Most Disappointing Books of 2016

While I read some amazing books this past year (as seen by my favorites post), I also read some disappointing ones. All of the books I mention below weren’t necessarily awful, but for one reason or another, I was disappointed by them. It could be that the hype ruined it for me, or that I liked it less than the author’s previous books, or I just wasn’t a fan. Some of these books aren’t necessarily bad, just that I was disappointed and either wanted or expected more.
They are in no order except the order I read them in, January-December. If you click on the image of the book cover, it will take you to its Goodreads page, and if I wrote a review, the link is the title of the book.

Burning Glass by Kathryn Purdie

Rating: 1/5 stars

This was one of the first ARCs that I ever received, and I hated it. I legitimately despised this book, and I can’t think of a single thing I enjoyed. It was a boring fantasy with irritating characters, a dragging plot, and unlikeable writing. I was so not a fan.

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

Rating: 3/5 stars

Alexandra’s The Darkest Minds trilogy is one of my favorites ever. Passenger, the first novel in her other duology (?) is…not. While it wasn’t absolutely terrible, I was bored and uninterested in the story, and simply was disappointed it did not live up to my high expectations.

The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

Rating: 3/5 stars

Wait, wait! I can hear your cries of outrage: Didn’t everyone love this book? Well, I am one of the few that didn’t. I didn’t hate it, but I definitely didn’t love it. I found it to be slow and boring, but I loved the Indian influence.

And I Darken by Kiersten White

Rating: DNF

I DNFed this book within the first hundred pages. I was so excited for it- it’s a gender-bent Vlad the Impaler retelling!- but I wasn’t interested in the story at all, and nothing was happening, so I decided that it wasn’t for me.

Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst

Rating: 2/5 stars

I think this is a book that either is for you or isn’t, and sadly, it wasn’t for me. I was so, so excited for it to release (queer princesses falling in love in a fantasy book!) but I found the book itself to be a let down. It’s an important book, but one I just didn’t fall in love with.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Rating: 1/5 stars

I didn’t enjoy this book at all. When I found out about the problematic aspects of it (discussed quickly in this review), I was even more disappointed and upset. While some of the books on this list I would still recommend to specific readers, I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone.

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Rating: 3/5 stars

I adored Marissa Meyer’s The Lunar Chronicles series. Heartless? Not so much. It wasn’t a book I hated, but definitely not one I enjoyed. I was disappointed because I had been expecting so much more.

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

Rating: DNF

This was my first Kendare Blake book, and I was not a fan. I DNFed it in the first hundred or so pages, because nothing was happening and I just didn’t care. I wanted to love it, as the synopsis made it sound incredible- but I didn’t.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Rating: DNF

I had been reading (or trying to read) this book for over a year when I finally decided to officially DNF it. I was only halfway done. It’s a large book, but it should’ve taken me way less time to finish. I was bored and I didn’t even want to find out what happened, so I put it down, and won’t be picking it back up.

Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas

Rating: Still not sure

Ugh, this book and this series. I used to love it, but now I recognize that it’s incredibly problematic, but I still find them entertaining- so I read the fifth book this year and had so, so many issues with it. This series truly used to be my favorite ever, and now this book is on my most disappointing books of 2016 list. Wow.

I don’t know what I want to rate it, which is why my rating is ‘still not sure’. I was entertained when I read it, but now looking back on it, even besides the problematic things I am upset about, I had problems with the book. No matter the rating, I was disappointed in this book, so it definitely deserves its place on here.

So yes, these were my most disappointing reads of 2016! Honestly, I struggled to find disappointing books, which is good: It means I had a pretty great reading year. There were some major disappointments, though, as well as problematic books that I am so done with.

If you love a book on this list, please, please don’t try and tell me I’m wrong. It’s okay to have differing opinions! I respect that you enjoyed it, so respect that I didn’t/was disappointed by it.

What were your most disappointing books of 2016? Why? Are any of ours the same? Tell me I’m not alone! If you did love a book on this list, feel free to say that- but like I said above, don’t try to sway my opinion.

Thanks for reading!

Ava