My Unfinished Series: Keep reading or DNF it #5

Hi guys, it’s time to DNF some series again! I hope you’re ready for some unpopular opinions, cause I seem to have a lot of those. But it’s okay, cause I’m just one (pretty irrelevant) person and I’m sure you guys dislike lots of stuff I like too (Purple prose? Unlikable female characters? Teacher/Student romances? Country music? Just take your pick.)

21. The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco

Books Published: 2/2 Books Read: 1/2

Synopsis: A dead girl walks the streets. She hunts murderers. Child killers, much like the man who threw her body down a well three hundred years ago. And when a strange boy bearing stranger tattoos moves into the neighborhood so, she discovers, does something else. And soon both will be drawn into the world of eerie doll rituals and dark Shinto exorcisms that will take them from American suburbia to the remote valleys and shrines of Aomori, Japan. Because the boy has a terrifying secret, one that would just kill to get out.

My thoughts: Rin Chupeco’s The Bone Witch was one of my favorite books last year, and to get me through the long wait for it’s sequel I decided to try her other series: The Girl from the Well. I had very high expectations, which weren’t really met. I loved the setting and the inclusion of Japanese legends and mythology, but despite that I was pretty underwhelmed. It wasn’t as creepy as I thought it would be, nor was it as beautifully written as The Bone Witch.

Verdict: DNF

22. The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare

Books Published: 3/3 Books Read: 1/3

Synopsis: The year is 1878. Tessa Gray descends into London’s dark supernatural underworld in search of her missing brother. She soon discovers that her only allies are the demon-slaying Shadowhunters, including Will and Jem, the mysterious boys she is attracted to. Soon they find themselves up against the Pandemonium Club, a secret organization of vampires, demons, warlocks, and humans. Equipped with a magical army of unstoppable clockwork creatures, the Club is out to rule the British Empire, and only Tessa and her allies can stop them.

My thoughts: Everyone told me this series is a lot better than the Mortal Instruments. Guess what? It’s not. It’s just the same thing in better outfits and I’m over it. Cassandra Clare’s created such a cool world, but for some reason I can’t bring myself to care even a little bit about anything that happens in it. And it’s not like I haven’t tried, I read all six Mortal Instrument books, even though the only thing I liked about it was Luke (I may or may not have a thing for middle aged werewolves. I mean Remus Lupin, Alcide, that one kid’s uncle on TVD…wow, this is a tangent) and I’m not doing that again. No more broody supernatural teens for me, please and thank you.

Verdict: DNF

23. Tales of the Ketty Jay by Chris Wooding

Books Published: 4/4 Books Read: 1/4

Synopsis: Frey is the captain of the Ketty Jay, leader of a small and highly dysfunctional band of layabouts. An inveterate womaniser and rogue, he and his gang make a living on the wrong side of the law, avoiding the heavily armed flying frigates of the Coalition Navy. With their trio of ragged fighter craft, they run contraband, rob airships and generally make a nuisance of themselves. So a hot tip on a cargo freighter loaded with valuables seems like a great prospect for an easy heist and a fast buck. Until the heist goes wrong, and the freighter explodes. Suddenly Frey isn’t just a nuisance anymore – he’s public enemy number one.

My thoughts: My favorite thing about writing these posts is trying to articulate my interesting and well informed opinions on books I have no memory of reading. It’s a lot of fun. So this series was pretty popular on booktube a few years ago and I picked it up cause I wanted to try something different. I really enjoyed the first book, even though I was pretty confused by some (or most) of the world-building and technology. But that’s probably not the books fault and rather a result of it being my first adventure in steampunk.

Verdict: DNF

24. Seven Realms by Cinda Williams Chima

Books Published: 4/4 Books Read: 1/4

Synopsis: While out hunting one day, Han and his Clan friend, Dancer, discover three young wizards using a magical amulet to set fire to the sacred mountain of Hanalea. Han wrestles it from them, but without realising that the amulet is a treasure with immense power; it once belonged to the Demon King, the legendary wizard who nearly destroyed the world a millennium ago. Meanwhile, Raisa ana’Marianna, Princess Heir of the Fells, has just returned to the city after spending three years with her father’s Clan in the mountains. She aspires to be like Hanalea, the legendary warrior-queen who vanquished the Demon King and saved the world, but her mother has other plans for her, plans that will put both the queendom and Raisa’s future in great danger.

My thoughts: This is one of those series where it’s really not the book, it’s me. I liked the first book a lot, it has amazing characters and an interesting plot. I’m just falling out of love with this specific type of YA fantasy. You know the kind I mean, the ones with multiple pov’s which usually include a prince/princess; a soldier/guard; a thief/criminal, at least one of the character has hidden magical abilities and at least two of them fall in love. I know that describes a lot of books and honestly, it describes a lot of books I love (Including the next series on this list…) Which is probably why I feel the need to take a break, I’ve just read it all too many times before.

Verdict: DNF (But I might come back to it)

25. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Books Published: 6/7 Books Read: 4/7

Synopsis: In the dark, filthy salt mines of Endovier, an eighteen-year-old girl is serving a life sentence. She is a trained assassin, the best of her kind, but she made a fatal mistake. She got caught. Young Captain Westfall offers her a deal: her freedom in return for one huge sacrifice. Celaena must represent the prince in a to-the-death tournament, fighting the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. Live or die, Celaena will be free. Win or lose, she is about to discover her true destiny. But will her assassin’s heart be melted?

My thoughts: It’s time for another controversial opinion: I actually really like this series. The first book was pretty much a perfect YA fantasy to me, I loved the mystery and intrigue of it, I loved Celaena as a main character, I loved her relationship with Chaol, I loved the castle setting… My feelings about the next books are a lot more mixed. I’m not as invested in Celaena as a character anymore and I’m not a huge fan of the romance (it’s so…growly), but the introduction of Manon Blackbeak, my new favorite witch, more than makes up for it.

Verdict: Keep Reading

Total Score – Keep Reading: 13 DNF: 12 My Number: 59

I feel like I’m getting a lot better at DNF’ing things and I kind of like it! As usual, I’d love to hear what you think of my decisions. Would you make the same ones? Or do you think I’m totally wrong? And have you DNF’d any series lately?