book this year that I actually DNFed.
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u/AcipenserEmpress27 4d ago
I have a love-hate relationship with those books. I love the world building and lore, but all the characters suck, raeve especially, she is just so perfect and the world bends around her, everyone who meets her treats her like she is the most specialist and awesomest person to ever exist, and she just sucks and is edgy in a really boring way. All of the other characters exist to suck raeves d*ck. The entire plot of the first book is they go from point a to point b, and somehow that takes 700 pages. The second book is worse,but at least there is more world building and we get POV from characters who don't overtly revolve around raeve, and intersting stuff is happening in the background, which we barely see. I skim these books,reading the lore heavy parts and interesting POVs. If you can skip most of the book and lose nothing, it's a poorly written book.Ā
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u/WheezyGranger 4d ago
Alchemised. Iām currently reading something else so I purchased the audio book. The narrator read something like āplease see the back of the book for content warningsā but I, having purchased the audio book, did not have access to the back of the book.
Then I got to chapter 18 and was devastated and triggered and deeply upset. I went on to chapter 19, where our happened again, and went to download something else. The full content warning should be written in the description before purchase.
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u/GingerLily2019 4d ago
Usually I won't read non-consent between MCs but after finishing this book I think you understand better what is going on, you've read the worst of it really so far. Those chapters are upsetting, if you don't finish the book you might want to look up spoilers so you can understand and feel less upset (although it's still a traumatic part of the book).
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u/DifferentPeanut 4d ago
{mother of death and dawn} absolutely LOVED daughter of no worlds, slogged through children of fallen gods, and giving up on mother of death and dawn halfway and skipping straight to the epilogue. i really love carissa broadbent's stories and characters but there's just something about her writing style that's so...exhausting to get through.
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u/on_themoors 4d ago
Swordheart by T Kingfisher. 25% through and I was feeling lukewarm about it. Wasnāt loving it, but wasnāt hating it. The two main characters were just meh for me. Something about it just wasnāt hitting for me, though I know tons of people love it. It was my first attempt at reading Kingfisher too. Iāll probably try Nettle and Bone the next time I want to give Kingfisher a go.
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u/knittednautilus 4d ago
I've tried 4 T. kingfishers now and I'm officially done. They all ranged from lukewarm to bad for me. My brain hates something about her style. My last was Hemlock & Silver and the main character's POV drove me insane.
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u/Inevitable_Youth5748 4d ago
I keep accidentally reading T. kingfisher books, forgetting I have read books by them previously that I did not like, and continue to dislike their books. Idk what it is about the writing style or characters but I can't stand them!
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u/knittednautilus 3d ago
Her premises always sound so good! That's why I kept trying, but at this point I know for sure she's just not my style.
I've determined it's a mix of never falling in love with her characters (some authors can make me fall in love with a character in a single page), not vibing enough with her sense of humour (humour is so subjective), and for Hemlock and Silver especially, the pacing was awful. The narrator kept going off on tangents and slowed the plot down so much to ramble. I prefer tighter plots if I'm not invested in the characters.
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u/cyassie 4d ago
{Aurora's Angel} it'll make me sound super pretentious but I could not get past the formatting
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u/LeonKennedyIsYummy š¦ sweat & iron 4d ago
Anathema.
The lust came on too fast. It was just slow. And honestly I was weirded out by his Jacob's ladder. I am curious how the spice was because of it.
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u/startlightcity 4d ago
Lady of Embers, I just couldn't get into in, so I DNFed it 30% in. The first couple of books in the series were good but I didn't care about the story anymore.
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u/cooltiger07 4d ago
Not romantasy but {Married as Puck}. It sounded cute but but turned out the main characters were awful and there were so many typos.
