Feature Friday: What Hyped Up Book Wasn't Worth All the Talk?

Follow Friday is a meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.

This week's question is...

Q: What hyped up book do you think was not worth all the talk?

 

A: Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

This book was so disappointing! From all of the raving reviews I was expecting so much more but instead I got a book full of shallow characters, teen drama, and an overdone 'badass' heroine.


For a better explanation of why I didn't like this book, here is my review from Goodreads:

I was extremely disappointed with this book. I had really high hopes that it would be amazing and I would love it based on its popularity and the high ratings, but after finishing I don't understand why it's so popular.

The concept about the different types of vampires and their guardians was interesting, and that's what led me to pick up this book. 

But the plot was focused more on high school drama than vampire action. Maybe if I were still in high school I would have enjoyed this book, but I'm not and I didn't like all of the drama, cliques, popularity crap, drinking, partying, swearing, shallow relationships, and sex. 

This is why I usually stay away from YA books that take place in a school setting. The plot was just weak and focused way too much on all of this instead of the interesting vampire concept that drew me in in the first place.

Next, the characters were just shallow and I didn't really feel connected to any of them. And Rose. Oh. My. Gosh. I couldn't stand her! It's extremely rare for me to hate a main character but I just couldn't like her. 

The author was trying to make her look tough and 'badass' but to me she just came across as an immature, shallow, jerk. She had a bad temper, was arrogant, slutty, was constantly wanting to beat someone up, and was just not a nice person. 

Oh, but she was so cool and badass because she swore and drank and beat people up and had a reputation as a slut *sarcasm*.

Here are a couple examples of why I couldn't stand her:

#1 Her friend, Mason, who she figures out has a crush on her, steps in to stand up for her from a couple of guys who are calling her dirty names and grabbing her ass. She can't retaliate cause she'll get kicked out of school. 

Mason steps in, punches one of the jerks in the face. Does she thank him? No. She complains about how she doesn't need him stepping in and saving her. Then she uses him by flirting with him knowing that he likes her but she doesn't feel the same, just so she can get him to deliver a message to another character which she could have delivered herself. 

Seriously??? Who treats their friends like that?? Especially after they just stood up for you!

Example #2 This line right here "He was boring, yes but safe. Just like Natalie. How come all the harmless people were so lame?" 

No one is cool enough for Rose Hathaway *eye roll*. She complains about how boring Natalie is and just picks her apart for no reason. At one point Rose describes Natalie's yellow dress as "clashing" with her black hair and how it didn't look good on her. What the heck?? Since when do black and yellow clash? Black is a neutral color, it doesn't clash with anything. And girls with dark hair look great in yellow dresses! 

It just bothered me how she treated everyone (even Mason who was supposed to be one of her friends) like crap, except for Lissa, and Dimitri, who she had a crush on.

I could go on about more reasons why I didn't like this character, but I'm just going to stop here. I'm not going to be reading any more of the Vampire Academy books, and I wouldn't recommend them. Maybe high schoolers will enjoy the drama and angst of Vampire Academy, but if you're in college like me then maybe not so much.


What was your hyped up book that didn't meet your expectations?