10 Things That Make Me Avoid a Book Like the Plague
Top Ten Tuesday is an awesome meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
This week's theme is Top Ten Things That Will Make Me Instantly NOT Want To Read A Book. It's time to bring out the salt, so sit tight.
1. It has only positive reviews.
Not every book is for everyone, and if everyone else loved the book, chances are I'm going to be that one person that doesn't. If it only has negative reviews, I won't read it either.
2. It has a low average rating.
If the average rating on Goodreads is less than 3.5, I'm not likely to read it. Sometimes I disagree with the average rating, but it can be a good indicator of a book's quality.
3. It's dystopian.
Nope nope nope. I've had enough of this genre to last a lifetime.
4. It's paranormal.
I've read and enjoyed some paranormal books, but not enough to like it as a genre. No werewolves, vampires, or any of that for me, thanks.
5. The blurb mentions a male character the female protagonist's age that she's not related to.
Because I know how it's going to go, and I've had enough.
6. The blurb mentions a "passionate" or "epic" romance.
Not interested.
7. "Star-crossed lovers".
I don't mind romances if they actually are doomed to fail, but usually relationships that are labelled "star-crossed" get a happy ending. False advertising.
8. "I'm not like other girls."
Yes, you are. You're just like 75% of the girls reading this book. Shut up.
9. Protagonist's life changes when she meets a boy.
Do I even need to explain this one? Just no. It's not all about men.
10. Any or all female characters are either pure or immoral, nice or mean, with no in-between.
I need my women more complex than that. Women are people, and people are flawed and complicated, not just black and white, and I'm not going to able to relate to your characters if they're not fleshed out. No-one is 100% good or evil. Do you want to be accused of misogyny?
