DNF is NOT Quitting

I've just placed a book in a DNF pile for the first time ever and I honestly don't know how to feel. I know that many people believe in and advocate for not finishing stories that you don't love or stories that simply don't captivate them enough to hold their attention. However, I have never been one to start a story and not finish it, no matter how little I enjoyed it.

I usually hold out hoping against hope that it will somehow take some wonderful turn into greatness. I'm pretty sure that has only happened once ever.

What is DNF?

DNF is "Did not finish"... Books that are DNF'ed are either not finished and never picked back up or Not finished until some time later when the reader feels like trying it again.

The book that I have officially placed on my DNF list is Beasts of Prey.

I wanted to love it. The cover is gorgeous. The blurb checks all of my reading preference boxes. The story is hung on sturdy bones.

It just didn't catch me. The book is over 400 pages long. I got to page 330 before I decided to finally hang it up and move forward with my TBR list.

It was a really hard decision for me and I'm conflicted about it still now, which is what made me write this entry.

This blog will act as a reminder for me of why it is ok to put a book in the DNF stack. Hopefully if you struggle with forcing yourself to finish stories that you aren't actually fond of, it will help you too.

3 DNF Perks:

1. Not every story is for you: Sometimes stories just don't call to us and that is ok. There are innumerous amounts of books in this world and there is someone for all of them. Somebody will love that story, it doesn't have to be you. (Learned this on Instagram from @barrettbookreviews)

2. There is only so much time: There are more books on this planet than any one person could ever read in their lifetime. That being said, there is absolutely no reason to be out here forcing yourself through unenjoyable material just to say you finished it. You should spend your time here enjoying what you read. This is a hobby, not a literature course.

3. Saves you from negative emotions: I've pushed my way through a story that I knew I didn't like so many times in hopes that it would get better, only to get to the end and be disappointed that it turned out so poorly. Nobody needs unnecessary regret.

I'm sure if I spoke with other book bloggers they could give even more perks of DNF'ing a book. These are the most important ones to me.

Why I DNF'd Beasts of Prey

Beasts of Prey (Beasts of Prey #1)
by Tracy Deonn 
Published by: September 28th 2021 by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Source: Library
Genres: Fantasy, Own Voices, Young Adult

Magic doesn't exist in the broken city of Lkossa anymore, especially for girls like sixteen-year-old Koffi. Indentured to the notorious Night Zoo, she cares for its fearsome and magical creatures to pay off her family's debts and secure their eventual freedom. But the night her loved ones' own safety is threatened by the Zoo's cruel master, Koffi unleashes a power she doesn't fully understand--and the consequences are dire.

As the second son of a decorated hero, Ekon is all but destined to become a Son of the Six--an elite warrior--and uphold a family legacy. But on the night of his final rite of passage, a fire upends his plans. In its midst, Ekon not only encounters the Shetani--a vicious monster that has plagued the city and his nightmares for nearly a century--but a curious girl who seems to have the power to ward off the beast. Koffi's power ultimately saves Ekon's life, but his choice to let her flee dooms his hopes of becoming a warrior.

Desperate to redeem himself, Ekon vows to hunt the Shetani down and end its reign of terror, but he can't do it alone. Meanwhile, Koffi believes finding the Shetani and selling it for a profit could be the key to solving her own problems. Koffi and Ekon--each keeping their true motives secret from the other--form a tentative alliance and enter into the unknowns of the Greater Jungle, a world steeped in wild magic and untold dangers. The hunt begins. But it quickly becomes unclear whether they are the hunters or the hunted.

I won't go into bullet points on this novel because I don't want it to sound like I am nitpicking or bullying. I just didn't find the story very engaging. I couldn't connect with the characters, the budding romance was forced and unnatural, and the plot just felt like it was missing something. It kind of felt like I was reading the third draft of the story; not quite bad enough to be the first draft, but not good enough to have been the final draft.

I held on as long as I could, but just never fell in love with the story. All in all, Beasts of Prey just may not have been the story for me.

I encourage you to pick it up if you're curious. You may actually enjoy it.

Legendborn: Nothing Could Have Prepared Me

Legendborn (Legendborn #1) by Tracy Deonn 
Published by: September 15th 2020 by Margaret K. McElderry Books
Source: Library
Genres: Diversity, Fantasy, Own Voices, Young Adult


After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus.

