Happy Wednesday guys! It’s time for another Top 5 Wednesday. This is a GR group run by Sam from Thoughts on Tomes on YouTube. You get different weekly topics every month and you (try) get 5 items to talk about. The GR group link is here if you want to join:

https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/118368-top-5-wednesday

This week’s topic are five books you have removed from your TBR and I really like this topic. I feel like the subject of why you take a book off your TBR isn’t talked about very much. I’m always curious to see why people choose not to read something. Here are five of mine that I have removed for mostly the same reasons that you’ll see listed. If I remove one of your favorite books, it’s nothing personal. Let’s jump in!

1. Furyborn #1 by Claire Legrand

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This very popular book is not on my TBR anymore. I was originally excited for it, like a lot of people, but after seeing some early reviews and reading a sample, it’s not for me. I just thought the prologue about the creepy Rielle and the whole evil angel thing is just too weird for me personally. I have also mentioned in a post or two about how the on page sexual content turned me off to reading this book. So while it’s been getting a lot of buzz, I chose to remove it from my TBR.

2. The Lonely Hearts Hotel by Heather O’Neill

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This pained me to learn that this book wasn’t for me. This book has been blurbed as having vibes and writing similar to The Night Circus. Plus it’s set in 1910 right before WWI. But after reading some reviews, as well as the opening chapter, I immediately removed it from my TBR. The reasons why is because this book has content warnings for: graphic rape, child sex abuse, prostitution and physical child abuse. Plus in the opening chapter, a baby who is near death has an erection and comes back to life again?! I’m not joking; this infant who doesn’t look like it’ll live has an erection while a girl watches and it starts crying again. That was a major turn off for me. I have also read several reviews that this book was way too dark to feel whimsical or magical or felt the love story take center stage.

3. The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

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Yep, I’ve lost interest in this book now. I was also stoked for this when hearing about it’s release earlier this year. But I have read many reviews that talk about the slow plotline, not liking the main character and simply not getting why the book is so long. I’m fine with very descriptive writing personally, which was another con for people. But why remove this from my TBR? The synopsis doesn’t call to me anymore and it’s sounding like other YA books that are out there. I figure that if several months go by and the book doesn’t sound interesting to you, then I move on.

4. These Rebel Waves by Sara Raasch

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While this doesn’t come out until August, I have removed this from my TBR. Many reviews that have come out that I trust haven’t been giving it good reviews. From the hard to explain plot, boring POVs and boring plot, I think I’ll trust those reviews. People have been confused on why the series is called “Steam Raiders” when it’s not a steampunk book. I haven’t read her other series, but reviews for that one turned me off. So while it’s purely based on reviews for my reasons, I do think that if you don’t become interested in a book based on reviews, since reviews are for readers, I won’t read this one.

5. The Cruel Prince series

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I know that I can hear the pitch forks and torches coming lol. But in all seriousness, I have no interest anymore in reading this series. Part of it is because this series is everywhere and I’m getting sick of hearing about it. I feel like all I’ve heard is positive/gushing reviews on it while I haven’t heard many critical reviews on it. But the other reason is just that it doesn’t sound up my alley anymore. The romance sounds kinda nasty really and I just think I’ve preferred the kind of fae that were in An Enchantment of Ravens right now. I don’t think the idea of this girl trying to be just like the fae just doesn’t sound like my type of story.

Honorable Mention

  • The Doors of Stone (Kingkiller #3): Now this is one I still don’t know if I’ll completely remove from my TBR or not. I hate how this author is on social media with no work ethic, being rude to fans and not seeming to care of when the last book will come out. It’s been 11 years since the first book came out and it’s not cool that we have nothing to go on. I do like the side characters in this series and the bad guys. But at this point, I could just ask people for spoilers when it comes out…I’m not sure yet.

What books did you remove from your TBR and why? Did you remove any of these? What do you think of these choices?