Happy Friday. Happy Last-Day-of-August! Happy Labor Day weekend here in the U.S.
I hope everyone has a fun weekend planned, whether it's action-packed or just relaxing. I'm going to try to find balance between the two!
What do I have up for grabs today? Such good stuff!
The winner can choose one of these (all ARCs) Open internationally :)
Entries accepted until 9 am Saturday morning -- September 1.
Smashed by Lisa Luedeke
Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr
Fathomless by Jackson Pearce
Throne of Glass by Sarah Mass
Hopefully that's something for everyone!
To enter, just leave me a comment. Tell me a bookish trend you'd love to see more of OR one you're getting tired of...
Please -- no bashing of specific books. Thanks :)
Your comment is what enters you. If you're not sure I know how to find you, please also leave an email addy in the Google doc. If you have an email address linked to your blog or commenting profile, you're good.
AND... my post for the Back the the Books Giveaway Hop goes up later tonight. Be sure to stop by and enter to win Defiance, The Lost Girl or Nerve!
I'm kind of sick of the weak female lead. The "Bella" so to speak. I don't like the wishy washy, woe is me, obsessive, lovesick lead girl. I like the strong ones - like Katniss and Tris!
ReplyDeleteI love the headstrong ones, but I also love the ones who start out shy or uncertain and then discover hidden strength...
DeleteI don't like cheesy romances in some YA books. The guy is always the bad boy and the girl fall for him for no reason at all. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway!
I was actually going to do a post on bad boys in YA!
DeleteI hate cliffhangers even more when i have to wait between 3/5 years to get the next book^^
ReplyDeletethank you a lot
I agree -- if there's a cliffhanger, I'd like the book within 6 months. Otherwise, I can't remember what happened once I get the next book.
DeleteCarnival of Souls! I want that book.
ReplyDeleteI'm getting tired of Dystopian. I've read some great books and not really interested in too many others. There is one I remember reading somehwere about water being an issue and a girl defending her watering hole. Can't remember the name of the book...
There do seem to be a lot of dystopian books out lately, I'm guessing as a result of the success of the Hunger Games. I like them, but I agree, I want to read other things too..
DeleteHonestly, all three of those bother me...when they're not handled properly. That's the thing...they CAN be done right. But they often aren't. Don't write in a love triangle just for the sake of it. Don't drag the story out for three books when it could easily be told in two. And don't use a cliffhanger simply as a ploy to get me to read the next book. There are tons of books that employ these devices and do so beautifully, but there are also just as many that don't.
ReplyDeleteOkay, sorry for the rant. But you opened up a flood gate. :P Hope you have an awesome weekend! I'm simply looking forward to the extra day of sleeping in...and the ribs my hubby has promised me! :D And starting The Diviners! =D
Totally agree with you. If well done and fits the book, I'm fine with any of those things!
DeleteI'm loving the female assassin trend-I hope to continue to see more of girls kicking butt!
ReplyDeleteYes -- those books are fun! When I was little I wanted to be a spy and now I get to live vicariously!!
DeleteI feel like dystopians and paranormal (particularly vamps/weres) are taking over the world sometimes...while I like some dystopians (haven't met a vamp I care to get involved with, ha!), I don't want *only* dystopian, ya know? How about more adventure-types...Girl of Fire & Thorns was a great blend of fantasy+adventure+self-realization, so something along those lines of an "adventure" with a greater purpose?
ReplyDeleteI'm also a sucker for fairy tales. LOVE 'EM!!! :oD
Girl of Fire and Thorns was great, and as you know, I'm not a huge fantasy reader. But I loved the story world and the character development. And if I remember correctly, the plot took a very "whoa" kind of turn....
DeleteI think I groan out loud when a triangle develops. It isn't so bad if there is one from the first book but when you become invested in a couple in the first installment and the sequel starts a love triangle? Ughhhhhh.
ReplyDeleteSome love triangles I actually like, but I others feel like plot devices to me...
DeleteCan I just say that that's the most awesome prize pile ever? Carnival of Souls! ah! And prepare yourself for this rant... It's been on my mind for a while!
ReplyDeleteWhile all the trends above are awesome (female assassins, hello!), starryeyedjen has the same qualms as me, and Sarah E is right when she says that just as we're getting some amazingly kickass heroines, we're getting a lot of weak female leads that need male attention to get through everything. But my biggest problem are covers.
