Top 5 tropes I dislike

Hello bookworms!! Welcome to Top 5 Tuesday!! This week’s topic is top 5 tropes I dislike. Which means, we are in November, and we’re ALLLL about the tropes!! And after last week’s ‘tropes we love’, it’s only fitting we now look at the other end of the scale.

*cough* Also, I’m apologising in advance, because there are some on here that I think might be a bit popular… But I think I’m just kind of over them?!! #SorryNotSorry…

In saying all of that, don’t forget to tune in next week where I actually pick one book for each of these tropes that I think are actually done well. (Please kill me now — why did I think this was a good idea?!)

If you missed the October-December topics please see this link. Top 5 Tuesday was created by Shanah @ Bionic Book Worm, and is now being hosted here @ Meeghan reads.

top 5 tropes I dislike

Love triangles…

I CANNOT get into love triangles. I don’t know what it is, but as soon as person number 3 arrives on the scene, I’m all “and I’m tapping out”. Maybe in my mind it’s akin to cheating, or I just don’t like the indecisiveness. (Which is rich coming from me, because I can’t even choose what I want for dinner most nights.) Most times I can look past this and enjoy the rest of the book, but honestly, this was the thing I disliked most in Twilight, which was basically about a love triangle.

Twilight — Stephenie Meyer

About three things I was absolutely positive.

First, Edward was a vampire.

Second, there was a part of him — and I didn’t know how dominant that part might be —that thirsted for my blood.

And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.

Mary Sue characters…

I really hope this doesn’t come across as sounding too harsh , but I cannot read books with main characters (of any gender) who are just amazingly perfect at everything. On their first real go. Oh, new powers? Perfect understanding of your ability first try. Never swung a sword before? Just beat the evil sword-wielding guy four chapters later. It takes so long to hone skills and I would much rather have a training montage in a book than have someone miraculously hit the target of a bullseye in their very first archery competition.

Red Queen — Victoria Aveyard

This is a world divided by blood — red or silver. The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change. That is until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace.

Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power. Fearful of Mare’s potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince.

Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime. But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance — Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart.

Alpha male…

Despite reading a billionty romance novels, alpha males is one thing that I cannot abide with. And by “alpha male”, I mean that possessive, jealous, controlling, dominant alpha male. My biggest issue is that they are RIFE in that whole genre. I mean, of course there are exceptions. I’ve definitely been leaning away from paranormal romance because of that whole THING they have going on. So, it is possible.

A Court of Thorns and Roses — Sarah J. Maas

Feyre’s survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill — the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price…

Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre’s presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.

Amnesia / memory lapses…

Oh, you forgot about this super crucial detail from your past that would tie up everything neatly in a bow because you hit your head for plot reasons? Yeah… sounds highly coincidental. I do think this one mostly annoys me because if the reader has been following along, then it’s super obvious what is going to happen, or how person X is involved.

Hush, Hush — Becca Fitzpatrick

Romance was not part of Nora Grey’s plan. She’s never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how hard her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora’s not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems to know more about her than her closest friends. She can’t decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For she is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen – and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life.

Knife kink…

(This one is for Sam @Fictionally Sam who reminded me how much I dislike it…) WHY?! This is the question I will always ask myself when it happens. WHY? As in WHY is this a thing? Also, who started this? Where did it come from? But mostly, WHY IS THIS A THING NOW?? It is in so many fantasy books that have a female protagonist and some romance on the side. Like, I get being a badass girl who carries a dagger, but leave it outside the bedroom, please.

From Blood and Ash — Jennifer L. Armentrout

A Maiden… Chosen from birth to usher in a new era, Poppy’s life has never been her own. The life of the Maiden is solitary. Never to be touched, never to be looked upon, never to be spoken to, and never to experience pleasure. Waiting for the day of her Ascension, she would rather be with the guards, fighting back the evil that took her family, than preparing to be found worthy by the gods. But the choice has never been hers.

A Duty… The entire kingdom’s future rests on Poppy’s shoulders, something she’s not even quite sure she wants for herself. Because a Maiden has a heart, and a soul, and longing. And when Hawke, a golden-eyed guard honor bound to ensure her Ascension, enters her life, destiny and duty become tangled with desire and need. He incites her anger, makes her question everything she believes in, and tempts her with the forbidden.

A Kingdom… Forsaken by the gods and feared by mortals, a fallen kingdom is rising once more, determined to take back what they believe is theirs through violence and vengeance. And as the shadow of those cursed draws closer, the line between what is forbidden and what is right becomes blurred. Poppy is not only on the verge of losing her heart and being found unworthy by the gods, but also her life when every blood-soaked thread that holds her world together begins to unravel.

Please don’t forget to link to one of my posts (not my homepage or a category, as I won’t get the pingback), or comment your link below, and I will link back to all of your posts as soon as I can!!

PARTICIPANTS

Jillian the Bookish Butterfly
The Punk Theory
Jamsu Dreams
A Fictional Bookworm
Here Be Dragons
Books Are 42
Biblio Nerd Reflections
Books Less Travelled Reviews
Little Corner Reads
DB’s Guide to the Galaxy
Hail and Well Read

What are top 5 tropes you dislike?