Hype or Like Friday – Crash and Burn

This meme and Goodreads group were created by myself, Jill @ Rant and Rave Books, and Britt @ Geronimo Reads. To join our group and find out more information about what it’s all about, please go to our Goodreads page HERE.

The November BOTM is Zodiac (Zodiac, #1) by Romina Russell.

RULES:

• Answer the weekly discussion topic.
• Optional: Discuss your chosen hyped book of the week.
• Optional: Talk about your progress on the BOTM.

TOPIC OF THE WEEK: Crash and Burn… What were some of your most disappointing reads of 2017?

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This list doesn’t only include books that I didn’t enjoy, but also ones that might just not have lived up to my expectations. Sometimes I fall prey to the hype which can lead to a few letdowns.

The Girl at Midnight (The Girl at Midnight, #1) by Melissa Grey

I didn’t necessarily dislike this story, it just was just bit unoriginal. I had really high hope for this story based on the summary but it ended up just being a bit of a mash-up of other popular YA novels. However, I do plan on finishing the trilogy because it was an entertaining read.

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns (Rise of the Empress, #1) by Julie C. Dao

I was extremely excited about this book. The synopsis had me hooked, because who doesn’t want an Asian inspired retelling of the Evil Queen fairytale?! Well, disappointing is an understatement. If you’re going to write a good antihero/villain story, you must make me still care about that character and root for them to be happy. However, there is no redeeming qualities about Xifeng. I HATED HER. You can read my full review HERE.

Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

I almost feel like I read a different book than everyone else because it’s such a beloved story. However, I found this to be a mediocre at best. I really liked Simon as a character and the romance is cute, but everything else? Not my favorite. I actually really hated Leah as a character and now she’s getting her own novel?! Ughhhhh…. I found her to be such a bitch! Am I seriously the only one who didn’t like her at all?

A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge

I loved Hardinge’s other novel, The Lie Tree, so I was really excited to pick this one up. However, it was just really long and a bit confusing at times. It seriously might be the strangest book that I’ve ever come across. I did listen to the audiobook version and that was probably part of the problem. I think this story is better off being read rather than listened to.

Bone Gap by Laura Ruby

Don’t ask me what this book was even about because I have no idea. I think it was supposed to be like a magical realism retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth, but it wasn’t anything like it. It was just strange and nonsensical. I think I just need to accept that I have a very love/hate relationship with magical realism in general (but Emily Henry is queen!).

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

Another book that I wasn’t able to enjoy due to the characters. You’re never given enough time to really develop any sort of relationship with them, as the story jumps around too much. I ended up not really caring what happened to them, even the main character. I was expecting so much from this one too.

Glass Sword (Red Queen, #2) by Victoria Aveyard

Ughhhh, this sequel was disappointing. I don’t know why authors think they need to turn protagonists into brooding and bitchy I-have-to-do-everything-by-myself-because-no-one-understands-me types in sequels but it’s annoying. Seriously, writers just need to stop it already. You can read my full review HERE.

Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi

I was soooo excited for this book when it was first announced. Maybe I let the hype get to me too much, because it was actually kind of boring. Yes, it was whimsical but the overall plot was pretty meh. I also really didn’t like the ending. It was wrapped up way too quickly and didn’t make a whole lot of sense. I’m hoping for better from Whichwood.

Windwitch (The Witchlands, #2) by Susan Dennard

This book suffered from trying to do wayyyy too much. Instead of keeping the POVs simple and the same as Truthwitch, Dennard decided to add even more and most of them were completely pointless and unneeded. Let’s not even the mention that everyone is all split up and so we’ve already lost the magic of their relationships from the previous book.

The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma

Another magical realism book that just didn’t do anything for me. It was strange and confusing, not to mention really depressing. I just hate it when books don’t live up their gorgeous covers.

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What are some of your most disappointing reads of 2017? Do you ever suffer from buying into the hype for certain books? Leave a link to your Hype or Like Friday post in the comments below!