I'm really disliking YA covers these days. It's a trend of WHITE females in nice dresses. Rarely do we see a female of Asian descent or African American descent. I was flipping out when I read the Eon series because it ties so many Asian elements into the story and as a reader whose been reading for over 5 years, I have NEVER come across such a thing before. YA writers claim to be about widening perspectives and bringing new things to the table and they did with steampunk, but why not write about someone for a different race for a change? I'm a huge traveler, I love exploring the world and learning about new cultures. That's part of the reason why I love mythology retellings. More books that explore other cultures will be amazing and the authors would keep their promise at bringing something new to the table. They keep bringing things like steampunk, which I love, but why not bringing cultures into it? I saw a cover the other day where there was an African American male on it for the first time! Transcendence by C.J. Omololu, and behind him is a white girl. THAT is different. I haven't come across an interracial couple in YA lit before, let alone an African American lead in a while. It's as if authors are scared to leave the sacred mold of YA lit in fear of their book not selling. In my opinion, different sells because it is so unique. With all of the covers bleeding together, something like this stands out, and would totally make me want to take it off the shelf. I'm so sick of the same old covers heh. And lack of culture and ah! My rant is over. This thing is huge, so sorry!
Covers that don't fit the book frustrate me. If the main character isn't wearing a prom dress in the story, I don't know why she's wearing one on the cover!
DeleteAnd I agree -- one of the reasons a lot of people read is to expand their horizons -- to experience something different from their own life. Travel is great for that, but so is reading!
Love triangles just to start drama in a series are soooo used up. Find another way to make things interesting instead of tearing a part couples that work well and don't really have problems!
ReplyDeleteYou are clearly not the only one who feels that way. I'm getting great ideas for blog posts *scribbles furiously*
DeleteI'm really getting tired of ista love. It didn't bother me before, but it's been showing up so much in YA that it's making me want to rip my hair out. In the book that I'm reading now, the boy 'believes he's falling in love' after talking with a girl for a few mintues. =__=... That is all I have to say about that.
ReplyDeleteI see a lot of complaining about that in reviews. I do think people can feel instant attraction, but that mystical kind of "we are meant to be together forever" after five minutes seems a little strange!
DeleteHave you noticed the cover to Chantress, by Amy Butler Greenfield? It's gorgeous. It seems like the covers on books are getting less and less unique, and it's just killing me. Another example of an entirely unique one is Fade to Black by Francis Knight. It seems like all we really have in YA covers is pretty dresses now. Not that I don't love a pretty dress, but I hate that everyone had to put one on their covers.
ReplyDeleteMegan@The Book Babe
I just looked those up and am going to try to post links:
DeleteChantress
Fade To Black
Chantress is girly (color scheme) and strong and mysterious all at once. Nice!
I get kind of sick of the love triangles. I would LOVE to see more historical YA!
ReplyDeleteI also love historical YA and want to try to read more of it!
DeleteI'd want to see more of woman assassin, there's not enough of woman power :)
ReplyDeleteAnother vote for kickbutt heroine. I like those too. However, I also think they can be cliche...
DeleteI'm kinda sorry to say it would be vamps. I'm a HUGE lover of them, but they are getting kinda repetitive no matter who is writting them... I just need to take a break from my lovelies for awhile I think...
ReplyDeleteI did take a break for a while and then was so happy to return. I'd missed those vampires!!
DeleteI have to say I am getting tired of the love triangle especially when it seems like it is used for no reason at all, just to have a triangle in the book. I know it can be done really well, but lately it seems that is not the case.
ReplyDeleteThat seems to be the #1 choice so far: love triangle.
DeleteLove at first sight.. C'mon!! I'm starting to hate it.. so unreal.. and weak female lead, I love strong ones. :)
ReplyDeleteKeeping a tally...
DeleteI have to agree with what some of the others are saying... I don't like "Bella" type characters, the love triangles are kind of getting old, and then the jumping right into love thing bothers me sometimes. Whatever happened to finding yourself before you spend your life with someone?
ReplyDeleteTrue. Recently there was a Top Ten Tuesday about YA couples that would and would not stand the test of time. I loved that!
