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ninelivesart · 6 months ago

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2024 DNF List

Okay, I want to preface this by explaining that not all of these books are bad. I don't remember half of them. And some of them were just of the "not for me" variety. Or even "not right now." Some of them also got shelved because my Libby check out expired and I just never checked it back out. This was before Storygraph implemented the "pause" feature (love that feature). So some are not bad books. Some I just straight up cannot remember at all.

Also, these are my opinions. So don't @ me if you loved any of these books. Everyone has different tastes and there are some things I just can't overlook. I blame a lot of my DNFs on bad writing, but I do read badly written books. They just have to have more to the story and not take themselves too seriously.

Phoenix Unbound by Grace Draven

RAPEY

2. Broken Bonds by J. Bree

One of the MMCs just straight up threatens to rape her upon the first meeting. BRUH...

3. Veiled by Ruby Smoke

No memory but sounds stupid.

4. A Court of Sugar and Spice by Rebecca F. Kenney

I was really looking forward to a Nutcracker retelling. MCs were too dumb for me to continue. One's a ridiculous flirt. Like in the cringey way. A Victorian noble woman wouldn't be going around calling men "hunks" or whatever stupid shit she was saying. Could not look past her wanting to fuck every man she sees like this isn't the fucking Victorian era. And she said this stuff BOLDLY and OUT LOUD. Often IN FRONT of said hunks. Would not have been socially acceptable and it took me out of the story. But I don't think I was missing much anyway.

5. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

The first sex scene happens when they're like 15. You could have just written that they did some things without going into graphic detail. A grown ass woman should not be writing about two 15yo boys discovering sex for the first time. What the fuck?

6. The Night Queen by Denise Daye

No memory.

7. Eternally Hers by January Rayne

No memory.

8. Wolf Gone Wild by Juliette Cross

LET ME TELL YOU WHY I DNF'D THIS BOOK OKAY?! Very obviously self-insert MC who is OBSESSED with her Reylo ship. To the point of the MMC noticing her "Reylo forever" t-shirt and how it's hugging her giant breasts. His wolf has his own voice and wants to fuck her immediately. Even though she's the most annoying person he's likely ever met. I DNF'd when she stopped the story to explain to him why Reylo was "the best ship ever." Stop putting your stupid ships into your work! No one cares that you ruined Star Wars! YIKES!

9. The September House by Carissa Orlando

She was way too nonchalant about her husband mysteriously disappearing and her walls bleeding. Also just like not telling her daughter that her dad is missing and then not understanding why she's upset. Honestly, the boomer mentality was probably the most realistic part.

10. The Stone Circle Queen by Ophelia Wells Langley

I did read the first one. And I remember liking it for the most part. But I did get hung up on the part where the author misgenders her own non-binary character. And that kind of pissed me off. I can't remember why I DNF'd this one beyond the fact that I was confused and couldn't remember what happened.

11. Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

Listen. I got suckered in by the cool sprayed edges too. But I love myself too much to keep going.

12. Shardless by Stephanie Fisher

No memory.

13. Never Whistle at Night by Multiple

THIS WAS NOT A BAD BOOK. Just not for me, I'm sorry. I really struggle with horror because there are some themes that upset me. And this one just made me a little uncomfy and I couldn't hang. But it's a horror anthology so that's the point. I'm just a big baby.

14. The Sun, the Storm, & the Shadows by Mikayla D. Hornedo

I was excited about this one because it's a fae story but based on Maya mythology. But it was badly written and I couldn't hang.

15. Between Wrath and Mercy by Jess Wisecup

I don't remember a lot but I'm pretty sure there's a rape scene early on. I didn't finish it because as soon as the vibes headed in that direction, I noped out. I did check Storygraph to see if I was picking up what they were putting down and it said yes. So no thank you.

16. Hallows End by Kristen Proby

LET ME COUNT THE WAYS. Okay, this book was badly written to the point of making me rage quit. I don't remember much of the plot but I remember there's a scene where she shows up at MMC's house in the middle of the night in her pajamas with no shoes for some reason? And is like "I was just chased by a monster!" They then proceed to passionately make out and the monster chase scene is never explained, elaborated on, or brought back up. Idk maybe it becomes relevant later but it felt just so out of place and a weird way to get your characters to make out. I also remember that instead of writing the monster chase scene the MMC proceeds to explain the entire history of the Salem Witch Trials to you like it's a new thing you've never heard of. All while she's apparently being chased by a monster in her jammies. Which is not as important as teaching you something you probably already know, or can just read on Wikipedia. The chase scene happens off page. But not the redundant history lesson. Idk. They fell in love in like 5 minutes. I couldn't.

