I Wanted to Love These Books (But Didn’t)
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After reading 208+ books in 2025, there were bound to be a few that made me stop mid-chapter and think: no…absolutely not. And that’s okay. Reading is subjective. Every book, every story, every novel lands differently depending on the person, the moment, and the expectations (bonus points if you’re a mood reader) we bring into a year of constant reading.
A low star isn’t a final verdict on an author or their place within the genre they’ve chosen to write a book in. It’s simply a clear reflection of my experience as a reader.
So consider this an honest review (in no way is this a pile-on). This list of the worst books I read this year isn’t about outrage or calling books “bad”. It’s about alignment, pacing, characters that never quite opened up, and stories that didn’t give me what I was hoping for.
If you’re the kind of reader who checks Goodreads, weighs opinions, and likes going into a book with your eyes open, let me gently de-influence you on a few titles and maybe make your TBR a little lighter in the process.
Draw Down the Moon & Give Up the Night by P.C. & Kristin Cast
Why I Picked It Up
As a New York Times bestselling duo, the Casts felt like a rite of passage I’d realized that somehow I’d missed. The Moonstruck series promised everything I’m drawn to in fantasy fiction: secret schools, zodiac ♏ magick, murder, romance, and celestial prophecy. On paper, it should’ve been magnetic.
What Didn’t Work for Me
To be clear, the concept works. The moon magick tied to astrological signs is inspired, and the dual POV structure is effective. The setup genuinely glows. But the reading experience never matched the promise.
Despite its adult themes, the tone was surprisingly middle-grade. I tried reading and listening 🎧simultaneously, hoping the audiobook might add a layer of depth, but the pacing dragged relentlessly. The danger I craved, the aching romance, the sense of looming consequence, all of it arrived far too late. By the time the story finally sparked in the last quarter, I was already disengaged.
Who This Might Still Work For
Readers who enjoy slower fantasy builds, softer tonal edges, or are longtime fans of the Casts may have more patience than I did. This wasn’t a failure of imagination, but rather a failure of momentum. The stars ⭐ were aligned, but the story just didn’t move fast enough to hold me close.
Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones
Why I Picked It Up
At just 138 pages, I expected a sharp, devastating slice of Indigenous horror. Something that is sometimes intimate, eerie, and emotionally precise. Sometimes all three at once.
What Didn’t Work for Me
Instead, the novella unfolded like a fog-heavy dream: beautiful in flashes, but difficult to grasp. We follow twelve-year-old Junior after his father’s drowning, drifting through sleepless nights, grief, and ghostly presences. The emotional material is rich—especially the quiet strain of family responsibility—but the storytelling never finds its cadence.
Scene breaks promise movement through time, yet repeatedly restart where they left off. The result is a narrative that feels stuck, circling itself over and over. Eventually, the tension dissolves into confusion, and Junior’s choices often read less like fear and more like logic was abandoned.
By 38%, I was skimming.
The premise is powerful, but the execution left me outside the story’s boundaries.
Out of Air by Rachel Reiss
Why I Picked It Up
Rachel Reiss writes atmosphere like few others. From the first page, Out of Air feels immersive. Lush, hypnotic, and quietly haunting.
What Didn’t Work for Me
The prose is undeniably beautiful, but beauty alone can’t carry a story that moves at a near standstill. I kept waiting for the swell, the plot to shift, the moment where tension would finally break the surface.
But it never did.
At 50%, I had to stop. Not because it lacked the skill necessary, but because it lacked any sort of momentum. With such a heavy TBR, I couldn’t justify continuing to slog through in hopes that something might eventually happen.
Right Number, Wrong Man by I.M. Wraith
Why I Picked It Up
Sworn enemies. Sixteen years of unresolved tension. A setup that promised heat and emotional payoff.
What Didn’t Work for Me
The first half dragged hard, and while the second half improved (the spice was well written), I never felt the connection I look for when reading romance novels. Colt’s Southern charm (fully a personal bias) didn’t land for me, and his characterization felt softer than expected for a morally grey lead.
Listen, it wasn’t a total miss but not a hit either. This one landed squarely in the middle at three stars.
