DNF&Y is used to explain why I gave up on certain books, and what about them just didn't work for me. What I disliked about a book might be something you love, so it helps to share your thoughts even when they're negative! If you would like additional information, please click on the DNF&Y tab at the top. If you want to join, you can link up at the bottom!
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Bloodborne Awakened
by Tracey Laviolette
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Synopsis (via Goodreads): Welcome to my world.
Meet sixteen-year-old Jessie Connelly. She lived a normal life until she witnesses a horrifying attack on a student at her high school. No one but Jessie could explain what happened, but who would believe her when she tells them she didn’t see what attacked another student? Jessie’s parents believe it would be good for her to spend the summer with her Grams in Weston, Florida until the suspicions cool down.
Life seemed chill, at least for the first day or two, but it’s not until she meets Jacob, Gram’s best friend’s grandson, that Jessie’s world turns upside down.
After a planned camping trip goes wrong, Jessie’s faced with something she hadn’t anticipated- Life and Death. Jacob’s decision to save Jessie sealed their fate together forever.
Enter the world of Bloodbornes—for thousands of years they have protected Claybornes from demons, and other creatures of the night who would devour the flesh and souls of humans. Demons have been drawn heavier than before to the human world, and they are searching for something.
Jessie is thrown into an age-old battle of good vs. evil and soon discovers she’s not entirely what she believed to be—but something more terrifying than just a Bloodborne. The only one who can help her is Kyle—a stranger with a red dragon tattoo on his neck.
Soon a motley crew develops with Jacob, Kyle, Jessie, and the very ancient Tristan. They must stop the horde of demons from attacking by first discovering what it is they want in the first place. The trail leads them directly into the path of not only demon hybrids, but dragons.
DNF at 2%
I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.
I normally refuse unsolicited reviews, but every once in awhile I'll take a chance if the synopsis is interesting. Unfortunately, Bloodborne Awakened was a hot mess. It was a struggle to get through the first page -- the language, grammar, and spelling were bad enough to give me a headache. Additionally, the wording was so convoluted, I had no idea what the author was trying to say, only that it involved clocks. I forced myself to read a few more pages, because stopping after a single page felt ridiculous, but it got worse instead of better. I wasn't planning on saying anything to the author, even though they'd recently emailed me about whether or not I'd reviewed their book (understandable), because I never know what to say to a person when their book doesn't work out. And then this happened:
I just noticed the update on Goodreads, and that Bloodborne Awakened was a DNF. I’m terribly sorry that you did not like the story. However, could you please give me some feed back on the particulars? I would greatly appreciate your thoughts and opions."
Aargh. I don't want to be an asshole, but I also don't feel like it's my responsibility to be this person's beta reader, you know? After telling her why I didn't finish her book, she responded with this:
"Hey! Oh Lindsi I’m so terribly sorry. I know what you mean, I have a book that I began and just can’t finish it, primarily because of the writing. So I can relate.
I do appreciate your honesty, and I’ll have to do something to fix this. I’m only disappointed with the help I received from beta reading/editing. Now, I feel bad this slipped through like it did. I may pull the book and have it re-edited. Some changes, I questioned. My husband and I have found a new editor, one whose had about 35 years in the business.
One last thing, could you possibly recommend to me one of your favorite YA books? Something that would give me an example of what you consider the top in writing, etc?
Could I possibly keep you as a friend to chat with about books and writing? I don’t talk to much, or annoy people."
Again, I don't want to be an asshole, but really? She seems like a really nice person, but at this point I feel like I'm sort of working for her? If she saw my rating on Goodreads, she could have easily went to my profile and checked out my list of favorites. Has this happened to you before? Do you respond to the emails, ignore them, or do something else entirely?
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The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Anderson
& Mary Engelbreit
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Synopsis (via Goodreads): This charming retelling of the classic tale by Hans Christian Andersen is exquisitely complemented by Mary Engelbreit's magical illustrations. Wrap up warmly to join Gerda on her quest to rescue Kay from the icy clutches of the wicked Snow Queen.
