Young Adult Book Reading Challenges discussion
Member's Chat
>
Worst YA books
Bess,An amazing zombie book:
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War. Not sure if it's a YA book. It's kind of like a Studs Terkel book about a complete worlwide war against zombies.
I guess I'm just not a critical person or something, cause the only book I can thing of that I strong disliked was Lord of the Flies.. That creeped me out. A lot. haha. Whyyy would they put that in a 4th grade classroom??
Julia wrote: "Bess,An amazing zombie book:
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War. Not sure if it's a YA book. It's kind of like a Studs Terkel book about a complete worlwide war agains..."
Thanks Julia, I'll add it to my growing list of books I still need to read!
Well you still did better that I did - I couldn't even think of what her name was, since I had been calling her 'irritating' in my head the whole time I was reading the book. I even found the love story annoying, I couldn't care less who loved the irritating main character because I found her completely unendearing. Such a pity because the idea behind the story (the sisterhood, the tenets they lived by etc) all seemed exciting and fascinating but as I started to read my interest died faster than the characters did and sadly as it turns out, the blurb was the best part of the story. All promise no delivery.
Amanda asked:Lord of the Flies.. That creeped me out. A lot. haha. Whyyy would they put that in a 4th grade classroom??
Because somebody messed up. It's a high school book. A HS kid forgot he/ she had a book and sent it in with his/ her little brother/ sister. A parent found it cleaning up after her/ his kid went off to college. Returned it with the neighbor fourth grader, it never made it to HS classroom.
I know hate is a strong word, but I hate Twilight.
How could I forget Prophecy of the sisters - a period YA peice which is so badly written I kept snorting over the stilted phrasing and the clunky dialogue. I love period peices both film and literary offerings and I was gobsmacked by how awful this book was in relation to the setting. If you are going to choose a particular time frame, do your research, work on the dialogue and find out what the speech patterns are actually like instead of just making it up "silly dear". If only it were just the awful period writing but it was a list of don'ts including poor character development and the story line was a complete mess - it set up this huge premise (a legacy of twin sisters destined to either be the passage for evil or to be the guardian of life) that just went nowhere, and along with it my interest in finding out whether the author intended on turning this into a series. If that were true, it really would be a series of unfortunate events - just not the one that was actually successful.
I think that surviving the applewhtites was not so good.the plot was all over the place and it really had no direction
Excellent read. Don't think it was intended as YA, but perfectly appropriate.Jillian wrote: "Julia wrote: "Bess,
An amazing zombie book:
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War. Not sure if it's a YA book. It's kind of like a Studs Terkel book about a complete worlw..."
The worst I've read was the Twilight series. It was so horrible my eyeballs imploded. I can't believe that people actually like or WANT to read that garbage. I'm sad to say that movies are much much worse.
Off the top of my head, the worst YA books I can think of are...-Gone *I liked the first two books of this series, but this book had no plot, whatsoever.
-Evermore Series *Although I keep reading the series, the books are boring love stories, with the same thing happening over and over again.
-Burned *The ending was absolutely horrible.
-Also, I had another one in my head. Forgot, though.
:)
I just finished Fallen, and I've got to agree with everyone who put it on this list. I haven't been this annoyed by a book since Breaking Dawn.And my issue with Forest of Hands and Teeth is that it has too much internal dialogue. First person, present tense, and we have to hear every one of Mary's thoughts. It made for a slow book. But it was still creepy.
I didn't like:A Wrinkle in Time - never finished
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - never finished
I Captured the Castle - finished, unfortunately
To Kill a Mockingbird - finished, unfortunately
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - never finished
Dead Until Dark - never finished
Brookie wrote: "Off the top of my head, the worst YA books I can think of are...-Gone *I liked the first two books of this series, but this book had no plot, whatsoever.
-[book:Evermore|3975774..."
Brookie, totally agree with you about "Gone" - an awful ending to the otherwise good trilogy.
