I didn't finish three series that I began recently. Each had unique reasons why I won't be reading beyond book 1, and I thought it could be interesting to lay out the reasons and analyze them so any writers (and I) don't make the same mistakes.
As always with DNF (did not finish) posts, I won't be sharing the exact books. I'd rather learn from the experience than shame an author or argue with fans.

Series 1
This series is critically acclaimed and award winning. I've enjoyed other books by the same author. In fact, this book was well written overall, and I totally understood the hype. The problem is that it was so grim dark, I'm talking war crimes on the page, that I couldn't handle any more of it. I'm currently reading to escape the horrors of reality, and this was simply too heavy for me to enjoy the escape. In the author's defense, this series came out over a decade ago, and if I'd read it then I might have had a very different experience. This author couldn't have predicted this problem, so the main reason I DNFed can't be avoided.

However, there's a second, more minor problem to highlight. The book opened with a very familiar situation: a teen girl who has some sort of disadvantage (financial, physical) gets into a war college where students sometimes kill each other for an edge. Sound familiar? I can name a lot of books with that opening right now. This author wrote it before the current best sellers existed, so it might have been a more unique opening at the time.

One lesson I can take away as a writer is if you're going to do a common trope or pattern, then do something very unique and unexpected with it. And also sometimes the world isn't in the right moment for your book, and that's not a reflection of your book's quality.


Series 2
This series is popular online, which is why I picked up the first book. Within a few chapters, I flipped to the acknowledgements section to see if it was professionally edited or not. This book was messy on the inside, grammatically speaking. There were entire sections where I couldn't follow who owned the dialog because of the lack of proper paragraph breaks. On top of that, the book had my least favorite trope of all time: a POV character knew something key to the mystery all along and just never thought about it. The ending was predictable, the main structural gimmick that moves the story forward is overdone, and the romance felt forced. I couldn't think of a single reason to continue reading the series.

Lessons I can take away as a writer include: find a good editor, dig deeper for more creative choices than what comes to you first, put twists on popular gimmicks or find a new way to move your story forward, and give your characters a reason to fall in love that goes beyond how hot they are.


Series 3
This series is also popular online, and one of my friends recommended it so I feel really bad not finishing. In fact, I didn't finish the first book. When I avoid a book and instead opt to do work for my job after hours instead, you know it's not the right book or series for me. The first problem was that the main character was in a psychologically abusive relationship upfront, which tends to be a no-go for me. I felt a trickle of a her desire for revenge though, so I stayed with it. Then near the end of Act 1, a new POV was introduced which had about a thirty page info dump. At one point, the info dump flashback had a flashback within it. At the start of Act 2, the two main characters meet and the personality of the female character was so wildly different in the man's POV that I wasn't convinced she was the same person. I know this book was meant to be enemies to lovers, but the main guy wasn't redeemable at all to me, and even though the main woman found him hot (a little too thirsty in her POV, to be honest) I just didn't get the chemistry.

Lessons I can take away as a writer include: don't do info dumps, especially don't do info dumps within info dumps, and keep characters' external personalities consistent. If she banters when she fights in her POV, then she should banter when she fights in his POV too. And finally, if you're writing a romance of any kind, there has to be chemistry, just a little hope, even if it's enemies to lovers. But, there are also elements some readers will never like, and that can't be helped. So as a writer just remember that not every book is for every reader, just like not every flavor of ice cream is for every person. And that's okay!


That's my DNF journey recently. I think I'll be switching genres for a palate cleanser to make sure I'm not just sick of enemies to lovers in dark fantasy settings. Have you DNFed a series after book one? What lessons were you able to take away as a writer? Let's discuss in the comments!

I have several non-fiction books I've used as resources lately. Enjoy these mini reviews!

Beginnings, Middles, & Ends by Nancy Kress
This book covers exactly what the title indicates, including offering help if any of those three acts are a problem for you. It emphasizes why each is important, what it must do, and how to transition to the next part. I felt like this book was a bit below my level of writing understanding, because I didn't highlight a single thing in it. However, for newer writers, some of the advice offered may be new to you so for the price ($12.99 for a paperback) it might be worth it.