17. The Divine and the Cursed by J.E. Reed

I don't remember why.

18. The Umbra King by Jamie Applegate Hunter

No memory.

19. Among the Beasts and Briars by Ashley Poston

No memory.

20. Sofi and the Bone Song by Adrienne Tooley

I'm pretty sure this was just one of my Libby returns that I forgot about because I didn't read enough of it.

21. The Diablo's Curse by Gabe Cole Novoa

I KNOW this one was a Libby return that I didn't read fast enough. I didn't listen to a lot of it but it was interesting so it went back on my tbr.

22. It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey

I only picked it up because of the same initials thing. I read her Christmas one the year before and didn't hate it so I thought I could handle this one. I hated the characters too much to get into it. I can relate to an ex-con who wants to build elaborate window displays but not a spoiled rich girl crying about inheriting a bar. Idk.

23. The Crimson Moth/Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli

I know people like this one but I couldn't get passed the magic system. I do remember thinking the writing wasn't very good but I can sometimes overlook that. I could not, however, overlook collecting your friend's PERIOD blood to rub sigils on your skin for magic. GROSS. I also remember an absolutely ridiculous scene where she's trying to get LI to drink from a glass she put a truth spell on, with period blood, and drinks it herself to prove it's not cursed. Then acts like an idiot. The secondhand embarrassment was overwhelming. Also, she's supposed to be this like super intelligent vigilante but does stupid shit like that.

24. The Witch Handbook to Magic and Mayhem by Tish Thawer

I don't remember why I stopped but the premise was interesting. I do remember being confused about trying to keep track of all the characters and their different powers. But I can't tell you what pushed me over the edge.

25. After the Forest by Kell Woods

I don't think this one was bad. I was just bored.

26. The Gathering Dark by Tori Bovalino

I think horror anthologies are just not for me. I remember enjoying a few of the shorts but I just never picked it back up again. I think the short format just bores me.

27. One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

I see this one recommended a lot but the writing is bad. And I remember thinking she over explained a lot of unnecessary information. Like there's a whole scene where the MC is licking berry juice or honey or something off her fingers. And she takes the time to inform you that there are also ants on her fingers. Which she eats. So yeah. That was weird.

28. Fairest by Marissa Meyer

Listen, I love the Lunar Chronicles. I could NOT make myself enjoy reading about the Queen. There's a word for what you're doing, babes! It's called Sexual Assault. Like I know we knew that already. But I couldn't make myself read it. She was awful from birth and I think Meyer did a good job of showing her THINKING that she's doing the right thing while being horrible. Well written. Very triggering. Could not put myself through it.

29. How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

I honestly just couldn't get into it. Brother pissed me off. I was bored.

30. Wires and Nerve by Marissa Meyer

This is no fault of the story or author. But the copy I got was covered in crumbs and Cheeto stains. I can't hang with the nasties. I will try again when we replace it. Gross.

31. Phantom Phenomena by Darkness Prevails

This book is about the point that I realized I don't like short, personal ghost stories. They bore me and 99% of them aren't even scary.

32. Haint Country by Matthew R. Sparks

This was my biggest disappointment this year. This book has itself labeled as Appalachian folklore but it's, again, just people's not scary ghost stories that happen to take place in Kentucky. There's no actual folklore. I gave up after one story was just "We waited for the bus on our aunt's porch every day and she'd leave the light on for us. The light stayed on after she died! Spooky" it wasn't. If you like those kinds of books, it's probably fine. But I don't think that I do. And I was hoping for more actual folklore.

#2024 dnfs #sorry if you liked any of these books #some of them i just completely forgot about so maybe they're worth revisiting #also some of them were from me not being able to overlook things like BLOOD and EATING ANTS #so idk maybe they get better later but i'll never be able to get into the story if i'm thinking about the time you ate ants #let me know if you got any appalachian folklore recs though #i'm trying to beef up my folklore/mythology section and we're over saturated with greek mythology (of course)

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ninelivesart · 6 months ago

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2024 Reading List

Hi everyone! I'm still here. I just hit a pretty big block that has taken over every aspect of my life. 2024 ended up going in a different direction than 2023 in regards to my Books/Art things. I didn't have quite the same goals last year as I did the year before. Namely, I kept catching myself reading really short books just to make a certain number. And putting off larger books I wanted to read. So I made it my goal to just like not have a goal.

In which case, success!