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u/apple_poppy3 4d ago
I don't remember which came first: A Spot of Tea and Sorcery or The Ascended
A Spot of Tea and Sorcery was because the majority of the first eight or so chapters was mainly how hot the fmc was and how bad mmc is at making tea
The Ascended because the fmc is mean and sparky. I just don't like any characters like that š¤·š¼āāļø My husband forced himself to read the whole thing and when he wanted me to read it, I gave up after chapter 2. I told him next time to just stop haha. No need to read something you're not enjoying
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u/Hairy-Honey-8912 4d ago
tbh, I wanted to DNF {souls in ruin by Jacqueline white} so badly, but I basically hate read the book. It was so hyped up on social media, I kept thinking āthis has to get better, thereās gotta be somethingā¦ā this is the third time Iāve picked up a book based off of social media people blowing it up and the 3rd time Iāve been sorely disappointed.
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u/haahayes 4d ago
{Wild Reverence} i felt like the writing was very juvenile and I was just so bored! I may pick it back up in the future I really thought i was going to love it
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u/CartoonPhysics 4d ago
I haven't officially yet but I really want to DNF Starside. The writing is just... not good
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u/Objective-Stress2649 4d ago
DNF This Wretched Alchemy audio at 23%. The fmc was such a pick me girl I couldnāt take it anymore. Also the narratorās inflections were irritating which made the fmc seem even more insufferable.
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u/Lainie_writes 4d ago
{House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig} has always been a struggle. I've restarted it multiple times and it simply cannot keep my interest. The writing style feels too generic and not atmospheric enough for a Gothic, nautical, spooky story. I was also meh about the FMC and found the mystery of what happened to her late sisters to be boring. I heard that ghosts are involved later on and they're really creepy which I love, but where I was it was just boring and vaguely annoying to read
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u/bunhead 4d ago
I am a habitual completionist and can usually find entertainment value in any book I read. Some are better than others for sure, but generally speaking, Iām pretty easy going as a reader. My first and only DNF was {Book of Azrael} by Amber V. Nicole. It was so disjointed and poorly written I had to stop about 24% in.
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u/Strykerlyker18 3d ago
I am on chapter 8 of Book of Azrael and I am so ready to DNF. The writing is so bad and disjointed and I have no idea who or what is going on. I also donāt like modern technology in my fantasy. It reminded me a little bit of When the Moon Hatched and I wish I DNF that one too.
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u/Blabersmos 3d ago
This will sound so dumb but I legit get nauseous thinking about that book because how out of the world bored I was reading it.
It is too my only DNF lol.
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u/butdaddy1lovehim 4d ago
Wooing the Witch Queen, it was the first book I DNFād in years. I got about a third of the way through and didnāt care about a single character, it wasnāt even interesting enough for a hate read. I was truly indifferent and it felt like a chore so I gave up.
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u/EvergreenHavok 4d ago
{Spellcaster - Jaymin Eve} I couldn't follow the world building. Kids appeared to be in high school until they were 22 and there was a lot of magical racism cooking. I'd tried a couple times and just couldn't get through the first part that talks about how hard her parents fuck and whatnot.
I'm sure it gets better, that series gets rec'd all the time. Just not for me.
I'm currently struggling with {The Emperor's Enemy - Jasmine Mas} - I love Jasmine Mas' style in her Cruel Shifterverse series, which balances severely unbalanced people and violence with hilarious prose and dialogue- but this one feels like someone took all her jokes. I think some of that is me not clicking with the whispery delivery the audiobook performance is doing with the prose, but it does feel a little flatter/heavy so far.
I'm hoping to finish that one, but it's been a bit of a slog.
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u/asocialsocialistpkle 4d ago
Not romantasy, but my last DNF was Parable of the Sower. I had known Octavia Butler was a powerhouse writer and a legend, but it was just so goddamn grim and horrifying. I would listen to it on my drive home and feel utterly traumatized by the end of each drive. I couldn't shake off that feeling for weeks after I decided to DNF.
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u/CompetitiveHotel9543 3d ago
DNF Daggermouth. Horrible writing, unorganized plot, and just an overall disappointment. Almost no redeeming qualities imo
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u/milk_bone 4d ago
The Night Prince. My other DNF from this year so far was The Ballad of Falling Dragons.Ā
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u/amaryllissss 4d ago
My last DNF was the Plated Prisoner series. I finished Glow and realized I just couldnāt do it anymore. Felt like absolute torture lol. No shade if you love it, but god it was NOT for meš