Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly topic hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week she provides a topic, and you are free to use that topic and/or variations of that topic to make your top ten list. A full list of the weekly themes can be found here. This week’s topic is on books I either read or avoided because of the hype, and I’m going with read cause of the hype. But I’m taking it a step further and only including hyped books that I didn’t like or wish I hadn’t read.
I knew I shouldn’t have read it, and yet, I still did. It was okay for a fantasy book. I was more surprised by how bland the romance felt to me. I’m also tired of author’s saying it’s enemies to lover when that’s not the case. Let’s be honest, they both had lust for each other and weren’t really enemies. Yes, their respective parents were which I get were the whole enemies to lovers is coming from but yea.
Okay, I was pretty much done with SJM after finishing (or well what I thought was finishing the ACOTAR and Throne of Glass series). Yet, I decided to read this (and I actually read it twice) and still wish I could remove the book from my brain. The blatant pro-colonialism, pro-cops attitude throughout the book makes me barf. The characters and romance felt the same to all her other books I couldn’t differentiate between Celaena/Feyre/Bryce or the men in their lives.
Did I enjoy this book? Yes, I did. It was interesting and a compelling read. Do I think it’s as great as everyone makes it out to be? Nope! I think the whole set-up for the interview is disgusting and gross and only for Evelyn to feel better about her past actions. It also falls into the horrible trope of “kill your gays.”
I was so pumped for this book!! A secret society, the library of Alexandria, I’m here for it all! I DNF’d hundred some odd pages in cause I was so bored. The plot was so thin and non-existent, and all the characters were either annoying or assholes or a combo of the two. I just had to give up.
I know so many people who loved this book and it has such great reviews from big name sources. But if you know anything about Agatha Christie this will just annoy you. Yes, it’s historical fiction and authors are going to take liberties with how they write it. However, this is supposed to focus on the horrific Magdalene Laundries in Ireland, while shoehorning the Christies into it, it just detracts from the very real tragedy of living through one of these places. For an actual well-done book on Agatha’s disappearance, check out The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict.
Another TJR that I didn’t end up loving as others did. As with Evelyn Hugo, the narrative was fascinating and having the whole book as this interview length story was great. It really goes to show how memory plays such a big role in how we remember past events in our lives. BUT, once we find out who was the interviewer, I cannot believe these people talked about all of this stuff with her!! I just was shocked in a gross way.
I’ve not read any of these, though they’re showing up quite a bit in other blogs today! Today marks the 2-year anniversary of my doing Teaser Tuesday, so I shared my favorite teases from the last year instead following the prompt.
Such a fun TTT, I’ll have to check it out
I liked The Atlas Six well enough, but sequel wasn’t for me at all.
Awe man. A few of these books are on my TBR. I hope you have a great week.
Here’s my TTT if you wish to visit – https://justanothergirlandherbooks.blogspot.com/2024/09/top-ten-tuesday-books-i-bought-because.html
Oh, I hope I didn’t ruin any for you!!
I was so let down by The Christie Affair! I had such high hopes for it as a fan of Agatha Christie, and wanting to see someone else’s spin on her disappearance. That wasn’t it! I hope to read The Mysterious Mrs. Christie soon.
Pam @ Read! Bake! Create!
https://readbakecreate.com/lets-hype-these-books-ten-books-deserving-more-hype/
Same! I had such high hopes for it too. I hope you enjoy The Mystery of Mrs. Christie, it’s probably in my top ten favorites
FOURTH WING and EVELYN HUGO have been on a ton of lists this week. I haven’t read either of them and probably won’t, even though I did buy a copy of FOURTH WING because of FOMO. The more I hear about it, though, I just don’t think it’s my kind of book for a variety of reasons.
Happy TTT (on a Wednesday)!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
I’d say stick with your gut feeling on not reading Fourth Wing. I thought that way to and shouldn’t have caved
Wait, this has me kind of curious about Daisy Jones. I don’t think I’ll ever read it, but maybe I’ll seek out a spoiler just so I can be in the know. I left SJM years ago and never looked back, haha.
I really should’ve done the same with SJM. I was done with her before she even finished the Throne of Glass series. But everyone in my book clubs at the time kept raving about the new books she was writing, and I’m like did I miss something? Did I mix it up with a different book or series? But no, I was right and should’ve stayed away
Live and learn as they say.