DeleteI'd like more gorgeous covers with a really work behind them and which make books look so beautiful in a bookcase! More and more often I find books that have practically the same cover, and they are not always pretty.
ReplyDeleteTrue -- there are some amazing covers out there!
DeleteI find lately that books are not like one full adventure per book. Instead, one grand adventure is taken over the course of 3 or 4 books and each book is left on a cliffhanger. This new form of storyline is a bit annoying, I mean, it keeps the reader dying for the next book, but it feels so incomplete as a book. Sort of like the Lord of the Rings trilogy that is now bound as one huge volume.
ReplyDeleteAhh -- my pet peeve. Give us some resolution, please!!!
DeleteI'm starting to get sick of the whole obsession aspect in a lot of YA novels. The last few books I've read have had characters who obsess over each other a little too much. I mean, when it crosses the line between like/love and stalking, the author has gone too far.
ReplyDeleteThat is a tough. When you're a teenager, love can feel all-consuming and obsessive (at least that was my experience). Is it possible to capture that without encouraging behavior that crosses the line into stalkerdom??
DeleteI'm sick of dystopian novels. I knew I was getting tired of them, but when I went to a play on George Orwell's 1984 I realized WHY I was tired of them: they don't bring anything new to the table. They don't feel like actual dystopians, because these authors writing them think of the worst thing that could happen and applies it to their setting--without even really looking at our societies now and how these futures could form. Orwell does it. Collins does it. But the dystopians coming out now: nope. And I'm so tired of them that I'm gone. I'm done reading dystopians.
ReplyDeleteAgree. I often feel that there's no logical explanation of how the society got from point A to point B.
DeleteI am absolutely TIRED of insta-love. Yuck! I get that teens tend to be a little dramatic in their affections but seriously, I'd love to see MORE of that awkward shyness and being unsure.
ReplyDeleteI love when books feature strong female characters who don't let guys talk to them like dirt or intimidate them. I'd love to see more of that! :D
I made that point above -- teenagers are kind of dramatic and obsessive -- at least I was! But you make a good point that there is also a whole lot of awkwardness and insecurity there too.
DeleteI don't even know if this is a trend but I'd love to see more sibling relationships in books. I'm a sucker for strong sibling relationships especially if they're protective of each other and I love it even more if it's about brothers. I blame Fullmetal Alchemist.
ReplyDeleteI am also tired of the resident bad boy heart throb that all the girls in books fall for. Sure I like them sacarstic and sexy but I would appreciate more diversity in the male leads.
I'm tired of love triangles too. 'Nuff said.
I love sibling relationships too -- realistic ones, please!
DeleteI don't like seeing love triangles where the girl can't make up her mind.I also am not fond of cliffhangers when the next book comes out after a few years.
ReplyDeleteGood point!!
DeleteI'm getting tired of vamps. Falling in love to vamps? Please, in real life you might scared to death of meeting them.
ReplyDeleteWith paranormal stuff there's always a lot of suspension of disbelief, at least to me. Though I think I'd rather fall in love with a vampire than a werewolf or a mer-person..
DeleteI'm getting tired of insta-love and love triangles. And if a book has both? Even worse.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I think you can either have love at first sight or a love triangle. To have both is just confusing...
DeleteI absolutely love all the dystopia!! I actually challenged myself this year to read some dystopia, as I never have before. Love the post-apocalyptic movies, but never read any books. Dystopia has now become one of my favourite genres!
ReplyDeleteYay for a different opinion!! I'm glad you're enjoying all the dystopian books. I also love them if they're well done...
DeleteI am getting sick of the stupid love triangle. Why can't there ever just be one? Also getting sick of how the teenage girls once they do find a guy are falling all over them like if they loose the guy it will be the end of the world and they just can't live without him.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind a love triangle, but agree that not every book needs one!
DeleteSO hope I win. I want to read Smashed.
ReplyDeleteI hope you dont' mind, I borrowed this idea on my blog, if you do, I won't do it again!
I love the dual perspectives.
Just sent you a message -- YES -- the more Freebie Friday the better!
DeleteDual POVs are controversial. Again, if they're done well, I really like them. My pet peeve is when the two characters' voices sound the same and I have to flip back and forth to remember whose head I'm in.
