Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Signs That You Might be More Obsessed With Books Than You Think

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme originally created by The Broke and The Bookish and currently run by That Artsy Reader Girl.

It's Tuesday again! Wow, that week passed quickly. It's been a little bit crazy the last little bit, what with everything that's been going on. But I've finally started to settle down into a new kind of routine, which is nice. Normalcy is nice.

Onto this week's Top Ten Tuesday topic! Today, the prompt is ten signs that you're a book lover. I had a lot of fun coming up with my answers for this prompt (I got to use the beautiful gift of humor. Though I may or may not be that funny.)

Sign #1 - You spend good portions of your weekends reorganizing your bookshelf.

Yeah, totally not guilty of this one. But seriously, have you seen all the incredible ways you can organize your books?! If only I had more shelf space.

Sign #2 - If you accidentally tear a page in your book, your heart does a mini freak out. 

Please. Tell me I'm not the only one. 

Sign #3 - You use anything and everything at hand that might work as a bookmark. 

Sticky note? Sure. Receipt? Go for it. Pen? Oh yeah.
Because heaven forbid you have to search around for an actual bookmark. 

Sign #4 - Your current read distracts you from other tasks (oh look at that, you burned the spaghetti sauce. Again.)

Raise your hand if you've ever done this. *silently raises both hands* I'm notorious in my household for the fact that I cannot keep track of things that are cooking. It usually has something to do with books. Or, you know, Pinterest. 

Sign #5 - You watch far too much Booktube

I got sucked into the wonderful realm of Booktube a few months ago. And I'm well and truly addicted. It makes me kind of want to start my own Booktube channel even though I know I don't have time for that. *sigh*

Sign #6 - You spend an inordinate amount of time looking for books to add to your already overwhelming TBR. 

Because you can never have too many books to read. Right? Right? *glances at overflowing Goodreads TBR* 

Sign #7 - You read multiple books at the same time. 

This is a given. Who reads just one book at a time? Why not two or three or four or ten?

Sign #8 - Going to the bookstore is your idea of a great outing.

My mom took me book shopping for my nineteenth birthday, and you can bet I loved it! Used bookstores are amazing, magical places. <3

Sign #9 - You love the smell of books

I love the smell of new books. That's why I love Chapters so much. There's a coffee shop in my local Chapters store, and the smell of coffee combined with the smell of books is heavenly.

Sign #10 - 90% of your conversations revolve around books

Tell me I'm not the weirdest, geekiest young adult who's ever existed.


That about wraps it up! Can you relate to any of this? What are some nerdy bookworm things you do? Let me know in the comments!

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Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Books I Bought for the Cover

Most of the time, I consider myself good about not buying books solely because they would look good on my bookshelf. I like taking the time to really research a book, what other readers are saying about it, etc. before I even consider picking it up from the bookstore.

But sometimes, it is hard to resist the pretty covers. I'm sure some of you feel the same way, right?

Photo by Jason Wong on Unsplash

So today, I'm going to be talking about books I actually did buy for the beautiful cover. I haven't read all of these books yet, so this isn't really a recommendation list, but if one of these books looks interesting to you, by all means, check it out!


1. Sky Without Stars by Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendall

Excuse the glare off my bone-white skin. :P

What I knew before I bought it:

• It's a Les Miserables retelling in the vein of The Lunar Chronicles

This is one of two books on this list that I've actually read. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it, either. It was a fun, enjoyable book, but definitely not a really worthy retelling of Les Mis. I still want to try book 2, Between Burning Worlds, when it releases this year, however.

2. The Girl the Sea Gave Back by Adrienne Young

© 2020 by Rambles from My Library

What I knew before I bought it:

• It's a Viking-inspired fantasy novel

I'm still incredibly excited to read this book! It seems right up my alley, and the cover definitely doesn't hurt. I bought the hardcover edition, and it was so worth it for the gorgeous inside cover. 

Beautiful, right? I hope the story inside lives up to the fantastic cover!

