Quite honestly I can’t stand only a few books that I’ve read, recently The Awakening by Nora Roberts.
Holy crap, do I reallllyyyyy want my money back. I was bored. So. Bored. The magic system was subpar, the characters just….ew, everything was so, so boring. The MC is an idiot.
What book is a zero star read for you?
Probably an unpopular opinion, but the most recent book that fits for me was Babel by RF Kuang.
What’s worse is that it starts out OK, but then just the awful writing built up and up until I couldn’t take it anymore. The characters are 2D, the plot’s dumb and the world building is nonsensical, but probably the worst part is the condescending tone the narration takes (those footnotes, woof!).
At first I thought you were talking about Babel by Gaston Dorren which is a non-fiction book about the 20 most spoken languages worldwide. I was so curious as to what could be so offensive about it or its writing
At first I thought you were talking about Babel by Gaston Dorren which is a non-fiction book about the 20 most spoken languages worldwide. I was so curious as to what could be so offensive about it or its writing
You’re brave to say what I couldn’t! I gave this 2 stars but wanted to DNF it a bunch of times
I read yellowface by the same author and was disappointed by the book considering all the hype the book was getting. I’m upset I purchased the book instead of borrowing it. After reading your comment I might just skip reading anything from this author.
I read yellowface by the same author and was disappointed by the book considering all the hype the book was getting. I’m upset I purchased the book instead of borrowing it. After reading your comment I might just skip reading anything from this author.
Agreed. It somehow drew up 2 stars in my estimation, but it definitely disappointed hard for such a hyped book. (I guess I shouldn’t be that surprised, since most hyped things are junk.) I did enjoy the footnotes and the moments that are love letters to language and translation, but the book was embarrassingly littered with errors and it bludgeoned the reader over the head with the political themes.
I picked up poppy war purely on the recommendation of how much it sucks
Her career fascinated me, seen way more hate than love and a few incriminations she’s a plant
Agreed. It somehow drew up 2 stars in my estimation, but it definitely disappointed hard for such a hyped book. (I guess I shouldn’t be that surprised, since most hyped things are junk.) I did enjoy the footnotes and the moments that are love letters to language and translation, but the book was embarrassingly littered with errors and it bludgeoned the reader over the head with the political themes.
I picked up poppy war purely on the recommendation of how much it sucks
Her career fascinated me, seen way more hate than love and a few incriminations she’s a plant
People need to step off RFKs dick and admit she hasn’t don’t anything remotely cool since the poppy war
People need to step off RFKs dick and admit she hasn’t don’t anything remotely cool since the poppy war
I honestly ate this book up because the etymology-based magic system was so intriguing, and I also loved Ramy. I definitely agree that the anti colonialism stuff and her other main messages lacked subtlety though. I think authors like Kuang are really passionate about their ideologies, and in the process of using their stories as vehicles to convey them, they kinda neglect character development (ie giving each character more than three base characteristics) and pacing. I’d say it’s worth the read for the world-building alone, but it’s also an understandable skip if you’re not too into that
I honestly ate this book up because the etymology-based magic system was so intriguing, and I also loved Ramy. I definitely agree that the anti colonialism stuff and her other main messages lacked subtlety though. I think authors like Kuang are really passionate about their ideologies, and in the process of using their stories as vehicles to convey them, they kinda neglect character development (ie giving each character more than three base characteristics) and pacing. I’d say it’s worth the read for the world-building alone, but it’s also an understandable skip if you’re not too into that
Co-incidence. I started this 3 days ago, I’m a quick reader and still took this long to read a handful of pages.
Will not be finishing.
A real slog to get interested in.
Co-incidence. I started this 3 days ago, I’m a quick reader and still took this long to read a handful of pages.
Will not be finishing.
A real slog to get interested in.
Ugh i hated the poppy war so much
And i was so excited for it. For a book where drug use is a pretty core element, author clearly never talked to anyone who had done anything stronger than aspirin. Also, major plot and character problems.
Ugh i hated the poppy war so much
And i was so excited for it. For a book where drug use is a pretty core element, author clearly never talked to anyone who had done anything stronger than aspirin. Also, major plot and character problems.
Oh we’re going to get in a fight
Completely agree. I was so disappointed with this book I DNF. Those footnotes should have been my first sign to stop reading way before I gave up.
Oh no, this is on my reading list, I had been looking forward to it! I still hope I like it, just unfortunate to see it here. Does not bode well.