Hmm it's hard to say what I would like more of. I enjoy so many different types of books, but need to switch it up to not get burned out on one genre. I really like the New Adult or Mature YA lately. There has been some fantastic ones.
ReplyDeleteI also want to do a post on New Adult -- I'm getting so many post ideas here. I'm not entirely sold on it as a genre idea -- maybe I can start up a lively debate about the topic.
DeleteK, a shameless plug here, but I would love to see more people on Fridays for my blog's meme The Friday 56. It is where you showcase a teaser from page 56 of whatever book you choose. Sort of like Teaser Tuesdays but on Friday and specific to a page. Hope you all come and join in!
ReplyDeleteI'll check it out!
DeleteI keep thinking that I'm so over the paranormal (vampires, aliens, werewolves, witches, etc.), but then I find a new book that pulls me right back into it (most recently, the Vampire Academy books). But I had to read quite a few mediocre paranormal books before I found some that I really liked!
ReplyDeleteSee, this is where I usually come out. If well done and an integral part of a story, all this stuff -- vampires and love triangles and cliffhangers and even insta-love -- works. I think if you just stick something in a story for no good reason, readers are wise to that.
Deletei love mermaid books! i would read them all if i could!
ReplyDeleteI am beginning to enjoy mermaid books!!
DeleteI am really tired of cliches. I mean yeah you can put a little, subtle one BUT if you really lack talent and imagination to write something else, something original, please I will want from the writers to just lock themselves into a room and never come out. What the publishers are thinking?...really? I mean that, out there, some novels shouldn't exist.
ReplyDeleteI agree -- with talent, imagination and originality, you can make any concept or cliche fresh and compelling. I believe that! There's always room for a new spin on old stuff!
DeleteI would LOVE more guy POV books. They always interest me the most when reading, so more would definitely be nice! ^__^
ReplyDeleteYay -- reading a great one right now...
DeleteI love fantasy dystopian, and quirky girl characters who aren't perfect or totally strong but become someone you'd love.
ReplyDeleteI'd love Carnival of souls;)
Thank you
YES -- more of this, please >>>> "quirky girl characters who aren't perfect or totally strong but become someone you'd love."
DeleteI'm getting really tired of love triangles. Also, there not nearly enough guys POV out there ;)
ReplyDeleteAgree -- more guy POV!!
DeleteI agree with Larissa...tired of love triangles. I really don't like them. What if, for example, the girl likes both the guys and lets say that I do too...in the end she can only choose one...what will happen to the other guy that I like so much?? OR, even worse, what if *I* dont like one of the guys and the girl ends up choosing the guy that I *dont* like?! The horror! lol
ReplyDeleteIt is very upsetting when the character chooses the wrong guy after you've invested so much time in the story!!!!
DeleteI dislike all the hoopla with vampires and love triangles!
ReplyDeleteI love the word "hoopla" :) :) :)
DeleteI hate that it's so hard to find standalones. Series are becoming the norm and while I love the stories and I follow the series, it's killing my wallett and having to wait over a year on some releases is down right frustrating. I've read so many books in-between that I have forgotten aspects of the previous books and will have to do some re-reading.
ReplyDeleteYES!!!!!!!!!
DeleteI have a feature some Saturdays, "Standalone Saturday." Check it out sometime or just enter Standalone Saturday in my blog search box.
I'm getting tired of books that are part of a trilogy/series. Don't get me wrong I love a good series, it just seems like all books have to be a trilogy now. I can't keep track of how many series I'm reading, sometimes I get the stories mixed up. Plus, by the time the next book comes out I can't remember much! Also getting tired of dystopian, vampires, & love triangles but I continue to keep reading them =) so I guess I'm still interested I just want it to be done well not be the same old story.
ReplyDeleteExactly. Not everything needs to be a series!
DeleteI am getting tired of book about Vampires. They are very overdone and tend to get boring it read to many in a year. We need more books about Dragons or Fairies.
ReplyDelete- Beckie @ Bittersweet Enchantment
Now, see, I have not read many dragon or fairy books. I heard that Seraphina is good...
DeleteI am LOVING the trend of mythology books that I have been seeing more and more of. I am a huge mythology fanatic so I cant get enough.
ReplyDeleteAnd I am so flippin excited about carnival of souls!
