Wasted Potential Book Tag

Happy Thursday, bibliophiles!

It’s been a while since I’ve been able to do a book tag, and now that I’m in a sort of lull post-midterms (for now), I figured I would use that time to have some book tag fun. I found this tag over at Laura @ The Corner of Laura (who always finds the best book tags), and I can’t seem to find the original creator of the tag—if it’s you or if you know them, let me know and I’ll credit them! I try not to be negative *all* the time, but sometimes, you’ve gotta get the book rants off your chest.

Let’s begin, shall we?

🫤THE WASTED POTENTIAL BOOK TAG🫤

1. A BOOK THAT TRIED BUT FAILED TO TACKLE AN ISSUE

It’s My Life was a complicated book for me—Stacie Ramey almost did a good job of portraying her disabled protagonist, but ultimately, her handling of disabled identity itself rubbed me the wrong way. (It’s one thing for a disabled person to use the label “differently-abled,” but having the word “disabled” almost never mentioned for the whole novel and then instead referred to as “differently-abled” by the abled author was…weird, to say the least). Also, for once, I’d like a book about disability that isn’t centered around the main character getting slurs yelled at her. Not that those stories don’t have a place, but again: it feels more uncomfortable knowing that this was written by an abled author.

2. AN INTRIGUING SERIES THAT DIDN’T PAY OFF

I only got three books into the Invisible Library series before I quit. It’s such a shame—they started out so strong, and for a concept that seems so rich with potential ideas (traveling through alternate realities to find books?? I mean, come on), it felt that Genevieve Cogman was rapidly running out of ideas by book 3. And knowing that there’s eight books in this series doesn’t give me faith in what I’ve missed out on.

3. A GREAT BEGINNING WITH A MEDIOCRE ENDING

The Spear Cuts Through Water started off with so many bold choices that I thought it was going to be fantastic. And then…it just dragged. It just dragged on for so long, and everything that was bold at first just became tired and full of itself. This one was a real disappointment.

4. A LAST-MINUTE TWIST THAT RUINED IT ALL

Without spoiling anything, the twist ending of Katzenjammer really felt like it was in poor taste. This novel was so unique up until that point, and the ending could have been not only more creative, but more sensitively handled as well. Real shame.

5. A GREAT PLOT WITH SOME BORING CHARACTERS

It’s not so much boring characters but frustrating characters in this case; The Surviving Sky had the potential to be incredibly imaginative, but having the focus be on two insufferable characters in a failing marriage was not the right move for this book. The infodumped worldbuilding didn’t help either.

6. A CHARACTER DEATH THAT RUINED A BOOK (Spoilers)

I’m having a ton of trouble coming up with anything for this prompt. I know I’ve read books where this has happened, but I just can’t think of any right now? So I’ll have to leave this one blank…

7. A ROMANCE THAT RUINED A BOOK (Spoilers)

I already despise love triangles, but you know what’s worse than a love triangle? A love triangle where there’s no reason to like either of the romantic interests. Warner and Adam from the Shatter Me series were both so gross to me, and I would’ve been mad at Juliette for ending up with either of them, but I hated Warner even more, so that soured the whole end of Ignite Me for me. Eh.

8. A ROMANCE THAT YOU WANTED TO HAPPEN (Spoilers)

Normally, I love when authors leave a couple that’s set up to be love interests as platonic, but the romance between Ning and Kang in A Venom Dark and Sweet was hinted so much in book 1, and then…nothing ever came of it? It just felt like a very messy way to resolve it, almost like Judy I. Lin just forgot that it was supposed to happen.

9. A SCENE YOU HAVE PETTY BEEF WITH

Every scene in the Hunger Games trilogy with Gale. I will not elaborate.

I TAG ANYONE WHO WANTS TO PARTICIPATE!

Today’s song:

That’s it for this book tag! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!