3. There Will Come a Darkness by Katy Rose Pool

© 2020 by Rambles from My Library

What I knew before I bought it: 

• There are six alternating points-of-view 
• And something about the world ending (oooo)

This book was a total impulse buy, but the cover on Goodreads doesn't do the real one any justice. My photo probably won't either. I'm really excited to read this book, both for the cover, and the amazing title (my inner fangirl adores it.)

4. Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

© 2020 by Rambles from My Library

What I knew before I bought it:

• Fantasy library!
• It's a standalone novel

This book is actually next on my TBR (after The Raven King, of course), and I'm really excited to read it! Sorcery of Thorns has been incredibly hyped up ever since it released, and I'm hoping it lives up to that hype. But I'm not going into it with any expectations based on the hype. Only my own based on the fact that there's a LIBRARY, and it's Gothic fantasy, and it just looks super incredible. Yeah, okay, I may have unrealistic expectations. Update: I've finished it, and I have opinions. Keep your eyes peeled for my review!

So, bookworms, have you read any of these books? Have you ever bought a book solely for its cover, and if so, what did you think of that book? Let me know in the comments! I can't wait to chat with you all. 

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Top Ten Tuesday: Spring 2020 TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme originally created by The Broke and the Bookish and currently hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

TBR planning is both a wonderful thing and a horrible thing for me. Wonderful because who doesn't like picking out new books to read? Horrible because I have to pick some books over other books, and that makes me sad.

Regardless, TBR planning is something I've been trying to be more purposeful about, so this Top Ten Tuesday is absolutely perfect for me. :)

Photo by Aung Soe Min on Unsplash

So, some books that are lined up on my TBR for this spring? Let's get into it:

1. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

I want to read this book just to have an opinion on it. :) It's a series that everyone seems to have an opinion on, one way or another, and I'd like to see what I think of it myself.

2. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

I want to read this for various reasons. Mostly because I've heard the writing is phenomenal, and I adore good writing in the books I read. Also, magical circus? Yes, please.

3. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

I'm reading this book kind of as an assignment from my Mom. Apparently even when you graduate from homeschool, you can still get assignments from your teacher! :P This is a very controversial book, so I'm interested to see what my opinions on it are. And so is my Mom. :D

4. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

I want to read this because... reasons. It just looks like my kind of book.

5. Jackaby by William Ritter 

I get serious Doctor Who vibes from reading the back of this book, so of course I want to read it! Anything to get the bad taste of "The Timeless Children" out of my mouth.

6. The Archived by Victoria Schwab

Do I even need to explain why I want to read this one? It's by Victoria Schwab. Of course it's on my TBR.

7. Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella

So this is... not my usual genre. But who cares? It looks like a fun story, and I got it brand new at Chapters for incredibly cheap, so bonus points for that!

8. Starsight by Brandon Sanderson

It has become my mission to read every book Brandon Sanderson has ever written. So of course I have to read this one.

9. The Girl the Sea Gave Back by Adrienne Young

Norse. Inspired. Fantasy. I love it already.

10. There Will Come a Darkness by Katy Rose Pool

It was the cover + the book trailer that sold this book to me. I want to read so bad. End of the world stakes, an epic title, six people standing against the forces of evil... give it to me now. After I finish the three books I'm already reading.

11. Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

Please refer to point number 8 in case you're wondering why I want to read this book. Also, Cosmere.

12. My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Jodie Meadows, and Brodi Ashton

It just looks so funny. And I need more funny books in my life, as so many I've read recently have ended in (happy, but also sad) tears.


Will I read more than just that in the spring? Probably. Hopefully. But these are the books I'm for sure going to try to get to, so there's that. Bookworms, let me know what books you have planned to read this spring! And if you don't do TBRs (I get it, I really do), what's a book you're looking forward to reading soon?

Rapid Fire Book Tag

I found this book tag on The Bookish Hedgemom's blog, and it looked like a lot of fun, and so I thought I'd give it a try! The Rapid Fire Book Tag was originally created by Girl Reading on her YouTube channel.

Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash

E-book or physical book?

