Books I DNFed in 2024
Archibald Finch and the Lost Witches
by Michel Guyon
(Archibald Finch #1)
350 pages | Published Oct 2018 | Middle Grade/Fantasy
This is a middle grade book following a boy called Archibald Finch, who is transported away to a dangerous and magical land. I tried to read this one twice, and both times did not make it very far. I found the writing to be a little rough around the edges and found Archibald to be an extremely unlikable character.
DNFed around the 20% mark
Ascension
by Nicholas Binge
344 pages | Published April 2023 | Science Fiction/Speculative
This book is supposed to be a speculative, mind-bending thriller. A mountain suddenly appears in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, exciting scientists around the world. This was one of my most anticipated reads in 2023. However, when I picked it up, I found it really hard to get into. I plan on giving it one more shot (eventually) but after seeing all the mediocre reviews, I don’t think I’ll get to it any time soon.
DNF around the 5% mark
Camp Zero
by Michelle Min Sterling
304 pages | Published March 2023 | Science Fiction/Dystopian
This book follows an array of charaters and their experiences in the Northern Canadian’s Camp Zero. This was another hugely anticipated read for me in 2023 but I really did not enjoy this one. The plot is meandering, the characters boring and I just could not invest myself in the story. Unfortunately, I have no plans to pick this one up again.
DNFed around the 15% mark
Deep Sky
by Yume Kitasei
399 pages | Published July 2023 | Science Fiction/Mystery
This story follows Asuaka, a passenger on a spaceship filled with eighty elite graduates meant to give birth to a generation of children in space. But after the shocking death of 3 passengers, Asuka finds herself in the center of a troubling mystery. This was yet another 2023 anticipate read that just didn’t grip me from the start. Albeit, I don’t think I really gave this one a chance so I do plan on trying again, eventually.
DNFed around the 5% mark
The Mountain in the Sea
by Ray Nayler
456 pages | Published October 2022 | Science Fiction/Speculative
Unfortunately, you’re going to have to read the GoodReads blurb because I cannot remember what this book is about (super intelligent octopi? Greedy scientists?) I had such a hard time getting into this story. The book reads very slow, and it doesn’t help that it’s a little on the longer side. It’s quite highly regarded so I would like to give this another chance at one point but for now, it’s on my DNF shelf.
DNFed around 15% mark
A Gentleman in Moscow
by Amor Towles
462 pages | Published September 2016 | Historical Fiction
This book follows Alexander Rostov through out his life in captivity in a Russian hotel. This one pained me to DNF since it is so highly regarded but I just did not enjoy the writing. Perhaps it was bad timing, perhaps it’s my dislike of slow-burn history but I found myself not eager to pick this one up (in my defense, it was a book club selection). Will I try it again? Maybe. But I think I’d have to be in a very specific mood to read/enjoy it.
DNFed around 10% mark
I Was a Teenage Slasher
by Stephen Graham Jones
373 pages | Published July 2024 | Horror/Thriller
I realized very quickly that this book was a sort of homage to slasher flicks, something that I never really enjoyed/watched growing up. Because of that, I’m pretty sure a lot of this story and its winkwink-nudgenudge tributes would go over my head so I ended up DNFing early on. Not planning on retrying this one, it’s just not for me.
DNFed around 5% mark.
Finally, we have two books that I never even got around to picking up despite being on my most anticipated list. They are as follows:
It’s Not a Cult
by Lauren Danhof
336 pages | Published August 2023 | Fiction/Contemporary/Mystery
The Memory of Animals
by Claire Fuller
278 pages | Published April 2023 | Science Fiction/Dystopian