Catamorandi wrote: "I didn't like:A Wrinkle in Time - never finished
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - never finished
I Captured the Castle - finished, unfortunately
To Kill a Mockingbird - finished, unfortuna..."
Wow.
I have to agree. Wow. Especially To Kill A Mockingbird. Really? Classic, nowhere near appropriate on the worst YA book list. Why didn't you like it? Not liking subject matter or thinking it was difficult to read are different from worst.
Annalisa wrote: "I have to agree. Wow. Especially To Kill A Mockingbird. Really? Classic, nowhere near appropriate on the worst YA book list. Why didn't you like it? Not liking subject matter or thinking it was difficult to read are different from worst..."Exactly. I did not like A Wrinkle in Time, but I wouldn't put it on the list of worst books because I know it is a well-written novel and I didn't like the subject.
But- Harry Potter?!?!?! And the other classics.
Wow.
lol I'm a bit curious as to what that person does like. I think all of those books are wonderful and well-written with good substance.
I thought To Kill a Mockingbird was dull, boring, and flat.
I just finished the sequel to The Forest of Hands and Teeth, The Dead-Tossed Waves. I agree that Mary was not the most likeable character in the first book, but I think that Gabry, in book two was a bit better. Still the "who do I love?" scenario, though. I liked the books regardless, because the zombie thing is so unique.
AngelaSunshine wrote: "I just finished the sequel to The Forest of Hands and Teeth, The Dead-Tossed Waves. I agree that Mary was not the most likeable character in the first book, but I thin..."Ahh! I am 5 pages away from finishing The Dead-Tossed Waves. I agree, there are flaws in this series but overall I'm willing to overlook them for the thrill of reading about these zombies. I can picture them as though it was a horror movie :) And ditto to the "who do I love" stuff, although it's a bit more tolerable here. Now back to finishing!
Catamorandi wrote: "I thought To Kill a Mockingbird was dull, boring, and flat."That statement is so insane I have to wonder whether you're just putting it out there to generate discussion. To Kill a Mockingbird is one of my all time favourite books, if you were completely serious then all I have to say is 'each to their crazy own'
Amy wrote: "AngelaSunshine wrote: "I just finished the sequel to The Forest of Hands and Teeth, The Dead-Tossed Waves. I agree that Mary was not the most likeable character in the..."Whew! I thought I might've been the only one who liked them! :-)
Catamorandi wrote: "I thought To Kill a Mockingbird was dull, boring, and flat."I admit, the beginning wasn't as exciting as the following part. I LOVE Atticus. I love how he defended Tom Robinson, even though all odds were against him. That book was amazing! How did you not like it? Did you read the whole thing? When did you read it?
I read the whole book about five months ago. The one thing I did like about is was the fact that Harper Lee was willing to stick her neck out on a topic that was totally taboo at the time she wrote it. That is more about her than the book, though.
I thought the story and the characters were rather flat.
This is why I hate this thread. If someone names a book as "worst YA book", a person who loves it feels like they have to defend their preferences.
Its all everyones own thoughts and feelings about a book. If you dont like it and someone else does oh well. If they want to state why or why not thats their choice. Im just saying :)
ok well I'm just gonna go for it because i think its interesting to hear what people don't like,even if its a book I like, everyone is entitled to their own opinions :)- House of the Night books. The idea of the main plot was definitely interesting but the authors writing was overly vulgar and just plain bad.
- evermore series. the first book was ok but all the other ones seemed meaningless. once again the writing was bad and Ever was a horrible protagonist.
those are the main ones but gossip girl, vampire kisses, and vampire diaries. I wouldn't mind getting my money back for all these books.
Belicia wrote: "ok well I'm just gonna go for it because i think its interesting to hear what people don't like,even if its a book I like, everyone is entitled to their own opinions :)- House of the Night books. ..."
I agree with you everyone is intitled to their own opinions . I do want to read evermore though.. but Evernight was horrible didnt finish it.
Off the top of my head...I thoroughly despise:-House of Night. No explanation needed.