Physical book, every time! While I do like the idea of e-books, and I do read e-books occasionally, there's nothing that can compare to the experience of reading a physical book.

Paperback or hardback?

Paperback! Hardbacks are beautiful, but paperbacks are so much easier to read, and frankly, far less painful to hold in one hand (while the other hand is occupied with a mug of tea.) I especially love the floppy sort of paperbacks.

Online or in-store book shopping?

In-store! Especially in used bookstores. It feels like I'm treasure-hunting, and I love it so much more than just picking out a book on Amazon.

Trilogies or series?

Either. I honestly don't have much of a preference. (Though I will say, if a series has sixteen books, I would hope those sixteen books all add something to the story and aren't just there to take up space.)

Heroes or villains?

Heroes! A few years ago, I totally would have answered villains, but now, I'm all for reading about heroes. People who aren't necessarily perfect, but are actively trying to better themselves and help people... these are the characters I can admire and root for.

A book you want everyone to read?

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. Seriously, everyone needs to read this incredible, incredible book. The characters and the plot and the worldbuilding and the themes are all so amazing and perfect and I just love this book so much.

Recommend an underrated book?

This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab isn't exactly underrated, but I do feel like it gets overlooked in comparison to Schwab's adult books. However, This Savage Song is an amazing, gorgeously written story with wonderful characters and just the right amount of scary.

The last book you finished?

We Need to Talk by Celeste Headlee. This is a nonfiction book about the power of conversation and how to become a better conversationalist. It was a great, overall quick read that I'm very glad I picked up.

The last book you bought?

I... can't really remember exactly what the last book I bought was. I think it might have been There Will Come a Darkness by Katy Rose Pool.

Weirdest thing you've used as a bookmark?

I've used post-it notes before, as well as random papers and notes that I have lying around. Basically the closest thing that comes to hand.

Used books: yes or no?

Yes, yes, and yes! Used books are some of my favorite things for so many reasons. Number one, they're much cheaper. (The price of new books makes my bookworm heart cry.) Number two, they're way more environmental. (Those books didn't end up in the landfill! Whoo!) Plus, I've found some really interesting things inside used books. Everything from notes about the book itself to a random photo of a random person. It's interesting, if nothing else. :P

Top three favorite genres?

Fantasy, science fiction, and young adult.

Borrow or buy?

Buy. I love borrowing books (I mean, I work as a librarian, why would I be against borrowing books?) but there's something about owning books that makes me happy.

Characters or plot?

If I had to choose, characters. But plot is important, too, guys. No excuses for a weak plot! *shakes finger*

Long or short books?

Either works for me! Some of my favorite books are over 1000 pages, and sometimes I struggle to get through a 300 page YA novel. It depends on the story, the pacing, and the author's writing style for me, more than the length of the book.

Long or short chapters?

Short chapters all the way. I like being able to quickly read a chapter between other tasks, plus the story feels like it's moving faster if there are lots of short chapters (a book I can think of off the top of my head that has really good short chapters is Vicious by V.E. Schwab.)
And long chapters can drive me crazy. (I'm looking at you, Wylan's POVs in Crooked Kingdom.)

Name the first three books you think of:

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab
The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

Laugh or cry?

Both. If a book makes me laugh or cry, I know it's a new favorite. But if I had to choose, probably cry. The ending of The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson had me crying the most I've ever cried reading a book, and it's one of my favorite books of all time. That and The Book Thief. Which also made me cry.

Our world or fictional worlds?

Fictional worlds, of course. I'd love to be able to go to Middle Earth, or explore Roshar. Though I would think twice before visiting Panem. :P

Audiobooks: yes or no?

I like the idea of audiobooks, but I tend to zone out of them. It's more my fault than the fault of audiobooks, though. And I do love audiobooks if they're full cast. :)

Do you ever judge a book by its cover?

Yes. Sadly, yes. I know it's something we're always told not to do, but I'm infinitely more likely to pick up a book if it has a pretty cover.

Book to movie or book to TV adaptations?

