Immortal Dark

by Tigest Girma

I really wanted to like this book. However, the female main character is very, very unlikable. I understand she is supposed to be dark and evil, but it felt very forced. The plot was one we've all read before. The characters were not fully fleshed out. I wanted to stop reading this one many, many times, but I'm not a quitter. And I kept thinking that maybe somewhere along the way it would get better. It did not.

-Kirstyn

The Stars, Like Dust

by Isaac Asimov

I did not finish this book because the main characters were exceptionally unlikable to me and I could not find a way to care for them. And the idea that a young man who's only notable event was being a college student is suddenly able to overwhelm soldiers and fly spaceships didn't help much. It's a common trope but here it was so blaring that it sucked the fun out of my reading experience. The intergalactic politics occurring and the good sci-fi happening may be enough for others to get through it and even enjoy it.

-Greg G.

Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun

by Minoji Kurata

I love the Assassin's Creed games and I love Shao Jun as a character, so I was very excited to learn her story had been adapted into a manga. Unfortunately, the book was just kind of... boring. It just did not do much and the plot felt rushed, which I found pretty disappointing. Was it a horrendous read? No and at points it was fun, the art was good, and the writing had some highlights but I wish it had been more.

-Robby

Wake Up and Open Your Eyes

Clay McLeod Chapman

This book was interesting...up to the point where it became too creepy for me and I had to quit reading it. As the description states, it's like "The Americans meets The Exorcist as a suburban family are radicalised by a demonic force, seeping through social media and twenty-four hour news cycles." I was intrigued by the premise and thought I'd give it a try, but quickly found out that although I'm a fan of thrillers, I'm not a fan of psychological thrillers. For anyone who is, I think it's one they'd enjoy it.

- Mary

The initial premise and set up was good but it was a bit too long and repetitive. If it was short story size or a novella, I think I would've enjoyed it.

-Emily

Havoc

by Christopher Bollen

This book was much, much darker than I expected it to be from the description. I anticipated a somewhat humorous competitive back and forth between the two main characters, but that is not what I got. Because I was listening to an audiobook version of this book I went ahead and finished listening to it when I likely would have stopped reading it if I had a book in front of me. The horrible thing one of the characters does at the end of this book really did me in.

-Katherine

ZomRomCom

by Olivia Dade

I have read other contemporary romances written by Dade and enjoyed them, so I was excited to read her take on a fantasy romance set during a zombie outbreak. My biggest problems with the book were the romance and world-building. The two leads got together too quickly and lacked chemistry, which made their relationship very unbelievable to me. I also found the world-building very confusing and haphazard; details of the world would be changed or updated to fix plot holes throughout the story. The pacing of the world-building was also off, with many new details and characters thrown into the last 50 pages, along with an unexpected plot twist that would allow the book to become a series. I was disappointed to not enjoy a book I had been looking forward to.

- Jacqueline

The Z Word

by Lindsay King-Miller

This book absolutely fell flat for me. In my opinion, it is full of poorly executed tropes, poor character development and just bad writing. I feel like the author just tried to do too much and nothing worked.

-Jim

The Last Word

by Taylor Adams

I was listening to this book while on a long drive. It was kind of creepy and initially held my interest. However, the main character, Emma, kept making unwise decisions that clearly put her (and her dog) in danger. I found myself saying things like, "Don't open your front door" and "Don't leave that door unlocked". I got fed up and stopped listening.

-Sally

Sandwich

by  Catherine Newman

Although it approaches substantial themes, I found the main character very annoying and self-centered, with excessive cursing throughout the book. For me, it was an unpleasant reading experience.

-Denise

A Gentleman in Moscow

by Amor Towles

While I did finish the book and did end up really liking it and the characters, it took me the longest time to get through it and I'm not sure why. Overall, I ended up thinking it was good, but it wasn't a book I was trying to find time to read.

-Megan

Fantastic Fungi

by Paul Stamets

My least favorite book of the year has been anything written by Paul Stamets. I've been re reading his books and realizing how naive I used to be when I was trying to learn the science behind mushrooms. Three years ago I was suggesting his books and telling people all about his story. Fantastic Fungi was the book/movie that made me interested about learning so much more about mycology, but I was especially interested in learning about Paul Stamets and his life. As soon as I started digging into his stories and getting to talk to multiple true mycologists and their encounters, I was heartbroken to find that Paul Stamets is a fraud. He is nothing but a storyteller. He sells snake oil "mushroom supplements" that don't even contain fruiting body mushrooms, just the grains they were grown on and the mycelium. You get very little benefit from taking any of his products called "Host Defense" Mushrooms. If you're looking for a movie that blows Fantastic Fungi out of the water, you should definitely look into Fungi: Web of Life.

-Avie

Somewhere Beyond the Sea

by TJ Klune

I really loved The House on the Cerulean Sea, so I was excited about this sequel, but it didn't have the same attraction for me as the original. I also loved Klune's Under the Whispering Door, so maybe my expectations were just too high for this one.

-Ronna

The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life Is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store

by Cait Flanders

Most of the advice in it is common sense and many of the financial mistakes she describes herself making are avoidable, which makes it hard to get through as a reader.

-Kristi