Recent DNFs - August to September 2025

Sometimes a book just doesn't hit right and I am trying to take back my time and power over these ones...I don't want to struggle through them, I just want to put them down  - for now or for good. 

The below notes are just my current feelings around these books - that does NOT mean that they were bad, I just wasn't feeling them. Feel free to pick them up!

In the Did Not Finish... vibe is off, might pick back up category...

A Steeping of Blood by Hafsah Faizal

Series: Blood and Tea #2
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication Date:  September 23, 2025

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 The epic conclusion to the #1 bestselling A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal; the gritty fantasy duology about an orphan girl and her crew who get tangled in a heist with vampires, perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows.

She's had her tea, now she's out for blood.

White Roaring is sharpening its fangs after the deadly night that left the city in shambles. The press are dead, the public calls for justice, vampires are in danger, and amid the turmoil, the Ram announces a celebration.

Still reeling from the bloodshed, Arthie Casimir has no time to mourn the death of anyone, let alone her own. She has no time for love, either, but it had saved her life. As Arthie navigates new emotions and new allies, she must reassemble her scrambled crew and scrape what little they have left to fight one last time – and she will need to face the ghosts of her past to do it.

In Ceylan.

After the jaw-dropping ending of #1 bestselling A Tempest of Tea, Arthie and her crew still have plenty of hearts to break and crimson-red secrets to uncover. Hafsah Faizal crafts a deliciously twisty and seductive sequel that will leave readers breathless until the very last page.

Why I DNFed...

This was a very anticipated read for me and I am so bummed that it wasn't hitting right. I called it quits at about the 45% mark, so I gave it a fair shot. This is the final book in the Blood and Tea duology - I loved book one, the pacing, the adventure, the twists, and the characters really won my heart. This book just felt different. 

In this book, we have multiple POVs again - great, but I felt like the focus shifted to Flick and Jin. I really liked being in Arthie's head and following her but ok we have other characters to love. That said, my bigger issue was around the pacing. It just felt slow and staggered the whole way. It should have felt peppy and dire because they are still in the midst of a heist but this installment just didn't capture the same vibe as book 1. 

Putting this one down - might grab again, but wasn't as invested as I thought I should be to continue reading at this time. 

In the Did Not Finish … and unlikely to pick back up category...

I Killed the King by Rebecca Mix and Andrea Hannah

Publisher: Storytide
Publication Date:  September 16, 2025

  

Goodreads Synopsis:

One of Us Is Lying meets Knives Out—with beasts, murder, and magic—in this first book in a thrilling locked-room whodunnit YA fantasy duology by Andrea Hannah and New York Times bestseller Rebecca Mix.

After a decade of war, the kingdoms of Avendell and Istellia have finally agreed to peace. As nobles and magic wielders from both countries arrive at remote Castle Avendell for a historic all-night masquerade to celebrate, King Costis summons an unlikely group to his the crown prince, his Istellian bride-to-be, his personal guard, a wild beast teamer, and the palace’s questionable new healer. But before Costis can reveal why he has gathered them, the castle goes dark.

When the lights come back, the king is dead—murdered with the princess’s knife, in a weak spot only his guard knew of, and with venom from one of the beast tamer’s monsters lacing the blade.

With no clear killer—and everyone a suspect—they make a risky Tell no one until the treaty is signed. But when a winter storm seals everyone inside and someone aware of the king's untimely death begins to pick off guests one by one, the six suspects must work together to discover who killed the king . . . before one of them is next.

Why I DNFed...

I think If I was in a different mood and possibly less tired, I would have enjoyed this one. I DNFed at 36%. Really trying to give books a run for it..and because this synopsis sounded pretty epic and I was excited to read this one. 

My turnoff and inevitable 'put the book down' issue was a large cast of characters (I believe about 7 or so...). The movements through them was too quick for me to really be them, understand their angles, if they were the killer and why it mattered. 

It also had a lot of jumps to and from the past which made me confused about timeline as well. Between the volume of characters, quick transitions AND the time jumps within multiple characters it was just too much for my tired brain to handle. I think all of this might add to the mystery in the end... but I will never know.