T10T: Ten Books I Almost DNFed, But Didn’t

September 5, 2017

This is a weekly tag hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, and this week’s challenge is to pick ten titles you struggled to get through!

I originally was just going to focus on ten books that I DNFed, but then I decided, why not go for ten books I almost DNFed, and then summarize my final thoughts on them, for better or worse? As always, I’ll link to each book’s Goodreads page in the titles, and I’ll add links to my reviews wherever possible.

1. All the Bright Places – Jennifer Niven

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I honestly almost DNFed this book so many times because it absolutely infuriated me. I know it’s a fairly popular and widely loved book, but it isn’t for me at all, and I ended up regretting not DNFing it, because the ending had me LIVID! You can read my full review here.

2. Fangirl – Rainbow Rowell

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I almost DNFed this one because I just thought it started off fairly slow and boring, to be honest, but I’m so glad that I didn’t, because once I got a little ways in, I fell in love with the story and ended up giving it 5 stars. I kind of want to reread it every single time I think about it, too. Review here!

3. The Waking Land – Callie Bates

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I cannot possibly explain to you why I continued this book. I considered DNFing it at least once every few chapters, and by the end, I wished I had, because it was a total waste of time and I hated almost every moment of it. Rant review here.

4. And I Darken – Kiersten White

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When I consider the fact that I almost DNFed this book at the 20% mark or so, I want to cry a little, because I would have missed out on such an incredible series. I ended up giving this book 4 stars and its sequel a million five stars. Review here!

5. Girl Out of Water – Laura Silverman

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I don’t know why I didn’t DNF this. I really don’t. I think I reached the halfway point and realized I was just hate-reading from that point onward, because I was so annoyed that, dammit, I was going to finish this book and review it. I ended up only giving it 2 stars instead of 1 because it had some good rep. I raged aaaall about it here if you need a little salt for today.

6. Cinder – Marissa Meyer

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Did you just gasp a little? You might have, because it’s not very often that I admit this to people: I almost DNFed this book right out of the gate. I had just gotten back into the YA SFF scene after taking a hiatus for a few years, and I’d heard so many good things about this series, but I thought its beginning was fairly boring and slow. I ended up putting it down on my nightstand for a few days, and when I came back to it, I found that it picked up rather abruptly, and suddenly, I was hanging on every word and dying to continue the series. Go figure! This one was pre-blog days, but you can read a mini-review here on Goodreads.

7. Final Girls – Riley Sager

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The only reason I didn’t DNF this one was because I thought maybe, just maybe, the ending would surprise me and be worth it… Nope. I generally consider having read this to have been a complete waste of a few hours of my life, sadly, and you can read why here.

8. Daughter of the Burning City – Amanda Foody

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I very briefly entertained the idea of DNFing this in the first few chapters – not because it was bad, but because I had been so tremendously excited for its release that, when it wasn’t immediately what I wanted, I found myself unreasonably disappointed. Thankfully, I powered through, and ended up really enjoying myself! Review here.

9. The Wicker King – K. Ancrum

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I wanted to DNF this, but refused to based solely on the premise that I’d been so excited to receive an e-ARC of it. Unfortunately, it only got worse as it progressed, and by the end, I was just sad. Review here.

Okay, I guess I should have actually titled this a Top 9 Tuesday post, because I seem to have run out of almost-DNFed titles to share with you guys! I’m going to cut it short here, but tell me in the comments: what was the latest book you almost DNFed, and did you end up liking or disliking it by the end?

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More about Destiny @ Howling Libraries

Just a children's librarian/horror aficionado/geek girl trying to juggle motherhood, grad school, blogging, gaming, and everyday life.

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27 Comments

    1. Louise ✨?

      September 5, 2017

      It’s been a good few years since I read Fangirl but I think I remember struggling with it in the beginning too. I did end up liking it, which I’m still glad about because I read Eleanor and Park first, and wasn’t that impressed by it.

      Reply

    1. Imi

      September 5, 2017

      Same! I was so unenthused by Cinder at first but as soon as I got passed the hump, I stormed through the rest of the books and I’m so glad I read them. And I Darken is on my TBR so I’ll make sure to keep going!

      Great list!

      Reply

    1. Julie Maguda (@JulieMaguda)

      September 5, 2017

      I took forever to pick up Cinder because I was so sure I wasn’t going to like it because “cyborg Cinderella??” lol I ended up really enjoying it. I still haven’t finished the series but I am hoping to soon. I really enjoyed Fangirl. I’ve got a soft spot for nerdy/socially awkward characters. lol I think Carry On is my favorite Rainbow Rowell book tho. Daughter of the Burning City is one that I’ve been really curious about. I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed it after all! Great list!

      Reply

      1. Destiny @ Howling Libraries

        September 8, 2017

        I feel you! I think it was on my Goodreads TBR for 3 years before I got a copy from the library! Now, I’m so glad I read it. I haven’t finished the series yet either because I’m just not ready for it to end.

        Reply

    1. Poinsettia

      September 5, 2017

      I’m sorry there were so many books you finished and ended up hating! Sometimes books are worth the struggle and sometimes they aren’t. Here is my Top Ten Tuesday.

      Reply

      1. Destiny @ Howling Libraries

        September 8, 2017

        It’s super adorable if you like YA contemporary at all, and Cath is a really relatable MC if you have any kind of anxiety issues (I do!). So great! And thanks, I’ll take a look!

        Reply

    1. littlefoxandreads

      September 5, 2017

      We have a lot of these in common! Only I actually DNFed All the bright places and Cinder lol. And I think I might’ve skimmed Fangirl. I had trouble getting through And I darken but I ended up loving it and the sequel turned out to be 1000x better <3

      Reply

    1. lindseyhabets

      September 6, 2017

      So glad you powered through and ended up really enjoying both Fangirl and Cinder 🙂 I also had trouble with CInder at first, but now it’s one of my all-time favorite series!

      Reply

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