-The Immortals. Seriously, though. It's Twilight + House of Night + trashy author.
-The Vampire Diaries. And I haven't even read them/watched the show. Twilight, ripped off.
-Betwixt by Tara Bray Smith. It seemed like it just had no plot, but it was character-driven either. It was just, 'Oh, I have an idea for a book but wait! What happens? I know there are changelings, but what else? I'll write it anyway."
I'm extremely bitter.
Liam wrote: "Off the top of my head...I thoroughly despise:-House of Night. No explanation needed.
-The Immortals. Seriously, though. It's Twilight + House of Night + trashy author.
-The Vampire Diaries. An..."
The Vampire Diaries are really good. U say u havent read them? or did i understand u wrong? also the books are being reprinted and relaunched they are over 10 years old. They just updated some of the info a tad bit put out new covers and what not.
Chakara wrote: "Liam wrote: "Off the top of my head...I thoroughly despise:-House of Night. No explanation needed.
-The Immortals. Seriously, though. It's Twilight + House of Night + trashy author.
-The ..."
Sorry, I meant I haven't read any reviews, just that people say they're not very good. I myself have yet to read them, but they're on my TBR pile.
Liam wrote: "Off the top of my head...I thoroughly despise:-House of Night. No explanation needed.
-The Immortals. Seriously, though. It's Twilight + House of Night + trashy author.
-The Vampire Diaries. An..."
While I didn't like Vampire Diaries, I resent when people call it a Twilight rip-off, because LJ Smith wrote the books decades before Meyer wrote Twilight. If anything, Twilight is VD rip-off.
And another thing, how can you possibly call VD not very good if you have never even read the books. Seems unreasonable.
Okay here's my list of books I thoroughly despised. 
Evermore by Alyson Noel. Was this book cheesy or what? This was a total twil-read-alike.
Hush, Hushby Becca Fitzpatrick. Carried a strong resemblance to twilight as well, with moronic characters, and an unlikable love interest.
Fallenby Lauren Kate. Piece of garbage with a gorgeous cover.
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. Sam was a middle age woman in disguise.[image error] Beautiful Creaturesby Kami Garcia. Only got 1/4 into it, but I was feeling green and had a terrible urge to rip it in half.
Need by Carrie Jones. My fingers itched to throw this one in the trash.. Has an unhealthy helping of cheese.Look how pretty those covers are. Just look. And they all suck. *sighs* Done ranting.
Kristen,"Shiver," "Evermore," "Hush, Hush," and "Beautiful Creatures" are all on my poo list:o)
Tatiana wrote: "Liam wrote: "Off the top of my head...I thoroughly despise:-House of Night. No explanation needed.
-The Immortals. Seriously, though. It's Twilight + House of Night + trashy author.
-The Vampir..."
They don't seem very promising, but I didn't know they were that old! Thanks for the info, when I read them I'll have renewed intrigue.
ITA with House of Night, Evermore, Beautiful Creatures. So much hype for nothing.
Pens wrote: "ITA with House of Night, Evermore, Beautiful Creatures. So much hype for nothing."I actually kind of like Beautiful Creatures. I dunno why I even but HON and The Immortals. They suck, but I buy them. Something is wrong with this picture.
Kristen wrote: "Okay here's my list of books I thoroughly despised. Evermore by Alyson Noel. Was this book cheesy or what? This was a total twil-read-alike.[bookcov..."
HAHAHAH I agree with everything you have there except for HUSH HUSH but ok- to each his own. Or her. But for SHIVER I agree 100%, no way in hell can Sam be a real male. And I'd like to add Ethan from BEAUTIFUL CREATURES to that category. "Middle age woman in disguise" for reals.
Amy wrote: "Kristen wrote: "Okay here's my list of books I thoroughly despised. Evermore by Alyson Noel. Was this book cheesy or what? This was a total twil-read-a..."Sam should've been more like James from Ballad also by here; he was snarky and, you know, NOT A WOMAN.
