2013 DNFs [Part 1]

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):

The Brokenhearted
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

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.

The Loop
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

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.

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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!

2012 DNF Madness [Part 2]

Welcome to part 2 of 2012 DNF Madness. If you missed part 1, it was posted just yesterday, here! ;) 

The Glimpse

Claire Merle

Publication date: June 7th 2012
by Faber & Faber

In a near future, society is segregated according to whether people are genetically disposed to mental illness. 17-year-old Ana has been living the privileged life of a Pure due to an error in her DNA test. When the authorities find out, she faces banishment from her safe Community, a fate only thwarted by the fact that she has already been promised to Pure-boy Jasper Taurell.

Jasper is from a rich and influential family and despite Ana’s condition, wants to be with her. The authorities grant Ana a tentative reprieve. If she is joined to Jasper before her 18th birthday, she may stay in the Community until her illness manifests. But if Jasper changes his mind, she will be cast out among the Crazies. As Ana’s joining ceremony and her birthday loom closer, she dares to hope she will be saved from the horror of the City and live a ‘normal’ life. But then Jasper disappears.

Led to believe Jasper has been taken by a strange sect the authorities will not intefere with, Ana sneaks out of her well-guarded Community to find him herself. Her search takes her through the underbelly of society, and as she delves deeper into the mystery of Jasper’s abduction she uncovers some devastating truths that destroy everything she has grown up to believe.

*A copy was provided by Faber and Faber for review purposes*

I tried to get into this one, halfway through and incredibly bored I deduced that it was clearly not for me. The plot is taking a lot of detours that I find quite pointless, seemingly used as filler material. I don't like the protagonist that much. The world isn't very believable, especially how this is supposedly only a few years in the future. Society could never change this drastically in such a short time, particularly considering how controversial it all is. Along with inconsistent perspective changes and improbable happenings that are simply ridiculous, I could not motivate myself to finish this. It certainly doesn't give anything new and interesting in a year filled with dystopian novels.

 Stormdancer

Jay Kristoff

Publication date: April 1st 2012

by Arthur A. Levine Books 

Griffins are supposed to be extinct. So when Yukiko and her warrior father Masaru are sent to capture one for the Shogun, they fear that their lives are over. Everyone knows what happens to those who fail him, no matter how hopeless the task.

But the mission proves far less impossible, and far more deadly, than anyone expects – and soon Yukiko finds herself stranded: a young woman alone in her country's last wilderness, with only a furious, crippled griffin for company. But trapped together in the forest, Yukiko and Buruu soon discover a friendship that neither of them expected.

Meanwhile, the country around them verges on the brink of collapse. A toxic fuel is slowly choking the land; the omnipotent, machine-powered Lotus Guild is publicly burning those they deem Impure; and the Shogun cares about nothing but his own dominion. Yukiko has always been uneasy in the shadow of power, when she learns the awful truth of what the Shogun has done, both to her country and to her own family she's determined to do something about it.

Returning to the city, Yukiko and Buruu plan to make the Shogun pay for his crimes – but what can one girl and a flightless griffin do against the might of an empire?

*A copy was provided by Macmillan for review purposes*

I know a lot of you are glaring at me right now, but this one was not a fun read for me, at all. Having to look up words every 30 seconds, using an annex to keep all the world terms straight (which is an immense pain on an eReader), and being confused as heck because even with all of that, the language is just too foreign... this is not fun, lovelies! Not fun at all! I know the second half is apparently epic and worth studying for 12 hours to get through the beginning, but dude... Sure the heroine is fantastic and strong, and the world may be especially vivid, but if I need a set of Encyclopedias and dictionaries at the ready when I'm reading, no dice! The cover is cool, I'll give you that.

