I’m going to really call myself out here and say that there are a lot of really popular books that I honestly have no intention of reading. Whether it’s from bad reviews or a lack of motivation, here are some books that I don’t intend to read.
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Starting off with a controversial one. I’m not a huge fan of high fantasy and honestly, I don’t have the space in my brain to commit to the seven-book series. I’ve also heard that the main character is kind of an enigma in that she’s a talented warrior but also like dressing up just for the sake of being different? Seems like this book isn’t my cup of tea.
A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
I don’t know if this one’s controversial or not. I have fond memories of reading The Hunger Games in middle school, but feel like this book would really complicate those memories. Also, I’ve heard really mixed reviews about this book and don’t want to read a book if I know I’m not going to like it.
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Okay, I guess I could expand this to pretty much anything Sarah J. Maas. I have nothing against her writing except it just isn’t my taste. I’m not a fan of books about fae, which is strange because I enjoy a good paranormal romance every now and again. Nonetheless, I have no desire to pick up this book because I’m pretty sure it would get on my nerves.
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Another fae book that I know wouldn’t appeal to me. I also get the vibe that this book has a weird power imbalance between the main love interests and that doesn’t sit well with me.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling
Even before J.K. Rowling made some comments in poor taste on Twitter, I had no intention of reading this book. I love how the series wrapped up and don’t want to mess with that, you know?
The rest of the Red Queen series by Victoria Aveyard
I finished Glass Sword and honestly was fed up with Mare. The plot was pretty unbelievable and I didn’t want to read another book about an “average” girl who discovers she has powers and then overthrows an oppressive regime. It felt very 2014 to me and I was over it.
The rest of the Shatter Me books by Taherah Mafi
This feels kind of gross to talk about because I know these books are so well-loved, but I couldn’t stand Juliet as a narrator. She was really immature in a way that didn’t suit the story, so I DNFed Shatter Me and have no plan to continue the series.
The Shadowhunters Series by Cassandra Clare
Another one that feels like pure sacrilege. I read through City of Lost Souls because I wanted to see what all the hype was about, but I can confidently say that, after four books, I don’t want to spend any more time with this series. Major props to those of y’all who’ve followed the whole series.
Have you been avoiding any of these books? Which popular books do you have no desire to read?
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I’m not going to read any of your list either, but then they’re not really the genre I usually read. I’m also not going to read The Midnight Library by Matt Haig which is popular now and was in the BBC show Under The Covers last week. It feels kind of light to me, a girl trying out different lives, to come to the inevitable conclusion that she’s quite happy the way she is…
Series I started and will not be finishing also include Shatter Me, Red Queen and The Cruel Prince and Shadowhunters. It hurts me to say Shadowhunters though because I did really enjoy everything I’d read in this world. I was just so furious with the last book in The Dark Artifices trilogy that I DNFed it, nearly flung it across the room, and decided there and then that enough was enough and I wouldn’t dedicate any more time to this series. I will still have fond memories of being introduced to this series and how it opened up the world of YA literature for me, but I’m over wanting to read it.
Ugh that’s the worst when a book is good but so frustrating that you can’t finish it!! I’ve had a few people tell me that I’ll like The Infernal Devices, but it’s not worth it for me to finish allllllll the books that come before it. Moving on to books I think I’ll enjoy more!
I felt like Queen of Air and Darkness completely undid everything that The Mortal Instruments worked towards and it angered me too much. It’s definitely better to work on books we’ll both enjoy much more.
For sure!! I’ve heard such mixed reviews of that book and I totally agree with your point about moving onto books that are more enjoyable 🙂
Totally agreed with you on the Shatter Me front 😂 It just tried too hard to be poetic but it didn’t pull it off well. But bc I’m a glutton for punishment, I have like, 70% of your list on my TBR just so I can see if they’re really that bad lol.
That’s such a great way of describing it! I found Juliet (I don’t even remember but I think that’s her name lol) to be so immature but she thought she was so mature. Definitely let me know if anything on this list surprises you!
I feel the same way about several of these! I’m also not interested in the Harry Potter sequel or Hunger Games prequel because I like the stories the way they are. And the Red Queen, Shatter Me, and Shadowhunters series were just okay to me – enjoyable to read once but I’m not going to read them again, and didn’t finish the entire series. The one book on this list that I did really enjoy was The Cruel Prince.
Not going to lie, I read Throne of Glass. It’s honestly a bit of a guilty pleasure. I think it’s a great call to not read it, because it is textbook cheesy, cliché filled fantasy. It really doesn’t hold up as a work of art. But it was quite enjoyable, and I read the whole series in the span of a few weeks, so…
Sometimes I do find myself forcing to read a miserable book just because it’s popular. It’s good to remember that we read for our own sakes, and not just to keep up with what’s “cool”.