Series I Won’t Finish in 2025 || DNF-ing Fantasy, Mystery & Sci-Fi Books
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- Опубліковано 4 лют 2025
- Hey Booktube! In 2025, I'm learning the art of giving up. If I ever want to catch up on all the book series I'm currently reading, I need to get comfortable with DNF-ing (Did Not Finish) the ones that just aren't clicking with me. In this video, I’m sharing the fantasy, mystery, and sci-fi book series that I’m officially putting on the back burner. Whether it's lackluster plotlines, unrelatable characters, or simply not living up to the hype, these series just didn’t make the cut. Join me as I talk about why I’m letting go of these books, and maybe even share your own experiences with series you decided not to finish. If you’ve been struggling to keep up with your TBR or need permission to DNF a book (it’s okay, really!), this video is for you!
Let’s dive into my journey of DNF-ing book series, breaking free from reading guilt, and reclaiming my reading time in 2025. Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe if you can relate! Plus, if you’re looking for recommendations on books that are worth finishing, stay tuned for future videos!
All My Book Recommendations: amzn.to/3IBX5It
____ BOOKS MENTIONED ____
The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison amzn.to/40OWmgX
What Moves the Dead by T Kingfisher amzn.to/3CEd9Lt
The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal amzn.to/3CPqnVL
The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison amzn.to/413XkqI
The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling amzn.to/3CH5TP1
The Appeal by Janice Hallett amzn.to/4118bBP
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross amzn.to/4jHdk9v
The Warded Man by Peter V Brett amzn.to/4hKinEe
The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon amzn.to/4aP7yOZ
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden amzn.to/3Q2Aj1l
A Master of Djinn by P Djeli Clark amzn.to/3Cu1TS2
Skyward by Brandon Sanderson amzn.to/42FvySH
Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice amzn.to/42I3gqD
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"The Giant Jar": amzn.to/4eHHg33
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Rattan Headboard bit.ly/3XZDLyt
Table Pleated Lamp amzn.to/3XI0Bcw
Sky Picture Frame amzn.to/3Bwuipq
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Peacock Chair go.magik.ly/ml...
Vanity Mirror amzn.to/3Y1RDbu
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What are you giving up on in 2025? 😂
I prefer standalones. 😊
The V.E. Schwab different london series I dont even remember the name 😂 red the first and it was just meh found only one character interesting i did the mistake of buying the second and third novel but its been years I wont be getting to them anytime soon so 👋
I'm giving up on reading UA-cam book recommendations and just going to read what I want to.
Two mystery series I’ve given up on already this year: Miss Sherlock by Sherry Thomas (a take on Sherlock Holmes stories in which he’s secretly a woman) and Karen Pirie police procedurals by Val McDermid. Both series are strangely fixated on what the female protagonists eat and their physical appearances, which bloated the already overly-long books. Even though I’ve read multiple books in each series, and the mysteries were good, the extraneous details became too annoying. I also had the exact same experience that you did with the Midwife books-first was 5⭐️, second made me give up on reading the third.
Sands of Arawyia; I just cannot get into We Hunt the Flame.
Bill Hodges; I HATED Mr. Mercedes. Books focusing on cops just don’t do it for me.
Off topic but I have been watching u since I was a kid! When u used to upload those lipstick videos and now when I'm an adult I'm hooked to ur book videos! Love you Emily!!!
me too!!
Same here!!!
Awww this is so sweet!
I love it! I DNF about 70 to 80% of the series I start. Even some 4 stars. I realized that my enjoyment of a series usually goes down after the 1st book.
A series ending on a disappointing note is so frustrating!!
Lol, I read the title as “Give Up” and I was like, Yeah, ok. 🤷♀️
Love your retro looking fleece 😍
I always read the 1st book of any series as a standalone. It has to really grip me if I decide to continue the series!
That's a good plan... until there's a cliffhanger lol
Emily good for you I am so proud of you! Keep it up! I love your content and channel
Love your sweater!
I hear you about taking a break after the Appeal but give the Christmas one a shot. I liked it better than the Appeal and it is shorter.
Watching your new video is great. This makes me happy because it dropped on my birthday!
I don’t find series weigh on me at all! I only continue ones I’m interested in, and forget about the ones I’m not! (Sometimes I even forget about ones I’m interested in! Oops!)
Another great video! I love when you point out books that can be read as standalones! :)
I really appreciate series that don't have cliffhangers lol
I only really forget when the next book isn't out yet... Booktube kinda fix that for me though XD
@ haha! Yes, you’ve got the booktube connection to keep you in “the know”! And thank you for sharing that with us, as well! I get 90% of my book news from you haha
T. Kingfisher is really hit or miss for me.
Yay! You giving up sworn soldier means I get to!
