Book reviews: DNF edition
May. 11th, 2025 09:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rainwatersparkGo Luck Yourself by Sara Raasch
Genre: Adult, romantasy
Man. At first, I was genuinely enjoying this way more than The Nightmare Before Kissmas. Unlike Coal and Hex, Kris and Loch had actual tension and more of an actual enemies-to-lovers romance, and the stakes were actually compelling in this book.
But...man, I don't know what it is, but I just despise the way Sara Raasch writes sex scenes. I can't stand them. They always make me roll my eyes so hard they're in danger of getting stuck in the back of my head. I had to DNF this book at 83% because I just couldn't stand it anymore (even though I know I could've just skipped the sex scenes, I guess).
The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson
Genre: Adult, fantasy
Epic fantasy and I have a rocky relationship. For a long time, I thought I just didn't like epic fantasy at all, but then books like The Poppy War, Steel Crow Saga (well, until that author was revealed to be problematic), and Daughter of the Moon Goddess made me realize I DO like epic fantasy when it's fast-paced.
It's just kind of unfortunate that a lot of epic fantasy...is slow. Sometimes it's due to the multiple POVs; sometimes it's due to the writing style. I've also noticed recently, after consuming fantasy from China, that many Western fantasy novels feel slow because they tend to just immediately reveal information about the characters. As a result, there isn't much sense of mystery or intrigue when it comes to the characters. Sure, there may be intrigue about the *world*, but *characters* are what draw me into the plot.
So many people have raved about this book, but I was starting to get bored a few chapters in and then started looking for reviews. In addition to the problem I mentioned above (Neema and Cain's backstory is just told in an infodump to the reader as soon as Cain is introduced, for example), I didn't like how extremely victimized Neema was. There are ways to present an underdog hero that are compelling, usually by focusing on their agency despite their difficult circumstances. But Neema was just repeatedly bullied in incredibly cruel ways by the rich nobility...and then saved by a deus ex machina. No thanks. That's not the kind of plot I want to read.
Also, I wasn't sure I could slog through 700 pages just to reach the apparently mind-blowing twists, given how unengaged I was with the beginning.
Genre: Adult, romantasy
Man. At first, I was genuinely enjoying this way more than The Nightmare Before Kissmas. Unlike Coal and Hex, Kris and Loch had actual tension and more of an actual enemies-to-lovers romance, and the stakes were actually compelling in this book.
But...man, I don't know what it is, but I just despise the way Sara Raasch writes sex scenes. I can't stand them. They always make me roll my eyes so hard they're in danger of getting stuck in the back of my head. I had to DNF this book at 83% because I just couldn't stand it anymore (even though I know I could've just skipped the sex scenes, I guess).
The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson
Genre: Adult, fantasy
Epic fantasy and I have a rocky relationship. For a long time, I thought I just didn't like epic fantasy at all, but then books like The Poppy War, Steel Crow Saga (well, until that author was revealed to be problematic), and Daughter of the Moon Goddess made me realize I DO like epic fantasy when it's fast-paced.
It's just kind of unfortunate that a lot of epic fantasy...is slow. Sometimes it's due to the multiple POVs; sometimes it's due to the writing style. I've also noticed recently, after consuming fantasy from China, that many Western fantasy novels feel slow because they tend to just immediately reveal information about the characters. As a result, there isn't much sense of mystery or intrigue when it comes to the characters. Sure, there may be intrigue about the *world*, but *characters* are what draw me into the plot.
So many people have raved about this book, but I was starting to get bored a few chapters in and then started looking for reviews. In addition to the problem I mentioned above (Neema and Cain's backstory is just told in an infodump to the reader as soon as Cain is introduced, for example), I didn't like how extremely victimized Neema was. There are ways to present an underdog hero that are compelling, usually by focusing on their agency despite their difficult circumstances. But Neema was just repeatedly bullied in incredibly cruel ways by the rich nobility...and then saved by a deus ex machina. No thanks. That's not the kind of plot I want to read.
Also, I wasn't sure I could slog through 700 pages just to reach the apparently mind-blowing twists, given how unengaged I was with the beginning.
