Hello friends! Can you believe there is only one more week left in the year? That's bananas! I've had a year of ups and downs, both in life and in reading. Today I'm sharing 15 YA books that I totally meant to read at some point, but never got the chance to. Whether it was because I haven't bought a copy yet, or it didn't grab me when I started reading, or the hype was too much - these 15 books are still on my TBR! You'll be surprised by some of them!
I loved Frostblood, but as soon as I heard whispers of a love triangle starting up in Fireblood, I lost interest in the series. I don't know if I'll finish the series. Maybe if Nightblood falls out of the sky and into my lap.
I think ultimately the length of The Last Magician threw me off. I sat down to read it one day during the summer and just couldn't do it. I'll definitely try again closer to the publication date of book two!
I haven't read Our Dark Duet literally because I have not bought or borrowed a copy yet. Whoops! I loved This Savage Song.
I had an ARC of Thief's Cunning. But I ended up sending it to another blogger. I liked Assassin's Heart but I wasn't totally enthusiastic about a companion sequel. And if I'm being honest, I completely forgot what Assassin's Heart was about anyway.
I have an ARC of Forest of a Thousand Lanterns. I read the ending. Now I don't really care to read the book. Why did I read the ending out of context?! I never do that. But the book is ruined for me now and I don't think I will be looking to read the series in general.
I am definitely going to be reading The Becoming of Noah Shaw in the new year. I wanted to do a reread/read of the original series, but I haven't done so. That's why I haven't read this book yet. I need to get moving with the reread!
This is the one I'm most ashamed of. I am such a huge fan of Kristin Cashore, and I have four copies of Jane, Unlimited. Why haven't I read this book yet? I honestly don't know. I think a big part of me subconsciously doesn't want to be disappointed.
Ally was a case of bad reviews. I'd seen reviews saying the female protagonist was a whiny, insufferable heroine and I thought she was in Nemesis, so I lost interest in Ally. Oh well!
I haven't read Like a River Glorious (book two)! I need to reread book one and then binge-read the rest of the series. Or maybe just give up on the series. I'm not sure, but either way, I don't see myself reading Into the Bright Unknown any time soon!
I need a copy of Just Dreaming! I loved Dream a Little Dream and Dream On.
I have an ARC of A Poison Dark and Drowning. I really enjoyed the previous book. But something about this book... I really don't want to have to deal with a love triangle or any non-linear romance. And I've heard things, so I'm just not totally invested anymore. Maybe I'll try again around book three's publication.
Renegades was another case of it being too long. The book is seriously hefty! I got an ARC and I feel so bad, not haven't read it. I will certainly try to do so in the new year! The hype also got to me, with this one.
There is some controversy surrounding Before She Ignites. And I totally get the controversy. Once that started swirling around, I lost interest in the book. Throw in the fact that it is apparently BOOOORING and nothing happens and there are no dragons and the heroine is awful? (So I've heard.) I'm good. This is a trilogy and I might pass altogether even though I have an ARC of this one.
I WILL read Warcross, but closer to the publication of book two. I'd seen complaints about the ending of Warcross (i.e. wanting more) and also I saw murmurs about a love triangle. So I'll wait!
I tried so hard with The Savage Dawn. I think I got about one hundred pages in and abandoned ship. I then proceeded to read the ending of the book and NOPE. It was a terrible ending.
There are other books published in 2017 that I was somewhat interested in and didn't read, but these fifteen are the top ones that I had been so excited about, at some point. I hope I'll read at least a third of them in the future. Especially since many of them are big publications that have received a lot of reviews!
Tell me some of the books published in 2017 that you were so excited about, but haven't read for whatever reason! Do you you plan on reading them in the future?
I DO plan on reading Renegades, but I still need to read Winter and then Heartless. LOL I'm so behind on Meyer's books - but I'll get there eventually. There are tons of books I own and still need to read like The Hate U Give and Strange the Dreamer.
ReplyDelete-Lauren
www.shootingstarsmag.net
I see a few I wanted to read there too -- Ally, Into the Bright Unknown, but I don't have them. I did read Warcross and I really enjoyed it. I am a Marie Lu fan, so I was confident it would be good. She has yet to disappoint me.
ReplyDeleteI LOVED Warcross! And yeah, The Last Magician is quite lengthy. It makes it a little slow but I found the story quite worth it in the end. I never got around to Renegades either. I'm most mad at myself for not getting to Wonder Woman yet. That's a must in the New Year.
ReplyDeleteBefore She Ignites was a DNF for me. I rarely not finish but nothing was happening and I wasn't invested which is a shame.
From this list, A Poison Dark and Drowning was my fave!
ReplyDeleteNo worries Alyssa!! I have plenty of books that I wanted to read this year but haven't. The Crown's Fate (I have a copy of this one and my sister already read it.) I really loved Mara Dyer series (though i only read the first book). Renegades, Warcross, When Dimple Met Rishi, and There's Someone In Your House are all books that I really wanted to read but do not have lol. I hope you get to read some these next year! :)
ReplyDeleteI started Before She Ignites but never finished it because it felt like nothing was happenning! But like you I so need to read Jane Unlimited. It sounds so good!
ReplyDeleteI still have to read a bunch of these too XD I was super excited about getting an early copy of Ally but over time my excitement kind of just fizzled out oops... Same with Jane, Unlimited (I've heard it's an odd book). Yesssssss to giving The Last Magician another try! It started off slow but I loved it in the end!