Book to TV because I'm holding out hope for a Stormlight Archive TV series. I also really enjoyed the A Series of Unfortunate Events Netflix adaptation.

A movie or TV show you preferred to the book?

The Lord of the Rings. I've talked about this before on here, but basically, I enjoyed the story more. I felt closer to the characters, and fell in love with Tolkien's world through those movies. The books are good, but they're very dense, and honestly not enjoyable to read.

Series or standalones?

Series in general. Though I do love a good standalone if I'm in the mood for one.


And now for the tags! I tag:

Mem at Music, Mystery, Middle Earth, and Mitochondria
and
Lee at Arachne Reads


And if you think this tag looks like fun, go ahead and consider yourself tagged! Bookworms, let me know some of your answers to the questions in the comments! I'd love to chat with you all! :) 

Top Ten Tuesday: Books with One Word Titles

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme originally created by The Broke and the Bookish and currently hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's topic is Books with One Word Titles. 

I don't feel like this post needs much introduction, since I'm basically just going to be rhyming off the various books that I've read and loved with one word titles. And (of course), I'll tell you why I think they're amazing.

1. Vicious by V.E. Schwab

I was so hyped to read this book, and I'm so glad it lived up to my expectations! V.E./Victoria Schwab is quickly becoming one of my auto-buy authors, since I've adored 90% of all her books that I've read. (Though I've yet to pick up A Darker Shade of Magic. For shame.)









2. Sweep by Jonathan Auxier

A middle grade story with beautiful writing, incredible characters and themes, Sweep is a wonderful story for literally anyone who enjoys a good book! Even for those of you who don't normally read middle grade (or don't like it) I would still recommend picking up Sweep, because even though it's marketed as middle grade, I feel that it would appeal to a much wider readership.








3. Winter by Marissa Meyer

I will always have fond memories of this series, as it was one of the first series' I read when I was first getting into reading YA. Plus, I have a thing for retellings of any sort, and dystopian retellings? Those are incredible.
Out of all of the books, Winter was my favorite. It retells the story of Snow White, and centers on my two favorite characters in the series.








4. Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

This is my favorite of Sanderson's YA novels. It's a wonderful story, with great worldbuilding, a compelling plot, and a wonderful friend group. Plus, it has a sentient spaceship and a character named Doomslug. Come on. You know it sounds awesome.









5. Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson (It totally counts as one word...)

I might possibly be cheating with this one? I mean, "Oathbringer" is technically not a real word... but it's a single word... so I counted it on this list.
Plus, since it is part of my all-time favorite high fantasy series, I felt the need to include it here. This is the third book in the ongoing fantasy series The Stormlight Archive. The books are enormous (clocking in at over 1000 pages each) but the themes and the depth of character development -- as well as the stunning plot and worldbuilding -- make this series worth every page.






6. Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

I read The Illuminae Files last year, just before I first started this blog. I enjoyed them a lot, and the more I think about them, the more I remember how good they were. I may have to look into reading them again soon (this time on audiobook, because I've heard it's full-cast, and I adore full-cast audiobooks.) Out of the trilogy, the second book, Gemina, was my favorite. If you like sci-fi adventures, rogue AIs, sarcastic leads, and pulse-pounding plots, you should totally check out this series!






7. Fawkes by Nadine Brandes

The story of Guy Fawkes is one that has always interested me. So when I heard about this book -- a historical fantasy novel based around the Gunpowder Plot -- I knew I had to pick it up. I wasn't disappointed. This book is fantastic.
Brandes's other historical fantasy, Romanov, is also good, though not quite as good as Fawkes. 








8. Wonder by R.J. Palacio

I've been wanting to read this book for forever, but I could never find a used copy anywhere (yes, I know I could've just bought it off Amazon. Shh.) A friend of mine lent me a copy last summer, and I absolutely loved it! I enjoyed how Palacio used multiple perspectives throughout the novel, and how each character views every other character differently through their points-of-view.
It's also a beautiful story about family, friendship, and kindness.







