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| Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish |
1. You Have Seven Messages by Stewart Lewis
I just didn't love this one. Absentee parents and a lack of mystery, among other things. I didn't HATE it, I just wanted more from it. It really is a great premise, but that's pretty much where my interest in this book ends. [My Review]
2. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Everyone either loves or hates this one and I just kind of fell in the middle. I really did think I was going to like it. I'm not sure why. Probably because of the historical bits. I love that kind of stuff. But I dunno. This one just didn't do it for me. I'm pretty sure I even liked the movie better. [My Review]
3. Crewel by Gennifer Albin
I WANTED TO MUCH TO LIKE THIS BOOK. Really. The cover is brilliant, it was very much anticipated and the summary's GREAT. But at the end of the day this one was just a giant fail for me. I STILL can't picture what Weaving looks like, which drives me asbolutely crazy. [My Review]
4. The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
I don't know what I thought this book was going to be, but I read the first 80 pages and then DNFed it. A bunch of my books were due back in the library in the next week or so and I was more interested in getting through those than plowing my way through J.K.'s adult fiction. I might give it another go, but it's never going to be what I want it to be, is it?
5. The Selection by Kiera Cass
I WAITED SO LONG TO GET THIS BOOK FROM THE LIBRARY. Truth? I was so DESPERATELY disappointed. It didn't feel dystopian and no one mattered to me except Prince Maxon. I'll still be reading The Elite, but I'm not sure I'm going to be happy about it. [My Review]
6. Requiem by Lauren Oliver
I think A LOT of people wanted to like this one more. I wasn't a HUGE fan of the series but I felt like the last book was a major cop out. Also, I'm still spinning for the abundance of characters featured. Seriously. I need a character map. [My Review]
7. Death & Co. by D.J. McCune
I'm not sure what I thought this book was going to be, but I wanted it to be better. I think I was optimistic because I had JUST finished Ferryman which is another book revolving around Death/a Grim Reaper type character and I LOVE IT. But this one just let me down big time. [My Review]
8. The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell
I read this one as part of a read-along on my blog back when the TV show hit the airwaves. But I didn't like it. Just another book that wasn't what I wanted it to be. I did like the TV show. That was cute. And a lot more of what I wanted both it, as a TV show, and the book to be. [My Review]
9. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
SO MANY PEOPLE love this book and I am just not one of them. I read the first three a while back and I hated myself for it. But once I started the series I couldn't not finish (it's a disease, I swear). I'm still debating as to whether or not I want to read The Infernal Devices series and I think I'm going to. I just hope I don't hate myself for that decision as well.
10. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
Good old J.K. *sigh* What can I say about this one? I think I got mad at this series at the end of book 5 when Sirius died and nothing J.K. could say or do would make it better. But there's definitely more to it than that. I've had whole hour-long conversations regarding my negative feelings towards this book. It's not that I didn't want the magic to end. I was ready for it by the time this one came out. I just didn't think the final installment did the series justice.
Tell me, did any of these books let YOU down as well? Or did you write a post about the Top Ten Books You Thought You'd Like Less? That's a much happier list, don't you think? Let me know in the comments below!
Oooh, girl, you are treading in dangerous waters putting a Harry Potter book on this list!
ReplyDeleteObviously I agree with you on The Selection, but also with Beautiful Creatures (I started like two months ago have progressed about fifty pages. I'll pick it up again at some point, I'm sure) and Crewel, which I DNFed.
My TTT
haha I'm ALWAYS treading in dangerous waters when it comes to Potter. I AM USED TO IT.
DeleteOh goodness yes to Crewel. I felt like there was so much potential there which was never realised, which is always enormously frustrating. And Adelice annoyed me for the way she kept making dumb decisions and then didn't have to suffer the consequences because she was so Special and Important. I was all right with The Selection because I came into it with really low expectations, and was thus pleasantly surprised. Well. That's a bit of an exaggeration. Not disappointed, maybe.
ReplyDeleteI find it hard to re-read the first three Mortal Instruments books because of that awful Jace-and-Clary-are-siblings!!!! plotline which makes me feel squicky so even though I do actually like a number of things about the series, it now stays on my shelf, gathering dust.
Ouch with the whole Mortal Instruments thing! But I'm glad you went into The Selection with lower expectations! Definitely the way to go!
DeleteCrewel is on my list too - I liked it to a point, but I simply could not stand the love triangle. I can handle and even enjoy some of them in YA lately, but this one was just awful. The MC bounces between the boys way too frequently. And, yeah, I couldn't get into Beautiful Creatures. The writing was just . . . not my thing.