A flying demon feeding on human energies.

A secret society of so called “Legendborn” students that hunt the creatures down.

And a mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a “Merlin” and who attempts—and fails—to wipe Bree’s memory of everything she saw.

The mage’s failure unlocks Bree’s own unique magic and a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now that Bree knows there’s more to her mother’s death than what’s on the police report, she’ll do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn as one of their initiates.

She recruits Nick, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the group, and their reluctant partnership pulls them deeper into the society’s secrets—and closer to each other. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur’s knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she’ll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down—or join the fight.

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I didn't know what to expect when I picked up Legendborn. All I knew was that I absolutely adored the cover art and the blurb on the dust jacket. So I started reading and intantly kind of went *internal sigh*, because Bree's mom has passed away and my brain says "Disney"... But I kept reading.

My interest peaked when I realized that this story is a retelling of sorts of the Arthurian Legend. Except we meet the descendants of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table in secret society passing as a collegiate historical organization.

Ok so Bree is a 16yr who has recently lost her mom. Unfortunately, her mother passed right after they had a pretty bad argument and Bree feels really guilty. She leaves home to attend an Early College program at UNC to get away from the grief of her house where the memory of her mother lives.

She and her bestie, Alice, start school and immediately find themselves in a compromising position after making a bad decision to attend a off campus party on their first night on campus. Bree meets a strange kid that makes her feel uneasy. Then, a fight breaks out and Bree notices something weird in the forest with her and the other students, floating above the brawl, a demon. Sel, the strange kid also known as a Merlin or mage, and another girl, Tor, appear and destroy the demon thing.

By this time, I am intrigued and the story only gets wilder from there. Bree meets Nick, the "prodigal son" of the Legendborn. They become fast friends when Nick learns that Bree can also see the demon creatures that he and the Legendborn are sworn to defend against. After another demon shows up on campus, Nick is forced to bring Bree closer to the Legendborn society.

The Legendborn Society operates on the lineages of the round table. The hierarchy and order of the society is heavily based on the bloodlines that trace back centuries. Bree's appearance in this space and subsequent involvement in the society is a curveball that nobody anticipated and that many resent.

Some of the main themes in this story are grief and self-discovery, but it also explores bigotry, generational trauma, and classism.

This story comes with so many twists and revelations, but to keep from saying too much... This review contains very near spoilers, but I've done my best to keep it spoiler free.

Things that I loved:

• First and foremost, the romance! Oh my goodness, its so well done and so sweet, passionate. The chemistry is crafted so beautifully, its enough to make you jealously side eye your partner. Even in the budding stages the connection is so solidly formed and believable. One of my favorite romantic scenes, pg 214:

"Yeah, really." His laugh is a soft rumble in the quiet morning air. "Maybe I like watching you move." I open my mouth, but no actual words emerge, so I just shake my head and turn away. He stops in the road, catches my wrist, and tugs until I have to angle toward him. "Don't do that," he chides. "Do what?" Shadows play across his face as he draws me nearer. Like last night in his room, he presses his thumb into my palm, and just that bit of pressure ignites my insides, sets my heart racing. "That thing you just did. That thing you do," he says, his eyes filled with humor---and a shadow of hurt. "Tell yourself I'm just teasing. It's okay to be nervous, but please don't dismiss the idea that I like you, B."

• Favorite quotes:

"Where do we begin? At the beginning."

"Your expectations belong to you!"

• The black girl magic. I love that Tracy Deonn made Bree magical in her own right. Being in this foreign space with people from these long lines of mystical history and abilities, the fact that Bree is her own kind of special is perfect, empowering. Bree's root magic differs greatly from that of the Order, but serves well in connected her to this group that she didn't even know existed. With that being said, the magic leads me to:

• You don't have to know Arthurian Lore

• The transition into addressing bigotry and generational trauma. Deonn dives into these topics so gracefully, not harping too much or pulling back too far. I normally do not enjoy the interjection of racism into my fantasy novels because I read fantasy to escape real world issues. However, the topics add to the fullness of the story and to the power within Bree's own mysterious background and abilities.