9. Captives by Jill Williamson

This is a book I read ages ago, and I'm not sure if I would still like it as much if I read it again now. However, I have read the whole series three times total. Could small Fina really have had such poor taste? So yeah, it makes the list. I enjoyed them when I read them. I'm interested to read them again and see how my opinions have changed. This book was really interesting because even though it's technically Christian fiction, it deals with a lot of heavier topics -- drug addiction, STDs, teen pregnancy -- that most Christian fiction tends not to explore very often.





10. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

A childhood classic. I haven't read Inkheart in years, but I have such fond memories of it that it makes this list easily. Plus, the whole idea of book characters coming to life? I love it!









And, for fun, here's a few books with one word titles I'm super excited to read this year!

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

Legend by Marie Lu

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Ultraviolet by R.J. Anderson

Vengeful by V.E. Schwab

And that about wraps it up! Now it's your turn! What are ten (or five or fifteen or three hundred) of your favorite books with one word titles? Have you read any of the books I mentioned here, and what did you think of them? Let me know in the comments!

Over-Hyped and/or Overrated Books (In My Honest Opinion)

We all know those books. You know, the ones that have a 4+ average star rating on Goodreads, are hyped up on Bookstagram, Booktube, Goodreads, blogs, and pretty much everywhere where people talk about books.
Everyone raves about them.
Everyone seems to love them.
And they just aren't that good, or at least, they aren't as good as everyone's making them out to be.

So that's the topic of this post. Books that I believe are over-hyped and/or overrated.
Just as a quick disclaimer: I am not trying to be offensive when I say that a book is over-hyped. If a book I mention is one of your favorites, and you 100% disagree, that's okay! Differing opinions are absolutely fine. These are just my own personal opinions. 

Alrighty. Let's get started!

1. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

This book was super disappointing for me. I wanted to read a cool story about faeries and magic, and what I got was an achingly slow plot, combined with horrible and unlikeable characters. When I learned that many of the fans ship Jude and Cardan, I threw up my hands and walked away.

I only learned after I read the book that it's really popular (shows how out of the loop I was back when I first started this blog!) but it's definitely over-hyped. There are much better books out there. This wasn't one I would recommend.

2. The Maze Runner by James Dashner

I read this book for the hype. I'd seen all three movies before I even tried to pick up the book. I thought the movies were pretty "meh", and the last one was weird, but many people were telling me that the book was much better and put the movies to shame.
So I read the book... and ended up liking it less than the movie. I didn't like the characters. They felt very two dimensional and unrealistic. The writing felt juvenile and the humor was immature and annoying. The "plot twist" at the end left a lot to be desired (as well as a few plot holes!) So overall, I didn't end up enjoying the book, and won't be continuing the series. (I ended up looking up the spoilers for how it ended. I know. I'm sorry. But I know I couldn't force myself to read another two books written like this one.)

3. The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

I was so excited to read this book! I'd read a lot of reviews, and heard only good things about it, and the idea of a dystopian superhero book was really interesting.
This wasn't what I signed up for. Instead of being a super-cool dystopian with a solid plot, it ended up being one long road trip with a bunch of superpowered kids being pursued by no less than four different villains throughout the course of the book. It actually got ridiculous at times, because it seemed like half the villains were only there to add conflict to keep the characters from reaching their goal.
I don't understand the hype for this book. It definitely wasn't the worst book I've ever read, but it definitely wasn't nearly as good as it was hyped up to be.

4. Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger

I bought Keeper of the Lost Cities almost solely for the hype. Everyone was talking about how good it was, and it sounded interesting to me, so I picked it up. I read about a quarter of the book before I started to wonder what the big deal was. And by the time I got to the end, I was majorly disappointed. That's not to say I hated the book. I rated Keeper of the Lost Cities three stars on Goodreads, and it was a fun, engaging story. It just wasn't amazing, like it kept getting hyped up to be.
(On a funny sidenote, my little sister read and loved the first book, and then continued the series. I came home from work after she finished the second book, and the first thing she said to me was "This was the worst fantasy book I've ever read." - 9-year-olds can be very melodramatic. She then proceeded to let me know about one of the plot twists that apparently went in a cliche direction, and all I could think was "I have taught you well." End sidenote.)

