Mini Reviews: Series I DNF'd

For this mini review I'm doing the two series this month I DNF'd. I wasn't sure if I should do a mini review or put it under DNF. So I decided a mini review because I will do a mini review of the first books in both series and then tell you why I DNF'd. 

Every month I pick a series or two to start and finish, or just finish. Both of the ones I was going to start and finish I DNF'd. Yay me.

Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter

 

She won't rest until she's sent every walking corpse back to its grave. Forever.

If anyone had told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that's all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone.
Her father was right. The monsters are real.
To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn't careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies.

What did I like the most: 

It's a very interesting and different take on zombies. They are like spirit zombies. So the fighters have to have their spirits leave their bodies in order to fight the zombies. It's interesting.

I also really loved her best friend Kat. She was the best character in the book by far. She was bubbly and funny and sweet, but had a kick ass no one left behind attitude.

What didn't I like: 

This makes it sound like it'll be an Alice in Wonderland retelling. It's not. It has nothing to do with Alice, except that the MC's name is Alice and there's a white rabbit cloud that appears sometimes. 

I was really disappointed in that fact, because I love Alice retellings.

Cole and Alice just get on my nerves. I'm so over the whole "he's an asshole until you get to know him and then he's really sweet but he's still dark and brooding" too much. Way too much.

And then Alice is just whiny and lost. The writer tries to make her all badass. She's not. 

Why won't I be finishing this series?

Basically what I said above. I started the second one. Got about 1/4 of the way through and just couldn't. Could not. First of all, this book is maybe a week or two or four at most past what happened in the first book. And Alice and Cole are acting like they are madly in love and like they're going to be together forever. 

I hate insta love. But even for insta love this is just bad. It's too much. And then all the sudden it's like "no I can't be with you." and what. Seriously. I can't. 

I have all four of these on audio. Maybe one day I'll try to finish it, just to see what I'm missing, but I feel like it's not much. 

My rating for the first book:

(More like 3.5)

Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender

 

Alexis thought she led a typically dysfunctional high school existence. Dysfunctional like her parents' marriage; her doll-crazy twelve-year-old sister, Kasey; and even her own anti-social, anti-cheerleader attitude. When a family fight results in some tearful sisterly bonding, Alexis realizes that her life is creeping from dysfunction into danger. Kasey is acting stranger than ever: her blue eyes go green sometimes; she uses old-fashioned language; and she even loses track of chunks of time, claiming to know nothing about her strange behavior. Their old house is changing, too. Doors open and close by themselves; water boils on the unlit stove; and an unplugged air conditioner turns the house cold enough to see their breath in.
Alexis wants to think that it's all in her head, but soon, what she liked to think of as silly parlor tricks are becoming life-threatening--to her, her family, and to her budding relationship with the class president. Alexis knows she's the only person who can stop Kasey -- but what if that green-eyed girl isn't even Kasey anymore?

What did I like the most: 

I actually loved the story for this one. I love ghost stories, and I love that this one doesn't have to do with demons. Sometimes ghosts and demons kind of cross. 

This one definitely gave me the heeby jeebies. It was scary and the MC's friends were really great. I wish it had more of Carter in it, and I'm sure if I finish the series I'll be able to read more about him.

The dolls are super creepy. I think that's what made the book so creepy. Because dolls. Dolls are bad Mkay?

What didn't I like: 

The MC tried WAY too hard to be all "I'm too good for these people, I'm going to hate cheerleading and be a badass" it was annoying. She was doing it to rebel, not because that's just who she was. 

She's the main reason that I rated this one just average because I couldn't stand here. 

That and this one was just a bit slow at times. I felt myself nodding off at parts instead of enthralled like I am with a lot of other horror/thriller/paranormal.

Why won't I be finishing this series?

They wrapped up the first book. I don't understand why this had to be a series. It should almost be a spin off or something instead, because I think this one would have been better as just a standalone. 

I don't want to start a new story, though it is about her friend and not her, so maybe it will be better, but I don't really plan to find out.

My rating for the first book: