Double DNF Review: Uprooted by Naomi Novik & Scythe by Neal Shusterman
by The Book Pup on [Current Date]
Why I DNF'd These Books
You know what I always tell you guys? Life is too short to read books you hate. 📚💔
Let me explain why I put these down so you can decide if they might work better for you than they did for me.
Uprooted by Naomi Novik - DNF
Find the blurb here on Goodreads!
Why I DNF'd:
Uprooted has so much love from the book community, and I really wanted to join that club. Unfortunately, this book lost me pretty quickly. 😕
The magic system was very complex and confusing. ✨🤔 I couldn't quite grasp how the magic worked, what the rules were, or why certain things happened. The explanations felt vague and overly complicated at the same time, which is a frustrating combination. I kept rereading passages trying to understand, and that's never a good sign.
It was boring. 😴 Despite all the magical elements and the supposedly dangerous Wood, I found myself struggling to stay engaged. The pacing was slow, the descriptions went on forever, and I just couldn't connect with what was happening. I kept waiting for it to grab me, and it never did.
I made it about 30% of the way through before accepting that this wasn't going to work for me. Life's too short to spend on books that feel like homework! 📚
DNF Status: Around 30%
Might work for you if: You love dense, descriptive fantasy with complex worldbuilding, you don't mind slow pacing, you enjoy getting lost in atmospheric writing, and you have patience for intricate magic systems that take time to understand.
Scythe by Neal Shusterman - DNF
Find the blurb here on Goodreads!
Why I DNF'd:
The concept of Scythe is really interesting, a dystopian world where death has been conquered and people called Scythes must "glean" (kill) others to control population. That premise had me intrigued!
It was really boring. 😴 Despite the supposedly dark and compelling premise, I found myself struggling to care about what was happening. The world felt sterile and emotionless in a way that made it hard to engage with. The characters didn't grab me, the plot moved slowly, and I kept waiting for something to hook me in.
I couldn't connect with Citra or Rowan. They felt like vessels for the plot rather than real, compelling people I wanted to follow. Their apprenticeship to become Scythes should have been full of moral conflict and emotional weight, but it just felt like going through the motions. 🎭
The pacing was too slow for me, and the worldbuilding, while detailed, didn't pull me in. I need to care about the characters and their stakes to invest in a story, and I just... didn't. 🤷♀️
I made it about 35% through before deciding this wasn't for me. I know this series has a devoted fanbase, and I'm genuinely happy for everyone who loves it! It just wasn't my cup of tea. ☕
Might work for you if: You enjoy philosophical dystopian fiction, you don't mind slower pacing, you're interested in moral questions about death and immortality, and you can connect with more detached, cerebral storytelling.
Final Thoughts
Both of these books are beloved by many readers, and I want to emphasize that my DNF doesn't mean these are bad books! They just weren't the right books for ME at this time. 💕
Maybe I'll revisit these someday when I'm in a different headspace. Maybe they'll work better for me then, or maybe they won't. And that's totally fine! Not every book is for every reader, and that's what makes the reading community so diverse and interesting. 🌟
Remember: Life is too short to read books you hate. DNF guilt-free! 💪📖
Cheers, and happy reading (books you actually ENJOY)!
The Book Pup