Me too -- LOVE mythology books so much :)
DeleteI am getting tired of vampires and werewolves. I swear that is almost all you find recently. There are so many other paranormal creatures to choose from; dragons, fairies, banshees, etc.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the giveaway!
There are a lot of other paranormal creatures!
DeleteI am getting tired of dystopians
ReplyDeleteI think you're not alone. I like them, but I feel like a lot of them have been rushed into print to capitalize off the success of the Hunger Games.
DeleteI'd love to see more and more and more and more YA high fantasy! Graceling, Throne of Glass, Shadow and Bone, Howl's Moving Castle, they're just wonderfully wonderful! (Still haven't yet read Seraphina though, but am going to, soon!), but I truly wish for more YA high fantasy (not urban fantasy)
ReplyDeleteI don't read a lot of high fantasy, but I did love Graceling and Throne of Glass. I'm trying to expand my reading horizons!
DeleteI am getting into more of the paranormal and dystopians. But I always like to look at things that are different than the norm, or just I like escapism into a world where I can get away from stress.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of people read for that reason. Sometimes, there's nothing better than a great escapist or comfort book!
DeleteI would love to see more horror/thriller novels in YA. I definitely don't think there's enough! Thanks for Freebie Friday Jen!
ReplyDeletestephward84(at)hotmail(dot)com
I get scared very easily, but I'm sloooowly dippng my toe into the horror genre....
DeleteI am getting kind of tired of love triangles. Thanks for the chance to win!
ReplyDeleteI agree -- not every story needs one!!
DeleteI'm getting sick of all the series. Don't get me wrong, I love that some books are a part of a series because that means I get to see more of the awesome characters, but some stories are just meant to be standalones.
ReplyDeleteAlso, agreeing with Steph^, I'd love to see more horror!
I'm getting total series overload. I mean, I'm someone who reads 200 books a year and I can't even keep up. If I haven't had the time to read the first book in a series, I'm probably going to pass up book two.
DeleteI was going to say I'm getting tired of love triangles, but to be honest, even they're better than insta-love. Insta-love ruins a book for me. The rest of the book can be pretty good, but if there's insta-love, my opinion of it as a whole lowers considerably. I just hate all this "I saw you for five seconds, now let me devote myself to you forever and ever!" stuff. It gets on my nerves. It's so unrealistic that two people would risk so much for each other after knowing each other two days -_-. I love relationships that develop slowly, or that are complicated and have problems - Tris and Four's relationship is a great example! :) Thanks so much for the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteI agree -- more realistic relationships would be great!
DeleteI'm so glad someone else mentioned the Girls In Dresses! Ugg. I keep waiting for the part in the book when the warrior girl is made to wipe off the gore and put on a ballgown and it never seems to happen.
ReplyDeleteAlso, give me a good long standalone. Some series have their worth and I have enjoyed and they have been a great ride. But some others...give me a break.
Insta-love for me is almost worse than a bad love triangle, especially when they happen together. I get the love triangle and just wish that if they are going to be done, that more time and thought were put into character dynamic.
Jen-I am totally behind you on the bad boy post. A good, REAL bad boy is all I really want in a book...and some smoldering hate/love :)
I will get right on that post. However -- uh oh -- I was thinking of calling it Bad Boyd: They're Not ALL That. Heh heh.
DeleteDefinitely so over love triangles. I don't mind a few every now and then to get me all worked up but my favorite romances are love triangle free. Agree with everyone about no insta-love as well. A romance takes work not no instant love. Some instant attraction okay but no one should be so in love with someone they will give up their whole life for them after one week. That is ridiculous. Also I kind of don't like how many re-tellings are coming out. They sound good in theory but I haven't actually liked any of them really. I actually never tire of vampires and dystopians and things like that. As long as they have good writing and bring something new to the table I am always interested.
ReplyDeleteHa ha -- I know you are VERY opinionated about which guy the heroine should choose. And in the love triangle, up to 50% of the time, she chooses the guy you don't like!!
DeleteI have to agree with several other commenters. I think one trend I'd really like to see at least slow down is the insta-love that has no foundation as to why it exists. There, in my opinion, can be insta-passion, but not necessarily insta-love.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea that someone mentioned earlier -- love at first sight, then reality hits...
DeleteEEP! Carnival of Souls!!! :D I'm reading Burning Blue and loving it so far!
