Top 5 Wednesday: Books I Changed My Mind About

Have you ever read a fanfiction that was so bad and so wild that you just had to laugh? That’s not pertinent to anything, just something I’m going through right now. Anyway, it’s time for Top 5 Wednesday and this week’s topic is a freebie. That means you can choose a previous topic you missed or make up your own. I decided to make up my own (of course, it might be a previous topic as well, but I didn’t check). So, this week I’m talking about the top five books and series I changed my mind on. These are books I used to think one way about, but now feel very differently towards. I thought it would be a fun self-reflection project and also give me a chance to do some dragging, so here we go:

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1. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas: If you’d asked me a year ago how I felt about this series, I would’ve called it my guilty pleasure. I would’ve said I found a lot of issues with Maas’ writing and diversity, but that the characters still meant too much to me to let go. And then A Court of Wings and Ruin happened. This was the beginning of the end for me. That book was a huge let down and had some of Maas’ most problematic choices yet (for more detailed thoughts, check out my review). And yet, I still had big feelings for this series. But, as time went on and the bad taste in my mouth from ACOWAR just wouldn’t leave, I started to like it less and less. Glaring issues became more and more apparent to me (mainly, Rhysand’s inconsistent and far-from-feminist characterization). I had to accept that this series is really not what I once thought it was. I went on Goodreads and lowered my ACOTAR and ACOWAR ratings to two stars and ACOMAF to three. Though the books still sit on a shelf in my closet, I feel no hesitation in saying this series is not great.
2. Caraval by Stephanie Garber: As of January or February of 2017, I would’ve guessed this book would wind up on my Best Books of 2017 list. Obviously, it did not. This is because, despite enjoying it while I read it, it really just didn’t stick with me. Not only that, but the contrived plot seemed more glaring the further and further I got from the book. Caraval is a game and so nothing matters, yet we’re supposed to act as though everything matters. It takes the power away from every event, every choice. I was once eager for Legendary’s release, but now I couldn’t care less.
3. Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes: Speaking of books with a sequel release I know don’t give a shit about, Immortal Reign just came out. Being the last book in a six-book series, you’d think I’d want to read it just to finish out the series. But I really cannot convince myself to care. Honestly, as far as YA goes, this series is more on the juvenile end. Not only that, but Crystal Storm (the fifth book) was awful. There are too many perspectives and none of the characters develop anymore. All the straights keep getting together just because, and in the worst possible pairs too. Honestly, it’s amazing how apathetic I am toward this whole thing. At least with Throne of Glass I could summon some rage. But this? Nothing.
4. Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur: The main reason I even got this book to begin with was because I was at Walmart and wanted a new book and this was the only one I’d heard anything (good) about. I’ve never been much of a poetry fan, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. And then I found out basically her entire style is plagiarized from black women poets. That caused my enthusiasm to cool way down. I’m still moved by her story and very real trauma, but I won’t pretend my vision hasn’t been altered.
5. Artemis by Andy Weir: When I saw the summary for this book, I was so hype. A heist on the moon? Led by a woman? Sign me up! And then the reviews started coming out. They were, uh, not very good. But I decided that I wanted to form my own opinion and bought the book on yet another fateful trip to Walmart. And then I started to read it and wish I’d listened to everyone else. I may still give it another try, but as of now… I’m mostly upset that it’s now a symbol of money wasted. Ah, well. At least it was on sale.

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What are some books or series you’ve changed your mind about? Tell me about them in the comments!