Mabuhay, friends!
When I started out as a book blogger, I was easily swayed by the hype and would often pick up books because of that. Obviously, that just made things overwhelming because many of the books weren’t what I found interesting. I thought that since everyone enjoyed, surely I would too! Instead, reading became a chore. Since then I’ve become a more picky with the books I choose to read. I can say my recent book ban has even helped with this!
So for today’s Top Five Tuesday post we’ll be talking about the hyped books that I’m not interested in.
To check out the July to September topics post, please click here. Top Five Tuesday was created by Shanah at Bionic Book Worm, and is now being hosted by Meeghan at Meeghan Reads.

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.
Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.
To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.
As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.
I would be tempted to pick this up for what I assume will be enemies to lovers but I just don’t think books featuring the fae and the fae court are for me.
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

As President Claremont kicks off her reelection bid, Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret relationship with Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations. What is worth the sacrifice? How do you do all the good you can do? And, most importantly, how will history remember you?
With this, the reason is straightforward. Contemporary political romance is not a genre I’m particularly fond of.
🌸 Related Post: RECENT RELEASES TO ADD TO YOUR PRIDE MONTH READING LIST
Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare

But Cordelia’s new life is blown apart when a shocking series of demon attacks devastate London. These monsters are nothing like those Shadowhunters have fought before—these demons walk in daylight, strike down the unwary with incurable poison, and seem impossible to kill. London is immediately quarantined. Trapped in the city, Cordelia and her friends discover that their own connection to a dark legacy has gifted them with incredible powers—and forced a brutal choice that will reveal the true cruel price of being a hero.
Despite Cassandra Clare’s popularity, I have not read the Shadowhunter Chronicles. It’s a huge series spanning centuries of stories and I don’t think I have the time or attention to commit to it. In addition to that, I had read excerpts of an incest relationship, which turned out to be not, but still, that just puts me off.
The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

Mariana Andros is a brilliant but troubled group therapist who becomes fixated on The Maidens when one member, a friend of Mariana’s niece Zoe, is found murdered in Cambridge.
Mariana, who was once herself a student at the university, quickly suspects that behind the idyllic beauty of the spires and turrets, and beneath the ancient traditions, lies something sinister. And she becomes convinced that, despite his alibi, Edward Fosca is guilty of the murder. But why would the professor target one of his students? And why does he keep returning to the rites of Persephone, the maiden, and her journey to the underworld?
When another body is found, Mariana’s obsession with proving Fosca’s guilt spirals out of control, threatening to destroy her credibility as well as her closest relationships. But Mariana is determined to stop this killer, even if it costs her everything—including her own life.
While I do love reading dark academia, I am quite pick of the ones I pick up. For one, I am not as drawn to white-centric dark academia. So, I’m extra picky with those. Although I’ve heard positive things about the author, I haven’t picked up any of their books yet. I have a copy of The Silent Patient which I intend to read first, get acquainted with the author’s style and then decide on this one.
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Malibu: August, 1983. It’s the day of Nina Riva’s annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together, the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over—especially as the offspring of the legendary singer, Mick Riva.
The only person not looking forward to the party of the year is Nina herself, who never wanted to be the center of attention, and who has also just been very publicly abandoned by her pro tennis player husband. Oh, and maybe Hud—because it is long past time to confess something to the brother from whom he’s been inseparable since birth.
Jay, on the other hand, is counting the minutes until nightfall, when the girl he can’t stop thinking about promised she’ll be there.
And Kit has a couple secrets of her own—including a guest she invited without consulting anyone.
By midnight the party will be completely out of control. By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames. But before that first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets that shaped this family’s generations will all come bubbling to the surface.
Look, I really want to read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo after hearing about its bisexual main character and the interesting premise. Malibu Rising doesn’t catch my attention the same way. Family is another theme I’m quite picky about and the blurb doesn’t offer much to entice me.
🌸 Related review: THE IMMORTALISTS BY CHLOE BENJAMIN

