Ten Books I Struggled to Get Into But Ended Up Loving

Hello mortals. Another wonderful Tuesday begins (or ends depending on where in the world you are) and I am so excited for this weeks TTT topic because it’s something close to my heart.

I have a habit of recommending books like these which you have to work at to get to the good bits. It can be hard for the friends on whom I force these books to understand why on earth I’ve suggested them when at the start they seem boring! But, in my opinion, these books are definitely worth persevering through to get to the good bits.

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the beyond amazing The Broke and Bookish. If you don’t already you should head over there and check out the list of all the amazing book bloggers who take part, it’s a great way to find other bloggers who might read the same books as you!

Eragon

This is my number one culprit for slow starting. I adore these books but the amount of set up there is at the start of book #1 puts off a lot of people. Persevere. I know these books are ridiculously long but each one is better than the last.

Gilded Cage

This one, the slow start isn’t so much to do with length as it is to do with the sheer number of characters you have to get your head around. You’re sort of thrown in at the deep end with a lot of threads to the same story all in different places. It’s well worth the build up though, as is the sequel Tarnished City.

Lucky Ghost

Lucky Ghost is a super exciting and engaging story which has a fractionally slow start (or it did for me) because you have to get your head around a few technological and economical ideas to truly understand what is going on. By the end of the book those ideas are ingrained and it’s easy to understand but at the start it’s a little tricky.

And I Darken

This one’s a little weird because book #2 Now I Rise  was totally engaging from page one, I literally couldn’t put it down (and I had stuff I needed to do that day!). In this case, I think it’s symptomatic of the start of a series with a lot more scope that it takes a little longer to wrap your head around the setting, the characters and the relationships that later change and evolve.

Sabriel

I think this book, if you read it normally, is probably quite quick to get into. I struggled with this because I was listening to it as an audiobook. Don’t get me wrong it’s a great audiobook (who doesn’t love Tim Curry?) but something about the pacing of the first half just feels very slow when read aloud. I wanted to get to the action a lot faster than the narrator did!

Our Memory Like Dust

This is a science fiction, futuristic, fantasy mashup that will definitely appeal to older readers. It’s got action, romance, heart wrenching emotion and a powerful message about humanity. But, because it encompasses so much, it takes a while to wrap your head around what is going on and who the main characters are. Well worth the work though!

Naondel

This is a book that I like a lot more in hindsight than I did at the time. While it is in no way perfect (as I say in my review) it has some amazing moments. It is a long haul, however, which was why I was so surprised at how short the first book Maresi is in comparison. It’s got a great story threading through, if you’re willing to work through the beginning!

The House of Shattered Wings

Aliette De Bodard has a writing style that doesn’t appeal to everyone. Her stories certainly take a bit more time to work your way into than some others but they are so phenomenally unique and creative I believe they are well worth it. Who doesn’t want to explore post magic-war Paris?

Uprooted

Another one that has a bit of a marmite feel. I love to reread this book because I can skip to all my favourite moments and ignore the fluff but I remember it taking a while to get started the first time I read it. If you like unique magic systems, romance and sinister forests you’ll be willing to get through it!

Dreams and Shadows

Definitely a slow burn well worth the wait. Since you have to read through the aging of several characters it takes some time to get to the crux of the action. This book (and it’s sequel) is very weird but in a good way and if you have the time they are a great read.

So there you go, ten books which I think are worth the effort you have to put in to get to the story!

Don’t forget to link me to your TTT post in the comments below so I can check out what you’ve written!

J