This is hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish. Links go to Goodreads. This week, the topic is:
Top Ten Books I Liked More/Less Than I Thought I Would.
This will be broken up in two groups of five:
Books I Thought I'd Like More Than I Did:
1. The Death Cure by James Dasher - Though I did like it, honestly it was a very disappointing end to the series. I feel a lot of questions are never really answered and the ending of the love triangle was a horrible resolution.
2. Defiance by C.J. Redwine - Another book with redeeming qualities that I was underwhelmed by. Mostly due to the shaky world-building and the villain, who is evil just for the sake of it most of the time.
3. Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone - Maybe I just got too excited over the summary and then deflated when the plot wasn't absolutely epic?
4. Matched by Ally Condie - Ugh. The pacing of this is slooooow and I was kinda of hoping The Society would kill all of the characters.
5. Crewel by Gennifer Albin - Honestly, I really liked this when I finished. But then I started thinking about the hideous love triangle and the somewhat annoying heroine.
Books I Liked More Than I Thought I Would:
6. The Girl Of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson - Even though I still haven't read the sequel, I remember having very low expectations when I started this and coming away from it blown away by the awesome it contained.
7. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead - I read Marked before this. Enough said.
8. Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout - I distinctly remember thinking this was a Twilight knock-off fifty pages in. I, uh, don't know when my feelings changed but currently I am in love with these books.
9. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles - I'm not usually big on contemporary books, which is why I was surprised by how much I loved this book.
10. Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers - Erm, I think I was just put off by the size of this book. Seriously, have you seen it? It's a beast! But so, so worth it.
What's on your TTT this week? Feel feel to leave me links back to your blog so I can return the favor of commenting. :)
I always debate reading Matched, but then I remember that everyone I know seriously seems to dislike it. And I've had the Perfect Chemistry series forever and haven't read them, I need to get on that.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog!
You're welcome! Yeah, I just couldn't stand Matched. Which is sad, because I really wanted to love it. Perfect Chemistry is so good. <3
DeleteI agree 150% with your numbers 8, 9 and 10!
ReplyDeleteTTT at Krista's Dust Jacket
Lol, thanks.
DeleteAfter reading Pushing the Limits, I've SO been wanting to read Perfect Chemistry bc it seems like these 2 are in the same category. I hope to read that series soon! Obsidian is another one I gotta read soon. I own it and I have really high hopes for it!! I've heard a lot of people didn't like the Matched series, and I can almost 100% cross it off my list. It's not my type of book. Cool list
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by My TTT
Pushing The Limits is pretty similar to PC. I would definitely recommend that one, too. I hope you love Obsidian! It's a cool take on aliens.
DeleteYeah... Matched.. bleahhh.
ReplyDeleteHappy to see Girl of Fire and Thorns & Obsidian on your LIKED MORE list!! They are on my 'to be read soon' list!!
And of course... mad love for Vampire Academy!
Oooo, I can't wait for your review of The Girl of Fire and Thorns! It will be awesome, I just know it. ;)
DeleteBoth Grave Mercy and VA could have ended up on my list too. I must admit I laughed when I read what you wrote about Matched. I agree it was slow.
ReplyDeleteMy Teaser and Top Ten Tuesday
Yeah...Crossed was even worse. :/ Thanks for stopping by. :)
DeleteI loved The Maze Runner but I've heard the other books aren't as good. I've heard so many fantastic things about Vampire Academy, I need to read it.
ReplyDeleteIsa @ Chasing Quills
The first one was really good, and the second was too, but the third was just meh to me. VA is awesome! :)
ReplyDeleteOh gross. Crewel is a problematic book to end all problematic books. Beyond the love triangle (love square?), it was rather sexist. I did end up liking The Girl of Fire and Thorns a lot more than I thought I would, and the sequel was even better.
ReplyDeleteI keep hearing the sequel is amazing! I'd really like to start it soon. I own it, so I have no excuse, lol. I did end up liking Crewel, but yeah, not nearly as much as I wanted to. :/
DeleteHaha, I read Marked before Vampire Academy, too! It was like heaven for me, to read a good vampire book after the disaster Marked was :X
ReplyDeleteThat's pretty much what happened. Marked was just...ugh. I can't think about it without shuddering. :p
DeleteOh no, I was SUPER excited for Time Between Us, so maybe I'll try and lower my expectations when I go to read it. I know being so excited over a book often leaves me feeling pretty disappointed about a book. Too high expectations I guess.
ReplyDeleteI want to read every book on your list of books that you read and didn't expect to love as much as you did. ESPECIALLY Grave Mercy! I have the ebook but I just keep forgetting about it :(
Thanks for stopping by my list, and happy reading!!
