Uprooted

We all know you can't 100% depend on ratings and reviews, but if you need absolute proof, there's Uprooted.

It all starts off ok, and was more or less enjoyable until somewhere around the middle. Yes, the protagonist is the speshulest twee girl you can imagine (grind teeth and carry on), and the “Dragon” is an ass with few redeeming qualities (sigh), and the whole men's magic / women's magic thing is pretty damned heavy handed, but all around readable. Until the middle.

Suddenly everyone's a threat. Characters pop into the story, only to be randomly killed pages later, and I'm guessing I'm meant to care. And now they've moved there! And now they're somewhere else! And that happens! And Ms. Speshul is the bestest with magic ever! It doesn't make any sense, but she is, um, because! And the bad is soooooo bad! And, um where are they and what's going on? Oh look, sex! And boom, thousands die! Except for Ms. Speshul and her Dragon because... actually, y'know, I stopped caring chapters ago.

The worst thing about this thoroughly underwhelming book? My inability to DNF, and irrational hope that it would somehow be worth finishing. Trust me, it wasn't.