Not Into It

I've read the Fourth Wing series, and despite the fact that plenty of readers have criticized certain aspects of it, whether it's the writing style, the way the story is written, or the plot itself, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was able to picture the world, visualize the characters, and immerse myself in the story without much effort. So, naturally, after hearing all the rave reviews about A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR), I had to give it a try. I figured that if so many people loved it, there had to be something special about it that I was missing.

Well, I will be honest: I have been trying to finish this book for nearly two years. Two. Whole. Years.

At this point, I feel like finishing it has become a personal challenge rather than something I actually want to do.

One of the biggest differences I've noticed between ACOTAR and the Fourth Wing series is how difficult it is for me to visualize what's happening. With Fourth Wing, I could easily picture the settings, the characters, the action, and the overall atmosphere of the story. I felt like I was there, experiencing everything alongside the characters. With ACOTAR, however, I struggle to create that same mental picture. I read the words, but the world never quite comes alive in my head. I don't feel immersed in it, and I constantly have to push myself to keep reading.

And when I say I have to push myself, I mean I am genuinely counting down the pages and paragraphs.

I constantly check the percentage completed on my e-reader or look at how many pages are left before the chapter ends. When I finally reach the end of a chapter, my immediate reaction is, "Thank goodness that's done." Then I put the book away for a month, forget about it, and eventually convince myself to pick it up again, only to repeat the entire process.

Reading is supposed to be enjoyable, isn't it? At some point, I have to ask myself why I'm putting so much effort into finishing a book that feels like a chore.

I genuinely don't understand what ACOTAR fans see in this book, and I don't mean that in a way that suggests they're wrong for loving it. Clearly, the series has resonated with millions of readers, and there must be something about it that works exceptionally well for them. I just cannot seem to find that same appeal, no matter how hard I try.

And it's not as though I can't handle dry reading material. I went to university and completed an English degree and did nothing but read dry books. I have read my fair share of dense academic texts, complicated theories, and material that required me to reread paragraphs several times just to understand what the author was trying to say. I can get through books that aren't necessarily entertaining when there's a reason to keep going. But ACOTAR somehow manages to feel like an endless reading assignment without giving me the satisfaction of learning something, discovering something particularly interesting, or becoming invested enough in the story to care about what happens next. It just seems to last forever, and not in a good way.

There's something particularly frustrating about struggling to enjoy a book that so many other people adore. You start wondering whether you're missing something, whether you're reading it incorrectly, or whether you need to give it more time. Surely, at some point, something is supposed to click? Surely, I'm eventually supposed to understand why people are so obsessed with this series?

I've never been particularly interested in following a trend just because everyone else is doing it. I remember when Twilight was practically impossible to escape at school. Everyone was talking about it, and the hype was everywhere. I picked up the book, read the first sentence, and decided I wasn't going to continue. That was it. I wasn't interested, so I moved on with my life. I didn't feel the need to force myself to enjoy something just because everyone around me did.

Perhaps I should have applied that same logic to ACOTAR instead of spending nearly two years trying to convince myself to finish it.

To be clear, I don't necessarily think ACOTAR is badly written. I think that's what makes my frustration with it difficult to explain. It's not that the sentences are incomprehensible or that the story is impossible to follow. It's that the pacing feels painfully slow, and the writing style makes the experience feel even longer than it needs to be.

I keep waiting for the story to pick up, for something substantial to happen, for the plot to develop in a way that makes me want to keep turning the pages. Instead, I feel like I'm spending an awful lot of time inside Feyre's head, listening to her thoughts, reading about her feelings, and revisiting the same emotional roller-coaster over and over again.

I understand that she's the protagonist, and I understand that internal monologues are an important part of first-person storytelling. I want to know what she's thinking. I want to understand her motivations. I want to feel connected to her as a character. But there is a difference between developing a character's inner world and repeatedly explaining the same thoughts and emotions until they begin to feel redundant.

There have been so many moments when I've stopped and thought, "Wait, didn't I just read this?" I'll actually check the page to make sure I haven't accidentally reread a paragraph, only to realize that I'm reading a completely new passage that somehow feels almost identical to the one before it.

It's exhausting.