🌸 Do you get swayed by the hype? Have you read any books from this list?
🌸 Which hyped book are you not interested in reading?
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Great post! You have really good reasons for not being interested in all of these! I must admit that I absolutely loved The Folk of the Air series but if you are not a fan of fae stories generally then I don’t think you would like it. The Maidens was very good although I have heard that The Silent Patient is far better. I understand that the Shadowhunter world is a huge one and it is a big undertaking to commit to reading them all. I still have The Dark Artifices and the new Last Hours series to read and haven’t bothered yet because it was so long ago that I read the other books that I want to read them again before starting the newer ones. I will do it one day, it is just such a big commitment!
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You’re making the right choice skipping The Maidens. It was no good, in my opinion!
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I’m not interested in reading Game of Thrones.
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Neither am I! I knew from the onset that just wasn’t going to be my cuppa! Sometimes its easier to see which stories which are madly sought after aren’t my kind of story and other times, the premise hooks me as a reader but then, something happens between the expectations of the story itself and the actual reading of it or a review a fellow book blogger shares which opens my eyes to the fact not all the stories I initially believe are a good fit will be — I was only saddened to hear though for those who did love GoT that the series didn’t give them the ending they deserved anymore than “Castle” gave us that horrid ending as well. I hope the ‘redux’ series finale for GoT goes through – heard it somewhere online, as “Castle” never retracked their ending or re-made it for those of us we loved the series.
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I stopped following what readers has to say about it after some time so I didn’t know that end of not satisfactory. When I started reading in 2015 I checked out first few pages of the book and I didn’t like the idea if incest at that time. I might have different view of that but that series is intimidating. And there are other books that I strongly want to read that GoT.
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The only one I’ve read is The Cruel Prince, and I was on the fence because I didn’t like the only other Holly Black book I’ve read, and I’m not into Fae books either, but I surprised myself by actually enjoying it. 😀
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Hallo, Hallo Cam,
I follow your lovely blog but my visits haven’t been too frequent since I went back to work in February as it was a long adjustment period for me – wherein my own blog has suffered a bit in frequency of posting and with the wrath of Summer’s fierce storms, my posts this Summer have dwindled down a bit too. However, this topic perked my interest and I admit, I’m not wooed by hype but sometimes over the years, I’ve come to think I’d like a particular novel/author based on what I’ve heard through the grapevine of the book blogosphere only to years lateron find out suddenly that there was a definite reason why I was NOT meant to read those books/authors!
So much so, I bet I could write-up a post to respond to this — perhaps I shall?
We agree on the Red, White & Royal Blue but for different reasons – I was most shocked to learn how much vulgarity was inclusive of the story and not for any bearing of reason other than shock value based on fellow book bloggers were saying about it. From their impressions, I gathered it wasn’t my cuppa without even picking it up. This happened with two other rather popular authors of whom whose stories I thought would be good fits for me as a reader and sadly turnt out to be the opposite. *le sigh*
Its not the hype that grabs me its the premise of a story and the promise of the characters’ journey. Its the same with cover art – it might be wickedly brill but if the story doesn’t hold salt against the synopsis, the art on the cover is merely ‘art’. The story, the words, the texture of narrative and the setting all combine with the author’s vision of the story and how it is presented. If it doesn’t float my boat for whichever reason I simply stop reading it and avoid those kinds of stories/authors in future. My top bookish turn-offs are explicit content – from language to violence to sexual sequences which are borderline Erotica. I don’t mind Romance – I love romance stories but I don’t need the heat factor to shift into that other area either.
I can’t remember if I saw this meme before or not, so thank you if it is my first time in finding it!!
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Interesting thought process!! I quite like The Cruel Prince, but I know it’s not for everyone!! Great list, Cam 💕
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I’m not particularly interested in Holly Black’s books or Cassandra Clare’s. But the good news is that there are plenty of other books for me to pick up! I don’t feel bad if I don’t want to read a book, even if it is hyped.
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Okay story time! So, I too am uninterested in all of these! (Well- I am a *little* interested in Malibu Rising, but I think that is just cause I like the cover.) Anyway, I read The Cruel Prince even though I did not think it would be my cup of tea. Because of the hype. And guess what? It was decidedly NOT my cup of tea and I should have listened to my instincts! Good for you for listening to yours!
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