5. Divergent by Veronica Roth

I'm preparing to run from hordes of angry fans, but please hear me out first. Divergent is a super hyped up series, and... I don't really understand why? I read them years ago, back before I really followed along with the new hyped releases, and way back before I had a Goodreads account or this blog. At the time I read them, I found them to be just... meh. The plot for book one was excellent, the plot for Insurgent lagged (I honestly don't even remember what happened in the book apart from two random scenes... one where the characters take truth serum, and one that made me decidedly uncomfortable.) And I had a lot of problems with Allegiant, partly because I was crazily obsessed with learning about genetics a few years ago, and the science in Allegiant didn't really add up.
All in all, I'm glad I read them, if only to have on opinion on them, but I don't think they deserve all the hype they've gotten and are getting.

6. The Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan

The Ranger's Apprentice series is not one I have very strong opinions about, but it is definitely overhyped. These books are fun middle grade stories (at least the ones I read, I didn't continue the series after book 6) but I don't feel that they deserve quite the amount of praise and hype that they have gotten.
All in all, the characters are fairly generic and the plots, while engaging, are nothing special.
I apologize if you like these books, they just weren't for me.

7. Renegades by Marissa Meyer

I liked Renegades, okay? I genuinely enjoyed reading it. But at the same time, I'm not sure that it deserves the heaps of hype that it received, especially when the first book released in 2017.
It's a fun, somewhat cheesy superhero story, with more focus on the romance than the main plot. But I was fine with it. I just don't think it deserves so much hype.
This is not the next The Lunar Chronicles. 
And it definitely won't appeal to Batman fans.


And as a bonus, #8! Quick disclaimer: This book is not overrated. It's definitely an awesome book, but I wanted to include it here, because I do feel like it's been overhyped quite a bit. 

And that book is...

Wait for it...

This is me building up the suspense...

And likely being annoying...

Okay, here it is...

8. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

If I didn't make every last one of you guys mad reading my opinions about Divergent, I'm pretty sure I just made the rest of you mad as well. And for that, I'm sorry. Genuinely sorry.
Don't get me wrong, I love Six of Crows. It's one of my favorite books. I love the characters. The heist element is incredibly well executed. The storyworld is interesting and unique (like, come on, Victorian inspired fantasy? What's not to love?)
But this book also gets hype. Like, an insane amount of hype, people! And honestly, I do feel like it's been overhyped. It's been hyped to the point where it's become, in a lot of circles, the biggest, best, and brightest YA fantasy (or actually YA book in general) ever published. And... it's... not? I feel so bad saying that, especially since I do genuinely love the book, but while it is incredibly good, I don't think it deserves quite the amount of hype that it's gotten and still getting.
But let me stress again that I genuinely loved this book. I'm not hating on Six of Crows. I'm just making an observation.

Alright, that about wraps things up! If any of you guys are left after my unpopular opinions about these popular books, please let me know in the comments what you think! Do you disagree with any of the points I've made? Are there any books you've read that you think are overhyped? 
Let me know in the comments! (But please, keep your comments polite.)

YA Romance Tropes That Need to Stop [Part 2]

This post is a continuation from a previous installment. Check out the first part: YA Romance Tropes That Need to Stop [Part 1]

You guys knew I'd come back to this eventually, right? I mean, what can I say? I love complaining. :P
I hope you all love complaining, too, or you might want to exit this tab right now, because we are about to get into a lot of complaining. Specifically, I'm going to be complaining about romance. And even more specifically, romance in fiction. And what better time to do it than Valentine's Day?

Hey, I have nothing against romance in real life. Or Valentine's Day. But so often, in fiction, it's done wrong. Badly wrong. It's cheesy at best, and toxic at worst. And it's everywhere.
Since my last post, I've come up with a few more annoying tropes (or not tropes, but just Annoying Things™) in fictional romances that need to stop. 