The internal monologues often feel repetitive, as though the narrative is circling around the same ideas instead of moving forward. I don't need every emotion unpacked in exhaustive detail, every interaction dissected from multiple angles, or every moment of attraction emphasized until there is absolutely no room left for interpretation. Sometimes, a scene can speak for itself. Sometimes, a character's actions and dialogue are enough. And sometimes, I just want the story to trust me to understand what's happening without explaining it to me three different ways.

I think my biggest issue with ACOTAR is that it overexplains everything while somehow leaving me feeling as though something is missing.

I know this is romantasy. I'm not expecting a literary masterpiece or a meticulously constructed epic fantasy with hundreds of pages dedicated to political systems, magical theory, and historical context. I'm perfectly happy to read a story that prioritizes romance, and I don't need every book to be intellectually challenging to enjoy it. But I do want a world that feels sufficiently developed, characters whose motivations make sense, and a plot that gives me something to invest in beyond the central romance.

With ACOTAR, I keep feeling as though the world could be so much more than what I'm being given. There are faerie courts, magical creatures, dangerous politics, ancient histories, and all these possibilities for a rich, immersive fantasy setting. Yet I often feel as though I'm only getting glimpses of that potential while the narrative returns to Feyre's personal experiences and emotional reflections.

I want to understand the world I'm reading about. I want to feel its history, its culture, its dangers, and its complexities. I want the setting to feel like a living, breathing place that exists beyond the protagonist and her romantic interests. Instead, I sometimes feel as though the worldbuilding is taking a back seat to the immediate emotional and romantic developments, leaving me with the sense that something fundamental is missing.

And then there's the Beauty and the Beast aspect of the story.

I understand that ACOTAR draws inspiration from fairy tales, and I'm not suggesting that a familiar premise automatically makes a story unoriginal. Fairy tales have been retold countless times, and a familiar foundation can lead to something genuinely creative. However, as I'm reading, I can't shake the feeling that I'm experiencing a familiar story with a faerie aesthetic layered over it. I'm waiting for the narrative to distinguish itself more clearly, to surprise me, or to take the premise somewhere that feels fresh and compelling to me.

Perhaps it does eventually, but the problem is that I am struggling to care enough to get there.

My expectations were probably too high, especially after years of hearing people rave about this series across the internet. I went into it expecting something addictive, immersive, and relatively easy to get swept up in. I expected to understand the hype, even if it wasn't necessarily going to become my favorite book. Instead, I've found myself fighting through the pages, wondering when the story is going to grab me in the way everyone promised it would.

And I think the writing style is ultimately what irks me the most.

Everything feels overexplained. The descriptions drag on, the internal monologues repeat thoughts I've already understood, and emotional moments are stretched out until they lose their impact. Instead of drawing me into the story, the writing makes me painfully aware that I'm reading a book.

I want to immerse myself in a story, visualize what's happening, and feel compelled to keep turning the pages, not constantly check how much I have left and feel relieved when a chapter finally ends.

That's what Fourth Wing managed to do for me, regardless of its own flaws. I was willing to overlook the criticisms because the story kept me engaged. I wanted to know what happened next. I could visualize the world, connect with the characters, and become emotionally invested in the events unfolding around them. The writing didn't constantly pull me out of the experience.

With ACOTAR, I feel as though I'm constantly being reminded that I'm reading a book.

And perhaps that's the real difference. A book doesn't have to be perfect to be enjoyable, and it doesn't have to be universally praised to be worthwhile. Sometimes, an imperfect story can still captivate you because it gets something right for you personally. Other times, a wildly popular book can leave you completely cold, even when you can recognize why other people might love it.

I'm not saying ACOTAR is objectively bad, and I'm certainly not saying that people who love it have poor taste. I can acknowledge that it has an enormous following, that its romance appeals to many readers, and that its characters and world have inspired people to become deeply invested in the series.

Maybe I wanted more plot progression, more immersive worldbuilding, more subtlety in the prose, or simply a writing style that didn't make every page feel like such an undertaking. Maybe my expectations were shaped too heavily by the hype. Or maybe the book just isn't compatible with the way I enjoy reading.

Whatever the reason, I don't think I should have to spend another two years trying to prove to myself that I can finish it.

At the end of the day, I want to enjoy the books I read. I don't want to turn reading into an endurance test just because everyone else seems to love a particular series.

And if I have to keep reminding myself to just get through one more chapter, perhaps that's all the answer I need.

Maybe ACOTAR simply isn't my cup of tea. And that's okay.