DNF Round-Up

Apparently, my last DNF Round-Up post was all the way back in January, and I was really hoping I wouldn’t need to write another one this year. But then summer hit. Up until a couple of months ago, things were actually going pretty well on the reading front, but there’s just something about the season that just makes it so much harder to be patient. Whether I’m lounging poolside in the sun or stuck in an airport during a long layover during my vacation, I expect my reading material to deliver. So if a book isn’t entertaining enough or matching my mood, it’s “See ya!”

With that caveat in place, please take my opinions with a grain of salt. It’s possible you might enjoy these books for the very reasons I didn’t. Regardless, I find it helps me greatly to process my reading experiences to to articulate why a book didn’t click for me. So that’s where these DNF reviews come in.

I received review copies from the publisher(s). This does not affect the contents of my reviews and all opinions are my own.

Go Luck Yourself by Sara Raasch

Mogsy’s Rating: DNF

Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Series: Book 2 of Royals and Romance

Publisher: Bramble (March 11, 2025)

Length: 320 pages

Each book in the Royals and Romance series revolves around a different holiday kingdom. So think Houses of Christmas, Easter, Halloween, etc., all infused with magical realism and festive flair. In Go Luck Yourself, someone’s been draining the magic from Christmas, and the only lead points to St. Patrick’s Day. To get to the bottom of it, Prince Kris heads to Ireland on a diplomatic mission only to find himself face-to-face wth his rival, Prince Lochlann. But as the two are forced to work together, the last thing Kris expected was to fall for Lochlann, but of course that is exactly what happens. Although I really enjoyed the concept and thought the setup was fun, this just wasn’t my up of tea. Quirky, contemporary rom-coms are tough enough for me to get into even when they have a fantasy bent, but this one just leaned too hard into cutesy for my tastes. The main characters also came across as shallow and immature. In the end, none of it was clicking for me, but I can see the appeal for readers who enjoy a light, tropey queer rivals-to-lovers romance.

Notes From a Regicide by Isaac Fellman

Mogsy’s Rating: DNF

Genre: Science Fiction

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Tor Books (April 15, 2025)

Length: 336 pages

In Notes from a Regicide, Griffon Keming is left reeling after the death of his second parents—the ones who rescued him from abuse, supported his transition, and tried to offer him love despite the weight of their own pasts. After a bloody revolution, all Griffon has left of his father are the journal entries he wrote in prison before his execution. Searching them for clues, he begins to unravel the family’s complicated history. Dang, not much to say about this one other than the fact I was so very bored. It’s a shame, because the prose is beautiful, if a bit dry. Unfortunately, there’s just not much room to appreciate the writing, characters, world-building, or anything else when all I could think about was how little enjoyment I was getting. This might be the slowest paced book I’ve read all year, and it was a relief to abandon it.

Overgrowth by Mira Grant

Mogsy’s Rating: DNF

Genre: Horror, Science Fiction

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Nightfire (May 6, 2025)

Length: 480 pages

When Stasia Miller was three years old, she wandered into the woods and was consumed by a strange alien plant. Days later, a little girl who looks and sounds just like Stasia reappears, claiming she’s an alien and warning that her people will one day invade Earth. Naturally, no one believes her…until years later, when a mysterious signal from space confirms that the armada is, in fact, on its way. And I had such high hopes for this novel! After all, I love plant-based horror. But honestly, I don’t think I’ve read a slower alien invasion story in my life. By the halfway point, Stacia and her group of annoying friends were still puttering around aimlessly with no sign of any real action on the horizon. To make matters worse, the book’s social messaging was so heavy-handed and in-your-face, I was genuinely shocked that an author of Mira Grant/Seanan McGuire’s caliber would let her storytelling get away from her like that, even if she does have a reputation for not always being subtle. Either way, Overgrowth did not deliver anything it promised. I gave it way more time than I normally would to turn things around, but eventually I just had to throw in the towel.