Mastering Suspense Structure & Plot by Jane K. Cleland
This book won the Agatha Award for best non-fiction, so I bought it from the little indie bookstore that set up at a conference recently. The book is split in two halves: planning and writing. If you're not a plotter, and don't plan to try it, then half the book may not be for you. While what it discussed was interesting, I still didn't highlight anything, which to me is telling. However, if you're new to plotting and want to try out a technique for it, this book may be of great use. It was a little more expensive (the paperback was $18.99) but at least I supported an indie bookstore.

The Negative Trait Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi
I've talked about the various thesauruses by this pair of writers before, and they never disappoint. This thesaurus helps identify negative traits to give characters, because a perfect character is a boring one, and associates them with causes, behaviors, thoughts, and examples. Some of the causes include emotional wounds, which really helps make a character cohesive. I also liked that it listed both positive and negative aspects of these traits so you can write a character where these flaws are sometimes a strength. It's safe to say I recommend it.

Botanical Curses and Poisons: The Shadow Lives of Plants by Fez Inkwright
I bought this one at an indie book stand at a Christmas market. The book is gorgeous and the topic is very in line with a new writing project I have. There's a section up front for history and then it's an encyclopedia of plants that are poisonous, associated with magic, or both. Each entry explains why the plant was included as well as interesting facts, and often an image. I left flags all over this book to come back to. If you're writing about these types of plants or are just curious, I highly recommend it. For the hardcover I paid $16.99, and supported and indie bookstore, so it was a win all around.


Have you read any of these books? Which did you find most helpful? Let's discuss in the comments!

Steering the Craft by speculative legend Ursula K. Le Guin is a non-fiction writing craft book complete with exercises. She won so many top awards in the science fiction and fantasy realm that I knew I needed to see what her writing advice entailed. 

Overview
Steering the Craft is a mere 141 pages, but don't let that fool you. The 10 chapters each focuses on an element of writing. The exercises that appear at the end of each section include solo exercises and group exercises, which Le Guin recommended. These often included tasks to break the advice just covered by the chapter, then writing the same thing following the advice, especially if the topic was a bit more obscure.

My Experience
I followed along and did each writing exercise, which is not my usual pattern, since I read on my commute. However, this book I made sure to read at home next to my laptop. I loved the exercises, because writing something that broke the lesson just learned proven the lesson was right. I learn best through failure and this forced failure exercise style really hammered home the information much better than just having me try things correctly. All in all, the book and exercises took me about two days to get through.

Is It Worth It? 
I paid $16.99 for my paperback copy from an indie bookseller at a writing conference. I'd probably be willing to pay more, honestly. This was one of the most useful craft books I've read in ages! I cannot recommend it enough to writers both new and advanced. You may think you know everything in this book, but the exercises alone are golden. This is bound to be a timeless resource!


Have you read Steering the Craft and tried all the exercises? Which was your favorite? Let's discuss in the comments!

The Cartomancer's Curse by Kaitlin Schmidt is part of an indie series called Cards of Passion. It's technically book 7, but each novella stands alone and is written by a separate author. Full disclosure, I met Kaitlin at a writing conference, which is when I heard about the book, but I paid for the book and my opinions are my own.

Meridian is a tarot card reader, although her deck of cards isn't traditional, and her power extends to being able to psychically taste others' desires, from the mundane "I want to go home" vibes to the sexually explicit. To escape the flavor soup of city life, she has a secluded cabin, but when that is broken into, her sense of safety dissolves. Wren was hired to ransack Meridian's cabin, but immediately confesses when she realizes who Meridian is. When Meridian reads cards for Wren, hoping to gain insight into her mysterious desires, the reading goes awry and curses them both. They can only solve the problem together, but all that time spent tempts them to focus less on the curse and more on their desires.