• THE PLOT TWISTS!!! Oh my goodness, this woman knows how to throw a curveball.

• The easy manner in which Deonn writes every side of a character. We get to see more than the good guy and the bad guy. There are parts where you really love Nick, and then there are parts when you want to call him an entitled ass... And Deonn allows us these moments with many of the characters in this book. She has created whole and complex characters, that I am here for.

• The cast of characters! This cast is HUGE and very few of the characters is completely static. Its not a terribly diverse cast racially, because this is a PWI (Predominantly white institution) in the south. There are four black characters, an Asian character, and a mixed raced character. However, the cast is diverse in the manner of lgbtqia+ representation, there is a non-binary character, several bi-sexual characters. From what I can tell, there were only three straight males in this cast and I think two straight females out of a cast of over 15. We cannot be completely sure about the CIS gendered characters as we just haven't spoken about their sexuality directly.

• What seems to be a blooming love triangle. If you read my last review, you know I LOVE a good love triangle and there seems to be much potential for a complicated one here. Deonn does such a great job writing both the affection and the tension between the characters.

I could make this list go on so I'll stop here.

Things I wasn't a fan of:

• The timing... This all feels so fast... Like... She does so much so fast and manages to go to school too? I would have gladly read more pages to see this story fleshed out just a little bit more, especially some of the specific relationships. There are shifts that seem sudden and unwarranted. I would have liked to see the story take time to acknowledge the switches in dynamics. The pacing isn't horrible, it just would have benefitted from a little more time.

• The origin of Bree's magic... I get that had to be rooted in history. The entire story is rooted in the history and ancestry of these characters. I just am not a fan of HOW it happened.

• Lack of information about Bree. We do learn bits and pieces about Bree as the story goes. She's a super smart, unapologetically black, strong, grieving, lost, brave, stubborn, loyal, curious, fierce, and bold 16 year old. We don't get much insight into her past, her likes and dislikes, her sexuality (though from the story I'm assuming she's CIS Het).

That's really all I have for this portion. To keep from having any spoilers in this review, I'm going to wrap here, but I will be posting a more in depth Youtube video.

The Wrap Up

This novel was my favorite read since Children of Blood and Bone. I finished it in two days and as a grown woman that works a full time job, I feel like that's saying something. It's been a long time since I gave up sleep to read a book. Legendborn had me sitting up straight, back against my headboard, coffee on the nightstand, lamp on high trying to finish this book. To say I enjoyed it would simply be an understatement. This novel tapped on EVERY emotional cord I have. There was a point that I had to sit the book down and walk away from it because my emotions were running way too high. I want to tell you the whole story... Every bit, but you should just read it. The way this book ended was enough for me to give it 3 wands. There is something beautiful to be said about the symbology and irony of how this book ended. Plus the killer romance scenes. This story would have been great even without romance at all, but I do love the addition of it. It's definitely worth the time. I cannot wait for book two... I am already planning when I'll reread book one just to make sure that my memory is refreshed for book two, (I don't usually reread books). Needless to say this novel lands very high on my wands count:

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Ashes of Gold: The sequel we wanted or the sequel we needed?

Ashes of Gold (Sequel to Wings of Ebony) by J. Elle
Published by: Denene Millner Books/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, January 11, 2022
Source: Simon & Schuster Giveaway
Genres: Diversity, Fantasy, Own Voices, Young Adult



Rue has no memory of how she ended up locked in a basement prison without her magic or her allies. But she’s a girl from the East Row. And girls from the East Row don’t give up. Girls from the East Row pick themselves back up when they fall. Girls from the East Row break themselves out.

But reuniting with her friends is only half the battle. When she finds them again, Rue makes a vow: she will find a way to return the magic that the Chancellor has stolen from her father’s people. Yet even on Yiyo Peak, Rue is a misfit—with half a foot back in Houston and half a heart that is human as well as god, she’s not sure she’s the right person to lead the fight to reclaim a glorious past.

When a betrayal sends her into a tailspin, Rue must decide who to trust and how to be the leader that her people deserve…because if she doesn’t, it isn’t just Yiyo that will be destroyed—it will be Rue herself.

