Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Struggled to Finish

Hello Friends,

Again, I am here with a Top Ten Tuesday. I was particularly intrigued by this week's topic.  Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the ladies over at The Broke and Bookish.

 

Top Ten Book I Struggled to Get Though, But Ended Up Loving

Vicious by V.E. Schwab- This was the first book I read by Schwab, and I almost didn't get through it. I have a hard time with her writing and the way she tells a story. However, Vicious was SO interesting and I really liked the characters, that's what kept me going, and ultimately this is what had me loving the story. It was such a unique concept. I am unsure if I will read the sequel -Vengeful- out late next year.

Pantomime by Laura Lam- I read this book some time ago, but it was one of my favourites. I wasn't used to read "historical fiction' when I started Pantomime and it took me ages to finish. But it was expertly written and addressed important themes.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman- Neil Gaiman and I have an interesting relationship. This particular story was WEIRD, and I almost put it down (so many times), but I powered through, and it was amazing.

The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry- This was one of my most favourite reads of 2016. But truth be told, I had a hard time with it. I was waiting for something to happen and not really appreciating what the story was giving me. I slogged though this one, but when I finished it, I was kind of blown away.

The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner- This books took me eons to read. Mostly because not a lot happens. The first 2/3 of this book is slooooooow- although there are some cool parts, it's one big fat introduction. But then the last quarter is very surprising and kind of amazing. It makes the first bit make so much sense. I was glad I stuck to it.

I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelsen- This is one of my top five books of all time. I have no idea why it took me forever to read, I don't know why I struggled through it. But I did, and it still is one of my favourites. It's incredible!

Cinder by Marissa Meyer- I actually couldn't get through this book. I had an arc and I battled my desire to not read it. In the end I was only able to get through this by listening to the audio book- which I actually loved. It really brought the story to life and it was incredible. I had no issues with the rest of the series. 

Dracula by Bram Stoker- This book took me by surprise. I wasn't expecting what I got. The story is mostly told in news paper articles, letters and journal entries, and the title character is barely present. It was a stretch getting over that, but once I did, I was able to dig into the story, and really appreciate it.

The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson- This book was strange, so odd, and written in a way that is a bit hard to digest. I actually put this one down for some months and later picked it back up. In the end I found this an incredibly magical story. Well worth the read.

Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta- This was hard for me to get into only because I am a big fan of Marchetta's contemporary work, and I was missing that. It was only when I let go of my own hangups was I able to finally love this one.

That's this week's list, I hope you enjoy. Have any of you read any of the books I mentioned? What are your thoughts on them?

~Happy Reading Everyone!