I thought the magic system of the book was really cool. One thing writers always try to do is to involve all five senses. Sight is usually easiest and overused and taste is the hardest to incorporate, since it almost always requires eating, but you can't have characters eat in every scene. So tasting desires is a really cool mechanism to use an under-utilized sense, and the flavors chosen were both specific and unique without getting so exotic that I had to go to the grocery story to find some weird fruit. I also loved the queer-norm aspect of the book. For those not familiar, queer-norm is where a book includes queer relationships which are accepted and treated socially like hetero relationships have been treated in our world--there's no worry the parents won't accept it, no being targeted by hate groups or the government or whatever. It's the true embodiment of the phrase "love is love."

My age old novella complaint shines again: it was too fast. That's just me and novellas. I didn't feel like I spent enough time getting to know why the curse was happening before it was fixed.

This book is for you if you're looking for steamy sapphic romance, a cozy fantasy novella, or a unique magic system/taste-based magic system. I'm wondering if this would be a cool read for someone with synesthesia who tastes a lot of things that others would instead see/hear or a good read for someone who lost their sense of taste (perhaps in 2020?) and wants a book to bring back flavor memories. This book is not for you if you're looking for chaste romance, fantasy on the more epic or lengthy end of the spectrum, or if you dislike enemies to lovers.


Have you read The Cartomancer's Curse? What flavor was never assigned in the book and what do you think it would represent? Let's discuss in the comments!

The Raybearer series by Jordan Ifueko is made of Raybearer, Redemptor, and the companion book The Maid and the Crocodile. It's a YA fantasy set in a secondary world inspired by Nigerian culture. I read The Maid and the Crocodile first, at the recommendation of my librarian friend. I liked the world and went back to read the other two, however I don't recommend this reading order, as The Maid and the Crocodile spoils all of the events from Raybearer and Redemptor.

Raybearer and Redemptor focus on Tarisai, a girl who can see peoples' pasts with a touch, but who was neglected by her mother and whose father was a magical creature most akin to a genie called an alagbato. Tarasai's mother wished Tarasai into existence in order to kill the crown prince. As prince, he chooses eleven children from around the empire to magically connect to him and help run the country when they become adults. Tarasai must fight the wish in her blood compelling her to kill the prince as they grow up together and she struggles to find her purpose. Redemptor continues Tarasai's adventures and focuses on the empire's annual sacrifice of children to angry spirits.
The Maid and the Crocodile focuses on Sade, a woman who can eat curses and sees manifestations of people's strong emotions. Sade becomes bound to the crocodile god, who plans revolution for the empire and must balance his demands with her new job curse eating for a fancy hotel. However, as he makes more demands, Sade realizes there's more to both of them than she thought.

These books are set in an interesting world with a unique magic system that I appreciated. I thought it was cool how magic often obligated people to each other, which I hadn't seen much of before. The Maid and the Crocodile also featured a disabled woman with vitiligo, and it read like pretty good representation as far as I can tell. While the characters' successes were predictable, the methods to get there were always interesting and kept me reading.

I don't have any major complaints, but I will say it's been a while since I read the books and they haven't stuck with me as much as I'd expected. There are moments that I can recall well, but nothing that burns in the back of my mind like my favorite books.
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This series is for you if you want Nigerian-inspired fantasy, unique magic systems, or fantasy politics. These books aren't for you if you aren't in the headspace to read about child neglect or sacrifice, if you want epic fantasy with big battles/lots of travel, or if you want adult main characters.


Have you read the books in the Raybearer world? What did you think? Let's discuss in the comments!

Left: Wilbur curled up with a good book. Right: the entire All Souls trilogy.

My friend loaned me Deborah Harkness's All Souls trilogy (aka A Discovery of Witches series) after I mentioned how I'd been enjoying the TV show (from AMC, on Netflix). I wanted more character development, and she said it was in the books. The series includes: A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night, The Book of Life, and a companion novella, Time's Convert.