A brief synopsis and My Expectations

Rue is a teenage girl that very recently found out that she is half human and half magical. Her father, whom she grew up without returns after the death of her mother to bring her back ot his magical home land, Ghizon. She's snatched away from everything and everyone she loves including her baby sister. Rue travels back to her hometown, Houston Texas, with the help of her new magical friend. Some things go down while Rue is in Houston and sets the story of the first book into motion.

By the end of the first book, both Houston and Ghizon undergo some major changes. At the beginning of book two we find Rue in Ghizon preparing to fight for her people and their magic. She makes some pretty disastrous mistakes that cost her and her people dearly. She's captured by the Chancellor, the villain, and must figure out how to correct her mistakes and turn the tables for the good. Since I'd read book one and kind of have a feel of J. Elle's writing style, I knew what I was in for in that regard. I was eager to read this sequel to see where the story goes from where it left off in Wings of Ebony, see how the characters developed, and learn more about Ghizon and its people. I liked Wings of Ebony well enough (I wasn't enamored, but I did like it) and hoped that the sequel would be an out of the park hit as a chaser to book one. I love the character Rue and the fact that she is this rough and tumble "diamond" from Houston (I'm from Houston and spent some of my formative years in Third Ward, the inspiration for East Row). With the first book being mostly about a secondary opponent, I was really interested in seeing where the story went with the rivalry with the Chancellor.

So for me... This was a sequel that I both wanted and needed to answer some lingering questions left by book one.

Things I liked about this Novel (Liked not loved)

• The love triangle. A good love triangle is one of my favorite tropes. So I really enjoyed some of the plot building of the teeter-totter between Julius and Jhamal.

• Rue's vulnerability. We saw so much more of an insecure teenage girl and less of the rough and tough, my mama raised the hardest girls attitude and got to see Rue crack (as humans do).

• The Friend to lover to enemy storyline was one of my favorite parts of the book. Though not executed as well as I would have liked, it was sentimental and engaging.

• The plot line of one of the secondary opponents. At first I thought it random and unnecessary, but it ended up being integral to the move the story forward.

• Zora. I loved Zora's character. I wish she didn't come off quite so flat, but I loved her as an addition. Also, Zora's plot line was very well done in my opinion, one of the best in the story.

• The new characters. One of my favorite things was the way Elle introduces some new players. I also love how you don't really know what to make of these players right away.

Things that I wasn't a fan of in this novel:

• Being told the story. This entire novel comes off as if Rue is sitting down with me recounting her story instead of me experiencing it with her. We are told all her thoughts, but we don't feel them. Told the epiphanies, fed the suspicions instead of being led to personal discovery. I feel like I was not allowed to be an active reader.

• The half done betrayal. While reading the story it was really easy to see that the author was trying to MAKE the audience feel a certain way about certain characters, but it wasn't believable. It was rather easy for me to guess exactly who the author was setting up as a decoy, who was being scapegoated as an adversary and who was the actual secondary opponent. It was just kind of poorly done. This goes back to being told the story instead of experiencing it.

• The love triangle. As much as I love a love triangle. This one fell short. The idea that it existed at all was cool, but Rue's connections with both parties were just not developed well enough.

• The magic system is barely outlined. We don't know what Rue and the Ghizoni are supposed to be able to do with their magic. So when things happen you're left to wonder, well why didn't she just do this or that... For instance, we know that at the height of their power the Ghizoni could moved mountains and move clouds, but could they heal? Save lives? If not, why? If you can move a mountain with the flick of your rest, why wouldn't you be able to heal the sick or hurt.

The Wrap Up

As I stated Ashes of Gold was a sequel that I both wanted and needed, but unfortunately there were just as many cons as there were pros. I found it hard to stay in the story as I was often irritated with being told how Rue felt instead of feeling the experience. This book felt very middle grade to me. Not in a bad way, just not quite complexed enough for a older YA audience. Was it worth the time it took to read it (About four days)? I'd say yes. I'd like to maybe hear it as an audiobook, maybe that would build the love connections better, hearing the conversations. I don't know, I didn't hate it, but I was blown away either. It was an enjoyable story regardless of complaints. A few times it occurred to me that perhaps the story was rushed or maybe there hadn't been enough eyes on it during editing. Either way, this story landed smack in the middle of my scale.

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