Otherwise, I fell off the wagon with the Drawing My Reads. And I read like maybe half of what I read the year before. Once I hit that block later in the year, my numbers just tanked. So I decided not to include these in the Drawing My Reads post I have already up.

This post will just be the books I read and what I liked/didn't like about them. Mini-reviews, if you will. I'll probably also make a separate DNF list because I started keeping track of those as well. Yay, Storygraph!

So continue below if you care to know what I read this last year.

And Happy New Year!

January

1. When She Dances by Ruby Dixon

I already read all the IPB books, so I started dipping my toes into her other books. I don't care for this series as much but they're nice for when you just want a quick mindless read.

2. The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

I absolutely loved this book.

3. Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree

I listened to the audiobook, read by the author. Also, fun fact, my fanart of the first book made him follow me on Tik-Tok, so we're mutuals now!

February

4. Unfamiliar, Vol. 1 by Haley Newsome

A cute graphic novel about a witch.

5. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

I'm gonna be real with you, I didn't enjoy this book. It felt very... young? Just felt like a kid's book and was really boring a lot of the time. I really just wanted to jump to Six of Crows but I felt like I was missing something when I started that one. Probably won't finish this series but I will read Six of Crows eventually. I do enjoy some of her other books. So I'm assuming it's because she wrote this when she was very young.

6. Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix

I loved this book! I picked it up because it has a very clever design. The entire book looks like an Ikea catalog. It's fun for being a relatively graphic horror novel. Nothing too intense, though.

7. Halfling by S.E. Wendel

I'm pretty sure I picked this up because I kept seeing it advertised and the cover was pretty. It was fine. I don't remember much about it.

8. A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab

I finally decided to finish this series. AND I LOVED IT. V.E. Schwab is an auto-buy author for me now.

9. Choosing Theo by Victoria Aveline

Needed another filler series. Trying not to overdo it like I did with the IPB series. So I'm pacing myself. But I do really enjoy these books. They're wholesome the way the IPB series is.

10. A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab

Miss Schwab just doesn't miss for me. Loved this series. So excited that it's kind of continuing.

11. In Nightfall by Suzanne Young

I listened to the audio at work. It was a YA retelling of The Lost Boys. Fun but not amazing.

March

12. Freeing Luka by Victoria Aveline

Fun.

13. Zatanna: The Jewel of Gravesend by Alys Arden

Jaqueline de Leon does the art for this graphic novel and I've been following her for years. She's a huge inspiration to me. So it was nice getting to see a big project like this from her. It was a cute story. Sad though.

14. The Night Hunt by Alexandra Christo

Another one that fell on the young side. I know it's YA already but it felt like it could have been something bigger/better. It felt like an early draft where the author just info dumps the story before fleshing it out. I loved the concept but the execution was a little lacking. Wish it had been more expanded on.

15. Court of the Vampire Queen by Katee Robert

These books were fucking stupid.

16. Miles Morales Suspended by Jason Reynolds

Cute! I didn't realize it's a semi-sequel to the first Miles book. I think it can be read standalone but it does take place after that one. I also listened to this but wish I'd read the physical book for the artwork.

17. Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

A TikTok recommendation that actually didn't disappoint me. I ended up really loving this book and I had to buy the second one immediately because I didn't want to wait for it to come back to the library.

18. Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross

I know there were mixed reviews on this duology, but I loved it.

19. Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher

Short! An interesting retelling of Sleeping Beauty that leans very heavily on faerie folklore. I listened to the audio and really liked it. It's a quick read.

20. Bride by Ali Hazelwood

The only Ali Hazelwood book I've ever read. It was fine. I liked the MC's sense of humor. She was refreshingly sarcastic. However, I cannot STAND her STEM romances. They give me the ick so bad. So this was surprisingly enjoyable.

21. Saving Verakko by Victoria Aveline

Fun again. I'm enjoying this series but trying not to zoom through it. Good for light, quick reads.

April

22. The Prince of Prohibition by Marilyn Marks

A really interesting fae romance that takes place during the 1920s. The fae are based on Welsh mythology and are disguised as idk mobsters or something. I actually enjoyed this but I don't remember much about it.

23. The Veil of Violence by Marilyn Marks

I can't remember the differences between each book since I read them back to back. I know I didn't enjoy the sequel as much as the first one. But they weren't bad. I'm pretty sure it left off open-ended, so possibly another one at some point?

24. All Systems Red by Martha Wells

I listened to the audio. It's another quick, short one but Murderbot is a really fun character to follow. I keep forgetting to read the rest of the series.

May

25. Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

I've really enjoyed Neil Gaiman's work so it's a shame he's a garbage human being. I'm a big fan of mythology but I can't bring myself to read any more of his work.