The Treachery of Beautiful Things

Ruth Frances Long

Publication date: August 16th 2012
by Dial Books

A darkly compelling mix of romance, fairy tale, and suspense from a new voice in teen fiction

The trees swallowed her brother whole, and Jenny was there to see it. Now seventeen, she revisits the woods where Tom was taken, resolving to say good-bye at last. Instead, she's lured into the trees, where she finds strange and dangerous creatures who seem to consider her the threat. Among them is Jack, mercurial and magnetic, with secrets of his own. Determined to find her brother, with or without Jack's help, Jenny struggles to navigate a faerie world where stunning beauty masks some of the most treacherous evils, and she's faced with a choice between salvation or sacrifice--and not just her own.

*A copy was provided by Penguin for review purposes*

As some of your know, I'm very picky and hard to please when it comes to fantasy novels. The Treachery of Beautiful Things did not have any of the qualities that keep my interest in this genre. I was finding I didn't care for the characters still at 65% in; the MC is easily swayed and a little too "damsel in distress" for my taste, so I called quits on this on knowing it wouldn't garner more than a 2-star if I forced myself through it. I could see those who are big fans of fantasies/fairies enjoying it. Though you'd need to like the old school fairy tale style protagonist.

 Code Name Verity

Elizabeth Wein

Publication date: May 15th 2012
by Hyperion

Two young women from totally different backgrounds are thrown together during World War II: one a working-class girl from Manchester, the other a Scottish aristocrat, one a pilot, the other a wireless operator. Yet whenever their paths cross, they complement each other perfectly and before long become devoted friends.

But then a vital mission goes wrong, and one of the friends has to bail out of a faulty plane over France. She is captured by the Gestapo and becomes a prisoner of war. The story begins in “Verity’s” own words, as she writes her account for her captors

*A copy was provided by Random House of Canada for review purposes*

This is the truest case of "It's not you, it's me" while reading, and DNFing, a book. I knew this was over my comfort zone to begin with. But I wanted to give it a try as it does sound like a good story - and it is, it was just too much for me. Too much piloting and plane details I didn't get. Too many war specifics that I didn't completely understand. I can easily see that if you can get into it it would be a fantastic novel, though. The narration is wonderful and the reason I kept reading so long--DNFed at 70%. So don't dismiss it on my account. It's a truly poignant story that has a lot of weight. I can see it becoming a true classic to be talked about for years to come. So it's very unfortunate that I wasn't able to get through the off-putting elements.

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This concludes DNF Madness 2012! As I said yesterday, I'm sure some of you do, or will, love these novels, and I'm glad because they are not bad books if read by the right audience. I even envy those who had such great experiences with them as it's always an amazing feeling to fall completely in love with a book. But hey, this is why we read crap, eh? Trying to find the next diamond in the rough.

After so much hating, next week I will be featuring my top favorite books of the year! (Yes, I sometimes love books, too!) So stay tuned! :)

What books did you DNF this year?

2012 DNF Madness [Part 1]

Yes, sometimes books are so awful that I do not finish them. I used to refuse to leave a book unfinished, but then I realized how crazy I was to keep reading something I hated. However, as I usually read at least 50-70%, I still gather more than enough to have an opinion on it. This DNF madness event--which I gather will be at least 2 or 3 parts long, will showcase books that, unfortunately, took hours of my life that I will never get back. As these are simply reasons, or ramblings, on why I did not finish the book, they will not be up to par--in length and quality (hours of my life!!)--with my usual full length reviews. You might consider them... fleeting warnings.  

Nobody

Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Publication date: January 22nd 2013 

by EgmontUSA 

There are people in this world who are Nobody. No one sees them. No one notices them. They live their lives under the radar, forgotten as soon as you turn away.

That’s why they make the perfect assassins.

The Institute finds these people when they’re young and takes them away for training. But an untrained Nobody is a threat to their organization. And threats must be eliminated.

Sixteen-year-old Claire has been invisible her whole life, missed by the Institute’s monitoring. But now they’ve ID’ed her and send seventeen-year-old Nix to remove her. Yet the moment he lays eyes on her, he can’t make the hit. It’s as if Claire and Nix are the only people in the world for each other. And they are—because no one else ever notices them.