Sound like fun? Good.
Let's get into it.

1. Everyone's a Couple Syndrome

My brother actually pointed this out to me at first, and now I can't stop noticing it in everything I read. Thanks for that. But literally so many YA books do this.
You know what I mean: there's a group of kids. And those kids all end up pairing up by the end of the series just because. Books that I can think of off the top of my head that do this: The Lunar Chronicles, Six of Crows, Renegades. 
It's annoying. And it's also unrealistic. In a large friend group, it's likely that a few people will find a significant other among them. But all of them? And all of them have their love requited? Very unrealistic. Instead, maybe leave some characters single? Because, you know, being single is actually okay. I'm single. I'm fine with it. Have at least some of the characters be fine with it, too.

2. No Chemistry, No Nothing, No Anything at All

They're in love. They're happy. They're meant to be. They literally have nothing at all between them, and the reason for their mutual affection is lost upon everyone reading their story.
I hate it when characters get together for seemingly no reason other than the fact that "they have to". There's no reason that every single novel ever written needs a romantic subplot, and if it works better with the characters to not have a romantic subplot, please just let them be friends!

3. Forbidden *dramatic gasp* Romance

Forbidden romance can be really annoying at best, and creepy at worst. Sometimes, it's just the classic trope of "my father doesn't approve of him!" Which, granted, can be creepy, too, but the most weird take on this trope involves the (usually male) love interest telling the girl who's involved with him that "he's dangerous" and that she should stay away from him. But she's obsessed, so she gets involved with him anyway. Which is not okay and very creepy.
I don't know about you, but if some weirdo told me he was dangerous to be around, the first thing I'd do would be to call the police. Or at least get out of that situation as fast as I possibly could.
I'm not saying forbidden romance can't work as a plot device, but please think twice before wildly throwing into books.

4. No Friends Allowed Past This Point

This kind of ties in with Everyone's a Couple Syndrome. I hate it when everyone has to pair up, and can't just stay friends. The amount of times I've ground my teeth with frustration as yet another awesome friendship goes down in the flames of a badly conceived romance is way too often.
Friendships are allowed. Friendships can be awesome. Friendships make me happy. (And sidenote: just because two major characters of opposite genders happen to run into each other someplace does not mean that they have to become romantically involved down the road. There's no need for that.)

5. Her Boyfriend is Her Brother? What the Heck?

I don't think this needs much explanation. But here's one anyway. I think it's so weird and disturbing when two people in a story fall in love and then find out they're siblings. What point does it add to the story? Is there any reason for it apart from drama?
Please, this needs to stop. For real, guys.

6. Will You be My Valentine Disease

AKA gushy, long, cheesy speeches about the characters' undying and eternal love for each other. Everything feels fake, because everything is fake. The characters are constantly making eyes at the other person, thinking about them, telling them they love them, kissing, and otherwise being a "happy couple" -- but they're both flat as pancakes, and so is their supposed relationship. No one wants to read about gushy, cheesy, cringey romance -- at least, no one I know does.

7. Let's Not Talk About Our Problems

This is super common in fiction, especially YA. This is the trope where the two people involved in a relationship, and yet manage never to have a mature conversation throughout the whole book. This is the couple that's always having falling-outs and getting angry with each other because they can't communicate.
I also hate any scene in a book where one person is trying to communicate (usually frustration) with their love interest, and instead of actually listening and understanding, the love interest just kisses the other person until they stop talking. Which is awful, and not a healthy behavior in a relationship whatsoever.
I think we've all read at least one book that includes this trope. And I think we can all agree that it's just plain annoying.

8. Baby-Faced Romance

This might be just a personal preference thing, but I'm always weirded out by romance subplots in middle grade fiction. The age group for MG is 8-12, which means the characters are usually anywhere from eight to fourteen years old. (Sidenote: I'm not calling anyone in this age range babies. I just needed a catchy title for the section. :P) And having romance subplots between characters this young... I don't know, it just doesn't sit right with me. That's one of the reasons Keeper of the Lost Cities didn't work for me. The fact that Sophie is involved in a love square at age twelve... like, what? At twelve, I was fencing with sticks in the yard and playing in haylofts, not getting involved in complicated romantic drama. What happened to good old friendships in middle grade fiction?