I recommend the witching hour by Anne Rice. I think it's better than interview with a vampire
I read one of the P Djeli Clark nuvellas and was bored so haven’t yet picked up A Master of Djinn, but I’m glad to hear you still liked that one!
You are encouraging me to abandon some series that are just haunting me and that I don’t feel attached to, so thank you! I will say that I liked Ruthless Vows more than Divine Rivals, mainly because it focused more on the magic and mythology than the romance! But you seem pretty decided on giving that one up so not trying to convince you, haha. I’m definitely giving up on Crescent City, along with Powerless, Dream Harbor, Hollow Kingdom, Belladonna, and The Inheritance Games! And many more but those are the recent ones 😂
You'll have more time and energy for the series that are worth it!!
@ exactly! I still have almost 30 series I’m in the middle of even with not finishing several… So definitely need to abandon some 😳😂
I don't want to count but having done a "20 books series to continue in 2025", I know it's over that... and that's stressful enough lol
@@BookswithEmilyFox haha exactly, that’s more than enough!! We can do it 💪😂
Sometimes I think authors may only have one-two books in them that are five stars; I can't fault them for not finishing up with the same excellence as the former books. It's okay with me now. Those later books may be enough for other readers.
Oh you are totaly right!
I do the same thing. Last year for example I read Foundryside and Shorefall and loved them, but I started the third one and had to abandon it, I got so bored. It was disappointing, I thought it would become a new favorite series.
I started the Vampire Chronicles with the 2nd book, The Vampire Lestat. He is the star of this series & that book is told from his point of view. Then I read the 1st book, Interview, and was like, "meh." That one was told from Louis' view, & Lestat sets the record straight from his side in the 2nd book. I was out after, maybe the 4th book. I wholly endorse not continuing a series if you don't feel it. Life is short! I will always love Lestat, though.
Loved this video❤& I"ll give up op on the Helen Grace series its just not for me.
I DNF so much series, all the sanderson series that I started I DNF, Annihilation, an so much more. I just don't have the patience to force myself to read if I do not absolutely love the first book.
I'm also not continuing with the Sworn Soldier series! It was my first exposure to T Kingfisher too :(
Oddly enough I feel the same way about the Skyward series! I read it because you recommended it. I enjoyed the first book, the second one not so much, and decided to DNF the 3rd book. Currently reading the second book in the Stormlight archive! (I don’t like Shallan’s POV 😭)
So far I have no series I have to give up on, thankfully. All my longer series (trilogy or more) are ones I love and will continue to keep reading. I have a few duologies I'm iffy on, but mostly those are "I liked the first enough to read the second, but will I want to keep them after?"
Yeah, I can’t say I blame you for dropping the Demon Cycle.
I pushed through and finished them all, but I had the same issues (with the first book in particular). Had I not bought the full series relatively cheap (on the strength of the premise) I doubt I’d have continued either.
I used to try and look past these things and focus on the plot but I can't anymore :/ I've heard the ending isn't amazing for this one, do you agree?
@ Aye, I don’t blame you. To be honest, had I seen your worst books of 2024 video beforehand, then I wouldn’t have bought them.
I think there was a way of showing how society had regressed without doing it in that way.
The ending wasn’t great. As with the series as a whole, the concept of the final book was intriguing, but I found how things played out pretty lacklustre.
I’ll read the third sworn soldier book (even though I also didn’t really like it), just because it’s so short and I can read it in a day, but it will be my last kingfisher. Hopefully there won’t be a fourth book lol
I'm glad you are DFNing series and books. We should read books we want to.
I am in the middle of so many series, I should probably dnf some as well LMAO
I loved the ex hex lolol - totally see where you come from though
They were too old to act like teenagers 😭 Like please talk to an adult if you're not going to fix it
With Kingfisher I’m mostly hoping she returns to the White Rat setting. I need me some gnoles. Her recent fairytale stuff i enjoy less, but i think deserves a little slack as IIRC the author was writing through an illness.
on the topic of IWTV - I'm so curious if you've seen the show! I think you've mentioned starting it a while ago
Only the first 2 (?) episodes. I'm terrible at finishing tv shows though
The Brandon Sanderson series…since you DNFd the series, will you unhaul all the books?
I read The Calculating Stars too. To be truthful, it was kind of boring. And the depiction of sexism-misogyny of 1950s-1960s America was too close to reality. Don't want to read about it unless it is in a nonfiction book. I won't finish series either. (I don't mind sexism shown in more fantasy-driven books).
I just DNFed a book (the first DNF of 2025) and honestly, let's keep that energy going. So many new books get published every year and so many millions of books from all the years past are still unread by me, so it really is a waste of my short life on this planet to force myself to keep reading books I'm not enjoying.
Letting ourselves choose to read other books instead, which we find more enjoyable, is simply good logic and a kindness to ourselves. Happy reading!