There are only a handful of days until the end of the year, and I have covered my favourite books of the year – though I would add in Empire of Sand by Tasha Sui to that list, I just hadn’t read it at that point!
Today, I am going to go the other way. I will list the books that I found the most disappointing for whatever reason.
I should stress that this doesn’t mean that the book is bad, or that others won’t enjoy them, just that I found these books a disappointment> Perhaps they didn’t live up to the hype that surrounded them.
Dunstan by Conn Iggulden
This book makes the list because I probably expected too much from it. I have long enjoyed Conn Iggulden’s work, especially his Wars of the Roses and Emperor series, but I just couldn’t get into this book. It sparked nothing inside me, and I found it difficult it get through.
The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert
This book seems to divide people. A quick look over it’s page on Goodreads will tell you that. People seem to either love it or hate it, but I actually just found it kind of ‘meh’. Which is disappointing because it has so much promise. Unfortunately, the best part of the book was the fairy-tales which the characters tell to each other.
Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb
This book series seems to have all the hype, so this will be an unpopular opinion. But this book was boring and I have no interest in moving onto the next book. I tried to read it a few times this year; it’s just not for me, I think. DNF
The Smoke Thieves by Sally Green
This book was, in my opinion, the worst book I read all year. I really struggled to write the review for it as I usually try to keep a positive edge to my reviews. I did it, but it was a struggle. The character’s, with the exception of Tash and Gravell, were so annoying, dumb and cliched. Sorry, not for me. DNF.
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So, there you have it, the books that I have found the most disappointing this year. Thankfully, there aren’t many of them and I have enjoyed the vast majority of books I’ve picked up this year.
Have you read any of these? If so, what are your thoughts of them? What were your disappointing reads this year?
Jack
Book Reviews | Jack's Bedtime Reading 
I’ve been thinking about reading the Hazelwood. I think my reaction would be similar to yours, though. Fun post!
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I think it is still worth a read, but don’t go in with too high hopes. It’s not a bad book, it’s just not great either. I wouldn’t put it at the top of your TBR, though! And thank you!
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I’m sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy these! I haven’t read any of these yet myself, although I do have The Hazel Wood on my TBR.
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It’s probably worth giving it a read. Some people seemed to really like it, so fingers crossed that you’re one of them!
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I actually have only heard of Hazelwood. Although its not on my tbr really. I think there’s a couple of other people that didn’t like it as well.
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Yeah, it seems to be a pretty divisive book. Plus, I have seen a few other people have listed it as one of their most disappointing reads.
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I read The Hazel Wood and was definitely in the middle category. I actually quite liked the Smoke Thieves 😂 I can’t remember anything from it though
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I liked Tash and Gravell… The whole demon smoke thing was cool, but other than that, it wasn’t for me. Glad you liked it though!
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I´m with you on The Smoke Thieves. That one aggravated me so bad that I wasn´t able to write a review. I have The Hazel Wood on my bookshelf but haven´t felt in the right mood to read it. Thank you for this post. It´s a nice change of wallpaper to see what didn´t work out for a fellow blogger.
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