26. The Fragile Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab

Miss Schwab back at it again. Can't wait for the continuation of this series.

27. Ghost Station by S.A. Barnes

I really enjoyed Dead Silence, so I was hoping this one would be just as good. I listened to the audio and I think it fell short of my expectations. It wasn't bad but wasn't my favorite. Dead Silence was better.

June

28. A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal

Interesting take on vampires. I liked the worldbuilding and the characters. It was entertaining but not the "edge of your seat" kind.

29. The Last Bloodcarver by Vanessa Le

I picked this up because of the beautiful cover and really enjoyed it. I know I've complained about YA books sometimes feeling too young. I usually mean the writing style, which is no fault of the books. They are for younger audiences, I'm aware. But this one didn't feel overly young. I listened to the audio and liked it. I hope there's more in the series.

30. Restless Stars by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti

This series is also fucking stupid. But I've read every single one of them. So joke's on me, I guess. Anyway, dumb ending to a series I'm glad is over. I will be reading more by these authors, though. Because I clearly don't read these books for the good writing. I will never reread them.

31. The Never King by Nikki St. Crowe

I actually dislike these more than Zodiac Academy, tbh. I wasn't reading them for the plot, though. Fucking stupid. I've read all of them.

32. Maneater by Emily Antoinette

I read this because of the cover and also I was hoping she actually literally ate men. A little disappointed that she falls in love with one instead. Cute, short romance if you can overlook the lack of murdering. Pretty sure this is a prequel but I haven't read the others yet.

33. Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Torzs

I enjoyed this book. It wasn't amazing and I was listening to it while doing busy work. So it wasn't enthralling or anything but I didn't hate it. I can see why some people thought it was boring, though. I liked the magic system. There's a dog named Sir Kiwi, which is the most important thing to know. She lives.

July

34. The Dark One by Nikki St. Crowe

I remember the MC being agonizingly annoying throughout this series. And how they just like--all collectively fall in love with her even though she has the personality of styrofoam. She made me cringe a few times. And for some reason they like her more than all the other Darlings after knowing her for like 2 days and never really explain why she's special and different.

35. Their Vicious Darling by Nikki St. Crowe

I don't remember her being vicious a single time.

36. The Fae Princes by Nikki St. Crowe

I remember that most of my questions were still left unanswered. Every character is annoying except the Crocodile, I think. Idk. I can't remember. I'm pretty sure there's a spinoff or will be at some point but I don't care enough to read it. I don't know how I made it to the end beyond wanting those questions answered and then not getting that.

37. As Old as Time by Liz Braswell

I've been really enjoying these Disney books. They hit a lot harder than the movies and answer some questions. I liked that you learn more about Belle's mother in this book and it gives a bit more backstory into the Prince being cursed and everything. Fun.

38. Romancing Rem'eb by Ruby Dixon

Back at it again with the IPB spinoffs. Mushrooms? Dumb. Gimme fourteen of them.

August

39. Tempting Auzed by Victoria Aveline

This is why I stop myself from reading these books back to back. I can't remember the differences between them. Fuck if I know what happened in this book. I enjoyed it though.

40. Ocean Wolves by Theresa Beachman

I'm pretty sure I chose this because 1. it was free on Stuff Your Kindle Day and 2. I needed a book with an author with the same initials as me for the summer reading program. I actually really enjoyed this book? Very suspenseful as well as romantic. Will probably continue this series even though it isn't my usual cup of tea.

41. Fire in His Blood by Ruby Dixon

More Ruby Dixon for my IPB fix. I don't enjoy this series as much. More dystopian than sci-fi. They're fine, I guess. There are dragons. I'm pretty sure I read another one but it isn't logged anywhere.

42. The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young

I really liked this one! I listened to the audio and there were a few times I had to go back because I wasn't paying enough attention. I don't do that often, which is why I usually choose YA for my listens. Also because I don't want to be listening to smut at work. This one isn't YA, though. I liked it a lot.

43. Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

This... this is the edge of your seat book I've been looking for. I was hooked from the first page. Loved every second of it. I started to get anxious about the love triangle but then it turned into a throuple, which is the only valid solution. I started with the audio and my time ran out, so I checked out the physical book. Which doesn't happen often, but I needed to know more. FEMININE RAGE. QUEER CHARACTERS. CHINESE MYTHOLOGY. GIANT MECH SUITS. BE GAY. DO CRIMES. 10/10.