ReplyDeleteIT WASN'T EVEN A LOVE TRIANGLE. And if it was, it was like a super floppy fish of a love triangle. I just can't even. >.<
DeleteHallelujah, someone who shares my Deathly Hallows feelings. Like, yes, I read it in less than 24 hours when it first came out, but it's possibly my least favorite book of the series. (Full Disclosure: I'm one of those heartless people who thought Rowling should actually kill Harry for the sake of a better story. I remember getting really excited, thinking that holy wow, she was actually going to do it...and then deus ex machina Dumbledore appeared and nope.)
ReplyDeleteHahaha. I don't know if I wanted Harry dead but I think I would have been okay with it. No one else would have been, THAT'S for sure!
DeleteI tried to read Beautiful Creatures with Amber, but we both DNFed it after 100+ pages. It just took me too long to get really invested in the story, and though I didn't hate it, I didn't love it either. Plus, books that get interesting after 250 pages? Eh.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm so sad you didn't really like the last couple of Harry Potter books. That series is just special to me, and I LOVED the last two books. OH, and while I did not love love love City of Bones, I was definitely pleasantly surprised by the series. Or the first three books actually. I loved the third one a lot. But even if you didn't like that one, you HAVE to start the Infernal Devices. I'm currently reading Clockwork Angel and I can't even compare it to TMI. It's darker and more intense and... it's amazing!
Oh, don't get me wrong, Potter's special, I just don't love all 7 books equally. It's such an enormous series that I think some people THINK they have to love all of them but they really don't!!
DeleteAnd yeah, TID. IMMA DO IT. I AM. I'm totally bracing myself for this experiment. We'll see how it goes ^_^
Bah! You Have Seven Messages was one of my favorites. I thought the writing was so beautiful and I just really liked the main character a lot.
ReplyDeleteI actually didn't have any problems with the last book of Harry Potter either EXCEPT I would have liked a little bit more at the end with or without the epilogue. I liked the idea of them older and well, BUT... nothing works out quite as perfectly as that, ya know?
Good choices here!
I'm glad you liked You Have Seven Messages! I just think I didn't really know what it was about? I wanted a little more Veronica Mars-y-ness and it just wasn't there for me :/
DeleteAnd YES. There's no such things as a total happily ever after. Epilogues like that are so tricky. I kind of wish she'd just left it open!
I liked The Selection more than I thought I would, but I was disappointed in the world-building as far as what happened/etc. I did think the caste system was brill. But yeah, Aspen sucked, and Maxon was okay. So, I dunno. I'm not going to continue with the series at this time.
ReplyDeleteMy Top Ten
Yeah, the world building in The Selection WAS pretty weak, which is unfortunate. I'm definitely continuing with the series because I can't help myself, but yeah, not what I totally wanted it to be.
DeleteSelection is on my list of 'books I liked more than I thought I would', but my expectations were super low so... :)
ReplyDeleteI hated, absolutely HATED Requiem. I agree the ending was a big cop out. And while I overall liked the HP books, the last book disappointed me as well. The ending wasn't how I wanted it to be....
I loved Sirius too!! She should have brought back him somehow... *sigh*
Aaaah low expectations. How I wish I had those more.... I have a tendency to hope for the best...
DeleteMeh I didn't like COB either, I'm not a huge fan of the TMI books.
ReplyDeleteMy Top Ten!
I hear better things about TID tho! I'm gonna give them a shot and see what happens.
DeleteWe loved COB! So much fun - will you go see the movie?
ReplyDeleteI don't think so. I definitely won't pay to see it in theaters. But I doubt I'll even watch it outside of theaters :/
DeleteI've tried to read Beautiful Creatures no less than 3 times and just cannot get into it. I found the Carrie Diaries boring and too long which is why I never even bothered with the show.
ReplyDeleteHere's my TTT
Well, the Carrie Diaries show is cute, but I can see why you wouldn't want to bother. And UGH that's the worst with Beautiful Creatures :/
DeleteMany people will be shocked to see Harry Potter, well the final instalment, on your list but as a huge lover of HP, I do see your point.
ReplyDeleteThe Casual Vacancy and The Selection are both books I've had my eye on, the first being one I hoped to read over spring, perhaps I shall give them a miss seen as I'm not hearing great things about them.
People really ARE shocked when I tell them about Potter. Look, I get the importance of Potter. It's in my life too. But J.K. Rowling CAN do wrong, y'know? Every author is fallible because they're human and humans are fallible. I dunno. I just hate that some people think that Potter's untouchable. It's amazing, but it's also A BOOK.
