Random Musings (5): The Dreaded DNFs

I haven't been posting regularly or oftenly of late cause of studies, but I'm not cut off from the amazing book community online (thank the Gods for Feedly), so recently I've been seeing more and more book bloggers posting about books that they've reluctantly chucked into their Did-Not-Finish (DNF) piles (one such blogger is JoAnne at The Fairytale Nerd). It's such a mean and cruel shelf, but because of stupid time constraints and exams (ugh), homeworks (UGH), and such, I just don't want to spare (not waste :/) the precious reading times I have when I'm travelling or having a meal on books that I really have no interest in anymore cause I'm a super slow reader and when I lose interest in a book, I go at a pace beyond glacial and painful - like 1 book/month or thereabout. (SORRY!! If I offended anyone.)

So, here's my list (please voice your opinions on any cause I do want to shorten my pile!):




Young Adult

ACID by Emma Pass
Blurb from Goodreads:

2113. In Jenna Strong’s world, ACID – the most brutal, controlling police force in history – rule supreme. No throwaway comment or muttered dissent goes unnoticed – or unpunished. And it was ACID agents who locked Jenna away for life, for a bloody crime she struggles to remember.

The only female inmate in a violent high-security prison, Jenna has learned to survive by any means necessary. And when a mysterious rebel group breaks her out, she must use her strength, speed and skill to stay one step ahead of ACID – and to uncover the truth about what really happened on that dark night two years ago.

I started this quite awhile back. It started off not bad! It was exciting and all until approximately 48% where I stopped and the action tapered off.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Blurb from Goodreads:

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.

When one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

Such a pretty and mysterious cover with an exotic backdrop (Prague!!) and names, but this one was pretty much up and down for me. Not much ups, and it got really, really, really dull around 70%. I'm suprised I lasted that long.

False Memory by Dan Krokos
Blurb from Goodreads:

Miranda wakes up alone on a park bench with no memory. In her panic, she releases a mysterious energy that incites pure terror in everyone around her. Except Peter, a boy who isn’t at all surprised by Miranda’s shocking ability.

Left with no choice but to trust this stranger, Miranda discovers she was trained to be a weapon and is part of an elite force of genetically-altered teens who possess flawless combat skills and powers strong enough to destroy a city. But adjusting to her old life isn’t easy—especially with Noah, the boyfriend she can’t remember loving.

Then Miranda uncovers a dark truth that sets her team on the run. Suddenly her past doesn’t seem to matter... when there may not be a future.

Dan Krokos’ debut is a tour-de-force of non-stop action that will leave readers begging for the next book in this bold and powerful new series.

I didn't even last more than 15%! Such an intriguing, exciting and promising premise! But it got so boring.

Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck
Blurb from Goodreads:

Passion. Fate. Loyalty.

Would you risk it all to change your destiny?

The last thing Kelsey Hayes thought she’d be doing this summer was trying to break a 300-year-old Indian curse. With a mysterious white tiger named Ren. Halfway around the world. But that’s exactly what happened. Face-to-face with dark forces, spellbinding magic, and mystical worlds where nothing is what it seems, Kelsey risks everything to piece together an ancient prophecy that could break the curse forever.

Tiger’s Curse is the exciting first volume in an epic fantasy-romance that will leave you breathless and yearning for more.

Everyone seemed to like this one! And wow, India and tigers!! But I don't know, I just kinda lost ALL interest at 57%... I even had the second book on hand already. :/

Love is Darkness by Caroline Hanson
Blurb from Goodreads:

Valerie Dearborn wants a cotton candy life, but it’s more like a puffer fish: pointy, unusual, and—if not prepared exactly right—deadly.

In London for graduate school, Val knows she's finally free. Her father and ex-almost-boyfriend are back in California and she's out of the Vampire hunting biz for good. Or is she?

She draws the attention of Lucas, a 1600 year old Vampire, and King to his kind. He’s also wicked hot. As golden as Lucifer, and just as tempting, he makes Valerie an offer she can't refuse— help him find out if the Others (Empaths, Fey and Werewolves) still exist or he'll stop protecting those she loves.

Lucas tells her that Empaths were a Vampire’s biggest weakness before going extinct hundreds of years ago. While the Fey or a Werewolf might kill a Vampire, an Empath could enslave them, seducing or harming with emotions at will. The one detail he leaves out? Valerie is an Empath.

And after 1600 years of an emotionless existence, Lucas wants Valerie like a recovering alcoholic wants a wine cooler.

