Follow Friday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by
Rachel @ Parajunkee & Alison @ Alison Can Read
This week's question:
What is your biggest pet peeve when it comes to books? Maybe you don't like love triangles or thin plots? Tell us about it!
1. My biggest pet-peeve is usually located within the YA reading grade of books. It really bugs me when the female teenage protagonist can NEVER even look at the "best friend" boy that's always by her side, and is totally in love with her. She ALWAYS has to be so entranced by the other boy, the mysterious bad one that treats her like dirt, but is SO sexy and good-looking. I'm rolling my eyes. Can't the lesser-attractive boy be the one she falls for, once in a while? Why am I NEVER seeing this? Examples are every YA I read, and ever have.
2. My other one is lack of a plot in any book. It never ceases to amaze me that authors just don't plot their stories, like at all! Wow. Maybe this trend is newer, but some authors are looking to the screenwriters of Hollywood to get info on how to do this, because it makes a big difference. No more sagging middles and stories where nothing is actually happening the entire way through. The most plotless one I read this year was Fallen by Lauren Kate. Nothing happens in that book. NO-thing.
3. Last one (but, there are others) for this post is poor world-building. I hate when authors just don't put any real effort into their story's world-building when they're writing sci-fi, dystopia, or fantasy. If they're not giving us the details in book 1, I'm inclined to think those details don't exist. Maybe they do, but put them in book 1, so I know. The worst is when those details make no sense. Wither by Lauren DeStafano is a good example of a book that just had poorly thought-out world-building. Some was there, but it made no logical sense. It was obvious the writer wasn't ready to write sci-fi, because that is what the genre of dystopia is. (Although, maybe it can be without sci-fi elements?)
What are your pet-peeves, fellow blogger & readers? I'd love to find out, so comment away!
Yeah, shoddy world building is upsetting.
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Aww... the guy who never exits the best friend zone...
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I couldn't get through Fallen, because well like you said, nothing happened.
ReplyDeleteNew RSS Follower. Come see my Friday too! Also don't miss my "The Cowboy and The Vampire Weekend!" with 5 Star Review, Guest Blog, Co-author Interview and a Signed Book Giveaway!
Hi! Happy follow Friday. I'm a new follower.
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Hopping through. I totally agree with you on Wither. I'm hoping Fever expands the world building.
ReplyDeleteMy Hop
I tend to abandon books where there's a romance, but the only reason the characters are into each other is a physical attraction. That doesn't play very well in text, and, geez, what a shallow reason to fall for someone anyway. I like the author to *show* me why these two are meant for each other, and I want reasons to root for them to get together. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat point about the amazing best friend. The girl always falls for the hot popular guy while the best friend gets pushed to the side. New follower :)
ReplyDeleteWe're totally on the same page Cathy. There have been so many books I've read where the poor sweet best friend gets the short end of the stick. Just once in a while I'd like for the underdog to come out on top.
ReplyDeleteGreat points! New follower! Here's my FF: Mom Reads My Books
ReplyDeleteAah yes, the classic (and annoying) not being able to see what's right in front of your face syndrome. Definitely annoying and overdone!
ReplyDeleteI'm a new follower. :)
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Great answers! I completely agree with your first answer! It totally relates to my answer to the question!
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My FF: http://hopefaithbooks.blogspot.com/2011/12/follow-friday-16.html
-Brittani
I agree about all these points! Regarding the best friend thing, I will admit I love a good unrequited love story, but it has to be realistic! There is nothing more heartbreaking than someone who does everything they can to make sure their crush doesn't figure out the truth. And yes, worldbuilding is key especially in paranormals, dystopians, fantasies, etc. It has to make sense in a warped kind of way.
ReplyDeleteOld follower.
Here's mine: http://feministfairytalereviews.blogspot.com/2011/12/follow-friday-7.html
Poor world building has to be the biggest part that would make me hate a book! There are awesome pet peeves I agree with all of them!
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Xpresso Reads
yeah the obviouse "best friend" one is one of my pet peeves!
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http://thebookbluff.blogspot.com
Yes, but the best friend always gets the girl in the end. It's just another formula. If she went for the good boy in the first place, there wouldn't be much tension left for the story, would there? :-) You read the book and you know, just KNOW, that she will end up with the "best friend". That, for me, is more of a peeve than her going for the unsuitable one. But then, so is the one where the best friend sacrifices himself and ends up dead so she can have the hunk... Can't win, I guess. :-)
ReplyDeletePoor world-building is another matter - no excuse for that. There's a lot of dystopian fiction around now, and you have to get it right. What disaster caused the world of the story - and does it make sense? Could it happen? You need to know your science to write SF, BEFORE you worry about which guy the girl will end up with.
For me, #1 totally applied to Clockwork Angel -- I just adored Jem, and could not for the life of me figure out why Tessa was so into Will. I see you're a Jem fan so I had to mention it! :)
ReplyDeleteEverybody in the story is male, apart from the love interest and maybe a mother figure.
ReplyDeleteBickering constantly means they end up as a couple.
Or romance in general, really. Would be nice to find more books that don't shoehorn a romance subplot in there somehow. I gave a book a try that I expected to be a mystery with a little side of romance, and the protagonists were too busy with heavy petting to actually solve the mystery, that's enough for a couple of years.
People using words in a way that shows they clearly don't understand what they mean.