*A copy was provided by Egmont USA for review purposes*

This is my most recent DNFed book--just before the end of the world. Honestly I would have hated for this to be my last read ever, ditching it at around 40% figuring if I survived the apocalypse I would continue. And then the apocalypse never happened, saving me from my rash commitment.

Basically, I did not care for the writing nor the characters in this novel. It's written in spazzy, fragmented sentences that might be meant to show us the strange disconnection the characters are feeling, but only amounted to leaving me especially annoyed. I disliked both main characters very early on in the novel because of this, which is never a good sign. Futhermore, the concept may be kind of neat, but it was overly weird. In an uncomfortable/annoying sort of way, not as in "Oh this is very different and kind of cool". Finally, when I took a break to check the reviews on it, they convinced me that it's very unlikely I would grow to like this book if I continued. Thank you, failed apocalypse!

 Above

Leah Bobet

Publication date: April 1st 2012

by Arthur A. Levine Books 

Matthew has loved Ariel from the moment he found her in the tunnels, her bee’s wings falling away. They live in Safe, an underground refuge for those fleeing the city Above—like Whisper, who speaks to ghosts, and Jack Flash, who can shoot lightning from his fingers.

But one terrifying night, an old enemy invades Safe with an army of shadows, and only Matthew, Ariel, and a few friends escape Above. As Matthew unravels the mystery of Safe’s history and the shadows’ attack, he realizes he must find a way to remake his home—not just for himself, but for Ariel, who needs him more than ever before.

*A copy was provided by Scholastic Canada for review purposes*

My actual mini review right after I DNFed it: 

That's it I give up. Page 204 and I still don't know what's happening. Someone played Mad Lib with my copy and I'm not impressed!

above is written as if the protagonist never learned to speak properly, and although such a dialect worked great for me in Blood Red Road, it's really confusing in this case. For instance, random words are capitalized and sometimes he means a person, other times a thing, and I could never keep it all straight. To be honest, I only realized over 100 pages in that one of the characters was a girl--I thinking she was a he the whole time... It's a very true form of speculative fiction; there are a lot of fascinating fantasy/sci-fi elements which I usually highly enjoy, but the all showing, not telling writing style in Above makes it a very awkward read due to the character voices which really kept me from connecting to this book, or understanding it, in any way. I also felt as if it was aimed at a younger audience at times, not only because of the simplistic and choppy sentences, but for the fantastical oddness factor as well. This is a book that is looking for a very specific type of reader. It's even likely to garner a cult following. I am not one of them.

Touched

Corrine Jackson

Publication date: November 27th 2012 

by Kensington Teen

Remy O’Malley heals people with touch—but every injury she cures becomes her own. Living in a household with an abusive stepfather, she has healed untold numbers of broken bones, burns,and bruises. And then one night her stepfather goes too far.

Being sent to live with her estranged father offers a clean start and she is eager to take it. Enter Asher Blackwell. Once a Protector of Healers, Asher sacrificed his senses to become immortal. Only by killing a Healer can a Protector recover their human senses. Falling in love is against the rules between these two enemies. Because Remy has the power to make Protectors human again, and when they find out, they’ll becoming for her—if Asher doesn’t kill her first.

*A copy was provided by Kensington Teen for review purposes*

Let's see: This girl--Remy--moves with her dad to this tiny town. She meets a boy who seems to be intrigued by her immediately. He lives with his siblings, is insanely rich, and is a little mysterious with a reputation to never stick with one girl.

Then when we learn more about him and his powers, we learn that Remy lets him feel again, which is something that he craves--dangerously so--and that him and his family have to control themselves to not kill her for this "craving". Not to mention how faster, stronger, and all around better than he is than a human--and immortal!

Sound familiar?
Also...

 

*glares*

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This concludes part 1 of my DNF pile. I'm not saying you shouldn't read these necessarily, a lot of the times it's more of an "it's not you, it's me" misfired connection with a book, but you know what they say: To educate is to emancipate! >.<