Friday 25 May 2012

Mass Reviews- DNFs


Another instalment of negativity! I had a large amount of DNFs that I should have reviewed from Netgalley, but didn’t, because I never got through them. So...I thought I should do a roundup of them. There’s also some from other sources too. Links to goodreads.


Title: The Peculiars
Author:
Mareen Doyle McQuerry
Brief summary:
On her 18th birthday, Lena Mattacascar decides to search for her father, who disappeared into the northern wilderness of Scree when Lena was young. Scree is inhabited by Peculiars, people whose unusual characteristics make them unacceptable to modern society. Lena wonders if her father is the source of her own extraordinary characteristics and if she, too, is Peculiar.
How far I got:
50%
My thoughts:
I really liked the idea-goblins plus Victorians should be my thing. But it was so slow! The characters were annoying and Lena, I just didn’t care about at all. Plot-wise, not much seemed to happen, and nothing was really a surprise. Chapter title- Lena makes a pact. What happens- Lena makes a pact. There were a few of these over-revealing chapter names that kind of ruined it.

Author:  Kristen Callihan
Brief summary:
Miranda Ellis is a woman tormented. Plagued since birth by a strange and powerful gift, she has spent her entire life struggling to control her exceptional abilities. Lord Benjamin Archer is no ordinary man. Doomed to hide his disfigured face behind masks, Archer knows it's selfish to take Miranda as his bride. Yet he can't help being drawn to the flame-haired beauty whose touch sparks a passion he hasn't felt in a lifetime. When Archer is accused of a series of gruesome murders, he gives in to the beastly nature he has fought so hard to hide from the world. But the curse that haunts him cannot be denied
How far I got:
53%
My thoughts:
Archer was boring, and not much plot developed. Also, neither Goodreads nor Netfgalley nor other reviewers told me it had certain... scenes in it. So I gave up. I loved Miranda’s powers though.

Title: The Adoration of Jenna Fox
Author:
Mary E Pearson
Brief summary:
Who is Jenna Fox? Seventeen-year-old Jenna has been told that is her name. She has just awoken from a coma, they tell her, and she is still recovering from a terrible accident in which she was involved a year ago. But what happened before that? Jenna doesn't remember her life. Or does she? And are the memories really hers?
How far I got:
70 pages in
My thoughts:
Not much seemed to be happening and I generally didn’t enjoy it. It was a really nice idea though-maybe I’ll have another go with it in the future.

Title: Luck of the Devil
Author:
Patricia Elmer
Brief summary: Being the youngest daughter of the Devil isn't all it's cracked up to be. The days of teenage rebellion and vows of chastity made just to tick off her father are over, and now all Faith Bettincourt wants is a nice, quiet life. Unfortunately, thanks to the unexpected arrival of her demonically-downsized sister, a ditzy succubus roommate, and dear old Dad himself, Faith's plans for a relaxing vacation spent watching reruns go up in flames.Now it's all Faith can do to keep the family reunion from Hell (literally) under wraps, and the angelically-inclined hottie across the hall from realizing there's something weird about his neighbor. 
How far I got:
Can’t remember
My thoughts:  
I was told so many amazing things about this! But I just couldn’t get into it. The characters weren’t interesting and it wasn’t funny or sarcastic, how I’d hoped it would be. Maybe I’ll try again one day. In the far far future.

Title: Gorgeous
Author:
Rachel Vail
Brief summary:
She's looking good...but Allison Avery can't believe it. Growing up with beautiful, blond sisters, Allison has always been the dark-haired, "interesting-looking" Avery. So when the devil shows up and offers to make her gorgeous, Allison jumps at the chance to finally get noticed. But there's one tiny catch, and it's not her soul: The devil wants her cell phone.
How far I got: 60 pages
My thoughts:
I like the idea of a girl selling her mobile, and not her soul, to the devil. But that aspect didn’t get much attention. I also didn’t realise that it was part two in a series that I hadn’t heard of before. oh well.

Lost SoulsTitle: Lost Souls
Author:
Poppy Z Brite
Brief summary:
At a club in Missing Mile, N.C., the children of the night gather, dressed in black, looking for acceptance. Among them are Ghost, who sees what others do not. Ann, longing for love, and Jason, whose real name is Nothing, newly awakened to an ancient, deathless truth about his father, and himself.
How far I got: a little over halfway
My thoughts:  
I read Exquisite Corpse and loved it, but I couldn’t get into this. Too much sex and er...other stuff.  Maybe when I’m older...

Title: Mechanique-a Tale of the Circus Treasulti
Author:
Genevieve Valentine
Brief summary:
Outside any city still standing, the Mechanical Circus Tresaulti sets up its tents. Crowds pack the benches to gawk at the brass-and-copper troupe and their impossible feats: Ayar the Strong Man, the acrobatic Grimaldi Brothers, fearless Elena and her aerialists who perform on living trapezes. War is everywhere, but while the Circus is performing, the world is magic.
How far I got:
64%
My thoughts:  
Steamunk circus! Yay! I was all ready to love this, but there were so many confusing things about it. Mainly the writing-multiple narrations without warning of person change, and random out of character insertations in brackets. I also don’t understand how the mechanical parts all fit together and work in somebody’s body, and character deaths were hard to keep track of. Good points-I loved Boss. And the illustrations.


So....yeah. Books I really couldn’t get on with. Have you read and enjoyed (or not) any of these? Or are there any others you just couldn’t  get through? Comments are always welcome. :-) 

3 comments:

  1. Excellent selection of books,today I'll dig around the internet to find them ^ ^

    ReplyDelete
  2. Agree about The Peculiars, it was very hard to read this book, very boring, although I did enjoy Firelight enormously, but different strokes for different folks as you know :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh no... I have The Peculiars coming up, but I'm kind of afraid I won't like it. Blah.... I'm debating skipping it.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for taking time to read this!
Comments are much loved.
Nina xxx

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