the "didn't finish" book pile

I use the word book pile in the electronic sense; I rarely bring paper books into my home anywhere, whether bought or borrowed.

Love, Hate, and Other Filters by Samira Ahmed: apparently my tolerance for YA romances that don't include werewolves or robots with feelings is minimal. Didn't get very far before that second-hand embarrassment kicked in.

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer: personal tolerance for Beauty and the Beast retells also at a low level. The whole "kidnapping leads to romance" thing is not for me anymore. (I should have realized this when my knee-jerk reaction to reylo in Star Wars was, er, as strongly negative as it was. Ship it if y'all want, but it is NOT MY THING. *shudders*) Kemmerer's prose was strong; I might try something else by her someday.

Changeling (Sorcery and Society Book 1) by Molly Harper: I guess I have ~standards~ now for magical histories, and this didn't meet them. The world-build was both depressing and implausible and the prose didn't make up for either of those problems.

A Blade So Black (The Nightmare-Verse Book 1) by L.L. McKinney: just didn't click for me. I'll be watching McKinney's future books to see if something else catches my attention.