Usually, if I start a book, I’m going to finish it.

I think a huge reason for this actually comes from Stephen King, actually. One of my biggest takeaways when reading his book On Writing in high school was to not only read good books, but to read bad books, too. What better way is there to learn than by example? That’s really stuck with me, and I think about it every time I’m reading something I’m not overly enjoying.

How ironic that in that same high school CW class I DNF’d Sleeping Beauties. Maybe I’ll give that book another chance sometime, now that I’m an actual appreciator of King.

I also have a problem with not finishing things I start. As someone who journals and tracks books online, it makes me sad to think about getting mostly through a book, only to not finish it. I like recording my thoughts and I feel weird about doing that for a book I haven’t finished. I’m all for logging the hours/pages spent reading for a DNF book but for me it just rubs me the wrong way.

Probably the main reason that I push myself to finish books even if I’m not enjoying them is because I get the chance to talk about them. As a ‘content creator’ in the loosest sense of the term, everything I read is something to potentially talk about. Whether it’s for my magic book reviews or an article dedicated to a specific book, even something I’m not enjoying has merit in my mind. Plus, it’s almost easier to talk about why you didn’t like a book than why you did. I get some quality content out of it.

Hence this article, which is the perfect way to discuss books that I just barely finished, and what made me keep going (other than the above reasons, of course). As a disclaimer, these are my opinions, and are in no way indicators of whether or not a book is worth reading or not. Often times, an opinion is affected by what I’ve read recently, what I’m eager to read next, and my current mood. I do think most of these books are worth checking out if they sound interesting to you. Additionally, this is not a comprehensive list, after I wrote the whole darn thing I remembered that I also DNF’d Red White and Royal Blue like, six years ago. If you want my thoughts on that one I can do a follow up one day.

With that, please enjoy!

The Black Witch

This is a classic ‘non-magical person at a magic school’ kind of book, which I usually eat up. But my problem with this book was the sheer amount of social issues it wanted to touch on, and how it made none of them work. I’m all for including real world issues or references in a book (in fact, it can be a great way to explore IRL issues and topics), but for The Black Witch, it was overwhelming. Classism, racism, sexism, homophobia, religious discrimination, and more are all at the forefront of this book, and it was intense. Many of the -isms present also felt dropped/overcome when convenient. The main character is not only discriminated against, but often times is also the discriminator. Sometimes she makes random progress, sometimes she regresses, and other times she just feels like an inconsequential bystander. It felt very wishy-washy as I was reading.

Like I said, it’s been a few years, so I don’t remember too many of the details. It really does deserve a full reread so keep an eye out for that sometime in the future. And maybe I’ll even continue the series and see if it gets better at all.

The main reason I finished this book was because I enjoyed ranting about how baffling it was to my coworkers/friends. I needed to see how this absurd book ended. It was one of those books where it was so bad it was good.

A Fragile Enchantment

The main character is an immigrant who spends most of the book feeling isolated. Instead of seeking company of other immigrants, like the prince’s wife, or the visiting princess Rosa, she spends it chasing after a guy the whole time. Instead of trying to stand up for her fellow immigrants and trying to use her proximity for the crown to make a difference, she spends it chasing after a guy the whole time. And despite feeling sympathetic to the one decently written gay character in the book, there is still no resolution over the homophobia the country faces and the fact that she now has direct influence over the governing of the kingdom.

The magic system in this book was also horribly underplayed. There were some really cool concepts, like how the main character can enchant clothing as she makes it, or how the love interest can control plants, but that was pretty much it. I really wanted to see more of the magic explored, especially considering how it’s been mentioned that magic is getting rarer and rarer. It felt like a hugely missed opportunity, and that magic was only given to these few main characters to make them special.

I felt like this book had a lot of good pieces that just were overshadowed by a mediocre romance. I was very interested in the political relationships, strikes and protests, and shaky alliances that were mentioned, but never properly explored. This book would have done much better as a book with romance, rather than one with romance as the forefront.

I kept going through this book because I just had to see if it got any better. It didn’t really. It felt like it took me forever to finish but I made myself push through for the main reason of wanting to write the article linked about. This one I read purely for the content I could create from it (and that article is one of my most popular, so I’ll say it was worth it!).

The Bane Witch

Content warning: discussions of domestic abuse, rape, murder, suicide, and strangulation in this section.

I talked briefly about this book in an article a few weeks ago, so I’ll again keep it brief/talk about different points.

I think the book was fine, and it was well written and handled the themes pretty well, but it was maybe a little too intense for what I was wanting. I do think this book is worth a read if you like stories of vengeance and evil men getting their comeuppance, but I also think there are better books out there that do the same. The concept was unique, it didn’t shy away from it’s main points, and it was well written book. Just not really my cup of tea.

Rose in Chains

What made me kinda want to DNF was the pace and the confusing stakes. Briony spends much of the book just locked up the manor for her own protection, since no one can know that she still has her magic and isn’t bound to the man who bought her. Most of the book is her trying to eek out any information she can, barely getting to act or do much other than sit and wait and kinda rekindle her crush.

I think in the end the book was well worth the read, but it was a little slow to get through when I had as many questions as I did (and still do!). Of all the books on the list, this one is probably the one I’d recommend the most. I have more thoughts about this book that I’ll share in the next few weeks, when I finish my next post in my book review series.

A Court of Thorns and Roses

I didn’t like Feyre as a character, I didn’t like how the world was created/presented, I wasn’t invested in the romance with Tamelin since I knew it doesn’t last, I didn’t like Rhys, and it was so. damn. slow. When she finally started going to the mountain, I thought I was about to be free, but there was still HALF A BOOK LEFT. I almost died.

Maas did several things in this book that I just didn’t like, such as introducing and then throwing away facts about the fae in this book. Seriously. If you tell me fae can’t lie and that they’re weak to iron, then TAKE THOSE AWAY FROM ME, I’m mad. I’m not saying every usage of faeries needs to use folklore, but it feels like a cheap rug sweep. At that point, just make them elves! Feyre was also SUCH a Mary Sue style character, and the world feel bland and sterile instead of whimsical and magical.

The only reason I finished was because this was a book club book and I gotta finish those (even when I don’t fully like them) so I can rant to Ava and Olivia about them. I don’t have much more to say since I forgot most of the book to clear space for better stuff in my brain. Sorry, fans of Maas, but she just isn’t for me.

And, at last, the one book I have DNF’d recently:

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls

The girls begin to learn about witchcraft, and I got as far as them witnessing a coven of witches practicing, when I just kinda fizzled out on this one. I didn’t make the conscious decision to stop, but my hold on the book lapsed and I didn’t care to renew it.

I think what lost me was how long it took to get to the magic. And by the time I got there, I was already ready to move on. The book is intense, sometimes graphic, and pretty serious, but it just wasn’t for me as a reader. The book was more about the horror of pregnancy and the trauma of going through it as a teen, rather than a tale of girls discovering magic that they can use to improve their lives, like what I was expecting.

Maybe I’ll give this one a try again in the future, but I think I’m comfortable with the conclusion that this book just isn’t my jam, and that’s okay. We don’t need to finish everything we start.

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And there we have it! I know some of my opinions may ruffle some feathers, but I’m fine with that. Reading is about what you enjoy, not conforming to the thoughts of the collective. It’s okay to DNF books, and it’s also okay to finish books we don’t like! 95% of the time, I’m satisfied with a book when I’m done with it. And the other 5% means I have something to talk about, lessons to learn for my own writing, and a nice long review to write.

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