DNF Diaries: Howling Dark

Welcome to a new series that I hope I don’t have many entries in. I want to talk about the books that I dnf, and I couldn’t find a good place to do that, so enter DNF Diaries. I’m a huge believer in dnfing a book that’s not working for you. There are too many good books to read something you’re not enjoying. And I also believe it’s valid to share why you dnf a book. It might help others in deciding if it’s right for them or not. But again, reading is subjective so take everything with a grain of salt.

The first entry in my DNF diary is Howling Dark. Honestly, I’m shocked that we’re having this conversation because I adored Empire of Silence and even suggested that it might be a new favorite series. Unfortunately, I’ve been reading this book for well over a month and I just can’t focus on it. I don’t want to read it and I’m just not enjoying it. So, let’s discuss why.

My Thoughts on Howling Dark

I started Howling Dark almost immediately after Empire of Silence, so I expected a smooth continuation and that’s not what I got. Howling Dark jumps several years ahead with very little warning. There was a whole new cast of characters and setting that are not introduced well at all. I honestly thought I had skipped a book in the series. I was confused from the beginning, and that made for an unpleasant reading experience.

My next issue is the sheer amount of traveling. Sometimes I enjoy that if it has a purpose but, in this book, it just felt like I was waiting for something to happen and nothing ever did. I made it close to 250 pages in, and they had just made it to their first destination. And once he made it to his destination, he played chess in a waiting room for quite some time. I don’t mind slow burn, but I draw the line at waiting rooms. I have a lot of doctor’s appointments, and I don’t want to sit in a waiting room reading about someone else sitting in a waiting room.

And lastly, I just really didn’t like Hadrian in this book. This isn’t a series where you’re supposed to like the main character. I mean he confesses to committing genocide, but the character has to be interesting at least. And in Empire of Silence, he was. But in this book, he is a flat, one-dimensional character that still manages to have a self-righteous ego. I think the author set him up as a way to counteract him and make a point but that kept pulling me away from the story. I don’t mind if an author has an agenda or opinion that they want to share. That’s the point of writing. But it needs to be done in a way that is flows with the story instead of taking away from it. I don’t want to see the man behind the curtain. I just want to read a good book.

Will I Try It Again?

This might be one that I try again later, but I don’t know if my opinions will change even if the action finally picks up. Sometimes a book is just not for right now and sometimes a book is not at all. But time will tell.

So, that wraps up my first entry in the DNF Diaries. It’s so frustrating when you want to love a book and it just doesn’t work out.