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
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
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
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
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
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?
I DNF’d both The Belles and The Lonely Hearts Hotel, they weren’t for me at all! Furyborn is one of the best books I have read so far this year, but I completely see with you’re coming from 🙂 The others are on my TBR. Hopefully, I will enjoy them!
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I hope you like them too 🙂 thanks so much!
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I removed These Rebel Waves from my TBR too. I didn’t have a great experience with Raasch’s first series and I wanted to give her books another chance, but the marketing for the Steam Raiders series was misleading and now it doesn’t look like something I want to read anymore.
I have read The Cruel Prince and liked it (for me, it was a 3.5 star book), but it’s overhyped and I don’t think you’re missing out on anything – and I agree, An Enchantment of Ravens is so much better.
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I’m glad you agree on Enchantment of Ravens; I’m so excited for her next book to come out 🙂
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I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if we never see Doors of Stone. (Or Winds of Winter for that matter). But… I’ll likely read them if they come out… If I haven’t died of old age at that point. -_-
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LOL I heard an older lady the other day yell that she thinks she’ll die before Doors of Stone comes out lol. I just don’t understand his rabid fan base that defends him when he’s a total douche bag…
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Wow, didn’t know that about The Lonely Hearts Hotel… I gotta go take that off my TBR. Thanks for mentioning it!
I’m one of those people who totally gushed over The Cruel Prince and after a friend came back with a less than stellar review… I’ve been starting to re-think things. Maybe I was too easy on it? Maybe just the end forced me into a frenzy? I’m not sure, but I’ll read the sequel and try not to read reviews beforehand, so I’m not influenced either way.
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No problem; it was way too weird and creepy to put into a book. I know that at the time of reading something, you love it so much that those feelings are all you know. But if you love still love it, it’s all good 🙂
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I read The Cruel Prince & looking back, I probably should have lowered my rating! 😂 & yes, I agree I loved An Enchantment Of Ravens so much more! If I do read book 2, I’ll probably go into it being very critical & may just get to it until way after release day!
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I’m glad you loved Enchantment a lot as well 🙂 yeah the hype just turned me off to Cruel Prince
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Great post! I removed Furyborn from my TBR for the same reasons as you did. I’m just not a fan of explicit content XD
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Thanks so much 🙂 I’m glad that I’m not alone
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Initially I read Furyborn, but then I didn’t know I just put it aside after two chapters. The Belles was in my wishlist too but then after read some review I lost interest 😀
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Yeah the prologue really threw me off and it didn’t leave a good impression to start with lol. Thanks so much for your comment 🙂
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I agree with all you mentioned in your list! Furyborn and The Belles because the early reviews are not good, and they’re a long book so I’d rather avoid them. The Lonely Hearts Hotel looks so pretty but from what you mentioned, I don’t have any desire to read it, it’s just too weird!
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Yeah it really made me uncomfortable I was hoping to have it be more magical and fun with the love story instead of being so brutal from what reviews have said…
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I’m with you on the The Cruel Prince. I have actually read several chapters of it, but it didn’t really grab me and I wasn’t a fan of writing style. And I never would have guessed from the blurb and the cover that The Lonely Hearts Hotel is that dark…I’ll probably stay away from it. 😛
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I do not blame you for The Cruel Prince removal. It was an okay book but I didn’t understand what all the excitement was about. The characters were dull and predictable and several of them seemed to have served very little purpose at all besides to be annoying plot fodder. Not worth the hyper train that it has.
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I’m sure what it is about the book either that makes it so popular that author is known for fae books too. Glad I’m not alone!
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I’m sorry to see you’re removing the Belles from your TBR, but I get that the descriptive writing is not for everyone. And congrats on moving books away from your TBR, that’s something I need to do more often as well, whenever I lose interest in books haha 🙂
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Yep a purge every so often lol 🙂 I like the descriptive writing, but the pacing and the overall plot didn’t interest me over time sadly…
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