Today’s Blogmas post is one I always have a hard time writing up. I can often find the words to say how I feel about books that didn’t reach my expectations, but I don’t always like putting them to paper, or the keyboard as the case may be.
I have four books that disappointed me this year and whilst that may not be many in the grand scheme of things, they still got to me so…
Anyway, let’s just dive in:
Ink, Iron and Glass by Gwendolyn Clare.
I read this over what was the YALC weekend. I had it in my head that from Friday to Sunday I would do nothing but read and read only the books I picked up at YALC from last year or 2018, and I did. I think I read a total of four books back to back, which was great. All of them were really good, apart from this one. I really wanted to love it. It had a similar steampunk/fantasy vibe to The Infernal Devices, which is still a favourite despite my falling out with anything Shadowhunters and the whole story is focused around this ability to write and edit different worlds. To me it still sounds really cool but it was messy from the off. The writing was clunky, I didn’t connect to any of the characters, and I didn’t feel anything for it. I think I was slightly stubborn for finishing it.
The Shape of Night by Tess Gerritsen
I’ve come to accept my feelings about this book. It’s one of those books that is just not to my tastes, even if it is written by an author I really love and admire. I knew it was going to happen one day and in a sense I’m glad it happened with one of her standalone novels rather than a Rizzoli and Isles thriller.
Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge
I enjoyed this to an extent. I liked the plot, the characters, and it was an interesting twist on Little Red Riding Hood, however, I was very lost with the setting and the world building as a whole. There were a ton of French references to folklore, places, people in history etc that didn’t come together very well and I couldn’t visualise it all. It disappointed me because I usually love French history and folklore and it didn’t live up to my expectations set after reading Cruel Beauty.
Thomas Wildus and the Book of Sorrows by J.M.Bergen
It’s not a disappointment in that I didn’t like it, but that it didn’t quite hit my expectations and what I knew about it before I read it. I will say that I did DNF this, and I did review it, which is not my usual policy but I was sent it for review and it was only fair. Thomas Wildus is a high Middle Grade/ low YA book about 13 year old Thomas who vividly remembers his father saying that magic is real just before disappearing. Walking back from school one day he stumbles across this bookshop and is given a magical book he can only read when he is by himself, and he is only allowed to read one chapter in a day. That is what drew me to the book and what kept my curiosity going for a little bit, but I got a little bored by the monotony of Thomas’ day to day life. It was go to school, talk to mom, read this book, chapter after chapter, and I realised it wasn’t for me. Also the snippets of the Book were written in a style of old English that didn’t seem to work well. I get what the author was trying to do but it didn’t feel right. A child who loves Harry Potter and Percy Jackson would probably enjoy it though.
And there we have it. Four books that disappointed me this year.
Do you have any disappointing reads for this year?
Thanks for reading and have a brazzle dazzle day!
xx
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