Can she keep those she loves alive, stop Lucas from munching on her, survive a fanged revolution and still find a way to have that boring, normal life she’s always wanted? Probably not, but boy is she gonna try!

This is a full length novel and contains adult content.

I don't know why, but I was really excited to start on this one, but it fell flat... And the romance was very lukewarm, if there was any at all. Stopped at 57%. Meh.

Soulbound by Heather Brewer
Blurb from Goodreads:

Tril is a world where Barrons and Healers are Bound to each other: Barrons fight and Healers cure their Barrons' wounds in the ongoing war with the evil Graplar King. Seventeen-year-old Kaya was born a Healer, but she wants to fight. In Tril, and at Shadow Academy, where she is sent to learn to heal, it is against Protocol for Healers to fight. So Kaya must learn in secret. Enter two young men: One charming, rule-following Barron who becomes Bound to Kaya and whose life she must protect at all costs. And one with a mysterious past who seems bent on making Kaya's life as difficult as possible. Kaya asks both to train her, but only one will, and the consequences will change their lives forever.

This was a case of cover-nap, seriously. There are TONS of better books out there, but this one got such a better cover than said better books. The entire premise was SO PROMISING, but Brewer JUST had to add insta-attraction (or was it some ritual that binded them as soulmates even before the romance had a chance to take root? Something along those lines. It's been awhile...)

My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris
Blurb from Goodreads:

On the precipice of her sixteenth birthday, the last thing lone wolf Cat Crawford wants is an extravagant gala thrown by her bubbly stepmother and well-meaning father. So even though Cat knows the family’s trip to Florence, Italy, is a peace offering, she embraces the magical city and all it offers. But when her curiosity leads her to an unusual gypsy tent, she exits . . . right into Renaissance Firenze.

Thrust into the sixteenth century armed with only a backpack full of contraband future items, Cat joins up with her ancestors, the sweet Alessandra and protective Cipriano, and soon falls for the gorgeous aspiring artist Lorenzo. But when the much-older Niccolo starts sniffing around, Cat realizes that an unwanted birthday party is nothing compared to an unwanted suitor full of creeptastic amore. Can she find her way back to modern times before her Italian adventure turns into an Italian forever?

This was supposed to be my secret, princess-in-me-sometimes-wanna-come-out, kind of book. Beautiful cover and all... I was actually expecting The River of Times series by Lisa Tawn Bergren with a little more frill and a little less action and well, depth, cause this is supposedly a little more Middle Grade-ish. But...there was just a little too much frill and superficial attraction and much less depth than I would've liked. So...yeah... Failed secret trashy read attempt. :( Stopped at 35%.

Just a few more are...

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken (Stopped at 45%)
Arcadia Awakens by Kai Meyer (Stopped at 8%)
Flutter by Melissa Andrea (Stopped at 14%)





Adult

(This list is significantly shorter than YA!)

ICED by Karen Marie Moning
Blurb from Goodreads:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Marie Moning comes the first book in her hotly anticipated new urban paranormal trilogy, set in the world of her blockbuster Fever series.

The year is 1 AWC—After the Wall Crash. The Fae are free and hunting us. It’s a war zone out there, and no two days are alike. I’m Dani O’Malley, the chaos-filled streets of Dublin are my home, and there’s no place I’d rather be.

Dani “Mega” O’Malley plays by her own set of rules—and in a world overrun by Dark Fae, her biggest rule is: Do what it takes to survive. Possessing rare talents and the all-powerful Sword of Light, Dani is more than equipped for the task. In fact, she’s one of the rare humans who can defend themselves against the Unseelie. But now, amid the pandemonium, her greatest gifts have turned into serious liabilities.

Dani’s ex–best friend, MacKayla Lane, wants her dead, the terrifying Unseelie princes have put a price on her head, and Inspector Jayne, the head of the police force, is after her sword and will stop at nothing to get it. What’s more, people are being mysteriously frozen to death all over the city, encased on the spot in sub-zero, icy tableaux.

When Dublin’s most seductive nightclub gets blanketed in hoarfrost, Dani finds herself at the mercy of Ryodan, the club’s ruthless, immortal owner. He needs her quick wit and exceptional skill to figure out what’s freezing Fae and humans dead in their tracks—and Ryodan will do anything to ensure her compliance.

Dodging bullets, fangs, and fists, Dani must strike treacherous bargains and make desperate alliances to save her beloved Dublin—before everything and everyone in it gets iced.