To all my fellow Evermore/House of Night/Twilight haters out there- Publisher's Weekly just released a list of the best-selling books of 2009. And guess what...Twilight, Evermore, and House of Night took some of the highest spots on the list with MILLIONS sold... This makes me extremely sad. Why are people buying these ...slipshod books when they could be buying more worthwhile stuff? =( Here's the link:
http://www.publishersweekly.com/artic...
Amy wrote: "To all my fellow Evermore/House of Night/Twilight haters out there- Publisher's Weekly just released a list of the best-selling books of 2009. And guess what...Twilight, Evermore, and House of Nigh..."
I guess some of just like slipshod books.
I guess some of just like slipshod books.
Why is it that Tenner books seem never to end up on this list?
Amy wrote: "To all my fellow Evermore/House of Night/Twilight haters out there- Publisher's Weekly just released a list of the best-selling books of 2009. And guess what...Twilight, Evermore, and House of Nigh..."I appreciate a well-written book as much as the next person, but I do feel like there is a place for "slipshod" books. They are mindless and sometimes that is what I crave. I have friends that have told me the same thing, sometimes that craving is quenched by a romance novel, a light chick lit book or in this case a YA vampire love story.
My mom used to crack me up with her love of romance novels (the trashier the better), but now that I am a parent I see why she liked them. They may not be the best written things, but they are a form of entertainment and offer a break from reality.
Maybe that is why these books sell. I have to admit I read the whole Twilight Series and got taken away with them (I have not ventured to read the other 2 series mentioned). Are they well-written? No, I have read many books that have literary value, but they did offer an escape that I needed at the time. I looked at it as a guilty pleasure (similar to my love of the show "Greek" and my past love "The O.C."
Liam wrote: "Pens wrote: "ITA with House of Night, Evermore, Beautiful Creatures. So much hype for nothing."I actually kind of like Beautiful Creatures. I dunno why I even but HON and The Immortals. They suck..."
Haha, well I bought the New Moon DVD yesterday, so I can hardly judge ;)
I read five of the six books on Kristen's list message #174. Of the five, I hated four of them. I'm afraid part of the reason I hated them is that I read them in too close proximity to each other. I tend to enjoy my cheese more if I'm varying it with wine, crackers, nice breads...Maybe the reason I liked Shiver because I am a middle age woman! ;-) Actually, I liked his father figure, that he had one, unlike his girlfriend and unlike a lot of the characters in these books.
Some years ago I read A Separate Peace and hated it. Mind you, I had just broken my arm, had very little as far as painkillers, there was a blizzard, my cat was missing and I was moving. It wasn't a good week and perhaps I took it out on the book.
Like Catamorandi I also didn't care for To Kill a Mockingbird, but I wouldn't call it worst, just not my thing. Loved Atticus and his children, Tom Robinson and the trial, but was annoyed by the long chapters about the neighbor lady kicking laudanum before she died and the nosy neighbor lady. I prefer to teach racism through the eyes of the characters being discriminated against. Like Kindred by Octavia Butler.
Young Adult Book Reading Challenges
Books mentioned in this topic
Incarceron (other topics)Sapphique (other topics)
Reached (other topics)
Matched (other topics)
Crossed (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Emma Bull (other topics)Terri Windling (other topics)
Charles de Lint (other topics)
Beth Fantaskey (other topics)
Twilight-- after the first one.
Hush Hush
Beautiful Creatures
Fallen
Need
The Forest of Hands and Teeth (or whatever.)"
Ahh completely missed The Forest of Hands and Teeth in my list too, thanks Julia. I thought the premise was interesting but it was actually the characters I didn't like, it's difficult to read this fairly bleak premise when you couldn't care less for the central self serving character, by the end of it I thought 'who cares if she gets eaten by zombies?' - if you don't know what the book is about that sentiment was probably a big give away - suffice it to say the reference to a forest of hands and teeth is not so much metaphorical as it is literal in this case. Not a big fan of that one either!