A Discovery of Witches follows modern witch, Diana, who is in denial about her powers and prefers to focus on her academic pursuits as a history professor studying alchemy and how it was an early form of science. On sabbatical to Oxford, she calls up an old manuscript, Ashmole 782, and discovers it's full of magic. After returning it to the archives, she learns this book has been missing for centuries and every creature wants it: witches, vampires, and daemons. Vampire Matthew Clairmont tries to solve the mystery of the book with her, and ends up needing to protect her as well. As the two search for answers about the book, they also learn about each other: that Matthew is more than a vampire biologist and Diana has more power than either of them anticipated.  The series follows their quest for the book and the lengths they go to stay together. 

This series is what happens when you mash dark academia with cozy fantasy. There's danger and libraries and secret magic, but there's also cooking spells in a quaint kitchen, very few on-page deaths, and a lot of sipping tea by the fire. I didn't mind that mash up, and I liked knowing more about the characters.  The books had a calm, often safe feeling, despite the stakes. A perfect escapist fantasy for escaping a stressful reality.

One thing I liked more about the show than the books (blasphemy, I know), was that the show followed the antagonists as well. I could see their plans form and they didn't just pop up out of nowhere, which is how the books felt. That's the price of sticking with mainly the FMC and MMC POVs in the book. There were a lot of side characters named, and I often just had to let those names float by me because I couldn't remember them all. Unfortunately, despite knowing the characters better, I still felt like the books and show shared the same problem: the romance goes from 0 to 60 in no time. And don't get me started on the resolution of it all, I was not satisfied.

This series is for you if you liked the Discovery of Witches TV show, enjoy cozier fantasy, want an older FMC than the usual 20-something, or enjoy dark academia but want it to be a little lighter. This series is not for you if you need a constant fast pace or high tension, if you dislike historical fantasy (most is modern, but the past becomes very relevant), if you dislike fated mates or big age gaps, or if you're not in the headspace to read about miscarriage or a complicated pregnancy. 


Have you read A Discovery of Witches? How did you think it compared to the show? Let's discuss in the comments!

Time for my annual post of all the books I read in 2024. I read 59 books, 36 of which were fantasy, with my next most common genre being non-fiction, with 10 books. In the next few weeks I'll highlight some of my favorites!

I'll post more reviews of these books in the coming months. Have you read any of these books? Were any your favorites? Let's discuss in the comments!

Who among us hasn't seen the skits from TikToker and author Hannah Nicole Maehrer about the sunshine assistant to a grumpy (but hot) villain? Now a series (Assistant to the Villain, Apprentice to the Villain, and in 2025 Accomplice to the Villain), the quirky pairing is on the page for all of us to enjoy.

Evie Sage, desperate for a job, takes a position as an assistant to the notorious local Villain. She prides herself on a job well done, so when it appears there's a traitor in the office, she decides to sort out the problem. With plenty of pining for the handsome but not HR approved boss, this book and its sequel are popcorn for fans of romantasy.

I enjoyed the grumpy/sunshine pairing at the heart of the book, the pining with an actual reason not to make moves on said pining, and the wit throughout. Both were funny novels that clearly weren't being too serious or dark, despite the main characters being the purported bad guys.

There were a few worldbuilding questions I had that were left unanswered, and sometimes the romance crossed into definitely a couple territory, before pulling backwards for no clear reason and being like "wow we made out but does he like me?" Was that enough for me to put the books down? No.

This series is for you if you're looking for lighthearted, humorous romantasy, a grumpy/sunshine pairing, or a classic fairytale vibe without it being a literal fairytale rewrite. This book is not for you if you're looking for epic fantasy levels of worldbuilding, if you don't want a workplace romance, or if you want fantasy with a literary flavor.


Have you read Assistant or Apprentice to the Villain? What did you think? Let's discuss in the comments!

I'd had my eye on Story Engineering by Larry Brooks for a while before I came across it in a second hand shop. My copy is covered in pencil underlining the most random words and phrases, but it's clear where the previous owner stopped reading, as the pencil disappears. A bit tragic that this other author never finished, but it was a win for me, because I got to have this book at last.

