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:
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)
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.
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.