June & July DNF Round Up!

Happy Sunday! Today I (Amber) have another DNF round up post featuring a few of the books that I chose to DNF over the last two months. I live by the rule that if you aren't enjoying a book you shouldn't force yourself to read it. As always I still encourage you to check out these books if you were planning too, just because they weren't for me doesn't mean they won't be 5🌟 reads for you!

Forest of Souls (Shamanborn #1) by Lori M. Lee // June 23rd 2020 by Page Street Kids // DNF @ 15% // ARC Provided by Publisher through NetGalley

Summary: Sirscha Ashwyn comes from nothing, but she’s intent on becoming something. After years of training to become the queen’s next royal spy, her plans are derailed when shamans attack and kill her best friend Saengo. And then Sirscha, somehow, restores Saengo to life. Unveiled as the first soulguide in living memory, Sirscha is summoned to the domain of the Spider King. For centuries, he has used his influence over the Dead Wood—an ancient forest possessed by souls—to enforce peace between the kingdoms. Now, with the trees growing wild and untamed, only a soulguide can restrain them. As war looms, Sirscha must master her newly awakened abilities before the trees shatter the brittle peace, or worse, claim Saengo, the friend she would die for. Danger lurks within the roots of Forest of Souls, an epic, unrelenting tale of destiny and sisterhood, perfect for fans of Naomi Novik and Susan Dennard.

I am deeming my issues of Forest of Souls an issue with me then the book itself. I've tried several times to read it and each time I couldn't get more then 15%-25% in. I was forcing myself to pick it up and read. I wasn't bored, I was interest to see where the story would go but just couldn't make it that far. From what I seen review wise is that this book is already super loved and that gives me hope that when I decide to revisit this book I will enjoy it. 

Ever Cursed by Corey Ann Haydu // July 28th 2020 by Simon Pulse // DNF @ 20% // ARC Provided by Publisher through NetGalley

Summary: Damsel meets A Heart in a Body in the World in this incisive and lyrical feminist fairy tale about a princess determined to save her sisters from a curse, even if it means allying herself with the very witch who cast it. The Princesses of Ever are beloved by the kingdom and their father, the King. They are cherished, admired. Cursed. Jane, Alice, Nora, Grace, and Eden carry the burden of being punished for a crime they did not commit, or even know about. They are each cursed to be Without one essential thing—the ability to eat, sleep, love, remember, or hope. And their mother, the Queen, is imprisoned, frozen in time in an unbreakable glass box. But when Eden’s curse sets in on her thirteenth birthday, the princesses are given the opportunity to break the curse, preventing it from becoming a True Spell and dooming the princesses for life. To do this, they must confront the one who cast the spell—Reagan, a young witch who might not be the villain they thought—as well as the wickedness plaguing their own kingdom…and family. Told through the eyes of Reagan and Jane—the witch and the bewitched—this insightful twist of a fairy tale explores power in a patriarchal kingdom not unlike our own.

Ohmmygod, this cover is stunning. Honestly, I had no clue what Ever Cursed was about but the cover caught my eye. Once I read the summary and it said for fans of Damsel I was sold (For those who don't know, Damsel is one of my favorite novels of all time.)  My biggest issue with this book was the characters, I found them to be super unlikable. But I also felt like there was a ton of world building and magic thrown at me and not a lot of explanation, I felt as if I suppose to know all of this stuff already. Eventually it became a chore to pick up this book and I decided to just cut my losses. 

Fractures by Alice Reeds // June 2nd 2020 by Entangled Teen // DNF @ 35% // ARC Provided by Publisher through NetGalley

Summary: They survived a plane crash. They survived life on a deserted island. They survived being hunted. Now they must survive the truth—they are not who they think they are. One minute they’re in Poland, subjected to gruesome tests they keep failing. No friends to support them. No family to claim them. No hope of ever living a normal life again. Then suddenly, they’re trapped on an abandoned freighter in the middle of the ocean and forced to fight for survival. No food. No drinkable water. No way to get home. And strange memories of another life they don’t understand. But how can they be living two separate lives, trapped in two separate places, at the same time? They’ll have to find the connection and uncover secrets that someone went to great lengths to keep hidden...if they’re going to survive long enough to find out who is behind it all. 

I read Echoes in 2018 and adored it. It gave off creepy Lost vibes and had me on the edge of my seat. When I finished I wasn't sure if there was going to be a second book, but I was super excited when Entangled Teen reached out with an eGalley of Fractures to review. My biggest issue is still the instalove between Miles and Fiona. I had issues with it in Echoes, but I figured they would come to their senses that their attraction was most likely because they were stranded together, but they didn't. Fractures is told in Fiona's POV instead of Miles which POV we read in Echoes. Fiona changed as a character from the first book to this book and not a good change. Eventually Fiona's personality and attitude made me give up on this book. 

Closing Thoughts:

I definitely plan on going back to read Forest of Souls because I believe that was more of a me at the moment issue then the book itself. For the other two I am dissapointed that I didn't love them, but it happens. If you were interested in these books I still encourage you to pick them up and see how you feel about them, who knows they could be a five star read for you! 

Have you read this books? What did you think about them? What was the most recent book you DNFed?