Series DNF # 3

Alright guys…it’s time for another Series DNF post. I’m learning to lighten my TBR load by culling through the books in which I’m no-longer interested. While I still love to complete things (series included), there’s just not enough time in my life to read all the books that I want. And I’m purging the ones from my TBR list that I’m no longer interested in. These posts aren’t designed to put these books down at all. I’m sure these books have been wins for some readers, but I just haven’t connected. I don’t feel like I can fully let these books go until I do some kind of post about them. So here we are:

Confessions by Louise Rozette – I really enjoyed Confessions of an Angry Girl, but Confessions of an Almost Girlfriend brought out a rant from me and thus I have no intention of continuing this series. From what I’ve briefly seen, the author wasn’t always sure that book 3 would be published, but now that the green-light has been given for it, I figured I’m good to go to put this on my official Series DNF List.

The Bet by Rachel Van Dyken – Again…The Bet was okay. It was pretty cliché, but I stuck with it. When I read The Wager though… Yeah, that was the first review I remember doing a numbered list of all the reasons why I was annoyed. Don’t plan to continue this series.

Pretty When She Dies by Rhiannon Frater – Unless someone tells me that the rest of this series blows Pretty When She Dies out of the water, I don’t plan to continue it. It wasn’t awful. But I got bogged down in the middle and find that I don’t really care much to continue with it.

The Syrena Legacy by Anna Banks – I keep trying mermaid books, but I haven’t had much luck with them. I could tell that I enjoyed Of Poseidon as much as I did because I was listening to the audiobook and not wasting using valuable reading time to get through this book. But Of Triton didn’t really offer me anything additional to get excited about. And so why continue?

Matched by Ally Condie – I always intended to finish this series, but people say that Reached is the least likeable book in the series. While I enjoyed Matched, I felt like it was too similar to Delirium only Delirium was better. Crossed was okay, but I could already see the series going downhill. The more time that separates me from the previous two books, the less I find that I care to know what happens.

The following are all books that I enjoyed the first book in the series fairly well, but like I just said about Reached, the more time that goes by from when I last picked up this series the less I find myself interested to see how they progress.

A Shade of Vampire by Bella Forrest

The Glimpse by Claire Merle

The Chronicles of Nick by Sherrilyn Kenyon (read Infinity and Invincible)

The Blackcoat Rebellion by Aimee Carter (Pawn)

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand (Unearthly)

The Styclar Saga by Nikki Kelly (Lailah)

Also, this isn’t a part of a series, but since I’m DNFing…The Trial of Fallen Angels by James P Kimmel. Basically, this book was very slow for me. I couldn’t get hooked into it. The flashbacks were entirely too long. Plus even after 100 pages in, the main character still didn't know where she was or what was needed from her. It wasn’t what I was expecting it to be at all. I put this book down almost two years ago and haven’t even had an inclination to pick it back up. I think it’s way past time that I officially DNF it.

What do you guys think? Are there any books here that you would really suggest I push through? Do you guys like these kinds of posts? Let me know!

The Glimpse - Review

The Glimpse (The Glimpse Duology, # 1)

By: Claire Merle

Published: June 7th 2012 by Faber & Faber (UK) (first published June 1st 2012

411 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Dystopian

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

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Goodreads description--In a near future, society is segregated according to whether people are genetically disposed to mental illness. 17-year-old Ana has been living the privileged life of a Pure due to an error in her DNA test. When the authorities find out, she faces banishment from her safe Community, a fate only thwarted by the fact that she has already been promised to Pure-boy Jasper Taurell.

Jasper is from a rich and influential family and despite Ana’s condition, wants to be with her. The authorities grant Ana a tentative reprieve. If she is joined to Jasper before her 18th birthday, she may stay in the Community until her illness manifests. But if Jasper changes his mind, she will be cast out among the Crazies. As Ana’s joining ceremony and her birthday loom closer, she dares to hope she will be saved from the horror of the City and live a ‘normal’ life. But then Jasper disappears.

Led to believe Jasper has been taken by a strange sect the authorities will not intefere with, Ana sneaks out of her well-guarded Community to find him herself. Her search takes her through the underbelly of society, and as she delves deeper into the mystery of Jasper’s abduction she uncovers some devastating truths that destroy everything she has grown up to believe.

EDITORS' PICKS for Best Books of the Month (June) AMAZON UK

The second and final part of The Glimpse Duet will be available in June 2013.

I’m thinking The Glimpse deserves 4 stars. Let me start by saying that it’s possible (highly likely) that there is quite a symbolic message with this book. Perhaps Claire Merle is commenting on drug companies and how we never really know what it is that we’re taking, or the food industry and how the average person doesn’t understand the chemicals and such used in food production that we’re taking into our bodies. Perhaps it’s nothing more in depth than a message about following blindly after the government and not questioning the structure of society. And of course there’s the possibility that it’s about none of these things or all of them at the same time. Honestly, this may make me sound completely ignorant, but I really don’t care what the deeper message is. I enjoyed this book for what it was: a girl who thought she knew what she wanted from her future, was surprised to find that everything she understood as “truths” were lies, and then seeks to forge a future of her own making.

I read this book while I was at the beach this last weekend and I read it pretty quickly. I even tempted car sickness as I continued to read on the trip back home. I was rooting for Jasper and Ana until Ana met Cole. Typically I don’t change sides in the middle of a book, I pick which character I’m rooting for and I stick with him or her until the end. But there’s a first time for everything. And the saying “you can never go home again” comes to mind…Jasper of course would be home. Things would never be the same after his abduction despite the appearance of Cole, so...changing sides doesn't feel like such a betrayal.

It appears that this book is going to be quite controversial. I’ve read (only briefly because of the ridiculousness of some of the arguments against this book) some reviews on Goodreads. One review was from someone who hasn’t even read the book. I’m not trying to get into negativity here on my blog and I’m not trying to “feed the trolls,” but …People, seriously?? It’s FICTION! If anything, it’s a story about how all of the issues being used as an argument against this book are in fact points the book itself is trying to make. The only reason I’m even addressing this is if the reason you might hold yourself back from reading this book is because of the use of terms such as “crazies” or perhaps you take issue with the science associated with this book (or lack thereof) then just think that if the science for preventing mental disorders, or any disorder for that matter, is out there (currently anyway) then we would already be taking advantage of that. So tell yourself this: “This book is a work of fiction. I do not have to analyze every detail. I can sit back and enjoy a story just for the sake of a story. And perhaps the author actually has a message against what this appears to be, but I won’t know until I read it for myself.” And then plunge ahead. If you’re not one of those people who can do that, then by all means, this is not the book for you. No one is twisting your arm to read anything you don’t want to, but please be respectful enough not to review a book you haven’t read.

Now, enough of all that. I enjoyed this book and will be coming back for more. So there. I hope you check out The Glimpse by Claire Merle. And I hope you find yourself able to push yourself into worlds you never dreamed possible. Happy reading.

Have you read The Glimpse? What did you think? Let me know!

Updated: February 5, 2015