After reading some spectacular books earlier this month, I have hit a spate of bad ones. I know it happens; not every book can be amazing after all. Still, it depresses me because I have not been able to finish a book in over a week, and I was on such a good streak.

STRIKE ONE

I made it to the 35 percent mark of The Companions by Katie M. Flynn and was done. I found the lack of world-building bothersome; what little I got I gleaned from the synopsis rather than the story. Plus, the characters were boring. There were five main characters by the time I quit reading, and I could not care less about any of them. I am trying to get better about not finishing books I don’t enjoy, and this was definitely in that category.

STRIKE TWO

A friend warned me about Docile by K.M. Szpara, so I have been pushing back on reading it for several months. After looking at the synopsis again, the reviews, and flipping through the pages, I realized that I was not going to give it a fair chance and had no desire to even try.

STRIKE THREE

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown should have been my type of book. Diverse setting, magic, murder plots. I am there for it, right? Except I could not stand the characters. The hero was whiny and completely incapable of making a decision. Every gain he made was given to him by someone else. Left to his own devices, he would be stuck in permanent indecision and fear. Ugh. The heroine was not any better either. She was your typical rich bitch, intent on doing her own thing and damn the consequences. Her selfishness was infuriating. I made it to the 40 percent mark and was done. I saw no signs of change in either character and did not want to spend any more time with them.