Monday, February 20, 2017
DNF Mini Reviews-- 2 Books That I Was Sure I Would Like, But Didn't
I don't DNF a lot, but when I do I usually like to share a little bit about why. Here are 2 recent DNFs and a mini-review of each one:
1. The Girls by Emma Cline
Goodreads Synopsis:
Northern California, during the violent end of the 1960s. At the start of summer, a lonely and thoughtful teenager, Evie Boyd, sees a group of girls in the park, and is immediately caught by their freedom, their careless dress, their dangerous aura of abandon. Soon, Evie is in thrall to Suzanne, a mesmerizing older girl, and is drawn into the circle of a soon-to-be infamous cult and the man who is its charismatic leader.
Hidden in the hills, their sprawling ranch is eerie and run down, but to Evie, it is exotic, thrilling, charged—a place where she feels desperate to be accepted. As she spends more time away from her mother and the rhythms of her daily life, and as her obsession with Suzanne intensifies, Evie does not realize she is coming closer and closer to unthinkable violence, and to that moment in a girl’s life when everything can go horribly wrong.
How Far I Got: 100 pages
Why I DNF'd: The writing. When I first heard about this book I was ALL about it. I don't read a lot of Adult books, but fictionalized true crime and cults are 2 of my INSTANT YES books. I wasn't sure if the "charismatic leader" was Charles Manson or not (it was the latter), but it was obviously going to be based on that whole event.
So, the book goes back and forth between an adult Evie, who clearly does not have her shit together-- and a teenage Evie, who is looking for someone to pay attention to her. She ends up seeing this group of girls digging through a dumpster and is instantly intrigued with them-- especially Suzanne, a girl that Evie has an instant crush on. From there she goes to the ranch and the rest is sort of/kind of history??
I think this was a story I really could have gotten down with, except MY GOD WOMAN HOW MANY ADJECTIVES DO YOU NEED TO USE?? It was so poetic and wordy and not plot-y or exciting. I don't think I'm incapable of liking poetic books, but the when they border on trying too hard and being pretentious, I'm out.
Also, this book reminded me why I don't read Adult. Why is it that Adult books always have to give me TMI gross-out moments? I'm not a prude, but every single time I try to read an Adult book, I inevitably get to the part where the author overshares about the character's bodily functions/desires/weird-ass gross thoughts. If it's something that is needed to be told to tell the story, fine-- but when almost all the Adult books do it, it feels like it's part of a writing formula, and I HATE those.
So, basically this book was ZZZzzzZZZ and FLOWERY AS F.
2. The May Queen Murders by Sara Jude
Goodreads Synopsis:
Stay on the roads. Don’t enter the woods. Never go out at night.
Those are the rules in Rowan’s Glen, a remote farming community in the Missouri Ozarks where Ivy Templeton’s family has lived for centuries. It’s an old-fashioned way of life, full of superstition and traditions, and sixteen-year-old Ivy loves it.
The other kids at school may think the Glen kids are weird, but Ivy doesn’t care—she has her cousin Heather as her best friend. The two girls share everything with each other—or so Ivy thinks. When Heather goes missing after a May Day celebration, Ivy discovers that both her best friend and her beloved hometown are as full of secrets as the woods that surround them.
How Far I Got: Halfway
Why I DNF'd: It was too weird. I guess I didn't read the synopsis on this one too well, because I was super shocked when the characters in this book lived so primitively. Normally that wouldn't be a problem, but since I was expecting some kind of beauty queen slasher murder/mystery in regular-old small town America, I had a hard time transitioning my mind to be in the mood for this one.
Obviously, that's not the book's fault at all. I am a SUPER mood reader and pretty much HAVE to be in the mood for the book I'm reading or it feels like a chore. I really did try to power through this one, but animals were dying and there were all these superstitions and rituals-- and I just was not in the mood for it. I also thought it was super weird to have these kids growing up without modern conveniences, yet go to school with regular teens. I feel like it just would not work-- either the Glen kids would rebel from their simple lives, or they would hate every single moment of their regular school and drop out.
Since I didn't finish it, I really can't comment on if the mystery was any good or not. It didn't get me excited about it in the first half, so I can only hope it heated up towards the end.
This book was gory animal death, bland characters, and not super interesting plot.
Have you read either of these books? I'm usually a black sheep, so don't hate me if you loved these!
I'd love to hear thoughts-- do either of them get better as they go on? Or was I right to quit when I did?
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The Girls sounds like it has so much potential. There is a fine line between poetic and trying too hard. I don't like trying too hard either.
ReplyDeleteI DNF The May Queen Murders too. I was just bored to tears with it.
See we really are book twins!!!
DeleteI would probably DNF The Girls, too. I'm always annoyed and grossed out when authors put in unnecessary TMI moments. This is one reason I won't read any other Gillian Flynn novels even though the premises are really intriguing.
ReplyDeleteI think Gillian Flynn's books are the only ones where the TMI moments don't annoy me-- but yes, ones like the ones in her books in other books bug the hell out of me.
DeleteI have DNF'd a few books recently that were just way to bizzare for me as well. I'll defintely be avoiding The May Queen Murders.
ReplyDeleteI can't stand when books try to be weird just for the sake of being weird. I don't know if the May Queen book was exactly doing that, but it was just not what I was expecting-- and it was boring.
DeleteOh boo. I have The Girls on my TBR and thought it sounded awesome but that doesn't sounds like something I would get own with. The second one just doesn't seem like something I would like at all. Sorry these didn't work for you!!!
ReplyDeleteIt seems like a lot of people liked The Girls, so you might be able to wade through the flowery descriptions.
DeleteI DNFed The Girls too. Mostly because I was too disturbed/weirded out about halfway through, it was really making me feel all kinds of...blah.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't even make it halfway-- so borrrrrring.
DeleteI haven't read The Girls, but I don't think I will either, sadly. Like you, I love a good cult book but this sounds like less cult, more blah. As for The May Queen Murders, you probably made the right call there. I liked the beginning a lot, but I found the mystery/outcome wholly underwhelming. So if you were struggling... I don't think it would have gotten better. Sorry these were such disappointments for you, I hope your next books are better!
ReplyDeleteGood to know that the conclusion of The May Queen Murders wasn't worth continuing for!! THANK YOU!
DeleteHmm The May Queen Murders sounds like I wouldn't like it either, I mean i like a good small town mystery once in a while but this one... bland characters and gory animal deaths (what's up with THAT?) doesn't sound too appealing.
ReplyDeleteYeah I'm not a big fan of animal deaths. Both these books were just blah.
DeleteI read The Girls and it seriously sucked. I DNFed it, too lmao. That MC was lame and obviously needed to move on with her life. UGHHH. Such a bummer to hear about the May Queens. It's been on my WL forever, but gory animal death (this happened in We'll Never Be Apart, too!) = authors, please stop doing this. It's uncool and weird.
ReplyDelete