This week’s #sixforsunday is going to be hard as I try and keep an air of positivity on here, reading is escapism after all! However, I can’t pretend that I love every book I read and just because I don’t shout about them, doesn’t mean they’re not out there! Some of these wont come as a surprise to regular readers as I have lamented them for a long while, but it has meant delving into my back catalogue a little with some. Whilst I would never advocate actual book burning lol I mean this in the very figurative sense!

The Cruel Prince

One of my most loathed reads and I’m glad to see more and more people backing down off the hype train now. Toxic relationships, toxic friendships, toxic family dynamics. bullying, humiliation – just a few of the wonderful topics covered and yet seldom do you see trigger warnings for it. I’m glad I stopped at book one.

Shatter Me

Stupidly i bought this trilogy as a kindle boxed set deal, I have so many regrets. I read all 3, because I had paid for them so I was going to read them, but I wish I had just cut my losses. I was so incensed by the relationship portrayals in this books I bashed out a blog post about my feelings on that issue as I didn’t feel I could find any positive spin for a review. I just have nothing good to say about this series sadly, it had a great plot clawing to get out and that ending couldn’t have felt more rushed.

These Rebel Waves

A rare occasion where I took the decision to DNF. Two thirds in and literally nothing had happened, what about the gay pirates we were promised!? I notoriously don’t really get on with Fairyloot picks but I usually stay the distance, however, I found even picking this up a complete chore and it soon went to the B/T/S rather than the fire.

We Hunt the Flame

Probably my biggest disappointment of the year so far. I was so excited for this book but from the opening pages I knew that I was in for a let down. I just couldn’t connect with any of the characters and the story felt dragged out and repetitive. It was far too long and not helped either by the tiny font selection on the UK paperback.

To Best the Boys

Labelled as a feminist read, it was just a lot of standard ” you can’t do that because you’re a girl” rather than anything in depth.  After 2/3 of the book with the main character thinking about whether she can pass as a boy or not we get very limited time in the labyrinth itself, which is really the main reason I was there in the first place.

The Hazel Wood

I was uncertain going into this as I’m not usually a fan of books in a contemporary setting, and again I just found very little to like about the main protagonist, she was really bratty and couldn’t connect with her at all.  As a book it just took far too long getting to the point it needed to get too which left me frustrated by the time I actually got to a good bit.

There you are, I know many will disagree with my picks but please on this occasion just agree to disagree with me. I think it’s pretty telling that 4 out of these 6 were Fairyloot books, whilst I’m not downing on them as a company at all I think it proves that me and them are not on the same reading wavelength at all and reinforces that I am glad I cancelled my subscription with them. I also seem to like a bit of instant gratification with my books as it looks like slow starts sound the death knell for most of them too!