ZeZee’s Disappointing Reads of 2022

In case you were wondering, the answer is yes, I’m making a list for everything, lol. J/k. But since my favorite and most memorable reads are out the way, it makes sense to share what disappointed me too.

I always feel like I have to include a disclaimer of some sort when posting lists like this about books I gave a low rating or that disappointed me since doing so is such a contentious issue these days. But as a reader, lists like this are helpful to me too, and I sometimes get recommendations from them as well. Plus I’m here to share my love of books and reading, which includes talking about what didn’t work.

I only have a few here because a) I didn’t read many books in 2022, and b) I enjoyed most of what I read.

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Wytches, Vol. 0: Bad Egg Halloween Special by Scott Snyder, illus. by Jock ★★☆☆☆

This prequel to the Wytches horror comic book is probably the most disappointing thing I read in 2022. I enjoyed Wytches, which is about a girl seeing odd things in the woods after her family moves to a new town (and much more), and wanted more after completing it. When I learned of this prequel, I jumped at the chance to read it. It’s about a boy learning to hunt Wytches and how that affects his friendship with another boy. The story was a bore for me. I didn’t like the characters, especially the protagonist’s mom, and wasn’t feeling the dialogue either. I still liked the art, though. Jock’s style certainly works for this story. Despite my feelings here, I’m still looking forward to another volume of Wytches.

Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie (First Law) ★★☆☆☆ ½

I enjoyed the First Law trilogy, but this standalone novel that follows it didn’t work for me. It’s about a woman exacting revenge on those who betrayed and attempted to murder her. The story starts out interesting but lost me along the way as it seemed to drag, making reading it quite tedious. After a while, I got tired of the characters and the violence and lost all interest in the story. However, I intend to continue with the other books, after a break, because I need to know what’s up with my north dudes, Dogman and ‘em.

Mirka Andolfo’s Mercy: The Fair Lady, the Frost, and the Fiend by Mirka Andolfo (illus.), transl. by Arancia Studio ★★☆☆☆

Okay, so, yeah, I didn’t like this one much, but I think it needs a second volume, and if a second volume should be published, I would certainly read it because I liked parts of this story and loved the illustrations. It’s a horror comic book that’s set in a small town in Washington state during the Klondike Gold Rush of the late 19^th century and is about a young woman who has a monster inside her. In some ways, it reminded me of Marjorie Liu’s Monstress. However, this one didn’t work for me because some things needed to be fleshed out more or explained, which is why I think a second volume would be helpful.

Storm Front by Jim Butcher (Dresden Files, book 1) ★★☆☆☆

Ugh! I roll my eyes whenever I think about this book and its protagonist. Storm Front is the first novel in an urban fantasy series about Harry Dresden, a wizard for hire. In this book, he’s helping a woman find her husband and also helping to solve a series a murders that seem to point to him. The story is interesting, but the protagonist was often annoying and despite attempts to make him likeable, he often came off as sexist. But I’m still interested in the story, so I’ll most likely try the other books when I’m in the mood for urban fantasy.

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That’s it for these top lists.

But I’m curious: What was your most disappointing read of 2022?

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