The time has come again to round up a few DNF books of 2013 so far. Note that I have read over 75 books this year so there are bound to be some that are simply not worth my time and effort. I also know some have seen these on my STS and are awaiting my thoughts, so here goes (note that these are not all my 2013 DNFs, just the most noteworthy):
by Amelia Kahaney
A teenage girl is transformed into a reluctant superhero and must balance her old life with the dark secret of who she has become.
Prima ballerina Anthem Fleet is closely guarded by her parents in their penthouse apartment. But when she meets the handsome Gavin at a party on the wrong side of town, she is immediately drawn into his dangerous world. Then, in a tragic accident, Anthem falls to her death. She awakes in an underground lab, with a bionic heart ticking in her chest. As she navigates her new life, she uncovers the sinister truth behind those she trusted the most, and the chilling secret of her family lineage…and her duty to uphold it.
I had the hardest time getting into this book. It went from great to.... not, in a very short time. The first clue that I was not going to like it came within mere pages after the protagonist loses her virginity to some guy she just started dating the week before, claiming she was in love. BLAH! Then of course he gets kidnapped for ransom because she's rich and she has to risk her life for him--he's the love of her life and all. I thought it was going to be an exciting superhero movie but honestly all she did in the 51% I read was cry and do dumb stuff. You can find my conversation with Jenni about it here (some very insightful info!).
Vengeance Bound
by Justina Ireland
by Justina Ireland
The Goddess Test meets Dexter in an edgy, compelling debut about one teen’s quest for revenge… no matter how far it takes her.
Cory Graff is not alone in her head. Bound to a deal of desperation made when she was a child, Cory’s mind houses the Furies—the hawk and the serpent—lingering always, waiting for her to satisfy their bloodlust. After escaping the asylum where she was trapped for years, Cory knows how to keep the Furies quiet. By day, she lives a normal life, but by night, she tracks down targets the Furies send her way. And she brings down Justice upon them.
Cory’s perfected her system of survival, but when she meets a mysterious boy named Niko at her new school, she can’t figure out how she feels about him. For the first time, the Furies are quiet in her head around a guy. But does this mean that Cory’s finally found someone who she can trust, or are there greater factors at work? As Cory’s mind becomes a battlefield, with the Furies fighting for control, Cory will have to put everything on the line to hold on to what she’s worked so hard to build
I was SO excited for this one as soon as I saw it involved mythology and the mention of Dexter, but unfortunately I could not care less for any of the characters in the book. I found the character development seriously lacking, and while the premise was very creative and could have been awesome I was just bored with it. I also got annoyed by how every reference to the Furies ("Them" "They" etc) was capitalized. It was distracting every time; I kept yelling the word in my head to give it emphasis because of this, and that was just annoying. I don't much care for yelling at myself.
by Shandy Lawson
Ben and Maggie have met, fallen in love, and died together countless times. Over the course of two pivotal days—both the best and worst of their lives—they struggle again and again to resist the pull of fate and the force of time itself. With each failure, they return to the beginning of their end, a wild road trip that brings them to the scene of their own murders and into the hands of the man destined to kill them.
As time circles back on itself, events become more deeply ingrained, more inescapable for the two kids trapped inside the loop. The closer they come to breaking out, the tighter fate’s clutches seem to grip them. They devise a desperate plan to break free and survive the days ahead, but what if Ben and Maggie’s only shot at not dying is surviving apart?
I think this book was DNFed at its earliest ever at not even 30 pages. Why? Basically, it starts with "Oh wow I have a lot of deja vus lately, let's go see this creepy old guy at that psychic's table in the middle of the street who's been grinning at me." The psychic creep tells him he's in a time loop where he relives things over and over.. and the MC's like "Huh, ok that explains it!". O_o
Yah... Not for me.
Insomnia (The Night Walkers #1)
by J.R. Johansson
by J.R. Johansson
It’s been four years since I slept, and I suspect it is killing me.
Instead of sleeping, Parker Chipp enters the dream of the last person he’s had eye contact with. He spends his nights crushed by other people’s fear and pain, by their disturbing secrets—and Parker can never have dreams of his own. The severe exhaustion is crippling him. If nothing changes, Parker could soon be facing psychosis and even death.
Then he meets Mia. Her dreams, calm and beautifully uncomplicated, allow him blissful rest that is utterly addictive. Parker starts going to bizarre lengths to catch Mia’s eye every day. Everyone at school thinks he’s gone over the edge, even his best friend. And when Mia is threatened by a true stalker, everyone thinks it’s Parker.
Suffering blackouts, Parker begins to wonder if he is turning into someone dangerous. What if the monster stalking Mia is him after all?
I DNFed this one at 38% and honestly I don't really have much to say about it other than I just didn't like it. The MC was a jerk and a creep. He can only sleep if he looks into the eyes of one particular girl every day so he stalks her in the most obvious of ways and it was just.... ick. Then when his best friend tells him as such he punches him. Eeh. I don't know, he just unsettled me. The plot didn't particularly interest me either it seemed like one I would forget 5 seconds after finishing the book. I was undecided as to if I would continue or not but after a few of my friends' reviews came back not especially positive I'm going to keep it as a DNF.
I'm sure many has read books where you just know finishing it is futile, some may finish it still, I don't have that patience anymore knowing I have so many other - better - books I could get to. If you do DNF books, let me know which ones made the unfortunate list this year! Part 2 of 2013 DNFs will be posted at the end of the year!
