Top 5 Tuesdays: Top 5 Books That Didn’t Live Up To The Hype

I can see I’m going to get some flack for my opinions in this post. Shanah over at Bionic Book Worm really picks some great themes each week for Top 5 Tuesdays and this one may cause some interesting discussions to say the least!

The way I chose these is they have to have (a) a Goodreads Rating of more than 4, (b)have been raved about and hyped all up on blogs or booktube and (c) I read the whole book so can give a complete opinion. Starting with the latest…

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Goodreads Rating: 4.04. Published: 2011. Read in: 2018

“At the heart of the story is the tangled relationship between two young magicians, Celia, the enchanter’s daughter, and Marco, the sorcerer’s apprentice. At the behest of their shadowy masters, they find themselves locked in a deadly contest, forced to test the very limits of the imagination, and of their love…”

I had seen this book everywhere over the past few months, even though the book was originally published in 2011, so that’s more than 5 years of hype and interest raised. That interest peaked last month where so many fellow bloggers said this was such a wonderful book – it was already on my TBR so – let’s get on that hype train!

Review: I had hoped for decent characters, complex relationships and a glimpse of a magical turn of the 20th century with a nocturnal circus (so a bit creepy.) The writing was beautiful and evocative. The Night Circus is somewhere I wish was real so I could go. That is all.

I will read Morgenstern again because her writing style is truly beautiful, but I need characters I can enjoy the company of and my favourite character was the circus itself.

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The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

Goodreads Rating: 4.12. Published: 2017. Read in: 2018

“After Vasilisa’s mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa’s new stepmother forbids her family from honoring the household spirits. The family acquiesces, but Vasilisa is frightened, sensing that more hinges upon their rituals than anyone knows.”

The book hadn’t even been released when I started to hear about it and was interested straight away.

Review: The Bear and the Nightingale

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Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Goodreads Rating: 4.21. Published: 1938. Read in: 2016

“The novel begins in Monte Carlo, where our heroine is swept off her feet by the dashing widower Maxim de Winter and his sudden proposal of marriage. Orphaned and working as a lady’s maid, she can barely believe her luck. It is only when they arrive at his massive country estate that she realizes how large a shadow his late wife will cast over their lives–presenting her with a lingering evil that threatens to destroy their marriage from beyond the grave.”

Rebecca is considered a modern gothic classic – it’s on all the lists, so obviously I’d get around to it one day. It’s also on the list of BBC’s The Big Read Top 100 , books voted by the British public back in 2003, which I’ve slowly been trying to tackle. In 2016, I read it.

Review: I didn’t enjoy it, but kept reading because I had hoped that the mystery would build and reveal something interesting. It did, but it just made me dislike the characters more, especially Maximilian de Winter. I’d read more du Maurier because I enjoyed the style, I just really couldn’t care about the characters. I’d really like to know more about Rebecca though – the most interesting character by far.

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The Crown Tower by Michael J. Sullivan

Goodreads Rating: 4.32. Published: 2013. Read in: 2017

“A warrior with nothing to fight for is paired with a thieving assassin with nothing to lose. Together they must steal a treasure that no one can reach. The Crown Tower is the impregnable remains of the grandest fortress ever built and home to the realm’s most valuable possessions. But it isn’t gold or jewels the old wizard is after, and this prize can only be obtained by the combined talents of two remarkable men. Now if Arcadius can just keep Hadrian and Royce from killing each other, they just might succeed.”

A great success in the self-publishing world and has a big fan following online (loads of love on Goodreads) I’m always up for fantasy where there are assassins, thieves and warriors. I was intrigued by the premise of two characters pairing up who otherwise wouldn’t and, did I mention I love fantasy? I do!

Review: Although book 1 in The Riyia Chronicles, it seems to be a prequal telling of how the main pair, Hadrian and Royce, met and started their adventures together. Hadrian and Royce easily stole (see what I did there) every scene they were in and there were humorous elements, especially as the two very different characters were getting to know each other. Can I believe this was the How They Met that lead then to being BFF’s? Not really, but I enjoyed watching them trying to get on. However, I can’t remember much at all about any of the other characters. Except for Gwen. I’ll not get into it here, but the whole backstory of her life and why she is where she is right now – I felt a disservice to the only character that made any impact that wasn’t the two main characters of the series.

I also read the second book The Rose and the Thorn – still underwhelmed.

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The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Goodreads Rating: 4.09. Published: 1992. Read in: The Past

“Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries. But when they go beyond the boundaries of normal morality they slip gradually from obsession to corruption and betrayal, and at last – inexorably – into evil.”

A book on the list of ‘must reads’ that I’d heard about for years. It’s also another book from the BBC’s The Big Read Top 100 . The premise was intriguing so, why not.

Review: I recall when reading it that I was pushing not to DNF. I just didn’t understand what all the hype was about and couldn’t care about any of the characters – which was possibly the point. Do I recall any of their names? Did this book make any impact on me? No. Other than to ensure I’ve not read any Tartt since, which seems a great shame as there’s so much hype about her as an author. I’d like to give her another go some day – any recommendations?

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So, anyone agree or disagree with my opinion? Any books by the same authors who recommend I try? Any books you think are over hyped? Check out my fellow bloggers Top 5 picks.