ReplyDeleteHappy holidays to you and your family Alyssa <3
There are so many books I still haven't gotten to, I'm impressed you narrowed it down to a top 15! I'll probably read Our Dark Duet as soon as I grab a copy, but it's not a major priority at the moment. I also have copies of Renegades and Warcross that I need to get to. Failure. :(
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas!
I love that cover of The Savage Dawn! Amazing. And Warcross I liked, hope you do too when you get to it. Renegades and Jane Unlimited look great too.
ReplyDeleteI don't blame you on The Savage Dawn. I got through it but it was with a lot of effort.
ReplyDeleteWarcross is at the top of my list of books I wanted to read but haven't. Great list!
I have a lot I wanted to read but just forgot about them as others came in...lol.
ReplyDeleteI have a Warcross ARC waiting for me right now. But I'm trying to get Netgalley cleared first...
ReplyDeleteI put Renegades on hold at the library, and when I went to pick it up, I was shocked at how HUGE it is. My daughter agreed to take it for the team and read it first, so I'm letting her be the guinea pig (she hasn't read more than 50 pages of it, by the way, so I'm guessing I'll skip it.)
ReplyDeleteSticking my fingers in my ears about Before She Ignites because an ARC just came in the mail this week and I really want to like it so...
Dianna
Ahhhh. I love this post Alyssa :D I can't help but comment on some of them, haha. <3 I also haven't read Noah Shaw yet, as I still haven't read the 3rd Mara Dyer o.O Also need to re-read :) And ahh, Into the Bright Unknown. I LOVED book one and two. DON'T GIVE UP. But I need to re-read those once more too, before reading this final book :D And ah, Our Dark Duet. I loved it, yet, well, it wasn't the best either, despite my five star o.O And ah, Warcross. I did love the book, but ending was rude. NO hint of love triangle in book one. But there COULD be one in book two. And I know how Marie is with her romances.. sigh. So yeah, could happen. Would be highly disappointing, though :\ And so so so so damn cliche, because of who the two guys are.
ReplyDeleteAnd ah, Ally. I did enjoy book one too. But I also didn't love the main girl at all. So yeah, I don't really want to read this sequel either, haha :) Especially learning that the romance is just about not there. Ugh. But ohhh, Renegades! IT WAS SO GOOD. I loved it. READ IT :D And ahhhh. Jane, Unlimited. Yeah. I still need to read it too.. ugh. And haha. The A Poison book. Yeah. I suffered through that. Not worth it at all ;) And oh. Before She Ignites. It was a three star for me. SO DAMN BORING. Could have been so better :\ And romance was a bit messed up, and I think I'm shipping the wrong guy even, hahaha.. Aaaanyway :D Loved reading your thoughts about all of these. <3 Sorry for my super long comment o.O
Let's see... I read Renegades and I loved it (definitely long!), I stared Jane, Unlimited and I have to confess that I stopped. It was weird and not going anywhere fast.
ReplyDeleteDO NOT read The Savage Dawn! It was amazing up until the last few chapters. Makes no sense, unless there another book in the series. SO disappointing :(
I still do plan to read Warcross.
I was wondering where your reviews were on these books! You always keep me on my toes on what to read next but I get that you can't read everything!But here are my comments on those books you listed:
ReplyDeleteFireblood (5 out of 5) - I don’t even remember what happened in Frostblood. But I absolutely loved this book. So much that I read it twice. I am not a fan of love triangles at all but this one kind of works. I really like both men but it does look the original one will win her heart. Nevertheless it did not bother me as much as it should have. Definitely read this one even if you have to wait until Nightblood comes out which is very soon this year!
The Last Magician (4 out of 5) yes its long but pretty entertaining; good world building
Thief's Cunning (Assassin’s Heart) (5 out of 5) great end to the duology; twists to the story
Forest of a Thousand Lanterns (3 out of 5) not too thrilled with the main character being the ‘villain’; yes you can pass on it
The Becoming of Noah Shaw (2 out of 5) since i read the Mara Dyer Series so so long ago I barely remember the premise of the books. That did not help me to understand this one. It was hard to follow and i think you need to read the Mara Dyer ones to be able to understand what was going on. Overall I did not enjoy this book very much. I would recommend rereading the series before diving into this one.
Jane Unlimited (3 out of 5) I know this book was hugely hyped but I was so not into it. i could not follow the changing decisions that she makes. Maybe it was just me... too many unanswered questions for me.
Ally (Nemesis) (3.5 out of 5) okay of a storyline but the writing was not good for some reason; yes i agree that the heroine was whiny.. but there is a HEA
Just Dreaming (Dream On) (3 out of 5)- it was a good ending to the series. nothing too climactic
A Poison Dark and Drowning (5 out of 5) great storyline; yes love triangle .. that is the downside of the story but I hope it will have a HEA in the final book
Renegades (4 out of 5) long but a still entertaining read. lots of characters to keep track of but I still enjoyed it; good world building
Warcross (5 out of 5) very entertaining; awesome world building. the virtual world is a great new world to explore and write about. Reminds me of Ready Player One
The Savage Dawn (4 for series before this book; 1.5 for this book) this last one was way too long and drawn out. Totally not enjoyable. Could not wait to finish reading it..