September

44. Cryptids, Creatures & Critters by Rachel Quinney

This is about the point that I started to lose momentum. This book didn't tell me anything new about cryptids but the artwork is STUNNING. I will be buying this book because I want to stare at it.

45. Wild Wolf by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti

The conclusion of the Darkmore books. Also stupid. But I wasn't here for the plot. I don't remember much of what happens in this book besides a lot of orgies, tbh.

46. Thrum by Meg Smitherman

Ok, I read this on a fucking airplane because I didn't expect there to be smut in it. But... this book was fucking... weird? Like, I think I didn't enjoy it. Idk. There were a lot of things left unanswered. And it wasn't as thrilling as I was led to believe. It's been months and I don't think I fully processed it yet. I don't recommend it.

47. The Widow and the Orcs by Finley Fenn

I downloaded this for my trip because I knew I wouldn't be able to download anything else, and I didn't realize it's #9 in the series. I did like that the MC is older and not a baby-faced 19yo. But it was also a lot. Not sure if I'll continue the series because her love interest is a villain in the other books and I'm going to have a hard time forgiving him.

48. The Orc and the Innkeeper by Cora Crane

I was on a trip. And clearly going through an Orc phase, okay? This was kinda dumb. More modern setting. Former high school bully. Suffered a bit from the miscommunication trope. I don't really want to read more.

I saw Hozier in concert after this so I had to take time off to process that as well. You can't have an out-of-body Hozier experience like that and then just jump right back into Orc smut, you know? Also, I got really sick after this so I was like zooted on fever temps and dayquil for the rest of September.

October

49. The Book of Bill by Alex Hirsch

The only book I read in October. Absolutely delightful for a Gravity Falls fan. 10/10.

November

50. ExtraOrdinary by V.E. Schwab

Mad that no one told me there's a comic series that takes place in the Vicious universe. Rude of them. Fun story.

51. Beware the Banshee's Cry by Steven J. Rolfes

In my folklore era now. I enjoyed this book. More background on Banshees. I used it to argue why Banshees belong in the folklore section and not metaphysical. And I stand by that choice.

December

52. Dark Folklore by Mark Norman

This book got me EXCITED. I love folklore. And I loved that this book went into the more cultural history behind these folk stories, rather than just telling the stories. There's a whole section on how sleep paralysis influenced folklore and I DID NOT SHUT UP ABOUT IT FOR WEEKS. I can write essays on sleep paralysis and folklore. So I was super excited to see it explained in depth. It also gave me new information I didn't consider. Ex. the incubus/succubus myths derived from people experiencing sleep paralysis. Amazing. 10/10.

53. When She's Bold by Ruby Dixon

Another cute, quick read. Very glad the miscommunication was cleared up quickly. By, you know, talking to each other. There's no real high stakes. No beating around the bush, so to speak. Once they realize they aren't communicating properly, they just like, talk about it. I appreciated that.

54. The Fright Before Christmas by Jeff Balanger

Christmas folklore, of the darker variety. This book claims it's more Krampus based, and does go into depth on that myth, but it also touched on the dark origins of a lot of Christmas traditions. Fascinating. I love having random folklore facts in my back pocket to ruin Christmas for everyone. 10/10.

55. Goldfinch by Raven Kennedy

I put off reading this book because the ending to the last one pissed me off. But I finally read it. It was fine. Overall, not the best series I've ever read but I enjoyed them. I mean, I read them all. Glad things got resolved and wrapped up.

56. The Visitor by Sergio Gomez

This book annoyed me. The premise was different from the execution. It felt flat and rushed. I know it's a short story but I felt like the suspense could have been built up better. Also, they just like figure out right away that they're being hunted by an alien and it's harvesting their organs. People aren't going to jump right into figuring it out like that. More of a telling not showing kind of book. The dog survives so that's important.

I also read a book called A Glitch in the Matrix but apparently I didn't log it anywhere. I did finish it but I didn't enjoy it because it ended up just being personal accounts of people's ghost stories. I didn't feel like there were enough Glitches and 9 times out of 10 they were obviously sleep paralysis or something that had an easy explanation.

2024 Total: 57

#2024 Reads #sorry about falling off the art wagon #i've just been so blocked in like everything #nothing brings me joy kind of thing #probably depression?#idk but eventually i'd like to get back to it #i'm just trying to give myself the grace to take breaks and let myself recover properly #also been taking this time to just practice and do experimental art rather than completed things #anyway i hope everyone had a good holiday season #and i hope you have a wonderful new year #i'll post my dnf list in a few mins #thanks for reading if you did #it's okay if you didn't #it's a lot of rambling

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