DeleteUnfortunately, I agree with you on the point of The Casual Vacancy - and I haven't even read it! It just sounds so boring, but the other J.K book you put up there? I seriously thought my eyes were tricking me! My mind is already so blocked with all of the LOVE for Harry Potter that it's pretty tough for me to keep an open mind and see things from a new perspective BUT I'm sure you're not alone! :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, I get why people get all bug eyed when it comes to my Potter reaction, but it's how I feel so, yeah. No censorship here!
DeleteThis list makes me sad. I totally understand, but there are some books on here that I loved. But that's what makes the blogging world so awesome. That variety makes it worth reading. And doing all ten that you didn't love is not awful.. or maybe I'm just awful too cause I did the same thing.
ReplyDeleteMy TTT
Oh no! I didn't mean to make you sad!!!! But I'm ALSO glad there's variety among readers. I don't think I've ever seen a book where EVERYONE loved it. That's kind of impossible, isn't it?
DeleteI'm with you on Beautiful Creatures. It wasn't horrible, but I didn't love it. And then for some reason I decided to read the rest of the series and by the time I finished Beautiful Redemption I was just completely over it. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteI'm sort of worried about Crewel! I won it in a giveaway and should be getting it soon so am hoping I'll have a better opinion of it than you do! Like you said, the cover and summary are great! Yikes. We'll see how that goes.
And yeah, I can understand the DNF on The Casual Vacancy. I did finish it and enjoyed it alright, but it took me a long time to really get into it and even then I really only liked the characters and not the plot, which was sort of nonexistent.
Definitely give Crewel a try! A lot of people LOVED it!! You can always DNF if you decide it's not worth your time. And that's too bad about the Beautiful Creatures series. I actually think I'm going to stop with Beautiful Creatures. That was enough for me.
DeleteSo I haven't read CoB, but I have started Infernal Devices on audio. I honestly am not happy about the romance element (one of them is a jerk), but we'll see.
ReplyDeleteI did the same thing with my list since I generally don't read a book if I don't think I'll like it, haha
My TTT
I've ALSO started TID on audio!!! And yeah, I'm the same way. Why pick up a book you don't think you're gonna like?
DeleteI'm with you on Beautiful Creatures. I didn't love it, but I can't say that I hated it either. But I really didn't care for the movie either.
ReplyDeleteBut HP7! I loved the whole HP series, and I thought JK Rowling ended it really well. Although I definitely think the saddest part of the series is Sirius's death.
Y'know, Potter's often a point of contention with me and other book lovers. I just deal with it because my frustrations with the final installment are going no where. >.<
DeleteI'm going to go cry in the corner now about your Harry Potter pick *sob*. Yeah, it's okay, not everyone loves the same books! I personally liked the ending :)
ReplyDeleteI have read The Selection (I'm a lover of it), Beautiful Creatures (it was okay, not in love with it though!), and I just finished City of Bones and love it too. But I have a very open mind when it comes to reading, so I'm not disappointed often.
I'm GLAD you liked the end of Potter! I wish I had too!!!!! I'm ALSO happy to hear you have an open reading mind. VERY IMPORTANT.
DeleteI agree with The Mortal Instruments! I read the first 2 books, and half of the third book, but it just didn't click for me! I'm so glad I'm not the only one :P
ReplyDeleteTop Ten Tuesday
Hey, check this out! :D
Alas, not all books click for everyone. We can only WISH they would!
DeleteSomeone who agrees with me on City of Bones! I didn't even make it past the first book, but I've heard so many good things about this whole series and I just don't get it. Also The Casual Vacancy, I planned on reading it when it came out because it's J. K.'s you know? But then I saw all this disappointed reviews of it and now I'm sure I won't do it. But I loved Deathly Hallows, I've read it 3 times since it came out, that's how much I love it! Except the epilogue, I wasn't all that into it.
ReplyDeleteA lot of people agree about City of Bones. I just think the gushing overshadows the dislike sometimes. Which is good, I suppose? And yeah, the HP epilogue was ESPECIALLY bad. But what can you do? (Besides dream up a new one, of course!)
DeleteI actually quite liked Beautiful Creatures when I read it in my pre-blog days. I think I have to read it again (especially because the boy liked it), but I do like the creepy vibe it gave off.
ReplyDeleteI think we can agree to disagree on Harry Potter. Totally understand your logic though ;)
Definitely give Beautiful Creatures another try!!! I always support people liking books even if I don't. And that goes for the Potter point of contention!
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