You're very welcome! :D
ReplyDeleteTBU wasn't a bad book, it was just kind of . . . blah? I'm having a hard time remembering anything that happened in it, and I just read it like a month ago. Pick up Grave Mercy ASAP! It's beautiful, and the sequel is even better. <3
I can't wait to read Obsidian! I thought that it was a Twilight knock off at first too, but I've heard awesome things about it, so I plan on reading it real soon. Grave Mercy actually really fell short for me. I felt like Ismae was kind of useless throughout the book because she can't kill who we want her to kill because the author is limited by the actual historical retelling of the political intrigue Ismae is caught up in.
ReplyDeleteYeah, my only complaint with Grave Mercy was that it centered too heavily on the political aspect of the story sometimes. I hope you get to Obsidian soon!
DeleteI'm sad to hear you didn't like Defiance and Time Between Us! I haven't read them, but they seemed good.
ReplyDeleteI love Vampire Academy & Obsidian! :)
I thought they looked amazing, too, but it happens. :)
DeleteOther than Obsidian, your wow list is perfect for me. :-D
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear it. :)
DeleteTotally agree with your opinion on Matched!
ReplyDeleteI was stoked to read Crewel and started it a while back and wasn't into it. I'm hoping I will be when I pick it back up.
Vampire Academy Rulz and Obsidian Droolz.. :)
Thanks! I really wish I had liked it more; there was a lot of hype about it before it came out.
DeleteDefinitely a horrible resolution to the love triangle (and the series) in The Death Cure! Thanks for dropping by!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! Thanks, I thought so too.
DeleteI totally agree with your thoughts on Grave Mercy. I read it when there was only 5 days left until it expires on my Nook. It was awesome.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way about Matched. It was such a draaaaag!
Great list! ^_^
Yeah, I wish I'd liked it more. Always happy to spread the love for GM. ;)
DeleteNooo! -looks at Time Between Us in my TBR pile and frowns- Hopefully it won't be THAT disappointing.
ReplyDeleteCrewel started off SO good, but then, it just lost it's power over me. I'm not sure if I'll read the next book...
Awesome list & thanks for stopping by my TTT! (:
Anytime. :) I felt the same way, Crewel started out great, but slowly it started to go downhill. I didn't even notice that I disliked it until the end, lol. Don't worry, it isn't horrible - just nothing memorable, at least for me.
DeleteYup, we are on the same page regarding Matched. It's needed some action! A friend keeps urging me to read Obsidian and Perfect Chemistry, maybe it's time to bump it up my TBR. I am also pretty curious about Grave Mercy. :D
ReplyDeleteAll wonderful reads I hope you find the time for! Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteI haven't seen a physical copy of Grave Mercy - I know I want to read it but now am feeling slightly intimidated :P
ReplyDeleteI think it's strange how the order you read certain books can influence your feelings. Like when I read Fallen by Lauren Kate and Obsidian it took a lot of effort to stop mentally comparing them to Twilight. I think if I'd read them before Twilight I'd have enjoyed them more.
Great list - I really enjoyed reading it. And thanks so much for visiting my blog. I really appreciated it.
It's over 500 pages, but don't worry, once you're absorbed in the story, they all fly by rather quickly. :)
DeleteI agree! And sometimes if you read an incredible book, the next one you read feels just okay when normally you would have liked it more. But since it's competing with what just read...well, you know. :)
You're welcome! :) Thanks for coming by mine.
LOL on MATCHED. I actually really liked it. Still have continued on with the series, though, so I don't know what that means ...
ReplyDeleteHappy TTT!
Thanks! I know a lot of people who were crazy about Matched, but to each his own, right? :)
DeleteI haven't read Time Between Us yet, but I do own it. I totally understand what you mean about high expections - I've done that a few times myself.
ReplyDeleteYeah, sometimes I think it's better to just go into a book blind with no expectations, you know?
DeleteYour comment about Matched cracked me up! It was definitely underwhelming overall...
ReplyDeleteLol, thanks. I meant it, sadly.
DeleteI haven't read any of the books on your list, but if they are on a list it's for a reason. I've had my eyes on Matched, but I've heard mixed reviews.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by Literary, etc! :)
You're welcome! Give Matched a try if you think it looks interesting; everyone's tastes are different. :)
DeleteI wasn't the greatest fan of Matched either. I liked the writing style, but the plot and the characters bugged me a lot.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by! :)
Anytime! And yeah, I completely agree.
DeleteI just borrowed "Girl of Fire and Thorns" from the library, I can't wait to read it! Great list - and thanks for visiting my blog!
ReplyDelete-Eve @ Every Flavour Books