Too Old for This by Samantha Downing
Why I Picked It Up
A retired serial killer, a true crime docuseries, and the author of My Lovely Wife? I was in immediately.
What Didn’t Work for Me
The murder happens early, so this isn’t a spoiler, but the tone shift that follows is where the story lost me. Lottie, once sharp and controlled, becomes erratic in ways that feel unintentional. Her choices broke immersion instead of deepening her character.
Short chapters should’ve created a sense of urgency, but instead felt repetitive. The cozy domestic tone clashed with the premise, and the sharp, unhinged edge I wanted never fully arrived.
So not terrible, just tired. A clever concept that never quite reignited the spark.
Cinder House by Freya Marske
Why I Picked It Up
A queer gothic Cinderella retelling with a murdered ghost heroine bound to her childhood home. The premise was everything I adore.
What Didn’t Work for Me
Somewhere between the setup and execution, the magic slipped through my fingers. The pacing felt severely uneven, the atmosphere muted, and the prose dulled moments that should have cut deep. Instead of expanding the Cinderella framework, the novella leaned too heavily on the familiar beats of the story.
I kept waiting to feel something. News flash…I didn’t.
Ella deserved more. And honestly, so did I.
Stories I’m Not Done With Yet…Maybe
Not every DNF is a hard no. Sometimes it’s timing. Sometimes it’s trust. Sometimes it’s a whispered maybe later. These are the books I walked away from, but haven’t decided whether I fully closed the door on yet.
On Wings of Blood by Briar Bolelyn
The one hurts to admit. I wanted to love it so badly (especially with the hype surrounding it), but the pacing felt like I was being punished for an act I had no clue I had committed. Reading it felt like work, not immersion, and I didn’t make it far. Still, I’m holding space for the possibility that this was a mood mismatch, and not a total miss. I’ll give it one more honest attempt. If it still doesn’t click, it’s headed to the unhaul pile without guilt.
The Ellyrian Code by B.F. Peterson
On paper, this had everything I love: elite orders, dragon riders, layered magic systems, and political tension. The ambition is undeniable. But the execution unraveled fast. Constant POV shifts, an overwhelming number of names, and a lack of narrative grounding made it difficult to care or settle into the world. And then there were moments of language and framing (particularly around race) that felt deeply uncomfortable and unexamined. That’s not something easily overlooked. I DNF’d, and while I won’t say never, this is a story I’d only revisit with a lot more distance and patience.
The Empress of Time by Kylie Lee Baker
This one sits in a strange in-between. I finished The Keeper of Night (book one in the duology) with mild aversion. Drawn in by the world, but disconnected from Ren as a protagonist. Her relationships felt rushed and emotionally hollow, and the power dynamics of the magic system raised more questions than intrigue. Still, it’s a duology, and the prophecy thread leaves just enough curiosity that I might continue (NetGalley may also thank me for finally reviewing it). Not because I’m compelled, but because I’m quietly wondering if the story deepens where the first book fell short.
At the end of the year, this list isn’t about calling books the worst for the sake of it. It’s about clarity. After hundreds of hours of reading, a few books made it clear when I no longer want to push through out of obligation, hype, or habit. Every book, every novel, every story finds a different person at a different time, and that’s the beauty of fiction.
A low star rating or a difficult review isn’t a dismissal for an author or the readers who loved those books. It’s simply one reader being honest about what didn’t work and why.
And if you loved even one of these books? I genuinely loved that for you. Reading is personal. Always has been. Always will be.
Tell me what you love in the comments. Or even a book you didn’t and why.
Where to Find These Books
If any of these have intrigued you in some way, I’ve gathered them into a few easy lists depending on how you prefer to shop. I always encourage supporting indie bookstores when possible, but choose what works best for you and your reading habits.
Shop the list on Bookshop.org
Find the books on Amazon
Find a New Favorite Read:
If It Makes You Happy Review: When Sweet Meets Shallow
11 Books That Will Have You Book Obsessed
All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham
Book Spotlight: An Incarnation of Shadow and Light
DNF Diaries: The Librarians, Beautiful Idea, Weak Execution?