I really enjoyed Moning's Fever series, a lot. But I don't know, I can't relate to Dani as well as I did Mac, so I think the story just didn't click with me. BUT, because of my love for Barrons and Mac (hehe), I think I'll revisit ICED again soon. Hope I'll like it more then! Stopped at 32%.

Tarnished by Karina Cooper
Blurb from Goodreads:

My name is Cherry St. Croix. Society would claim that I am a well-heeled miss with an unfortunate familial reputation. They've no idea of the truth of it. In my secret world, I hunt down vagrants, thieves . . . and now, a murderer. For a monster stalks London's streets, leaving a trail of mystery and murder below the fog.

Eager for coin to fuel my infatuations, I must decide where my attentions will turn: to my daylight world, where my scientific mind sets me apart from respectable Society, or to the compelling domain of London below. Each has a man who has claimed my time as his—for good or for ill. Though as the corpses pile, and the treacherous waters of Society gossip churn, I am learning that each also has its dangers. One choice will see me cast from polite company . . . the other might just see me dead.

My first venture into steampunk mystery and romance and...it's alright, I guess, but it fell kind of flat around 34%. To me, the love interests in a romance novel is the most important thing in the book (the plot is important too, but the love interest comes first!), and the two love interests in TARNISHED is so weird!! The earl is alright I guess, but Hawke is weird!!

Kiss of the Rose by Kate Pearce
Blurb from Goodreads:

First in a sexy new series that takes a bite out of the court of King Henry VIII Desperate to defeat King Richard III and gain the crown, Henry Tudor made a pact with the Druids binding him and his heirs to the Druids' struggle against vampires. Ever since, the Llewellyns, a vampire- slaying family, have been in the king's employ. Now Henry VIII reigns, and his father's bargain has been almost forgotten-until bloodless corpses turn up in the king's bedchamber. To save the king, Vampire hunter Rosalind Llewellyn must form an uneasy alliance with Druid slayer Sir Christopher Ellis. But soon, Rosalind must face an unthinkable truth: that her sworn enemy may be her soulmate...

This one fell REALLY flat. I like the whole badass heroine in the Tudor period, but the male protagonist didn't match up, and their relationship's moving in quite an awkward direction. :/ Stopped at 33%.

Archangel of Mercy by Christina Ashcroft
Blurb from Goodreads:

Between an angel and a desperate woman comes salvation and a raw passion that challenges them at every turn…

When Aurora Robinson attempts to open a rift between dimensions to embrace her true heritage, an arrogant Archangel is the only one who can save her from the jaws of hell. And while she owes Gabriel her life, she's determined not to fall at his feet-despite the desire she feels whenever they're together.

After his wings were brutally destroyed millennia ago, Gabriel has no compassion for humans like those who ruined him and betrayed the ones he loved. But when he inexplicably finds himself defying ancient protocols to rescue a woman from a fate worse than death, he is shocked by the searing attraction he feels for a mortal.

As the ancient forces that seek to punish Aurora for her actions close in, Gabriel offers the tempting woman protection at his private sanctuary. But as they both succumb to their desires, they discover an even deeper connection-one that threatens to consume them.

Now, this book was just horny and weird! They're so hormonal even though their adults! I was quite excited for this one! I was expecting a kind of Guild Hunter by Nalini Singh and Madeline Black series by Christina Henry mish mash or something like their Urban Fantasies, but NO. Stopped at 5%.

Daughter of the Blood by Anne Bishop
Blurb from Goodreads:

The Dark Kingdom is preparing itself for the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy--the arrival of a new Queen, a Witch who will wield more power than even the High Lord of Hell himself. But this new ruler is young, and very susceptible to influence and corruption; whoever controls her controls the Darkness. And now, three sworn enemies begin a ruthless game of politics and intrigue, magic and betrayal, and the destiny of an entire world is at stake.

I was suffering from Anne Bishop withdrawal symptoms after reading her YA novel, Written in Red. (See my mini review HERE. :)) I was expecting SO MUCH from this one what with all the raves and praises on Goodreads and in the blogosphere, but... I didn't really get the storyline, and... It was all just kind of confusing... Can someone please enlighten me?? Stopped at  51%.

 

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Well, that's it for now! I feel so sad and mean for DNF-ing some of the above titles, but I just really want to move on to those new releases and sequels that I've been dying to read. Or I'm just not that into it anymore. Sigh... Any of the above that you think I should give a second chance? Or any DNFs that broke your heart too? ;(