In conclusion, I guess it's pretty obvious that I have a lot of problems with romance in YA. But that doesn't mean that authors should stop writing romance! I'm not against having romance in stories. But please, let it be developed, let it be interesting, let it be relevant to the actual plot, and let the characters be genuine and developed before getting involved with each other. Please and thank you.

So, now it's time for your opinion! Do you have any pet peeves with YA romances? Do you agree with any of my complaints? Are there any books you've read with really awesome, non-stereotypical romances? Let me know in the comments! I'd love to chat with you! 

Fictional Couples I Actually Ship

In honor of Valentine's Day (and partially because I wanted to do this anyway and Valentine's was a perfect excuse) let's talk about fictional couples.

You guys already know that I generally have problems with fictional romances. So many of them are
a) contrived b) pointless and c) annoying, and I have little to no patience for it.

That being said, I do have a few fictional couples that I actually ship, and fictional romances I'm actually on board with. And that's what I'm going to talk about today! So prepare for fangirliness.

1. Vin and Elend Venture from The Mistborn Trilogy

These two are probably my favorite fictional couple I've ever read about. Hands down, no questions asked. I loved the way their relationship progressed throughout the trilogy, and I love their interactions, and how they support each other and genuinely care about each other and respect each other and just everything about their relationship is so perfect. Wow, that was like three sentences all stuck together. I'm going to leave it, though, because my thoughts about Elend and Vin are very much just a collection of run-ons and sentence fragments.





2. Shallan Davar and Adolin Kholin from The Stormlight Archive

I know that some Stormlight fans ship Shallan and Kaladin, but I'm sorry -- I 100% support Shallan and Adolin's relationship. I think I got sold with that one scene in Oathbringer when Adolin is teaching Shallan how to use her Shardblade... I just loved that scene so much.
Also, this is an example of an arranged engagement/marriage/whatever-you-want-to-call-it done well.
To be completely honest, I ship 90% of all the couples Brandon Sanderson creates, because honestly, he knows how to write romance so well.




3. Winter Blackburn and Jacin Clay from The Lunar Chronicles

I think Jacin and Winter are the most awesome couple from the Lunar Chronicles series. I know it's not the most popular opinion, but the way I see it, Jacin and Winter are perfect together. They've got great chemistry, plus I think their relationship is the most realistic of the four main "ships" in the TLC universe. Why? Because they've known each other since they were kids. They were friends before they fell in love. And that's something I really like.







4. Scarlet Benoit and Ze'ev Kelsey from The Lunar Chronicles

I'm kind of cheating by including two couples from the same series, but this is my blog and I can do what I want. (Just kidding, but not really. :P)
I know how I was just saying that Jacin and Winter were my favorite couple in the Lunar Chronicles. I would say that Scarlet and Wolf are a close second. I love the way their relationship develops through the series, and I also love their interactions.
Also, my brother (who hates fictional romances as a general rule) thinks they're a great couple, so I think that that's a pretty good indicator that they're awesome.




5. Puck Connolley and Sean Kendrick from The Scorpio Races

I love these two so much. Their relationship is a really slow build from friends to slightly-more-than friends, and I loved watching it develop and grow! Both Puck and Sean have deep and complex personalities, and their interactions -- as well as the way they fueled each other's growth -- made me very happy. Makes me very happy.
Man, I need to read this book again soon.






That about wraps it up! Obviously there are a few more fictional couples that I ship (only a few), but those are my top five favorites. 
Do you have a favorite fictional romance that you've read about? Have you read any of the books I talked about here, and if so, do you agree with me? Let me know in the comments! And happy Valentine's Day!

(Stay tuned for part two of my Romance Tropes That Need to Stop post, which I'm planning on putting up on the 14th. It's going to be great. :P)