DNF at 48%
I wouldn't normally DNF a children's book, but The Snow Queen was a little too dark for my monsters, and not something I wanted to continue reading on my own. The children were abducted or spelled to stay against their will, and I didn't think it was appropriate for younger kids.
Age-appropriateness aside, I didn't really like the stories. I think they're all connected somehow, and the broken mirror at the start plays a role in people's behaviors, but it simply didn't grab my attention.
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i mean if she reads this post it won’t be an issue ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm not trying to offend her, but wanted to express my frustrations over how the situation was handled. I know that other bloggers/reviewers have dealt with similar issues, and felt like this was a more passive way to convey my feelings. It's simply me presenting the facts. :)
DeleteYikes, what an awkward situation with the Bloodborne author. I mean, you DNF'd, you gave your reasons. Isn't that enough? You don't owe her anything else. And her wanting further communication would kind of put me off. You held up your end of the bargain. End of story. I get that she wants feedback but pushing a voluntary reviewer for it is not cool.
ReplyDeleteInitially, when I DNFd the book on Goodreads, I didn't list my reasons. I was waiting until my next DNF&Y post. That's why I was more inclined to tell her why when she emailed me, but still thought it was an awkward position to put me in. She asked me to read her book, I tried, and I didn't like it. Like you said though, it's not cool.
DeleteI don't take unsolicited books either for the most part. But the synopsis did sound good for that one. Was this her first book? Maybe she just isn't used to dealing with bloggers?
ReplyDeleteSame. I typically decline unsolicited reviews, but the synopsis really piqued my interest. I was super bummed when the book didn't live up to its blurb. I believe this was her first book, but I could be mistaken. No idea! It was a weird interaction for sure.
Delete*face palm*
ReplyDeleteKaren @ For What It's worth
Yeah, you know. :(
DeleteOoh, yikes, when you can't get past the first page, that's a problem. It seems kind of odd that even with editing and beta readers, there were still so many grammatical and spelling issues. How does that happen??
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure. She said they'd hired an editor, but it really didn't seem like it. The wording was way too convoluted and didn't make any sense. I seriously read the first page like five times, and then moved on hoping it would improve. It did not.
DeleteIt's not like her emails are better than her book, judging from the typos 😂.
ReplyDeleteI guess you stopped replying to her after a while? or did you politely decline her "friendship" request? She comes across as both naive and manipulative, which isn't an easy feat LOL.
It weirdly bugs me when authors have spelling and grammatical errors in the emails, or on Twitter and Instagram. I feel like they should know how to use capital letters and spell check. ;)
DeleteShe sounds like someone who is writing only to make money or become famous. Someone who doesn't even know the first thing about writing. There was a published author on Twitter the other day who said she was sitting in a restaurant and a couple tables over a woman was talking rather loudly about the fact she was writing a book and it was YA "so it will be popular". 😆
ReplyDeleteNo author should be trying to figure out why their book is totally unreadable. Ha ha. I would just tell her you don't have the time. And really with moving and the kids, you don't! 😏
I think her "editor" took advantage of someone that didn't know any better, and made some money. I know there are people that choose to self-publish, and sometimes that works out, but you still have to research the industry and what's required to make a book successful (at least grammatically).
DeleteRight! I think If someone dislikes your book, you should be accepting and try to determine on your own why something isn't working for readers. Truth! Moving and kids are a huge time suck. ;)
*sigh* What a situation to put you in.
ReplyDeleteIt was awkward and made me uncomfortable. I didn't want to simply ignore her, but she was asking questions that weren't really fair to ask.
DeleteOh dear... You're a far nicer person than me. :(
ReplyDeleteHow would you have handled it? I never know what to say... ignoring them seems too harsh, but responding feels wrong too.
Delete