[Inky] Hey Hey Hey! It’s Saturday! To be more specific, the SECOND Saturday. Meaning...It’s Nators Discuss time! We’re gonna kick it off with the Jessinator talking about sheep. A perfectly appropriate topic for a book blog, if I do say so myself.
On being the Black Sheep....
Have you been super hyped for a book that everyone loved, only to be disappointed?
[Jessi] For some reason when EVERYONE else loves something - I’m talking 4 and 5 star ratings almost everywhere and ALL my friends adore it - I end up being that one pessimist that doesn’t like it. Take *coughs* Sweet Evil, for instance. I know, I know. Please hold on your tomatoes for the moment. I hated it. In fact, hate isn’t even a strong enough word. Despised with the fire of a thousand suns.
Raaaawrrr. Nator twin on the loose!
Seriously! Every time I see another person give it a glowing rating, my soul dies a little more. Guys, this book has a 4.23 average Goodreads rating, with 4 and 5 star reviews almost across the board (and maybe a 3 star every here and there). And I just. plain. hated it. I’m not going into it any further, because this isn’t a discussion about how much Jessi hates Sweet Evil (and alright, I did kinda get off on a bit of a tangent there).
*ahem* Anywho. There have been plenty of others that received stunning ratings that I read and either a) felt totally meh or b) ended up giving a sarcastic rant review for it. To name a few:
- Die for Me by Amy Plum - My rating: 1 starfish | Avg. Goodreads rating: 4.05
- Tiger’s Curse by Colleen Houck - My rating: 2 starfish | Avg. Goodreads rating: 4.18
- Croak by Gina Damico - My rating: 2 starfish | Avg. Goodreads rating: 4.00
- Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter - My rating: 2.5 starfish | Avg. Goodreads rating: 4.17
- Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead - My rating: 2.5 starfish | Avg. Goodreads rating: 4.21
- Unearthly by Cynthia Hand - My rating: 3 starfish | Avg. Goodreads rating: 4.16
- Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake - My rating: 3 starfish | Avg. Goodreads rating: 4.01
- Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo - My rating: 3 starfish | Avg. Goodreads rating: 4.14
- Nightshade by Andrea Cremer - My rating: 3 starfish | Avg. Goodreads rating: 4.06
And there’s plenty more that are really popular in the blogosphere that I didn’t like or wasn’t impressed with. Any time I see that everyone loves a book, I’m skeptical.
BUT, just because you are often the black sheep doesn’t mean you are ALWAYS the black sheep. Take these for instance:
- Unbreakable by Elizabeth Norris - Avg. Goodreads rating: 4.32, you rated it 5 starfish!
- Unravel Me by Taherah Mafi - Avg. Goodreads rating: 4.32, you rated it 5 starfish!
- Scorpio Races by Maggie Stievfater - Avg. Goodreads rating: 4.08 stars, you rated it 4 starfish!
- Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - Avg. Goodreads rating: 4.30 stars, you rated it 5 starfish!
- The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa - Avg. Goodreads rating: 4.31 stars, you rated it 5 starfish!
- Days of Blood and Sarlight by Laini Taylor - Avg. Goodreads rating: 4.31, you rated it 5 starfish!
- Shades of Earth by Beth Revis - Avg Goodreads ratin: 4.24, you rated it 5 starfish!
- Spellbound by Rachel Hawkins - Avg. Goodreads rating: 4.10, you rated it 5 starfish!
True that! Sometimes the books are just THAT epic that even my black sheep nature can’t ignore the awesomeness! ;D
But - BUT - sometimes it pays to be the black sheep! There are indeed books I loved that don’t have very good ratings.
- Wildefire by Karsten Knight - My rating: 4.5 starfish | Avg. Goodreads rating: 3.76
- City of a Thousand Dolls by Miriam Forster - My rating: 5 starfish | Avg. Goodreads rating: 3.75
- Spoiled by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan - My rating: 4.5 starfish | Avg. Goodreads rating: 3.53
- Stung by Bethany Wiggins - My rating: 4.5 starfish | Avg. Goodreads rating: 3.78
- Glimmer by Phoebe Kitanidis - My rating: 4 starfish | Avg. Goodreads rating: 3.48
However it IS really frustrating when everyone is all ‘OH MY GOSH this book is so amazing!’ and I’m positive I’m going to love it...then I get it and I’m just disappointed. (Too much hype, perhaps?) Sigh.
I know what you mean! I’m like that sometimes. Not as much, er luckily?, but I have my share of book sadness. *headdesk*
- Taken by Erin Bowman - My rating: DNF | Avg. Goodreads rating: 3.84
- Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson - My rating: DNF | Avg. Goodreads rating: 3.91
- 17 & Gone by Nova Ren Suma - My rating: DNF | Avg. Goodreads rating: 3.82
- The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater - My rating: 1 star | Avg. Goodreads rating: 4.08
- Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins - My rating: 2 stars | Avg. Goodreads rating: 4.03
- Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver - My rating: DNF | Avg. Goodreads rating: 3.95
- Destined by Aprilynne Pike - My rating: DNF | Avg Goodreads rating: 4.21
- Unwind by Neal Shusterman - My rating: DNF | Avg. Goodreads rating: 4.23
- Haven by Kristi Cook - My rating: 2 stars | Avg. Goodreads rating: 3.81
- Passion by Lauren Kate - My rating: 2 stars | Avg. Goodreads rating: 3.88
- Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters by Meredith Zeitlin - My rating: DNF | Avg. Goodreads rating: 3.98
- The Sweetest Spell by Suzanne Selfors - My rating: 2 stars | Avg Goodreads Rating: 3.96
So how do we balance out being the black sheep vs the white sheep? Where do you find the gray sheep?
....ADMIT IT. THAT WAS DEEP.
But seriously! Do you come to terms with not following the crowd and liking the books that you are inclined to like? Do you hang with people that have similar odd tastes as you? Do you not care and just let yourself be awkwardly out of the loop?
Do any of you ever feel like you're the black sheep of the rating bunch? When it seems like everyone else loves (or hates!) a book, you fall into the exact opposite category? Feel free to join the discussion in the comments below!
Anything you'd like us to discuss? Submit a topic!
That, Ladies and gents, is our first
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