ReplyDeleteHave not heard of that!
DeleteGetting tired of the girl needing to save the boy.
ReplyDeleteAND INSTA LOVE....lol
DeleteOoh, interesting. So do you want the guy to save her once in a while? They work together? They perish and the book is a standalone? (OK, kidding about that last one....)
DeleteHoly crap, a lot of comments.
ReplyDeleteBesides the love triangle thing, the one trend where it's always the mother's boyfriend. I've seen that a few times, and it's already getting old because you already know it's him at the evil one and the one that is going to hurt you and your mom and she's just too stupid to see it.
LOL -- I learned watching Buffy that you ALWAYS have to watch out for your mom's evil boyfriend. Another blog post idea!!!
DeleteI'm kind of stories with insta-love and love triangles. The insta-love just seems so unnatural and weird and the love triangles always mess with me because I don't know which person I prefer for the character or the main character always ends of the the person I don't want them too. I feel like the trend just revolving around the romance in many books is getting a little over-played. I want a new kind of romance something that I won't be able to predict so easily.
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy the romance, but I agree it would be nice to read about some relationships that take a different course...
DeleteI'm getting tired of the whole mysterious boy in town.
ReplyDeleteHa -- that's true. He's always new and mysterious, with a dark secret..
DeleteI'm getting tired of all the instant falling in love a lot of the books are having now. Also, the one girl with 2 boys in love with her and who should she choose. Both of those have gotten where I feel like they've been done more than enough :P
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of people agree with you!
DeleteI'm tired of insta-love, love triangles and all covers looking the same.. a girl in a dress?? lol
ReplyDeleteWhat I am loving right now is some author being original with their ideas and changing the same old-same old into something awesome (ex. Seraphina.. maybe it's just me, but I thought it was fairly original!)
I'm going to have to read Seraphina!
DeleteI have to say that I have a love hate relationship with the re-imagined Greek stories. Some are really good and some are um....
ReplyDelete*GASP* @ Fathomless!!!! DO WANT!!!
I never get tired of the mythological retellings!
DeleteThe love triangles stuff and the silly brainless female characters, those are just hair-pulling-in-exasperation kind of thing. I would love to read more books about kick ass female characters -those are unforgetable. And bad boys too. I'd never be tired to read about bad boys. *giggles*
ReplyDeleteOkay, I can see that I'm gong to have to write that post...
DeleteI would want to see more love triangles where it isn't so obvious of who will end up with who. I have read books where there is supposedly a love triangle but the girl already knows who she likes before meeting the other love interest. Oh and to go with that thought I want the main girl to end with the bad boy more often. I am a definite bad boy lover.
ReplyDeleteAgree -- some of the love triangles seem contrived, with the second guy just thrown in there. If the book can't make me see why the girl is drawn to both guys, I'm not buying it!
DeleteYay it's Freebie Friday! :) Thanks so much Jen! I would have to go with a love triangle. There's lots of love triangles in YA but it's hard to to find ones that are original and fresh. Like good girl goes to bad guy, that type of stuff. But it's YA and it's a big gerne. :)
ReplyDeleteTrue. I think all of these cliches can be re-done in an original way. I really do!
DeleteI like books with strong heroines and since Hunger Games has become so popular they are even more like Katniss. Yay!
ReplyDeleteCompletely agree!
DeleteI like to read so many differnt types of books and love that authors keep coming up with new ideas in each genre that way when I feel like reading a dystopian, paranormal, UF or whataver mood strikes my fantsy I can go and get it. What I don't like is the book cover not matching the book. If the heroine of the book is dark haired or of a different ethinicity make the cover match. Or if the hero has specific tatoos those should match. That is all given that they choose to put those on the cover. If they choose to put something else great...but if you put a hero/heroine on the cover it should match the book.
ReplyDeleteI want LESS love triangles!!! OMG all book i read now have love triangles! >:( Theres more to life than deciding between two guys....
ReplyDeleteVery nice question, Jen! I was actually thinking of having a survey that asked similar questions on my blog in October, since I'll be doing NaNoWriMo in November and it's always nice to have input as to what readers want to see in novels.
