A few recent books I couldn’t finish:
Wickedly Charming by Kristine Grayson
May 1, 2011
Wickedly Uncharming more like it. I read 170 pages of this book and was not charmed at all. The premise is cute – Meliie aka Snow White’s step-mother comes to the “real world” (from the Greater World) and wants to ban books. She is upset that the “evil” step-mothers and other creatures in fairytale lore get a bad rap. It is at a book fair where she is staging a protest she meets Prince Charming – more specifically Cinderella’s prince charming. Charming, or as he calls himself now Dave, is divorced from “Ella” and wants to lead the rest of his life devouring books and being a recluse. He meets Mellie and is stunned that she wants to ban all books – so he decides to help her write a book to tell her side of the story – so people can read it and understand the true nature of fairy tale villains.
Cute right? But not so much. Charming and Mellie just have no personality. They just bob through the story where nothing happens. I was bored. Charming gets bitched out by Cinderella, and walked over by everyone. He is balding and paunchy – which okay, kind of a twist on the uber-handsome princes which I really like. But his personality is so flat I had no interest in him. Give us a little of that charm that won you a princess all those years ago. Sweep Mellie off her feet!
I liked Mellie a little more – at least she had some passion in her. But she wasn’t enough to keep my interest in this one. The only conflicts in the pages I read were Melllie wanting to ban books and Charming gaining custody of his daughters after Ella ups and leaves them. And they both are too shy and nervous to go on a date. Charming even didn’t know what to do after Mellie briefly kisses him once. Prince Charming! Get your game on!
Recent Reviews:
Historical Novel Review
Pencil-Pushers and Ink-Splotches
Goodreads
Ascension by Sable Grace
April 26, 2011
Blurb:
The gates of hell have opened, and one woman will stand in the crossfire as the Dark Breed—vampyre, demons, shape shifters—and mankind fight their last battle for survival.
Kyana is half Vampyre, half Lychen . . . and the last of her kind. Determined, dangerous, and damned, she has no love for the mortals who have imprisoned and misused her. But when the Order of Ancients entrusts her with a mission—to find the key that will send the Dark Breed back into Hell for eternity—Kyana has no choice but to accept.
She is furious to learn her assignment comes with an escort . . . Ryker, a demigod and fierce warrior who long ago found a way under her skin and stayed there. In a shaky alliance, they discover an ancient cult with dangerous motive and a god who seeks to destroy all others. And as Kyana begins to feel the heat that threatens to bind her to Ryker, she knows she has to resist. For it could only mean the undoing of them both
I made it to 46% before I gave up. First 20% has massive information overload and no action. I was overwhelmed by the world. When things finally get going, I had already lost interest.
I also felt confused by the feelings between the hero and heroine. We are told there is this sexual chemistry between them but I never felt it.
The story just didn’t flow together and did not keep my interest at all.
Recent Reviews
Scooper Speaks
My Bookish Ways – 5/5
All Things Urban Fantasy – 3/5
Goodreads
The Legend of Michael by Lisa Renee Jones
May 1, 2011
I read 100 pages of this book before I decided to quit and the main reason I couldn’t continue is because we are never shown of this romance between Michael and Cassandra. Michael is this super, elite, genetically altered GTECH soldier who first meets Cassandra at the beginning of the book. They are instantly attracted to each other. But right at the beginning, instead of letting us see how this relationship develops, we skip ahead two weeks (where we miss four dates of theirs but we are told they had a nice time) to their first sex scene (which only lasts a very brief moment – we skip over much of that too).
Chapter three starts six months into the future where Cassandra and Michael have been living in bliss – again – so we are told. They have become Lifemates, like a bonded couple. At this point one of the GTECH soldiers starts to lead a revolt, and Michael disappears, but right before he does, he makes Cassandra swear to not tell anyone they are a bonded couple. He then disappears.
Two years later (oh yes, we skip ahead AGAIN) Cassandra finds Michael again. I’m frustrated because this plot relies heavily on the angst that Cassandra has not seen Michael for two years, but honestly, about 70 pages in, and having skipped ahead SO many times, I felt absolutely no chemistry between Michael and Cassandra. Their romance is never built up. We never see their love, or their lust, or their friendship. We only are told of it. I had no care or interest about them as a couple at this point.
I did find the revolt led by another more dangerous soldier interesting, however, we are bombarded with information, and terms, and rules and it weighed down that aspect of the story too.
Recent Reviews:
My Book Addiction Reviews – 4.5/5
Goodreads
Mmm I have never written a review about a book I couldn’t finish. But I find yours very interesting. Thanks for sharing.
I don’t review all the books I don’t finish. :)
I don’t review DNF’s either, Mandi. It’s not worth my time to give them an actual review when I can move on to something good!
Yes, but just like I love to pimp out the wonderful books I read, I like to share what books frustrated me as well. I think it is important to show both sides sometimes.
oh that last book was what you were talking on twitter about, so don’t any interest to read that book.
I really liked the premise – just didn’t work out for me. I have talked to some others that are enjoying it. If the romance had started off stronger, or made more sense, I might have stuck with it.
Thanks for putting up your DNF reviews. I know I always struggle with posting them in tandem with constructive content.
I usually only post them if I’ve read a good bit of the book.
I don’t usually review DNF’s as I find that I get just so far and decide that I don’t want to have anything more to do with that book. Reviewing it makes me encounter that book again and I get frustrated all over again. On the other hand, perhaps reviewing it would be a way of taking it through and perhaps a visitor/follower on the blog could help me understand something about that book I might have missed that would have helped. Don’t know . . . perhaps worth think more about. Enjoyed your post . . .
Yes – if someone has read the book and has a different angle or something I would love to hear that side :) Like I said, I don’t review all dnf’s – only those that I feel I can discuss why i didn’t like it
I was so intrigued by ‘The Legend of Michael’ and I think this skipping in storytelling would give me a hard time as well getting in to the story :(
The blurb is really cool..and Michael himself along with the other GTECH soldiers are interesting..but the romance, skipping and gazillion different things happening didn’t allow me to enjoy it.
Yikes, two books that I have coming up!
Well you will have to tell me how you like them!
I’ve never reviewed a DNF. I think once I tried and everyone said “no, you must finish it”, so I did. LOL It was “okay” in the end but I would have tossed it across the room at the half-way point if it had been physical. Usually I tell myself someday I’ll come back to those DNF books and I’m just not in the mood. Mmmhmm. Well, I’m not dead yet so there is still time. :-) I have reviewed books I’ve skimmed however.
I think you’re reasons were very good here. That skipping ahead thing would make me crazy. I want “proof” that X happened, not just take your word for it.
There are so many good books – when I become throughly frustrated I see no reason to continue.
I really don’t like it in books when we are told over and over, but never shown. In a romance book, I need to see the romance. Granted – maybe we see more of it in the second half of the book – but the conflict in Michael relies on them wanting each other but being apart 2 years. I never felt the want.
I have Ascension coming up… I hope I don’t have a problem with it. :(
I have one of these coming up. We’ll see if I agree. :)
I used to force myself to stick with books and finish no matter what. But I don’t do it anymore. Sometime I will go back to a DNF book for a second chance though.
It seems that a lot of blogs I follow did not give Ascension high raves. I have not heard of the other books. It’s nice to see that I’m not alone when it comes to books that don’t get finished.
Hey Mandi, I had the Legend of Michael as a TBB-now I’m not so sure. :( I really love the idea and the whole alien dna thing.