Fiendish by Brenna Yovanoff

Title:Fiendish
Author: Brenna Yovanoff
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date:August 14th 2014
Pages: Hardcover, 352 pages
Source: Library

Summary from Goodreads:
Clementine DeVore spent ten years trapped in a cellar, pinned down by willow roots, silenced and forgotten.

Now she’s out and determined to uncover who put her in that cellar and why.

When Clementine was a child, dangerous and inexplicable things started happening in New South Bend. The townsfolk blamed the fiendish people out in the Willows and burned their homes to the ground. But magic kept Clementine alive, walled up in the cellar for ten years, until a boy named Fisher sets her free. Back in the world, Clementine sets out to discover what happened all those years ago. But the truth gets muddled in her dangerous attraction to Fisher, the politics of New South Bend, and the Hollow, a fickle and terrifying place that seems increasingly temperamental ever since Clementine reemerged.

5 Reasons I DNF (Did Not Finish) this book

1. Strong start but slow middle: The beginning of the book started off quite strong; the reader is introduced to a young girl who some how survives in a cellar for years. When she is found, she is magically still living from the aid of a bag of 'tricks'.  Oh yea and her eyes are sewed shut. Creepy but intriguing.  That said bag of tricks, while the contents are explained, provided no insight as to how she survived.  I felt like I need more information.

2. Lack of details and explanation: The reader learns of Fiends yet they are never truly explained; it can be assumed they have some dark magic, evil, creepy powers and no one likes them.  All the creepiness just lingers in the air without any explanation

3. Lose of interest in characters: By the middle the book, I just felt impartial to all the characters.  Some odd events occur and instead of trying to piece together the details and make sense of it all I just no longer cared.  It was as this point I really decided I should put this book down.

4. Odd romance:  Clementine immediately feel in love with Fisher, which I guess is understandable since he is the guy that saved her.  I can understand her naivety to love and romance since she has been locked up but I just did not like the romance.

5. Overall confusing:  I really enjoyed Yovanoff's Paper Valentine so I had high hopes for Fiendish; I was hoping for a creepy, Pre-Halloween read.  Fiendish was pretty confusing with its lack of development and details leading to my overall lack of interest.

DNF: The End Games by T. Michael Martin

Title: The End Games

Author: T. Michael Martin

Publisher: HarperCollins

Release Date: May 7, 2013

Pages: 369, Hardcover
Source: Library

Summary from Goodreads:

It happened on Halloween.

The world ended.

And a dangerous Game brought it back to life.

Seventeen-year-old Michael and his five-year-old brother, Patrick, have been battling monsters in The Game for weeks.

In the rural mountains of West Virginia, armed with only their rifle and their love for each other, the brothers follow Instructions from the mysterious Game Master. They spend their days searching for survivors, their nights fighting endless hordes of “Bellows”—creatures that roam the dark, roaring for flesh. And at this Game, Michael and Patrick are very good.

But The Game is changing.

The Bellows are evolving.

The Game Master is leading Michael and Patrick to other survivors—survivors who don’t play by the rules.

And the brothers will never be the same.

I tried guys, I really did. I just... I can't. I can't. And here's why:

1. I had no idea what the hell was going on. Nope, not a clue. Are they playing a game or not? At first I was convinced they were. Then I got to page 61, and I was convinced they weren't. By page 110, I don't have the damnedest idea. And...

2. What the hell? Ok, so they are running from zombies. {Got it.}They are trying to get to the Safe Zone. {Ok I am still with you.} They come across Zombie worshiping religious folk. {Umm...what?} A scary looking man arrives in a hot air balloon to save the day. {Did you just say hot air balloon? Yeah, you lost me.}This is all just bizarre and I have better things to do with my time then mentally prepare myself for whatever ridiculous and unbelievable thing the author had planned next. 

3. I hated the writing. It was choppy and immature and confusing. And it wasn't just when he was talking to his 5 year old brother, his internal dialogue was the same. It was hard to follow, and extremely difficult to enjoy and it only enhanced my overall feeling of 'WTF'.

"Dang, she's so cool.
Dang, don't think that.
Dang, why?
Because of on account of this being the most horrible time to get a crush on a girl.
Oh. Right. Daaaang."

4. I just. don't. care. I literally had zero desire to keep reading. Let me guess - they find the safe zone after a few battles with some Bellows or Zeds or whatever. Maybe some secondary character that I don't have any connection with dies. And I'm going to guess that they find their mom because everyone loves happy endings and shit. But if this happens or not - makes no difference to me. 

I feel like I was reading a different book, because I am usually not super critical and quite a few people enjoyed this... like 4 stars enjoyed this. I can appreciate that Michael would do anything to keep his brother safe. That's commendable. But I can read a book that doesn't drive me bonkers to feel a touching relationship between brothers.

Maybe it's me. I don't know. But yeah.. that's why I opted to not finish and pick up a book I actually give a crap about.