ReplyDeleteI've been tired of the love triangles and the insta-love and vampires now for a while. If they're done well, it's not a big deal. And for a while there I just really wanted to read some contemporary so I went on that YA contemp binge. It was nice to read something different, because I had been mostly reading dystopian! But while reading those contemps I did realize that dystopian and Sci-Fi are probably always going to be my favorite types of books. But I definitely think I'll continue to read a variety.
One thing I'd really like to see is more parental presence. The parents are hardly every involved in these YA novels, if they're even around at all. Although it does seem like more parents are around these days, and good parents are on the upswing.
Hi
ReplyDeleteI get tired of authors adding more books to their series or extending them just to sell more books without them having a whole story in them.
I agree -- the length of the series needs to fit the size of the story arc. No filler just to stretch out the series!!
DeleteNo more love triangles please!! There always has to be a 'loser' & they never seem genuine.
ReplyDeleteThen maybe the "loser" can get his own book??
DeleteOne of the things I best appreciate about YA novels are their amazing covers!!! Some of them are just beautiful works of art, and I hope that trend continues <3
ReplyDeleteMary DeBorde M.A.D.
I agree - there are some stunning and original ones out there!
DeleteI'm enjoying the new adult/mature ya trend right now. I hope more books in this category continue to come out. I'm tired of the trend in ya books where the guy is somehow much older than the girl but is still in a younger body. It's weird. As always, thanks for being so generous with your books! Have a great weekend :-)
ReplyDeleteYes -- often I feel that the characters don't seem like teenagers...
DeleteI kind of have a love-hate relationship with Love Triangles. On one hand, I love them because, um, hello, TWO EXTREMELY HOT GUYS. But... it gets kind of annoying, because one of them is usually "broody/stickler-for-the-rules" and the other is a "bad boy/rebel".
ReplyDeleteAnother thing I'm kind of getting tired of is Dystopians. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE them, but it's usually the same idea these days. Society controlled by a "government", lead only becomes a rebel after meeting their love interest who is more rebellious, and yeah... :p
Thanks for the ultra-amazing giveaway!!
You're welcome -- thanks for sharing your thoughts!
DeleteINSTA-LOVE. Or romances that are too rushed. I don't know why so many characters 'fall in love' so quickly (i.e. in the first book or just after they meet the guy)! Would have preferred the relationship to develop at a more natural pace...
ReplyDeleteTotally agree-- love those relationships that have some ups and downs...
DeleteCliffhangers. They are ok but as said above if its going to be a year+ between books please have some sort of conclusion. And the over used love triangles. Some stories have them and they are really well done. Then others copy them just to have it in there but it makes no difference to the story.
ReplyDeleteThe cliffhangers drive me crazy. And they do not automatically get me to buy the next book.
DeleteI would definitely love to see more books along the lines of The Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent. With banshees and reapers and nightmaras and such. I love the series and the paranormal creatures in those books are ones we don't see enough of. The one thing I want to see less of: CLIFFHANGERS. Especially having to wait so long until the next book in the series. What happens to Vincent? Please, be okay. And what about Kate and the baby? I hate cliffhangers. I like an ending to leave enough loose threads that you know there is more to come, but not cut the thread completely at the worst spot and leave us hanging. Sucks. I do like chapter hangers, though.
ReplyDeleteSorry for the rambles. :) Thanks for the giveaway.
Chapter hangers -- nice term. Yes, I like those. Though they make me stay up too late..
DeleteI agree with Jamie above! RV'S Soul Screamers are FANTASTIC! There should definitely be more books like the ones she writes! :) AAnd things I'm sick of? Love triangles that are SO obvious, instalove, girls in depression because the guys leave them, and most of all... TSTL MCs. I want more MCs like Richelle Mead's and Rachel Vincent's, and Marissa Meyer's. :)
ReplyDeleteOOOOH I see Throne of Glass on the list! *drools*
I need to get caught up in the Soul Screamers series!!
Deletebookish trend i'll love to see more of is the different mythology from around the world and more kick-ass protagonist.
ReplyDeleteAnother vote for mythology -- yay!
DeleteI am loving retellings <3 They are not that big of a trend, but still, I keep searching for new retelling books all the time :P
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm getting tired of really young kids acting like adults. For god's sake, 14 year-old kids are not supposed to meet the "love of their life" and have sex -.-'
Penny Pe
I love retellings too!
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