Overview
Story Engineering: Mastering the 6 Core Competencies of Successful Writing is 278 pages (paperback) of explanations of what a story needs, why it needs that, and tips on execution. The six competencies themselves aren't shocking to seasoned writers, but each section discuss a competency in depth, offering examples or exercises. The book ages itself with references to the Da Vinci Code often and a joke about Bill Clinton, but otherwise the advice is fairly timeless. 

My Experience
I highlighted something in most chapters, but the section I've returned to is about character. This book explained one, two, and three dimensional characters in a very practical manner that I'd never seen anywhere before. It changed how I'll see character dimensions forever, and will hopefully help me write deeper ones. A lot of the rest of the information, though useful, was information I've seen before. Story beats and what's happening in them, what is an idea vs a concept, voice, etc. All great reminders, but not exclusive to this text.
My only complaint is that the book hyped itself a lot. It often repeated how the six competencies would make me a better writer--and then not explain what they were, and would go on about how important they were with no other explanation. It happened often enough at the end of chapters that I'd just skip ahead to the next one.

Is It Worth It?
I paid $8 for my used copy from a locally owned independent bookstore. That alone is worth it. If you're looking for a book that gives an overview of what makes a solid story and guides you on how to get there, this is a great option. It's not too in depth on any one topic, so it feels more introductory than I'd hoped, but there were still valuable ideas that helped me as a writer. Overall, I'd say this is worth the read to improve your writing craft.

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Have you read Story Engineering? What about the sequel, which is on my TBR, Story Physics? Let's discuss in the comments!

There's another version of the cover with different colors which is also fabulous. Shout out to the cover designer!

The Phoenix Keeper by S.A. MacLean debuted this past August, and I found it on a list of new books on Instagram. From the moment I read the concept I knew I had to read it: a zookeeper for Phoenixes is determined to restore her zoo's breeding program but the last zoo to make the attempt had their phoenixes stolen. It's cozy fantasy with a queer romance subplot. I'm using it as a comp for the book I'm currently querying because my book also involves fantasy zookeeping, flirting while working at said zoo, and the theme of letting go of the fear of failure.

Aila is the zookeeper in question, a very shy and anxious animal lover who has her dream job of being the phoenix keeper at her hometown zoo. She's great with her BFF, but with anyone else from guests to crushes, she's not as capable. When the phoenix chicks at another zoo are stolen, Aila's program has the chance to step up and become the next breeding facility. However, Aila can't do it all alone, and must learn to ask for help, including from attractive griffin keepers, if she's going to achieve her dream, and protect her phoenixes.

As a former zookeeper, I enjoyed the zookeeping parts of this book, which were realistic despite the animals being fantasy. I really liked the grounded nature of it. I thought the plot was enough to keep be entertained and had specific, achievable stakes. (If you've listened to the podcast, you know I don't always find that the case for things described as cozy.) As a side note, one of my random favorite parts of this book was Aila's family's restaurant. It was a fantasy world fusion as nonsensical as Carlos O'Kelly's, the very real Irish/Mexican midwestern restaurant. If that's not what S.A. MacLean based Aila's family's restaurant on, then I will be blown away. Another thing I liked about this book was that Aila was a really high achiever in school, and was terrified of failing as an adult. (Oh look, it's me!) Her whole character arc, and the theme of the book, was letting go of that fear, figuring out that asking for help is not fear, and realizing you can be successful without that fear.

There were some things that didn't always work for me. I'm a person who suffers from second hand embarrassment, so when characters are too cringy (which the author is doing on purpose because the character is supposed to grow, I know!) then I really struggle and have to skip ahead. Since Aila's social anxiety was so bad, I had to skim some of the more painful interactions. I also knew who was helping the smugglers immediately, so there was no tension there, so I experienced less tension than most readers will. There were also a lot of place and animal names, so I admit I didn't keep track of some after a while.

This book is for you if you love zookeeping/zoos/wildlife breeding programs, fantasy animals, queer romance, or lower tension (cozy) fantasy. This book is not for you if you have social anxiety that can be heightened by reading about others' social anxiety, if you need higher external stakes, or if you're not interested in a romance subplot.


Have you read The Phoenix Keeper? Which was your favorite animal? Let's discuss in the comments!