Worst of 2023
A list of the books that just didn't do it for me this year
This list isn't made by how I rated the books. These books range from two stars to four stars, and I know for many people there are some easily five stars reads in here. But they're on my worst of the year list as I either didn't enjoy the experience of reading, found myself in a slump afterwards, or felt ultimately disappointed.
01
The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni
A cool set-up with terrible execution. The stakes were none existent because Kiva had such obvious main character armour. She never felt in real danger and the motivations of the surrounding characters were extremely forced. I also couldn't get over the repetitiveness of the prose.
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02
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn-Barnes
The main problem I had with this book was that, because it's so fast-paced, no scene lasts longer than a breath and it gives the reader no time to be in the moment with the characters. Lots of things happen, but it feels as if nothing happens. It was over in a blink and I didn't care.
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03
Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco
Great setup and setting but the writing and characters let it down. We're told too much and the playful, often flirty tone really doesn't match with the tragic events.
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04
A Bookshop Christmas by Rachel Burton
I wanted a cozy, Christmas read but this was too slow, too repetitive and far too predictable. The audiobook is eight and a half hours and could easily have been half that because nothing really happens.
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05
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
This was a beautiful romance but it was set in a world that didn't feel real to me, with magic I didn't understand, and too many characters falling into the background. A victim of me having fallen for the hype and being left feeling disappointed.
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06
This Is How You Lose The Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone
This was a slog to read because, ultimately, I didn't feel connected to either the world or the characters. I'm sure it's very clever and the subtle elements have gone over my head, but the reading experience matters and mine was... yeah, I don't like this.
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07
Medusa by Jessie Burton
This is a breeze of a novella to read. But, while the prose is beautiful, the dialogue is too jarring in its modernity and the feminist angle is so glaringly told that it's point weakens, rather than strengthens Medusa's story.
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08
The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene
This should be a play, not a novel. As a play it would be a couple of hours of misery with some interesting introspection of love and faith. As a novel it's a drag to keep turning the pages.
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09
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
This was another one that felt too long. I liked the in-depth exploration of complex issues and Mr Thornton has great character development. But the story is Margaret Hale's and she was so unlikeable to me. Everyone sets her up on a pedestal (she's the original Special Girl) meanwhile I was Team Listen to Mrs Thornton.
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10
Iron Gold by Pierce Brown
I love the complexity of this series. Pierce Brown is an absolute master at weaving emotion into political stratagem but it overall fell a little flat to me because I didn't enjoy the new POV characters - I might actually hate them and the worst thing about this book is that it's made me not want to continue the series, after loving the original trilogy so much!
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