Marking books as ‘did not finish’ is something very new to me. I’ve always been very stubborn when it comes to finishing books, I will force myself to finish them. In 2022 I’ve realised just how ridiculous that is, so here I am today talking about the three books I have on my ‘did not finish shelf’. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I am not in anyway saying these books are bad and you should never read them. They just did not work for me, but they may for you. I’ve included the synopsis of them just in case they sound interesting to you.

The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard 

It only just occurred to me recently that this book should be on my ‘did not finish’ shelf on my reading apps. I was always very stubborn and would never start a book without finishing it, but I literally did that with Red Queen multiple times. So basically I’ve been in denial for years. 

Unfortunately, I just could not get into this, but I don’t know why. Maybe it’s the writing or it just isn’t a book for me. I kept saying to myself that I’d give it another go and I still haven’t so it’s officially DNF’d. 

Synopsis: This is a world divided by blood—red or silver. The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change. That is until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power. Fearful of Mare’s potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime. But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance—Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart.

Saint Death’s Daughter by CSE Cooney

This was my first official ‘did not finish’ and oh boy it was a struggle. I used to force myself to finish every single book, but after trying this I realised that is a stupid thing to do. 

I did a review of Saint Death’s Daughter a while back so check it out here if you want to read my (ranty) thoughts. 

Synopsis: Lanie Stones, the daughter of the Royal Assassin and Chief Executioner of Liriat, has never led a normal life. Born with a gift for necromancy and a literal allergy to violence, she was raised in isolation in the family’s crumbling mansion by her oldest friend, the ancient revenant Goody Graves.

When her parents are murdered, it falls on Lanie and her cheerfully psychotic sister Nita to settle their extensive debts or lose their ancestral home—and Goody with it. Appeals to Liriat’s ruler to protect them fall on indifferent ears… until she, too, is murdered, throwing the nation’s future into doubt.

Hunted by Liriat’s enemies, hounded by her family’s creditors and terrorised by the ghost of her great-grandfather, Lanie will need more than luck to get through the next few months—but when the goddess of Death is on your side, anything is possible.

Wild Fires by Sophie Jai

I can’t remember how far I got into Wild Fires but not much happened and I spent most of it confused and bored. It’s not often I find myself bored when reading, but there’s a first time for everything I suppose. 

Again I did a full review of Wild Fires, so check it out here if you want.

Synopsis: The only things Cassandra knows about her family are the stories she’s heard in snatches over the years: about the aunt and cousin she never got to meet, about the man from the folded-up photograph in one of her aunt’s drawers, and of course about her cousin Chevy, and his troubled past – but no one utters a word about them any more.

When a call from one of her sisters brings Cassandra news of Chevy’s death, she has to return home for the funeral. To Toronto and the big house on Florence Street, where her sisters are hiding more than themselves in their rooms, where the tension brewing between her mother and aunts has been decades in the making, and where sooner or later every secret, unspoken word and painful memory will find its way out into the open.

Moving between Toronto and Trinidad, Wild Fires is a vivid and compelling story exploring the ways we mourn and why we avoid the very things that can save us.

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Like this post? Why not read this one too: Organising My Goodreads #2