BOOKS I THOUGHT I WOULD LIKE MORE (BUT DIDN'T)
1. THRONE OF GLASS by Sarah J Maas: I'm a big fan of the novellas, but the novel let me down a bit. Perhaps I'll like it more when I reread it.
2. REQUIEM by Lauren Oliver: A good story, but that ending killed it for me. Too little is answered, and I'm still angry at the lack of answers.
3. BEAUTY QUEENS by Libba Bray: I loved GOING BOVINE and really like the Gemma Doyle books, but this one was only okay for me. Such a shame.
4. IMPOSSIBLE by Nancy Werlin: I don't think I'm a fan of this author's writing style, because a lot of other people loved this book, and I could barely stand to read the entire thing.
5. THE BEGINNING OF AFTER by Jennifer Castle: I really thought I was going to love this book, but it ended up being sort of average.
BOOKS I THOUGHT I WOULDN'T LIKE (BUT DID)
6. THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green: Why did I doubt you, John Green? Excellent voice, lovely writing, and a heartbreaking story. I feel like an idiot for thinking I wouldn't like it.
7. STORM by Brigid Kemmerer: I normally don't expect much from a novel published by a small press, but this book was so much better than I expected. A few flaws, but such a fun read! Plus, it's filled with incredible characters, like the lovable Merrick boys :)
8. BLOOD RED ROAD by Moira Young: The strange way that it is written almost made me give up, and I'm glad that I didn't. This book is filled with complex characters and exciting, action-packed moments.
9. ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD by Kendare Blake: Ghosts, fun friends, gory scenes, and a great MC - why did I originally doubt I would like this book?
10. WANDERLOVE by Kirsten Hubbard: I liked LIKE MANDARIN, but wasn't expecting this book to be anything special. It was. I adore this book, especially the artwork.
Storm was amazing and I also didn't expect to love it so freaking much :))
ReplyDeleteWasn't it incredible? STORM completely took me by surprise!
DeleteI didn't even read Requiem because of all the negative reviews and the fact that I like closure in my stories. I was also let down by Pandemonium. I haven't read Throne of Glass (at least I haven't finished it). I liked the novellas but I thought she didn't change enough and the start of the novel showed the same annoying girl form the first novella.
ReplyDeleteREQUIEM was a good story, but the ending just killed it for me. I expect answers at the end of a series/trilogy, not more questions!
DeleteCelaena didn't really grow much in THRONE OF GLASS either. I liked her more in the novellas than I did in the novel, strangely.
Anna blew me away too. Great list!!
ReplyDeleteADIB was such a pleasant surprise :)
DeleteAren't those Merrick brothers awesome! I love the Elementals series!
ReplyDeleteTTT at Krista's Dust Jacket
They are definitely awesome! I adore the Merrick brothers :)
DeleteLOVED Wanderlove! It's definitely one of those that I didn't expect to love at all. I actually loved Throne of Glass, but haven't read any of the novellas. I need to! Great lists!
ReplyDeleteWANDERLOVE was so, so amazing! Glad you loved ToG, you should definitely check out the novellas - they're pretty good!
DeleteI was really let down by Throne of Glass too Lea! I kind of felt like I was the only one that didn't care for it, but I just didn't connect to the heroine at all. I felt like she was always bragging about her assassin skills but never demonstrated them, and the love triangle setup just didn't work for me. That being said though, everyone has told me I should read the prequel novellas, so maybe I should do that and then try this book again:) And I didn't expect to love Storm as much as I did either, that's definitely one of my favorite series!
ReplyDeleteI wanted to love ToG, but it didn't deliver at all. I wanted more of Celaena demonstrating her assassin skills too (and less of the love triangle setup)! Maybe Maas will give Celaena more to do in the next book.
DeleteSTORM was definitely surprising! Very addictive writing :)
Blood red road is on my TBR list. It looks like such a good book!!
ReplyDeleteNew follower
my TTT
http://kimberlysnovelnotes.blogspot.com/2013/04/top-ten-tuesday-18.html
BLOOD RED ROAD is great! I hope you love it once you get a chance to read it :)
DeleteI wasn't so sure about The fault in our stars either, but MAN, I was so wrong. I love it.
ReplyDeleteMel@thedailyprophecy.
TFIOS was incredible. I don't even know why I doubted the hype!
DeleteGlad you loved it too!
I LOVED Blood Red Road!! It was so good!!!! I actually did not like Storm, so that was a disappointment! I haven't read Requiem yet, but I didn't really like Pandemonium so I'm nervous. I've heard the ending is bad! :'( Great list!!
ReplyDeleteHere's my Top Ten Tuesday
Wasn't BLOOD RED ROAD amazing??!! I'm always trying to convince other people to give it a chance, because it rocks.
DeleteSorry you didn't enjoy STORM! The ending to REQUIEM isn't necessarily bad...there are too many unanswered questions, and I found that incredibly frustrating.
Thanks for dropping by!
Interesting list. It is quite surprising that you thought you wouldn't enjoy The Fault in Our Stars. :) Anna Dressed in Blood was also amazing.
ReplyDeleteI thought the hype was too high for TFIOS, and I was doubtful that any book could be that good. But I was so, so very wrong. ;)
DeleteADIB was definitely amazing!
I really NEED to sit down and read TFIOS - I'm putting it off because I don't want to cry...
ReplyDeleteIt's so good! You absolutely need to read TFIOS!! I only burst into tears right at the very end ;)
DeleteOh, do NOT get me started on Requiem's ending. WTF was that?! I was very disappointed that we got absolutely no closure, especially with the love triangle. Bleh.
ReplyDeleteAnd YAY, it took a bit to get used to Blood Red Road's writing style, but in the end it was actually one of my favourite things about the novel and really gave it an original and memorable voice. Loved it!
The ending was so disappointing for REQUIEM. I feel like she hinted strongly at who Lena will end up with, but Oliver left so many other questions unanswered and gave zero hints as to what happened or will happen. I'm still mad about it! I like at least 85-90% of the story to be resolved at the end of a trilogy!
DeleteOh my gosh, it was so hard for me to get into BLOOD RED ROAD at first. I agree, once I got used to Saba's voice, it became my favorite aspect of the story. Not many YA novels are written in a voice like that!
BEAUTY QUEENS is on my list, too. I loved the premise, the cover, and the first few chapters, but after awhile it just got too bizarre for me. I think I would have liked the story a lot better if it had been more of a realistic action/adventure instead of a satire, you know?
ReplyDeleteIt was a bit too silly for me. I loved GOING BOVINE and that book was silly, but BEAUTY QUEENS was a bit too much for me to deal with. I agree, I think it would have been more enjoyable if she hadn't of written it as a satire and instead wrote an adventure novel.
DeleteI jut finished reading Pandemonium and a bit gutted that requiem won't give all than answers.. I'm going to go cry into my pillow.
ReplyDelete